Title: There But for the Grace of God
Author: Sweetdoggie (stirling_summer@yahoo.com)
Pairing: None
Rating: FRM
Summary: What Giles could have been in a world without Vampires
Spoilers: None
Note: Fic challenge of the week: Mini-Challenge #61: Who would Giles be in a world with no vampires or demons? From GilesRulesBaby

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.

The stern-faced man sat behind a desk pouring over battle plans. There was a knock on the door.

“Come.”

“Colonel Giles? We have news from HQ, sir. It looks like we’ll be going in.”

“Give me your orders, Lieutenant.”

The younger man handed over a sheaf of papers, studying his commanding officer while he had the opportunity. Colonel Giles was a legend. He had made a name for himself first as a fighter pilot, then as an officer who led his men from the front lines. He had gone in undercover and single-handedly rescued five soldiers being held hostage by the enemy. He wasn’t afraid to tell HQ when they were wrong, either. There wasn’t a man in his unit that wouldn’t take a bullet for Colonel Giles.

~*~

Rupert Giles swiped the polishing cloth over his cash register. It might not have the glamour of the one he had imagined as a boy, but it was still his. He looked around his small store and smiled. This wasn’t exactly life in the fast lane, but there was something so basic, so satisfying about being able to provide things for people that he knew he’d made the right choice of careers when he chose to be a shop keeper.

~*~

The tour group moved through the museum whispering excitedly at each new exhibit. Their guide radiated pride as he pointed to the ancient Sumerian artifacts in the display case. “And it was our very own museum curator that found these relics during his excavation of Hammurabi’s tomb. Hammurabi was an ancient Babylonian King who invented a legal code for his people. Professor Giles spent twenty years searching, but finally found his tomb. It was the greatest archaeological discovery since King Tut; greater than that even. Hammurabi gave us the basis for our very own legal system and Professor Giles found him. We’re very lucky to have such a great man on our staff.”

~*~

“C’mon Ripper! You could have any bird in the room, pick one or two and let the rest of us have some!”

“Can’t you bloody well keep your mouth shut for a half mo? I’m tryin’ to get this chord right.” The man bent over a guitar and strummed for a moment before nodding his satisfaction. “All right then. Let’s go see what we can find by way of a bit of entertainment, eh?”

~*~

“Janus! We call upon you to bless us, your degenerate sons. Look upon us with favor, great lord, and grant our desires.” Rupert Giles knelt in front of the pagan altar and dripped the blood of the freshly slaughtered dove over the statue. He met Ethan’s eyes across the sacrificial offering. “A dove just isn’t getting the job done, Ethan. I think we need something…a bit bigger.”

Ethan nodded his agreement. “Whatever you say, Ripper.”

END