TITLE: The Meaning of Heroes (Book One: 19/25)
AUTHORS: Jess (Watcher Giles) and Lara
WEBSITE: http://heroes.darling-moon.com
DISCLAIMER: We only wish we were as successful as Joss Whedon. He and Mutant Enemy own this.

WARNING: SEXUAL SITUATIONS AND VIOLENCE

Antony gripped the steering wheel, his foot pressed all the way to the floor. It had been three days since he first visited the Slayer's home, and now he needed to get back to Rovello Drive.

It had been an hour since he found the body, but the identity of the killer was as clear as if he had been standing there himself. After snapping a few pictures with his digital camera, he knew he needed to get this to Mr. Giles and Miss Summers. Slamming on the brakes in front of her house, he gripped the camera and the stake in his hand and ran up to the front door, pounding on it, waiting for someone to answer.

"Please God, Let them be here!"

And so far, beyond a few rather new vamps, there was nothing.

Wesley and Rupert had needed to go to the Magic Box for something, so Fred had stayed home with Connor. She had just put him to bed when she heard the pounding on the door. Her heart jumping into her throat, she hurried down to the door, arriving just as Dawn did. The younger woman looked through the peephole.

"It's that Watcher that was here the other day. The one who brought Connor's papers from the Council," Dawn said. "Antony."

"Here," Fred said, opening the door. The boy outside looked scared to death. "Antony? What's going on?"

"Where's Mister Giles? Miss Summ–where's Buffy?!" he demanded, breathless. "Angelus is here – I just saw the proof of it an hour ago!" He shoved the picture out for the others to see. "The girl's body was found bearing his mark, here!"

As he pointed at the cross carved into the girl's cheek, Xander's head shot up. He needed to find Buffy. Dead Boy was here, and Giles and Wes were out there alone!

Fred's hands started shaking uncontrollably when she saw the picture he was holding out, a feeling of nausea rising in her stomach and throat. "Bu–Buffy's on patrol with Spike, and Rupert...he's out with Wesley getting some things from the Magic Box. Oh God, if Angelus finds them..." She couldn't finish her thought. "We have to go get them! We have to warn them!"

"Xander, take your car – find Buffy and Spike, tell them to get to the Magic Box on the double. I'll try and meet up with Mister Giles and Mister Wyndam-Pryce and bring them home!" Antony suggested, surprised when Xander immediately grabbed his keys and ran out to his car. He guessed everyone was too worried about their loved ones to question the fact that they were taking instructions from an outsider.

"I'll find them," he promised Fred before taking off out to his own car and getting in behind the wheel. He sent a small prayer that he would arrive in time.

Back in the house, Dawn put her arm around Fred as they stood at the door, watching as the others disappeared. "It'll be all right. They'll find them in time."

"I hope so," Fred said, feeling useless that she couldn't go help warn the two men she loved. "Oh, God."

The nausea became overwhelming, and Fred ran upstairs to the bathroom to throw up. Lorne, who had been standing in the living room, watching the entire exchange, shared a concerned look with Dawn, Willow and Tara before following his friend upstairs. They all knew what this meant, and they just hoped that Wesley and Giles would be all right.

"Spike, if you say one more word about Harmony, I swear to God I'm going to use you for target practice. Giles thinks she can be a help, so we're going to use her. Just get over it," Buffy was saying as Xander, turning the wheel hard, spun the car, the tires screeching as it came to a complete stop in front of them.

"Buffy, get in! Look – Junior Watcher came by, said he had proof Angelus was here. Found a body and all. Wes and Giles headed to the Magic Box for supplies. They're wide open for attack!"

"What!" Grabbing Spike's arm, she shoved him toward the car, ignoring his protests. "Just shut up and get in, you mook!" Once he was in, Buffy jumped into the front seat. "Go!"

At her word, Xander slammed his foot down on the accelerator, and turning the wheel, he quickly headed toward the magic box. "Please let 'em be okay!" he breathed softly.

When the door opened, he crept closer, but still far enough away that neither man could see him.

Once Wesley came out, carrying what looked to be a rather heavy load, Angelus made his move, running out of the shadows and using the bat he had gotten from that unsuspecting girl to hit him squarely in the back of the head, causing him to tumble to the ground.

"Surprise!"

Giles spun, his heart sinking at the sound the bat made against Wesley's skull. With a curse, he immediately dropped his bag, knowing he had to get that bat away from Angelus, or they were both dead. As the vampire hauled back to take another swing, Giles stepped between him and Wesley, grunting when the bat impacted with his ribs. He wrapped one arm around the bat, reaching for the stake on his belt with the other. He plunged the weapon into the juncture of Angelus' arm, causing him to roar, as he spun away, maintaining possession of the bat. He then flipped the weapon in his hands so that he was gripping the handle and faced the vampire, not allowing the pain in his ribs to show on his face.

"Haven't we been in this position before, vampire?" he asked, referring to the last time he had lumped the vampire upside the head with a baseball bat.

Angelus pulled the out, shaking his arm. Those damned things really did sting. "I've been hoping for a rematch ever since that night," he growled, circling around Giles though taking care to stay out of the way for the moment. "But you really should have stayed out of this, Giles. I mean, really, I remember how you treated Wesley, so why would..."

Suddenly, he stopped and sniffed the air, an amused smirk crossing his face. "Wesley and Fred? Rupert Giles fucking two people at the same time? I never thought you had it in you. Although apparently, you've been in them. Tell me, are they good lays?"

Giles cursed inwardly, his jaw clenching at the taunt. Now that Angelus knew about his relationship with Wesley and Fred, there was no way he could let him anywhere near them. He understood, perhaps better than anyone, the sadistic nature of this particular vampire. He would rape either one of them, just to upset him, if he got his hands on them. "You expect me to just step out of the way while you destroy this man? I think not," he growled, taking a defensive stance over Wesley, his body coiled, ready for an attack.

"Ohh, they must be. Have to admit, never would have pegged either of you as swinging that way. Now Fred...I knew Wesley wanted her. Could smell it every time he was around her." The sting in his arm was being to fade, and he began tossing the stake back and forth from one hand to the other. "Maybe I really should have gone after her first, but driving her insane by getting you two first would be so much more...satisfying. Wonder if she'll start writing on the walls again."

With that, Angelus kicked out at him before swinging around with a punch.

"One flaw with your thinking," Giles replied darkly with a smirk. "You won't be getting either of us. You forget who you're talking to, vampire. Even after everything you did to me, you still couldn't break me, wanker. You had to depend on your woman."

He knew if he made him angry enough, Angelus would get sloppy. Both were so focused on the other, neither heard the car come to a stop at the curb or the groan coming from the man on the ground. He sensed Angelus' strike before he saw it, lifting the bat to block the punch. Instantly, the bat snapped, splintering in his hand, leaving him with the handle, broken to a point.

"Thank you. Saves me from having to retrieve the stake from my pocket."

Angelus backed up from Giles, staring intently at him. The man was much more dangerous than he had given him credit for. He had always been the old Watcher, the one to get to Buffy through. But it appeared that without her around, he actually grown a pair. Or perhaps he had just done a good job of hiding them.

"I'm not going to stop until all three of you are dead. Although maybe I should turn one of them, just to see your reaction. Would you kill Fred if she were a vampire? How about Wesley? I don't think he'd make a good vampire, though, but Fred...I could control her. Maybe let her kill both of you."

"You know, your threats might actually worry me if I thought you would get anywhere near Fred," Giles replied calmly. "But you won't, we both know it. My family bested you once already, we'll do it again."

Popping the trunk, he searched around quickly, his eyes lighting on the plastic petrol can. Shaking it, he smiled when he felt it was full. Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a zippo lighter, a gift from an American colleague.

"Thank you, David," he whispered when it lit right off. Closing the cap, he withdrew his dagger, trying to still his shaking hand. "Please God, let this work."

Except Spike didn't want anything to do with her. She had actually offered herself to him several times, and he had turned her down! How humiliating was that? Well, she decided that if he didn't care about her, she wasn't going to listen to him and stay put in the crypt until they needed her. She was going to go see if she couldn't find Angelus – or some clue about him – on her own.

So she had ended up walking the streets for a while, ducking every time she had seen someone familiar since she so didn't want to get into a conversation with any of them about what she had been doing since the spectacular explosion that had been graduation. She couldn't find anything, however, so she decided to head over to the Magic Box that she had heard Spike talk about, see if anyone was there. At least maybe she wouldn't have to be bored for the rest of the night.

As she turned the corner, she knew something wasn't right. And then she saw them. Angelus was standing a few feet away from Giles, who appeared to be protecting someone. Harmony didn't even look to see who it was, instead charging forward even though her shoes weren't exactly the best for running in.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" she yelled.

Giles heard the familiar yet annoying voice and had to bite back a smile. This was exactly what he wanted Harmony around for. Most likely, she would end up dusted, but the distraction would allow him to dispose of Angelus once and for all.

"How does it feel, Angelus, to know that you were already bested by an old man and a girl? How about knowing that it will happen again? Scourge of Europe indeed. You must have earned that by attacking women and small children. You're not dangerous, you're nothing but a bully, and we both know it," he taunted, finally noticing the young Watcher at the curb behind the vampire. He needed to keep Angelus focused on him and not on Wesley or Antony.

"Says the old man Watcher who keeps getting knocked over the head," Angelus growled, not caring about Harmony for the moment. He knew how ineffectual the little vampire brat was without others to back her up. Her getting the upper hand at that Pyramid Scheme had been pure luck. "You two only bested me because you had your little group behind you, but they're not here now, are they? They're cowering behind closed doors – didn't you think I knew that? They're scared now, and all you have it this little tramp..."

By the time, Harmony had reached them and attempted to jump on Angelus. Quickly, he reached out and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her off-balance so she landed in front of him.

"Hey!" Harmony yelled.

Bringing up his hand holding the stake, he smirked at Giles before plunging it down into her heart. "Whoops. Don't even have her now, do you?"

As Harmony exploded into dust with a scream, Antony used his dagger to puncture holes in the gas can, quickly pulling his hand out of the way when some of the petrol splashed on it. He then pocketed the dagger, holding his lighter in his hand and tilting the can back, careful not to lose any more of the precious liquid inside, as he crept toward Angelus.

Giles shook his head, unable to believe that Angelus actually thought he cared about the death of Harmony. "She was just cannon fodder. No great loss. Vampires are so predictable and can't be counted on. I much prefer the assistance of humans. But she was a nice diversion, don't you think? Now!" he told Antony, stepping back as Angelus was doused in the gasoline.

Lighting the lighter, Antony stepped around to stand with Mr. Giles. He cursed loudly when, as he did, the petrol on his hand ignited. He switched the zippo to his good hand, snuffing out the flames on himself by pressing the burning limb to his side.

"So what'll it be, Angelus? Vampire flambe?" he asked with a lot more bravery than he felt. He hoped Angelus would leave soon. It would be hard to seem intimidating to the Scourge of Europe while throwing up on his shoes.

The stench of fuel almost burning all his senses, Angelus spun around, his eyes quickly homing in on the flame as the boy moved to stand beside Giles, but when he spoke, he looked him fully in the face. "A boy? Obviously a Watcher-wannabe by his clothing choice. What is it about you Watchers – you all shop at the same store in London? You don't want to be involved in this, kid. I'd leave while you still can."

"Ancient Native American boys would gain their manhoods by hunting the largest game possible. What do you think the Council will give me for bagging a vampire of your reputation?" Antony pointed out. "I know you're strong, but you're not fireproof. Or would you like to test your durability?"

He hadn't even finished what he was saying before Buffy was out of the car, running toward them and pulling her stake out of her pocket. "Angelus! Why don't you pick on someone else for a little while!"

Upon hearing her voice, he turned around again, growling in disbelief and immediately moving to block her. "Buffy? You should be dead!"

"Sorry to disappoint you!"

"Surprise!" Giles said, for the first time feeling the constriction in his chest abate now that they clearly had the upper hand. "Tony, now!" he then called out, diving forward tackling Buffy out of the way. He rolled them away, shielding her with his body.

On Giles' cue, Antony tossed the zippo, and the flame hit Angelus, immediately igniting the petrol covering him. The young Watcher then reached down, gritting his teeth against the pain in his hand as he gripped Wesley's shoulders and pulled him out of the way. Xander immediately ran over to help Tony sit Wesley up against the wall and looked up at the young watcher with a smirk.

"Good job, Rookie," he said.

The moment the flames went up, Angelus felt pain searing through his body. He wanted to grab the boy who had done this to him, but survival instinct immediately took over, and he ran, dropping to roll a few times on the ground until the flames finally snuffed out. Crawling to his feet, he looked back, seeing Xander helping the boy and Wesley while Spike – Spike! – moved to assist Giles and Buffy. His back and face were screaming in protest with each movement, and he knew that he was no longer in any condition to face anyone, much less six people.

"This isn't over!" he yelled before disappearing down the nearby ally.

Giles rolled to his back, cradling his Slayer against his chest. His ribs were throbbing, but that wasn't important. Looking up into Buffy's eyes with a gentle smile, he asked, his voice soft, "Are you all right?"

"I'm okay," Buffy told him. "What about you? Wesley?" She struggled to sit up and looked over to where Xander was helping the others. "Antony? Xander said he was the one that figured out Angelus was here."

"I'm fine." Giles sat up, carefully hiding the wince when his ribs protested the movement. When she mentioned Wesley, however, his worry reared up angrily. His lover had taken a pretty hard shot to the head. "Wesley," he breathed, standing up with his Slayer. "Angelus hit him pretty hard."

He crouched down in front of the younger man. "Wes, are you all right?" he asked, gently probing the back of Wes' head with his fingers. He winced in sympathy when Wes hissed, finally opening his eyes. Giles could see that his eyes were slightly glazed.

"Rupert, why are there three of you?" Wesley asked weakly, trying to get his eyes to focus. He frowned when he heard Xander laugh.

"Congrats, Wes, your first concussion. You're now an official scooby Watcher," Xander quipped.

"Now's not the time to joke, Xander," Buffy said, giving him a slight push.

Xander just shrugged. "It's true, though. Giles has been Concussion Man for how many years running? Looks like Wes is trying to share the burden." He smirked, helping Giles get Wesley to his feet, draping an arm over his shoulder with Giles standing on his other side. "Come on, New Concussion Guy. Let's get you back to the car. And don't worry. If there's one thing we know how to treat around here, it's head injuries."

"Spike, get the bags and put them in the car," Giles instructed, not caring in the slightest when the vampire immediately started to complain.

Buffy, meanwhile, hurried over to Antony, who was still sitting on the ground, looking like he was in pain. Kneeling down beside him, she touched his shoulder gently. "Are you okay? How did you...? How did you know?"

He lifted his head, smiling shyly when she touched him. "I...in Angelus' earlier days, he would mark his kills with a cross carved into the victim's cheek. Almost two hours ago, I found a young girl. She hadn't been dead long, and she had his mark on her face." He lifted his hand and gave her a tight smile. "As for me...I spilled some of the petrol on my hand when I punctured the can. I guess I forgot about it when I went to ignite the lighter. I'll be fine."

"Ouch," she said softly, looking at the burn. "Come on. You're going to come back to the house with us. I'll drive your car." When she saw that he might protest, she held up her hand and shook her head. "Look, you've just put yourself in Angelus' sights tonight with what you did, helping Wesley and Giles. We're not going to risk you ending up another one of his victims. You're with us now."

She wrapped an arm around him and helped him up off the ground, then looked over to Giles and Xander, who were helping Wesley into Xander's car. "Giles, I'm going to drive Antony back to the house. He'll be safer staying with us than anywhere else."

Giles smiled faintly, a bit surprised to see Buffy being so openly kind to a Watcher other than himself. Usually she despised everything Council on sheer principle. "Buffy, the boy has already faced death once tonight, do we really need to subject him to it again?" he asked with a chuckle. "Why don't you let Spike drive?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "All right, fine. Spike can drive us."

"Oy, I'm not a sodding chauffer, you know!" the vampire said as he finished putting the bags and boxes Wesley and Giles had been carrying into the boot of Xander's car. "I've already been turned into a pack mule!"

"Spike, just shut up and drive us home," she responded as they walked over to Antony's rental car. "Please."

"Oh, and Spike," Giles began, getting ready to get into the passenger side of Xander's car, knowing he would be thrilled with what he was about to tell him. "Angelus dusted Harmony. Her demise bought Antony time to act."

Spike grinned widely at the young Watcher. "Okay. Now, I officially like you."

"I'm honored," Antony replied dryly, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Come on, guys. We can continue this at the house," Buffy said before Xander and Giles got in the other car and headed out.

Once the three left behind were all in the car, they followed Xander back. Buffy glanced over at Antony, amazed at what he had just done for Giles and Wesley. He had obviously been telling the truth – not all the Watchers were like Travers and the flunkies that he always seemed to bring along. And she understood a lot more about the way things were run now than she had. Maybe if she had known a few years ago, she wouldn't have treated Wesley the way she had.

It didn't take long for them to get to the house. Buffy was glad for that. She knew that Angelus was probably going to be out of action for a while thanks to what Antony had done, but she also knew that when he did come back, he was going to be even more angry and dangerous than he had been.

Giles and Xander helped Wesley into the house, but not before Giles told Spike to get the things out of the boot. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Tara open the front door, holding it so they could steer the injured man in without stopping. Once they got to the couch, they set him down gently.

"Watcher Junior saved them from Dead Boy. Wes'll have a killer headache in the morning, but he and Giles are okay," he explained to the others.

"Angelus attacked us as we left the Magic Box. He lumped Wes upside the head with a baseball bat before I was able to get it from him. Harmony's gone, but her demise bought Antony enough time to douse him in petrol," Giles explained, sitting next to Wes. "Wesley, I need you to focus on me for a moment. Can you follow my finger?"

"Which one?" he replied, his voice tight with the pain throbbing in his head, as he tried to watch the fingers moving slowly across his eyeline.

Fred felt her stomach flop again when she heard the pain in Wesley's voice. He had just gotten over the wound that had been inflicted on him by Justine and now this. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her fingernails digging into her skin. The bastard had gone after the men she loved. If she ever...she was going to...

But her concern right then had to be for Wesley. Hurrying into the kitchen, she found the ice pack she had seen in the fridge. Once she had wrapped it in one of the towels, she took it back out into the living room and sat next to Wesley on the couch, holding it gently to the back of his head while taking his other hand in hers. She looked over at Rupert, trying not to cry but feeling her eyes tearing up anyway. She was just glad they were back alive.

Buffy, meanwhile, had helped Antony inside. "Sit down wherever you can find room. I'll help you bandage that burn."

Antony sat down on a chair, slowly peeling off his jacket. He frowned when he noticed that the button on his shirt was melted onto his skin. With a hiss, he pulled away the burned plastic, and the skin attached to it. Gingerly rolling up his sleeve, he looked up, needing something else to focus on. "Is Mister Wyndam-Pryce all right?"

Buffy winced a little when Antony pulled the button off. He really had burned himself pretty good although thankfully, it looked like it wasn't too big an area. "He'll be okay. If there's one thing I've learned about Watchers, it's that all of you have pretty thick heads. I think it's a requirement or something."

Tony chuckled. "Yes, according to Mister Giles' journals, he did seem to have a penchant for getting thumped upside the head."

She couldn't help but smile at his own smile. "Stay right there, I'll be back."

While she ran upstairs, Giles reached out a hand, cupping Fred's cheek, seeing the worry in her brown eyes. "He'll be all right, We're both fine thanks to that boy over there." He nodded toward the chair as he stroked her cheek gently with his thumb, trying to calm her down.

Fred looked over at Antony and, swallowing, gave him a small smile. "Thank you," she whispered. "For what you did, for making sure they came back to me."

Antony smiled shyly. "Ahhh, couldn't let two good men get taken out by a git like Angelus," he replied, brushing off her thanks. Now that everyone was safe, he could feel the adrenaline draining out of him. "I'm glad I could help...really."

Even though it was good that things had turned out all right that night, Giles knew Fred needed to know what had been threatened. "Fred, he knows about us – the three of us. He wants to turn you because he thinks he can control you, get you to kill us. Just–he'll be out of commission for awhile, but when he comes at us again, it'll be brutal and very bloody. I just want you to promise me that you'll be careful."

Her chest tightened at his words, and her stomach tied up in knots yet again. Angelus wanted...to turn her? To make her hurt them? She couldn't...she'd never... "I promise," she managed to choke out. She couldn't let him use her like that. She'd never let him use her like that. "I'd rather die than hurt either of you."

"That's not an option either," Giles said firmly. He had failed to protect Wes, but thankfully, his love would live to fight another day. He could not fail them again.

He did as she instructed, holding still while Buffy pulled out some antiseptic salve and started spreading in on the burn on his hand. After a few moments, he gave her a smile. "So what's the verdict, Doctor?" he asked, surprised that someone so powerful could have such a gentle touch.

"I think you're going to be okay," she said with a half-smile. After putting some gauze over the burn, she wrapped the bandage around his hand and pinned it securely. "There you go. We have about a half dozen people here with first-aid experience, so one of us will check that for you over the next couple of days. Just to make sure it doesn't get worse."

"Yeah, we all got a lot of experience at putting the white stuff over the red stuff," Xander said with a smile before turning to face Wesley. "Hey, Wes, still seeing three of everything?"

"Yes, and as interesting as multiples of you can be, I do believe your family has addressed this issue, so I would be thankful if the images would merge into one," Wesley replied, clenching his eyes shut.

Lorne looked over at Xander, raising his brows. "There have been more than one of you?"

"Oh, please don't ask him about that. It was bad enough at the time," Willow teased.

Wes, meanwhile, rested his head back against Fred's hand. "Is Connor asleep?"

"Yes," she told him, flipping the ice pack over and pressing it back to his head. "I put him to bed after you two left earlier, and I was sitting with him just before you came home."

"Good. I don't think he would understand this." He reached out to touch her face but got nothing but air. "Guess I should have tried for the one in the middle," he joked tiredly, trying to lessen her anxiety.

"You have a concussion, Wesley, so you know we can't allow you to go to sleep, even though your body is insisting we do so," Giles explained, his hand trailing down the side of the younger man's head.

"Trust the G-Man on this, Wes. Giles is the King of concussions." Xander smiled, laughing when he got the expected glare in return.

"You could always use sex?" Anya chimed in, shrugging her shoulders when everyone glared at her. "What? Everyone knows pleasure receptors can overpower pain receptors."

"Anya, for the love of God...!" Giles snapped, trying to cut her off when he saw Wes nearly swallow his tongue with embarrassment. Xander clasped a hand over her mouth. "Thank you."

Fred shook her head – sex was the last thing on her mind right now. She just wanted Wesley to be okay. She just wanted this nightmare to be over, and her family to be safe and everything to be all right. Was that so much to ask? "Should we take Wesley upstairs?" she asked Rupert softly. "Might be easier for us to keep him awake."

Anya made a noise behind Xander's hand, holding her hand out toward the lovers as if to say 'See?' She watched Giles and Fred help Wes up again, heading up the stairs slowly.

"Is she always like that?" Antony laughed softly, referring to Anya.

"Yeah, she's always like that," Dawn said, rolling her eyes before heading into the kitchen with Lorne to make something to eat.

Once they had left, he looked over at Buffy, suddenly noticing that she seemed to be distracted. "Hey." He touched her shoulder gently. "Are you all right?"

She looked over at him, not having realized that she had been spacing out. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I was just...I guess since you're a Watcher and everything, you know about our–my past with Angel and Angelus?"

"Well, I know about Angel from the information Mister Giles put in his journals. Undoubtedly, to preserve your modesty, he left out a great deal, but I know enough. And when he surfaced here on the Hellmouth a few years ago, classes on Angelus and his past crimes became mandatory at the Academy. It was how I recognized the fact that he was here. I...I think I should ask you what all of you plan to do. With Miss Rosenberg here, you have the capability to resoul him. The question is...do you intend to?" he asked, cautiously.

"No," Buffy sighed, looking down at the floor for a moment as she dug her toe into the carpet. "We're not." She glanced back up at him, not sure why she was opening up this much to a Watcher she had really just met, but there was just something about him. He seemed trustworthy, especially given what had had done for Giles and Wes that night. "He murdered a friend of ours – Cordelia Chase. Angel...he wouldn't want–he's gone now. It's too late. We're going to stop Angelus this time, once and for all."

"He's killed Miss Chase?" Antony's eyes grew wide in shock at her nod. "It seems he's playing for keeps this time. I respect that this is a difficult decision for you." He could see the resolve in her eyes and felt bad that it was tempered with so much sadness. "For what it's worth, you have my help...well, as much help as a one armed, green watcher can be." He smirked, lifting his injured hand.

She smiled a bit at that and let out a short laugh. "From what I've seen, you can help quite a lot," she told him. "Although you might want to wait until the hand heals. We'll probably have time. You did a lot of damage to Angelus tonight. Best performance I've ever seen from a green Watcher."

"I think I should confess, I was terrified," Antony admitted with a blush. "I couldn't be sure if I was going to pull it off or thow up on his shoes. Either way, I was fully prepared to die."

Antony really was green. No wonder Travers had thought sending him was safe. "Exactly how long have you...been out of the academy?"

"Not long, actually. In two days, it will have been three weeks. I think Mister Travers allowed me to volunteer because he thought I was young enough that he could control me. I don't think he realized that your Watcher has always been one of my father's favorite students," he explained. "Father always believed Mister Giles was the best. The way he treated you and the others."

"You know, I've never met your father, but he sounds like very wise man. And it sounds like a lot of that wisdom rubbed off on his son." She patted his knee. "Come on...looks like you're going to need to find a sleeping spot with the rest of them here."

Upstairs, Fred and Giles got Wesley into the bedroom, helping him to sit down on the bed. Immediately, he tried to lie back, but both of them stopped, forcing him to remain sitting.

"Come on. We can't let you go to sleep, Wes," Fred told him, rubbing her hand across his back. She looked over at Rupert. "Should we get him changed?"

"I'm not sure," Giles replied with a shrug. "Xander usually took care of me after my concussions. He usually stripped me down to my boxers, I suppose hoping the cool air on my heated skin would help keep me awake. Plus it made me fair game if he needed to pinch or poke me with something to bring me round."

"We can also get him into the shower a lot easier if we need to," Fred remarked, helping Rupert keep him upright.

"I'm fine," Wes managed, trying to push their hands away when they both reached for his clothing.

"You are not fine. You probably feel like someone has literally knocked you stupid," Giles corrected, gripping the younger man's shirt tighter to hold him up.

He and Fred worked together to get Wesley stripped to his boxers. Once they had his clothes off, Fred went into the bathroom and got a washcloth, which she wetted with as cold water as she could get from the tap. Heading back out into the bedroom, she sat back down on the bed and put the washcloth across the back of his neck.

Wesley gasped as the cold washcloth hit his skin. "Good God!" he yelped, feeling the cold water running down his back. "That's cold!"

"I think that's the point, luv." Giles smiled, but his smile turned to a frown as he saw Wes' eyelids grow heavier after his body became accustomed to the shock. "Wes," he called him, giving his bare shoulder a shake. "You have to stay awake."

"Come on, Wes." Fred tried moving the washcloth around to wake up other parts of his body. "We can't let him win. You fall asleep, and he wins. Oh, screw it, you can hate me for this if you want to." She gave him a pinch on his side.

He yelped, feeling the sharp pain. Then he felt strong hands cup his face, and closed his eyes, just relishing in the touch. "Wesley, you have to stay awake, you know this," Giles pleaded.

Wesley knew he was trying, but it was so difficult. Suddenly, he leaned forward and kissed Giles as hard and deep as he could. As embarrassing as Anya's idea had been, it did have merit.

Fred rubbed the spot she had pinched, her eyebrows raising when Wesley leaned forward to kiss Rupert. Looked like someone had decided which route he wanted to take to try to stay awake. Swallowing, she wrapped her arms around Wesley, holding him up and caressing her fingertips up and down his side.

Giles groaned when his lover's tongue pressed past his lips, laying claim to a territory he already owned...or at least co-owned. When Wes finally pulled back, he gave a breathless laugh. "When you find my tonsils, may I have them back please?" he panted, surprised at the intensity of his lover's kiss.

Fred tried to suppress a laugh but found she wasn't able to, especially when she saw the look on Rupert's face. "I think that may have woken up the wrong person."

Giles shook off the haze of desire momentarily, only to see Wesley turn his head, thread his fingers through Fred's hair, and repeat the sweltering kiss he himself had just been on the receiving end of.

Wesley groaned at the taste of her lips. So different than Rupert but no less delicious. He needed them both, probably more than either of them realized.

Fred felt her heart start thumping at the way Wesley grabbed her and kissed her, suddenly understanding the look on Rupert's face. Wrapping her arms around him more tightly, she held on for dear life, feeling like she might fall off the bed any moment until finally they had to break for air. "Uh...woah..."

"I think our boy has decided how he wants to try and stay awake," Giles chuckled, his hand moving up and down Wesley's bare chest.

"Talking isn't working," Wesley managed, ducking his head to nip at the skin of Fred's throat. His hands slid under her sweater, running over the soft skin.

Moaning a bit, Fred closed her eyes as she ran her hand down Wesley's back, knowing that they were right. If this was the way he wanted them to keep him awake, then this was what they would do. Slipping her hand under the waistband of Wesley's boxers, she slid it around to the front and encircled her hand around his cock, stroking it gently, not wanting to bring him up too fast but just enough to keep him awake and focused.

Wesley groaned, instinctively lifting his hips to press into her grasp. Calloused hands rubbed feather soft skin, one of them moving up her torso to cup her breast. Rolling the aureole between his fingers, he leaned forward to kiss her deeply.

Seeing that both of his lovers were completely occupied with each other, Giles stood, quickly shedding his own clothes, tossing them and his boxers onto the chair. Holding his hand out, he called to Fred with a roguish smile.

Fred let out a gasp when Wesley's fingers suddenly pinched her breast, her nipple feeling quite sensitive to his touch. She pressed closer against him, pushing down his boxers so she could take him more firmly in her hand as he hardened. So engrossed in what they were doing, she didn't know Rupert had moved away until he called her name, and breaking the kiss with Wesley, she looked up at him, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of him standing there naked. Returning his smile, she let go of Wesley and reached out to take his hand pulling him over to them.

"I'm feeling a bit overdressed," she said, her voice hitching when Wesley pinched her nipple again.

Wesley chuckled, his own arousal was sending a dull buzz through his system, but Anya was right. The pleasure centers were producing enough adrenaline – it was almost as if he could feel the heaviness lifting slightly. "Rupert, since my reflexes seem to be a bit muddled, perhaps you will oblige us with the unwrapping?" Wesley suggested, a small smile pulling at his lips.

Giving Fred's hand a tug, he brought her to her feet in front of him, both of them standing just in front of Wesley. He turned her to face their lover as nimble fingers quickly opened the fastening on her skirt. Giles lowered his head, his mouth latching on to her neck, worrying her pulse point with his teeth and tongue.

A shudder ran through Fred as he pushed her skirt off her hips and down to the floor before hooking under the waistline of her panties. She kicked the skirt away before leaning back against him, bending her arm back to wrap around his back. Looking at Wesley through partially closed eyes, she raised her foot up and began running it along the inside of leg up to his thigh.

"Both of you are amazing. Six of you take my breath away," Wesley joked, trying to play off the fact that the whack to his head had affected his vision. Leaning forward, his hands moved up Fred's thighs, stopping at her hips as he felt the silk of her panties being lowered.

Giles smiled against her skin as he pressed his lips to the base of her spine. Gripping the bottom of her sweater, he lifted the offending material off as he stood, revealing her to their gazes. Looking over her shoulder with a smile, he chuckled. "We should probably finish unwrapping our boy as well."

Nodding, Fred leaned over and pushed Wesley to straighten up so she could reach his boxers. When he lifted his hips slightly off the bed, she pulled them off his hips and down his legs, tossing them onto the floor once she had them off. She then ran her hands back up his legs, enjoying the sight of him unclothed and open. Both her men were so unbelievably beautiful.

"I love you," she whispered before leaning over more to place a kiss on his hardened shaft.

Giles smirked when she bent forward. Lowering his hips, he placed his tip at her opening and pressed forward, sliding into her in one thrust. Gripping her hips, he started a medium pace, using long, firm strokes.

Wesley groaned, feeling her hands moving over his skin. His hands moved over bare shoulders before threading through her dark locks. He could feel her breath on him, causing his own to hitch in his chest. "My heart, my love," he panted.

"Oh God," Fred whimpered while Rupert moved inside her. Her head dropped forward for a moment as she adjusted to both him and the way Wesley's hand moving through her hair sent her nervous system into overdrive. Then, raising her head, she smiled at Wesley before lowering her mouth onto his cock. As she teased him with her tongue and lips, she pressed back against each of Rupert's strokes.

Giles felt the pleasure run through his system with each thrust. As many times as they had been together, she was still deliciously tight around him. Instinctively, his fingers dug a little harder into her hips as he increased the force of his thrusts. "Fred," he groaned.

Wesley gasped, feeling the wet heat envelop his shaft, each vibration of her pleasure sending a bolt of lightning through his hard flesh. He knew he couldn't cum, so he tugged gently on her hair, lifting her head off of him. Before she could protest the move, he leaned forward and kissed her hard, tasting himself on her lips.

She moaned into the kiss with him, Rupert's thrusts sending pleasure coursing through her countered somewhat by the pain of his fingers digging into her skin. "Rup...Wes..." she choked out. She could feel herself tightening around him, her entire body starting to quiver from overload. "Co–com–oh, god..."

Giles felt her legs start to give before she clamped down on him hard. He wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her weight entirely as he continued to move within her. He slowed his pace gradually before coming to a complete stop. He waited for her to come down, not moving but still buried deep.

Wesley had known the moment she would come, so he pulled back slightly to look at her beautiful face. His breath caught in his throat at the expression that took his breath away. That look in itself was enough to make his cock throb. He kissed her sweetly, trying to give her a ground to return from the whiteness of her release. "You're amazing," he rasped, stroking her face.

Before Fred even opened her eyes after coming down of her high, she felt Wesley's soft kiss. Then she realized that Rupert was holding her up; otherwise, she knew she would have been on the floor in a puddle of goo. And he was still deep inside her as spasms continued to ripple through her. Opening her eyes, she smiled at Wesley, resting her forehead to his. "And here I thought we were trying to keep you awake."

Wesley chuckled, closing his eyes, relishing in the feel of her skin against his as Giles started moving within her again. "And here I am, still awake," he told her with a smile, moving a hand against her skin, sliding down her torso, across her breast.

"Fuc–Rup..." she gasped, not having expecting him to start thrusting into her again so soon. She grabbed onto Wes tightly as sensations started running riot through her again, especially when he began toying with her breasts. Oh, God, they were so sensitive, and Rupert was inside her, and she felt like everything was just too much. She had to bury her head against Wesley's shoulder to try to keep from screaming out loud.

Giles laughed breathlessly as he thrust into his lover. He knew what she had almost said. "Wesley, I've noticed our girl has quite the mouth on her when she comes," he grinned, moving his free hand over her hip, sliding through her folds to rub against her nubbin.

Wesley smiled – he found himself euphoric, wanting to be playful with his lovers, the way he always did when the three of them were together. "You should see her from this side. Her face when she comes takes your breath away," he panted, his own arousal almost painful...but it was keeping him awake.

"Oh, god...so...not...not fair," she groaned, having almost jumped when Rupert's hand slid in between her legs. She felt like she was going to shatter into millions of little bits if this kept up much longer. Perspiration was forming on her, and she could feel droplets slipping down her skin, magnified almost dozens of time. So close...so close...so...

Giles laughed, his voice gruff with the exertion of possessing his lover's body. Leaning over her back, he continued to move. "Fairness has nothing to do with it. And yet, I still don't hear a complaint," he rasped, snapping his hips against her. He gasped hard when she clenched around him, feeling her cum flow as she claimed Wesley's mouth in a deep, bruising kiss.

Wesley gasped when oxygen became a necessity. Holding his hands out, he helped Giles lower a dazed Fred to the mattress. "I want to taste you both, so come here," he managed, gripping Rupert's hip. He drew his older lover toward him, his lips closing around the rigid shaft. He groaned as Fred's taste assaulted him.

Fred had to take a few moments to catch her breath once Wesley and Rupert lowered her to the bed. Once she finally felt herself settle down, she pushed herself up on her elbow, swallowing when she saw Wesley sucking on Rupert's cock, knowing that he could taste her on him. Shifting, she wrapped herself around Wesley, holding him and feeling his groans reverberate through her.

The air filled with Giles' sighs and moans of pleasure as Wesley worked his hard shaft like a master. He knew Fred was watching, and the thought made him smile. "Our little voyeur. How does it make you feel, Fred? To know that Wesley can taste your cum on my cock?" he asked, knowing not only the image but also the crude language would cause a jolt of pleasure to shoot through her. His fingers threading through Wesley's short spikey hair, he groaned loudly as the younger man had him on edge. "I'm....almost there.....Wesley," he panted, his hips moving of their own accord, sliding his flesh in and out of Wesley's mouth

Fred let out a shuddering breath when Rupert spoke to her the way he did. He knew how to talk to her, just the way he knew how to touch her, in order to get a reaction out of her. Reaching up, she ran her hand along his arm, feeling the slightly sweaty stickiness there. "God, both of you are so beautiful," she whispered softly.

Giles gasped, throwing his head back with a groan. "Christ, he's good at this," he managed, feeling himself skirting that sharp edge. He was close, the painful burn in the base of his spine telling him he was about to lose his control. His fingers tightened in Wesley's hair hard as he called the younger man's name, exploding deep in his throat.

Wesley held on to Rupert's hips as he felt his mouth flooded. Swallowing around the twitching flesh, he groaned with each shot that hit his tongue. He would never tire of doing this for his lover. When he felt the tremors subside, after several moments, Wesley pulled back, licking his lips. "Delicious."

Wanting to share, Fred moved up and tilted Wesley's head towards her, kissing him deeply and moaning softly at the salty taste of Rupert on his tongue. When they finally parted, the three of them looked at each other before Wesley and Fred reached up and pulled Rupert down onto the bed with them. As they lost themselves in a tangle of legs and arms and kisses, Fred knew that she was going to be sore by the time morning rolled around, but for Wesley – and for Rupert - it was worth it.

When the door to the house opened, he looked over, breathing a sigh of relief as Xander, Buffy and Anya came inside, safe and sound. "Everything go all right today?" he asked.

"I still don't like the fact that we have to close early," Anya groused, plopping down into the nearest chair in an angry huff. "Stupid vampire is affecting my money."

Shaking her head, Buffy rolled her eyes as she flopped down on the couch. "Yes, Anya, because I'm sure it would be soooo much better to be dead and not able to make any money anymore ever." She looked over at Giles, Tony and everyone else since they had been in the middle of a planning session when she and Xander had needed to leave to get Anya before it got dark. "So, anything come up while we were gone?"

"Not really," Wesley replied as he leaned back in his chair. "Rupert is determined that Xander and Anya get their wedding, regardless of Angelus' antics." He glanced over at his lover, still not certain this was the right course of action.

"That's our G-Man – getting us what we want, come Hellmouth or high water?" Xander quipped.

"High Water? Should I be worried, Xander," Tony asked with a wry smile.

"Well, it is California. One good earthquake, and we could be an island." Smirking, he sat on the floor in front of his fiancée's chair.

"Actually, if an earthquake hits and causes California to break off, we won't so much be an island as a–," Fred started to say before she realized that discussing that sort of thing wasn't exactly a cheery sort of subject. "Never mind."

Stifling a laugh, Buffy looked over at Tony. "I'm kinda surprised you haven't decided to take a chance with Angelus after spending the last few days with all of us here."

"The thought has crossed my mind," he admitted with a smirk. "But then someone proves that the company can be quite charming as well, and I find myself staying. Besides, it's either you lot or Travers. Which would you choose?"

"Angelus," Giles, Wesley and Xander all replied at the same time.

"Hey," Anya said, swatting her fiancé.

"Anya, you have to admit that even you would rather take a chance with Angelus after spending the last few days here," Dawn pointed out as she sat on the floor with Connor. "Why do you think you've been complaining about having to shut down the shop early? You'd rather stay there than be cramped up with us in here."

"The lo–loss of freedom is a bit daunting," Tara managed, her voice soft. Like the others, she would rather have this over with.

"Giles..." Xander rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably when Anya nudged him. "With us getting married in a couple of weeks...um, you think you might be willing to...um..."

"Say it, Xander!" Connor giggled, rocking back and forth before springing up and plopping down on Dawn's lap.

"Would you...?" Xander met the gaze of the man he considered his father. "Would you be my Best Man?"

Giles gasped, surprised at the request and flattered. "Wow, Xander. I...I would be honored," he replied, the awe clear in his tone.

"Finally," Dawn said as she tried to keep Connor from squirming too much as he sat with her. "Was wondering when you'd finally get around to asking him. So Anya, what about your bridesmaids?"

"Well, I was planning on asking Halfrek to be my maid of honor...if I can track her down. She hasn't been around much recently," she answered. "But I do want Buffy, Tara, Willow and Dawn to be my bridesmaids. Sorry, Fred...I just haven't–."

"It's okay," Fred said, holding up her hand. "Really, I understand."

"Does that mean we're going to have to wear, like, actual bridesmaid's dresses?" Willow asked, wrinkling her nose at the thought.

"It won't be that bad, Wills." Xander gave his best friend his most charming smile. "For me? Yellow crayon guy?" He gave her the puppy pout and then thrust his hand in the air in victory when he saw her capitulation in her eyes. "Wes, Fred...we were wondering if you would loan us our favorite little man to be a ring bearer?"

Before either of them could answer, Anya chimed in with her question. "Also, I read that in human weddings, a father figure walks the bride down the aisle. Since you're the only human left with a penis, would you walk me down the aisle, Wesley?"

As Willow buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter, Buffy let out a snort. "Ohh, that's gotta be the classiest question you've asked yet, Anya."

"Well, he is!"

Fred, who had been biting her bottom lip to keep from bursting out laughing at Wesley's expression, managed to choke out, "I'm sure Connor will love being your ring bearer. As for the other request...Wesley...?"

"Sure, Anya," he managed to choke out. "Connor and I would be overjoyed to be a part of your wedding." He looked around at his new family, seeing them all fighting their laughter. "Oh, go ahead. Don't hold it in on my account."

He leaned back on the couch, rubbing his hands over his face as if he could wipe away that embarrassing question while everyone finally burst out laughing, unable to hold it in any longer. Fred shifted up from the floor to sit on the arm of the couch and rub Wesley's back in sympathy.

"Good lord, she is an acquired taste, isn't she," Tony stated as he sat wide-eyed, staring between Anya and poor Mr. Wyndam-Pryce.

"You have no idea," Giles replied, his tone dry.

"Jeez, it's not like I actually asked about his pe–," Anya started to say when suddenly, she felt a like a lance was being run through her head. Gasping, she sat forward, her hands flying up to press against her temples, as images ran through her mind like a disjointed a movie – a middle-aged man with graying hair and a beard making rather pointed gestures, Angelus coming up behind him and grabbing him, teeth sinking into his neck, the man's throat being ripped out... "No, stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it!"

Fred felt her throat tighten the moment Anya bent over, and her eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't be...? She looked down at Wesley. "I think she's..."

"Having a vision," Wesley finished before hurrying to Anya's side as Xander scrambled out of the way. He grabbed her shoulders, pressing her into the chair while she rode it out.

"What?!" Xander demanded to know what was happening, unable to keep the worry out of his voice.

"I don't know how, but she seems to have inherited Cordelia's visions," Wesley replied sharply. This didn't make sense; the visions followed the Powers' champion, Angel...not them.

"She's having visions?" Buffy said, dumbfounded at what was going on, not sure what to do. She had never experienced anything like this before.

"Yes," Fred said before hurrying upstairs and grabbing the bottle of painkillers they had in the bathroom. Running back down, she went into the kitchen and got a glass of water, which she brought back out to the main room.

The images finally disappeared, and slowly, the pain began to ebb away. When Anya opened her eyes again, she found Fred holding out the water and pills while everyone else sat staring at her. "Stupid ex-girlfriends. She did this me! She said I had to take these stupid visions, and now I have them, and they hurt!"

Wesley watched wide-eyed as Anya took the pain killers from Fred and downed them. He could feel all eyes on him, almost as if they were demanding an explanation. "The Powers That Be, in Los Angeles...they originally gave visions to a half-breed Brachen demon who worked with Angel and Cordelia. His name was Doyle. He died the week before I showed up, apparently saving Angel, Cordy and an entire cargohold full of Lister Demons under attack from a weapon lowered in by The Scourge. Doyle jumped on the orb, sacrificing himself to disarm it, but not before he kissed Cordelia, transferring the visions to her. They're images – pictures of things that have happened or could happen – dangers the Powers wanted us to dispatch. Cordelia had them for nearly two years before we realized that they were killing her, destroying her brain. It turned out that you need to be at least a half-breed demon to keep the visions without them killing you. It makes sense, with Anya having been a demon, that they would pass to her. She's the only one of us here that could maintain them safely. But the important questions are how did Cordelia give them to her...and what did she see?"

"Hey, she is right here, and she did not lose her ability to hear and understand when the stupid ex-girlfriend gave her–I mean, me these stupid visions," Anya griped, taking another gulp of the water. "She came into my dream the night you guys buried her. Said that she was told by the Powers she had to pick one of us for the visions or the Powers would do it for her. I–I didn't want to take the chance that Xander would get them, so I agreed. And she kissed me." She made a face. "This is worse that those diseases that tribe cursed on you. This is like...STD from an ex-girlfriend only without the fun part first!"

Giles was just as astounded as the others. He could see the deeper shock in Wesley and Fred, but his lover was right, they needed to know what she saw. "Anya! Focus!" He snapped. "Take a deep breath and tell us what you saw! It could be of the utmost importance!"

"What?" she asked, looking over at him. "Oh...all right...um...it was–it was at the chapel Xander and I decided to book for the wedding. There was this guy...grey hair, beard, suit. He was yelling at someone, I think...and then...Angelus...he...he..." She swallowed, shaking her head at the memory of the image. "He showed up, grabbed the guy and ripped his throat out."

"Xander, do you have anyone in your family that looks like whom she mentioned?" Wesley asked, still a bit shaken that the visions were back in their lives.

Xander kneeled next to his fianc̩e's chair, putting his arms around her gently. He was still worried Рwhat would this mean for them? "It could be...my Uncle Rory. His hair's grey, and last time I went to see him, to borrow his car, he was growing a mustache and a beard."

"Well, until we know for certain, I hate to break this to you, but you can't invite any of your family if you want the wedding to go forward as planned. Anya's friends are demons, so most can take care of themselves, but your human family would be a virtual buffet for Angelus." Giles explained, regrettably.

"There's a great loss," he muttered sarcastically. "Now maybe we can have an honor bar at the reception without running up a tab the size of the national debt."

"Wait a minute, if we don't invite Xander's family, doesn't that mean we won't get presents from them?" Anya asked. "Aren't these visions just what could happen? It doesn't mean that it will."

Fred shook her head as she took the now empty water glass from Anya. "You don't want to take that chance. It's best to not even put any of Xander's relatives in the way if you can help it."

"Well, pooh," she responded with a sigh. "Oh, all right. We won't invite Xander's side. But we're still sending them announcements."

Giles looked over at Wes worriedly, seeing that his lover was still deep in thought. Nudging the younger man with his foot to get his attention, he smiled sadly when he looked up at him and placed a hand on his forearm. "Are you all right?"

"She knew," Wesley said, still stunned. "Even though we parted on bad terms, she knew we couldn't handle the visions, and she made certain they went to Anya." He knew Cordelia could hold a grudge that could extend past the grave, but she had gone out of her way to make certain that the visions didn't go to him or Fred. It gave him a certain degree of peace to know that she still cared.

"She loved you, Wes, both of you. You have to know that," Giles told him, giving his forearm a reassuring squeeze.

Lorne watched what was going on from the side of the room, wondering for a moment why, since he was actually a demon, Cordelia hadn't chosen him for the visions. Was it because of his ability to read people when they sang? He felt bad, though, after seeing what Cordy had gone through, seeing that now someone else had to deal with them. He looked up toward the ceiling, hoping that Powers knew what they were doing and wondering if he ought to have everyone in the house sing for him with everything that was going on.

But did he really want to know if things were going to go bad for them?

"All right, Fred. You have the notepad, so we'll add the new details regarding the wedding. We need to discuss the safest way to arrange all this. Xander and Anya have made it a little easier by having it during the day, but those of us who have lived here these past few years know these sewers intimately. It's not enough to keep a determined vampire at bay. So let's get to work," Giles said with a sigh, leaning forward on the couch.

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