Title: Slayer Central chapter 1
Author: Gileswench
Contact: gileswench@yahoo.com
Date: 4/3/01
Spoilers: Through early Season 5 of Buffy and through Season 1 of Angel. Everything after that is negotiable.
Summary: Sleepless in Sunnydale.
Rating: NC17
Pairing: Buffy/Giles, W/T, X/Anya, C/Wes
Distribution: Gabi, Robin2, Dee, Emryld, And Mel if they want it, UCSL. All others, ask and ye shall receive.
Feedback: Constructive criticism always welcome. Praise abjectly sought.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc., etc., etc. I just let them have all the fun Joss won't. I own nothing except my twisted mind which you really don't want. Please don't sue.
Notes: This is the third series in the Hellmouth Chronicles. Before you read this, I would recommend reading B&B Weekend, and Love, Hellmouth Style. If you don't, probably none of this will make sense.



"Rupert?"

"Mmm?"

"You still awake?"

"As much as I was five minutes ago. Try to get some sleep, luv. We have a great deal of work ahead of us in the next few days."

"You mean you do. I can't even help us move."

"There will be plenty for you to do helping organize who sleeps where and such."

"Anybody could do that. You just want me to do those things so I won't feel useless. Love you for it, but it isn't really helping."

"Somebody has to do it and it's going to take the rest of us a great deal longer to move heavy furniture and such without your help."

"See, that's the thing I hate about being stuck in bed like this. I can't do the stuff I'm good at anymore. It wouldn't be so bad if I could at least...okay, not even going there."

"You're good at more things than you realize, Buffy. Perhaps this would be a good time to focus on your mind - on intellectual pursuits."

"Oooh, the pursuing of things with my intellect. How exciting."

Giles sighed and kissed her temple.

"Try to get some rest, luv. For me?"

"For you" she grumbled.

*****

"Xander?"

"Yeah, An?"

"I'm still awake. Why can't I sleep?"

"Maybe for the same reason I can't sleep. You keep talking. It's easier to sleep when you're quiet."

"I only keep talking because I can't become tired enough to fall asleep. It's like it was at Christmas, except that I don't feel as happy."

Xander sighed and rolled to his side.

"I guess that means you're sorta nervous. Right? About the move?"

"I just moved here. I don't want to live somewhere else. Will they make me not spend the night with you?"

"They'll probably be thrilled that we want to share a room. I don't think there is a house in Sunnydale with enough bedrooms for us to each have one."

"We won't be able to have sex in the living room if we want to."

"We'll probably have to save it for the bedroom." He lay back quietly for a moment. "An? Want to go to the living room?"

"Okay."

*****

"Tara?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think Buffy's really in that much danger?"

"I don't think Giles would do something this drastic if he didn't think she was."

"I know. But do you think there's maybe a chance he's just sorta...panicking? Y'know, because he's worried about the baby?"

"I think we need to trust that he knows what he's doing."

"We didn't get a lot of details."

"We will. When he feels we need them."

"I just don't like it. Giles isn't usually cryptic guy. That's more an Angel thing, if you know what I mean."

"Shhhh, Honey. It'll be okay."

She stroked Willow's hair and kissed her softly.

"Tara?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

"Don't be. We'll protect Buffy, and the baby will be fine."

"Promise?"

"Witch's honor."

******

Joyce was surprised to find Crystal sitting on the couch with her knees huddled up to her chin.

"Crystal, Honey, why aren't you in bed?"

The girl shrugged.

"Not tired. Well, okay, I'm kinda tired, but I'm not sleepy. How do you do it?"

"Do what?" Joyce sat beside Crystal and began to stroke her hair.

"Live with all the secrets and stuff. I don't know much of anything that's going on. Who is this Council? Why would they be after Buffy? And what is it about that Spike guy anyway? And that guy who was hanging in the corner. They aren't normal, are they?"

"No, they aren't. Then again, I guess most of us aren't normal."

"That's a cop out" Crystal observed.

"Normally, I would agree with that. But, as I've just said, nobody in that apartment tonight was exactly normal." She hesitated slightly before continuing. "Did you ever believe in...things like vampires and monsters under your bed?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything. You see - oh dear, Rupert does this so much better than I do. You see, those monsters are real. Vampires, werewolves, witches, it's all true."

"I'm not dumb. None of those things are real."

"Well, then you were sitting in a room with a surprising number of myths tonight. Let's see, there were two vampires, two witches, an ex- vengeance demon, a Seer, and a Vampire Slayer in that room. Oh, and Willow used to date a werewolf. His name was Oz. He was a nice boy."

"What, Buffy's a witch?"

"No, she's the Vampire Slayer. One of them. There's another, but she's in jail."

"So if she's a Vampire Slayer, why were there two vampires there? And which ones were they?"

"Spike and Angel. Buffy used to date Angel, but it wasn't a good relationship. They're friends now. And she doesn't kill Spike because...you know, I'm not quite sure why she doesn't, but he can't hurt anyone now, so I guess it doesn't matter."

"And the demon?"

"Anya. Xander's girlfriend. She works for Rupert, you know. And she's an ex-demon. She lost her powers."

"What's weird about Rupert, then? Give it to me straight."

"He's Buffy's Watcher. Or Mr. Wyndham-Pryce is...I think they both got fired, but Rupert is the one I always think of as her Watcher. He trains her and helps her with prophecies and so on."

Crystal looked hard at Joyce.

"What are you? Are you something weird, too?"

"Oh yes. I'm a divorced woman with a daughter who married a man older than I am. But if it's any comfort, I'm not a slime monster or an alien or anything like that."

She attempted a hug, but was rebuffed.

"I've been here for a couple weeks and nobody's told me anything. Now you hand me some bull about monsters and - and witches and stuff. You must really think I'm an idiot."

"No, I don't think that. I think this is a scary concept and it's hard for anyone to accept it right off the bat. In fact, do you know what I did when I found out Buffy was the Slayer? I tried to ground her. Luckily, she decided saving the world from destruction was more important than listening to me."

Crystal regarded her stonily.

"I really thought you were different. You think I'm dumb so you can tell me anything. What's the truth? Is Buffy a double agent for the CIA and she's blown her cover? You can tell me. I won't believe you if you say that either, but at least it's something that exists. I know there's a CIA."

The girl unfolded herself and headed upstairs. Joyce stared after her a long time before heading to her own bedroom.

*****

Xander gripped Anya's hips as she rose and fell above him. Her head was thrown back and her eyes closed in bliss. Her breasts bobbed deliciously with every stroke. His groin tightened as she slammed down hard and began to squeeze him internally.

"Xander! Yes!" she cried as she went over the edge.

A few more thrusts, and Xander joined her in ecstasy.

They cuddled afterwards on their blanket in the living room.

"Xander?"

"Yeah, Honey?"

"Maybe we could have sex in the kitchen one last time, too?"

"In a few minutes, An. In a few minutes."

*****

"So what should I do?"

"Hmmm?"

"This whole intellectual pursuit thing. I mean, I'm still in college as far as I know. I've been knowledge girl, but the classes won't come to me. Am I going to be able to get to them before the semester ends?"

"Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you please try to go to sleep?"

"I'm too wired."

"If I get you some warm milk, will that help?"

"With some nutmeg, please."

"Yes, dearest, with some bloody nutmeg."

"Thanks sweetie. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Giles stumbled out to the kitchen to prepare the milk. As he did, it suddenly struck him how many of the important events of his past four years had happened in the apartment.

It was here that he'd written his first entries in his Watcher diary in the days when he awaited Buffy's arrival in Sunnydale. Here he'd found Jenny's body left as a gift from Angelus. Here he'd presided over Scooby meetings, planned strategies, comforted his Slayer in moments of personal defeat, celebrated with her in moments of triumph. Here they'd made their first shy confessions of love. Shared their first kiss. Made love on their wedding night.

He knew it was necessary to leave, but that didn't make it easy.

He was pulled from his reverie by the sound of the microwave buzzer letting him know the milk was ready. Sprinkling it with a light dusting of nutmeg, he carried it carefully out to the bed.

His lips curled into an indulgent smile even as he sighed in mild frustration.

Buffy snored lightly.


:: NEXT :: | :: CHRONICLES INDEX :: | :: AUTHORS PAGE ::