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The Gentleman Returns by slaymesoftly
 
Six
 
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Chapter Six
 
 
“What are you doing?”  Joyce frowned as Buffy picked up one end of the couch and, with obvious effort, lifted it up a few feet. With a muttered curse, Buffy dropped it, smiling an apology at her mother when if fell with crash.
 
“Sorry, Mom. I just wanted to see if I was getting any strength back yet.”
 
“And have you?”
 
Buffy shook her head. “Doesn’t look like it. I’m just glad I had enough to be able to drive that stake into Angelus.” She sighed. “Although I’m pretty sure adrenaline had a lot to do with that.”
 
“Well, maybe Rupert will be able to tell you how long it will be before you have all your powers back—” She hesitated as if a thought had just occurred to her. “If you quit, can they take your powers away? Permanently?”
 
Buffy shrugged. “Ask Giles when he gets here. I doubt it, Mom. Being the Slayer isn’t something I do, it’s something I am. And the Council has nothing to do with who gets called, so the powers don’t come from them in the first place.”
 
There was a soft knock on the door and Buffy quickly opened it to let Spike in. He stood just inside uncertainly for a moment until Joyce moved toward him.
 
“Let me take your coat, Spike,” she said, suiting actions to words. “Come in and make yourself comfortable.”
 
Spike raised an eyebrow at Buffy but followed her into the living room, sitting beside her on the couch. He was careful to keep a respectful distance between them, and Buffy smiled her understanding at him.
 
Joyce had just joined them, seating herself in the chair she usually used when not watching TV, when there was another quiet knock at the door. Narrowing her eyes, she got up and went to let Giles in.
 
“Thank you,” he said. “I understand that you are angry with me, and you have every right to be, but I would like to explain, if I could.”
 
Joyce stood, glaring at him for a moment, then nodded and gestured to the living room.  “We’ll hear you out, but I cannot imagine anything you can say to make up for what you put my daughter through this week.”
 
Giles followed her, hesitating when he saw Spike beside Buffy.  “Oh, I didn’t see another vehicle and I thought perhaps—”
 
“Thought I might have moved on already, leaving the Slayer with a complete wanker to watch her back?” He snorted. “Not likely.”
 
They all watched with varying degrees of interest and understanding as Giles’s face reflected the battle between his watcher training and his recent experiences; said experiences including learning that an unsouled, notoriously evil and violent vampire had done a better job of protecting his charge from the organization he worked for than he had. With a sigh, he nodded and moved the rest of the way into the room.
 
“Fair enough,” he said. “Although in my defense, I had no idea they wanted Buffy to fail, nor that they were going to be foolish enough to bring Angelus back. Buffy is an exceptional slayer, and while I did feel... somewhat traitorous... giving her the drugs, I had no doubt that she would be able to slay whatever ignorant fledgling they threw at her, powers or no powers.” He paused and sank into a chair, seeming to shrink into himself.
 
“However, I do realize that it was betrayal of the worst sort, and I would certainly understand if you did not forgive me for it.”
 
“Do slayers usually forgive their watchers? Cause, I gotta tell you, I think it’s pretty unforgiveable.”  Buffy’s voice was quiet, but there was just the slightest quaver in it.
 
Giles shrank even further into the chair. “I truly do not know. The Watcher Diaries are surprisingly silent on the results of the few Cruciamentums that have taken place in the past fifty years. I will have to dig deeper.”
 
“An—Angel said most slayers don’t live long enough to have one. They’re killed before they reach their 18th birthday.” All the human eyes in the room went to the vampire that had been responsible for two of those deaths. Spike raised his chin defiantly.
 
“Last one I... fought... was well over eighteen.  But with how strong and smart she was, I’d say she had no problem getting through a Cruciamentum on her own. And no reason for them to want to off her that I know of, so I’d guess she got something weak and stupid.”  He sighed. “I’d like to tell you I got to her because I’m just that bloody good, but truth is, I think she was tired. Dunno how long she’d been a Slayer, but it was wearin’ on her. Could see it in her eyes when I finally got her down. She was ready to go. Went out like a warrior, she did,” he added angrily, as if expecting an argument from Giles. “Didn’t even drink from her. I had that much respect.”
 
“Is that why you took her coat for a trophy?” Buffy had moved slightly away from him as he talked about a slayer he’d killed before Buffy was born.
 
Joyce gasped and Giles looked dismayed and at the same time, as if he was dying to ask more questions.  Spike sighed and shut his eyes briefly.
 
“How did you—of course. The big poof told you. Not sure how he’d know about it, but word gets around, I reckon.”
 
Buffy nodded. “He told me. When you—when I—” She stopped and remembered why she’d had Spike’s coat. “He told me what it was,” she finished. “I just kind of forgot about it for a while.”
 
“And now you’ve remembered.” His eyes searched her face for some sign that her feelings had changed. “Do we need to talk about this?”
 
She nodded. “We do. But not here and not now.” She stood up. “I should do a real patrol. I don’t think Angelus had time to turn anybody, but we don’t know that. Do we, Giles?”
 
He frowned. “I don’t know how large the Council team was, but there were only three bodies in the van. I warned the authorities—”
 
“You warned them? The cops?”
 
“Well, not in so many words. I just indicated that the deceased may have family members that would try to... remove... the bodies. I believe at least one or two of them understood what I was saying.”
 
“But you don’t know how many there were to start?”
 
Giles shook his head. “If I may use your phone, Joyce?  I need to let Travers know that his attempt to end Buffy’s career... and her life... has failed. Perhaps I can get him to tell me how many there were, and if any of them are still alive.”
 
“How would he know that already?”
 
“If anyone survived, he... or she... will have called immediately to let Travers know, at a minimum, that Angelus has wiped out the team, and at most, that Buffy not only survived, but got her slay. It just depends on if anyone got away and whether or not he was in a position to watch the mission go so very wrong.”
 
 “Wrong?” Joyce and Buffy spoke at the same time. “Wrong?
 
“From their point of view,” he corrected hastily before Joyce could grab the sword leaning against her chair.  “I meant from their point of view. Obviously from ours, it went as right as could be expected...” Remembering that Buffy had just dusted someone she cared about deeply, he turned to her. “I will never be able to apologize enough for having put you in this position, Buffy. Although, in all honesty, short of quitting my job and allowing them to put your fate in the hands of someone less... fond of you... I’m not sure what I could have done differently.”
 
“You could have told them where to shove their bloody test,” Spike growled. Buffy glanced at him, but spoke to Giles.
 
“Are you fired now?”
 
He shook his head. “I’ve no idea. I did what they said I had to, although I’m sure my original refusal has been documented and reported.” He shrugged. “They may fire me. I’m not at all sure I care just now.”
 
“Well, if you’re fired, and I quit....” Buffy had yet to realize that her threat to quit was being contradicted by her intention to do a patrol.
 
Giles took the phone Joyce handed him and dialed a number from memory.
 
“Let me speak to Travers,” he said. “Yes, of course I know what time it is there. Wake the bastard up. Tell him Rupert Giles wants to speak with him.”
 
While Buffy and Spike, who had joined her at the door, fidgeted, Giles gestured for them to wait. He turned his attention back to the phone.
 
“Yes, it is bloody well important. First things first – how many incompetent wankers were in that team you sent to release Angelus?” He paused. “I’ll tell you in a moment. Answer my question, please. How many of those blighters were there? I see. So, there were five of them, and you haven’t heard from anyone?”
 
Giles glanced at Buffy and Spike, who’d already retrieved his coat from where Joyce put it. Buffy’s face went still when he put it on, but she stayed beside him.
 
“No. No, I don’t think there is going to be a problem.  Buffy and— Buffy is going out now to find them.  Oh? Did I not mention that part? That Angelus killed the three that accompanied him to the test site? Or that Buffy, although it was touch and go for a bit, was able to slay him in spite of the emotional turmoil that caused her.  Yes, yes. With his soul, he was very fond of Buffy, and she him. As you know from last year’s reports, without it, he reverts to Angelus and tries to kill her.  Which is clearly what you were counting on.”
 
He listened for a few moments, then interrupted whatever his boss was saying. “When I say Buffy is going out to find them, we are assuming she is going to be seeking recently turned vampires, not cowards employed by the Council. If you like, I will let you know when they have been taken care of. In case there are families to notify.”
 
He listened for another moment or two, then, “Let me save you some trouble. I did refuse to take Buffy to the site; however, she was more aware of what was happening than I had anticipated and she was quite confident she could deal with it. She insisted that we go on as expected. So she was not there because you threatened to fire me if I did not deliver her, she was there because it was her duty.” He paused again.  “Yes. Quite so. You may, however, find it difficult to discharge me, as I consider myself having quit the Council as of this afternoon when I learned your plans for my slayer.”
 
Joyce reached her hand out for the phone. “Mr. Travers, is it? This is Joyce Summers. Yes, Buffy’s mother. I’d just like to strongly suggest that you avoid the United States, especially Sunnydale, for the foreseeable future.  Buffy? No, no. I will the one seeking to remove your head from your shoulders. I just thought would be fair to warn you... although ‘fair’ really isn’t in your experience, is it?”
 
She handed the phone back to Giles, who was grinning in admiration.  Without waiting for Travers, he said, “I will advise you of the outcome for your other two employees when Buffy returns from staking them.”
 
Spike had been holding the door open for Buffy, who was waiting to hear Giles’s side of the conversation. At his last words, she waved and went out the door, Spike right behind her.
 
XXXXXXXX
 
Giles put the phone down and slumped in the chair, blinking when Joyce put a glass of Scotch in front of him. 
 
“Here’s to my daughter... and the other vampire in her life,” she said, lifting her glass toward him.  He nodded, returned the salute. They sat in silence for the rest of the evening, waiting for Buffy to return and refilling their glasses as needed.
 
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