Buffy walked away from me. She left me standing there watching her slowly disappear into the darkness. Part of me wanted to run after her, grab her in my arms, and passionately kiss her. But, I decided now wasn’t the right time. She has to deal with all this news that has been handed to her. She was also right about me. If I hadn’t come back, none of this would be happening. Gideon would still be locked up. He wouldn’t be on his way to Sunnydale to kill Buffy. But, the truth is, Gideon is coming, and he’s going to make me do it, if it comes down to him, Buffy, and I. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
Angel walks back into Spike’s crypt, where they devise their plans. They are planning everything, hoping that Buffy will come back and fight by their side. But that still remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Oz and Willow, made their way back to Giles’ flat. They had been gone all last night, and all afternoon, following Riley. They walked right in and found Giles sitting on his couch, with his face in his hands.
Willow became really worried as she saw this. “Oh, my gosh Giles,” Willow nervously began. “What’s happened. You’ve got the whole, ‘I’ve got the worst news face,’ going for ya again. What is it this time?”
Giles looked up at Willow and Oz, smiled, stood up, and paced around his front room. He then responded, “I found out more about the Gideon demon.”
“Ok, Willow remarked. “And?”
“Well,” Giles replied, as he removed his glasses and massaged the spot between his eyes where his glasses were perched. “Right! When I researched about him, I found that he’d been on his way to LA. when Buffy was just an infant. He was on his way to kidnap Buffy. You see, he knew she was going to become the slayer one day.”
Willow and Oz took a seat on the couch, while Giles remained standing. “But, he didn’t take her Giles. Right?”
“That’s correct Willow,” Giles agreed, then proceeded. “He didn’t achieve his goal because someone stopped him.”
Oz and Willow were chomping at the bit awaiting Giles to tell them who stopped Gideon. Finally he disclosed the information, “It was Whistler!”
Willow and Oz were overwhelmed by Giles’ findings. “I guess it’s true, Whistler had been watching Buffy. Even before you were her actual watcher Giles.” Giles shook his head in agreement. Then Oz inquired, “So, what happened after? Did Gideon ever try again? Also, what did and does he want with Buffy?”
“Very good questions Oz,” Giles proclaimed. “Firstly, Gideon was on his way to Sunnydale when Buffy had moved here from Los Angeles. One of my sources told me that he wanted to try again, before Buffy found out that she was the slayer. Before he could achieve this goal, he was captured.”
“By the Initiative,” Willow insightfully echoed.
“Correct,” Giles agreed, and proceeded on, “When I asked the council what Gideon needed Buffy for, they told me she was the key to his kingdom. With her blood, he would make it back to his world. We can only imagine what else would happen if we unlocked that door.”
“Um,” Willow began, “Um, so, Angel coming back to Sunnydale has been the worst possible thing for Buffy?”
“Yes, I would say that’s a true statement,” Oz sarcastically responded.
“So what should we do Giles,” Willow asked.”
“There’s only one thing we can do Willow,” Giles began to respond, as he placed his glasses back on there perch. “Fight! We can’t let Gideon get Buffy. Before we forget, what did you find out about Riley.”
“Um,” Willow slowly began responding, “It’s not good news at all Giles. Riley isn’t exactly, just a part of the Initiative. He’s the leader of it.”
“The leader,” Giles questioned?
“Yes,” Willow responded, and continued, “We followed a soldier to the fraternity house. Um, then Oz went all wolfy.”
“Wolfy,” Giles questioned again?
“Yeah,” Oz replied. “I threatened him. I told him if he didn’t take us to the Initiative’s headquarters, then I’d rip him to shreds.”
“Nice touch,” Giles remarked. “What happened after that?”
“He took us down an elevator ,” Willow responded. “Um, underneath the surface. The base was very large Giles. Soldiers and Scientists everywhere. We knocked the soldier who had taken us down there, out. We quietly snuck down to the bottom level of the base, and looked around.”
“What did you find out,” Giles inquired?
“We saw a bunch of scientists doing experiments on demons and animals,” Willow replied. “It was very “Island of Dr. Moreauish” Giles. It was very freaky.”
“Marvelous,” Giles astonish remarked. “not about the testing, but there are things like that happening right under our noses..”
“Or under our ground level,” Oz quickly mentioned.
“Right,” Giles smiled and agreed. “When did you see Riley?”
Willow became a little uneasy as she responded, “I couldn’t believe it Giles. Oz and I actually heard the orders to kill the two vampires who’d escaped earlier. I heard him say, ‘don’t come back until you have their ashes.’ I couldn’t believe the look in his eyes. I saw pure hate Giles. It was scary.”
“Well, Willow,” Giles began responding as he sat poured a shot of brandy into a highball glass. “we should know better. We shouldn’t be shocked by this. People in Sunnydale are always pretending to be something on the surface, but underneath they are completely different. So how did you get out of there.”
“We left the same way we came in,” Willow explained. “And came right here.”
“I reckon we better tell Angel about this,” Giles proclaimed. “He’d probably want this bit of information.”
“Should we tell Buffy,” Oz asked?
“I think we should,” Willow replied. “She won’t believe us though. She has to many feelings for him. we’ll have to prove it to her.”
“I’ll tell Buffy,” Giles conveyed. “It’d be best coming from me. You two find Angel and tell him everything I told you, also what you told me about Riley. Also, see if he’ll tell you anything about a deal he made with Gideon.”
Oz and Willow left Giles flat once again and began searching for Angel. An hour or two elapsed and Buffy slowly sauntered into Giles flat. He opened the door and bellowed out, “Giles, Angel’s back!”
“I know, Buffy,” Giles responded. “He came by here two nights ago when he first arrived back.”
“Of course he did,” Buffy said as she was not surprised by Giles revelation. “I just saw him. We talked in front of Spike’s lair, and he told me everything. He told me that he was the one who let Gideon escape.”
“I know Buffy,” Giles proclaimed. “He told us. But, you have to look at it from his point of view Buffy. He had to find a way to escape, or else he would still be in that cell. He didn’t know that Gideon wanted to kill you. He only…”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Buffy said as she cut Giles off. “I didn’t tell you that Gideon wanted to kill me. How did you find that out? What aren’t you telling me?”
Giles asked Buffy to sit down, but she declined. Buffy wanted full disclosure, and she wanted it now. Finally Giles told her everything that his source told him. From Whistler stopping Gideon in La, to the Initiative capturing him. And why Gideon needed Buffy. Buffy was taken back by these revelations.
Giles then said, rather nervously, “There is more bad news Buffy! And it’s about Riley.”
Giles conveyed everything that Willow and Oz told him, to Buffy. The tears once again welled up in Buffy’s eyes. She then responded, “I can’t believe this’ happening. Why is my life so ridiculous! I have to go.”
“What? Where?” Giles questioned? “You can’t go! We have to find out how to fight Gideon. And how to kill him. This is no demon to take lightly Buffy. He’s really dangerous.”
“Giles,” Buffy interrupted. “You find out how to kill Gideon. I need to go and talk with Riley. There’s got to be an explanation. If Gideon is coming to take his revenge on the Initiative, then I’m going to warn Riley. I have feelings for him Giles. I’m not going to let him just die.”
“Buffy,” Giles quickly said as he grabbed Buffy’s arm, for she was now halfway out the door. “Remember, if you warn him about what’s coming. He’ll ask you how you know. Then you’ll have to tell him who you are. Most likely he’ll realize that you are the girl who was or is in love with a vampire. For, the story about the slayer and the vampire Angel is widely known. Don’t be surprised if he knows about that? Are you ready to deal with all of that right now.”
“I have to tell him Giles,” Buffy responded as Giles released her arm. “If he truly loves me, he’ll look past all that.”
Buffy walked out the door and once again left Giles alone in his apartment. At least that’s what he thought. Giles shut the door turned around and jumped back in total shock. There was a man standing in front of him. He recognized the man because of the black top hat he was wearing. Giles, in his shock, worked up enough voice to say, “Whistler!”
“I knew it was going to be ruff on her, that‘s why I had Angel look after her. But they got to close, now they both are in the worst pickle of their lives. It‘ll end badly Giles! I blame myself for this. I put the two together. Now is the test. If Angel follows through on the deal, then there will be no use in fighting. It’ll be pointless. If Angel decides to go against Gideon, then Angel will surely be in for the biggest fight of his vampire life. I can guarantee you of that.”
“What should we do Whistler,” a beleaguered Giles inquired?
Whistler looked at Giles, and walked out the door. Giles watched in dismay. The before Whistler was out of site, he turned and yelled out
, “Pray Giles! Pray he makes the right decision!”