Assigment 6 - Giles S1

Coe42@aol.com

Title: A Start
Author: Karen
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Joss.
SEASON1


"I am her mentor. She is my charge but right now I was damned frustrated with
the whole business. This tiny slip of a girl is excellent at all things. She
can pound me into the ground a hundred times in as many minutes. Even in
games of wit she pounds me with her colorful vernacular and the horror of my
not being able to understand a single word she says." Giles dropped the pen,
self consciously as the petite blonde flounced into the library.

"Hiya Giles. What's the 411 on that sitch we handled last night? Are we cool?"

Giles' mind blanked as his internal organs ground themselves into a confused
mass. "Sorry?"

Buffy frowned, "Sorry, the tweed makes it hard for you to understand me.
Right? Or is it the accent? Do I have a thick accent?" Buffy hopped up onto
the table next to Giles' personal Watcher's Diary. "Ooh big book. You have a
lot of these."

"Yes, but this particular one is not for you. And if you mean by that long
string of gibberish where we stand on the hunt last night..It's fine. No
signs of any further infestation." Giles pulled the book off the table.

Buffy watched him. "Good. So I can go to the Bronze tonight? Make with the
Buffy/Willow/Xander fun?"

"I'm afraid not."

"I'm afraid so."

Giles glowered. It had absolutely no effect what so ever. "No, Buffy."

"Yes, Buffy. Make with the fun." She responded. Her bottom lip extended in
pout. "Go be the girl with the fun hanging of the dance-y kind. Dress nicely,
look for boys. Be the fun. Live the fun. Yes, I think I will, thank you
Giles."

"Buffy, you're training..."

"Can wait." Buffy hopped off the tables.

"What about other vampires? What about honing your skills? About improving
your performance so you can better know your enemy and how to defeat him?"
Giles countered. A guilty look flashed across Buffy's face. Giles beamed
inwardly.

"What about growing old and not being able to tell your grand kids how
grandmom liked to rock the night away, shaking her groove thing? What's with
the cruel summer treatment, Giles?"

Giles ignored the pop culture reference which for once he got and didn't
appreciate. "You are the slayer, you have a duty..."

"I am a teenager. I have an irresponsibility too." Buffy grabbed up some
books and started to reshelve them.

"Buffy, I understand your frustration." And he did. His father had forced him
into the Watchers. But it was his destiny and this was hers. "But we cannot
get anywhere if you fight me on everything." He helped her re-reshelve the
books when she put them in the wrong place.

"Okay fine. No party. No dancing. It's dull work Buffy time." Her sad look
was genuine as she flopped down into a chair. Giles sighed, the girl was
growing on him. "We'll fight the bad guys instead. You and me. Me and you
like a crime fighting team. Did you want to be Batman and Robin or Superman
and Lois Lane? Wait, Wonderwoman and that guy.."

"You're more like the Bionic woman." Giles slipped.

Buffy's face was surprised, "You do watch TV!"

Giles looked away, "No I don't. I read and act fusty..."

"No, no! I caught you! You're a late night cable junky! What else do you
watch?" Interested, Buffy leaned forward.

"Nothing...PBS...erm, occasional A-Team reruns...Nothing else I swear!" Giles
held his hands up to ward her off. "And perhaps General Hospital..."

"Soaps! Willow is going to die when I tell her! And Xander! I gotta go tell
them right now." Buffy beamed, "This is too good! Tweed clad librarian
addicted to soapies! This makes for all the Watchers Council papers...Ha!"

Giles closed his mouth tightly. Then sighed, "One hour of dancing."

"In exchange for my silence?" Buffy raised an eyebrow.

Giles nodded once.

"Hour and a half. Plus, you have to come and buy me a soda." Buffy countered.

"Absolutely-" Giles sputtered.

"Oh Bobby, how can you leave Tony?" Buffy's eyes welled up with fake tears.

"Oh all right! One hour and I'll purchase one soda. For you. I won't be
buying Mr. Harris or Ms. Rosenberg drinks! And then straight to patrol. No
arguments."

Buffy beamed. "Deal. Party then slay. You know what? I could get used to this
Giles."

"What? Blackmailing your watcher?"

"No, doing things my way." She grinned. "Let's go."

Giles sighed expansively. "You go. I'll catch you up."

Buffy bounced out of the room with far too much energy.

Giles pulled the pen from his pocket and scribbled into the diary. "We
finally understand one another. It's a start. Not of anything good, I dare
say, but it is a start."

End.