“Anything?”
“All clear.”
Giles held the flashlight out and followed Buffy into the darkening husk
of the library. There was just enough light outside to make the footing
doubly treacherous.
“So. Do you feel weird?” Buffy asked.
“No weirder than normal,” Giles said. “Why do you ask?”
“I mean,” Buffy said as they picked their way over the wreckage, “Coming
back here. It must be weird.”
“Why must it?” Giles asked.
Buffy blinked. “Well, because, you know, this used to be our
headquarters. For nearly three years.”
“So it did,” Giles said. “And while I was –“ he nearly tripped over the
twisted remnants of a chair – “While I was a bit put out to have to blow
it up, you must remember that it was in a good cause.” Good cause
indeed. There were likely bits of Mayor Wilkins still strewn around the
room as well. God help him if he stumbled into any of THOSE.
“Plus we got your books out,” Buffy said wryly.
“Plus?” Giles said. “If we hadn’t gotten the books out I would have
stayed behind myself.”
Buffy laughed at that and then stopped. They were at the edge of a
shallow pit. Giles had to scramble down the sides, barely maintaining
his balance; Buffy simply shined the light down, picked out a reasonably
flat landing area, and jumped. After she stood up Giles muttered,
“Showoff.”
“Hey, if you wanted the Slayer skills, you should have asked.”
“If superpowers were free for the taking I should hardly content myself
with a mild amount of superhuman strength and fighting abilities.”
Blinking, Buffy said, “That was a bit of a cheap shot.”
“Yes, it was, wasn’t it?” Giles said. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m
starting to feel like a fifth wheel.” Indeed. There was a growing rift
between them, it seemed. Small, but definitely there.
Buffy stopped. “You’re talking about that last run-in with Ethan?”
“Among other things, yes. I don’t know if you noticed, but that birthday
party –“
“You were the only person your age there.”
Nodding his head, Giles said, “Yes. I wish you’d caught that before you
sent out the invitations.”
“I just figured, well, you belonged there. You’re a big part of my life
–“
“I was,” Giles said, sighing. “But now I’m at loose ends and you appear
to be, well, maturing.”
“That’s a bad thing?”
“For you, no,” Giles said. “It’s terrific. But you’re getting to the
point where soon you won’t need my guidance at all.”
“Giles,” Buffy said. “Giles, look at me.” Giles looked and found a look
of deep concern in her eyes. “I will NEVER not need you. I’d be dead,
the world would be dead, a thousand times over without you.” She hugged
him. “God. That really did get to you – all that stuff with Ethan. I’m
so sorry.”
“It did. Hidden agenda or no, Ethan Rayne knows how to push buttons.
Which he couldn’t have done if they hadn’t been there to be pushed.”
“But you know so much more –“
“Ah, I see.” Giles tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice and
almost succeeded. “You want me around BECAUSE I’m old.”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Anyway,” Giles said. “Here we are at the opening.” He shone his
flashlight downwards.
“Giles,” Buffy said. “We’re not done.”
Nodding, Giles said, “Yes we are.” He pointed to the opening. “I see
your playmates have been at it.” Buffy had convinced Riley of the danger
an open Hellmouth faced; Riley, in turn, had convinced the rest of the
Initiative. So what Giles was looking at was a massive metal barricade,
fifteen feet or more in diameter and anchored by several extensions to
the ground. “Well, let’s get to it.”
They sat down and cast a ritual strengthening the barrier, warding it
from magical attack as much as the Initiative had warded it against the
purely physical. Giles was no master wizard, but the spell and the
barricade were a powerful combination – so powerful that anything that
could get through was going to need to combine the magical abilities of
Catherine Madison with the strength of the Incredible Hulk.
He looked over at Buffy. He could see how hurt she was that he wasn’t
going to continue the conversation, but he couldn’t. Not now, anyway.
There was nothing irreversible there, but the distance between them
wasn’t going to be that easy to cross.
But he hoped that THAT barricade, at least, would be easier to break.
"I've told Buffy everything."
"That is in direct opposition to the Council's orders."
"Yes. Interestingly, I don't give a rat's ass about the Council's orders."
~Giles and Quentin, "Helpless"
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Subject: [Watchers_Council] Assignment 6: The Barricade
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