Brave and Crazy 

 

Lisa Martin

 

For JR, as all my Buffy stories are, really.

 

Giles walked out of the school, feeling the heath hit him like a brick wall the moment he stepped outside. Even at 1 A.M the temperature was still in the high eighties and the humidity had to be almost a 100 %. He took a deep breath and walked up to his car. Opening the car door, another wave of heat hit him. Since the car had no air conditioning, he finally gave up the fight and shrugged off his jacket before stepping in. It helped, but not much. Opening the window was no option, too dangerous. You never knew when a vampire would decide to make you his midnight snack.

Sighing, he locked the doors from the inside, cursing, not for the first time either, this town, his job and everything else. The muttered curse was followed by a smile. No matter how difficult and dangerous this all was, he didn’t want to leave. He could, one phone call to the Watcher Council would do it. They would send in another Watcher in the blink of an eye. The smile turned grim as he thought of the comments he had to endure from them. To use an understatement, they weren’t too pleased with him. Yet, as long as Buffy did her job, they had no excuse to replace him and he sure as the Hellmouth was in the library, he wasn’t going to give them one.

It became more difficult by the week. A Watcher wasn’t supposed to have an emotional bond with his Slayer, just be her trainer, her guide. Follow the rules written down long ago, rules he had taken at face value. Until he met Buffy Summers. Sixteen year old, pretty, very lively Buffy. It had taken him exactly one day to realize that the rules would do more harm than good. Since then he tried to play by his own set of rules, rules that Buffy constantly challenged. It took longer to admit that he actually liked to see her do that and well over a year to allow the thought to surface that he saw her as a daughter. How much more emotional could you get?

And then there was this little matter of her friends. Highschool kids that knew all about her being the Slayer. Another violation of the rules. Nobody was supposed to know about the Slayer, only her Watcher. That it was almost impossible to stick by that rule hadn’t occurred to the Council yet, nor would it ever. Buffy needed her friends, needed them to function. In all honesty, it made her a better Slayer.

It was an odd group, people as different as you could find, yet they had a bond that went beyond anything. They argued and fought, but when it came to sticking together in times of danger, they were like nothing he had ever seen. A force so powerful that he often thanked the heavens they were fighting for the good side.

Lost in his musings he had nearly driven past his home. Hitting the breaks, the old car crashed to a halt, missing the parked car in front of him by a hair’s breath. Giles sighed. This weather was grating on his nerves, fraying the already frayed ends even more. He stepped out, pulling a face as he felt his shirt sticking to his back. A shower would be in order.

He opened the front door of his apartment, when he suddenly heard a sound. He froze, senses on high alert. Someone was lurking in the shadows, and the first thing that sprang to mind was ‘vampire’. Not ‘burglar’ as it would with any other human being, but ‘vampire’. One quick step brought him inside his home and he let out a sigh of relief. No vampire was able to cross the threshold, unless invited.

"Hey, wait up." A voice called out, a familiar voice.

He poked his head round the door. "Xander?"

"Yeah."

Giles’ eyebrows rose. What on earth was that boy doing here? "I thought you were going home."

Xander appeared from the shadows. "Thought so too. Got as far as the front door. What I heard coming from inside, made me turn around." He didn’t explain what it was he heard, but Giles had picked up enough from the group to know that Xander’s home was far from ideal. "Didn’t feel like roaming around town for the rest of the night, and you were the only one I could think of…" his voice trailed off.

Giles smiled, a somewhat bitter smile. "Come in," he said, stepping sideways to let the boy in.

Xander’s entrance was hesitant, almost as if he felt he shouldn’t be here. "Thanks," he said softly.

Giles shook his head in frustration. This boy made life so difficult for himself. "I was going to make some tea, do you want some too?"

"Tea?" It was a snort. "In this heat? Oh, I suppose that’s a British thing."

That was the Xander he knew, flippant to the extreme. "Actually, tea is very good if you’re thirsty."

Xander stared at him, trying to figure out if he was serious or not, then shrugged. "Whatever."

Giles walked to the kitchen, put the kettle on the stove and put out two mugs. He kept his eye on Xander all the time, a vague feeling of dread getting a hold of him.

Xander sat on the couch, staring in front of him. Every once in a while, his hand went to his eyes, rubbing furiously.

"Is your eye still giving you trouble?" Xander started, he had been far away with his thoughts.

"A bit," he said. "It itches."

"Let me see. Can you come into the kitchen, the light is better here."

Xander stood up, reluctantly. The feeling of dread in Giles’ stomach doubled when he saw how desolated Xander looked. Lost, was probably a better word for it. He wished he could talk to him, but with Xander words failed him. Nothing he said seemed to reach the boy.

Xander moved as close to the lamp as he could and tilted his head. Giles stepped closer, took one look at the eye and let out a gasp. "Bad?" Xander asked casually.

"Yes, I’m afraid it’s infected." And that was an understatement. The eye was swollen and red and Giles was certain that it was more than just an itch Xander was feeling. This must hurt. "You should see a doctor."

"Ah no. I hate doctors!" It came out with vehemence. "Not to mention hospitals."

"Xander, this is not just a scratch, this is serious. You eye could be damaged permanently if it isn't treated properly." His decision made, Giles turned off the stove. "You are going to the hospital."

"I said I don’t want to."

"You are going, if I have to drag you there myself."

Another stare, then a grin. "That I would like to see."

"Don’t push me." Deep inside the demon roared its ugly head. Giles tried to push it down, but it wouldn’t cooperate.

"Whoa!" Xander gasped. "I’m going. Keep that thing where it belongs."

Giles felt his face heat up, scolding himself for letting it show. Usually he could control the damned thing, but when he was pushed to his limits, the control failed. He grabbed his car keys and pushed Xander towards the door.

"Your car?" Xander asked. "I want to get to the hospital in one piece, thank you very much."

"Shut up!" The moment the words left his mouth he regretted them. Xander looked like he had been hit in the face. "Yes, my car," he added in a gentler voice. "I don’t think it is wise to walk at this time of night."

"Suppose not," Xander shrugged.

 

 

Giles was thankful the library was deserted when he came in. He put down his bag in the small office and sank down on the chair, closing his eyes. He hadn't had much sleep last night. It had been nearly four a.m. when they returned form the hospital, Xander crashing on the couch the moment they got in. He had gone to bed, but sleep had been elusive. Part of him was scolding the boy for not going to see a doctor earlier, another part had been seriously worried. It was bad; the doctor at the ER had reprimanded Xander for letting this go on for so long. Actually, he had gotten the reprimand, the man thinking he was Xander's father. For some reason he hadn't contradicted him.

A deep sigh escaped him. He sighed a lot lately.

"Wow, that must've come from deep down!" The cheerful voice rang in his head, increasing the pounding that was already hard to bare.

"Buffy," he said without opening his eyes.

"Good guess. Now can you open your eyes, please? I hate talking to people when they have their eyes closed."

His eyes opened, it was a chore to do so.

"Been partying last night?" The trace of amusement in the Slayer's voice irritated him.

"Hardly," he muttered.

"Bad night, huh?"

"You can say that." He managed a smile. "Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

Buffy shrugged. "Not really. Just that last night was quiet. Oz is Oz again and probably asleep at home right now and so is Willow. No problems."

"Good," he nodded. Wrong move, his mind screamed. Closing his eyes briefly, he took a few deep breaths. "Shouldn't you get some sleep too?"

"Can't afford to miss classes." She pulled a face. "Can't believe I just said that."

He smiled again, this time it reached his eyes. The sound of the entry doors opening and slamming shut was an assault to his senses so severely that he flinched.

"What have you been drinking?" Buffy inquired, worry coloring her voice.

"Would you believe me if I said tea?"

"No. God Xander, whoever did that to you I hope you staked him." The sudden change in subject went a bit too quick for Giles and he groaned. From a distance he heard Xander answering.

"I killed it. Ruthlessly. I crushed it." There was a pause. "A bug. Flew in my eye."

"Oh." Buffy's relief was evident. Then a giggle escaped her. "You look like a pirate."

"I was thinking of wearing a black patch myself, but maybe that's overdoing it a bit."

"Nah. Would be cool. Gotta run now. Bye." And Buffy was out.

"Sometimes she is a bit too much," Giles sighed, finally facing Xander.

"You look like you have been partying all night," Xander commented with a big grin.

"That's what Buffy said. It feels like that." To Giles' surprise Xander turned on his heels and disappeared. Deciding that it would be too much for his overtired brain to ask himself why, he leaned back in his chair, his eyes falling shut.

He started awake when someone gently shook him. "What??"

"Hey, don't bite the man who's bringing you breakfast."

"Breakfast?" His eyes wouldn't open.

"Yeah, wake up and smell the coffee. Literally."

A groan escaped him. "I'm not in the mood for jokes, Xander."

"Give me some respect here!" Xander sounded truly offended. Slowly, very slowly, Giles opened his eyes. On his desk was a tray. Sitting on it a cup and a plate with all kind of rolls. The smell of coffee reached his nostrils.

"See? I wasn't joking." Xander was leaning on his desk, looking smug.

"You brought me breakfast."

"Ah, you noticed!" He didn't seem annoyed, Giles thought, just very smug.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, I have to go to the school nurse. When I come back you will have eaten this!"

"All of it?" The thought alone made his stomach churn.

"Most of it." A grin was flashed his way. "Leave something for me."

Before Giles could reply, Xander was gone. Another sigh escaped him. If anything, this boy made him tired. Taking another sniff, he had to admit the coffee smelled good. Reaching for the cup, he had to fight down the nausea. Coffee this early in the morning made him slightly ill even in his best days, but now it turned his stomach. Better go for the rolls, or Danish as he now realized it were. He managed to eat one before Xander returned.

"Not good," Xander commented and grabbed a Danish. "I told you to eat."

"I did," was the grunted reply. "And I hate coffee, especially in the morning."

With a huge grin Xander produced a thermos. "Tea?" he inquired.

Giles' eyes went wide. This guy never ceased to amaze him. "Yes please," he said.

Xander poured a cup of tea, handed it to Giles with a two white pills. "Take those," he instructed. "Aspirin, thought you could use it," he added, catching the bewildered look.

A smile came to the older man's face as he took the pills. After swallowing them with a sip of tea, he looked at Xander, who had taken up residence on the corner of the desk, happily wolfing down the pastry. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Nope. Not today. Today, I'm playing hooky with permission." He waved a folded paper in the air.

"Your eye," Giles concluded. "How are you doing?"

"Better. It itches a bit, but it doesn't hurt anymore." He grinned widely. "Of course, I told the school nurse it did hurt, that's how I got the pills."

"Ingrate," Giles muttered, but was touched none the less.

"Who's an ingrate?" a voice called from the doorway. A slightly tired voice.

Xander turned around, still wearing a goofy grin. "Hey Wills! Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Got a class to teach in half an hour," Willow said, stifling a yawn. "What happened to you??"

"New look, do you like it?" Xander beamed at her. It earned him a punch on his shoulder. "Okay, not funny. Bug flew in my eye, it's infected."

"The bug?" Willow quipped.

Throwing an insulted look over his shoulder as he heard Giles chuckle, Xander declared with as much dignity as he could muster, "Yeah."

Willow shook her head, then looked at her friend with concern. "How bad is it?"

"The bug's dead," Xander said deadpan. "My eye, well, a bit sore, but I'll live."

"I hate bugs." Willow shivered. "Especially the hairy kind, with lotsa legs."

"I wouldn’t know if it was hairy. Ask Giles, he saw it."

"I took the remains of that insect out of your eye. It was already unidentifiable by then."

Xander shrugged. "Sorry Will." He added a grin for emphasis.

Willow grinned back, then her eyes went wide and the color seemed to drain from her face. "You took the bug out of his eye?" she asked Giles. "Here? I mean in the library?"

"Yes." Giles was somewhat taken aback by her question.

"Up there," Xander gestured. "Wanna see the scene of the crime?"

"Uh no.." If possible Willow paled eve further. "Gotta talk to Buffy. Bye." She stormed out, her books clutched to her chest.

Xander and Giles exchanged glances. "What is wrong with her?’ Giles asked.

"Dunno. We’ll find out. Willow is not the kind that can keep a secret for very long. Hey, I’ve known her all my life!" he added, catching the other man’s dark stare. "She doesn’t mean to blab, it just happens."

"She can keep secrets," Giles said, realizing just a second too late that that was a very wrong thing to say.

Xander got to his feet and stared at him. "That was low," he said softly. "True, but low anyway." He turned and walked out.

"Oh damn," Giles muttered.

 

 

Willow caught up with Buffy when the Slayer came out of English class. "Buffy!"

Buffy looked over her shoulder and saw her friend running towards her, a look of total bewilderment on her face. "Hey Will, what’s up?"

"Remember what we talked about last night in the library? I mean when we were watching Oz, just the two of us? About what I saw, or thought I saw.."

"Wow, easy!" Buffy stopped the stream of words. "Yeah, I remember." She giggled. "Oh do I remember!"

"We were wrong." Willow said it as if she had found out the conspiracy of the century.

Buffy’s eyebrows raised. "Yeah, I know. You didn’t think it was for real, now did you?" She took one look at her friend and giggled again. "You did!"

Willow fidgeted from one foot to another. "Well, it might have…"

"Oh Will!" Buffy draped her arm around Willow’s shoulder. "Fill me in. What really happened?"

Together they walked through the corridors, Willow talking in a hushed voice. After a few minutes Buffy's loud laugh echoed through the hallway.

 

 

To be continued.

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