Part seven

It was nearly dawn when the two Slayers reached Trick’s house. Faith could see the tension mounting in her friend, and understood it well. They were about to face the monster who was killing her Watcher, and Buffy was itching for a fight. For that matter, so was Faith. Mr. Trick was one of the demons responsible for the brutal murder of her own Watcher...and she was dying for some payback. One down, she thought as they neared the large home, and only one to go.

But, if they killed Trick, would they ever find a way to save Giles’ life?

“How is it that a demon can afford better digs than us?” Faith asked as they spied the lavish house.

“I guess they didn’t spend all of those centuries killing and maiming,” Buffy reasoned, “Pillaging, stealing and investing takes the monotony out of all that death...” Buffy stopped.

“What?”

They quickly hid behind some hedges, watching as a lone figure exited the building. Being this close to dawn, Buffy figured it wasn’t a vampire they were seeing. But who was the man, walking to his car, head hanging low? Buffy inched closer to get a better view before the man disappeared behind the wheel, and almost drove her fist into a neighboring tree when she recognized him.

Dr. Wilson!

Buffy balled up her fists in anger, and stepped forward, ready to pummel the man into next week. Do everything to help...indeed! She couldn’t believe that she trusted the man...a man who was supposed to be out to help people. But instead, here he was working for the Vampire, who was rapidly becoming the bane of their existence.

Now, she really wanted to hit something. And that something was looking more and more like the dear, treacherous doctor.

“Buffy don’t,” Faith interjected, grabbing a firm, yet gentle grasp of her arm, “I know what you want to do, and I’m tellin’ ya to wait. Maybe we can get the cure from him without beating him to a bloody pulp.”

“Since when have you been on the right side of reason?” Buffy said sarcastically.

“Well somebody has to,” She said, not backing down, “You seemed to have thrown reason out the window...right along with your sanity. If we attack him now, Trick will see and you can kiss saving Giles goodbye. Look, I think the guy’s a major creep too, but we need him...Giles needs him.”

Buffy stopped and looked at her friend. God, if she wasn’t right! Buffy silently chastised herself for being so impulsive. She was usually the level headed one, not one to make too many rash choices...but this thing with Giles...she found it hard to think straight. Deep down, she was glad one of them had some common sense left.

But it still didn’t change the fact that when they got what they needed from Wilson...he was going to need a doctor himself.

“So,” Buffy asked, “What is your plan?”

“We follow him,” Faith said, letting go of Buffy’s arm, “I’ll explain the rest on the way.”

“One prob with that,” Buffy pointed out, “He has an advantage...a car.”

Faith looked at Buffy and pulled open the door of a car that was parked next to the bushes. She then got into the driver’s seat and proceeded on hot wiring the car. As the engine whined to life, she turned to Buffy and smiled, “Problem solved.”

“I don’t want to know,” Buffy sighed, climbing into the passenger side, as the car took off after the rogue doctor.

******

Joyce stirred uncomfortably in the chair next to Giles. She wished she could have gone home to a nice soft bed and slept for a little while. But, with the Watcher’s health in a steady decline, all thoughts of comfort were put aside. Still, it would have been nice if the hospital had a cot she could have used, instead of having to doze in the chair...which wasn’t working too well.

She yawned and stretched, trying to work the kinks out of her neck. She hadn’t pulled an all night vigil since Buffy was little and had Tonsillitis. She only had it once, but oh what a horrible experience it was. Joyce was up all night with a very sick little girl, trying to comfort her, and soothe her pain.

That was difficult, but not life threatening. It was tiring, but not traumatic. But this was an entirely different matter. Here she was sitting watch to a man she hardly knew, except that he managed to take her daughter away from her. And yet, she could help but feel deep concern for him. She had rationalized that it was only because he meant so much to Buffy, but even she wasn’t completely sure.

She couldn’t deny that he was a very attractive man; intelligent, dashing and so...so English. He was the type of man she was usually attracted to, but seldom acted upon. There was usually some reason for why she couldn’t pursue the type of relationships she would have liked. Whether it was...he’s already taken, or he’s a killer robot, or he’s her daughter’s Watcher...it didn’t matter, she realized that it might very well be too late for another relationship like the one she had with Hank, so many years ago.

She looked at Giles, who was in the throes of another nightmare, and wondered if he had the same problems with love as she had...

******

“Where are we?” Giles asked Jenny, as the two of them crawled out of a sewer cap.

“Away from the hospital,” Jenny said, brushing herself off, and taking Giles’ hand, “And right now...that’s as good as it gets. Come on,” she said, motioning for him to follow.

“Where are we going?”

“Some place safe, where Angel can’t reach us...with weapons preferably.”

Giles halted in his tracks and shook his head, “Then you don’t want to go to the library. That was where you were going to take me, right?”

“Yes,” Jenny said confused, “I thought we could use the weapons there to kill Angel.”

“And normally I would agree,” Giles gently coaxed her in the opposite direction, “but since Angel can enter the school when ever he wishes...I think another place might be more wise.”

“And where’s that?”

Giles looked deep into her dark brown eyes and said, “My apartment.”

Hand in hand, the two of them walked quickly through the streets of the Dreamland Sunnydale. Giles was amazed at how the sights, sounds and even scents seemed so frightening real, almost as though this was the real Hellmouth. He had visions before, some of which were quite vivid, but nothing like this. He had to keep reminding himself that this was not real...that this was only a dream.

Somehow, that didn’t bring him much comfort.

The only thing that made this experience even slightly bearable was Jenny. As they walked down the darkened streets, Giles wondered what their lives would have been like if things where different. He gave a small sigh, and looked at her sadly. It could have been so lovely. They could have been so good together...they were so good together. But now, all he had were his memories...and this dream.

“What is it?” Jenny asked, aware that he had been staring for a while.

“Oh, nothing,” he caught himself, looking down at the pavement, “I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“You...us,” he said, turning to face her, “I’m so sorry this had to happen to you. I wish things would have turned out differently. I...”

“Rupert?”

“Yes?”

“I think we should finish this at your place.”

Giles noticed the concern in her voice, and asked, “Why?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, looking over his shoulder at the rapidly approaching vampires, “I just don’t think you wanted to get them involved in our conversation.”

Giles turned around and saw four vampires running down the street after them. In the front of the pack, was a very angry Angelus. They were only about half a block away from Giles’ house, but the vampires were nearing so quickly, that Giles wondered if they were going to make it to safety. He grabbed Jenny’s hand, and the two of them made a mad dash to his apartment.

He could hear the footsteps of the enemy, as they got closer to them, but Giles dared not turn around, for fear that even that small act would loose them valuable time. As they raced down the steps, he handed his keys off to Jenny and picked up a bat he had hidden outside for event like this.

He swung the bat furiously at the incoming demons, while Jenny tried to get the key into the lock. Her hands fumbled with the keys, dropping them twice in her haste. Giles managed to hit one of the vampires on the side of the head, knocking him out of the way, only to find two more leaping down the steps after them.

“Now would be a good time to open the door!” Giles shouted, hitting the second one in the shoulder.

“I’m trying!” Jenny said in near panic, “The damn key won’t go into the damn lock!”

She gave a startled cry as a flower pot hit the wall next to her head. This gave her added incentive to speed up her attempts. Finally, the key fit securely into the lock and the door opened. They both rushed into the apartment, closing the door behind them, and locking out the danger...for the time being.

Giles moved to his windows and secured them as well. He then turned to Jenny, who was sitting on the couch and asked, “Are you alright?” He sat down next to her and brushed the dirt out of her hair, “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m fine,” she smiled weakly. Then kissing him full on the lips, she added mischievously, “Rupert, you’re my hero!”

With that, Giles backed off. He looked down at the floor and shook his head, “I don’t feel very much like the hero. I mean, look what happened to you.”

“What, the flower pot?” Jenny smiled, “A little dirt won’t do any harm...”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Jenny took his hands in her’s and looked deep into his hazel eyes, “You can’t keep blaming yourself for what happened to me. I don’t. What Angel did was not your fault, and there was no way you could have stopped it.”

“I could have tried.”

“And you would have died with me,” She got up and went into the kitchen. Going to the sink, she filled the kettle with hot water and put it on the stove, “Nobody could have seen what Angel was planning on doing. I knew the risks I was taking...and I accepted the consequences.”

“How can you accept getting your neck broken by that...that monster!” Giles shouted, unable to contain his anger. He stood up to walk toward her, but stopped when he saw her expression.

“I have no choice but to accept it England...I’m dead.”

That sentence hit Giles like a truck. He sat back down on the couch and put his face in his hands. Jenny went to him, and knelt down, stroking his hair gently. She wanted to say something...anything to help ease the pain, but she knew that nothing she could say would ease his lose.

“I miss you so much,” Giles said, through his tears, “Every day...every moment...I can’t stop thinking about you. Just when I think I can deal with it, something happens to remind me of you. Whether it’s a familiar sound or smell, or even a phrase, it doesn’t matter which...it only reminds me that you’re gone.”

“Oh, Rupert...” Jenny began to say. She was interrupted by a voice coming from just outside the door.

“Hey, Rupert,” Angel said, pounding on the wooden door, “you can’t hide in there forever. When you realize that...I’ll be waiting.”

******

Oz was turning the box around in his hands trying to decipher the strange writings on its sides, but with little success. Buffy and Faith left so quickly that they didn’t tell them what to do with the box that Cordelia had so deftly stolen. Now, with the sun already beginning to climb in the morning sky, they were approaching the end of the line.

“As much as I would love to stay,” Cordelia yawned, standing up and stretching, “If I don’t get home soon, my parents are going to kill me. I told them I was staying at a friend’s house, but they still want me home for breakfast. You know parents.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Xander said, rubbing his tired eyes, “Besides, I don’t know what else we can do, but wait for Buffy and Faith.” He reached for his jacket and turned to Cordy, “Listen hun, could you give me a ride to the hospital? I want to see how Giles is doing.”

“Sure,” she sighed, “As soon as I can cut out, I’ll stop by.”

Xander turned to Oz and asked, “Do you guys want a lift?”

Oz put the box down for a moment and looked at Willow, who was sound asleep at the computer, “Nah,” he replied, “Willow’s zonked, and I want to figure this thing out. When she wakes up, we’ll meet you there.”

“Right,” Xander said, taking Cordelia’s hand, “Listen, if anything changes with Giles’ condition...” His voice dropped off, not wanting to voice the very real possibility that their friend would probably not live another day.

“Yeah, I know,” Oz nodded grimly, “We’ll keep in contact. Good luck.”

“You too man.”

And with that, Xander and Cordelia left him alone to finish his work.

******

How they managed to keep up with Dr. Wilson, without getting pulled over by a cop, was a mystery to Buffy. Then again, she was amazed at the fact that the doctor, himself, didn’t notice them. He must have been very preoccupied...which Buffy thanked the Gods for. They followed him through most of Sunnydale, stopping at the hospital, the bank and finally the store, before heading to his home.

When he pulled up to the curb, Buffy held her breath as Faith swung the car right in behind him. Subtle much?

But even with that move, the good doctor failed to notice the two, until they confronted him outside his apartment.

“What are you young ladies doing here?” he asked, the lines of age showing in his weary face, “Did you follow me?”

“Chalk one up for Sergeant Perception,” Faith spat, pushing him against the door, “Now, are you gonna to tell us what you did to Giles, or am I going to have to beat it out of you?!”

“Faith!” Buffy scolded, playing the good cop, “You don’t know that he did anything, just because we saw him leaving a killer’s home...” Seeing the terrified look on the doctor’s face she added, “Oh, did I say too much?”

“Please, I...I don’t know what you are talking about,” Dr. Wilson pleaded. It was obvious that he was lying, but that didn’t explain why he was shaking so much. He had to have known that the girls wouldn’t seriously hurt him. So, why was he so afraid?

Faith balled up her fist and growled, “Maybe I should jog your memory?”

“No, wait” He said, trying to get his hands up to his face for protection, “I’ll tell you what you want to know...just not out here. I have very nosy neighbors, and I really don’t want all of Sunnydale in on our conversation.”

Faith stepped back and motioned for him to unlock the door, “After you.”

******

Giles rummaged through his weapon’s chest, looking for the right equipment to use in fighting Angel. At the moment, he and Jenny we safe in his apartment, but that wouldn’t last forever. It would only be a matter of time before he had to face his demon...to face Angelus...and he wanted to be quite prepared.

“Have you any idea how we’re going to fight him?” Jenny asked, sitting on the couch, drinking a cup of tea.

Giles stopped and looked up from the box, “I’m working on that. As long as we stay in here, we’ll be safe. The vampires can’t enter, if not invited...”

“Yes, I know,” Jenny sighed, “But Angel’s right, we can’t stay in here forever. Eventually, we’ll have to face him.”

“I know,” he said, pulling out a crossbow, and placing it on the table, “God, how I know. If I could have just a little more time, I could come up with a plan that will...”

His words were cut short by the crashing of glass, and the sudden eruption of flames in the room. A molotov cocktail! That’s poetic justice, he thought bitterly, as he raced to gather up what weapons he could.

He handed the crossbow to Jenny and asked, “Do you promise to be more careful when you shoot this thing?”

“Well, just don’t get in my way, and I won’t hit you this time.” She smiled, standing behind him, as he drew his sword.

They stood by the door, knowing that they were about to go from the frying pan right into the fire. Or was it, out of the fire into Hell? The metal of the sword glowed orange from the flames that were threatening to overtake them both. It was the moment of truth...it was now, or never...

Giles threw the door open and thrust the sword outward, hoping he would catch an unsuspecting vampire looking for an easy kill. He had no intentions of making this easy for any of them. The sword did indeed hit its target, piercing a young-looking vampire in the gut. Knowing that striking that part of the anatomy wouldn’t kill him, he quickly pulled out the sword and deftly lobbed off the vampire’s head. There was a look of surprise on his face for only a brief moment before he vanished into dust.

Two more vampires raced down the stairs, looking for a fight, and Giles was more than willing to give it to them. But it was Jenny, this time, who saved that day. Giles heard the woosh of the crossbow bolt sail past him and hit its target squarely in the chest. The vampire cried out in pain and exploded before them. The second vampire had no intentions on giving up the chase. He lunged at Giles with frightening speed, grabbing a hold of the sword.

For several terrifying seconds, Giles and the vampire were lock in a death struggle for control over the weapon....and it looked as thought the vampire was winning. Suddenly the demon froze in place...then crumbled into dust. Standing behind him was Jenny, stake in hand, with a beautiful smile on her face.

“You know,” she smiled, “fighting vampires when I was alive was never this fun.”

“Yes,” Giles said, taking her hand, “well, the fun’s only just beginning. We still have to try to get to my car, and Angel must be out there somewhere.” He took as deep a breath as he could with all of the smoke, and braced himself for the next wave of attacks, “Listen to me,” he said, the seriousness of the situation echoed in his voice, “No matter what happens, you must get to the car. If I don’t make it...”

“Rupert,” she said, putting her hand over his mouth, “don’t say that! You’ll make it. We’ll make it together.”

Giles smiled at her. Jenny always knew exactly what to say to him to make things seem better than they actually were. Even in death, she was ever the optimist, he thought, as they began to climb the stairs to the walkway.

They only managed to get about ten feet, when two more vampires dove out of the bushes to attack. Giles swung his sword around, clipping the larger vampire in the arm. He staggered back in pain, but he wasn’t out for the count. Giles needed to take his head, or stake him, for the vampire to die, and this one was not going to be surprised as easily as the first.

Jenny, was having her own problems with a very determined vampire. The demon was too close for her to shoot him, so she resorted to swinging the crossbow as a club, hoping to knock him back enough to fire. She finally connected with a solid blow, sending the vampire stumbling backward, into a jagged piece of wood, that was sticking out from a broken chair. The vampire looked down at the piece of wood protruding from his chest, and was suddenly no more.

Giles was pushed up against the wall, his sword lying on the ground two feet away. This fight was not going well at all for him. The vampire continued to keep his grip tight on the Watcher’s throat, while Giles struggled to remain conscious. He tried to break free, but the vampire held fast, cutting off the remaining air that was left to him.

Jenny saw this and did the only thing she could think of. She picked up the crossbow, said a silent prayer, and fired. The bolt didn’t exactly hit the heart, lodging just above the right lung, but it gave Giles more than enough opportunity to knock the vampire back. While his opponent was desperately trying to remove the painful bolt, Giles quickly picked up his sword and cut off his head.

As the vampire turned to dust, Giles and Jenny raced to his car, hoping to out run any other would-be attackers. They quickly climbed into his little car, and Giles started the engine. Where the hell was Angel?

Not that he was looking forward to seeing him again, but still...he didn’t trust a vampire he couldn’t see. For that matter, he didn’t really trust any vampires, but he wasn’t too keen on the fact that Angel was no where to be seen. Giles couldn’t figure out what the demon was up to, but he didn’t want to hang around to find out. He shifted the car into gear, and floored it, leaving a trail of dust behind.

When the dust cleared, a lone vampire stepped out of the shadows and gave a wicked grin. His followers, the two remaining, gathered around him. They looked at their leader, confused.

“Why did you let them escape?” one of the vampires asked, “We could have killed them.”

“That would take the fun out of it,” Angel smiled at the long absent car.

“But how are we going to find them now?”

Angel slowly walked up to his cohort and patted him on the shoulder, “Finding them won’t be too much of a problem.”

“Why?”

“Because,” he said, starting to walk down the street, “I know exactly where they’re going.”