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At Mort Grange
Silently, Father Ramsey looked at the people that were gathered in a small huddle before him. The afternoon sun shone brightly into their angry and scared faces. These people were a part of his flock, people that he was supposed to watch over and protect. Just like he was supposed to watch over and protect Katherine. His Slayer. He looked at his partner who was smiling triumphantly at the group.
The man looked over the small group of people that had dared to defy him and denied his needs. Gussie. Morag. Malcom. Deborah.
Then Wolf Fergusson's eyes locked on to the small blonde child who clung tightly to her mother's neck. His rough voice spoke gently to the frightened child."Come, wee Meg. Come and be with your true father. Come to your Papa."
"No, you’re not my papa,"the little girl said defiantly. Wolf lifted his eyebrows at the unexpected defiance.
"You'll learn to mind your Papa, little one,"Wolf said sternly as he started to reach over to the child.
Carruthers Fergusson struggled with his bonds."You keep away from my daughter, Wolf!"
Spinning to look at the man, Wolf snarled."YOUR DAUGHTER? Don't you mean MY DAUGHTER! My child that YOUR WIFE bore me!"
"My child! MY daughter!"Carruthers said firmly as he glared at Wolf."Now and always! You have no right to her, Wolf! She's mine!"
"Like hell she is, I'd kill her first,"snarled Wolf as he stepped forward to wrench the child from her mother's arms, then he stepped back as the child let out an unearthly howl."Be silent, girl!"
"Father Ramsey, ye canna do this!"cried Morag as she hugged her daughter tightly to her breast."Ye canna help Wolf-"
Viciously, Wolf grabbed Morag's brown hair and jerked her hair back."He willna hear your pleas, my little fey. I paid him too well for him to listen to ye. Isna that right, Father?"
Father Ramsey looked at Wolf."It is what you believe, Wolf."
With a harsh kiss on her lips, Wolf smiled coldly at her."I will take my child, I will take the mirror and I will take what is my due. But I shall leave my whoring little fey with her husband, as I take all that you and Gussie there have plotted to keep from me."
"We never plotted to keep anything from you,"Morag gasped defiantly at him."You seek to use the Looking Glass wrongly! You wish to use it for your own evil ends! To change what is past, that is not to be done! The Glass is not meant for that!"
Angrily, Wolf threw Morag away from him as he wrenched his screaming daughter away from her mother."You know nothing about what I wish to use the mirror for! NOTHING! The glass will help me claim what is rightfully mine and will make me whole!"
A knock came to the door and Wolf savagely opened it as he gave his daughter a hard swat on her bottom to make her cease her cries."Is it done, yet?"
"Aye, Wolf. The mirror's all secure and ready. So's all the decoys,"said a voice shouting over the screaming child."When someone comes ta help the toffs, we'll all be long gone. With too many trails ta trace."
Giving his daughter another swat on her bottom to try and get her to quiet down, Wolf nodded impaitently."Fine then. All of you be off."
As Wolf talked with his man, Morag looked at Father Ramsey deperately."Father, please! Ye must not let Wolf take the Looking Glass! He means to use it to change time for his own evil purpose! He means to take Meg from me! My child!"
Father Ramsey shook his head, then gently stroked a stray hair from her face."He will not take Meg."
"Are ye ready to go Father?"Wolf called out as he re-entered the room that once held the looking glass. His daughter was still screaming and kicking. "My God, lass! Quit yer yammering! 'Tis enough ta raise the dead!"
"Yer taking her from her ma! What else ye expect the poor bairn ta do?"screamed Deborah as she glared at him.
"Be happy that she's going with her da!"Wolf retorted back to her, then he swung back to look at Father Ramsey."Are ye ready ta go-what the hell is this?"
Father Ramsey looked at his former partner and shrugged."I believe it is commonly known as a double cross. And please do not move, I assure you that the pistols are quite loaded and that I am, an excellent shot. Now, put the child down, then step away from her. Meg, do cease your crying, dear child. You're safe now, Meggie."
Meg stopped crying and looked at Father Ramsey through tear stained eyes. Father Ramsey spared a quick smile for the child as she looked up at him."That's my girl. Now, Wolf, please sit on that arm chair over there, and don't move an inch. Meggie, dear. Please use that extra rope to tie his hands and feet."
"Father, please untie us, now,"Gussie said as he moved his shoulders to provide access to the ropes. Father Ramsey remained silent as he watched Meg tie up her natural father.”Father Ramsey?”
Wolf glared at the priest as his daughter tied him up."What is going on? Do ye want more money? I can pay you double!"
As Meg tied the last knot, Father Ramsey shook his head. "It's not the matter of money that created the temporary alliance between us, Wolf. It never was. Now, step away from him, child, and go to your Da’s side." As Meg moved closer to Gussie, Wolf looked at him blankly. "But you accepted payment-"
"Yes. And I assure ye that the money was put to good use. Widow O'connor has a nice roof, the Maconalds and Sutherlands have enough to eat for the winter, Bridget has enough medicines for her ailing father and all the Macgregor children have shoes for the winter,"Father Ramsey said blithely as he backed towards the door."But it was never what I wanted."
Morag gaped at the priest."The Looking Glass. Ye want the Looking Glass. But why?"
Father Ramsey put a pistol in his waistband."Now, be sure to not leave the house tonight. It'll be sundown in a couple of hours, and 'tis not safe in the night. And all sorts of creatures may be about."
Morag persisted in her questions."Why? Father, why do ye want the Looking Glass?"
Father Ramsey looked at Meg who was standing quietly next to her father, then he smiled beautifically at Morag."To save a life more precious than my own."
As he turned towards the door, Malcom called out to him."Ye canna save her, Father. Ye shouldna. Katherine was meant ta die, she was the Slayer."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* In the Woods of Mort Grange:
Though he knew that he should press on to where he knew Ramsey was going to be, he still reined in his horse and dismounted. He was so tired and so confused. And so jealous. Seeing the younger man’s Joyce smiling at his younger self was a little more than he could bear. And seeing his own pain reflected his younger self’s eyes as she laid there on the bed...it brought back memories he would have loved to purge with whiskey if there was only time. Not counting this night, there were only six days to the eclipse. And only God who knows what could happen.
Leaning against a tree, Rupert Giles reached for his ear and looked at the opal earring he held in his hand. As tiredness washed over him, he closed his eyes and smiled. In his mind's eye, he could see her. His Joyce. Looking at him with complete adoration as he broke into the dress shop to get that coat for her. Her teasing smile as she dared him to make love to her on the police car. Her blush as she avoided his gaze after Buffy's SATs. His hand tightened on the earring as he remembered. Her skeptical look at him, then at the mirror when the children convinced her that it was entirely safe. Her dressed in the red grown and looking at him worriedly as they wondered what Father Ramsey knew. Her face in the firelight as he made love to her at long last. The enigmatic smile she had after the mirror spoke to her. The desire in her eyes when she promised to have her wicked way with him. Her face flushed from fever as she laid on the bed, dying. Bleeding on the bed, asking for Buffy. Calling out his name with her breath as she took her last-”NO! No...”
Falling to his knees, Giles’s eyes shot open, and he was alone. Again. In the woods of Mort Grange. He stared at the earring she gave him for luck.”Where are you, love? Why am I still here? Why aren’t I with you?” The afternoon sun made the opal earring wink silently at him as tears ran down his face.”I saved her, Joyce. I saved him. I saved our future, our babies, love. Why aren’t you with me?”
As he closed his eyes again, lost in his grief, he never saw the small tendrils of light slowly coming from the earring and gently caressing his wrist, and then his closed eyes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* In Sunnydale High School:
As Robert, Wesley and Xander raced out of Giles’s office, Buffy scowled at the mirror as it started shimmering brightly. Slightly bouncing on the balls of her feet, she shook a fist at it.”Listen, you stinking mirror, do whatever you have to do right now! I have to go pee and I don’t want to do it with an audience!”
Xander snorted at her.”You don’t you say it louder, Buff. I don’t think they heard you in New York.”
As Buffy shot him venomous look, Xander hid behind Wesley with a squeak as Robert coughed slightly. No one could say more with a look like his big sister.”Um, Buffy? If you have to go to the bathroom, why don’t you?”
“Because she does this whole ghost thing when she steps three feet from the mirror,”Willow said as she studied the mirror.”Why isn’t it doing anything? What’s with all those swirling colors? It’s never done that before.”
Robert stood in front of the mirror and studied the swirling patterns.”I think the mirror is waiting.”
Everyone looked at him. Angel prompted him.”Waiting for what?” Robert shrugged.”Like I have a clue. Maybe it’s waiting for Buffy to go to the bathroom?”
Buffy moaned.”Great, just what I need, a polite mirror...”
“How? By waiting for her to go into her pants?”Cordelia demanded as she stepped away from the book cage.”Want me to get some Depends or Pampers for you, Buffy?”
“Maybe we can steal the potted plant that Snyder has in his office so that you can go? Or cover you with a blanket as you go in a cup?”Xander suggested from behind Wesley.
“How would you like to fit into a cup, Xander?”Buffy growled at him.
Robert sighed.”I think it’s safe for you to go to the bathroom, as long as you use the one in Da-Mr.Giles’s office.”
“Why do you say this? How are you sure of this?”Wesley demanded as he walked up to Robert.
Robert looked at him.”Because I know that the Mirror itself would never hurt Buffy. Or any relation of Moth-Mrs.Summers. That’s why. Any change in the past would have happened by now, and she would have been gone. Mirror or not.”
Buffy perked up.”Really? Great! Outta the way! Slayer coming through!” Wesley and Xander moved aside as Buffy barreled past them and into the office. As the bathroom door slammed shut, Robert laughed out loud.”I’m thinking not a minute too soon.”
“Glad you told her that, I really would have hated going out to get her some diapers,”said Cordelia as she looked at Robert.“You know, you really do look familiar. And that’s not a pick up line, like I really need one.”
Angel’s eyes narrowed as he studied Robert’s wary features.”She’s right, you do. You say that you’re related to Buffy through Morag Fergusson?”
Before Robert could answer, Buffy appeared at the doorway of Giles’s office. Relief was written all over her face. Willow teased her friend.”Feeling better, Buffy? Want some more tea?”
“Oh, yeah, and very funny, Will,”Buffy sighed happily, then looked sternly at everyone. Then locked her eyes on Xander.”But the next one with a bladder joke will get flushed down the toilet head first.”
Xander made the motion of zipping his mouth shut.”Not a word.” Buffy nodded, then stood by Robert in front of the mirror.”So, anything happen while I was gone?”
“Are we talking about the now, past or present?” Robert asked with a grin.
Buffy grinned back at him.”You mean I actually have a choice? You are different from other Watchers! Can I adopt you?”
“Can you still do that if you’re related?” Robert pondered.
Grinning Buffy shrugged.”I don’t see why not. I just have to ask permission first. Last time I tried to adopt a kitten, Mom had a cow.”
“It’s better than trying for a pig again,”Robert grinned.
As the two grinned at each other, Angel’s eyes widened as Oz’s eyebrows shot up. Cordelia stared, then blurted out,“That’s it! That’s it!” Everyone turned to look at the girl as she walked forward and pointed at Buffy and Robert. ”Can’t you people see it? Are you guys really blind? It’s so obvious that Helen Keller could see it! Look at them!”
As Wesley gaped like a fish trying to find an explanation, Xander lifted his eyebrow at her.”Yes, it’s totally obvious, Cordy. In fact, it’s blindingly obvious. Buffy is a female and Robert is a male.”
Cordelia scowled at him.”Xander!”
Buffy looked down at herself in mock horror.”Oh, my God! You’re right! I’m a female! And you’re a male, Robert! And you’re wearing tweed!”
“By Jove! You’re right! And all these years I was wondering what I was wearing!”Robert said dramatically as he made a production to look at his clothes. ”Here I thought I was wearing brown taffeta!”
Wesley sighed as he tried to bring order.”All right, people. Perhaps-”
Cordelia scowled at Buffy, then at Xander.”Some may doubt that you’re a female at all, Buffy. But that’s not what I’m talking about. Look at Buffy, then up at Robert. He’s-”
“A foot taller than Buffy?”Xander interrupted as he looked again at Buffy and Robert.”Unless he’s wearing stilts. You wearing stilts, Robbie?”
“People, let’s have some sort of order around here,”Wesley tried again. He was ignored as Angel stepped closer to Robert and Buffy.
“Not that I know of,”Robert answered easily as he shifted away from Buffy as he noted Angel’s aggressive stance.”Hello, Angel. Looking for a reflection?”
Angel growled at Robert.”Step away from her.”
Buffy looked at Angel, noting that his eyes were flashing yellow.”What’s going on?”
Willow looked at everyone who were readying for a standoff with each other, then saw the mirror again start to glow.”Um, guys? Guys?”
Cordelia walked to Xander and smacked him on the shoulder.”Stop that, Xander. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?”
“Not usually, do you want to give me a hint?”Xander quipped. Willow tried again,”People?”
“Wesley, tell this moron that you see what I’m talking about when you look at Buffy and Robert,”Cordelia ordered as she gave Xander another smack.
Wesley ran his fingers through his hair.”Cordelia...”
“Wes, tell the Cordy here that the hairspray she’s using is hallucinogenic. She’s seeing things that are not there,”Xander shot back at her.
“Xander...”
“Like that could happen. If I really wanted to see an illusion, you wouldn’t even be here,”Cordelia shot at him as she shoved her powdered face at him.
Xander shoved his face back at her.“If this really was an illusion, you wouldn’t be here either!”
“Wesley tried to shove them apart,”Now, Cordelia, Xander...”
Willow looked frantically at her friends as the mirror started to shine more brightly. She tried being louder.”People...”
Robert looked at Angel hard.”You know who I am. Congrats, you figured it out faster than I would have thought.”
Angel growled at Robert.”I’m not all eye candy, no matter what stories Xander likes to say. And I’m not as sweet, either.”
Buffy looked at the two men staring at each other.”Okay, feeling the testosterone level increasing here...”
Robert lifted his eyebrow at him.”From what Dad says, I can believe it. I won’t hurt her if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,”Angel shot back at him.
Buffy slapped a hand on each male chest.”All right, enough with the male thing and shorthand talk. Something funky is going on over the here and I want to know what it is. Now!”
Angel looked down at her.”Buffy-”
“Buffy,”Robert started.
Willow frantically started to talk louder as she waved her arms frantically about.”People!”
When Oz tapped her on the shoulder and motioned her to stand away, she moved. Oz stood on the table, then started to beat his chest as he let out a huge yodel Tarzan would have been envious of.
When everyone stared at him, all slack-jawed, he pointed to his lady that held his heart.”Willow has something to say.”
With that, he jumped down from the desk. as all attention focused on Willow. Willow smiled brightly as she pointed at the mirror.”The mirror’s all shimmery again.”
Everyone stared at the mirror as it started to shimmer even more brightly and scenes started to form.
Buffy stared as she saw her mother and Giles looking through a little girl’s room. Searching for something. Then the scene changed again. Her mother and Giles were riding in the night in the woods. Buffy let out a grimace as she saw her mother and Giles kissing each other before Giles sneaked towards a cottage and her mother moved cautiously towards a barn.
“Ew, that’s skanky. G-man frenching Mrs.S,” Cordelia grimaced.
Robert shrugged.”You get used to it.”
“What?”Buffy asked as she looked up at him.
Willow pointed at the mirror again.”Look it’s changing again!”
The scene changed as she saw a man aiming his gun at her mother, who was standing between horses. Then she saw the older Giles tackle the man as Giles frantically shouted at her mother. The gun went off. Robert stared, frozen as he watched his father get shot.”Dad! Mum!”
“Mom! Giles!”Buffy screamed at the mirror as Giles went down on top of her mother. Buffy lunged towards the mirror, but Angel grabbed her and held her back.”He’s hurt! Lemme go, Angel!”
Angel held on to her as he shouted,”Look! It’s changing again!” Buffy stilled as the mirror changed scenes again, this time to watching her mother tenderly take care of a bed-ridden Giles. Then the mirror switched to a familiar scene, her mother talking with the older Giles.
“Oh, great. A repeat,”Xander quipped, then he winced when Willow hit him from the back of his head.
Buffy and Robert ignored this as they watched in horror as the mirror changed the scene again. This time, they saw the man that had tried to shoot their mother attack her with a knife instead. The mirror then changed to show Joyce Summers was lying on a white table, and the older Giles was holding her down as the younger Giles took a knife from the stove and applied it to her mother’s flesh. Joyce reared her head and started to scream silently.
Buffy started to fight Angel’s hold on her.”Angel! Let me go! He’s hurting her! He’s hurting her!”
At the sight of his father hurting his mother, Robert lunged towards the mirror, but was held back by Wesley.”Let me go! Let me go! Mum!”
“Stop it both of you! Stop! Look at the mirror! It’s changing again!”shouted Angel.”Look!”
Robert and Buffy stopped to see the young Giles in bed with Joyce, holding her tenderly as he prayed. And the older Giles watching over them from the doorway. The mirror then blackened.
“Is that it? Is that all? I won’t know what happened to Mom? Or to Giles?” Buffy asked hoarsely after a few minutes. The mirror then brightened again. “You just had to ask, Buffy,”Cordelia groaned. Then she glared at Xander when he dared to hit her on the shoulder.
The mirror brightened to a domestic scene. Giles was sitting on a couch in his robe, with a young towheaded boy in Star Wars pajamas leaning against him. He was reading a book when he and the boy looked up and they both grinned widely.
The mirror then widened the scene to show an extremely pregnant Joyce in her flannel robe carrying a little boy in a red Spiderman pajamas as a laughing Buffy in her knock-around sweats carried a pair of giggling twin boys dressed in Batman and Superman sweats under her arms. As Buffy let them down, the boy who was sitting with Giles launched himself at her as the twins jumped onto the couch and attacked a laughing Giles.
As the mirror slowly went black, Buffy turned to look at Robert. After a few moments of studying him, she asked,”Just who exactly are you?”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Joyce looked frantically at Giles as she pointed.“Vampire! At the window!”
After slamming the window shutters closed and dousing them with holy water from the medicine bag, Giles quickly looked around the room then rushed over to a wooden chair. He grabbed it and proceeded to break it as he gave her orders.”You stay in bed, love. Don’t let anyone in. Not even me if I stand at the doorway. Here’s a cross from the medicine bag-”
“Rupert! You can’t think to go after it!”Joyce shouted as she sat upright, and immediately groaned. Giles quickly came to her and laid her down.
He gave her a quick kiss as he laid her down. “I’ll just have a look around, darling. We should be safe enough here, since we’re living here for now.”
Joyce grabbed his arm.”But, Rupert-”
Giles gave her his extra stake.”Darling, this is what I do.”
After a few seconds, Joyce pulled his head down for a quick kiss.”Be careful. I love you. And if you get hurt I’ll be quite angry with you. And the baby won’t be happy with you either.”
“Right,”Giles said as he left the room, slamming the door shut. As Joyce slowly rose from the bed, wrapping the bed sheet around her body like a sari, she mentally counted on her fingers waiting for what she said to sink in and for him to come back. He came back after six fingers.”BABY? We’re having a baby?”
As she finished tying the sheet around her waist and shoulder, Joyce looked at him smugly.”Maybe. Perhaps I’ll tell you when you’re done being the all-macho Watcher. But then if you stay in here where it’s safe and there’s no one else out there except our horses and chickens, I most likely will tell you.”
“You’re not being reasonable, Joyce!”Giles said as he stared at her.”And get back into that bed!”
As angry tears formed in her eyes, Joyce glared at him.”No, I won’t! And you’re risking your life to kill a vampire. In the woods! Where no one is about! If we were in a city, it’d be different! If we were in Sunnydale, it’d be different! Hell, if it was Mort Grange, it’d be different! But we’re not! We’re in a deserted cottage, in the woods. Just the two of us! You still have a bullet in your shoulder. I’m still healing from two stab wounds. And who knows if there’s only one out there! There could be a bunch of them!”
Giles tried again.”If there’s a traveler in the woods-”
“It’s the 1800’s Scotland, Rupert. These people believe in vampires. Who in their right mind would go traveling after dark?”Joyce demanded as she sat up again.”Other than the creatures that hunt in the dark, and the Slayers and Watchers that go after them?”
Giles was about to say something when a piercing scream was heard. Grabbing a stake, Giles raced to the door and flung it open. Five figures fought in the darkening night. One was obviously a female, and armed with a pointed weapon. A black figure knocked her down, but she rolled quickly and gracefully on to her feet as she knocked another black figure down. The female then lunged at the black figure and as it turned to dust, she shouted,”Die, ye blasted vermin! Die! The Highlands are protected by me!”
With that shout, she grabbed a black figure off from the person on the ground.and flung it away. The black figure rolled on to its feet and snarled loudly at her.”Bitch!”
“And who the hell are ye?”shouted a black figure as it and its companion circled her and her comrade.
Giles saw the proud way the girl stood her ground as she cried,”I am Amanda, the Vampire Slayer!”
At the same time she shouted her title, Giles shouted a warning as he saw another dark figure attack the girl from behind.
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