Author: Giles

Rated: Thou shalt not rate thine own works. Instead, thou shalt ask thine readers to email thee for comments. Seriously, I'd say PG-15

Spoiler: You wish... Stop being so lazy and read it yourself !

Summary: Well, even magic isn't foolproof, is it ? Also, the story revolves largely around Giles and Angel. Mainly because I think he's sometimes neglected, and maybe because I quite like him, too.

Disclaimer: Any similarity with people living or ever having lived is entirely fortuitous. Oh, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer is property of Joss Whedon. So there.

Note: None of this, for better or worse, could have happened without the help and presence of Laurette. Thanks for everything.

Giles had been waiting long that night. He had let them off. Again. Each and every time he told himself it would not happen again, that he wouldn't allow it. And every time it did. Buffy ran off and they followed... Buffy the trooper. Buffy the slayer who more often than not ran into danger, her friends running behind, exposed usually to a horde of hundred year old monsters or junior bloodsuckers. It was a wonder anything really bad hadn't happened yet.

Xander was the one that worried him most. Buffy had her strength, Willow had witchcraft, Oz had a savage side to him even when it wasn't the full moon. He looked at the cage he had built with Oz and looked at his almanac. Three days more. Oh well, Oz couldn't really help it. And Giles wasn't one to be put off from a good book, even by incessant growls and shrieks. And Xander... What did he have? His only chance of survival face-to-face with a vampire was to make him laugh to death. Thank God he never went out alone at night-time. Not all vampires had a sense of humour, and those who did like a joke tended to play practical jokes on mortals themselves. Something like, say, ripping a heart out and playing football with it.

Tonight Buffy had led all her friends to the hellmouth on a tip from the guy in the fast food store. Her had spotted a large hairy beast scoffing raw meat from the refrigerator. This rings a bell, though Giles. Yet another monster on the loose... Maybe this one was from the same family as some of the werewolves and hyenas they had gone through. They had found eight bodies in the vicinity in the last few days. Only yesterday night had people begun to have the luminous idea that staying in home for a change might be a better idea than to go to the drive-in movie. Wait for the video. This was Sunnydale, home of people so stupid or so wonderful that they could keep nightclubs open on nights when a preying mantis was on the loose. People who could bring flame-throwers and vials of holy water to send their charming mayor to Hell instead of letting him bring it to them. Only in a town like this could people like Buffy and her gang ever exist.

But he was used to this, at least he should be by now. They did this every night: before finals, or before a Sunday-morning lie-in. He followed them, sometimes, when they needed someone to speak Latin or keep on the lookout or wield a crucifix or a battle-axe. Sometimes he thought to himself any one of them could do what he did. What was his use there? But then he realised how every one in the group was essential, and that if anyone left, none could carry on. He had felt that when Jenny died.

Jenny... Dangerous thoughts. Must think of something else. Quick, here's a book. Open it anywhere. Ah, yes, I remember this one. I know where I am, and where I am going. So reassuring to read a book over again. Should all hell break loose, and this, he thought, was the one place in the world where it was the most likely to, he would take a book, any book, and read it overuntil some demon decided to knock on the front door.

That was Sunnydale. So different from England. There were vampires there, of course, but none had the panache of the Sunnydale ones. Almost none were so cruel, or so terrifying. He fancied himself as a vampire slayer, even though he hadn't the strength to back off a vampire. "I'm only human, after all", he said. So was Buffy, but she was different in so many ways. They all thought him so clever. If only they knew how little he had learnt about slayers that wasn't in a book ! Buffy was to him a source of perpetual fascination. So many things had happened to him in Sunnydale, meeting Buffy being one of the best as well as one of the worst. He regretted none of it, of that he was sure.He couldn't bear her ill will of her rebeliousness, because he knew she had learnt from him as much as he had from her.

Nothing about Sunnydale he regretted. But what about other things? His belonging to the council of the watchers, for example. Because of the council he had almost lost Buffy. Many people had died because of him, though most of them indirectly. He did not approve of their methods and their "We are always here and always will be" attitude. Do as I do, and don't do anything, they had taught him. They prided themselves in knowing everything about such-and-such a vampire, to the point of knowing his or her first words and what ethnic origin he or she chose victims. But that didn't stop vampires from feasting on a primary school in winter when the night fell early. Such a tragedy, they said when anything like that happened. In short he hated them. But they were the only thing that justified his protecting Buffy. Even though she stayed as she was however much he told her off, and even though he wasn't her father, he felt he was protecting her even when he was waiting in this darkened library with only a desk-lamp and a copy of Rob Roy. That at least was a success.

"Am I disturbing you?"

Angel came out of the shadows. He hadn't heard him come in, as usual. Angel, always the same behind those sad eyes and gaunt appearance. Almost always. Giles couldn't help remembering the sadistic joy with which he had tortured him when he had lost his soul. He had to remind himself constantly that this was another person he was talking to. But he felt he had to say something.

"Um..." was all that came out. Great start.

"- No, of course not. What are you doing here? Are you supposed to be doing the round with them?

- Well, yes, but the job's done. The monster is dead and it won't come back."

Oh, but it will, Giles thought. Maybe not for a while, but it came out of Hell and could do it again.

"They've gone to the Bronze. They say there's good band. The Jamming Roaches, I think it's called Besides, Buffy was getting tired of me lagging behind as I always do. "

"Angel"... How could he put this to him? He tried not to sound too fatherly with someone who has over a hundred and fifty years older than him. "I asked you not to let them out of your sight. You know how dangerous things get at night. Why did you let them go?

- Because Buffy is with them. And I know they're safe with her.

- What about her? Who protects her?

- She looks after herself very well. She's used to it.

- You think Buffy should get herself another watcher, don't you.

- You know I didn't mean it that way.

- I think you did." He was fiddling with the rolodex as he usually did when he got nervous. The ring broke. He threw it in a drawer and slammed it shut. "Cup of tea? Oh, no, I'd forgotten you don't drink."

Angel looked pained.

"- No, I don't. Nothing that comes out of a pot, anyway. I'm sorry. It's just that this hasn't been a very busy night. Even when they were fighting off this monster I didn't have to help them once. I'm beginning to feel left out.

- I know how you feel, believe me." There seemed to be some human in him after all. He felt embarrassed and clumsy.

"Look, there's a gecko in the terrarium over there, if you want to...

- Come on, you know I don't go for that sort of thing. Forget it.

- I'm sorry." And he went on: "How are, er... things?

- Fine. Well, as fine as they ever could be around here, you know.

- So... Don't take this badly or anything, but... Why are you here?

- Because I need your help.

- My help? What could you do with my help?

- Two hundred and fifty years ago tonight the gypsy whose daughter I had ... murdered. Well, he cast the spell and gave me back my soul. What he didn't expect is that it might wear off."

Suddenly Giles felt afraid. All over again, there he was and he had lost his soul. A flash of pain went through him as he remembered the night he had spent in the monster's claws. He drew a step back.

"No, no, I know what you're thinking. And if nobody does anything before midnight you'll be right. It'll start over, and I'll go on killing people for the stake of it (don't leave that in, don't you dare!). I need your help to find the spell and cast it again. I couldn't ask Willow or Buffy or anyone else. Most people I could ask would rather see me without my soul, actually. You must have it somewhere.

-What makes you think I do?

- Jenny was into that sort of thing. You've still got her stuff down there.

- Don't you dare mention her !

- Listen, Giles. I know as well as you what happened and I'm sorry. But I can't take back anything I've done even though I want to. But if you don't help me lots of people are going to die." He looked at him intently. "I know you can't make yourself believe I'm a different person now. You think there's part of the monster left in me, and you're right. And if we don't find that spell it's gonna come running home and eat up the nearest school bus."

Giles felt cut off. He'd never believed Angel might think like that. That he really did want to keep his soul. He felt there wasn't anything he could say.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

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