The Guy Thing 17/18:  Plan

"Right.  So he wants to break up with Buffy, but he
doesn't want her to know
why."

Xander nodded.  "Mainly because we figure it might put
both our lives in
danger."

Giles considered it.  He nodded.  Buffy did have a
temper, and there were
times she didn't know her own strength.

"So, what we need to have happen is for Buffy to break
it off with him.
Send him packing back to the Initiative."

"And Graham," grinned Xander.

"Quite so."

"You ought to see them together.  Their faces just
light up.  And then they
are all over each other . . . "

"That's quite enough information, Xander!  Right, back
to the plan."

Xander let a smile cross his face.  Giles was much
more devious than he had
thought.  He liked that.

"And what would make Buffy break up with Riley.
Besides finding out about
you and Riley?  And you and Graham. . .  and Riley and
Graham . . . "

"Which we do NOT want to have happen. . . "

"Quite."

"Uh, if he became a vampire?"

"She might feel obliged to stake him . . . which might
have serious
repercussions for the both of them."

"True."

"If he went over to the dark side. . . "

"I don't think Riley has the, uh, acting prowess to
carry that one off.  I
rather doubt he'd even make a convincing cowboy if the
need arose."

Xander cocked his head as if that triggered some
memory, but he shook it
off.

Giles opened one of his books and leafed through it.
"Aha!"   He grinned
triumphantly.  "This might work, it just might work."

"What?"

A rather evil grin came over Giles' face.  "I think we
are going to have to
play a little trick on Spike."

Xander grinned, "Works for me."

"And I'll have to call in a favour from a . . .
friend of mine."

Giles quickly outlined the plan for Xander.  Xander's
eyes grew wide.

"Do people really DO that?"

"Oh yes.  Quite often, actually."

"Huh."  Xander was thinking about it.

"Do NOT try this at home, Xander!"

"No way!"

"Do you think Riley'll will cooperate?"

"I'm pretty sure I can convince him."  Xander almost
smirked.  "All it would
take is for me to . . . "

"Xander!"  protested Giles.  Xander gave him his best
naughty smile.   Giles
shook his head and whispered "Incorrigible."  He
pushed his glasses back on
his nose and returned the matter at hand.

"Right, then all we need do is get Spike to lead Buffy
to the place and
catch Riley in the act, so to speak."

"Then she'll drop him like the proverbial hot potato."

==========================

Xander showed up at Spike's crypt just after sunset.
He knocked but
entered without waiting for a reply.

"Oi, if it ain't Mr. Nummy Treats himself.  How are
you and soldier boy
getting it on, I mean getting on these days?"

"Very funny, Spike.  But it is Riley I wanna ask you
about."

"What's Captain Cornfed been up to, then?"

"He's been acting weird lately."

"Not eating his Wheaties?"

"I mean it, Spike.  He's all vampire obsessed, always
talking about them,
and getting this almost drugged-out look in his eye."

"Well, yeah.  We have that effect on a lot of people.
Makes the feeding
easier, right?"

Xander nodded.  suppressing a smile.  "And he's been
getting these scars . .
. "

Spike's eyebrows went up.

"Tell me more, mate.  Tell me more."  Spike took a
seat opposite Xander.

Xander dropped exactly the hints that Giles had
suggested.

"Nuffin' for you to worry about, Xander."  Spike could
barely restrain his
glee.

"Buffy would be so pissed off if she knew."

"Too right!  The vampire slayer can't be having her
little boyfriend feeding
the hungry vampire masses.  Bit of irony there, poetic
justice maybe.  But,
yeah, pretty much guaranteed to make a slayer kinda
grouchy.

"I'll have a talk with old Riley.  Show him the error
of his ways.  You just
leave it to old Uncle Spikey."

Xander nodded.  "You sure?"

Spike grinned at him.  "Go on home to your demon lover
there, Xander.  Give
'er a bit of slap and tickle and leave everything to
me."

==========================

Graham nodded as Giles explained his part in the plan.

"Should be easy, Mr. Giles.  I've kinda mentioned
bringing Riley back in a
couple of times.  And I can get a chopper easily
enough.  I have a . . .
buddy who's  a pilot.  An ex-buddy sort of friend."
He hastily added.
"Might take time to arrange that, though."

"How long?"

"Say, three days."

"Perfect."

The two men stood up and, grinning conspiratorially,
shook hands.

"Thanks."

Giles cocked his head.  "May I ask a rather personal
question?"

"Oh, I'm versatile."

Giles blushed, "No not that.."  he stammered out.

Graham, completely unembarrassed,  nodded for him to
continue.

"When did you first meet Xander?"

"Well, really only when he called me a couple of weeks
ago."

"Tell me.  Did your feelings for Riley undergo any . .
.  uh changes . . .
two weeks ago?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just testing out a little theory I have."

Graham grinned.  "Yeah.  They did."  Graham almost
blushed.  He looked Giles
straight in the eye.  "I fell in love.  For the first
time in my life,  I
fell in love."

"With Riley, I take it?"

Graham nodded, face all smile, eyes twinkling.  "It
was like this
revelation, I was in bed with Xander, and all the
sudden it became crystal
clear to me.  I was in love with Riley.  Weird, huh?"

"Yes.  Weird.  But you know, Graham.  It often happens
that way."

"What way?"

"Never mind, Graham.  Good night."

"Night, sir."

Giles watched him walk out.  Giles grinned, and pulled
out his journal and
made a triumphant entry, under the heading 'Catalyst'.
He needed to write
this up.  He might be invited to give a seminar on
Catalysts at the next
Watcher's Retreat.  Invited to the Cottswolds.  Giles
beamed at the thought.

==============================