Fic: The Spirit of the Calling (Rupert/Buffy - NC-17 or FRAO) - Part 7

[laurtew.livejournal.com]

The Spirit of the Calling - Part 7

Author’s Name: The Library Girl (E-Mail: thelibrarygirl@Yahoo.com)
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rating: NC-17 or FRAO
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Warnings: Lots of crazy sex.
Season: Takes place at the end of season four.
Word Count for this Section: 6200

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Buffy shoved papers off the desk to the floor in frustration. Why couldn’t she find what she was looking for? She took a deep breath. She was letting panic get the best of her. If she wanted to find something of Rupert’s, she needed to think like him. He was very meticulous; there would be a method to where he stored things. She closed her eyes, frowning in concentration. He would want it where he could easily find it, where he could access a phone. She opened the top right drawer of the desk and gave a little cry of relief.

She pulled out the small, leather bound phone book and opened it to T. Her fingers trembled as she dialed the number. It rang once, twice, a third time and Buffy finally stopped to think about the time difference. With eight hours between California and London, it would be just after five in the evening there. She sighed. He was likely gone for the night. Just then, the ringing cut off abruptly.

“Travers.”

Buffy swallowed, shaking her head to clear it.

“Hello?” the clipped British voice asked.

“How dare you.” It wasn’t the opening Buffy had planned, but everything else sounded weak in her head.

“I’m sorry? Who is this?”

“You know who this is,” Buffy replied, forcing herself to be calm. “And you know why I’m calling.”

“Miss Summers?” His voice sounded smug. “What can I do for you?”

“Cut the crap,” Buffy said. “What you did was wrong. Fix it.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about. Is there something I can do for you?” He sounded so proud of himself that Buffy wanted to reach through the phone and strangle him.

“I think you do know,” Buffy said quietly. “I think you are hurting an innocent man because you’re upset at me.”

“Is something wrong with Rupert?” She could almost hear his smile. She drew in a breath, refusing to yell.

“You know exactly what’s wrong with him. And now you’re going to fix it.”

“Miss Summers, I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes.

“You win,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “I’ll go back to work for the Council. Just help him.”

“That’s a much more reasonable attitude, Miss Summers. The Council will happily take you back and assign you a new Watcher. But as to Mr. Giles, I’m afraid there is nothing I can do.”

“You did this to him!” Buffy snapped.

“He did it to himself. And I’m sorry, but there is nothing that can be done about it.”

“If you don’t help him, I’ll never work for you,” she said angrily.

“There is nothing that can be done,” Travers repeated. “Shall we discuss a training schedule for you?”

“I warned you,” Buffy said, clenching the fist that wasn’t holding the phone. “You hurt him, I hurt you.”

“Oh, do stop being so…dramatic,” he said. “We both know that’s an empty threat. I am sorry about Rupert, but I did try to warn him.”

“Then we have nothing further to say,” Buffy responded and she slammed down the phone.

She sat at the desk, her face in her hands, trembling. This had all gone so wrong and it was her fault. She heard a noise behind her.

“Buffy?” Willow came to lean against the desk. “I left Xander with Giles. What’s going on?”

“Wil…this is my fault.”

“So you keep saying. What you aren’t saying is how.”

“I told you Travers came to see us?” When Willow nodded, Buffy continued. “He told Rupert to stay away from me and that if he didn’t, something would happen to him. We thought he meant deportation, but…”

“And you’re sure the Council did this?” Willow asked, her brow furrowed.

“Travers all but admitted it just now on the phone,” Buffy said, biting her lower lip. “And he refused to help.”

“Did he say what they did?”

“He just kept saying there was nothing that could be done.”

Willow was frowning, biting her knuckle.

“They didn’t physically attack him,” she said, almost absently. “It’s not like they could have poisoned him. Nothing would cause this kind of reaction, but a spell. But would they do that?”

“They do have magicians who work for the Council,” Buffy said. “They were the ones who altered the Watchers originally. And okay, those guys are dead, but I’ll bet they still have some who work there. Is there anything we can do?”

Willow bit her lower lip.

“Not without knowing what spell they used on him. At least I can’t.”

“But how do we find the spell?” Buffy asked. “Travers isn’t likely to help us and I don’t know anyone else who works for the Council.”

Willow looked at her helplessly.

Buffy started pacing, the frustration building in her.

“Too bad it’s daytime,” she said. “I really feel like kicking some vampire butt right now.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Willow said. “Xander and I came back here last night. Not sure why, but it felt better being here. Anyway, this morning Wes called. We didn’t pick up. He left a message though. Something about he and Angel taking patrols for a few days?”

“Yeah, Rupert called him. We were going to take a…” Buffy broke off, her eyes going wide. “Wes!”

“I’m sorry, what?” Willow looked at her.

“Wes. He works for the Council!”

“Not anymore. Remember, they fired him, just like they did Giles.”

“Okay, but maybe he knows someone.” When Willow didn’t respond, Buffy turned to look at her. “Do we have any other options right now?”

Willow sighed.

“I guess we don’t.”

Buffy picked up the phonebook and opened it to W. She held her breath as the phone rang; once, twice…leave it to her dumb luck to call when none of them were there. Four times…five. She was about to hang up when the ringing died abruptly in her ear.

“Angel Investigation, we help the helpless.” It was a practiced, professional greeting, but there was no mistaking that cool voice. Buffy took a deep breath.

“Cordy? It’s Buffy.”

“He’s sleeping.”

“Huh?”

“Angel. He’s sleeping.” Her voice was brusque.

“Oh…no, I wasn’t calling for him. Is Wesley around?”

“Wesley? What do you need to talk to him for?”

Buffy bit back a sharp retort. This was one from the ‘Slayer’s Worst Nightmare’ file. She needed help and Rupert’s life depended on Cordelia’s good humor. Just great. She took a second to weigh her options and decided to try something completely wild; she’d tell the truth.

“This is kind of an emergency. The Watchers did something bad and Giles is dying. I need Wesley’s help.”

“Giles is dying?” She could hear the panic in Cordy’s voice. “Just a sec.

Buffy let out a breath. She was just reflecting that it was a good thing that Cordelia still had a soft spot for Rupert when she heard the phone being picked up.

“Hello?”

“Wes? It’s Buffy.”

“I know. Cordelia was just telling me some nonsense about the Council trying to kill Rupert?”

“It’s not nonsense. Travers threatened him and now he’s in the hospital. The doctors don’t know what’s wrong, but Wes, all his systems are just shutting down. He’s going to die.”

“Why would Mr. Travers threaten him?”

“Because of me.” Buffy’s voice was just above a whisper.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“They said he was subverting the Slayer, whatever that means.”

“That means they think Rupert is distracting you from your calling,” Wes said, confusion evident in his voice. “What I don’t understand is how.”

Buffy was quiet for a second. She bit her lip, wondering just how much to tell him. She decided that if he was going to help Rupert, she’d have to be honest.

“Wesley…Rupert and I are…well, dating.”

“I’m sorry…you’re what?”

“Dating? A couple?”

Wesley didn’t say anything and for a moment, she wasn’t sure he hadn’t hung up. She heard him take a breath and when he spoke, his voice was thoughtful.

“That’s why the Council is upset at him?”

“I guess. Travers came here and told him to stop subverting the Slayer or else.”

“Or else what? They’d already fired him.” She could almost picture his furrowed brow.

“That’s what Rupert said,” Buffy supplied. “It was just kind of a hanging, ‘or else.’ We weren’t really worried about it.”

“But…” He sounded perplexed. “You quit the Council. You technically aren’t the Slayer. And while I understand with Faith gone, you really are the only Slayer they have, they haven’t made a fuss before about you. Why should they care who you date now? What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing bad.” She was surprised at how perceptive he’d gotten since the last time she’d talked to him. “We just did this joining spell with Willow and Xander to defeat this uber- demon and it kind of had this side effect of connecting all of us to the first Slayer who tried to kill us all in our dreams, but she didn’t. Except I sort of kept that link and it gave me a power boost.”

She said it all in a big rush, hoping to soften the blow.

“A power boost?” Wes’s voice was even and Buffy was impressed that he was taking it so well.

“Well, yeah. I’m like a super Slayer. I can hear demons breathe and see in the dark like a cat. I can run faster and fight harder. Rupert says it came from tapping into the power of the Slayer line.”

Wesley seemed to contemplate that.

“It makes sense,” he said, slightly distracted.

“It also has the side effect of making me…crazy after a fight,” Buffy added, feeling she should tell him everything.

“Crazy?” She had his full attention back and there was a touch of alarm in his voice.

“Not, ‘I want to axe murder nuns’ crazy,” she defended. “It’s a…well, it’s a, ‘I want to shag something for twelve hours’ crazy.”

“Oh, well, that makes sense too.” She could hear the relief in his voice. “If you did tap into the raw power of the Slayer line that might well be a consequence.”

“That’s what Rupert said,” Buffy responded.

“I can see where he would get that from.” Wesley paused and she swore she could hear him making a connection. “Buffy, did you say that you and Rupert are…”

He left it hanging and Buffy sighed.

“We are. It’s not as insane as it sounds.” She tried not to sound defensive. “His family DNA was altered when one of them was the Watcher to a Slayer a few hundred years ago. He inherited those genes.”

“I’ve read about that,” Wes said. “Watchers were changed by magic to keep up with their Slayers. But I didn’t realize it could be passed down.”

“I’m pretty sure the Council didn’t either.”

“Just so I understand,” Wesley said, sounding slightly uncomfortable. “You’ve tapped into the Slayer line, which causes you to…need to expend adrenaline. Rupert inherited that same trait. So the two of you are…”

“Slaying demons and shagging like bunnies? Yeah.” Buffy paused. “Wes, there is another thing. But it’s not just me affected. Since we’ve been…well, together, the more we…are together…well…it’s like we can read each other’s minds, feel what the other feels.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Like the other night, we were out on patrol and we ran across six vampires. I went into battle mode and I heard his voice in my head telling me what he planned to do. And he could hear what I was thinking. We were able to coordinate and we dusted all of them in under five minutes.”

“So that’s what it meant,” Wesley murmured.

“Okay…huh?”

“Oh, it was just something I read once,” he replied. “I was doing research for a paper and I found a very old book that talked about Watchers and Slayers and the bond they have. You do know that it wasn’t always like it is now. Back before the bureaucrats took over the Council and made the Slayers property, Watchers and Slayers were partners. They worked together, lived together, and bonded; they were equals. It really wasn’t uncommon for them to marry.”

“Marry?” Buffy was shocked. Rupert had mentioned they would be lovers, but marriage?

“It was a few hundred years ago,” Wesley said. “Marriages between teenaged girls and much older men were common. It wouldn’t have been very shocking. What would have been scandalous was an older man living with a girl who wasn’t his wife or child. I suppose some of those marriages were for appearance only, to protect the Slayer’s reputation, but a great deal of them that I read about were out of love. This sort of work tends to bring people closer.”

“But what does this have to do with the mind reading?”

“Oh, yes, well, the book I was reading was fairly obscure and I’ve never seen this anywhere else, but the man who wrote it compiled it from Watcher journals spanning centuries. Something he noticed from the earlier books, before the Council’s stand on Slayers changed, was that in cases where the Watchers and Slayers married for love, there was a…bond? They worked together more efficiently, the Slayers lived longer.”

“Well, duh,” Buffy interjected.

“I can see why you might say that, but this man theorized that it ran deeper than simple respect. This link didn’t seem to be present in cases where the Watcher was a woman or when the pair wasn’t having relations. It was exclusive to the teams that became couples. He had some theory about magic and whatnot, but what it came down to was that these teams were sleeping together, falling in love, and it created a connection that made them better at their jobs.”

“Like what’s happening to Rupert and me.”

“Exactly. These couples were perfectly matched at Slaying and everything else. The Watchers would go into battle beside their Slayers, as opposed to merely advising. They usually died when the Slayer did.”

“So because Rupert and I are a couple, we tapped into that?”

“Well, that and your spell with the First Slayer. You are channeling a primal energy, then bonding it with the energy Rupert has. In effect, you became a more primitive Slayer. Rupert was already wired to respond to that. The two of you have recreated what the Slayer/Watcher relationship was supposed to be.”

“But it’s only temporary,” Buffy said.

“It’s…I’m sorry?”

“Rupert says my connection with the power is the result of a spell and it’s going to fade in a few weeks.”

“Again, that does make sense,” Wesley replied. He paused for a moment. “Buffy, may I ask you something rather personal?”

“More personal than my sleeping with my Watcher?” She smiled, hoping he could hear it in her voice.

“Related to that actually.” She could hear how uncomfortable he was. “Your relationship with Rupert…is it, well…that is…”

“Is it just about the sex?”

“That was what I was trying to get to. I admit that it is your business, but I’d like to think Rupert and I have become friends of a sort and…well…”

“You’re worried that I’m going to hurt him.” It wasn’t a question.

“You never displayed feelings of this sort towards him while I was there and I find it hard to conceive that…”

Buffy thought she should be offended, but it touched her that Wesley cared so much about Rupert.

“It’s more than just physical, Wes. It might have started that way, but I do love him.”

“Why?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“It’s just…Buffy, you have nothing in common with him and as I’ve said, you never felt like this before. What changed?”

Buffy paused, gathering her thoughts. She hadn’t said all this out loud to anyone, even Rupert. She’d listed reasons she loved him before, but some of these were things she’d not thought of until recently.

“What do I see in him? He’s amazing, Wes. I don’t know how I missed it before. He’s brilliant and brave and he treats me so well. Everyone says I’m a hero, but he’s the one who gave up all his hopes and dreams to stand at my side and hide in my shadow. He never gets credit for what he does, but he still saves the world every night. He keeps me alive and he loves me. Okay, it took me a while to see it, but he’s everything I could ask for and more than I deserve.”

Wesley was quiet on the other end of the phone.

“Wes?”

“Please don’t hurt him, Buffy. I know it’s not my place, but I think he’s been through enough.”

“Duly noted.”

“Buffy?”

“Yes Wes?”

“I know you called for a reason and I’m pretty sure we haven’t gotten to it. What do you want from me?”

“We need your help.”

“What can I do?”

Buffy put all her emotion into her voice. Rupert’s life depended on this.

“Wes, I don’t know anything about magic or how the Council works. All I know is that the man I love is dying because some egotistical bastard is using his position for personal revenge and that’s just wrong. Please, is there anything you can do?”

“Well…” Wesley paused. “I do have a cousin who works for the Council. He’s one of the few members of my family still speaking to me. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Thank you, Wes.” Buffy had never remembered meaning that so much in her life.

---------------------
“I brought you more coffee,” Willow said, walking into the hospital room.

Buffy looked up from the book she’d been reading.

“Thanks. You didn’t happen to run into a doctor, did you?”

Willow shook her head, handing Buffy the steaming cup.

“Do you think there’s been any change?” she asked.

“You mean, do I think he’s dying any faster?” Buffy asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

“Buffy…”

“No, I’m sorry Wil. I’m just frustrated. It’s been three days and all I can do is watch him get a little worse every time I see him.”

“I can’t honestly believe he’ll die,” Willow said sitting down next to the Slayer. “He’s just survived so much. I guess I think he’ll survive this too.”

“I want to believe, Wil. I really do. But…” She broke off, biting her lower lip.

“Hey, you never know. We might find the spell in one of these,” Willow said, picking up a book from the pile of musty spell books they had stacked in the corner.

“We don’t even know what we’re looking for,” Buffy replied. “For all I know, I may have read right past it.”

“I’m sure you didn’t,” Willow soothed.

The door opened and Xander walked in.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, pulling up a chair and settling in next to the girls. “Anya wanted to buy a gift for Giles. I spent thirty minutes explaining to her how it wouldn’t help anything.”

“You should have just let her get it,” Willow said, handing him a book.

“Egyptian cotton pajamas? For $150? Why?”

“At least she’s thinking of Giles,” Willow said, turning her attention back to her book. “It’s nice of her to try and help.”

“Hey, my girl is reading through these stupid things at home as we speak,” Xander replied. “It’s not really her fault hospitals depress her.”

“I do appreciate her support,” Buffy said quietly. “We need all the help we can get.”

“Then I don’t suppose you’ll mind if I come in?”

Buffy looked up, startled to see Wesley standing in the doorway. She blinked at him, trying to find her voice.

“What are you doing here?” She closed her eyes, shaking her head.

“Buffy means, ‘hey, Wes, come on in and take a seat.’” Xander said, gesturing to a chair against the wall.

Wes looked at Rupert, his expression unreadable. After a minute he nodded, pulling the chair over and sitting by them.

“Under the circumstances, I can understand you being upset,” Wes said to Buffy. “I came here to take the patrols for you, so you don’t have to worry about them.”

Buffy looked Wesley over. He had changed quite a bit since he’d been stationed in Sunnydale. He was leaner, more muscular and he wore jeans and a t-shirt. Gone was the spoiled pompous flunkey; in his place was an experienced demon hunter. She nodded at him.

“Thank you.”

“I also have some news for you,” Wes said, picking at the knee of his jeans. “I talked to my cousin.”

Buffy nodded again. She was simultaneously thrilled and terrified. Either Wesley had some answers or they were more screwed than before.

“I can tell you it was the Council who did this; or at least part of it. There are apparently whispers of this through every level, but no concrete evidence.”

“But why?” Xander asked. “I get that Buffy and Giles are rebels, but to go this far?”

“I have some theories of my own,” Wes replied, looking up at them. “After I got off the phone with you, I dug out some of my more obscure books. These are old books, originals with no copies. I’m pretty sure no one else realizes that I have them. I looked up what we talked about and I noticed something. Those Watcher/Slayer teams I was telling you about, they all have something in common with you and Rupert.”

“What?” He had Buffy’s attention now.

“They were all, as Xander would say, rebels. After they became couples, they all hit a point where they stopped listening to the Council. Rupert’s ancestor married his Slayer after the Council expressly forbade it. He wrote them a letter telling them that they had no idea what it was really like on the front lines and that they needed to come out of their sheltered existence to understand the real war. Time and again, these teams told the Council that they had no idea what they were talking about and proceeded to make their own rules.”

“So we all fought back?” Buffy asked, frowning.

“I think it’s much more than that,” Wes replied, leaning forward. “These couples were usually right. They went their own way, independent of the Council, but because of their success, it was largely ignored. And then, about a hundred or so years ago, we got new leadership and everything changed. Slayers were no longer equals and Watchers stopped being taught how to fight. I think the new Council heads realized something. Teams like you and Rupert don’t need them. And without the Slayer, what really is the purpose of the Council? They stopped Watchers and Slayers from bonding; until you two.”

Buffy was staring at him, her eyes wide.

“He was fired for caring about me. And they couldn’t have that or we might end up here. And now that we have…”

“You are a living example of how wrong they were?” Wes said, shaking his head. “They have to justify all the rules that keep them in power and you and Rupert showed them up. They had to stop you before anyone put it together.”

Buffy drew in a shaky breath. At least she knew that she’d been right; Travers *was* behind this.

“What about the spell,” Buffy asked.

“That, I can’t help you with,” Wes replied, his voice frustrated. “The only ones who would know are those directly involved.”

“So, Travers and whoever he had do it?”

“Most likely.”

“Okay,” Buffy said, looking at all of them. “I guess we go talk to Quentin Travers.”

“How are we going to do that?” Willow asked.

“This is where I need you, Wil.” Buffy looked at her intently. “You and I are going to teleport to Council headquarters. You can do that, can’t you?”

“No! Buffy, that is so far beyond me!”

“Willow, you joined all of us together and hooked me up with the First Slayer. I think you can get me to England.”

“I had help! Buffy…I…this…”

“We don’t have much choice, Wil. I don’t have $4000 for a last minute ticket to London and in the time it takes to fly there, Rupert might be dead.” She looked at her friend. “Willow, I need you to do this.”

Willow took a deep breath, her eyes a bit wild.

“I guess…we can get Tara to help. If I tap her power and use her as an anchor…Buffy, I’m not sure it’ll be enough.”

Buffy turned to Wesley.

“Angel told me you’ve learned to actually use magic since you left.”

“Well, yes, but…”

“Could you help us with this? And with whatever spell Willow and I come back with?”

Wes looked at her, studying her face. After a minute, he looked back at Rupert, taking in the wires and tubes, the flashing lights. He turned to them.

“For him, to fix this wrong, yes, I’ll help.”

“Okay,” Buffy said. “We have a team; now we need a plan.”

----------------------------------
“You do understand how wrong this could go, right?” Willow asked, fidgeting. “We could end up in Albuquerque or China or Hell.”

“Willow…”

“No, Buffy, I’m worried. I’m not this experienced. And I really really don’t want to play tourist in Hell.”

“But you have Tara and Wes helping you. And you’re the most powerful witch I know.”

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Willow said weakly.

“Later. Right now, you have to get us to London.”

Buffy looked around. They were using Rupert’s flat as headquarters. Anya was helping Xander inventory their collection of spell ingredients. Between Willow, Tara, and Wes, they had quite a creepy pharmacy going. Wesley and Tara were reviewing the teleporting spell together, collaborating on the finer points. They weren’t a huge group, but they were motivated, and Buffy was grateful to have them.

“Are we ready?” she asked.

“I’d be more comfortable with a few extra hours to study,” Wes replied. “But, I think we can make do now.”

She looked at Willow, who pressed her lips together, then nodded.

“Let’s do it then.”

Buffy and Willow stood together in the middle of the living room, as the others gathered around them,

“You are going to have to hold on tight,” Willow said. “I don’t want to lose you somewhere over Boston.”

Buffy nodded, wrapping her arms around Willow’s waist. Willow hugged her back, locking her arms tightly.

“We’re ready,” Willow said.

Anya lit a candle and picked up a bundle of dried herbs. She held them to the flame and when they started smoldering, she wafted the smoke towards Willow and Buffy.

“Rector illa viator,” Tara said, walking clockwise around them. “Tamle lemma in salus quo tay postulo futurus.”

“Ervo illud nos diligo.” Wes’s voice was strong and reassuring. He began to walk counter clockwise, crossing paths with Tara occasionally. “Succurro lemma perficio suum calx. Transporto lemma ut Watcher's Concilium.”

“Rector illa viator,” Tara began again, continuing her journey around them. “Tamle lemma in salus quo tay postulo futurus.”

“Ervo illud nos diligo.” Wes began to chant faster, picking up his pace as he circled. “Succurro lemma perficio suum calx. Transporto lemma ut Watcher's Concilium.”

Over and over again, faster and faster they went, as the smoke drifted around them. Buffy began to feel slightly nauseous. And then Willow was speaking.

“Illic est alicubi EGO woud amo ut exsisto Adepto mihi illic velox quod velox amo volo ave lux lucis Sic mote ill exsisto”

Buffy felt dizzy and for a second, she honestly thought she was fainting. Then everything around them was fading as another place entirely was superimposing itself over the flat. The closest thing Buffy could compare this sensation to was how she thought it would feel to be slowly shoved through an electric fence, only without the smoking death. Her skin was tingling and she could feel every hair on her body standing straight up. Just beyond where they stood, picture melted into picture of different places, spinning around them at a dizzying speed. A big city, a farm, trees, surely that was the Statue of Liberty. Buffy closed her eyes against rolling waves of nausea.

“Buffy?” Willow said.

Buffy opened her eyes, surprised to find they were standing in a long, stark hallway.

“Is this the Council?”

“I think so,” Willow replied, letting go of Buffy.

Buffy swayed for a second, getting her equilibrium back. She looked around and was just about to suggest to Willow that they try random doors, when a man came around the corner. He was tall, with dark hair and was wearing a black suit. He was walking along, reading some papers and didn’t seem to even notice Willow and Buffy. Buffy stepped right in front of him and he just about ran into her. He looked up from his paper, frowning.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to be back here.” His voice was nasal and his accent was pompously British. “How did you get here? Who are you?”

“I’m looking for Quentin Travers. I’m Buffy Summers. Maybe you’ve heard of me. Sometimes I’m called the Slayer.”

The man’s eyes went wide, taking up half his face. He just stood, staring at them and Buffy started to get agitated.

“Where would I find Mr. Travers?” she asked, stepping towards him.

He swallowed and pointed down a side hall.

“Thank you,” Buffy said as she and Willow turned and walked away.

The hall ended in a large office. Another man sat at the desk, shuffling paperwork. Buffy and Willow walked up to him.

“May I help you?” he asked, not looking up.

“We need to see Quentin Travers,” Buffy said.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No, we don’t.”

“You’ll have to make an appointment.” He looked up, frowning at her.

“I don’t have time for an appointment,” Buffy said. “This is an emergency.”

“No one gets in without an appointment,” the man replied, returning to his work.

“Not even the Slayer?’ Buffy asked, tilting her head.

“Miss, I don’t know who you are…”

“I told you, I’m the Slayer. My name is Buffy and I need to see Mr. Travers immediately.”

“Mr. Travers isn’t here. He’s at an important meeting. You’ll have to come back.”

“I can’t come back,” Buffy said, struggling to control her temper. She leaned back, looking at the name plate at the desk. “Look…Sean, this is important. When will he be back?”

“He’s gone for the day.”

“I see.” Buffy resisted the urge to hit him. “Are you his assistant? Maybe you could help us.”

“You’ll have to make an appointment,” Sean said.

“Okay, I tried to be nice,” Buffy said, leaning over the desk to look Sean in the eyes. “My name is Buffy Summers. I am the Slayer. Mr. Travers authorized a spell to be used on my Watcher and I need to know what it was. And based on that look on your face, I think you know all about it.”

Sean had blanched at the mention of the spell, his skin going a dull gray color. He shook his head, refusing to look at Buffy.

“I’m going to give you one chance here, Sean. You are going to either tell me what spell he used or give me the book. If you don’t, I’m afraid I’m going to have to do something…drastic.”

He looked at her and shook his head.

“You won’t hurt me. You’re the Slayer. You fight for the side of good.”

Buffy leaned down again.

“Yes, but by trying to kill my Watcher, you don’t. You work for the other side now and I can kill you. But don’t worry, I won’t. That’s why I brought Willow. She’s a powerful witch. So, here’s the deal, Sean. You tell me what you did to Giles and how to fix it by the time I count to five or Willow magics your spleen onto my hand.” She leaned over, stage whispering to Willow. “Losing his spleen won’t kill him right?”

“It shouldn’t,” Willow replied, frowning. “But I am new at this.”

“Well, you do your best.” She turned back to Sean. “So, here we go. One…you can live without your spleen, I think. Two…hey, Wil, you are just going to take his spleen right? You’re not going to get part of a lung or something too, are you?”

“If I was going to get anything, I think it’d be his pancreas or his heart. His lungs should be fine.”

“That’s good to know,” Buffy said, nodding. She turned back to Sean. “Where was I? Right. Three. Is this going to hurt. I mean, is it like, ‘poof’ he’s spleen-less or will there be lots of blood and screaming?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never taken anyone apart before.”

“Well, I guess there’s a learning curve in every job. Four.” She looked at Sean, narrowing her eyes. “How much are you willing to bet on this being a bluff?”

She was just drawing in a breath to say, “five” and wondering what the hell she was going to do with this man’s spleen, when he jumped to his feet.

“Stop. I’ll…follow me.”

“Good decision,” Buffy said. “I really wasn’t looking forward to trying to get your blood out of this blouse.”

Buffy and Willow followed him back, through a door that lead to a large, opulently decorated office. The walls were lined with bookcases and an ornate hardwood desk dominated the left end of the room. Sean pointed to the wall to the right of the door.

“It’s one of those,” he said.

“One of those? There are like seven, eight hundred books there.” Buffy said, frowning at him. “Care to narrow it down?”

“I…I don’t know which one. I just know it was from here.”

“I’m disappointed in you, Sean,” Buffy said, walking towards him. “And here I thought you’d saved me a dry cleaning bill. Okay, Willow, I guess you get to de-spleen him after all.”

“Buffy?” Willow said, looking at Sean. “It might be hard for him to tell us which book it is if he’s screaming on the floor.”

“Well, what other options do I have?”

“I could levitate him,” Willow replied. “I’m really good at that.”

“Oh, can we drop him out the window?”

“Buffy, we’re eight flights up!”

“Is that a no?”

“That’s a he can’t help us if he’s a spot on the sidewalk.”

Buffy glared at Sean.

“If he doesn’t help us, then can we drop him?”

“I’ll think about it,” Willow replied, smiling at her.

Buffy turned to find Sean inching his way towards the door. She sighed and nodded at Willow. Suddenly Sean was floating ten feet off the floor.

“Nice one, Wil,” Buffy said, looking up at the man. “Can you make him do any tricks like flipping or spinning?”

“I could, but why don’t we see if he’s being cooperative yet?”

“So,” Buffy said, standing under Sean. “Which book was it?”

“I don’t know!”

“Willow, I think this man needs some time in the flight simulator.”

Willow brought her hand up and made a slight twisting motion. Sean began to rotate counter clockwise in the air.

“Is your memory getting any better?” Buffy yelled up. She nodded at Willow, who stopped the spinning.

“I…I can’t help you,” Sean said, glaring at Buffy.

“Okay, it’s time to step this up,” Buffy said. “Pin him, Wil.”

Willow brought her hand back up, palm flat, facing the ceiling, and pushed upward. Sean was suddenly flat above them. Willow twitched her fingers and his arms and legs flew out, leaving him spread-eagle against the plaster.

“Now, you tell me what I need to know or Willow is going to increase the pressure.”

Buffy swallowed hard, feeling horrible about all this. She didn’t want to do it, but she could not lose Rupert; not like this.

Sean glared defiantly down at her and Buffy nodded to Willow, looking away. She could hear his intake of breath, knew this had to make it hard for him to breath. She tried not to think about it.

“Where is the book?”

Concludes in Part 8