FIC: Hers - Chapter 2 "The Pact" (Gen) G

[quaggy]

Title: Hers
         Chapter 1: After Which
         Chapter 2: The Pact
Author: quaggy 
Rating: G/FRC
Setting: Season 1 (post-ep for 1.06 "The Pack")
Word Count: 4100
Beta: a very big thank you dhw and littleotter73 both for looking this over and for all the encouragement 
Summary: Many years ago, Rupert Giles made a reckless decision. Now, as Buffy Summer's new Watcher, he must face the consequences of that. But not alone. As far as Buffy's concerned, he's hers.

Notes: Now the plot really begins. Yes, the changes I've made to the Watcher Lore have plot related reasons, which will be explored in upcoming chapters. You can also find this over at AO3. I'm always grateful for comments at either place.


~~~~~

Two men sat in a small office. One in tweed and glasses, the other looking worse for wear. Both men were drinking out of mugs, but the liquid inside was far stronger than coffee and not usually allowed on school grounds. They kept their voices low, so as not to disturb the young redhead researching in the library beyond the door. This was not a conversation that should be overheard.

“There really is no guarantee who the Council might send as my replacement."

"But why would they send a replacement at all?"

"Well, you see, I will die soon.”


…Hours earlier….


“Thomas, no. Don’t. Bad enough my parents have insisted on coming. It’s…. Yes…. Precisely. And it’s not like you’re never going to see me again…. Allow me my gallows humor, Tom. It’s just— I just wanted you to hear it from me…. I know. Thank you. It gives me peace of mind. Give my love to Hope and Charlie. And to you too.” After a final goodbye, Giles hung up the phone and sighed. That was one more thing he was able to put to rights. The children were at the zoo, which seemed a rather juvenile field outing for teenagers, but he wasn’t about to question it. Not when it gave him the quiet time to put his affairs in order. Only one thing remained at this point, but it was the most important one. He needed someone to watch out for Buffy while she was at school.

Initially, it had been the one thing that he knew that he didn’t need to worry about. Carl Gregory was a good friend and, more importantly, a good person. He could be counted on to look after Buffy academically and his lab could easily become her safe place, just like the library was for her now. But with Carl’s death, not only had Giles lost a friend, but he also lost the one person on the faculty that he could depend on without the slightest reservation.

He tried to think of who else on staff he could trust with the truth about Buffy. Not to mention, who might actually believe him. There honestly was no one. He did seriously consider Jenny Calendar, the computer teacher, since Willow seemed fond of her, but he doubted that anyone as infatuated with technology as she was could believe in things like vampires and witchcraft. He was at a loss.

“Giles? We’re back!” Buffy’s voice rang out, disturbing his thoughts.

Giles sighed and rose to his feet so that he could greet his Slayer. He could worry about this later. His parents would be here in a few days. Perhaps they would be able to help him find a solution.

In fact, it was only a short while later that a little pink pig solved his problem. He happened to be passing by when he overheard Buffy and Principal Flutie’s voices outside the school office. Giles hovered outside the doorway out of sight, in case she needed him to intercede on her behalf, but it was soon clear that Buffy was not in trouble. She was assisting with Herbert, the new school mascot.

“You’re very good with him,” Flutie observed as Buffy returned Herbert to his cage.

“I like pigs,” Buffy replied. “I always have. Some kids had teddy bears. I have a stuff pig named Mr. Gordo. I guess I always was a little weird.”

“It’s pretty difficult to escape ‘weirdness’ around here,” Flutie said with a smile.

“Yeah, I fit right in,” Buffy said in a tone that said she didn’t believe anything of the sort.

“Maybe you’re not the type to fade into a crowd,” Flutie said gently. “But that’s because when you show up, things get better. Buffy, you always keep your head, whether you’re faced with a spontaneously combusting girl or a runway pig.”

“Well, um…” Buffy looked embarrassed.

“I just want you to know that I’ve noticed. And I’m grateful. As far as I’m concerned, Hemery High School’s loss is Sunnydale’s gain.”

“Thank you, Mr. Flutie. That means a lot to me,” Buffy replied, shyly.

“You’re a good kid, Buffy Summers. Don’t let anyone tell you different,” Bob replied, wag of a finger, making Buffy laugh.

Giles slipped away before either could catch him eavesdropping. He would make an appointment with Bob later. He hadn’t even considered the principal as a likely candidate to be Buffy’s ally, but the more he thought about it, the better he liked the idea. Rather than return directly to the library, he would drop by the office now to request a meeting.

As it turned out, the principal had time on his schedule that very afternoon. Giles felt himself relaxing for the first time in weeks. But that peace of mind was to be short-lived. He had been just about to prepare a cup of tea when Buffy came to him with concerns about Xander. As much as he wished for the contrary, no explanation could be as simple as teenage hormones in Sunnydale. Of course, Xander’s odd behavior would have to be because of an animal possession.

“But what if… what if it turns out that being possessed just means Xander is saying what he’s really thinking?” Giles heard Willow ask Buffy as he headed into the stacks. “What if he doesn’t actually want to be friends with me anymore?”

Giles stopped in his tracks and turned around. He normally would ignore the minefield of teenage relationship angst, but his primary concern was to ensure that Buffy had sufficient support when he was no longer by her side. Willow and Xander were a key part of that, but Willow was by far the more dependable of the two. Buffy met her Watcher’s eyes and smiled slightly before turning back to Willow.

“Will, you know that’s not true,” Buffy replied reassuringly. “You’ve been best friends for so long.”

“But it was already changing. He was hanging out with Jesse more and more. Xander would talk about us being the Three Amigos, but,” Willow grimaced, “I always felt like the third wheel. It only really changed after you showed up. It was like I had my old Xander back. What if he’s only been hanging out with me because he wants to be friends with you?”

“If that’s the case, then it sucks to be him” Buffy replied, deadly serious. “Xander is a great guy, but if you split up, we’re going with you. Right, Giles?

“Absolutely,” Giles replied with a grin that was as much from the amusement that Buffy quite rightly assumed that she spoke for both of them as it was meant to reassure Willow. “We’ll be getting the better side of the deal.”

Willow blushed and mumbled out her thanks. Buffy held out her arms and the two girls hugged tightly.

“But I agree with Buffy,” Giles continued as the girls broke apart. “Willow, until now, Xander has demonstrated how much he values your friendship on almost a daily basis. As Buffy rightly pointed out, that he would be willing to throw all that away is the best indication that he has been possessed by a maleficent entity.”

“So, let’s get our Xander back!” Buffy proclaimed with a grin. “Right?”

“Right!” Giles and Willow chorused. The three then headed to the shelves together. Their research quickly provided answers, though nothing encouraging.

“I gotta find Xander,” Buffy exclaimed, after Giles shared his findings.

“Wait!” Willow cried, after viewing the same gruesome image. “What are you going to do when find him?”

Buffy, who had already been heading to the door, stopped in her tracks and turned around.

“That’s a good question. Giles?”

“Bring him here,” he advised. “Try to reason with him, but he might be too far gone.”

“And if he is the newest member of the Primal Club?”

“Knock him out and drag him here if you have to.”

“Right. Because dragging a fellow student down the hallway is going to be so unremarkable and mundane.”

“Well, yeah. It honestly would be just normal Tuesday,” Willow observed.

“Of course, just another day on the Hellmouth. Okay, I’ll be back with one hyena-fied Xander one way or another.”

“Do be careful,” Giles cautioned.

“Absolutely,” Buffy said with a grin and then was gone.

“Blast! Is that the time?” Giles exclaimed as the wall clock caught his attention.

“What’s wrong?”

“I have a meeting with Principal Flutie. Willow—”

“Go ahead,” Willow replied. “I can keep up the hyenas research on my own. I think there’s some nature documentaries that I can look through."

“Thank you. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Giles said, as he rushed towards his office to retrieve his jacket.

Meanwhile, Bob Flutie had never been more petrified in his life. He knew he was about to die. At the hands of his students no less.

“Duratus in orbitis eorum!!”

The four feral students froze in mid-motion. Behind them stood Rupert Giles, holding a large wooden baseball bat.

“Bob, come here! Quickly! Get behind me! I don’t know how long the spell will hold!” he commanded. Sure enough, the students began to twitch and move. Acting more on instinct than conscious thought, Flutie did as he was told.

As the spell broke, the pack turned on Giles and Flutie, but Giles remained calm. At his hollered “INCENDIUM!!”, his bat burst into flames. The students reared back in fear. One managed to break the window, allowing him and his packmates to escape.

“That was. . . . That was. . . .” Flutie was at lost for words.

“Come back to the library with me. You and I can have a chat while I patch you up.”

Giles led the principal down the hall to the library. One of the students, Willow Rosenberg, was sorting through some video cassettes on the large center table. She jumped to her feet when she saw them.

“Oh, my gosh! What happened?”

“The. . . well. . . Giles glanced at Flutie. “The hyena pack reacted strongly to being disciplined.”

“Xander wasn’t with them, was he?”

“No, he wasn’t.”

“Hyenas?” Flutie asked, completely bewildered and teetering very close to a complete breakdown.

“Here, come into my office. I’ll explain everything. Willow?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep up with the research.

“Thank you. Come fetch us when Buffy arrives.”

Giles ushered Flutie into his office. He hesitated slightly, then reached into the top shelf of his file cabinet and pulled out a small bottle of scotch.

“I assure you, I keep this here for only medicinal purposes, but would you. . . ?”

“Oh, thank goodness. Yes,” the principal said with relief. Giles nodded and poured a health measure. After Flutie had a few sips he looked at his rescuer. “You know what’s happening with those students. You weren’t surprised at how they were acting.”

“No, I wasn’t. Look, I know this will sound completely absurd, but we believe that those students have been possessed by animal spirts. Hyenas to be more precise.”

“Well, I suppose that’s as logical explanation as any,” Flutie said, after a slight pause to consider. “But how did you know that they were going to . . . eat me?”

“I didn’t actually. If you recall, we had an appointment. It was pure luck that I was there in time.”

“That’s right. Was it something important?”

“I had wanted to speak to you about Buffy Summers, but while the matter is quite urgent, it can wait for another time.”

“No, tell me now. If it’s about Buffy and you think I can help, then that’s more important.” Flutie’s voice was serious and sincere. Giles smiled slightly and nodded, increasingly confident he was making the right decision.

“I think I must first explain who exactly Buffy Summers is. What I am about to tell you is in the strictest confidence, do you understand?”

“Rupert, as a school administrator, I am sworn to protect Buffy’s health and safety.” Flutie’s words were meant as both a reassurance and a warning.

“I know that, which is one of the reasons I have chosen you as my confidant.”

“Then tell me,” Flutie replied, setting down is mug and leaning in to give Giles his full attention.

“This world is so much older than recorded history. There was a time, before mortal life began, that demons walked the earth.” Giles paused slightly to gauge Flutie’s reaction, but the principal did not flinch or scoff. “For eons, they made this world a living hell, but eventually they lost their purchase on this reality, allowing for mortal creatures, like man. We Watchers have a saying—”

“Watchers?”

“Yes, I’ll explain that in a moment. We have a saying, ‘In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.’ It’s adapted from a longer passage which roughly translates, depending on if you rely the Sumerian or Akkadian, ‘Into each generation a Slayer is born, one girl in all the world, a Chosen One, one born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil. Should she fall, another will be Called in her place. For as long as there have been vampires, there has been the Slayer. One girl in all the world, our Chosen One.”

“Buffy?”

“Buffy is the Chosen One, yes. She was Called not quite six month ago.”

“And that’s when she started having problems at her old high school,” Flutie mused, as if the missing piece of a puzzle had just snapped into place

“That’s right.” Giles watched the principal closely to see how he was taking in all this information.

“And what’s your role in all of this?”

“I am her Watcher. A Watcher is… Well, in the most general sense, a Watcher is the Slayer’s support system. She trains her Slayer to fight, teaches her the relevant academic lore, and—”

“She?”

“Oh. Yes, ‘she.’ Watchers have traditionally been women. ‘Guardian’ was the term more commonly used until about five hundred years ago when the Watchers Council was formed. There were many benefits to Council, but, as time went on, it became very institutionalized to an almost sinister degree. However, things have been reverting back to the old ways for as long as I’ve been a Watcher.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Well, I took my first oath when I was barely twelve—”

“Twelve!” Flutie interrupted, horrified. Giles shrugged with a laugh.

“Watchers tend to look on their as a calling of their own and they pass the tradition down from father to son, mother to daughter. I was following in my parents’ footsteps, just as they had followed in their parents’ footsteps. But nobody expected me to actively fight the forces of evil until I took on the formal oath of an active Watcher, which I did when I was in my early twenties. Then, right before I left for American, I pledged my life and my very soul to the service and protection of Buffy specifically.”

“Were you with her in Los Angeles?”

“No, that was John Merrick, her first Watcher. He died protecting her.”

“I see,” Flutie said and then, deep in thought, fell silent

“I know it’s quite a lot to take in,” Giles finally ventured to say. The principal shook himself slightly and then smiled at the worried man in front of him.

“Rupert, I’ve been an educator for a very long time. I’ve seen things. But there’s something about Sunnydale that. . . .” he trailed off and shock his head. “What other student newspaper has an obituary section as a regular feature? What town has more cemeteries than coffee shops? I’ve seen so many strange deaths that everyone somehow then convinces themselves are perfectly normal.” He paused, lost in his own thoughts for a moment. “I’ve heard the voice of my own wife calling me from the street below the night after we buried her,” he added quietly.

“I realize that all this must be quite frightening.”

“No, you don’t understand. You’ve given me an answer. After all this time, I finally have an explanation as to why this is all happening. It’s. . . . It’s like . . . like I was sitting in darkness and you turned on the light.”

“I’m not sure I’ve actually done you a favor.”

“You have. You’ve given me hope! You can’t fight what you can’t identify.”

“This is true,” Giles sat back relieved. Flutie studied the man he had previous dismissed as a slightly eccentric librarian.

"Rupert, why are you telling me all this?” he asked. “About Buffy and the Council and all those things that I’m sure you are supposed to be keeping a secret."

“Carl Gregory was killed,” Giles replied, quietly. “He was a good man and a good friend. He had agreed to look after Buffy for me if something ever happened to me. I rather quickly need someone who can do that in his place. Buffy needs someone on whom she can depend and, more importantly, she needs someone that she feels that she can trust. There really is no guarantee who the Council might send as my replacement.”

"But why would they send a replacement at all? You seem more than capable of taking care of things."

"Well, you see, I will die soon. There’s no avoiding it,” Giles said, checking on Willow through the window. When he saw that she was thoroughly engaged with one of the nature videos in the school’s collection, he turned back to the principal and began to explain the situation.

He had just about finished when they heard Buffy arrive back in the library, with a literal bang. Giles and Flutie exchanged glances and quickly scrambled out of the office in time to hear Willow ask Buffy what had happened.

“He tried his hand at felony sexual assault,” Buffy explained, as she dragged Xander into the book cage.

“He did WHAT?!” Giles demanded, completely incensed. Buffy looked up startled and then quickly scurried over to her Watcher’s side, leaving Willow to lock the book cage.

“It’s okay, Giles. He didn’t do anything. I think he thought it was a mating ritual or something,” she quickly explained. When she saw that was doing little to calm his ire, she put a reassuring hand on his arm. “Giles, I’m fine. I swear. I—Principal Flutie!!” Buffy froze when she saw who was behind her Watcher. She quickly snatched her hand away. But the principal’s eyes were on Xander.

“Xander’s been possessed by the hyenas too?” he asked, with concern.

“You know about the hyenas?” Buffy asked.

“He rather got dragged into it by the other members of the pack,” Giles sighed.

“They tried to eat him,” Willow supplied helpfully. Buffy’s eyes grew big. Killing and eating a pig raw was one thing. But to try that with a human and it sailed straight past disgusting and landed way deep into the highly disturbing territory.

“Are you okay?” Buffy asked.

“I am, thanks to your Watcher.”

“My Watcher? Giles, you told him?!”

“Later, Buffy. We must focus on the issue at hand,” he replied

Buffy frowned at him, but she knew he was right. Together, the four of them formed a plan on how to break the possession. They agreed that the first step was to investigate the Hyena House at the Zoo.

“Wait! Someone has to stay with Xander.”

“I’ll do it,” said Willow.

“Will, are you sure? If he wakes up. . . .”

“She won’t be alone. I’ll be with her.”

“Principal Flutie. . . .”

“Buffy, don’t ask me to turn my back when my students are in danger,” he said, gently. Buffy nodded and handed the principal the key to the book cage. Quickly tucking the key away, he then turned to look at Giles. “Rupert, I don’t suppose you have any of those flaming baseball bats that I could use. Just in case.”

Giles’s wards had him on edge the moment he met the hyenas’ zookeeper, which Buffy of course noticed.

“Do we trust him?” Buffy asked him under her breath as they followed the zookeeper out of the main building where the offices were located and headed toward the Hyena House.

“Not for even a second. But we’ll play along to see what we can learn.”

Buffy was about to say something in return when her eyes grew wide. An older model Jeep barreled through the Zoo’s wooden side gate and roared towards the Hyena House, stopping short just in front where Buffy and Giles were standing.

“Willow! Mr. Flutie!” Buffy cried, as the two scrambled out of the car.

“The Hyenas!” Willow gasped. “They came for Xander.”

“Yes, that’s to be expected,” supplied the zookeeper, ushering them inside the Hyena House. “Hyenas are pack animals. They will track the missing member until they find him. With the pack reunited, they’ll be on the hunt for prey so that they can feed.”

“Yeah!” Willow agreed. “Hunting us!”

“I’m afraid I antagonized them,” Flutie added, looking over his shoulder. He was still out of breath, but his voice was calm and didn’t sound repentant at all. Giles and Buffy exchanged what would have been amused glances if the situation wasn’t so dire.

“The ritual isn’t ready yet,” the zookeeper announced. “You’ll have to distract them.”

“It’s alright,” Giles replied, deep in thought. “In fact, this will work better than a reverse trans-possession. We can use the Malleus Maleficarum incantation to transfer the hyena spirits back to their original hosts. It’s a much more secure method.”

“No!” cried the zookeeper, clearly agitated. “I will not be denied second time! I will—"

“Look out! Here they come!” Buffy yelled, positioning herself in front of everyone, as the pack burst into the building.

Several things then happened in rapid succession. His power flowing through him, Giles hollered that Buffy needed to draw the possessed teens towards the hyena pen. He began the incantation as Buffy complied. Just then, the zookeeper took Willow hostage, holding a knife to her throat. What he had planned to do, they would never find out, since Giles was able to finish the incantation. Xander, finally himself again, saved Willow from the creepy zookeeper, accidentally knocking him into the hyena pits in the process. Everyone momentarily froze as the terrible sounds of feeding hyenas filled the room. Xander’s former packmates started to run off in fear and confusion, only to be stopped by Principal Flutie, who was far kinder and sympathetic than you would expect from a man who they had very nearly eaten alive.

“I’m just glad it wasn’t worse,” Flutie told Giles later that evening after they had returned to the library. “Nobody was hurt or killed. There have been no reports of suspicious deaths or attacks by feral teens. But Xander and the others will still have to live with the memories of what they tried to do. I’ll arrange for all five to get counseling,”

“A wise idea, but how do you plan to explain what happened to them?”

“I was thinking about going with the story that the zookeeper drugged and hypnotized the kids into believing that they were hyenas. It’s not like he’s around to contradict it.”

“Reasonable and very near to the truth,” Giles replied approvingly. He then grew serious. “Bob, about what we were talking about before—”

“Look,” interrupted Flutie. “You don’t need to convince me. I'll do everything that you ask. On one condition."

"Which is?"

"You tell Buffy. Now."

“I’m not sure—“

“Tell me what?” a voice interrupted.

Giles turned around to see his Slayer standing behind him, the picture of innocence. Flutie had to have seen her approaching, but clearly decided to keep quiet in order to force Giles’ hand.

“You may look harmless, but you are positively Machiavellian,” Giles ground out. Flutie just laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

“Do you think I would have survived this long with Snyder as my Vice Principal, if I wasn’t? I will see you both tomorrow,” Flutie said, as he headed for the door. He paused at the threshold. “You know? Despite everything that I saw tonight, I think I’m going to sleep a lot better than I’ve had for a long time. Thank you, Buffy.”

Buffy softly returned the principle’s smile, but, when she turned back to Giles, her eyes were hard and serious.

“So, what’s this big secret you’re supposed to tell me?”



~~~~~~  


Chapter 3: No Angel will be posted during Summer of Giles 2021