FIC: Hers Chapter 3 Preview (Gen) G

[quaggy]

Title: Hers
Chapter 1: After Which
Chapter 2: The Pact
Preview for Chapter 3: No Angel
Author: quaggy
Rating: G/FRC
Setting: Season 1
Word Count: 1453
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: First, I would like to offer a very big thank you to il_mio_capitano for another wonderful year of SoG, which proves there are some things that even 2020 doesn't have the power to ruin. I've really enjoyed everyone's contributions, especially those everyone save until today. For my own contribution to the Free For All, I would actually like to over a bit of a teaser for Chapter 3 of Hers out of gratitude for all the love and support I've received.

~~~~~

Pausing just outside the library doors, Giles sighed and prepared to meet his doom. He had been able to put Buffy off the night before, mostly out of sheer stubbornness, but he knew she would be demanding answers during their training session later today, just as soon as Willow and Xander had gone home.

“Morning, sunshine!”

Giles jerked in surprised. Buffy was sitting on the library table cross-legged. He really should have expected that.

 

“Buffy, we really don’t have time to discuss things before first period.”

 

“I know. I have a free. And I’ve already checked in with my homeroom. Actually, I checked in with Principal Flutie, which amounts to the same thing. He said he would write me a pass if we go into second period. So, we have plenty of time ‘to discuss things’,” she said smugly.

 

“Buffy, I don’t even know where to begin,” Giles stammered.

 

“How about at the beginning?” she replied. Her tone was light, but it had enough of a steel edge to let him know that she was not going to accept any more delay.

 

“Right. Let me just. . . .” he raised his briefcase. Buffy granted his request with a regal nod. He placed his briefcase in his office and removed his tweed jacket. He might as well be more comfortable physically for what was going to be a very uncomfortable conversation. After a moment’s consideration, he quickly went through his files until he found one in particular. Taking both the folder and the bag he brought from home with him, he rejoined Buffy in the library. He sat and down and Buffy slipped off the table to take the seat next to him. Her eyes were still harsh. Giles took a deep breath.

 

“You remember that my father told me about my sacred calling when I was ten years old?”

 

“You wanted to be a fighter pilot or a grocer instead.”

 

“Yes. Well, when I was a little younger than you are now, I suppose you could say I went through a rebellious period. My oldest friend, Thomas Sutcliffe, and I fell in love with rock music and wanted to start a band together. Except, you can’t really call it rebellion when you have your parents’ support. My father didn’t mind what I did, as long as I kept up with my studies and continued in the family tradition. He even bought me my first guitar,” Giles explained and passed Buffy the file from his office. Inside was a black and white photograph of a young boy in a leather jacket on stage performing.

 

“Giles, is that you?” Buffy laughed, her sternness completely forgotten in her surprise.

 

“Once upon a time, yes, that was,” Giles smiled.

 

“This doesn’t look like a guy who answered to Rupert.”

 

“I didn’t. I went by Ripper. Well, Tom still called me Ru most of the time, I suppose.”

 

“Ripper,” Buffy repeated, quietly amused. “I want a copy of this. Don’t shake your head! We’ll negotiate later. Now, no more distractions! Go back to the story, Ripper.” Buffy did not give the photo back, instead she placed face-down on the table, just out of his reach. Giles huffed, not willing to admit that he was amused with her high-handedness.

 

“So, Tom and I thought we would be the next Lennon and McCartney. . . Please tell me that you. . . .” Giles trailed off.

 

“John Lennon and Paul McCartney from The Beatles,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Get on with it!!”

 

“Right. Well, we, of course, didn’t have even a fraction of their talent, but we did alright. Those were some of the happiest years of my life. But I had promised my father that I would go to university and become a Watcher, so it all came to an end. It should have been fine, though. Tom and I knew since we were small that we were supposed to go to Oxford together and we would have figured something out. But then, after our first year, Tom’s parents found out that he was gay. Threw him out of the house and completely disowned him. So, Tom made his way down to London and I was left in Oxford without my best friend and without the even time to pick up my guitar. I muddled through, but I hated every minute of it.” The joy that had been in Giles’s face when he spoke of his teen years left and his eyes grew shadowed and sorrowful.

 

“Was Tom supposed to be a Watcher too?” Buffy asked.

 

“No, he didn’t come from a Watcher family like I did. Our mothers had been childhood friends, but if you spend enough time in the Giles household, you are bound to learn things and he did consider joining me in my training. I’m rather glad he didn’t, considering what happened.” Giles sighed and took off his glasses. He rubbed his eyes for a moment, replaced his glasses, and then continued. “I was in my last year of university when I formally started my Watcher training. There’s a test that they used to do. Lock a number of watchers-in-training armed with only stakes in with a vampire and see how many of survived. They would just grab and then dump you in some tomb with no advance warning.”

“Sounds brutal. That would be a rotten time even for a Slayer.”

 

“What they did to Slayers was worse. When you turned eighteen, your Watcher would have given you a series of injections that would temporarily take away your Slayer powers. Then you would have to face a vampire alone in an abandon house. It was called the Tento di Cruciamentum.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re going to make me do that when I turn eighteen!”

 

“No, fortunately, the practice was disbanded several years ago, but it had been a tradition for centuries. So, as barbaric as it might have sounded, I didn’t complain or try to refuse. But whoever it was that had set up the test did not do his research. It wasn’t a vampire that we faced, but a demon. A Fyarl demon, to be precise. Like all of its kind, it was rather dim-witted, extremely violent and invulnerable to everything but pure silver. We were armed with wooden stakes. We never stood a chance. Out of the four of us, I was the only one that made it out alive and that was not due to any skill or superior knowledge. It was pure luck. The demon had taken out Nick and Molly before we even realized what we were facing. I was trying to distract it away from Cedric. I jumped on its back and jabbed my cross in its eye. My silver cross. That killed it, but too late to save my friends.”

“Oh Giles! My God!” Buffy said, horrified. She reached out to grab his hand. “What did you do?”

“I had it, as you might imagine. Traumatizing as it was to face the Fyarl demon, what happened afterwards was even worse. Three people dead and they just dismissed it, like it was some filing error. No one was punished. They just wanted to brush in under a rug and pretend that it never happened. I did not see the point of dedicating myself to such a cold-hearted organization. My father didn’t agree. We had a terrible row and I stormed out. That’s when I really did rebel. Against my father. Against the Council. Against society. Against everything and everything. I did the only thing that made sense to me. I went and found Tom. Dropped out of Oxford. Left my life behind and became Ripper through and through.” Giles took off his glasses and placed them on the table so that he could run his hand over his face. This time he did not put his glasses back on. Buffy held out her hand again and, with a soft smile, Giles retook it.

“You can jump ahead if it’s easier,” Buffy offered.

 

“We’ve finally reached the heart of it, but thank you,” Giles replied. He gave her hand one final squeeze and then let go. “Buffy, I won’t lie to you. Tom and I, we were no angels. We did all the things that as a school official I am supposed to strongly advocate that you not do. We drank, did drugs, had sex indiscriminately and rarely with any deeper emotions. Despite it all, I made a circle of friends that became like family for me, the way that Willow and Xander are to you, I imagine. There was six of us. Tom. Ethan Rayne. Philip Henry. Diedre Page and her cousin Randall......"

 

~~~~~~

 

 

 

Chapter 3: No Angel will be posted during Summer of Giles 2021. See you then!