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summer_of_giles2023-07-26 08:50 pm
aaronlisa) wrote in summer_of_giles2023-07-26 08:50 pm
FIC: His Destiny, FR13, implied Giles/Ethan, implied Giles/Olivia
Title: His Destiny
Author:aaronlisa
Pairing implied Giles/Ethan (past), implied Giles/Olivia
Characters: Rupert Giles, with mentions of Ethan Rayne, Olivia, Quentin Travers
Rating: FR13/PG-13
Notes: This is set before Season One.
Summary: He had never really wanted to be a Watcher.
Warning: There's a section that discusses that the Council might use certain methods to ensure that they get a "perfect" Slayer. Nothing happens in the story but it's implied that the Council aren't very nice.
Word Count: 1553
Rupert Giles had never wanted to be a Watcher. When he had been younger, he had thought that being a Watcher was something that sounded boring and passive. Despite his formidable grandmother, his father and his cronies made it sound like all they did was sit around, write boring texts and watch the world as it passed them by. He was far more interested in adventure and action. Even as his dream of being a fighter jet pilot slowly faded away, he never wanted to be stuck reading boring old Latin texts about things that had happened centuries ago, He wanted to be doing something. Not stuck watching.
He had joined the Watcher's Council reluctantly. He had given up his dreams because his band was going nowhere, the scene was slowly dying and he felt like an old man. And because his grandmother had promised him that he'd never have to just sit around and watch. She had forced him back to Oxford to finish his degree in history and by 1981, he was a fully accepted member of the Watchers. (Although some of his colleagues looked down upon him either because of his surname or because of his rebellious youth, or some combination of both.)
When his grandmother passed, and Quentin Travers took over the role as the leader of the Council - without a fight from Rupert - he was finally granted some peace. Travers continued to allow Rupert the freedom to travel the world to collect books and artefacts for the Council as well as to investigate some leads provided by other Watchers and spies on supernatural hot spots. There were several in the Council, including his own father, who were disgusted with the fact that Rupert was more content to reject his family's destiny instead of embracing it. Travers and his faction were more than content to allow Rupert his eccentricities. It wasn't as if he didn't know why.
In 1986, he settled down in San Francisco. He opened an esoteric bookshop as a cover and when he worked for the Council, he tracked down leads about potential demonic hotspots and girls that might become the next Slayer. Rupert had no desire to actually watch over a teenage girl, whether she be the actual Slayer or a Potential. While he might track down leads on the west coast about Potentials, he was glad to hand the information over to the Council and go back to his bookstore.
The years passed as Rupert put down more roots. He became friends with the equally eccentric Merrick and he had a relationship with a fellow ex-pat, Olivia. Things were rather lovely. Until they weren't.
Ethan had hunted him down with mischief on his mind. And while Rupert was rather adept at handling Ethan, it had put a strain on his relationship with Olivia. Before Ethan's arrival, Rupert had been considering marriage with her. Now, he felt like he had when he had been a callous youth. He was questioning his identity and who he was. And In the end, he came to the realization that he couldn't keep lying to Olivia.
When her work had called her back to London, Rupert had ended things with her. He had no desire to return back to England. He had driven her to the airport, the tension in his car was thick and heavy.
"It's because of that fellow from your Oxford days, isn't it?" Olivia had quietly asked.
"No this has nothing to do with Ethan," Rupert had replied.
"I'd rather you didn't lie to me," Olivia told him. "I was well aware that you had a past and if you're ending things because of him and your preferences, I'd rather you not lie to me."
It took him a moment to realize that she thought he was gay. And while he had never put a label on his sexuality, there had never been a need to do so, he didn't want to let her believe that he was ending things because of Ethan.
"I am not gay,"
"I don't care if you're bisexual then,"
It's not really a conversation he felt comfortable in. Even if it'd be easier to let her think that he's questioning his sexuality instead of the truth. They don't have enough time for him to even scratch the surface. He sighed as he pulls into a parking space.
"This has nothing to do with Ethan," Rupert told her. "I angered my family when I stepped away from the family business. If I return home, father will find out and will demand that I join the firm properly."
It's not quite the truth nor is it a full-blown lie. But in the moment, with the time they have left, it's all Rupert had to say. Olivia had sighed. She had dropped the conversation and he had seen her off. She had given him a brief embrace and a peck on the lips. It felt cold and distant.
In that moment, Rupert wished that he had been more honest with her from the start. But secrecy had been drilled into him from such a young age. And he hadn't been able to break a lifetime's habit of hiding his real self and his past, even to her.
A year after Olivia had gone back home, Rupert received a telegram from London. It told him that Merrick and his Slayer were missing. He was instructed to find out the truth. Rupert had left his bookstore in the hands of his assistant manger and staff and had travelled down to the last known whereabouts of his friend.
There was a part of him that wanted to blame Ethan for how the Council had sunk their claws into him again. For the last three years, his assignments from them had been brief and few. Other operatives were relied on more than he was. Rupert had become a refuge in California for other Watchers to make contact with while they had more dangerous missions. And then Ethan had rolled into San Francisco and had thrown a spanner in the works.
Rupert had hoped that he would be able to send news back to the Council that Merrick was alive and that he was just being his normal maverick self. Instead, he stumbled across Hemry High School with it's burnt down gymnasium, tales about a gas leak and a bunch of teenagers on some combination of drugs, a pretty cheerleader and a biker gang. When he scratched the surface deeper. the truth came out. Lothos and his gang of vampires had decided to take on the Slayer during prom.
In the end, Lothos was dead as was Merrick. He had followed the Slayer's trail down to Las Vegas and back again to a brief stay in a mental hospital followed by her parents divorcing with the father staying in Los Angeles and the mother moving either to Cleveland or Sunnydale.
He had hoped that once he sent off the final report, he'd be able to return back to his apartment and bookstore in San Francisco. And for a while he did until Travers showed up at his door. He was told that he would be moving to Sunnydale, where the Council had bought an art gallery for the Slayer's mother to manage to ensure that the Slayer would be on the Hellmouth there when a particular prophecy started to play out.
"And why can't you send someone else?" Rupert had demanded.
"Who should I send? She trained under Merrick and she went rogue for a while. any other Watcher would be demanding that she was deactivated after a month."
He shudders at the word deactivated He knows what it means. Before he can argue Travers is speaking again.
"Roger and his faction are trying to move against me. They think I've been too progressive, especially after your grandmother. I don't want to guilt you but if he gets his way, this girl will be murdered as will others until they get a perfect docile Slayer who will be able to do nothing but serve as canon fodder."
"And you don't think that Roger won't try to send in Special Ops with me acting as her Watcher? He has far too much power."
"If you're sent in, he will bide his time, there are far too many in the Council that are still loyal to Edna. You are her grandson and those factions still loyal to you would move swiftly against Roger if anything should happen to you or the girl."
"And when my reports come in and they aren't the traditional reports that Roger will demand that they be, then what?"
Travers had given him a greasy smile that Rupert had disliked.
"But your reports will be the stuffy, pretentious reports that all Watchers of a certain ilk submit to the Council."
Rupert sighed, as he takes off his glasses to polish them. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to like anything else that Travers decided to tell him.
"Rupert, we will need to deceive them. We will need to behave in certain ways."
Rupert had stopped listening, he had never wanted to be a Watcher to a Slayer or a Potential. But he couldn't risk anything Travers had told him become a reality.
(END)
Author:
aaronlisa Pairing implied Giles/Ethan (past), implied Giles/Olivia
Characters: Rupert Giles, with mentions of Ethan Rayne, Olivia, Quentin Travers
Rating: FR13/PG-13
Notes: This is set before Season One.
Summary: He had never really wanted to be a Watcher.
Warning: There's a section that discusses that the Council might use certain methods to ensure that they get a "perfect" Slayer. Nothing happens in the story but it's implied that the Council aren't very nice.
Word Count: 1553
Rupert Giles had never wanted to be a Watcher. When he had been younger, he had thought that being a Watcher was something that sounded boring and passive. Despite his formidable grandmother, his father and his cronies made it sound like all they did was sit around, write boring texts and watch the world as it passed them by. He was far more interested in adventure and action. Even as his dream of being a fighter jet pilot slowly faded away, he never wanted to be stuck reading boring old Latin texts about things that had happened centuries ago, He wanted to be doing something. Not stuck watching.
He had joined the Watcher's Council reluctantly. He had given up his dreams because his band was going nowhere, the scene was slowly dying and he felt like an old man. And because his grandmother had promised him that he'd never have to just sit around and watch. She had forced him back to Oxford to finish his degree in history and by 1981, he was a fully accepted member of the Watchers. (Although some of his colleagues looked down upon him either because of his surname or because of his rebellious youth, or some combination of both.)
When his grandmother passed, and Quentin Travers took over the role as the leader of the Council - without a fight from Rupert - he was finally granted some peace. Travers continued to allow Rupert the freedom to travel the world to collect books and artefacts for the Council as well as to investigate some leads provided by other Watchers and spies on supernatural hot spots. There were several in the Council, including his own father, who were disgusted with the fact that Rupert was more content to reject his family's destiny instead of embracing it. Travers and his faction were more than content to allow Rupert his eccentricities. It wasn't as if he didn't know why.
In 1986, he settled down in San Francisco. He opened an esoteric bookshop as a cover and when he worked for the Council, he tracked down leads about potential demonic hotspots and girls that might become the next Slayer. Rupert had no desire to actually watch over a teenage girl, whether she be the actual Slayer or a Potential. While he might track down leads on the west coast about Potentials, he was glad to hand the information over to the Council and go back to his bookstore.
The years passed as Rupert put down more roots. He became friends with the equally eccentric Merrick and he had a relationship with a fellow ex-pat, Olivia. Things were rather lovely. Until they weren't.
Ethan had hunted him down with mischief on his mind. And while Rupert was rather adept at handling Ethan, it had put a strain on his relationship with Olivia. Before Ethan's arrival, Rupert had been considering marriage with her. Now, he felt like he had when he had been a callous youth. He was questioning his identity and who he was. And In the end, he came to the realization that he couldn't keep lying to Olivia.
When her work had called her back to London, Rupert had ended things with her. He had no desire to return back to England. He had driven her to the airport, the tension in his car was thick and heavy.
"It's because of that fellow from your Oxford days, isn't it?" Olivia had quietly asked.
"No this has nothing to do with Ethan," Rupert had replied.
"I'd rather you didn't lie to me," Olivia told him. "I was well aware that you had a past and if you're ending things because of him and your preferences, I'd rather you not lie to me."
It took him a moment to realize that she thought he was gay. And while he had never put a label on his sexuality, there had never been a need to do so, he didn't want to let her believe that he was ending things because of Ethan.
"I am not gay,"
"I don't care if you're bisexual then,"
It's not really a conversation he felt comfortable in. Even if it'd be easier to let her think that he's questioning his sexuality instead of the truth. They don't have enough time for him to even scratch the surface. He sighed as he pulls into a parking space.
"This has nothing to do with Ethan," Rupert told her. "I angered my family when I stepped away from the family business. If I return home, father will find out and will demand that I join the firm properly."
It's not quite the truth nor is it a full-blown lie. But in the moment, with the time they have left, it's all Rupert had to say. Olivia had sighed. She had dropped the conversation and he had seen her off. She had given him a brief embrace and a peck on the lips. It felt cold and distant.
In that moment, Rupert wished that he had been more honest with her from the start. But secrecy had been drilled into him from such a young age. And he hadn't been able to break a lifetime's habit of hiding his real self and his past, even to her.
A year after Olivia had gone back home, Rupert received a telegram from London. It told him that Merrick and his Slayer were missing. He was instructed to find out the truth. Rupert had left his bookstore in the hands of his assistant manger and staff and had travelled down to the last known whereabouts of his friend.
There was a part of him that wanted to blame Ethan for how the Council had sunk their claws into him again. For the last three years, his assignments from them had been brief and few. Other operatives were relied on more than he was. Rupert had become a refuge in California for other Watchers to make contact with while they had more dangerous missions. And then Ethan had rolled into San Francisco and had thrown a spanner in the works.
Rupert had hoped that he would be able to send news back to the Council that Merrick was alive and that he was just being his normal maverick self. Instead, he stumbled across Hemry High School with it's burnt down gymnasium, tales about a gas leak and a bunch of teenagers on some combination of drugs, a pretty cheerleader and a biker gang. When he scratched the surface deeper. the truth came out. Lothos and his gang of vampires had decided to take on the Slayer during prom.
In the end, Lothos was dead as was Merrick. He had followed the Slayer's trail down to Las Vegas and back again to a brief stay in a mental hospital followed by her parents divorcing with the father staying in Los Angeles and the mother moving either to Cleveland or Sunnydale.
He had hoped that once he sent off the final report, he'd be able to return back to his apartment and bookstore in San Francisco. And for a while he did until Travers showed up at his door. He was told that he would be moving to Sunnydale, where the Council had bought an art gallery for the Slayer's mother to manage to ensure that the Slayer would be on the Hellmouth there when a particular prophecy started to play out.
"And why can't you send someone else?" Rupert had demanded.
"Who should I send? She trained under Merrick and she went rogue for a while. any other Watcher would be demanding that she was deactivated after a month."
He shudders at the word deactivated He knows what it means. Before he can argue Travers is speaking again.
"Roger and his faction are trying to move against me. They think I've been too progressive, especially after your grandmother. I don't want to guilt you but if he gets his way, this girl will be murdered as will others until they get a perfect docile Slayer who will be able to do nothing but serve as canon fodder."
"And you don't think that Roger won't try to send in Special Ops with me acting as her Watcher? He has far too much power."
"If you're sent in, he will bide his time, there are far too many in the Council that are still loyal to Edna. You are her grandson and those factions still loyal to you would move swiftly against Roger if anything should happen to you or the girl."
"And when my reports come in and they aren't the traditional reports that Roger will demand that they be, then what?"
Travers had given him a greasy smile that Rupert had disliked.
"But your reports will be the stuffy, pretentious reports that all Watchers of a certain ilk submit to the Council."
Rupert sighed, as he takes off his glasses to polish them. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to like anything else that Travers decided to tell him.
"Rupert, we will need to deceive them. We will need to behave in certain ways."
Rupert had stopped listening, he had never wanted to be a Watcher to a Slayer or a Potential. But he couldn't risk anything Travers had told him become a reality.
(END)
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