The Summer After. 4/6.
Apr. 5th, 2007 01:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Title: The Summer After.
Author:
elisi.
Summary: A few weeks post-NFA Giles meets some old acquaintances. But where do their loyalties lie these days? And what exactly do they want with Giles?
Rating: PG.
Feedback: Go on! Please?
Previous chapters here.
Chapter 4
After walking down a few alleyways they came to the pub. With its painted brick facade and ‘The King’s Arms’ in gilt lettering it looked like every other pub Giles had ever been in. It was only when he noticed the carefully painted sign above the door that he realised that it was a demon-bar after all: It showed two arms, torn off at the shoulders - one holding a sceptre, the other a globe - with little droplets of blood for added effect.
He sighed and thought that at least demon bars usually had good whiskey.
Once inside and looking around, Giles noted that English demons - those not hanging out in graveyards looking for a fight with a Slayer - were obviously quiet types. There were a few vamps in jeans and Gap T-shirts playing darts, and some corpulent demons in knitted jumpers drinking (and talking about) Real Ale; but otherwise the pub was empty.
Spike turned to him as Angel and Illyria made their way to a corner table. “So, what can I get you?”
“Double scotch, please,” Giles answered automatically as he took off his glasses to polish them, since the sudden heat had caused some visual haziness.
He looked up to find Spike studying him critically and finally shaking his head lightly. “Single. And make it last - we need to talk, and for that we need you to be sober.”
And he turned around and walked up to the bar, leaving Giles flabbergasted, but also suddenly illuminated.
Spike had always acted like a rebellious youth. Giles knew that technically the vampire was at least a hundred, but he nevertheless behaved like a cheeky youngster, right down to the irreverent ‘Rupert’. But now...
Putting on his glasses again and making his way to the table where Angel and Illyria were now sitting, his mind was crowded with thoughts. As he looked towards the bar where Spike was chatting with the cheerful barmaid, he might as well have been wearing those magical specs he always dreamt of owning as a child...
Spike and Angel - in his mind they had always been sort of appendages to Buffy, since it seemed that for most of the time he had know her she’d had one or other of the vampires following her like a shadow. Loyal, loving, but always on the outside somehow - never a part of the gang, never really accepted by anyone except Buffy. Looking at them tonight he saw none of the subordinance they had always displayed around her. They were self-assured and proud, acting in a way he had not seen since the time of Acathla...
Voices drifted by him. "Now I ‘eard some outrighteous gossip that you and Dru had split up, and I said, 'Don’t come 'ere telling tales!' Never seen such devotion in all my days as you showed your lady..."
“I don’t really know them at all...” he thought and wondered what Buffy would say if she could see them now. Or maybe this was how she’d always seen them...
Lost in thought, Giles was rather startled when Spike put down a glass in front of him. "I s'posse Glenfiddich is OK?" the vampire asked, and the Watcher nodded.
Quietly sipping his drink, Giles absentmindedly observed Illyria as she appeared to be making a complicated, gravity-defying sculpture out of beer mats. Since neither of the vampires seemed fazed by this Giles decided not to say anything, but he began to wonder in earnest what she was doing in their company. He noticed that she wasn’t drinking anything, whereas her two companions were emptying their Bloody Mary’s rapidly.
After Spike had been back to the bar for refills for himself and Angel ("Fancy you a champion - I never would 'ave guessed it! You know - I had another champion in 'ere just the other week, right sombre fella...") he turned to Giles and said pleasantly, "Well, let's talk about betrayal then!"
***
Giles sat up and waited. He had expected this day to come for a long time, but he had always thought that it would be Buffy he'd be having this conversation with. He had known at the time that the plan was desperate, but when Wood had later told him about Spike's threat and Buffy's reinforcement of it, he had known that he was right. She was behaving exactly as she had with Angel, and he had wished to spare her the duty of killing a loved one again.
To his great surprise however, it was Angel who started to speak.
"You might remember, although it is quite a while ago now, the time Faith poisoned me."
Giles nodded, and thought to himself. "Good heavens, how far back do they hold a grudge? And - I had no part in that!"
"I believe that the Council was called and asked for assistance, which was turned down."
Giles nodded again.
"Can I ask - since I wasn't conscious at the time - what was your position? Did you believe that the Council made the right decision?"
The Watcher thought for a moment. "I thought that the extraordinary circumstances warranted more than a quick denial."
Angel studied him for a moment, and then continued. "If I had died, would you have considered the Council partly responsible - even knowing that their input could not have helped?"
Giles could not see where the vampire was going with this, but the question was clear enough. "You're asking if wilful neglect could implicate someone in manslaughter - or even murder?"
Nods from both vampires.
The man hesitated. But honesty won out - mainly because he suddenly saw Buffy's angry, desperate face very clearly in his mind. "At the time and in those circumstances, yes, I think the Council would have been partly responsible."
Spike and Angel both sat back in their chairs, their faces unreadable. Then a look passed between them that suddenly made Giles feel as uncomfortable as that first moment in the graveyard.
Angel spoke again, voice almost casual, but the Watcher could hear the dangerous undertones.
“I called you - some months ago now - asking for Willow’s whereabouts. You refused to help me, since The Council didn’t have dealings with ‘people like us’.”
Giles recalled the conversation, but as he tried to remember more clearly what had been said, Spike addressed him, voice frosty. "Well, wouldn't Quentin Travers be proud if he could see you now - how nicely you toe the party line!"
Giles turned to him, noting the coldness of the voice, and only vaguely saw Angel incline his head toward Illyria and whisper something.
When Spike didn't follow up on his statement, Giles leaned back in his chair again and with a jolt realised that across the table from him there was sat an attractive young woman - brown, wavy hair falling down over her shoulders, a wide smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes as she held out her hand: "Hi! I'm Fred!"
Go to Chapter 5.
Author:
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
Summary: A few weeks post-NFA Giles meets some old acquaintances. But where do their loyalties lie these days? And what exactly do they want with Giles?
Rating: PG.
Feedback: Go on! Please?
Previous chapters here.
After walking down a few alleyways they came to the pub. With its painted brick facade and ‘The King’s Arms’ in gilt lettering it looked like every other pub Giles had ever been in. It was only when he noticed the carefully painted sign above the door that he realised that it was a demon-bar after all: It showed two arms, torn off at the shoulders - one holding a sceptre, the other a globe - with little droplets of blood for added effect.
He sighed and thought that at least demon bars usually had good whiskey.
Once inside and looking around, Giles noted that English demons - those not hanging out in graveyards looking for a fight with a Slayer - were obviously quiet types. There were a few vamps in jeans and Gap T-shirts playing darts, and some corpulent demons in knitted jumpers drinking (and talking about) Real Ale; but otherwise the pub was empty.
Spike turned to him as Angel and Illyria made their way to a corner table. “So, what can I get you?”
“Double scotch, please,” Giles answered automatically as he took off his glasses to polish them, since the sudden heat had caused some visual haziness.
He looked up to find Spike studying him critically and finally shaking his head lightly. “Single. And make it last - we need to talk, and for that we need you to be sober.”
And he turned around and walked up to the bar, leaving Giles flabbergasted, but also suddenly illuminated.
Spike had always acted like a rebellious youth. Giles knew that technically the vampire was at least a hundred, but he nevertheless behaved like a cheeky youngster, right down to the irreverent ‘Rupert’. But now...
Putting on his glasses again and making his way to the table where Angel and Illyria were now sitting, his mind was crowded with thoughts. As he looked towards the bar where Spike was chatting with the cheerful barmaid, he might as well have been wearing those magical specs he always dreamt of owning as a child...
Spike and Angel - in his mind they had always been sort of appendages to Buffy, since it seemed that for most of the time he had know her she’d had one or other of the vampires following her like a shadow. Loyal, loving, but always on the outside somehow - never a part of the gang, never really accepted by anyone except Buffy. Looking at them tonight he saw none of the subordinance they had always displayed around her. They were self-assured and proud, acting in a way he had not seen since the time of Acathla...
Voices drifted by him. "Now I ‘eard some outrighteous gossip that you and Dru had split up, and I said, 'Don’t come 'ere telling tales!' Never seen such devotion in all my days as you showed your lady..."
“I don’t really know them at all...” he thought and wondered what Buffy would say if she could see them now. Or maybe this was how she’d always seen them...
Lost in thought, Giles was rather startled when Spike put down a glass in front of him. "I s'posse Glenfiddich is OK?" the vampire asked, and the Watcher nodded.
Quietly sipping his drink, Giles absentmindedly observed Illyria as she appeared to be making a complicated, gravity-defying sculpture out of beer mats. Since neither of the vampires seemed fazed by this Giles decided not to say anything, but he began to wonder in earnest what she was doing in their company. He noticed that she wasn’t drinking anything, whereas her two companions were emptying their Bloody Mary’s rapidly.
After Spike had been back to the bar for refills for himself and Angel ("Fancy you a champion - I never would 'ave guessed it! You know - I had another champion in 'ere just the other week, right sombre fella...") he turned to Giles and said pleasantly, "Well, let's talk about betrayal then!"
Giles sat up and waited. He had expected this day to come for a long time, but he had always thought that it would be Buffy he'd be having this conversation with. He had known at the time that the plan was desperate, but when Wood had later told him about Spike's threat and Buffy's reinforcement of it, he had known that he was right. She was behaving exactly as she had with Angel, and he had wished to spare her the duty of killing a loved one again.
To his great surprise however, it was Angel who started to speak.
"You might remember, although it is quite a while ago now, the time Faith poisoned me."
Giles nodded, and thought to himself. "Good heavens, how far back do they hold a grudge? And - I had no part in that!"
"I believe that the Council was called and asked for assistance, which was turned down."
Giles nodded again.
"Can I ask - since I wasn't conscious at the time - what was your position? Did you believe that the Council made the right decision?"
The Watcher thought for a moment. "I thought that the extraordinary circumstances warranted more than a quick denial."
Angel studied him for a moment, and then continued. "If I had died, would you have considered the Council partly responsible - even knowing that their input could not have helped?"
Giles could not see where the vampire was going with this, but the question was clear enough. "You're asking if wilful neglect could implicate someone in manslaughter - or even murder?"
Nods from both vampires.
The man hesitated. But honesty won out - mainly because he suddenly saw Buffy's angry, desperate face very clearly in his mind. "At the time and in those circumstances, yes, I think the Council would have been partly responsible."
Spike and Angel both sat back in their chairs, their faces unreadable. Then a look passed between them that suddenly made Giles feel as uncomfortable as that first moment in the graveyard.
Angel spoke again, voice almost casual, but the Watcher could hear the dangerous undertones.
“I called you - some months ago now - asking for Willow’s whereabouts. You refused to help me, since The Council didn’t have dealings with ‘people like us’.”
Giles recalled the conversation, but as he tried to remember more clearly what had been said, Spike addressed him, voice frosty. "Well, wouldn't Quentin Travers be proud if he could see you now - how nicely you toe the party line!"
Giles turned to him, noting the coldness of the voice, and only vaguely saw Angel incline his head toward Illyria and whisper something.
When Spike didn't follow up on his statement, Giles leaned back in his chair again and with a jolt realised that across the table from him there was sat an attractive young woman - brown, wavy hair falling down over her shoulders, a wide smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes as she held out her hand: "Hi! I'm Fred!"
Go to Chapter 5.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-05 12:26 pm (UTC)And that's the nub of the matter, right there - Giles seeing them from the pov of a Watcher, Buffy able to step outside her role as a Slayer, even if it caused her conflict.
You refused to help me, since The Council didn’t have dealings with ‘people like us’.”
In all fairness to Giles, he did think they'd gone over to the 'other side', at the time, whereas when Angel was poisoned, Giles knew he was working with Buffy. I hope Angel gives Giles a chance to say that now that he's hit him with the consequences of his refusal to help.
Next chapter, please.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-05 12:30 pm (UTC)Indeed. And well... Buffy does have luxury that Giles doesn't.
In all fairness to Giles, he did think they'd gone over to the 'other side', at the time, whereas when Angel was poisoned, Giles knew he was working with Buffy.
Nothing's ever simple, is it?
Next chapter, please.
Tomorrow. Same time, same place. :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-05 12:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-05 12:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-05 05:39 pm (UTC)Of course an English demon pub would be like that! Love all the telling details of that sort. And the direction the vamps are taking Giles in is very intrigiong.
Dammit, I'm going to be away for Easter - I have to wait all weekend for the rest!
no subject
Date: 2007-04-05 06:10 pm (UTC)London ain't LA... *g* I had a lot of fun with it.
And the direction the vamps are taking Giles in is very intrigiong.
Isn't it just? Murky waters ahead...
I have to wait all weekend for the rest!
Well you'll get to read it all in one go! And there's also a (one-shot) prequel that I won't post until afer Easter!