Chapter Sixteen

Willow’s eyes were urgent as she gripped Buffy’s upper arm and whispered to her desperately.

“But, Buffy! He’s already taken over most of the Western seaboard. He’s in a perfect position to overrun the entire continent! We need to act now.”

Buffy edged a little closer, hopefully shielding the conversation from anyone who may be listening in.

“I don’t know, Will. If we force his hand now, he could completely wipe us out in South America. I say we wait. Mass our reinforcements in Asia.”

“Yeah, but Buffy? All of North America? Is that a sacrifice you’re really prepared to make?”

Willow’s eyes were filled with tragedy.

“I don’t want to,” Buffy said, gently, “You know I don’t. But I think it’s really the only way.”

“Hey, guys?” Xander’s voice chimed in from across the room. “You gonna be making any decisions anytime soon? Or are we all just gonna sit around here until we drop dead of old age?”

“Quiet, Xander,” Buffy hissed, “This is a pivotal moment.”

“So, what’re we gonna do?” Willow said.

Buffy took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then said, “Fine. We attack.”

Willow grinned.

“Yes!”

Both girls turned back to the rest of the group, and Buffy scooped up a handful of dice.

“Ok, Xander. My guys are attacking your guys in Mexico. Prepare to die!”

“Ha!” Xander replied, “Your little pink men are no match for my military genius! You’re going down, girlie.”

The dice clattered into the box and Buffy groaned, and removed two of her pink pieces from the Risk board. Oz grimaced.

“So much for fortune favoring the brave.”

“What? You think I’m gonna give up just cause two of my men couldn’t hack it? Please. I’m the Slayer.”

“Yeah, tell that to *them*,” Xander said, as the dice again came up in his favor, and Buffy’s army dwindled to a mere two pieces.

“Crud,” Buffy said unhappily. “See what you’ve done to me now, Will? Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one?”

Willow finished chewing her mouthful of popcorn, then said, “Nope. I’m the research department. The battle tactics are all yours.”

“Heh, that’s what you get for trying to form an alliance in Risk,” Xander said. “It’s a cutthroat game. Dog eat dog! One man against the world!”

“Hey, women present!” Willow reprimanded.

Buffy pouted.

“Well, guess I’m done for this round. Your turn, Oz.”

Which basically meant that everyone else could wander off for potty breaks and the like, because Oz was a deep thinker, and his turns took at least ten minutes of strategizing before any of his little red men moved an inch. Buffy, Willow, and Xander moved down to the other end of the library table, leaving Oz crouched over the board, his pale eyes flickering over the spread of colorful armies.

Buffy flopped down in her chair.

“So, Will, I never really got a chance to tell how cool you were. Figuring out that Kinder-whatever thing. Good call.”

Willow ducked her head and smiled a bit, but when she looked back up, her face was earnest.

“We really need to talk.”

“Uh oh, Buff, I think she’s breaking up with you.” Xander joked, then froze, and added, “Wait a minute, she’s not... um, breaking... Cause, you know, I hate it when I say something totally off the wall like that and then it’s-”

“Xander,” Willow cut him off with a single word and a displeased look.

Buffy leaned forward, propping her elbows on the table.

“Sure, Will, what’s the what? Hit me.”

Willow took a deep breath and folded her hands in her lap. She lowered her eyes again, and a lock of her long hair slipped out from behind her ear and fell along her cheek.

“It’s Giles.”

Buffy frowned, and sobered a bit.

“Giles? What about Giles?”

Willow still hadn’t looked up from the table.

“He got in... to his apartment. A few nights ago, while you were still in the hospital.”

Buffy sat up, perched on the edge of her chair.

“What? How? Who would invite-”

Willow looked up at last, her brow furrowed.

“No one. No one did, Buffy. We got back there the morning after, and there was a power circle outside the door, and he took some stuff, some books, some weapons, magic supplies. Well, and some clothes. And his glasses. Buffy, I think he’s planning something.”

Buffy was still stuck on the Giles got into the apartment part.

“He got in? After the spell? With no invite? Oh, god, Willow... if he can...”

“I know. And, Buffy... the books he took... they were some heavy-duty stuff. If he...We’ve gotta stop him. I don’t think we really have any time to waste. One of the books he took... well, let’s just say ending the world is one of the more warm and cuddly things it could be used for.”

“Warm and cuddly?” Buffy said, staring into space in a bit of shock. Giles. Ending the world. Oh boy. That was just... just... Not right.

Xander spoke suddenly.

“Wait, wait, wait. Will. You’re saying that the vampire can get into houses. Without being invited. As in, he could be just, just, waiting for us one day, we walk into our house, la dee da, and oh, look, vampire, oh help, and then I’m dead.”

“Uh. Kinda looks that way, yeah.” There was an apologetic glint in Willow’s eyes.

Xander fell back in his chair. Buffy the slayer shoved Buffy the stunned high school student off into some corner of her mind and pulled herself together.

“Ok. Willow, we need a spell. Like... a protection spell. Or a...” she wrinkled her nose, trying to think of the proper word, then just gave up and said, “anti-magic spell or something.”

Willow nodded.

“Yeah. A ward. I’ve been working on it. I think I’ve found something that’ll work.”

Buffy smiled. Ah, Willow. What would she do without Willow?

“Great! So. Um. What do you think... I mean, with the books he took... what do you think he’s gonna do?”

At this, Willow grimaced and slumped her shoulders a bit.

“I really can’t say for sure. I mean, the books would be able to tell me, only, he’s got the books now, and all I have is the little index that we made. I know he took one of the big ones on wards and protection spells, cause I wanted to use it earlier. So, maybe he’s got something he wants to protect?”

“Guess there aren’t really copies of those books lying around, are there?”

“Well. Oh, I have one of them scanned into the computer here. And... there’s... there’s the... Watcher’s Council. I know we said--but Buffy, they’d have these, and I don’t know who else-”

The Watcher’s Council. Buffy had read the letters those bastards had sent to Giles. They were awful, nasty things, accusing Giles of everything from harboring demons (Angel, in other words) to babying her. Babying her. Oh, yeah, she felt REAL coddled. Especially that part where she died.

But then, that had been one of the Council’s harshest criticisms. That Giles had had the *nerve* to even try to face the Master in her place. So, ok, if that was coddling, fine, she was babied. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t GONE. In fact, even though she’d been all ready to go at that point, anyway, seeing Giles about to go down there, and die, no doubt, had only cemented her resolve to do her duty.

“Buffy... please...”

The Watcher’s Council didn’t know shit.

“No. No way, Will. They’re bad news.”

“Buffy... this could be the end of the world we’re talking about here! This is no time to be, be... holding grudges, ok? The Watcher’s Council-”

“Is already here.”

They all spun towards the new voice coming from the doorway. A tall, slim man in glasses and a dark suit, holding a brown leather briefcase, looked back calmly.

“Miss Summers, I presume?” he said, briskly, stepping towards Buffy and thrusting out his hand. “I am Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. I am to be your new Watcher.”

Buffy stared for awhile longer, long enough for the man, the Watcher, apparently, to lower his hand, and then stand there, looking uncomfortable, before she spoke.

“How did you know?”

“The vampire contacted us.”

Buffy frowned. Vampire? What kind of vampire would be contacting the council? She doubted they were exactly on Spike’s speed dial.

“The vampire? Which vampire?”

“In life, he was Rupert Giles.”

”Giles? Called you? Why on Earth would Giles call you?”

“A lapse in judgment, no doubt. The Slayer Kendra and her Watcher have already been dispatched posthaste to eliminate the threat.”

“Oh, god,” Buffy gasped. And then she ran for the door.

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