With Friends like That 9

Richard turned his stern gaze on the Watchers called to this meeting. Had he really done this to himself...? Painted himself so inextricably into this corner...? But, whatever the case might be, it was now time to switch off all the thoughts that would stave his hand and voice from issuing the following order. He banged his gavel on the slab of oak and set the cogs of his scheme in motion.

"I contacted the Watcher to the Slayer called, in the early hours of this morning, and arranged a meeting. We are to meet at the Apollo in the dead of the night, which Rupert will know, will be midnight." Richard then looked to his left and said, "Paul, Michael and Jed you three will accompany me, but you will keep out of sight. You will be there to dispose of the Vampire Child..."

All three nodded at him.

Michael spoke then, "Have you requested the Vampire Child to come along...? And if so, how can you be sure that the Watcher will bring her, anyway...?"

"I haven't requested her presence, but if you had seen the way that she would not leave Rupert's side, and how Rupert had to console her when he did leave her, then you will know that he will have little choice in the matter. I believe she will force him to bring her along..."

Michael nodded at that and fell silent.

Richard then looked to his right, "Robert, you will drive the car and Andrew you will be beside him with the rifle. It is your job to... to dispose of Rupert..." He then looked about the room, his anger rising within him again, but he couldn't afford to express it, so he clamped it down again, and said to all those present, "Is it understood...? You all know what you have to do...?"

They nodded, until Philip spoke up. "But sir, surely I should be there, accompanying you. What I mean is, how would it look that you are there alone, without me beside you...?"

"It is quite simple, Philip. I have made it seem as though I am in danger from you, that you threaten my very existence. So, in view of what I have just told you, you understand why you cannot be anywhere near the meeting place...?"

Philip nodded, but added, "But then, perhaps, sir, I could be in one of the accompanying groups, to help with the disposals..."

Richard adamantly shook his head. "I have chosen and that is final. I do not wish you to be anywhere near the meeting place. I shall give warning now, so that you, and those present, will know. Should I see anyone, that is not within the groups I have chosen, anywhere near the meeting place, their punishment will be severe." He then sighed, "Rupert Giles is an intelligent man, and the slightest hint of a trap, will have him running to the hills before we could accomplish our goal. Am I *now* making myself clear...?"

Everyone in the room nodded, including Philip. "Right, then to those that I have chosen, good hunting. I shall meet with you before we leave, to brief you on the details..." He waited a moment for any other objections, but when none were forthcoming, he said, "Then on that note, I call this meeting to a close..."

One by one the Watcher's called to the meeting filed from the room; soft murmurs of their conversations rising above them.


"Buffy, please," Giles exclaimed, "I've already said that Spike will accompany me..."

"Yeah, I know you did," she retorted, "But you haven't told me why you don't wanna take *me* along as well..."

"Because," he sighed, "if this is a trap, then they may be watching, making sure that all is normal, and the only way for them to think that all is as it seems, is if everything is, indeed, *appearing* normal. And that means for you and Oleecia to go patrolling tonight, with Xander and Willow..."

"You know that Leec's gonna blow a stack when she finds out...? So's Xander 'n' Willow..."

"Yes, well, I shall just have to cross that bridge when I come to it..." He sighed, then added, "If my suspicions prove to be correct, then I cannot put any one of you in this amount of danger. This is my doing, Buffy, though, in all honesty, I had never envisioned that such a thing could occur, but, if it does, then I, and I alone, well and Spike of course, shall deal with it..."

Buffy sighed heavily, but she nodded and said, "Have I already told you how much I really, really hate this...?"

Giles nodded.

"Oh well, I just wanted to make sure, but *just* in case you didn't hear me, the first time..." She then yelled, "I really, *really* hate this, Giles..." Then she thumped him on the arm. She could feel her tears of worry build in her, but she didn't want to cry. She sniffled them back, and softly added, "You... you know that I can't do this without you, don't you...? That if something was going to happen to you, that I'd be really pissed at you for letting it happen...?"

Giles moved forward then, and with a smile of understanding, he hugged her and just as softly, said, "I do indeed, Buffy..."

She nodded at that, but her eyes instantly teared again. "I want you to know, as well, Giles..."

He sighed, "Yes, Buffy..."

"I... I want you to know that... that I love you..." With that said, she then stepped away from Giles, gently touched his arm and smiled at his look of utter surprise. Then she yelled for Spike to come down.

Her shout startled Giles so much that he jumped with astonishment. "Please, Buffy," he gasped his admonishment, "both my ears are now bleeding, thanks to you..." he teased.

Buffy looked, just in case, but when she didn't find any trace of blood, she thumped him on the arm again and said, "You made with a joke again, Giles. I wouldn't do that too often though, cos then I'd get to thinking that maybe they've swapped you and then I'd have to go charging in and save you and then..."

"Buffy," Giles interrupted her with a chuckle, "I do believe that you are babbling..."

"Yeah, I am," she nodded, "'n' it's all your fault..." Before he could reply, she then looked to the top of the stairs and yelled for Spike again.

The blond haired Vampire stuck his head around the corner and yelled back down the stairs, "For Christ's sake, Watcher, what-ya gotta do t' ge' some sleep around 'ere...?"

Even though he'd spoken to Giles, Buffy yelled back up at him, "Just get your butt down here, pronto, chip-brain..."

"Umm, Buffy," Giles whispered to her, "I do believe that calling Spike names is not really an ideal starting place when asking him for a favour..."

Buffy turned to him with a frown and said, "But I'm not gonna be asking Spike for a favour..."

"Oh, right... right you are..." Giles mumbled back at her.

They both then turned towards the stairs and waited for Spike to re-emerge. When he appeared, Giles then went to the curtains and pulled them closed, before returning to where Buffy was standing.

"What-ya wan', Slayer...?" Spike groused at Buffy, as he made his way towards her.

"You let anything happen to Giles tonight, and I promise you that you will wish you were never born. I will make sure that you will be wishing that Angelus had killed you outright, instead of turning you. You got that, Spike...?"

"Yeah, yeah," he nonchalantly replied, "if Giles dies, then I'm dust. No' very hard to understand..."

Buffy took the two steps it took to get to Spike, then grasped the front of his shirt.

Spike began to try and get her hand from him, "'Ere, c'mon, Slayer," he protested, "tha's the finest silk ya creasing with ya hand there..."

Buffy ignored him and just shook him that bit harder, until he was looking at her. Through gritted teeth, she said, "This time, Spike, I mean it. You let anything happen to Giles, and you are going down. It's not a threat, it's a promise. No matter where you run, I will find you and make you pay..."

"'Ere, Watcher, what's got into 'er, then...?" Spike muttered, glancing from one to the other in quick succession.

"Umm, she's... she's concerned Spike," Giles stuttered back at him, then added, "but... but I would be inclined to believe her..."

Spike looked back down at Buffy. "Alrigh' Slayer, keep ya 'air on..."

Buffy shook him once, for emphasis, and then let him go. She then turned to Giles and said, "And you, Mister, had better be back here when I've finished patrolling..."

Giles nodded, not finding a word in his head to express, as Buffy then turned and stomped from the apartment.




Site Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc. own the Buffy characters. All products, movies, books, songs, etc. are owned by their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended. All plots and original characters are owned by the authors.