Or, Perhaps,.....With Friends Like These... 10

The Giles household was in silence, though all the Scoobies, including Spike and Oleecia, were there.

Giles frowned in his bedroom at the silence that penetrated his room. He was surprised... Not once, in all the time he'd been in Sunnydale, had he had a room full to the brim with young people and have it be so silent. Shaking his head with bemusement, he quickly dressed in slacks, shirt and jacket, and threw a tie around his neck. Whilst he tied his tie, he made his way down the stairs to the front room. "Might I be permitted to ask why it is so quiet in here...?" he murmured with confusion at them all.

"You rather us be noisy, Giles...?" Xander quietly asked back.

Giles snorted his reply, "In all honesty, Xander, though I would never have believed it of me to request such a thing, but... well, yes... be noisy..."

Xander opened his mouth, but anything that had been in his brain to say, dissipated, leaving him with a mouth open and no sound coming out of it.

Giles frowned. "Is there some spell on you all...? Have I *missed* something...?" When they all shook their heads at him, he sighed and said, "So, I re-iterate, why is it so quiet in here...?" Before anyone could answer, he quickly added, "Because, I have to say, that of all that we have encountered so far on the Hellmouth, nothing has had me more worried than all of you as you are now... Silent... despite having had my *permission* to be noisy..."

Willow saw the funny side of what Giles had just said and started to giggle... She then looked up at him and said, "Sorry... S'just we thought this was going to be a bit difficult for you and we wanted to make it as easy as we could for you... Y'know, be silent so that you could get all your thoughts together..."

Giles smiled affectionately at them all and then sighed. "Thank God..." he muttered, "you had me worried, the lot of you... But thank you..." he softly added, "Thank you for the consideration..."

He then turned to Spike with a frown and asked, "Are you sure you're fine patrolling alone, tonight, Spike...?" When Spike nodded, he then turned back to the rest of them and said, "Right, well, I suppose we should be making a move then. Wouldn't do for the Chairman to be late for the meeting he has been *forced* to attend, no matter how much he might wish that he didn't *have* to attend..."

Willow giggled again at that, then stood and led the others to the door.

Giles took a step or two, before he again turned to Spike and said, "Be careful, Spike... Try your best *not* to get staked... Hmm...?"

"Aww, shucks Ruper', didn' know y' cared..." Spike replied with sarcasm.

Giles coughed his embarrassment, then replied, "Yes... well... now-now you know..." And with that said, Giles turned away and made for the door; missing the rise of Spike's eyebrows and the grin that spread across the Vampire's face.

Willow held the door open for him, then when he'd passed her, she looked back at Spike, with a grin of her own and a twinkle of understanding in her eyes, and said, "See you when we get back..."

Spike nodded, "Righ' you are, Red..." And smiled when he heard her giggle at his nickname for her...


Somehow all the Scoobies, including Oleecia, managed to cram themselves into the rusty Citroen; that Giles had had lovingly restored, no matter the badgering he'd received when he'd one night announced his intention to do so; but still were astounded by how they'd managed such a feat.

"You know, Buffs..." Xander suddenly blurted, "We could be listening to country music right now, with the wind blowing through our hair; with room to stretch our legs... having fun... Don't it just make you sick to the stomach that we're not...?" Before she could answer, he then turned to Giles, and to the back of his head, he mumbled a strong and definitive, "Hmmm...?"

Willow started to laugh and slapped her fiancé on the arm. "You should be grateful that you're getting any kinda lift, Xand..." and immediately added, "Yeah, you *could* be doing all that, but, you could also be walking, y'know..."

"Thank you, Willow..." Giles sighed gratefully.

"Yeah, well," Xander added with a little pout, "if you drop me off here, I bet I still get there before you..."

Giles slowed the car down and brought it smoothly to a stop. He then turned around to face Xander, and as he leant across the back of his driving seat and opened the back door, he said, "I'll take that bet... and raise you Ten, Xander..." then indicated with his head for Xander to get out of the car.

Xander looked to the sidewalk and further on into the darkness. He then turned back to Giles and whispered, "I-I was joking, big guy..." And laughed a nervous laugh, that sputtered at the end.

Giles chuckled himself at that and closed the door. As he turned to face the road again and start the car up, he said, "Yes, well, young man, you'd be wiser *not* to joke with someone that will *always* have the upper-hand on you..."

Buffy and Willow snickered, then placed a hand over their mouths when Xander glared at them both.

Oleecia turned in her seat, to face Xander, and smiled at him, then laughed when he pulled a face at Giles' back.

"And I'll have less of that, Xander..." Giles suddenly remonstrated at him, though still had his attention on the road.

"Oh, oh," Oleecia suddenly squealed and bounced on her seat, "I know this..." She then frowned at Xander and said, "Didn't your Mother ever tell you not to do that, because if a wind came along you'd stay looking like that...?"

"No..." Xander sulked.

Oleecia giggled, "Neither did mine..." Then as she turned back to sit properly in her seat, she added with a smile, "But I bet Giles' did..."

Every occupant of the car suddenly erupted in loud, raucous laughter, all except for the driver, who could only think that, for the first time since the phone- call, he could not wait to get to the Watcher's Council Headquarters... And he sighed with relief to see the gates ahead of them... "We're here, *children*..." he announced a little tersely, as he pulled the car into a parking space and switched the engine off.

The laughter died in an instant, much like the popping of a balloon.

"So... so this is it, huh...?" Xander asked looking at the outside of the building, then turned to Buffy and said, "Gotta say, Buffs, it gives me the heebie-jeebies..."

"Yeah..." she whispered, "but not half as much as some of the guys that are *in* there..."

"Of whom your Watcher shall soon be one, Buffy..." Giles snarked at her.

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by that, Giles... Besides," she quickly added, "you're different..."

"Oh...?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "you don't creep me out like they do and-and you've *never* let me down..." When she saw him open his mouth, she knew, without a doubt, what he was about to say, so decided to get there before him, "And that includes the crucial-thingy..."

Giles let rip with a short, sharp burst of laughter, but the seriousness of the situation where he knew he'd let her down far more than she could ever do to him, took the laughter from him and he replied, in all seriousness... "It is called "The Cruciamentum", Buffy, and, if I recall it correctly, I did indeed let you down..."

Buffy shook her head at him, "You would-a done, if you hadn't've said anything, but you *did* say something..." When he again opened his mouth, she jumped in again; her brow creasing with the question she was about to ask, "Have you forgiven your friend, Giles...?"

Xander's eyes went wide, along with Willow's and Oleecia's. He shook his head from left to right and frantically mouthed the word 'No' at Buffy, wincing at the same time.

Buffy ignored him and said, "Giles...?"

"Yes..." Giles whispered back at her, "Yes, I *have* forgiven Richard..."

"Well, good, cos I've forgiven you..." She smiled, but quickly added, "Besides, when it comes down to it, you and Richard had the same problem anyway..."

Giles turned and frowned at her, "We did...?"

"Uh-huh..." she nodded, "Both of you thought you were doing right by what you did, but when you thought about it and came to your senses again, you both realised that what you *were* actually doing *wasn't* right... And you both then *did* something about it..." She paused to see if she was making any sense to her Watcher, and was pleased to see he was affected by what she was saying, so, she softly added... "I'm just glad that you're still here with me, cos I really, *really* don't think I could do it without you... You-you big Lug..."

When Giles still didn't appear to be able to say anything, she turned to Xander and, to try and ease the solemn mood that had descended on them all, she said, "Sheesh, Xand, did I just sound like Willow...?"

"Hey...!" Willow suddenly protested, "I so *don't* sound like that..." But then started to giggle along with the others, when she looked at them in turn. "All right, I babble... Okay...?" she admitted, which caused the others to laugh louder.

Oleecia turned sideways to have a look at Giles. He was staring into nothing, half turned away, which she thought would start to hurt soon if he didn't move. So, she placed a hand gently on his arm, and softly called, "Giles...?"

He blinked once or twice, before turning his attention to Oleecia, "Hmm...?" he muttered.

Oleecia then pointed towards the building in front of them and whispered, "We're here..."

He sat up, blinked a couple of times and then said, "Ah, yes, so we are..." He then unbuckled himself from the seat and left the car.

Oleecia frowned... She thought it had been really nice what Buffy'd said, so why was Giles like he was...? He looked so... she didn't know... so... something... She couldn't quite place his look, but it certainly wasn't a happy look... And... and it wasn't an angry look... just a look that seemed a million miles away...

Unable to put her finger on what was bothering Giles, Oleecia gave up with a mental sigh and a shrug of her shoulders, and then followed him out...


When he'd ensured that his Slayer and all of the Scoobies were with him, Giles turned towards the Watcher's Council Building and moved off. He stumbled a step when he felt a hand tug at his arm. "Hmm...?" he softly enquired.

It was Buffy... "Hey, Watcher-mine," she whispered, "I... I didn't mean to upset you, y'know..."

Giles smiled down at her, "I am far from being upset, Buffy... I had been so caught up with the fact that I had never forgiven *myself*, that I thought that it *must* be the same for you..." He smiled again, and as he placed an arm about her shoulders, he added, "Buffy... I'm... I'm so *very* thankful that you *have* forgiven me..."

Feeling a little self-conscious and nervous all of a sudden, Buffy playfully whopped her Watcher on the arm and said, "Hey, c'mon, Giles, it was no biggie..."

"It was, and is..." he countered, "as you well know..."

She did... She remembered her words to him as well... Yeah, okay, only something big and huge could-a made her say those things. "Okay, Giles, you win..." she quietly admitted, "It *was* a biggie, but you came right in the end though... Like I knew you would... Just like Richard did for you..." She then looked to the ground, "I was just hurt that you'd done those things in the first place..."

"I know..." he assured her, "and it is the very thing that I have not been able to forgive myself for..." He shook his head at the thought of such a thing, then softly added, "And all that you had said to me, Buffy, was right... I *had* poisoned you... I *had* let you down, in the most unforgivable of ways, but I shan't ever again..." he fervently promised her, "You have my life on that..."

Buffy smiled affectionately up at him and whispered, "I know..."

Giles returned her smile and then looked up to find Michael standing at an opened doorway, waiting for him and the others to approach. He looked back down at Buffy, briefly held her to him as they walked, and gently replied with, "Thank you..."

Buffy's eyes lit up at that and she smiled a smile that quickly turned into a grin... "You're welcome, Bookguy..." she proudly announced, and walked the rest of the way to the door with her arm around Giles' waist; for once, liking the feel of safety and security his arm about her shoulders placed in her.


Michael came to meet them halfway to the door with a hand held out towards Giles. "I am so pleased that you have come, Mr Giles..." He announced with excitement and shook Giles' hand.

"Yes, well..." Giles replied, "I wish that the same could be said for me, but I can't know until this is over done with..."

"As you say, Sir..." Michael brightly replied, with a smile for each one of the Scoobies...

Giles then introduced them to him, "This is Buffy... As you know... And Oleecia..." He then turned slightly to his right and as he indicated for Xander and Willow to step forward, he added, "And this is Willow Rosenberg, soon to be Harris..." He chuckled briefly at that, before adding, "And this stout, young man is Xander Harris, her intended..."

Michael stepped forward and kissed Willow's hand, "My pleasure indeed, Miss..."

Giles rolled his eyes and sighed...

Xander stepped forward, in front of Willow, protectively.

Again Giles rolled his eyes, but this time with a smile on his face and a chuckle...

Willow giggled and playfully thumped Xander on the arm...

Michael then stepped forward, shook Xander's hand and said, "You are a very lucky man indeed..."

Seeing Xander swiftly take his hand from the handshake, Giles then stepped forward and said, "He is aware of that fact, Michael... As *you* should be..."

"Oh... Oh, yes... yes, of course..." he spluttered a reply and turned back to Xander to add, "I do apologise, young man, I was only commenting on how lovely your fiancée was, and... and..." He heard Xander actually growl at him and took take a step back...

"Down boy..." Buffy suddenly blurted and then turned to her Watcher and said, "C'mon, Giles, you know this is my least favourite place, so can we, you know, get this over and done with...?" and as an afterthought added, "Like... now...?"

"Indeed, Buffy..." Giles chuckled, then looking at Michael he said, "Would you be so kind as to lead the way...?"

Michael nodded, turned and headed back towards the building. When he reached the doorway, he informed Giles, "The boardroom is first door on the right as we enter in here, Mr Giles..."

"Well that's good to know, but I believe I would like to have a look at the room that contains the Vessels of the poor creatures that cannot go to their final resting places..."

"But sir..." Michael interjected.

"Now... Michael..." Giles ordered him in a voice that left no room for any argument. He added just as severely, "The board have waited for my presence for such a long time now, that I'm convinced that a few moments more shall not do anyone any harm..."

Michael looked to the door of the boardroom and then back at Giles. He then gulped and meekly whispered, "You *are* the Chairman, after all..."

Giles smiled, "I am indeed..." and nodded at Michael to show them the way. Giles then felt a tug at his sleeve and looked down at the person who'd pulled at him. "Buffy...?" he murmured.

"*I* could-a shown you where the room was, Giles..." she whispered.

"I know," he whispered back at her, "but there is a thing called protocol and it is rather prevalent in the Watcher's Council. It would not do, even for the Chairman, or especially so, to wander the corridors of this building, unattended..."

"Oh..."

Giles smiled and added, "So let's go see what you and Spike found..."

Buffy nodded and frowned a little... "I know you won't like it..."

Giles returned her frown, with a frown of confusion, but said nothing. Instead he walked a little ahead of her, Xander, Willow and Oleecia, to walk directly behind Michael.

The young man stopped outside a huge oak door and turned towards him, "We're here, sir..."

"Thank you, Michael," Giles replied ingratiatingly and then turned the door handle and walked in. Lights blinked at him from many Vessels, placed on several shelves that surrounded the room.

It immediately reminded him of the scene where the Mother ship in "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind" had descended and was trying to communicate to anyone that could understand... He understood all too well and it pained him to see just what the Council had done...

He swiftly turned away from the display, and with tear-filled eyes that glistened in the orange glow, he angrily glared at Michael. "Do you know... do you have the *slightest* idea of what you have done here...?" he muttered through clenched teeth; and actually took a step towards his Advisor.

Michael looked alarmed at Giles' look, but it wasn't the threat of bodily harm that had him taking a step back, more so because he himself had never seen this room. And to be condemned for being responsible for what it contained was more than he could bear. He stepped forward, saying, "I had *no* idea, Mr Giles... You must believe me... I had heard only rumours, but... but seeing it now, as you do, I am... I am as appalled..."

Giles looked him directly in the eyes and bowed his head once he'd determined that Michael had indeed spoken the truth. When he lifted it, he fervently promised each one of them standing beside him, "I must see that this is never conceived of ever again... No more..."

"I agree, Mr Giles... And..." Michael quickly added, "rest assure, you shall have my backing to the very end..."

Giles smiled at the young man standing in front of him, placed a hand upon his shoulder and said, "Thank you..." He then moved away towards Xander and Willow. Looking directly at them he then said, "Could you stay here whilst I attend the boardroom...?" When both silently nodded at him, he added, "I'll return shortly..." With that said, he then motioned for Buffy and Oleecia, and Michael, to leave with him. At the door, he turned once more and added, "And be sure that *no-one* enters here without myself or Michael being present..."

Xander gulped at the sound of Giles' voice, but nodded...

As did Willow...




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.