His Fierce Protector...6

"That way..."

Giles followed the direction to which Oleecia's finger pointed, with his eyes. "You're sure...?" He couldn't help the question. He knew there was little love lost between her and Buffy, and as hard as he tried to just simply trust her, he found that, in this instance, he couldn't.

Oleecia understood his misgivings, why he questioned her, and if it was just her and Buffy, he might have been right to question her... But it wasn't... She knew how important Buffy was to Giles and would not let her dislike of the Slayer, stop him from helping. "Trust me, Giles, it's that way..."

With that said, they both started running, and only stopped when they came upon what they had been searching for. There, in front of them, was a group of about twenty Vampires, some in a circle, some fighting Buffy.

Giles withdrew his sword from the scabbard beneath his coat and charged ahead. He needed to distract the Vampires that were forming the circle. He then noticed Oleecia beside him. "Go help Buffy..."

Oleecia shook her head at that, "I stay with you..."

Through gritted teeth of determination, determination that she understood, Giles said, "Go... Help Buffy... The sooner you dispatch those, the sooner you can come and help me... Now go..."

Oleecia peeled off at that point and made for the Vampires that were attacking Buffy.

With a yell, Giles charged on ahead, swung his blade above his head and then downward towards the Vampires that were on the outer of the circle. He dispatched two of them before any had had the chance to turn. He dispatched another two as they did. With his free hand he pulled a vial of Holy Water from his pocket, flipped the lid and threw the contents in an arc at those that had started forward.

Animalistic howls then rented the night air. He dispatched another that had pushed past a couple of Vampires that were smoking from the Holy Water. He then started to back up, pulling the others away from the circle. 'Come and get me...' he thought, 'Come on, a little bit more...'

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a couple of the Vampires move around him; too far for him to get to them, without letting the ones in front of him in. He concentrated on those that he faced and hoped and prayed that Buffy or any of the others would get to those behind him. He charged again, with his sword raised shoulder height. He swung and surprisingly managed to dispatch another.

His talk with Spike, the agreement that had been made, suddenly forced its way into his brain. All would be looked after...

That moment of distraction was all it took. One of the Vampires behind him struck out at him. His vision suddenly blazed into a myriad of colours, and the pain the blow had inflicted, scorched a path the entire length of his spine and back again. He felt his knees give way and then jolt as they landed on the muddy ground.

Through the haze of pain, he looked up into the faces of his attackers. Without any thought, he raised his sword in front of him, to ward them off. He succeeded for a moment, until another blow to the back of the head sent him spiralling into a darkness that did not promise a safe return...


Spike, Willow and Xander reached the first meeting point in record time. Quickly enough, that Willow and Xander were now bent over, furiously panting, trying to regain their breath.

Spike's head suddenly snapped to the right. He tilted it slightly up to listen. Out of the blue, he said "This way..." and ran away from the two humans still trying to catch their breath.

Both Willow and Xander stood at the same time, looked at each other, both seeing their fear reflected in the other's face, then, with a hand on one side of their own bodies, they made after Spike. They caught up with him at a break of trees, which surrounded an opening full of fighting. They watched, rooted to the spot in shock, as Buffy and Oleecia dispatched their vampires, then as they turned, as one, and moved off to the hoard that surrounded someone lying on the ground.

Willow let out a whimper of despair... "No-o-o-o!!!" she cried out and ran, without thought for her own safety, towards the hoard.

But Spike had beaten her to the run... He couldn't believe that Giles had managed to distract the Vampires enough to forget the summoning. He wanted to know how he'd managed that, but to do that, he had to save him first. He staked the one nearest Giles and another as it began an attack on him. He knelt, to pick up the dropped sword, through the dust of the Vampire's demise. Even as he rose, he was swinging with all his might. He managed to dispatch another, just as Oleecia, Buffy and Willow join the affray; shortly followed by an out of breath Xander...

They worked as a team... All protecting their fallen leader... An outsider would have thought the scene magnificent... When one fell, the others would bunch together and cover them until they could regain their own ground back again. On and on the battle raged, until the air around them was suddenly full of dust; until every Vampire had dutifully met it's end.

Buffy, Willow and Xander hugged each other in relief.

"That's-that's gotta be the worst to date, Buff..." Xander suddenly announced a little breathlessly.

She noded, and then as one, they looked to Giles.

They found Oleecia bent beside him, whimpering with fear at the blood on her hand. They watched on, as she placed the other hand to his forehead and began the tiny, soft circles of comfort.

Spike then knelt beside her and said, "He aint gonna wake for you, this time, Leec..." Her eyes then widened with such sadness, that Spike immediately regretted his words.

Then he watched as she threw herself on top of Giles and wept uncontrollably. "Wake up, Giles... wake up..."

Spike took a hold of Oleecia's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "I didn't mean never, Leec..." he whispered, "I just meant, not now..."

Oleecia then let out a cry of relief and hugged Spike with all her might.

Spike then looked around at the rest of them... First Buffy, then Willow and then Xander... He couldn't disguise the pride he felt, even if he'd tried to... "We did alright tonight..." he said, "Don't ya think...?"

Xander smiled his own pride...

Willow grinned hers...

Buffy replied with, "S'what my life is all about..." and then stalked off to call an ambulance...


A doctor silently approached the crowd that was gathered in the waiting area. "Is one of you called Buffy...?" he suddenly asked.

Buffy looked up at the mention of her name and nodded.

"Mr Giles would like to speak to you..." The Doctor looked at the others, before adding, "alone..."

They all nodded, to which he was particularly pleased with. He thought there would have been a protest or two, and that he would have had a fight on his hands to stop them all from going to see Mr Giles, so, he could not help the sigh of relief at their acceptance of the situation.

Buffy rose and then followed the Doctor. "Is Giles okay...?" she quietly asked.

"He has concussion and the gash at the back of his head needed some stitches, but other than that he should be right as rain in the morning. Well," he added, checking his watch, "later on, I should say. Just to be on the safe side though, we're going to keep him in for observation..."

The Doctor then turned to Buffy, stopping her forward motion and said, "Ummm, you wouldn't, by any chance, be able to persuade him on that, would you...? He's quite adamant to leave you see, but I really feel he should stay, just for the rest of the night, at least..."

Buffy nodded and said, "Consider him staying, Doc..."

He nodded his thanks and again sighed with relief. He then opened the door that they had stopped at and motioned, with his head, for her to enter...


Buffy moved, as though through quicksand, to the door and then entered the room. She blinked a couple of times to adjust her sight to the darkness there, then she turned her head to the bed.

The Doctor hadn't mentioned the bandage, or the machines that would bleep every once in a while. He hadn't said anything at all really, only that Giles would be okay, so, to see her Watcher strapped up to God knows how many things, and have a bandage wrapped around the top of his head, she felt the shivers of fear rise in her. "Giles...?" she whispered, moving to the head of the bed.

He blinked a couple of times and then looked her directly in the eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her. "Buffy..." he whispered back.

"Doc says you're giving him a hard time about staying. I told him that he should consider you staying, cos you'd have to go through me to get out of here..."

Giles chuckled at that. "Yes, well, if I could successfully get myself away from these contraptions, I think you'd have a fight on your hands, young lady, but, since I don't know where *I* end and when these things start, I suppose I had better adhere to your judgement and stay..."

Buffy frowned with confusion, which made Giles chuckle a little harder. "Be rest assured, Buffy, I'm staying..."

She smiled at that. "Right," she whispered.

Giles then took a hold of her hand and pulled her a little closer. "Did you see her, Buffy...?" he whispered in wonderment. "Did you see how Oleecia fought...? She was fighting right by your side..."

Buffy slipped her hand from his hold and said, "Not now, Giles, please... Not now..."

He frowned with confusion, "What...? Buffy...?"

"I said, not now..." She then shook her head a little, as if she were about to say something else, but had decided not to. "Look", she eventually added, "I'm glad you're gonna be okay, but-but I gotta go now..." And with that said, before he could refute her leaving, she opened the door and left.
If she were completely honest with herself, something Buffy'd learnt had always ended up in pain, but if she were, then she would have to admit that Oleecia *had* fought well. Side by side they had done a good job tonight, but her dislike of the Vampire, quickly pushed that thought to the deep, dark recesses of her mind.

So deep, that when she approached the group still waiting, she could not help her glare of dislike towards Oleecia. Then looking away, she softened her look and announced, "He's awake and I guess a visit wouldn't go amiss..." With that said, ignoring the shift of the plastic chairs, as one by one they rose, she made her way to exit doors.

"You not coming in with us, Buff...?" Xander called.

She shook her head and then left.

Xander looked at Willow, as if she might be able to explain what all that was about, but all she did shrug her shoulders with a silent "I don't know..." then turned to go and visit Giles.

Xander looked to the doors Buffy had left by, tempted to go and see what was wrong, but he wanted, more, to see with his own eyes, that Giles was okay, so, he turned away from the exit doors and made after Willow and the others.


Giles pursed his lips in annoyance. This had gone on long enough. No more... By hook or by crook, he was going to get both Oleecia and Buffy wanting to be in the same room as each other, if it were the last thing he ever did... His thoughts were then suddenly interrupted by a soft voice enquiring if it was okay to come in... He smiled... "By all means, Willow, come in..."

She was practically barged aside by Oleecia, who made her way quickly to one side of him. He held up a hand and she grasped at it. "You fought well, tonight, Oleecia." He breathed at her, "Well done..."

Willow made for his other side and took his other hand in hers. "So... so did you, Giles..." Then she sniffled, as how she had first come upon him replayed itself in her mind.

Giles grasped her hand a little tighter, shook it a little as if in comfort, and then whispered, "Willow...?"

She sniffled again, before replying, "Don't worry Giles, just some post-fighting tears... I'll be all right in a minute..."

Xander came up behind her then and hugged her, "S'alright, Wills. Look, Giles is okay, so's Spike and Oleecia and Buffy... Me too... We're all, all right... So what's with the tears...? We should be cheering... Another prophecy dusted..."

Willow giggled wetly at that, then smiled, "Yeah... Yay us... All of us..."

Giles chuckled tiredly at that, "That's the spirit..." he encouraged, then he noticed how still Oleecia was. He looked to her and was surprised to see a frown. "Oleecia...? Don't you feel the same...? Aren't you happy...?" he whispered, fighting the urge to seek the comfort of his pillow, to close his eyes and rest.

She looked up at him and blinked with her own surprise, " 'Course I am, s'just..."

"Just, what...?" he prompted her. He would have said more, but the energy it took to say more was leaving him rather rapidly.

"It's just that since I came back with you, you and Buffy haven't gotten along... She doesn't like me, which is okay cos I don't like her that much either..."

Spike snorted at that, which caused everyone to look at him. He air-zipped his mouth and said, "Closing it and not opening it 'til Leec's said what she's said..."

Oleecia then looked back down at Giles and continued on, "But I don't like not liking her, cos it causes you to worry... Spike and me can leave, if you want... So that you and Buffy can start making up again..."

He felt a spike of energy course through his veins at what Oleecia had just said, at what she had just offered, but it left him just as quickly. He shook his head and mumbled, "No, you both stay..."

Oleecia frowned at him with puzzlement, "But Buffy's your Slayer, she comes first doesn't she...?" She was guessing, sort of... Something her Brother had told her...

Giles nodded, slowly. "In most things..."

"Then why, you know, with the way Buffy feels towards us, why are you still letting Spike and me stay...?"

His exhaustion finally getting the better of him, Giles smiled up at her, and even though his eyes were closing, he whispered, "Why not...?"

The End of Story Two



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