Chapter 2
I walk through the halls of the high school, heading straight to the library. If there was one thing I had heard time and time again over the years, it was that Giles had always been at the library, much like he was always at the Magic Box.
I push open the double doors and make the decision that sneaking up wouldn’t be the best idea.
“Watcher! You in here?” I call, sounding as non-threatening as possible. I hear fumbling coming from the office and I make my way there stopping short when a cross meets my vision.
“What do you want?” Giles asks, his fear evident. He’s reaching behind him, unable to grasp what he’s searching for.
“To your right,” I tell him. Giles’s eyes open wide. “If it’ll make you more at ease to hear me out, the stake is to your right.”
Giles grabs it, holding it up.
I shake my head. “You know you can’t take me, old man. Never could. Let me just explain, alright?”
“You want to sit and have some tea?” Giles asks, his voice filled with sarcastic cheer.
I choose to ignore his tone, “A nice cuppa would be welcome right about now.”
“What the hell is going on here?” Giles asks, obviously even less at ease than when I first came in. I am not doing this right at all.
“No tea, then. Okay. How about a whiskey? Scotch? You always have something stashed away. Doubt it’s any different here and now.”
“I am not going to sit and have tea nor am I going to have a drink with you. I do know how to use this and I will die before I allow you to turn me or my Slayer into your filthy – “
I roll my eyes. “I forgot what an utter tight-ass you used to be.”
“Used to be?”
I smirk. Finally, an in. “Yeah, see, Watcher, I have these two things.” I hold up the book and the gold circle. “Book’s useless to me, probably not to you and this…well, this brought me here.”
“To the library?”
“No, to 1997.”
“And you’re not from 1997? It’s funny, really, because you look a lot like the vampire that tried to murder everyone on the night of the teacher conferences.”
“Well, yeah, I did. Then…now.” I groan. “Look, I’m here in 1997 as that Spike but me, I’m from 2001.”
“2001?”
“Yeah! And I stole this book from Red because she was planning on doing something with Buffy.”
Giles grows rigid at Buffy’s name. “What about Buffy?”
“I don’t know what I should tell you and what I shouldn’t.”
“Why don’t you start at the beginning while I get us that drink?”
I smile. “Ah, you old codger! I knew you’d have something here. Whatever it is, I’ll have lots. It’s been a hell of a – “
I feel the splash on my skin and then feel the burning. I lift my forearms to protect my face from the onslaught of holy water Giles is tossing at me.
“Fucking Christ, Watcher!”
“Don’t like that much, do you, demon? Well, how’s this?” Giles lifts his arms over his head, ready to hit me on my head with all his might. I know Giles is well aware that he would never be able to kill me without some help and as Buffy is on the hunt, he’s left to his own devices. And his current device is a ghastly looking statue that I can only guess he’s currently researching. Hopefully, knocking a vampire unconscious with it won’t end the world.
As Giles brings it down with all the force he can muster, I lift my arm up, skin still smoking from Giles’ first assault.
“Will you knock it off?” I push the statue away, sending Giles to the floor. “I’m not here to kill you…or turn you for that matter. Don’t fancy having you around for the next hundred years, lecturing me or looking at me like I ate your puppy.”
“I – “
“Look, I just need your brain, alright? I can see how this is all bogged up but I have once again done something rash and now I’m stuck here and I need to get back to there to talk to you.” At Giles’s confused look, I clarify. “2001, you. Not you you. Oh, bloody hell, my head is going to explode.”
“We could hope.”
“There’s the Watcher I know.” I look around the room and see a bottle of water. “Is this water?”
“What does it look like?”
“Unblessed?” Giles waits a beat before nodding. I open it, spilling the water over my hands and splashing it on my face. “That stings like a whip. I hope you didn’t mar my good looks. Lucky for you, I’ll be good as new in a couple of hours…if I had some blood.”
Giles widens his eyes and I can’t help chuckling. I have to admit that I miss this. This power I used to have. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make my demon sing a little.
“I don’t drink from humans anymore. Can’t. Too complicated to get into. Does Angel stash blood here?”
“No…,” Giles answers, clearly uncomfortable with this discussion. “Does he?”
“Now? No, he’s not around.” I catch the small smile that crossed Giles’ lips. “Ah, I always knew you weren’t thrilled about the two of them. Why the lot of you gave me such a hard time after everything he did still makes me want to – “
I stop talking. I should shut up. It’s always been a problem.
I spot Giles’ scarf and use it to dry off, much to Giles’ annoyance.
“When you say you can’t feed off humans anymore, you mean you have a soul?”
My mouth drops open and I almost gag. “I’ll leave that to Peaches, thanks much. Let’s just leave it as I can’t.”
“But you want to?”
“Hell, Watcher, Angel wants to – we’re vampires. It’s what we do. There’s no stopping the want and need but we get around it. Now, look – “
“Angel’s soul keeps him in line. What keeps you?”
“First off, Angel’s soul…that’s a fine line. You’ll learn that soon enough. Don’t get all wide-eyed and surprised, Rupert. It’s not like you don’t worry about it every day.”
“You know my first name?”
“We run in the same circles.”
“And Angel’s soul?”
“I’m fairly certain this is one of those space time continuum things that I’ve seen in Xander’s comics. I don’t want to interfere with the way things are supposed to go. I just want to get back to where I came from.”
“How’d you get here?”
“It’s a good question, mate. Short of wishing really hard, I’m not too sure.” Off of Giles’s unasked question, I explain further. “I was stealing this,” I hold up the circle, “from Willow. She was trying to do some mojo that I didn’t exactly approve of. I was going to get caught and I needed to get out of there. One second I’m there, next it’s a rough landing in the cemetery.”
“May I?” Giles asks, holding out his hand, but staying on the floor. I wonder if I should just turn it over to Giles so easily. It’s my only way to get back to where I want to go. I don’t know if Giles is just toying with me again. I study the man and see that, even if he doesn’t believe everything I was telling him, he was always one to research.
I hand the piece to Giles who starts muttering under his breath.
“You said Willow was going to use magic on this?”
“Well, she was either using it with a spell or she was using this on its own. I don’t know. I didn’t get that far with Tara.”
“Tara?”
“Uh, friend. Later. In college.”
“Buffy gets to college?” Giles asks and the way his eyes light up with pride makes me kick myself. “Right, you won’t tell me. I understand. I’ve heard about the repercussions of this kind of thing.” He sighs. “I must admit, I think this whole thing a bit odd but this is the Hellmouth and stranger things have happened, I suppose. This isn’t a trick to get to the Slayer?”
I laugh. “Even when I wanted her dead, I was never that ambitious to go back in time to do it.”
“You don’t want her dead in your time?” His surprise is evident and he shakes his head, chastising himself. “I know, I know. You can’t tell me. Who would have thought that the idea of knowing one’s future would be so intriguing? I’ve never been one to think on such things – “
When he stops mid-sentence, I stiffen. “What?”
“Are you kidding me?”
I smirk and turn to look at her. I hadn’t noticed how short her skirt was before or how high her heels. How did she kill things in those outfits? She was so…girly then. Now. I lift my hand to my temple. I can’t keep doing this to my brain.
“Buffy, before you jump to – “ Giles begins but Buffy is already punching me in the nose before he can finish his sentence.
“What in the hell was that for, Slayer? I didn’t do anything!”
“You exist! Reason enough if you ask me. Plus, you’re about to eat my Watcher,” Buffy looks at Giles, “right?”
“Actually, as I was saying before you acted the way you always do, Spike is from the future.”
“Jeez, you vamps will stop at nothing to get me dead. The future? Really?” She looks at me. “Did you dope him?”
“No, he did not. Now listen to me, Buffy, there are things we need to do and you can’t be here for them.”
“I am not leaving you alone with a killer, Giles. Duh.”
“I’m not going to kill him,” I say, uselessly, as the two are just beginning to argue.
“Buffy, as your Watcher, I am telling you to go home for the night and I will take care of this issue.”
“And as the Slayer, I’m telling you that’s a no go. Deal.”
“You are the most insolent – “
“If I could cut in,” I interrupt. “I don’t have time for this, okay? I need to get back to 2001 and I need to get back now. Before Willow does something that she shouldn’t be doing or she tries to find me and this whole past thing gets even more fucked up – “
“Language,” Giles admonishes under his breath.
“Than they are right now,” I finish loudly, to get their attention. “Just interacting with you two is probably damaging – “
“You can say that again,” Buffy quips.
“Buffy,” Giles warns and she rolls her eyes in response.
“Fine, fine,” she says, holding up her hands, before crossing her arms across her chest and leaning against the wall. The look on her face tells of the Buffy she’ll become. My Buffy. The sudden pang of loss that hits me is more than I can take and I have to look away from her. She’s been gone 33 days and I know I’m not dealing with it properly. But now isn’t the time.
“There’s a companion to this book,” Giles says, a little bit of excitement in his voice. “I’ll be right back.”
“You’ve probably made his night.”
“Well, there are just some things that will always be, right?”
“So, what’s going on in four years?” Buffy asks as nonchalantly as she can.
“Many, many things,” I answer, sighing. I don’t want to talk about this.
“You said Willow is planning on doing something bad?”
“I never said bad.”
“But not great, right? I mean, all this is happening for a reason so…”
“So?”
“Is my sweet, shy best friend evil? Because that would totally be my luck.”
“She’s not evil.”
“What is she trying to do?”
“That is definitely something I can’t tell you.”
“Because it’s about me,” she states, simply and quietly.
I look at her, surprised. I never thought she was dumb. She was always keeping me on my toes and she could really think quickly in the moment, which I respected. But I didn’t expect her to suss out that she would be the cause of what’s happening here. I’ll have to be even more cryptic which is already proving to be a task.
“I guess it’s cool that I get another four years,” she whispers and I thought the pang I felt a few moments ago would be the worst of it.
“I think I have it!” Giles exclaims, coming back into his office. He doesn’t notice the quietness of the room and Buffy quickly turns her somber attitude around.
“What is it?” she asks, joining me and Giles at the desk.
“It’s Behnri’s Circle. Igor Behnri lived over two centuries ago and it was rumored that he possessed the ability to bend time and space through sheer will. This isn’t a talisman, at least not in the sense that we know the word. It was a custom to fashion a piece of jewelry that represented the child and his standing in society. Behnri’s family was wealthy but small, Igor being the only child his parents had. The charm is blessed by the town’s shaman and worn until death, where it was either passed onto his child or, if he had none, buried with him.”
“Did he have any kids?” Buffy asks.
“No, it says here that Igor never married.”
“So someone dug him up? Classy.” Buffy makes a face. “I long for the days when I’m not involved with anyone digging up dead people and their stuff.”
I look at her quickly and find her looking at me, waiting for a reaction. Whatever she sees there makes her frown. I wish I could say something that might make her feel a little better but I’m not particularly good at comforting 2001 Buffy, much less this 16-year old version of her.
“No, I don’t believe it was ever buried with him, actually,” Giles tells us.
“Didn’t you just say – “
Giles shoots her a look. “Please allow me to finish.”
“Well, you just take sooooo long, Giles. Even the vampire is aging as we wait for you to reach the probably not at all exciting conclusion.”
I can’t help but laugh. I wonder what it would have been like to know her in this time. Our truce didn’t let me see this part of her. It didn’t offer me the opportunity to see her with Giles in a different way than they are now. Were, I correct myself. She didn’t carry that weight she acquired after Angel, Dawn…and her mom.
Giles sighs heavily but continues, “There’s no account of his death.”
“But he had to have died, right?” Buffy asks.
“Did he?” I counter. “If the little bugger didn’t kick it…”
“Perhaps he’s in 2001,” Giles finishes. “Where did Willow get this?”
“She didn’t, I did. It wasn’t easy, let me tell you.” Giles and Buffy look at me, expectantly. “Oh, right. There were some demons, a pit of lava, a stake wall…”
“How very Indiana Jones of you,” Buffy comments, kind of impressed.
“You did this because you’re all good friends now?” Giles asks, clearly confused.
“Oh, no. I did it for the cash,” I answer a little too quickly. “And, of course, to help.”
Buffy rolls her eyes. “I knew we’d never be friends. You’re too…too…”
“Evil?” Giles offers.
“Well, yeah, but…and hey! Angel kind of hates your guts so I don’t think we’re all hanging around the cemetery.”
I snort. Angel hates me? Oh, she had no idea. She was so sweetly clueless about my relationship with Angel. I forgot that at this point in time, Angel was still the big hero. All mystery and a little danger and true love to the end. Bunch of bollocks that all was. It’s positively killing me not to yell out, “He goes to the dark side, people! He snaps your girlfriend like a twig, Watcher! He tries to break you, Buffy” and yet I don’t because I know I can’t.
“I went through all that and then there it was. Just hanging in the middle of the room, waiting for someone to come and pluck it from its place.”
“Without worrying about the consequences,” Giles mutters.
“Hey, I didn’t know what it was or what Willow planned on doing with it. She told me they, meaning you lot, had to get it before the bad guys did and it was the end of the world. Again.”
“Lots of apocalypses?” Buffy asks, a glint in her eye that makes me want to smile.
“Too many one might say.” I grab the circle from Giles. “So you’re telling me this Behnri character could just think of a place he wanted to go and he went there?”
“It seems that way. He must have imbued the circle with his gift somehow.”
“Let’s get something straight. I never wanted to come here. I just wanted to get out of the Slayer’s basement before Willow magically turned me to dust.”
“You were in my basement?”
“Willow can turn you to dust without a stake?”
I huff, wishing I knew when to stop talking. “Not important, alright. This is important. Focus.”
“There has to be something here that made you want to come back,” Giles reasons. “Something must have happened around this time…”
I concentrate, trying hard to remember every detail of my first year in good old Sunnyhell. I shake my head. “I’m telling you, there isn’t anything here that I want to see again. I got enough the first time around.”
“Maybe you’re here to warn us about some upcoming danger,” Giles suggests.
I narrow my eyes. “I’m not saying a word about anything so you can stop fishing.”
“I believe subconsciously, there is a reason that you came back here. To this year. To this time.”
“You asked me about Halloween. What happens?” Buffy asks.
I wonder if I should tell them anything and coming to the conclusion that it isn’t anything that could drastically change the future, I decide to give them an overview of events. “You lot turn into your costumes. I try to kill you. Spell’s broken. The end.”
“The spell’s broken because you try to eat me?” Buffy turns red. “Er, kill me?”
“One minute you’re this helpless girl from the 17th century with long brown hair and the next, your wig is in my hand and you’re beating me up.”
“I beat you up?” she asks, her voice filled with excitement. “Yay, something to look forward to!”
“Maybe you’re not supposed to be anything for Halloween this year,” Giles offers.
“No, Xander’s an army boy and he learns a lot so you have to make sure he keeps with that.”
“What does Giles dress up as?” She giggles and my heart breaks. Can’t remember the last time I heard her giggle.
“Yes, very funny, Buffy.” Giles removes his glasses and rubs his eyes. “This is maddening.”
“Maybe it’s not right now,” Buffy says. “Maybe it’s something in the future? But you had to come back here so there would be enough time to convince us?”
I think about that. It’s possible. Might have wanted to come back to before Buffy crippled me, before Angelus returned. Ultimately, though, I knew that wasn’t true.
“Believe me, there are things I’d kill to change but things happen for a reason.”
“Exactly. So why are you here?” Buffy argued. “I mean, maybe there’s something that happens that doesn’t exactly have to happen the way that it does.”
“There isn’t anything. Things happen. People get hurt, people die, lots of things change but it all has to happen and they have to go down the way that I know it does,” I insist, not noticing the look that Buffy and Giles exchange.
“Buffy,” Giles takes a piece of paper and writes on it, “will you get this book for me?”
She grabs the bit of paper, her displeasure evident, but leaves not saying anything.
“I want you tell me,” Giles demands.
I hold up my hands. “I can’t. I don’t think – “
“How bad is it?” Giles tries instead.
I don’t even bother to think about it. “Bad. For all of you.” I pause. “But especially you and the Slayer.”
Giles closes his eyes and slumps back in his chair. “Angel.”
I don’t say anything which is confirmation enough for Giles.
“Right then,” Giles stands and grabs a bag full of weapons. “We kill him before he kills us.”
“As appealing as that scenario is, not going to happen. It’s a complicated situation but trust me when I say that you want Angel alive come next year.”
“Oh, Lord, what happens next year?” Giles asks, weary.
“From what I’ve heard, quite a lot.”
“Can I ask something else?”
“Has it stopped you so far?”
Giles smiles slightly. He looks at the door and not seeing Buffy, asks, “Are you in love with her?”
I know my surprised reaction gives me away and I’m damned to try and convince Giles otherwise. Instead I nod and sit on the edge of the Watcher’s desk.
“And she with you?”
I laugh. “Absolutely not. You all hate me and she…she still sees me as a monster.” I shrug. “Maybe not before…” I stop and look at Giles, who is studying me with such great intensity it makes me squirm.
“How does this keep happening?” Giles wonders aloud, not expecting an answer.
I don’t need to think about that at all. “She’s Buffy.”
tbc...
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to Tlace and Ali for the beta. This fic is complete and I will be posting a new chapter every day.