Warning: This chapter deals with issues of molestation. The scene is not particularly graphic, however, if this makes you uncomfortable please feel free to skip it. I assure you that the motive behind writing the scene is plot-driven and not merely for the sake of writing it.




Chapter 14



Despite years of working in close contact with demons of countless origins—first in his rebellious youth, then later as a Watcher and finally in his position as a Welfare Officer in the Human Demon Relations Offices, better known by the acronym HDRO—Rupert Giles had never found himself in such an unlikely position. Giles had met his fair share of demons over the years, some more noteworthy than others—he had been granted permission to meet with several of the numerous Clan Leaders in the Sunnydale area on HDRO business on more than one occasion—yet being confronted by two of the most famous vampires in recent history seemed to be a step beyond whatever had occurred in the past. Moreover, they were there asking for his assistance.

He felt his initial anger at being awoke melt away to curiosity as he invited them into his home. “What can I do to help you?”

“What information can you give us on the Clan Leader of the Occasus Clan?” Angelus asked as he took the offered seat in Giles’ living room.

They certainly cut right to the chase. Want of information on the Occasian leader could only be a bad thing. The two clans had been rivals for centuries, their feud stretching back long enough that most of the vampires now filling their ranks knew only of their hatred of each other. For them that was enough reason to fight, it was the way they had been moulded. Their sire’s hatred passed down from generation to generation to shape their own. The lines of history joining the two clans had long since been blurred.

For two Aurelians to come to him looking for information on the leader of their rivalling clan told him that they had either been provoked into action or they were wishing to do the provoking. Either way it seemed to Giles that they were sitting precariously on the brink of a war and somehow he had landed right in the middle of it.

His history as a Watcher was no secret to the community or to the demon world. As such, he had access to information through old acquaintances and through the work he had done studying at the Council of which few could boast. Usually he saw this as an asset to the work he did integrating newly turned vampires and the occasional demon into society. Now it seemed the danger of being privy to such knowledge was about to make itself known.

“What type of information were you looking for?” Giles asked as easily as possible.

“Everything,” Angelus replied firmly. “We know nothing of him outside of his position within his clan and his physical appearance.”

Giles nodded. “I’m surprised you know that much in fact. Their clan is very private in its dealings.”

“Can you help us though?” Spike asked anxiously as he stared at the man before him.

Giles gave them a hard look. “You understand the type of position in which you are asking me to put myself, don’t you? Your rivalry is no secret and I doubt they would show much leniency towards me should they find out that you acquired the information you use against them from me.”

“We understand perfectly,” Angelus answered without hesitation. “However, if you help us, we are prepared to take you under our protection.”

“Still,” Giles sighed and rubbed a hand across his tired eyes. “Perhaps if I knew for what you intended the information?”

They were silent for a moment. Giles watched as a look passed between sire and childe. The emotion that could be seen in the depths of the blond vampire’s eyes was staggering. Giles had long since given up the teachings of the Council that demons couldn’t feel proper emotion. In his work at HDRO, he was faced with evidence that disproved that theory daily. Yet there were times, like these, when he was blown away by the sheer intensity of what he was witnessing. Spike was pleading with his sire, for what Giles didn’t know, but it seemed even Angelus was just as moved by the look in his eyes.

“I know, Will,” the elder vampire said gently in answer to his childe’s silent entreaty.

Angelus turned back to the human sitting before them. “Mr. Giles, I understand that you rather not get involved, but their clan has taken Buffy and they plan on attempting a Second Turning on her. It turns out that Buffy’s mother had a familial claim placed on her by Christian. No trace of the claim can be found in Buffy’s blood; nonetheless, they feel that Buffy belongs to their clan and seek to make that permanent.”

“Good Lord! You can’t be serious?” Giles asked. Neither vampire replied. “The practice of that ritual has been outlawed for centuries!”

“Buffy has already gone through an Embracement, Rupes. A Second Turning would kill her,” Spike said solemnly. “We need your help. We need to find out everything we possibly can about their Clan Leader and the ritual.”

Giles was silent as he considered what the vampire had said. If they truly intended on subjecting Buffy to a Second Turning there was no way that he could sit by and do nothing with that knowledge. It was his job to help people, not turn a blind eye to illegal practices which had proven fatal to the subject more than once in the past.

“You realise this is going to take days of research?” He told them as he resigned himself to the fact that he couldn’t knowingly sit by and do nothing. “I will need to go in to the offices to find out what they have on file. Every clan must have their Clan Leader’s name registered, as well as the time they took control of the clan. I believe that would be the first place for us to begin our search,” Giles said firmly as he stood with the vampires and made his way to the door. “In the mean time, we are going to need all the help we can get.”

“I don’t want to trust this to anyone outside of the Order,” Angelus replied grimly. “Minions are too easily bribed. We will gather those willing to help and meet you back here at sundown tonight.”

“Very well then,” Giles said as the group of men looked at each other with determination. “I assume your offer of protection still stands?”

Angelus nodded. “Of course, we are extremely grateful to you for your help.”

“Till sundown then,” Giles replied, as he watched the larger vampire walk out the door. He turned his attention to the blond that was still standing in his doorway.

“Thank you,” Spike said, holding his hand out to the man before him. He shook it firmly as Giles clasped it with his own.

Giles watched as Spike slipped of into the night after his sire. Spike wore his emotions for everybody to see, it was obvious that he cared deeply for Buffy Summers, possibly even loved her. Giles’ resolve to help them firmed; he would do whatever it took to help get Buffy back where she belonged.


*****


Buffy woke with the feeling of being watched. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but despite her determination to escape before she could be presented to the Master of the clan who had kidnapped her, Buffy quickly discovered that the only way out was through the locked and guarded doors at the end of the room. Sitting had proven uncomfortable so she had stretched out along the bed to avoid the punishing dig of the whale bone into her flesh.

Buffy grew still as she stretched out her senses, searching for the second presence she could feel in the room with her. A deep rasping chuckle from the corner of the room sent cold shivers racing down her spine and the hair on her arms standing on end. It screamed danger and both her demon and the girl inside her were desperate to flee, only they had nowhere to run. Instead, Buffy lay as still as possible in the presence of the threat.

“I know you’re awake,” the voice said with amusement, “I’ve been watching you for hours.”

She heard the heavy tread of feet behind her as the figure made its way over to the bed, but she refused to acknowledge him. The childish notion that if you can’t see it then it isn’t really there was running on repeat through her head as she waited for him to speak again or leave her alone.

Buffy’s eyes shot open when she felt the depression in the mattress behind her. She shivered in fear as his fingers rose to skim across the skin of her arm. A tight knot of nausea balled in her stomach as she bolted from the bed only to be pulled back underneath him.

She fought his hands away as they attempted to learn the curves of her body, his fetid breath that stank of stale blood fanned across her face as he leaned in towards her. “Stop it!” Buffy growled, letting her demon burst across her face as she pushed him off of her and bolted for the door again.

Her hands frantically tore at the handle as she rattled the door. His body slammed into hers from behind, plastering her to the door as his hands groped at her hips and breasts with bruising force. “Why are you fighting me?”

His hands moved towards her skirts.

“Please don’t,” she whimpered as she tried to buck him off. She pushed against the door with all her might as she tried to push him off and give herself some room to manoeuvre, but his hold on her refused to give even an inch. She clawed at his arms, his face, anything she could reach but nothing seemed to deter him.

She felt his hand on her thigh moments before it slipped up to massage the muscle of her rear as he ground his erection into her from behind. He ignored her attempts to throw him off or claw at him as he nuzzled the hair away from her neck. She held her breath and shut her eyes tightly as his tongue darted out leaving a cold trail of saliva down the length of her neck.

She shivered in disgust as her stomach rolled.

Then suddenly he stopped. He pulled away from her snarling, “You stink of Angelus!”

Buffy sighed in relief as he let go of her, remaining pressed up against the door as her skirts fell in place around her legs once more.

“The sooner that damn ritual takes place the better,” he growled as he gripped her shoulder and threw her backwards away from the door. He stopped to snarl down at her once more before walking out of the room and slamming the door in place behind him. Buffy waited until she heard the lock turn before she let the tears fall.


*****


Giles smiled briefly at the night time secretary as he breezed through the entrance of HDRO and made a beeline straight to his office. Despite a large percentage of their clientele being demons and keeping late hours, the offices were relatively quiet in the early hours of the morning. The only sound that could be heard as Rupert Giles sat behind his desk was the soft whir of the computer as it came to life.

His palms were sweaty as he placed his hands over the keyboard to sign in. Giles couldn’t help but shoot a quick glance towards the closed door before he began typing. Nothing about what he was doing was wrong—aside from the fact that he planned to give the information to the Aurelius clan so they could use it against their rivals—yet he could do nothing to stop the nervous swell of butterflies in his stomach. Giles found himself glad for the solitude that the early hours of the morning brought him, it meant there was no chance of someone walking in on him and forcing him to explain what he was doing.

His fingers flew across the keys as he searched through their database for the name of the vampire they were looking for. Once the program was running, Giles leant back in his chair and shut his eyes, allowing the computer to search through the system for the information he needed. He could feel the fatigue in his body creeping up on him as a result of the sleep that had been stolen from him the moment Angelus and his childe had shown up on his doorstep earlier that night. He had a feeling though, that over the next few days any chance of sleep would have to be forfeited in the face of research.

Giles sighed at the reality of it and looked back at the screen as it began flashing at him in completion. Grabbing a post-it note and a pencil from his desk, he quickly scrolled down the screen and jotted down the name it displayed at the reference numbers for the books he needed in their library.

Silas Tizoc.


AN: Thank you Andrea for the speedy beta and to everyone who has been reviewing :D