REPLAY





Chapter 16- What are Friends For?



Living on the hellmouth and being a watcher had made Giles believe that nothing could surprise him. He had seen quite a bit, and he had been beginning to think that there wasn’t much he hadn’t set his eyes on. He was wrong. Time travel. That boggled his mind out of proportion. That was something left to the science fiction genre. Through all his years of studying he had never heard of a true encounter taking place.



And now he had. By his own slayer no less. She sat before him, looking nervous.



“I don’t know why you didn’t come to me sooner about this,” he said.



She shyly lifted her gaze. “I thought it was best not to,” she replied. “I didn’t want you to have to find out what happened before. We went through horrible things, Giles. Well, you were absent for most of it.”



He felt a pang in his chest. “I am truly sorry. I thought it would be for the best to go. I had no intention of causing you further pain.”



Buffy gave him a small smile. “I know. Just please don’t leave this time.”



“I tore it up.”



“Huh?”



“The plane ticket.”



It took a moment for his words to penetrate. When they did her face brightened. For a moment he thought she might get up and hug him. She didn’t, but kept looking at him with that expression of joy. The sight made him smile as well, and his eyes crinkle.



“I’m staying Buffy,” he assured her.



“Good,” she said. “We can’t have you reverting back to tweed suits and prudish ways.”



“Prude? Excuse me? The British are very open to uh . . . certain urges.”



She giggled. The sound was so girlish and full-heartened. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen her so blissful. Ever since her mother had passed away it had been downhill. Why had he ever decided to abandon her in the first place? If his residence could bring such merriment there was no threat of him ever departing.



“I’ll be here for you all this time. Tell me what needs to be done,” Giles said.



She became more serious, but there was still light in her gaze. “Things will be better this time.” She said it with such confidence that he believed her words entirely.



“Where should we start?”



Buffy’s answer was immediate. “Willow. The sooner she gets help the better.”



The news didn’t surprise him. It did make him a tad bit sad, though. Willow had always been such a bright and sweet girl. He almost wished she had never discovered magic. He knew it had gotten them out of binds, but they could have found other ways.



“What does she do?” He didn’t want to know, not really.



Buffy’s green eyes shifted downward. “It isn’t pretty. Someone will die. A human someone.”



“Good Lord!”

Her head shot up and she raised her hand. “Relax. It is someone we all want to do away with. Willow had good reason to do it. But there never is a good enough reason to kill a man in my book.”



Images swam through Giles’s mind. He saw Ben sprawled out on the cold concrete floor, bloody and helpless. He saw himself reach out and smother the life out of him. ‘There never is a good enough reason to kill a man’. Oh Buffy, you just don’t understand. If he were given the chance he would do the same thing over. It was something that had to be done. But that didn’t make him feel any better about the fact. He did not wish the guilt on someone else, especially Willow.



“The next priority is Warren.”



“Warren?”



“Andrew and Jonathan’s fearless leader.”



“Ah, I see.”



“A minor threat, but still a threat. We have to find out where his lair is located.”



“Anything else?”



“Do you want me to make a list?”



She watched him get up. He went over to the cash register and fumbled around in the drawer beneath it. He found a pad of paper and pen. Then he came back over. He wrote Willow and then Warren down.



“Okay,” she said. “Xander.”



Giles gave her a curious look.



“I think I fixed things with him, but we can’t jump the gun. He left Anya at the alter. Then she goes all vengeful again.”



Poor girl. He added Xander/Anya to the list.

“Spike and I are taken care of.”



That got his attention. “What happened with you and him before?”



She shifted in her seat. “You don’t want to know.”



Actually he did. But it wasn’t any of his business, so he let it go.



“I need to find a warlock named Rack. That should be easy. I’ll just get Spike to lead me to him like I did the first time. Should be a cinch.” She paused. “Then there’s Amy. Oh, what time is it!?”



He glanced at his watch. “A little after nine.”



Buffy jumped to her feet. “I have to get home! I totally forgot! How stupid can I get?”



+ + +



Buffy left the door open for Giles, who was supposedly behind her. She raced upstairs. She knew she was too late. Her slayer intuition was in overdrive.



She entered the mast bedroom to find Willow on the bed, sitting calmly. She came to a halt.



“Buffy. Hey,” Willow greeted.



Buffy scanned the room. There was no sign of Amy.



“H-How are you doing?”



“Uh, okay,” Willow replied.



Just then the closet opened. Amy stepped out, dazed.



“The whole school?” Amy questioned.



Willow nodded.



“By a giant snake thing? Okay, still adjusting. Hi, Buffy.”



Buffy blinked. “H-Hi. How have you been?”



“Rat. You?”



From the future. “Dead.”



“Oh.”



Giles burst into the room. He took in the situation.



“Amy. Hello,” Giles said.



Amy stared, wide eyed. “Mr. Giles? Wow, a whole welcome party.”



“Would you like a ride home?” Giles offered.



Before Amy could speak Willow did. “She just got de-ratted. I doubt she’s ready to face her dad.”



“Wouldn’t she feel more comfortable in her own home?”



Willow turned to Buffy. “Don’t you think she should stay the night? It’s late.”



“I-I don’t know. Maybe Giles is right. I think maybe Amy should go home,” Buffy said.



Willow was clearly not pleased. “Fine. Take her home.” Her voice came out harsh.



“Will, don’t be mad.”



Willow addressed Amy. “Sorry.”



Amy shook her head. “Oh, no problem. I bet my dad is wandering where I am.”



Understatement much?

Giles led Amy out.



Willow glared at Buffy. “You could have acted more hospitable.”



“I just thought she would feel more comfortable at her own home.”



Willow wouldn’t meet Buffy’s eyes.



+ + +



It took awhile for the revelation to hit Spike. Afterward he didn’t know what to do. He sat, sloshing a bottle of bourbon, but not actually drinking.



The chip didn’t work anymore. It couldn’t. During Willow’s spell he had delivered many blows in response to Buffy’s own. Unless his head was somehow effected by the spell as well as his memories. There was only one way to find out.



He cornered the young woman in an alley. She was a tasty thing, wearing a red jacket and tight jeans, her white neck tauntingly exposed. She squeaked as he trapped her against the brick wall. Her whole body trembled.



“I’m not going to kill you,” he drawled. “I just need a taste. Just to see if what I fear is right.”



He changed, letting his demon out to play. The woman screamed. He lunged for her vein. He could feel the pull of the pumping stream. Remember, this is a test, he reminded himself. Your goal isn’t to drain her. Remember Buffy.



An explosion ignited inside his brain. He hollered and doubled over, clutching his head.



“Fuck! What is going on!?”



He was vaguely aware of the woman as she fled the scene.



+ + +

“Good god, that’s a lot of shake,” remarked Tara. “I know part of our big movie and milkshake fun day, but . . . good god, that’s a lot of shake.”



Dawn laughed. She released her hold on the straw. “Helps to wash down the Raisinettes.”



“Promise me that you will eat something green tonight. Leafy green, not . . . gummi green.”

They both laughed. Dawn leaned down and slurped up some more chocolate goodness.

“The movie was fun.”

“Yeah. It was cool how all those inner-city kids taught their coach a valuable lesson.” She paused. “We should do this sort of thing again.”



Tara nodded. “Definitely. . . You know I will always be there for you, right? There, there was actually more of a lead-in when I practiced that at home.”

Dawn’s glee disappeared. “I know.”

“It’s just . . . I want you to know that my moving out had nothing to do with you, and I, I will never stop loving you.”

“I know,” Dawn whispered.

They were uncomfortable, both silent for a moment.

“Tara?”

“What, honey?”

“You can’t abandon Willow completely. She needs all the support she can to get better. Otherwise . . . She might get worse. Please come by and see her once in awhile.”

“I-I’ll think about it. Maybe after we’ve had some time apart,” Tara said.

+ + +

The girls neared the house. Their heads were full of deep thoughts.

“Please come in,” Dawn begged. “The nerds aren’t around. They went home to their parents for awhile. I think anymore time with them would have made Buffy crack.”

Tara sighed. “I don’t know if I’m ready to see her yet, Dawnie.”

Just then a figure emerged from the shadows. Both of them jumped. Dawn was the first to relax when she realized who it was.

“Spike?”

Something was clearly not right. He usually smiled when he met up with her. Not this time, though.

“I need some help,” Spike said.

“What can we do?” Tara asked.

“Some good wicca magic might be the key. I think something might be wrong with my chip.”

Their eyes widened.

_________________________________________________



Thanks for sticking with me, despite my really long break between updates.