The
Other Watchers
Ms. Hunter Ash
Fan Fiction Crossover
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer: Buffy & Dawn Summers, Anya
Emerson, Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg, Rupert Giles, William
Pratt, Tara Maclay #### Pairings: Buffy/Spike, Anya/Xander,
Tara/Willow
Angel: Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, Cordelia Chase,
Charles Gunn (maybe) Winifred Burkle (maybe) ###Pairings:
Wesley/Winifred
Highlander: Original characters so far but
some of the tv/movie cast might appear
Buffy
moaned as she lowered herself into the welcoming water of a nice, hot
bath. She was definitely glad she wasn't out in the cold night in
Canada and she hadn't been forced to kill her Watcher.
She closed her eyes as the warm water helped her muscles relax. Her mind, however, couldn't seem to slow down. The man she loved more than her own father was alive but almost everything about him had been a lie.
Except his dedication to her and the gang, she reflected. As she thought about all the years, she believed that. He could have left when he was fired on her 18th birthday or stayed gone when she returned from the dead or....stayed gone when Willow was in England.
Buffy sighed but her mind shifted into semi-alert as she heard Giles obviously on a phone.
"Yeah, we need to shift the schedule a bit," she heard him say. "I've got company tonight. An old friend, my Slayer found me. Don't panic, I'm all right. I'll have her meet us at the cabin. Yes, she knows what I am and is stunned. I can't wait to see you. Yes, I'm eating and I'm not lost in too many books, I promise. How is it going with Tovar? That's good. Meet me there around 11? Great, see you then. Hey...I have missed you."
It was twenty minutes before Buffy stepped out of the bathroom dressed in pajamas.
"Quick, get on the air mattress, floors up here get damned cold," Giles urged from the kitchen area. "Hot cocoa? With a shot or without? Good Scots whisky."
"With, please," Buffy responded as she sat down on the air mattress and pulled a blanket over her legs and lap. "That bath helped a lot. I still haven't gotten used to the cold winters outside of Southern California."
"I am missing the mild winters," Giles said as he handed her a mug of hot cocoa and sat down with one of his own.
Buffy took a sip of chocolate with a frown. "How much was a role?"
Giles frowned and took a sip of his cocoa. "I'm not sure much of it was, actually. I already had an interest and a lot of knowledge in the occult before finding out that Rupert Giles was destined to be a Watcher. After Ethan, me and others screwed up and a mate was killed, I did have a bit of a breakdown and the Council snatched me up and put me on the path Rupert was meant to have. I dived in, it seemed like a grand challenge. I could put my knowledge and skills to use for the light instead of being a selfish prat. Then I met you and knew this wasn't a lark I could walk away from."
"Why didn't you just tell me?" Buffy asked. "After dealing with insane gods, demons, vampires and a long list of other things, I could have handled it."
"Probably," Giles agreed after a moment. "As I said, I was coming close to leaving, I knew I couldn't keep up the 'aging Watcher' thing much longer. That's one of the difficulties we face, we don't grow older and eventually people start noticing. That demon gave me an out and took some responsibility off of you."
"Huh? What? What responsibility?"
"If you knew that I occasionally have to face someone with centuries of experience out to kill me, what would you do? Let me walk out the door with sword in hand?" he asked.
Buffy's frown deepened. "I don't know," she admitted.
"And I can't stay and remain as your Watcher beyond a few more years," Giles said. "Others outside of the Scooby gang will notice that I'm not aging eventually.”
Buffy took a sip of her cocoa. "So what do we do now?"
"Now we get to spend a couple of days together and head back to California,” Giles suggested. “If you'll forgive me for not telling you immediately after that demon killed me.”
Buffy frowned. “My armor is pretty dented right now, Giles. Being shot, Tara dying, her body disappearing, Willow having a meltdown and trying to destroy the world and almost killing you in the process....”
“I know,” Giles said softly. “You are my family and we have a tendency to stay close to family even down many generations. I also didn't want to tell you over the phone, you wouldn't have believed me. I wanted to come back sooner than this.”
"Why haven't you?" Buffy asked as she felt the warmth of the cocoa and the whisky warming her back up after the hot bath.
"I've someone on my tail," Giles said. "I'm keeping a low profile for a couple of months. I don't believe he and his wife known my identity. They are persistant, however.”
"Who?" Buffy asked.
"His original name is Garth Harkins and hers is Siobhan," Giles answered. "We were on opposites sides of the English Civil War and he's held a grudge. A small group of us were captured and he ordered our deaths, by decapitation. He knew I'm an immortal."
"Isn't like a rule that you two fight and see who's better?" Buffy asked.
"Yes," Giles agreed. "That doesn't mean that all Immortals are ethical. It pissed me off and I charged the guards and took on several hits that would be fatal for anyone else but it encouraged the others to rush the guards and him. My men overwhelmed his due to desperation. I lay there dying and saw him glaring at me from his horse just before he took off to escape my men who were now armed. I saw a crossbow hit him in the shoulder before he got out of reach. I told my men to leave me, to escape any other enemy troops. After I came back to life, I stole clothes from a clothesline of a nearby farm and got out of England as quick as I could ship out."
"Wow," Buffy said softly. "When were you born?"
"70 C.E.," Giles responded.
"In the Highlands of Scotland?" Buffy asked with just a hint of sarcasm.
"No, close to Wales," he answered.
"So like King Arthur and stuff?"
"No, further back but not much," Giles said. "I know this is a lot to take in and I am so sorry you thought I had been turned. Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"
"No, I was planning on.....seeing you and then drinking myself to sleep in a hotel for a couple of days and then go home."
"Spend a couple of days with me? Please," Giles asked.
"Okay," Buffy agreed. "You look good with the goatee, by the way. Like, dangerous, not like a hipster or something."
"Thanks. I have a business meeting in the morning, how about we have breakfast, I'll do my meeting and you meet me out of town at a cabin I have," he suggested.
"Sure as long as the Garmin thing can find the address," Buffy agreed. Was she going to get to meet whoever he had been missing?
"It can. Now, tell me about the last couple of months," he urged. "Willow was in too much shock to give me much info."
Buffy smiled. "Well, Dawn...."
# # # #
Buffy woke to the smell of coffee brewing and steaks cooking. She sat up and smiled as she watched Giles navigate the small kitchen area as he pulled breakfast together.
He glanced over and smiled. "Hullo, how did you sleep?"
"Not too bad," Buffy answered. "I'm still pissed off, by the way."
"I understand," Giles responded. "Breakfast should be ready in 10 minutes."
"Just enough time to get dressed," Buffy responded. "I'll be right out."
Fifteen minutes later Buffy sat down at the small breakfast table. Giles sat a plate of eggs, steak and toast in front of the Slayer and sat down with one of his own.
"I have something to show that might show I was coming back," he said after a moment.
"This is really good, Giles," Buffy responded. "Show me what?"
"Next to the pepper on your side of the table is a bank book," Giles said. "I know things have been rough. There's enough there to cover the mortage and Dawn's schooling."
Buffy opened the bank book and tried to remember to swallow. "Giles, this..."
"Is yours," Giles said. "I was going to give that to you after I got up after you hit me," Giles said with a slight smile. "I still deserve a good right cross, I know."
"I still might hit you," Buffy said and looked back at the bank book. "This is huge. You can afford this?"
"Yes, easily," Giles said. "Whenever I'd get low on funds I could take on dangerous work, it pays better than a regular wage."
# # #
"Hey, Welshman! Pick up the pace!"
Giles glanced back at the foreman and waved a small wave. He looked at the beam they were trying to place on the half-built bridge. It was just out of reach of the crew and the crew below couldn't move the crane at that point.
Giles made his way to the others. "Get ready to catch this," he told them and jumped at a beam just above him and swung his legs out and kicked the beam. He pulled his legs up just as the return swing of the I-beam was caught by the others on the team. Giles swung his legs back and forth and let go and he managed to get his feet on the structure and one of the other men grabbed Giles' belt to steady him.
"You're insane!" Tommy Jones exclaimed. "You're not tied off!"
"Yeah, maybe," Giles agreed.
# # # #
"Remember me saying that being on a Hellmouth can be difficult?" Giles asked.
"Yeah, it screws with your spidey-senses," Buffy responded.
"Yes, it can," Giles said. "I do have a student that's been studying with a friend this week. I'd like you to meet them."
"Okay," Buffy said. "You think they'll be ready to...I don't know, leave the nest? You said we'd go back to California together."
"I believe so," Giles said. "Here's the address to a small place I have where I practice my sword work and occasionally train other Immortals. "Here's a key to the place and code to the alarm. There's a door heading upstairs just the other side of the main door to this place. You'll come out?"
"Yeah, around noon, you said," Buffy said with a nod.
"Good," he said as he stood up. "There are still some surprises but I hope they don't get me decked. See you out there."
# # # #
Giles smiled and vaulted over the railing to the porch of a small cabin and the two people fighting with swords stopped and watched him.
The woman hugged him tightly. "Are you all right?"
"I am," Giles answered. "Hullo, Tovar, how goes the training?"
"Quite well," the man answered and shook Giles' hand and then hugged him. "She is open to learning and takes to it well."
"Good," Giles said and smiled at the girl. There was definitely a change in her, he thought.
"Buffy knows?"
"About me, yes," Giles said and cocked his head. "I think she's early. I'll talk with her outside for a moment and bring her in."
"We'll go inside and get warm," Tovar suggested.
Giles trotted around the cabin and saw Buffy getting out of her rental car. "You found it, good."
"This
place is nice," Buffy said as she looked around. "Is your
friend here?"
"She is," he said. "I
remember you telling me that Tara's body disappeared."
"Yeah, disappeared from the morgue but she didn't show up with a bumpy forehead so we kinda let it go," Buffy answered.
"She's alive," Giles said softly. "She came back to life in the morgue and I had a friend waiting to get her out of town while I was on my way to England with Willow."
Buffy blinked and leaned against the car. "What?"
"I couldn't be in two places at once," Giles said. "I needed her away from the Hellmouth and I needed to be in England to get Willow past the worst of her magical breakdown."
"And when you came back from England?"
"I was about to go on a buying trip to Canada and take Willow with me once Willow was back. Then those demons attacked," he explained. "That's why I called Willow. She grilled me for a half hour to prove I was alive and not evil. I haven't told Willow that Tara is back.”
“Tara's alive and she's...”
“Like me, she's an immortal,” Giles answered. “She's inside the house and she's very nervous.”
“Wow,” Buffy said softly and then tried to smile. “So all three of us have died and came back.”
Giles' eyebrows rose. “Well, there is that. I'm sorry about keeping her return and our immortality a secret. My friend has been training her along with myself.”
"How the hell do you spring this on Willow? I'm in shock, she'll be...I don't know," Buffy snapped.
"Alethena, the high priestess of the coven will be there as a counselor of sorts," Giles said.
"And in case Willow turns darkside again?"
"That as well," Giles admitted. "Please, Tara didn't ask for this."
"Why did you and your friend take her away?" Buffy demanded. "Willow might have come down without as much trauma."
"I understand what you're saying and agree," Giles said. "I told you being on a Hellmouth or strong node mucks with us. To help her transition into this....this game as they call it, we needed her away from family and home and out where she can feel that sensation of having another Immortal nearby. I'm trying to give her the best chances there are to survive future encounters."
Buffy continued to frown as she pondered. "I think I still owe you a right cross but I sure as hell won't take it out on Tara. Walk with me, I need.... Just, come on."
Giles glanced back at the cabin and waved slightly and joined his Slayer as she walked down the dirt road towards a small creek.
He waited as they walked along in silence for several minutes.
"You were gone, then you're back to tackle an out of control Willow and then left again," she began. "Mom is gone, Tara was dead and Spike disappeared after...an incident, then you died. Anya and Xander broke up and got back together but...it's been hard."
"And the trauma of coming back?" he suggested.
"Yeah, you and me couldn't connect and...none of them...I'm angry," Buffy admitted.
"I've known, I know you weren't happy at being brought back," Giles commented.
"That's part of it," Buffy said and then was silent for several minutes. "Did they tell you about that night?"
"Just that Willow found a spell and reworked it and they did the ritual," Giles answered. "She said she destroyed the ritual notes and when the demons attacked they didn't think the ritual had worked."
"No details about the ritual?" Buffy asked. "Or how they prepared?"
"No," Giles said softly. "None of them would talk about it beyond Xander saying that it was a crazy night he doesn't want to repeat."
"When I found my way home....I remember Dawn and Spike treating my hands and nails in addition to all the bruises from fighting the demons."
Giles frowned. "Your hands and...oh gods. They left the casket locked?"
"No, they didn't bring it up," she finally said.
"Oh
boy," Giles whispered. "How? How could they miss that?"
"I
don't know," Buffy said.
"I should have asked for
more details," Giles grumbled. "I'm sorry. How can I help?"
"I don't know," Buffy said softly. "I...it
feels like live wires inside me but like I'm also dead
inside."
"It's hard to concentrate, you wake up with
nightmares, some things just send you over the edge, irrational anger
or tears?" he asked.
"Yeah, especially the dead
inside," Buffy agreed.
"Maybe," Buffy said after a moment and turned to walk back. "I'm angry at them. None of them apologized."
"And you haven't confronted them," Giles ventured.
"No, I haven't. I didn't want to hurt them. They might...disappear."
"Like your father?" He asked.
"Yeah," Buffy said with a nod.
"And like me?" he asked.
"Yes."
"I'm sorry, I was coming back, each time," Giles said.
"I get that but it doesn't help the emotions right now," Buffy said. "I won't reject Tara. I get how weird it is to have died and come back different."
"Buffy...I haven't said it enough but I am proud of you," he said as he stopped to face her. "I will not leave you, I won't leave Dawn, I won't leave her children. I may disappear for a bit but I will always come back somehow."
"Thanks," Buffy said and then hugged him. "I still want to punch you but not as much now."
"I'll take that."
# # # #
Tara bit her lip as she watched out the main window of the cabin.
"Easy, young one," Tovar urged. "She loves you, she will accept you."
"It's hard, I want to just jump on a plane and run home to Willow," Tara said as she turned and sat down and began sharpening her sword.
"It'll be a shock, especially after her breakdown but it will work out," Tovar said easily and refilled his smoking pipe.
Tara jumped when the front door opened and Buffy stepped inside. The new Immortal stood up and sat her sword down and tried not to shuffle on her feet, drop her head or bite her lip. "I, uh, hi."
"Hey," Buffy said and moved closer. "This is kinda weird."
"Yeah," Tara agreed. "Everything was turned upside down. I woke up with Tovar telling me we were leaving California and he could explain."
"Sounds like my first Watcher trying to convince me I was the Slayer now," Buffy said as the girls sat down on the sofa. "Did you hit him?"
"Yeah," Tara said softly. "He slapped me back and pulled the car over and stabbed me."
Buffy's eyes widened. "Uh, wow."
"Yeah, I woke up and there was no wound," Tara continued.
"I get that," Buffy said softly and smiled as Giles put two sodas on the coffee table and disappeared with Tovar.
"How's Willow? Giles told me she...lost it. Please tell me."
# # # #
Giles smiled when the two girls entered the kitchen and found him fixing fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy for lunch. "Hullo, how are you two doing?" he asked as Tovar huddled over a laptop.
"We're okay," Buffy said.
Giles noted the red eyes and nodded. "It's not easy, certainly."
"How did you find out?" Tara asked. "You haven't been up here very much."
"I know, don't worry, we're going to really train once we get back to Sunnydale," Giles said. "I was involved in a small skirmish between two families and took a sword to the chest. I remember falling and darkness. Then I was awake and surrounded by members of the opposing family. I was accused of being an evil magic worker, tied up and they planned on burning me the next morning."
"Oh so not good," Tara said softly.
"I was tied to a stake next to a pig pen," Giles continued. "I felt someone tugging on the rope holding me but didn't move. My cousin's voice was then in my ear telling me to move slowly and to crawl into the pig pen. We crawled through the muck very slowly. Somehow we managed to get across the open area to the trees and ran like madmen away from there. We finally stopped by a river. Ioan told me he had stayed behind and saw me taken. He had also seen me go down to a chest wound."
"Wow," Buffy whispered.
"Ioan could see in the moonlight that I wasn't wounded any longer," Giles said after a moment. "He handed me his sword and belt and what coin he had. He hugged me tightly and pointed up river and then he dived into the river and headed downstream. I ran into another immortal six months later and learned the game."
"Bloody idiotic name for it," Tovar muttered.
"I agree," Giles commented. “I was thinking we should include Buffy and the others into some of the training. There are occasional times when a sword is needed.”
“And unethical Immortals targeting them,” Tovar added. “They usually attack with swords or axes.”
“That's true,” Giles agreed. “What say we head back day after tomorrow?”
“I'm ready,” Tara responded.
“Me too,” Buffy agreed.
“Take them both back tomorrow,” Tovar suggested. “I'll tell your music bunch that you were picked up as being in the country illegally and tossed out and you were under a false name while here.”
“That works,” Giles said with a nod.
“What about your club? Who runs it when you aren't here?” Buffy asked.
“Tovar or Ethan if he's in town,” Giles answered. "If not the manager steps in. He's loyal, capable and honest, a rare thing in the pub business."
"Can Althie meet you there?" Tovar asked.
"She's already in Sunnydale working with Willow in dealing with a Hellmouth energy," Giles said.
"That works then," Tovar commented. "Let's take these two out and have a bit of sparring and then out to dinner and you all can sleep here since I know he only has one air mattress and it's a single."
Buffy laughed. "It's comfortable but not for two even if Tara doesn't kick in her sleep."
Tara lightly punched Buffy's arm.
# # #
