Helpless part 2.
Buffy was running as fast as her legs would take her. She didn’t know what was going on. She had be walking home from the mall with Willow, excited and giddy about her first official date with Spike. She couldn’t have been happier; everyone knew about their relationship. While at first hesitant and unsure, they had quickly accepted it, giving them their blessing.
Buffy had looked down at the shopping bag in her hand that held a red dress Willow had helped her pick out for her date and in that moment Buffy had been taken by surprise when a white van had come to a scratching holt next to them.
Three men in camo gear and black balaclavas had rushed them, Buffy had tried to fight back but was quickly over powered. She didn’t understand what was going on. When she had hit one in the face, it felt like her hand was breaking - causing her to scream. She had seen one of them back- hand Willow, sending her flying to the ground. before pushing Buffy into the van, placing a bag over her head and restraining he arms and legs.
After a short drive, The van came to a stop. The men removed the bag from her head, freed her arms and legs, then tossed her out of the van and into a rundown house. They swiftly dumped a bag at her side and locked the door behind her. Then they sped off into the distance before she could protest. Buffy got to her feet and surveyed her surroundings-some sort of rundown house. Her eyes fell on the bag that had been left behind and she approached it cautiously. She slowly opened it and saw everything a slayer would need- stakes, vials of holy water, crosses, a cross bow, an axe and more.
Buffy grabbed a few things she could carry and went in search of a way out. She had barely begun the search when she felt it - that familiar tingle of the back of her neck. VAMPIRE! her mind had screamed.
She was suddenly attacked but luckily escaped her attacker’s clutches. She knew if she didn’t find a weakness, she wouldn’t last much longer. As the vampire was going in for the kill, he suddenly stopped. She had watched, confused, as he screamed and grabbed his head. When she saw him pull a bottle of pills from his pocket, she knew she had found his weakness; and she intended to exploit it to its fullest.
Snatching the bottle of pills from his grasp, Buffy fled as quickly as she could. She jumped into a laundry chute, disappearing from the vampire’s sight. Hitting the floor with a thud, she quickly got up looking around the room she prayed her plan would work.
Just as Buffy was finished preparing for the next attack, she heard a pounding on the door. She tried not to panic as the vampire smashed through the door and ran down the stairs towards her.
“Where are they? Where are they?!” he yelled as he advanced. Buffy struggled to try and run past him, only to be grabbed and pushed back into the wall behind her. The vampire snatched the bottle from her hand and opened it, walking over to a table with a glass of water on it. He swallowed a few of the pills and washed them down with the glass of water.
“You don't seem to understand your place in all of this. Do you have any idea...” he started, but , suddenly stopped, looking at her confused.
“Oh, my!” he whispered looking down at the glass in his hand “What have you...” he begun to shake uncontrollably as he looked back up at her.
“My pills!” he yelled.
Buffy couldn’t help but smile slightly as she pulled the now empty bottle of holy water from her pocket for him to clearly see. Dropping the glass from his hand, he shook violently, grunting and groaning in pain.
“No. No...” he said, stunned that she had bested him. Buffy watched in satisfaction as smoke began to puff from his clothes, glad for her survival and that the nightmare was almost over.
“If I was at full Slayer power, I'd be punning right about now,” she said smiling.
“No! No!” he screamed loudly one last time before he crumbled to ashes from the inside out.
Buffy closed her eye and sighed in relief. Then she opened her eyes to look for a possible exit, when another vampire rushed at her.
It didn’t get the chance to get to close to her, as Spike appeared and threw it against a wall and Giles plunged a stake into its unbeating heart.
+ + + +
Buffy sat in the school library staring in disbelief as Giles told her everything. It had all been a test, a sick and twisted test cooked up by the Watchers’ Council. They had almost got her killed for some stupid test and Giles had helped them.
“Congratulations, you passed,” said the man who had introduced himself as Quentin. “You exhibited extraordinary courage and clear headedness in battle. The Council is very pleased.”
Buffy looked up at him, stunned.
“Do I get a gold star?” she replied sarcastically, clearly annoyed
“I understand that you're upset...” he started, but she quickly cut him off- unable to control her anger anymore.
“You understand nothing. You drugged me, abducted me and locked me inside a house - weakened and defenseless against a crazed vampire. You could have got me killed…you almost did!” she yelled.
“You think the test was unfair?” asked Quentin.
“I think you better leave town before I get my strength back,” Buffy threatened.
That’s my girl, Spike smirked.
Quentin seemed unfazed by her threat as he continued, “We're not in the business of fair, Miss Summers, we're fighting a war.”
“You're waging a war. She's fighting it. There is a difference.” Giles snapped as he stepped forward.
“Mr. Giles, if you don't mind...”said Quentin.
“The test is done. We're finished.” Giles snapped again
“Not quite. She passed. You didn't.” Quentin replied, turning to face him. “The Slayer is not the only one who must perform in this situation. I've recommended to the Council, and they've agreed, that you be relieved of your duties as Watcher immediately. You're fired.”
“On what grounds?” Giles asked , taken aback.
“Your affection for your charge has rendered you incapable of clear and impartial judgment.”
Buffy looked up at Giles clearly panicked.
” You have a father's love for the child, and that is useless to the cause. It would be best if you had no further contact with the Slayer,” Quentin went on.
“I'm not going anywhere,” Giles declared with hostility.
“No, well, I didn't expect you would adhere to that. However, if you interfere with the new Watcher, or countermand his authority in any way, you will be dealt with. Are we clear?” Quentin warned.
Buffy felt dread fill her. A new watcher? Giles fired? She couldn’t handle this, she couldn’t let it happen.
“No, we are not clear at all,” she snapped, pulling herself to her feet.
“I’m afraid you don’t really have a say in this. You do as the council says. If you insist on fighting us, we'll arrange to have Mr. Giles deported within the day- never setting foot in this country again. Now perhaps you're used to idle threats and sloppy discipline, Miss Summers, but you're dealing with grownups now,” Quentin informed her.
Pausing for a moment he looked up at her, “Am I making myself clear?”
“And you must be used to people jumping to your every command. Spike…” Buffy signaled her vampire.
Spike was at Quentin’s back before he knew it. Spike grabbed him by the neck and shoved him against the closest wall.
“Now let me make myself very clear. You won’t send a new watcher here. If you do, I’ll simply quit the council. You’re a Watcher; without a Slayer, you're pretty much just watching Masterpiece Theater. You can't stop any of these demons or apocalypses. The information you guys have from time to time that helps me, you can't do anything with it except maybe publish it in the "Everyone Thinks we’re Insane-O's Home Journal," “she said moving towards him.
“So here's how it's gonna work. You're gonna tell me everything you know, when I need to know it. Then you're gonna go away. The only time you are to contact me is if and when you have any information I may need. Mr. Giles will stay here as my official Watcher, and you will not send any one else here… You may be very good at your job. The only way we're gonna find out is if you work with me. And threatening to take Giles from me is never a good idea,” Buffy finished.
She tapped Spike on the shoulder and he slowly lowered Quentin before removing his hand from the man’s neck.
“Do we have a deal?” she asked, extending her hand.
Quentin looked around skittishly, then quickly shook her hand before leaving. Giles looked up at her with pride as he moved closer to help Spike clean her wounds. As he reached out to touch her, Buffy flinched as if he had burned her. Hurt, he stepped back to give her some room as Spike places a patch of the gash on her forehead.
“How long will it last?” she asked.
Giles looked at her confused.
“The drug, Giles,” she explained.
“Right, of course, well your last dose was yesterday evening…” he cringed slightly at the betrayed look on her face before continuing, “shortly, within an hour or so.”
She nodded and took Spike’s hand, to help her stand.
“I love you…” she began.
Giles looked up, stunned at her admission.
“Like a father. But what you did… you betrayed me,” she finished.
“In all fairness, luv, he did help me find you. He wasn’t going to let the test happen,” Spike interjected.
She nodded, understanding Spike wanting to smooth things out for them.
“That doesn’t change the fact that at first you went along with it. You tricked me, you stuck a needle in me and it almost got me killed,” she insisted.
“Buffy, whatever I have to do to win your trust back…” Giles pleaded.
“I know you’ll do whatever you have to. But it’s going to take time. While I do love you, I don’t trust you and we are not okay,” she whispered and turned to walk out.
She stopped for a moment and looked over at Giles.
“But I wouldn’t have kept you here if I didn’t think that one day we will be,” she added with a soft smile before walking out of the library with Spike following her.
Giles smiled, hopeful she had given him a crumb, that he could win her trust back. All he had to do was prove his loyalty and he knew he would and could.
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