A conversation with Buffy.
I had issues all over the world to deal with. I had slayers in six continents fighting demons and I had to be...be apprised of every situation because, unfortunately, at the moment, we didn't have the watchers needed to guide all of the slayers. Being the head of the Watcher's Council, I had to be sure to train enough watchers over the coming years
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Although it was obviously bad in Los Angeles, at least Buffy was okay, for the moment, which prompted me immediately to have more then just Xander there along with Buffy and Faith in Los Angeles, although I had yet to hear that Faith was okay.
"Hello, Buffy," I simply said, waiting to hear what she had to say next. I was hoping against hope that what she told me diffused my mindset, and somehow or in some way, made me feel slightly less horrific about the possible reality of what was transpiring in California.
"It's bad here. Just like you said it would be, Giles. There are people out here getting killed faster than we can fight. Angel's crew have all died but him and Spike. Angel can't fight with us, so that only leaves three. I know you don't want any slayers here, Giles, but 2 slayers and a vampire can't control it all. We won't beable protect the whole city from all these demons. I'm not even sure that this can be considered a city anymore."
That was tru...truly what I least wanted to hear, although a trace of relief passed through me as she told me that Faith was also alive.
"Look, we need more. Faith and Spike are out there alone now, and they aren't even going to put a dent in the damage control."
I paused for a moment, deciding what it was that I wanted to do in this situation and deciding exactly what I should tell my slayer. "I have seen some reports, Buffy, so I knew that it was bad. Not long after you left, I sent Xander out there to give me a report and I will be able to send two more slayers. Maria and Anke are available to go and I shall send them, immediately. I know that you are working with Angel and Spike on this one, Buffy, but I'm still not entirely convinced, in spite of Angel's seeming injuries at the moment, that they are entirely trustworthy. I believe that you and Faith should fight together, stay together in a twosome and fight as many demons as is safe and save as many humans as you can, but you musn't trust Spike and particularly, Angel, for he is the reason for the apocalypse currently happening in Los Angeles."
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A sense of relief passed through me as I heard him tell me that he was sending some slayers out to help us. I wasn't sure how just two more slayers were going make much of a difference, but I knew that two more was better than what we had right now. What we had was 2 healthy slayers, and two less than capable vampires. It wasn't hard for me to face the fact that someone here was not on our side.
My heart nearly sank into my stomache when I heard him say Xander's name. I hadn't spoken to or seen him for so long, and it was a shame that the only reason that we were going to meet up was because once again, the world, or the world of L.A. was in dire need of help. Nevertheless, it was going to be a treat to see him again, even if we weren't going out to dinner and catching up. While I was thinking about it, it occurred to me that he was probably already in L.A, and Giles didn't exactly say that Xander was alright, or that he had checked in.
"Xander's here, in L.A now then? Has he called you? Is he okay? Where is he?"
I could handle, barely, the fact that Faith and Spike were out there alone, but I couldn't handle the fact that Xander, although fully capable of taking care of himself, was out there alone too. Who knows? He could be surrounded by demons much like I was when I had first gotten here.
I had expected Giles to say that he still didn't trust Angel or Spike, and that he wanted me and Faith to stick together. I wasn't sure if we were clashing here, or if I agreed with him. Even though I still felt that I knew Angel, I didn't know him much anymore. I could see something there in his eyes, like I used to, but I could also see a lot of grey. I wasn't going to speak to Giles about the situation with Angel sitting right there, or even within a mile of me... because creating more tension was not what I was all about right now.
Right now, I wanted to hear about Xander... and if there was no word, I was going out there. Like I said, Faith and Spike... not good, but okay. I was not going to tolerate the fact that Xander was out there, and that he was alone.
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That wasn't going to acomplish anything. I didn't have all of my faculties, but Giles' solution was to send Xander? Xander? It was probably some new Council policy that Giles was following, sending in Xander, who I laughed as I thought of...as him being a watcher, to surmise what the damage was before sending the slayers. It was as though Giles' distrust of me was so strong that he actually forgot that he lived on the hellmouth for seven years and seemed to be forgetting that the city of Los Angeles was in a lot of trouble and I couldn't do anything about it, until I healed, which was still pissing me off and was making me want to go schoolyard that much more with each passing second.
I wanted to grab the phone from Buffy, not that she would let me or as if I had the strength to do it right now, and reem his ass for being so pig-headed and stupid. He resented me and blamed me for this? At least I still fought evil and was trying in vain to end it's powerful reign, as opposed to sitting behind a desk and on a phone, making decisions for everyone else.
I think that my sigh of discontent was loud enough for Giles to hear. I knew that Buffy heard it as she looked at me.
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There was an awkward silence. I couldn't ascertain if she was irritable because I had disclosed Xander's trip from her, or if she disapproved of Xander being in an obvious warzone. I was not going to apologize, however. This was a situation that needed to be studied, verified and acted upon and I would send Anke and Maria in to exatcly where, with a plan, that I thought that they would be the most safe and where they could be the most effective. It was obvious to me that Faith was not with Buffy, for surely, she would have come to the phone, or I would have heard her in the background.
"Yes...as a matter of fact, Buffy, he's on the other line. Pardon me for a second while I get an update."
I switched over to the other line and could hear the chaos in the background. Xander explained the situation to me and I told him where to proceed, and that he could pick up Maria and Anke at the airport once more.
"Well, Buffy, Xander is going to pick up Anke and Maria right now and they will proceed to virtually the location where Xander is at the moment."
I sighed.
"Not only are you and Faith not working together, Buffy, but you seem to be with Angel at the moment while Xander, in the army style sports utility vehicle that he rented, has just driven over some demons who are currently fighting Spike and Faith..."
I sighed again, trying to decide how I wanted to phrase this.
"Buffy, not only have you abandoned Council protocol and are currently setting what can only be construed as a bad example for those slayers coming in, but you are with Angel, who was the catalyst for all of this destruction, aren't you?"
I hated taking a chastizing tone with her. She had saved the world on numerous occassions and had closed the hellmouth, with help. But this...this was a complete abandonment of her cause and of my orders. She didn't need to be a slayer anymore, but she was the best and I counted on her for council of the younger girls. Somehow, I knew that her seeing Angel and even Spike again, would put a crimp in our plans and in my protocols.
I sighed again. Now, I was irritable and worried about Buffy, and indeed Faiths, respective plights.
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I could hear Angel sigh, and I glanced over at him. There was no reason for all of this. They were never friends, they never really ever trusted each others decisions, and because of recent events, that was going to be hyped up about 10 times more. I almost hung up the phone, because I got the information that I needed to hear, and I wasn't about to get lectured again. Even though I knew that somehow Giles was right in this. I couldn't let him think that I couldn't handle this, because the last thing that we needed was him to come down here and make more of a mess than what he was making over the phone. I stayed silent until his lecture was over. I really wished that Angel didn't have to hear this, since all of this was about him, and my decisions to be with him now and 'abandon the Giles golden rule'. I knew when Giles was angry at me, disapointed in me, and frustrated with me. It was all three. For a split second I felt bad about it, then I completely changed my mindset. Xander was here, I'd be seeing him, and even though I knew that his allegiance lied with Giles other than me...
We were on the same side here, and I was thinking like there were two.
"Faith and Spike are out fighting and they're going to be fine. Giles, we have a system here, and I'm not taking orders from you over the phone. You aren't here, you don't know the circumstances. We're doing what we think is right at the moment."
Even though that was half true. I wanted us all to be together, but I was in no way going to leave Angel here alone.
"I'm sure Xander is going to call you when the slayers meet up with us."
I had a feeling that Giles was going to get into yelling, or worse, going to make sure that the slayers stayed as far away from us four as possible. That was not what we needed.
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