Fic: Interlude (Giles gen fic, FRM) by lawyergirl15
It isn't midnight yet in Kansas City!
Interlude
Author: Kim
Rating: FRM
Pairing: None
Setting: Season 2, after Passion
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. They belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, Fox, and sundry others.
Thanks: to misswitch for the beta help. Thank you to elizabuffy and katekat1010 for their continued devotion to Giles in running this community. Thank you to all of the other amazing authors and artists who have shared their talent this summer!
Summary: A missing scene after Passion.
He stole quietly along the pavestones, avoiding the pools of warm light spilling out of the nearby windows. Upon reaching his destination, he put his hand on the doorknob, trying to make as little noise as possible. He was surprised when the door gave way, swinging open on silent hinges.
“I thought you might stop by to gloat.” The voice drifted out the door, slightly hoarse and devoid of all emotion.
Angelus straightened in surprise but covered it quickly. “No. Actually,” he said nonchalantly, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the door jam, “I stopped by to kill you.”
The voice took on a mocking edge, “Terribly sorry to disappoint you.”
Angelus peered into the gloom of the entryway. Giles stood, arms loose at his side, looking for all the world like he was having a casual conversation with an acquaintance that had stopped by. His bloodshot eyes and days worth of stubble told a different story.
He returned Angelus’ regard. “Pity, it appears the flaming baseball bat didn’t leave any lasting marks.” He smiled a suddenly fierce smile. “It was well worth it though.”
“Oh, I’m sure it was.” Angelus bared his teeth. “Too bad Buff decided to stop by and ruin our fun. I was just getting to the good part.”
Giles remembered all too well the sheer helplessness he’d felt dangling from Angelus’ hand, tempered with the welcome thought that he wouldn’t have to mourn Jenny for long. Buffy’s appearance had been a blessing and a curse.
Lost in thoughts of Jenny, he realized Angelus was still talking.
“ . . .or have you been standing here waiting for me since our little party the other night?”
Giles flashed a darkened quartz in the palm of his hand before retuning it to his pocket. “Ward spell. I took a chance that you would be the only vampire stopping by.”
“I’m impressed, Rupert, I thought you only fucked magic users.” He made a face of mock surprise. “Oh, wait, you and poor Jenny didn’t get that far, did you? I bet you thought it was your lucky night when you came home and found my little present.”
Giles stood impassively, refusing to respond to Angelus’ words.
“Well, if you’re going to be such a stick in the mud, I’m going,” Angelus pouted. “Worlds to end, people to kill.”
His eyes narrowed as his voice lowered in a whispered threat. “We’ll continue our talk another day.” With a little wave of his fingers, Angelus turned and moved away from the door.
“She’s going to kill you, you know.” Giles said it softly, almost conversationally, but the words flew through the night , striking their target as if he’d hurled them. Angelus froze in his tracks. The sudden tensing of his shoulders told Giles he’d struck a nerve.
“Buffy?” Angelus laughed incredulously, turning around to face Giles again. “You think Buffy is going to be able to kill me? Her Angel?” He sighed the last word and clasped his hands to his chest.
In an instant he was back in front of Giles’ door. “When I’m through with her, what I did to your bitch of a girlfriend is going to look like a mercy killing,” he snarled.
Giles merely raised an eyebrow. “Were you always this pathetic? Or did a hundred years locked up behind a soul make it worse?”
He looked Angelus up and down. “You made a mistake with Buffy and you’re too stupid to realize it.”
“Really?” Disbelief colored Angelus’ voice. “Right now I’m thinking my only mistake was not raping Jenny before I snapped her neck. She didn’t beg nearly enough”
Giles fought against the surge of nausea that swept through him, his nostrils flaring at the urge to kill the monster in front of him. “You didn’t kill Buffy when you had the chance. That’s going to be your final mistake.”
“I can kill Buffy anytime I want to. But there’s no fun in that. I’ll kill her once we’ve finished our game.”
“Your opportunity to do so has come and gone, vampire.” Giles took his glasses off, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to polish them. “Your history tells us that. At heart - if you’ll forgive the expression,” he said sardonically, “you’re a coward.”
With an inarticulate cry of rage, Angelus rushed forward, slamming up against the invisible barrier between him and Giles. “I’ve brought death to thousands,” he hissed. “Countless men and women who pleaded for their lives before I ripped out their throats. Just like your little bitch of a Slayer is going to beg.”
Giles settled his glasses back on his nose. “Men and women, yes. Slayers, no. Every time you’ve encountered a dangerous situation you’ve fled, Angelus. Buffy isn’t a cloistered nun or a helpless girl to be driven insane by your machinations.”
He shook his head thinking of his bright, vibrant, often quite baffling Slayer. “She’s a modern girl, and you’re trapped in the eighteenth century, playing your tired little games over and over.”
“Come on, Rupert,” Angelus scoffed. “This is Buffy we’re talking about. The carpet might not match the drapes,” he leered, “but she’s a blonde, through and through.”
“The fact that you think that is only further evidence that your end is a foregone conclusion. Buffy is one of the best Slayers who has ever lived. If not the best,” Giles said with not an insignificant amount of pride. “In fact, I’m honored to have played some small part in her training.”
He took a swift step forward, causing Angelus to flinch back at the memory of the man who had attacked him a few short nights before. “Training that will help her kill you.”
“Coward,” Angelus spat. “Why don’t you come out and do it yourself, instead of hiding behind a girl?”
Giles smiled coldly. “I think not. I much prefer the thought that the last sight you’ll see before you dissolve to dust is Buffy, standing over you like she’s stood over hundreds of others, until you’re nothing but ashes under her feet.”
Moving forward, he gripped the door to shut it. As he closed it, he smiled grimly. “And when she does. When the stake finds your heart. I want you to remember who put it in her hand - me.”
Closing the door on Angelus’ rage-twisted face, Giles leaned his back against it, finally allowing the tremors he had held back free reign. It probably wasn’t one of his smarter ideas to taunt Angelus, but he owed Jenny at least that. He only hoped everything he had said came to pass.
“Please, Buffy, let me be right.”
Interlude
Author: Kim
Rating: FRM
Pairing: None
Setting: Season 2, after Passion
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. They belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, Fox, and sundry others.
Thanks: to misswitch for the beta help. Thank you to elizabuffy and katekat1010 for their continued devotion to Giles in running this community. Thank you to all of the other amazing authors and artists who have shared their talent this summer!
Summary: A missing scene after Passion.
He stole quietly along the pavestones, avoiding the pools of warm light spilling out of the nearby windows. Upon reaching his destination, he put his hand on the doorknob, trying to make as little noise as possible. He was surprised when the door gave way, swinging open on silent hinges.
“I thought you might stop by to gloat.” The voice drifted out the door, slightly hoarse and devoid of all emotion.
Angelus straightened in surprise but covered it quickly. “No. Actually,” he said nonchalantly, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the door jam, “I stopped by to kill you.”
The voice took on a mocking edge, “Terribly sorry to disappoint you.”
Angelus peered into the gloom of the entryway. Giles stood, arms loose at his side, looking for all the world like he was having a casual conversation with an acquaintance that had stopped by. His bloodshot eyes and days worth of stubble told a different story.
He returned Angelus’ regard. “Pity, it appears the flaming baseball bat didn’t leave any lasting marks.” He smiled a suddenly fierce smile. “It was well worth it though.”
“Oh, I’m sure it was.” Angelus bared his teeth. “Too bad Buff decided to stop by and ruin our fun. I was just getting to the good part.”
Giles remembered all too well the sheer helplessness he’d felt dangling from Angelus’ hand, tempered with the welcome thought that he wouldn’t have to mourn Jenny for long. Buffy’s appearance had been a blessing and a curse.
Lost in thoughts of Jenny, he realized Angelus was still talking.
“ . . .or have you been standing here waiting for me since our little party the other night?”
Giles flashed a darkened quartz in the palm of his hand before retuning it to his pocket. “Ward spell. I took a chance that you would be the only vampire stopping by.”
“I’m impressed, Rupert, I thought you only fucked magic users.” He made a face of mock surprise. “Oh, wait, you and poor Jenny didn’t get that far, did you? I bet you thought it was your lucky night when you came home and found my little present.”
Giles stood impassively, refusing to respond to Angelus’ words.
“Well, if you’re going to be such a stick in the mud, I’m going,” Angelus pouted. “Worlds to end, people to kill.”
His eyes narrowed as his voice lowered in a whispered threat. “We’ll continue our talk another day.” With a little wave of his fingers, Angelus turned and moved away from the door.
“She’s going to kill you, you know.” Giles said it softly, almost conversationally, but the words flew through the night , striking their target as if he’d hurled them. Angelus froze in his tracks. The sudden tensing of his shoulders told Giles he’d struck a nerve.
“Buffy?” Angelus laughed incredulously, turning around to face Giles again. “You think Buffy is going to be able to kill me? Her Angel?” He sighed the last word and clasped his hands to his chest.
In an instant he was back in front of Giles’ door. “When I’m through with her, what I did to your bitch of a girlfriend is going to look like a mercy killing,” he snarled.
Giles merely raised an eyebrow. “Were you always this pathetic? Or did a hundred years locked up behind a soul make it worse?”
He looked Angelus up and down. “You made a mistake with Buffy and you’re too stupid to realize it.”
“Really?” Disbelief colored Angelus’ voice. “Right now I’m thinking my only mistake was not raping Jenny before I snapped her neck. She didn’t beg nearly enough”
Giles fought against the surge of nausea that swept through him, his nostrils flaring at the urge to kill the monster in front of him. “You didn’t kill Buffy when you had the chance. That’s going to be your final mistake.”
“I can kill Buffy anytime I want to. But there’s no fun in that. I’ll kill her once we’ve finished our game.”
“Your opportunity to do so has come and gone, vampire.” Giles took his glasses off, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to polish them. “Your history tells us that. At heart - if you’ll forgive the expression,” he said sardonically, “you’re a coward.”
With an inarticulate cry of rage, Angelus rushed forward, slamming up against the invisible barrier between him and Giles. “I’ve brought death to thousands,” he hissed. “Countless men and women who pleaded for their lives before I ripped out their throats. Just like your little bitch of a Slayer is going to beg.”
Giles settled his glasses back on his nose. “Men and women, yes. Slayers, no. Every time you’ve encountered a dangerous situation you’ve fled, Angelus. Buffy isn’t a cloistered nun or a helpless girl to be driven insane by your machinations.”
He shook his head thinking of his bright, vibrant, often quite baffling Slayer. “She’s a modern girl, and you’re trapped in the eighteenth century, playing your tired little games over and over.”
“Come on, Rupert,” Angelus scoffed. “This is Buffy we’re talking about. The carpet might not match the drapes,” he leered, “but she’s a blonde, through and through.”
“The fact that you think that is only further evidence that your end is a foregone conclusion. Buffy is one of the best Slayers who has ever lived. If not the best,” Giles said with not an insignificant amount of pride. “In fact, I’m honored to have played some small part in her training.”
He took a swift step forward, causing Angelus to flinch back at the memory of the man who had attacked him a few short nights before. “Training that will help her kill you.”
“Coward,” Angelus spat. “Why don’t you come out and do it yourself, instead of hiding behind a girl?”
Giles smiled coldly. “I think not. I much prefer the thought that the last sight you’ll see before you dissolve to dust is Buffy, standing over you like she’s stood over hundreds of others, until you’re nothing but ashes under her feet.”
Moving forward, he gripped the door to shut it. As he closed it, he smiled grimly. “And when she does. When the stake finds your heart. I want you to remember who put it in her hand - me.”
Closing the door on Angelus’ rage-twisted face, Giles leaned his back against it, finally allowing the tremors he had held back free reign. It probably wasn’t one of his smarter ideas to taunt Angelus, but he owed Jenny at least that. He only hoped everything he had said came to pass.
“Please, Buffy, let me be right.”