When Fred mentioned the man's name, Giles looked over at her. "Bedford? I've purchased a few items from him before. Items to use in different spells to help with the Hellmouth in Sunnydale," he said as he glanced down at the file. "He doesn't know anything about the occult. He just buys things that look interesting and then sells them through private auctions."
Giles took the file out of Fred's hands and flipped through it. "The items I got from him were quite powerful, especially when used in combination with magic," he explained. He stopped on one of the pages and looked at it. "According to this he's dating someone. And there's a picture of her."
He held it up and looked it over. "This isn't a human," Giles said, looking over at Fred. "See the small mark on her neck? There's a species of demons called Arv'ek that can shift to look like humans but you can spot them but the small half circle on their neck," he said. He handed her the picture and flipped through the file some more.
"What should we do, love? His shop won't be open for a few hours yet. Do you want to go there now, or later?" Giles asked.
It didn't surprise Fred at all when Rupert said that he knew of Victor Bedford, especially given the fact that the file said he had some of the most well-placed connections in the antique business. It seemed amazing, though, that he had managed to ignore the existence of the occult for so long with the sort of stuff he had apparently been buying and selling. Guess it was how most people operated - by not believing it existed, it made it easier to ignore it.
She handed the file over to Rupert when he reached out to take it and watched him as he flipped through it. Her brow furrowed at the picture he held out to her of the "girl" he was dating. "I've never heard of this spec--wait, no, I have," she realized. "One of Charles' clients at the firm was an Arv'ek. I remember having seen the guy and wondering what was so demonic about him... Didn't know that they could change shapes - Charles didn't talk about the case because of attorney-client privilege."
She shook her head, staring at the picture. "So obviously, this demon wants something from Bedford, but the question is what." She looked at the clock, seeing that Rupert was right. It would be several hours before the shop opened, according to the file. "Maybe...we should probably wait. Since you've had dealings with him, we can easily pay a visit as customers. I think that would be the best way to get a feel for things to begin with - it would let us look around the shop, maybe talk to him a little without raising suspicion. We just show up during off-hours, and he's likely to wonder what the hell we're doing."
Nodding his head, Giles placed the file down on the desk. It'd been a long night, and morning, even though it was still quite early. He stretched out and tried hard to stifle a yawn but couldn't do it. "I guess I'm a bit knackered," he said with a sheepish smile. "A lot of excitement for one day, and we aren't even finished."
Giles looked down, and kicked his shoes off and looked at the bed. "I believe we'd do better if we go when his shop is open," he said, agreeing with what Fred said. "I've never met him before since the items I purchased were through a private auction. He might know who I am, and he might not. Quite sure he'll know of the Watcher's Council though."
He leaned over and placed a small kiss on Fred's cheek before going over to the suitcase. There was a pair of pajama bottoms in there, but no top. Giles thought it was probably one of Cordy's little hints, especially since the pajama bottoms seemed quite stylish. Taking off his jeans and shirt, he put the bottoms on and climbed into the bed. "Come here, love," he quietly said as he glanced over at Fred. "I want to speak to you about something."
Fred nodded when when Rupert mentioned being tired because truth be told, she was rather tired herself. She didn't think she would be after all the time she apparently spent sleeping after she had died, but she could feel it catching up with. Obviously, being an angel didn't make her immune to the need for sleep or things.
Once they had decided to go to the shop once it opened, Fred watched as Rupert changed into the pajama bottoms that he found in the suitcase and crawled onto the bed. Walking over, she looked through the case, finding a short nightgown in there as well as another change of clothes.
"Wonder how long she expects us to be here," she said softly before looking over at Rupert when he beckoned to her, saying that he wanted to speak to her about something. Feeling her heart pounding in her chest, she walked over and sat down, hoping that he wasn't having second thoughts about this though it didn't seem that was what it was about. She actually couldn't get a read on him at all.
"What...what's that?" she asked as she sat down next to him.
Giles noted a hint of nervousness in Fred's voice as she sat down and wondered what he wanted to talk about. Slipping an arm around her, he softly kissed her temple. "It's nothing terrible, Fred. At least I don't believe it is. You might though," he commented before looking down. Now he was suddenly nervous, and felt his chest clench a little.
What if he was doing the wrong thing? What if she laughed at him, and said she didn't want to be with an old man, who had enough emotional issues to fill several suitcases? What if going with her was only a one-shot deal, and after this he had to go home?
It was then that Giles decided to stop living his life according to 'what ifs'. The worse that could happen was Fred would laugh at him, and send him home. Granted it would probably kill him because he didn't want to be without her. But he decided to push forward anyway. "You mean the world to me, Fred," he began as he ran his fingers through her hair. "You saved me, which you already know. I just...I wanted to tell you that I'm falling in love with you. I-I don't know if that's right since you're an Angel, but I can't stop, and I don't think I would if it were possible."
Raising her eyebrows, Fred wondered what he possibly thought that she might find so terrible that he didn't think could be. She could see that he was nervous, though, and reached out to take his hand, squeezing it gently, wanting him to know that whatever he had to say, she wanted to hear it, no matter what it was.
Finally, he began telling her, and Fred found her chest tightening slightly, her heart beating loudly. He was...? She found her mind spinning, knowing that she had been developing feelings for him as well. She had never thought that she could ever feel this way for anyone so soon, but with him...
"I don't care if it's right or not," she finally told him, reaching up with her free head to cup her palm to his cheek. "Love is love, no matter what, and I--I know that I'm falling in love with you too. That's why I wanted you to come with me. I know that you'd be an amazing help to me - you've already shown that - but I wanted you with me more because...I couldn't leave the person I love behind ever again. I had to do it before. I couldn't do with you."
She leaned forward and kissed him softly then looked into his eyes. "I want to be with you as long as we can be."
Giles took the file out of Fred's hands and flipped through it. "The items I got from him were quite powerful, especially when used in combination with magic," he explained. He stopped on one of the pages and looked at it. "According to this he's dating someone. And there's a picture of her."
He held it up and looked it over. "This isn't a human," Giles said, looking over at Fred. "See the small mark on her neck? There's a species of demons called Arv'ek that can shift to look like humans but you can spot them but the small half circle on their neck," he said. He handed her the picture and flipped through the file some more.
"What should we do, love? His shop won't be open for a few hours yet. Do you want to go there now, or later?" Giles asked.
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She handed the file over to Rupert when he reached out to take it and watched him as he flipped through it. Her brow furrowed at the picture he held out to her of the "girl" he was dating. "I've never heard of this spec--wait, no, I have," she realized. "One of Charles' clients at the firm was an Arv'ek. I remember having seen the guy and wondering what was so demonic about him... Didn't know that they could change shapes - Charles didn't talk about the case because of attorney-client privilege."
She shook her head, staring at the picture. "So obviously, this demon wants something from Bedford, but the question is what." She looked at the clock, seeing that Rupert was right. It would be several hours before the shop opened, according to the file. "Maybe...we should probably wait. Since you've had dealings with him, we can easily pay a visit as customers. I think that would be the best way to get a feel for things to begin with - it would let us look around the shop, maybe talk to him a little without raising suspicion. We just show up during off-hours, and he's likely to wonder what the hell we're doing."
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Giles looked down, and kicked his shoes off and looked at the bed. "I believe we'd do better if we go when his shop is open," he said, agreeing with what Fred said. "I've never met him before since the items I purchased were through a private auction. He might know who I am, and he might not. Quite sure he'll know of the Watcher's Council though."
He leaned over and placed a small kiss on Fred's cheek before going over to the suitcase. There was a pair of pajama bottoms in there, but no top. Giles thought it was probably one of Cordy's little hints, especially since the pajama bottoms seemed quite stylish. Taking off his jeans and shirt, he put the bottoms on and climbed into the bed. "Come here, love," he quietly said as he glanced over at Fred. "I want to speak to you about something."
Reply
Once they had decided to go to the shop once it opened, Fred watched as Rupert changed into the pajama bottoms that he found in the suitcase and crawled onto the bed. Walking over, she looked through the case, finding a short nightgown in there as well as another change of clothes.
"Wonder how long she expects us to be here," she said softly before looking over at Rupert when he beckoned to her, saying that he wanted to speak to her about something. Feeling her heart pounding in her chest, she walked over and sat down, hoping that he wasn't having second thoughts about this though it didn't seem that was what it was about. She actually couldn't get a read on him at all.
"What...what's that?" she asked as she sat down next to him.
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What if he was doing the wrong thing? What if she laughed at him, and said she didn't want to be with an old man, who had enough emotional issues to fill several suitcases? What if going with her was only a one-shot deal, and after this he had to go home?
It was then that Giles decided to stop living his life according to 'what ifs'. The worse that could happen was Fred would laugh at him, and send him home. Granted it would probably kill him because he didn't want to be without her. But he decided to push forward anyway. "You mean the world to me, Fred," he began as he ran his fingers through her hair. "You saved me, which you already know. I just...I wanted to tell you that I'm falling in love with you. I-I don't know if that's right since you're an Angel, but I can't stop, and I don't think I would if it were possible."
Reply
Finally, he began telling her, and Fred found her chest tightening slightly, her heart beating loudly. He was...? She found her mind spinning, knowing that she had been developing feelings for him as well. She had never thought that she could ever feel this way for anyone so soon, but with him...
"I don't care if it's right or not," she finally told him, reaching up with her free head to cup her palm to his cheek. "Love is love, no matter what, and I--I know that I'm falling in love with you too. That's why I wanted you to come with me. I know that you'd be an amazing help to me - you've already shown that - but I wanted you with me more because...I couldn't leave the person I love behind ever again. I had to do it before. I couldn't do with you."
She leaned forward and kissed him softly then looked into his eyes. "I want to be with you as long as we can be."
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