FIC: Conspiracy Theory, 3/12 (Giles/Xander, FRT)
Title: Conspiracy Theory, part 3 / 12
Author: Soft Princess (soft_princess) and Mireille (mireille719)
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Giles/Xander
Rating: FRT
Word Count: 6,000 this part / 64,000 overall
Summary: When Xander is attacked by a demon on his way to deliver a trio of young Slayers to England, he and Giles find themselves investigating a plot that may threaten the Council's very existence--and re-evaluating their relationship in the process.
Spoilers: Post-Chosen; based on aired-episode canon only.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. The characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy; we are only borrowing them.
Feedback/Concrit: Both welcome, either here or at mireille719 {at} gmail {dot} com and soft.princess {at} gmail {dot} com.
Notes: This story is being posted in 12 parts: parts 1-4 at spring_with_xan on June 17, parts 5-8 at summer_of_giles on June 19, and parts 9-12 at summer_of_giles on June 22. We would like to thank wesleysgirl for the wonderful job beta-reading.
Previous parts:
Part 1 | Part 2
"Xander?" Giles asked, as he walked into the house and went down the hall. He found Xander asleep on the couch in the living room, the sketch on the coffee table along with a couple of old and dusty demon manuals Xander had probably found in the library. Smiling warmly, Giles left his briefcase by the door, and walked in, crouching down by the table to look at the books. Both of them were opened, showing two different breeds of demon; one was close to the one they were looking for, but not exactly it; the other was a brown demon with a set of horns the size of a small cat. Giles picked up the second book, frowning, and started to read the description.
It warmed him to know that Xander had started the research himself, despite knowing that several other people were on it. Xander had never really been the kind of person to just wait until the answers were handed out to him, and Giles admired that in him. Many of the Watchers working for the Council had a tendency to wait for other people to do their job, and it irked Giles more than he'd care to admit. Xander, on the other hand, always tried to find it first--or asked Dawn to help him, apparently.
After the demise of Sunnydale, Giles had watched their group disband around the world. But Xander always reminded him that they were still linked, and still ready to do what it took to help each other. It didn't matter that Dawn was in Italy and Xander in Africa, they were in touch, and knew all that was going on in each other's lives. Giles wouldn't be surprised if the same were true for Buffy, and for Willow and Kennedy in South America. Even Andrew always knew what the girls were up to, which should have been a clue that ties made in Sunnydale weren't easily broken, at least for the others.
The demon in the book Giles was holding was an African breed, extremely intelligent, almost humanoid despite their rather repulsing physical attributes. They only attacked humans to steal their belongings, although they preferred to leave none alive after their raids.
Which didn't tell Giles anything about why Xander would have singled them out in his research, unless he'd come across them in Africa and had forgotten to tell Giles about it. Giles looked up from the book at Xander's sleeping form. He was holding a pillow tightly in his arms, his legs curled up against him. Africa had changed him.
Xander was older, wiser, and while he often clashed with the other Watchers, with his jeans and comfortable shirts, and definite American ways, he looked at peace here, something Giles had dreaded would never happen after Anya's death. Xander had been devastated, and it had taken him a long time to find his balance. He certainly looked like he'd finally found it now.
Giles smiled, standing and putting the book back on the table. He picked up the blanket he always kept on the sofa and covered Xander with it before moving to the kitchen. Giles would let him sleep a bit more.
***
When supper was ready, Giles loaded a tray and went back into the living room, finding Xander sitting up on the couch, rubbing his eye. "Awake, are you?" he asked, smiling softly, as he put the tray on the table, and sat on the chair facing the couch.
"Yeah, sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep." Xander blinked, looking at the food and inhaling deeply. "Got woken up by the smell. I always forget what home-cooked food smells like."
"I'm sure you needed the rest." Giles picked up his plate and crossed his legs. "I've yet to hear from either Dawn or Mr. York. I'm hoping they'll have the answers before bedtime."
Xander snickered. "That would mean there is no bedtime, because we'll spend all night poring over all the information they'll be sending us." He smiled at Giles. "Not that I'd mind the company, actually. It's not often I have a research companion anymore."
Giles smiled back, taking a bite of his food. "Of course. I noticed you started some research of your own," he said once he'd swallowed, nodding towards the books that were still on the table.
With a nod, Xander picked up the book that Giles had been looking at earlier. "I asked Niki, and she assured me that it's not the same demon who attacked her parents, so I'm--at a loss, I guess. She said the demon that attacked her house was brown and had horns, and this is the only African demon that fits both of those criteria. I thought at first that maybe it had ties with the other demon, but now I don't think so. It's indigenous to Africa, and doesn't deal with outsiders." He scratched his head. "I'm going to have to ask her again, make sure this is really the one, but if it is, then I just don't know."
Giles pushed Xander's plate towards him. "Eat. There'll be time for worrying later." They ate in silence for a little while, and not for the first time, Giles wondered at the comfortable atmosphere. It hadn't always been that way between Xander and him--friendship, perhaps, but this level of comfort had never been a part of it. It seemed to be increasing now, every time Xander spent time in this house.
Xander was the only one of them to visit England so often. Giles knew Africa wasn't home to him, and probably never would be--but then, he didn't think England was home to Xander either. Not yet, at any rate. And Giles didn't know what he could do to make it so.
Dismissing the thought, Giles put his empty plate back on the tray, a smile touching his lips when he saw that Xander had also finished his food. "All right, what is the second demon you found?"
Xander shook his head, picking up the book. "This is what's closest to our demon that I could find, but it's not it. It says it's a peaceful tribe from western Canada. Way too far away to be what we're looking for."
"Some demons for hire travel far--"
"Maybe, but this demon is lacking a lot of the big stuff from the sketch: the forehead's too narrow, the nose too puffy, and it doesn't have claws. And it looks shorter. And it's a peaceful tribe, not the sort of tribe to breed hire-able killers."
With a nod, Giles picked up the second book again. "Perhaps once we've found what the demon who attacked you and Gregory is, we might be able to connect it to this one--"
"I doubt it. Even if the demon that attacked us is a demon for hire, this one," he said, pointing at the book. "Is definitely not." Xander sighed, closed the book he was holding and put it back on the table. "I've studied African tribes a lot, and when it says it doesn't deal well with outsiders, it really means just that. Oh, and Gregory's girls both said they didn't see anything unusual last night--oh, and let me tell you, Ayu's going to be a handful --she doesn't believe demons really exist."
Giles smiled. "Well, she won't be the first. I'm glad that you've at least checked that out, even if it didn't get us anywhere. Mrs. Cheever helped, then?"
"Yeah. Niki wants me to have breakfast with her, Catherine and Ocean in the morning."
"This girl has really taken to you, hasn't she?" Giles put the open book on top of the other one and leaned back in his chair, looking at Xander, his smile never fading.
"Yeah, she did," Xander said, blushing slightly. "I--I know we're not supposed to get close to the Slayers--"
Giles snickered. "Xander, I'd like you to remember who you are talking to. I wouldn't question your attachment to Nkiruka. I think it's rather nice, actually. At her age, so far from home, she'll definitely need the support of a trusted adult." And Xander needed something--someone--to anchor him. Not that Giles would say it out loud, but Xander needed to know he was valued, and trusted, and looked up to. He still had trouble believing he was good at what he did, and Giles wished there was some way he could tell Xander how wonderful a job he was doing without seeming like he was patronizing him.
"I just hope she'll be okay here; I won't be around all the time." Xander's tone was wistful, and Giles frowned.
"If you don't want to leave again, there's more than enough work that you can do at the Academy."
Xander smiled and shook his head. "I like traveling, and I'm even starting to like Africa. It'll never be home, but the people there--" He looked up at Giles, and their eyes locked. Something passed between them in that moment, and they couldn't look away. "Giles, I--"
Then the phone rang.
Tearing his eyes away from Xander, Giles stood and went to pick up the cordless phone from the table by the door. "Rupert Giles speaking."
"Giles?" Dawn's voice came through the receiver, instantly recognizable. "I was expecting Andrew." Giles had had Andrew forward the calls that came into the office through to his private line, hoping that Dawn or York might call back that evening.
"Oh, hello, Dawn." Giles walked back toward the chair, carrying the phone with him.
"Hey." There was a pause of a second or two, and then Dawn went right on. "I know it's kind of late, but Andrew made it sound like you needed the lowdown on this demon right away, so--"
Giles had been about to assure her that it wasn't too late to call him when Dawn's words sunk in. "You've found something?"
He glanced over at the couch. Xander grinned at him, mouthing, "I told you so." Giles shook his head, sitting down and concentrating on what Dawn was saying.
"I think so," Dawn said. "It's only in one of my books, though, so I couldn't confirm it. But it looks exactly like the picture Andrew faxed me."
"Wonderful," Giles said. "What is it?"
"Something with too many consonants in a row," Dawn said. "I tried saying it earlier and gave myself a sore throat. It'll be in my notes, though, so you'll be able to see for yourself." Then she paused. "You do want to see for yourself, right? This isn't like when Xander calls me with questions just to keep me busy?"
Giles couldn't help but laugh. "He does?"
"He calls me with descriptions of things that have never even set foot--or claw, or tentacle, or whatever--in Africa in the past five hundred years. It's kind of obvious."
He'd have to bring that up with Xander later. "No," Giles said. "I assure you, we genuinely need this information."
"Okay," Dawn said, still sounding a little doubtful. "I just wondered why you wanted to know about a demon that supposedly hasn't ever been seen more than a couple hundred miles south of the Arctic Circle."
"I assure you, it has been," Giles told her. "There's one in England right now--at least, there was this morning--and there may have been sightings in Japan and Turkey in the past two weeks." He'd have to have copies of the drawing sent to the Watchers who'd been present for some of the more recent attacks.
Xander leaned forward then, giving Giles a questioning look, and Giles realized that he hadn't yet mentioned the other attacks to Xander. He'd been keeping that to himself, trying not to worry anyone until he was certain there was a pattern to the attacks on the Slayers. It could just be coincidence. Slayers were sought out by a great number of demons who thought the best way to deal with the threat was to eliminate it before the Slayers could hunt the demons down. The last thing he needed was to cause an unnecessary panic.
"You're sure?" Dawn asked. "Because... well, there's this whole long explanation about some demon clan in Alaska and the Yukon Territory, and how they had a... do demons have religion?"
"Some do," Giles said, wondering precisely how demon theology entered into this.
"Weird," Dawn said, before going on. "Well, they had what sounds a lot like a religious war, and the losers moved farther north. The group that won was... well, for demons, they don't sound too bad. It sounds like they mostly stay to themselves and avoid humans as much as possible."
"...And the other group?" Giles asked.
"They... well, they're in the Arctic Circle," Dawn said. "They're probably not a huge threat. But this book says they were more... hang on, let me look at my notes." There was the sound of rustling papers, and then Dawn came back on the line. "War-like and aggressive, and a lot more hostile to humans."
That would explain the differences in attitude, at least, between the demon they were looking for and the one Xander had found. It wouldn't explain the physical differences, but if the demons in the splinter group had been primarily from one or two family groupings, and there'd been time for inbreeding--"How long ago was that?"
"A couple hundred years, maybe?" Dawn said. "This book's pretty recent, but the author apparently spent a year or so up there studying the main group, and then went looking for that second clan. She didn't find out a lot before she had to get out of there, but she did get some pictures."
That could have been enough time for the more subtle physical differences to develop, although he wasn't certain how they could have developed claws in that short time span. Still, he'd have a look at Dawn's research. It did seem like a possibility, if someone else were controlling the demons. He couldn't imagine why a remote clan from the Arctic would be bothering, otherwise; he couldn't remember ever hearing of the Council sending the Slayer to that area... although, he remembered, there'd been a Slayer attacked about six months ago, shortly after the Council had made contact with her--at her home in Fairbanks.
"Send me everything you have on those demons," Giles said. "As quickly as possible."
There was another short pause before Dawn said, "Okay... I can fax over my notes tonight, and then e-mail Andrew a better report tomorrow? And I'll send you the name of that book. It's pretty new, so you ought to be able to get a copy without any trouble."
"That's perfect, Dawn. Thank you." He could hear Xander clearing his throat, although he didn't actually need the reminder of what they'd discussed earlier, "And when you send Andrew your report, be sure to include a statement of how many hours you've spent on this project, so we can pay you."
"Pay--you don't have to pay me, Giles. I like helping." He thought she sounded pleased, though.
"And I'm very grateful that you do, but from now on, any time you help us, I want you to send Andrew a statement of your hours, and any expenses you might have--that book, for example." Even when the Council had been at full strength, they'd occasionally had to consult outside experts, and lately, they'd had to rely on them even more. He was a bit surprised he hadn't considered hiring Dawn before now; once Xander had suggested it, it had seemed perfectly reasonable.
"You'll be paid at the lower end of our fee scale, of course," he went on, "until you've finished university--by which point I hope you'll be considering joining us full-time." He'd talk to her about training once this situation was under control, he decided. The sooner they worked out the details, the better.
While Dawn squealed into the phone, Giles looked over at Xander, who gave him a thumbs-up and a tight smile. Giles smiled back, wondering if the strain of the past two days was getting to Xander more than he'd admitted.
"I'll fax that stuff over now," Dawn said once she'd calmed down a little. "Ignore the stuff at the top of the page; I was doing homework."
"Thank you," he said again, and then, as Xander held out his hand for the phone, "and I think Xander wants to talk to you now." He handed the phone to Xander, picking up the tray with their plates on it instead and leaving Xander to his conversation.
By the time he'd taken care of the washing-up, the fax had come through, and Giles picked the papers up, rifling through them. Dawn's handwriting was large and loopy, but readable, and a quick scan through the notes (credited to chapter nine of Ethnology of the Demon Cultures of Alaska and the Yukon, by H. Doyle) confirmed what she'd just told him on the telephone: this could very well be their demon.
One phrase jumped out at him suddenly from a list of the physical traits of the larger, more peaceful, demon tribe: retractable claws, with Dawn's note, (like a cat, I guess?) to one side of it. That was the one piece of description that he hadn't been able to mesh well with Dawn's research, and there it was, explained for him.
They were onto something, he was sure of it. He still didn't know what had provoked the demons to go hunting Slayers, but they were on the right track.
He left a note for Andrew, asking him to make certain Dawn was paid for her work as well as to find a copy of that book for him--three copies, he decided, crossing out that part of the note and changing it: one for the research department--well, York and his assistant--in London, one for the library here, and one for his personal library, so he could access it without having to wonder if one of the students had checked it out.
Then, putting the faxes from Dawn into a manila folder and tucking it under his arm, he went back to join Xander.
Xander was looking straight at him when Giles came in. Giles handed him the folder, his face grim, and he sat down on the chair.
"Anything you forgot to tell me?" Xander asked, opening the folder and looking down at the faxes Dawn had sent.
"Pardon?"
"Other attacks, Giles?" Xander asked. "You just told Dawn that there have been more than just the two attacks. You never mentioned that." Xander's tone was cold, and he was scanning the pages, turning them with a bit too much force.
Giles sighed, leaning against the back of his chair. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I'm not sure these attacks are related to the attacks on Gregory and yourself. I didn't want to worry you for no reason."
"I'm already worried."
"Exactly. There was no reason for me to add any more. Especially since they are most probably not related. Dawn has explained quite a lot. The demons we are dealing with are related to the ones you found, apparently. There was a tribe war and they were exiled to the north--"
"You're not off the hook, you know. You could have told me."
Xander sounded hurt, and Giles felt a twinge of guilt as he picked up one of the books. "Xander, I thought it would be better if--"
"I get it," Xander said, putting down the file on the coffee table. "Maybe I should go to bed."
"We have to--"
"You probably can figure it out without me anyway." Xander smiled tightly, and stood, heading for the door.
"Xander, sit down, please."
Xander stopped and sighed, putting his hand on the doorway. "Giles--I'm--"
"I never meant to imply that I don't trust you, if that's what you think. I simply didn't want to alarm you even more. I truly need your help here." Giles took his glasses off his nose and rubbed his eyes. "The attacks in Japan and Turkey were brought to my attention the day before you arrived. I didn't think much of them until this morning. Slayers are attacked daily; this isn't anything new."
Xander let out a shaky breath, and turned back to look at Giles, leaning against the doorframe. "Turkey and Japan aren't any closer to the Arctic Circle than England, are they? It makes no sense for the demons to go there."
"Just as it makes no sense for them to come to England. Which is why we need to get to work on this."
"You could have half the Council on this in minutes, Giles, you don't really need me. These guys know more about everything than I do."
Giles sighed, closing his eyes for a minute, and then looking back up into Xander's face. "I don't trust them the way I trust you. I don't want anyone to panic; I especially don't want the girls to panic and think something's going to come after them. I need someone I can trust to work on this with me."
"You know that all the girls know by now; girls talk. A lot." Xander came back to the couch and sat down facing Giles.
"Yes, but if the word gets out, I'm not quite sure how the Watchers themselves will handle this. They could see this as a failure on my part," Giles said, shaking his head.
"Giles--"
"I know you don't believe in yourself, Xander, but I do. And this is a matter in which I genuinely need your help."
Xander looked down to hide the blush that spread on his cheeks. "Thanks, but Giles, you didn't fail. Nothing you did made this happen."
"I'm aware of that. I'm not foolish enough to think that demonic activity of any kind is my fault. But it isn't the way others will see it."
Xander didn't say anything for a moment, and then, finally, he said, "I don't know how to keep it from getting out, Giles. Like I said, the girls have probably told everyone by now. I can ask Catherine and Ocean to downplay it some--they probably haven't said all that much, since Ocean doesn't speak a lot of English and Catherine... she's just not a big talker."
"And Nkiruka?"
"She's ten. This is the most excitement she's ever had in her life. You know she's got to have told everybody. But if the other two aren't making a big deal out of it, maybe people will think Niki's exaggerating a little bit."
Giles sighed. "That's something, at least." Word would get around the school quickly, if it hadn't already, but it was very possible that the staff would chalk much of it up to exaggeration and one-upmanship among the girls. If for no other reason, he thought wryly, than that they wouldn't like to believe their students knew more about the situation than they themselves did.
"The research department," Xander said abruptly.
"Pardon?"
"The research department, York and what's-her-name."
"Bishop," Giles supplied. "What about them?"
"They know something's going on," Xander pointed out. "And it came from you, not one of the girls, so there's no way they're going to believe it was just something that got blown out of proportion."
"I'd thought of that," Giles said. Even a year ago, he might not have done, but he was getting entirely too good at the politics required by his job. There'd been a brief period of respite at the beginning, when everyone was still too shocked by what had happened to their colleagues, their friends--their relatives, given the Council's rather insular nature--to make things difficult for him. That time was long gone, however, and if he hadn't learned to anticipate their games and play his own, he would have found himself out of a job months ago.
It wasn't that he'd miss the job itself, but he didn't like the thought of someone trying to restore all the old traditions he'd put an end to.
"And?" Xander asked.
"They're serving as a... a benchmark," Giles said. "I'm evaluating Dawn's research skills. The task itself is irrelevant." He smiled slightly. "It's close to the truth, at least. I did want to see how Dawn's research compared to York's."
"I'm guessing she passed?"
"She certainly made a favorable impression." He gestured toward the file in his hand. "The speed could partly be attributed to a teenaged girl wanting a reason to avoid doing her homework, but she was remarkably thorough."
"If you ask her, she'll start putting a little paragraph up front where she answers the question 'How do I kill it?' in a hundred words or less." Xander's smile this time was far less strained-looking. "I never have the heart to tell her that most of the time, that's the only paragraph I bother to read."
From Xander's reports, Giles sincerely doubted that; he was sure that was what Xander focused on when there was a crisis, but once it had passed, he obviously went back through the information more carefully. "That might be helpful in the future," he agreed.
Xander rubbed the back of his neck. He still looked tired, Giles noticed, remembering that the last time they'd spoken on the phone, Xander had been looking forward to taking some time off before returning to Africa. This certainly wasn't turning out to be much of a holiday for him, and Giles momentarily regretted relying on Xander so much to help him find out what was going on.
He pushed the regret aside. He did need someone he could trust, and Xander wouldn't have wanted to be left out, anyway. He certainly wouldn’t have been able to rest if he'd been afraid that any of the Slayers were in danger, no matter how strenuously Giles might insist that he had the matter under control.
And since he wasn't even close to having things under control, Giles didn't see a better option than asking Xander for help. He could trust Xander, after all, and there was no doubt that Xander was as concerned about the girls as he himself was.
"We can wait until morning to go through Dawn's notes," Giles offered. He'd spend much of the night looking through them, regardless, but at least one of them could get a few hours' sleep.
"I'd never be able to sleep," Xander said. "Just let me make some coffee and I'll be fine." As he turned to go, he added, "We should set up in the dining room. There's space for us to spread all Dawn's notes out."
Giles nodded. The dining room had the other advantage that it was in the "private" part of the house, rather than the part that housed the offices; he could close the doors and keep people out without anyone thinking it odd of him, and since Xander was staying there, no one would be surprised that Xander had the run of the place. "Let me just put the coffee on, then."
"I've been here often enough. I know where things are," Xander said, starting down the hall toward the kitchen.
Giles picked up some of the books Xander had been looking through earlier; now that they knew what they were dealing with, the information Xander had found about the original group could be useful. He pulled a few more books from the shelves, running his finger over the spines as he considered which volumes might be most helpful. Then, putting the folder of Dawn's notes on top of the stack, he headed for the dining room.
He could still hear Xander moving around in the kitchen, so he left the books on the table, going across the hall to his office to get pens and paper. These days, he wasn't accustomed to having other people around while he worked; he worked at his desk, or took books upstairs if he wanted to work late into the night. This, he thought, was going to be a pleasant change.
Giles came back into the dining room just as Xander entered through the other set of doors, carrying two mugs with steam rising from them. "That's very thoughtful," Giles said, "but I doubt I'll drink it, Xander; take it when you need a second cup."
"It's not coffee," Xander said. "It's tea." A smile flickered over his lips briefly. "Probably really bad tea, but still tea."
Giles smiled, taking the cup from Xander’s hand, and sat down. He pulled a book closer and opened it, and then took a careful sip of his tea, both to avoid the burn, and because he wasn’t sure of the taste. “This isn't bad,” he said, impressed. “Quite good, actually.”
“I’m sure you’re just saying that to make me feel better,” Xander said, pulling another chair closer to Giles’ and sitting down. “But thanks anyway.”
“Hardly,” Giles said, looking at Xander and taking another sip. “Do you really think I’d drink this if it was as foul as you believe it is?"
“I never said it was ‘foul’, just not very good.” Xander smiled. “Okay, so--where should we start?”
Giles pushed the folder containing Dawn’s notes towards Xander. “We should go through Dawn’s notes first, and then see if we can find references in the books to anything she mentions.”
Xander nodded and opened the folder. He took about half of the papers, and gave the rest to Giles. “Cross-referencing,” he said. “That’s my idea of a good time.”
“Please, don’t mock me,” Giles replied, smiling. “Cross-referencing is a valuable research tool.”
“Hey, I wasn’t mocking. I’ve learned to value cross-referencing over the past few months.”
“All right,” Giles said, shaking his head. “We should probably start with mentions of the demons and work our way from there.”
“Sure.”
Two hours later, they still hadn’t found anything of note in the books, and Giles was starting to wonder if they’d find anything at all. He looked over at Xander and smiled. Xander’s head was pillowed on his forearm, facing Giles, and his eye was closed. “Are you sleeping?”
“Mmm? No, I’m not.” Xander looked at Giles, and gave him a sleepy smile. “I’m just resting.”
“Of course,” Giles said softly. “Found anything?”
Xander shook his head. “No, this book is totally useless. I’ve gone through it four times, and there’s nothing.” He sat up and rubbed his eye, groaning and reaching for another book.
“Perhaps you should go to bed.”
“No, we need to do this.” Xander was resolved. He opened the new book, and skimmed the table of contents.
“I’ll make you some more coffee, then.” Giles stood up and walked to the kitchen. He started up the coffee pot, and then set to preparing his own tea.
“Maybe we should get something to eat too?” Xander leaned in the doorway, still blinking the sleep out of his eye.
“That wouldn’t be a bad idea. Although, Xander, if you need to sleep, we can continue to research in the morning. And by then, perhaps York and Bishop might have got back to us with their own findings. We’ve gone through all of Dawn’s material, and it’s evident that my library is severely lacking the right books.”
Xander nodded. “Maybe--but I still think we should keep looking anyway. We don’t know when they’ll strike again.”
“No, we don’t, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t sleep at all. Especially not when you so clearly need it.” Giles poured the boiling water into his cup, and turned to face Xander.
“You know, you could just tell me you want to do it alone. I understand; I’m cramping your style.”
Giles crossed the kitchen and touched Xander’s shoulder, which made Xander look at him. “No, you’re not. I’m simply worried. You’ve barely slept since finding Nkiruka, and forcing yourself to stay awake isn’t going to help.”
“Let's just--I’ll have this cup of coffee,” Xander said, pouring himself a cup and adding sugar and milk, “and we’ll go back to researching, and if I fall asleep on the books, you can put me to bed. How’s that?”
Giles wasn’t fully happy with this plan, but it was better than Xander simply refusing to acknowledge that he was tired. “All right.” He picked up his tea and a packet of biscuits, and made his way back to the dining room, Xander on his tail.
Xander sank down in his chair, gulping coffee and stealing a biscuit from the packet as soon as Giles set it down. Giles reached for the nearest book, pulling it closer to him, although he didn't expect to find anything. He didn't have the resources here; the first copy of anything useful they managed to acquire or replace went to the research department in London, and he was beginning to think that if they did have any references that would help them deal with the demons, they were in books rare enough that they hadn't yet found a second copy.
At least this book was modern enough to have an index, and that spared him from having to do what Xander was currently occupied with: carefully turning page after yellowing page, looking for anything that might be referring to the demon that had been attacking the Slayers. And finding nothing, but the same could be said about his own search as well.
The rustling of the pages of Xander's book slowed; without looking up, Giles asked, "Did you find something?"
Xander didn't answer, and Giles realized that the other thing that had slowed was Xander's breathing; it was deep and even now, and when Giles did look up, it was to see that Xander's head was once again resting on his arms. He'd pushed the book out of his way first, and Giles smiled, thankful that maturity had taught Xander the proper respect for books.
"Xander." Giles nudged him slightly, and Xander sat bolt upright, looking around him warily.
"What--" he began and stopped, reaching up to rub his eye and then turning to Giles. "Would you believe 'resting' again?" he asked hopefully.
Giles shook his head. "Go upstairs and get some sleep. I know," he added, when Xander opened his mouth to protest, "you want to help, but surely you can see that you'll be more help when you're awake enough to remain sitting upright?"
Xander sighed. "Okay, I'll go," he said, yawning and stretching. Then he stopped and looked at Giles for a moment. "But you're coming with me."
He didn't even have time to raise an eyebrow before Xander cleared his throat and added, "And by that I mean, 'you don't look any more awake than I do, so you should go to bed,' and not anything that could fall under the description of 'sexual harassment.'"
"That never occurred to me," Giles assured him. Or rather, it had, but he'd correctly assumed that Xander hadn't meant it the way that it sounded. He sighed. "And I suppose you're right," he added. "It has been a long day."
"Say that again."
"It's been a long day," Giles repeated. "I was up early, trying to sort through some of the paperwork on my desk before I met with the new Slayers, and--"
"No, the other part." Xander smiled. "The part where I'm right. I never get tired of that."
"I could put a note in your personnel file," Giles said dryly. It wasn't as though Xander was never right these days, after all; he'd been doing exemplary work in Africa.
"Not yet," Xander said, picking up the mugs and the biscuits and heading toward the kitchen. Giles hadn't realized just how much at home Xander had made himself here, and he found that he liked it.
From the next room, he heard Xander go on, "Wait until you do more than 'suppose' I'm right, and then put the note in."
Smiling, Giles turned to go up to his room.
***
Part 4
Author: Soft Princess (soft_princess) and Mireille (mireille719)
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Giles/Xander
Rating: FRT
Word Count: 6,000 this part / 64,000 overall
Summary: When Xander is attacked by a demon on his way to deliver a trio of young Slayers to England, he and Giles find themselves investigating a plot that may threaten the Council's very existence--and re-evaluating their relationship in the process.
Spoilers: Post-Chosen; based on aired-episode canon only.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. The characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy; we are only borrowing them.
Feedback/Concrit: Both welcome, either here or at mireille719 {at} gmail {dot} com and soft.princess {at} gmail {dot} com.
Notes: This story is being posted in 12 parts: parts 1-4 at spring_with_xan on June 17, parts 5-8 at summer_of_giles on June 19, and parts 9-12 at summer_of_giles on June 22. We would like to thank wesleysgirl for the wonderful job beta-reading.
Previous parts:
Part 1 | Part 2
"Xander?" Giles asked, as he walked into the house and went down the hall. He found Xander asleep on the couch in the living room, the sketch on the coffee table along with a couple of old and dusty demon manuals Xander had probably found in the library. Smiling warmly, Giles left his briefcase by the door, and walked in, crouching down by the table to look at the books. Both of them were opened, showing two different breeds of demon; one was close to the one they were looking for, but not exactly it; the other was a brown demon with a set of horns the size of a small cat. Giles picked up the second book, frowning, and started to read the description.
It warmed him to know that Xander had started the research himself, despite knowing that several other people were on it. Xander had never really been the kind of person to just wait until the answers were handed out to him, and Giles admired that in him. Many of the Watchers working for the Council had a tendency to wait for other people to do their job, and it irked Giles more than he'd care to admit. Xander, on the other hand, always tried to find it first--or asked Dawn to help him, apparently.
After the demise of Sunnydale, Giles had watched their group disband around the world. But Xander always reminded him that they were still linked, and still ready to do what it took to help each other. It didn't matter that Dawn was in Italy and Xander in Africa, they were in touch, and knew all that was going on in each other's lives. Giles wouldn't be surprised if the same were true for Buffy, and for Willow and Kennedy in South America. Even Andrew always knew what the girls were up to, which should have been a clue that ties made in Sunnydale weren't easily broken, at least for the others.
The demon in the book Giles was holding was an African breed, extremely intelligent, almost humanoid despite their rather repulsing physical attributes. They only attacked humans to steal their belongings, although they preferred to leave none alive after their raids.
Which didn't tell Giles anything about why Xander would have singled them out in his research, unless he'd come across them in Africa and had forgotten to tell Giles about it. Giles looked up from the book at Xander's sleeping form. He was holding a pillow tightly in his arms, his legs curled up against him. Africa had changed him.
Xander was older, wiser, and while he often clashed with the other Watchers, with his jeans and comfortable shirts, and definite American ways, he looked at peace here, something Giles had dreaded would never happen after Anya's death. Xander had been devastated, and it had taken him a long time to find his balance. He certainly looked like he'd finally found it now.
Giles smiled, standing and putting the book back on the table. He picked up the blanket he always kept on the sofa and covered Xander with it before moving to the kitchen. Giles would let him sleep a bit more.
***
When supper was ready, Giles loaded a tray and went back into the living room, finding Xander sitting up on the couch, rubbing his eye. "Awake, are you?" he asked, smiling softly, as he put the tray on the table, and sat on the chair facing the couch.
"Yeah, sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep." Xander blinked, looking at the food and inhaling deeply. "Got woken up by the smell. I always forget what home-cooked food smells like."
"I'm sure you needed the rest." Giles picked up his plate and crossed his legs. "I've yet to hear from either Dawn or Mr. York. I'm hoping they'll have the answers before bedtime."
Xander snickered. "That would mean there is no bedtime, because we'll spend all night poring over all the information they'll be sending us." He smiled at Giles. "Not that I'd mind the company, actually. It's not often I have a research companion anymore."
Giles smiled back, taking a bite of his food. "Of course. I noticed you started some research of your own," he said once he'd swallowed, nodding towards the books that were still on the table.
With a nod, Xander picked up the book that Giles had been looking at earlier. "I asked Niki, and she assured me that it's not the same demon who attacked her parents, so I'm--at a loss, I guess. She said the demon that attacked her house was brown and had horns, and this is the only African demon that fits both of those criteria. I thought at first that maybe it had ties with the other demon, but now I don't think so. It's indigenous to Africa, and doesn't deal with outsiders." He scratched his head. "I'm going to have to ask her again, make sure this is really the one, but if it is, then I just don't know."
Giles pushed Xander's plate towards him. "Eat. There'll be time for worrying later." They ate in silence for a little while, and not for the first time, Giles wondered at the comfortable atmosphere. It hadn't always been that way between Xander and him--friendship, perhaps, but this level of comfort had never been a part of it. It seemed to be increasing now, every time Xander spent time in this house.
Xander was the only one of them to visit England so often. Giles knew Africa wasn't home to him, and probably never would be--but then, he didn't think England was home to Xander either. Not yet, at any rate. And Giles didn't know what he could do to make it so.
Dismissing the thought, Giles put his empty plate back on the tray, a smile touching his lips when he saw that Xander had also finished his food. "All right, what is the second demon you found?"
Xander shook his head, picking up the book. "This is what's closest to our demon that I could find, but it's not it. It says it's a peaceful tribe from western Canada. Way too far away to be what we're looking for."
"Some demons for hire travel far--"
"Maybe, but this demon is lacking a lot of the big stuff from the sketch: the forehead's too narrow, the nose too puffy, and it doesn't have claws. And it looks shorter. And it's a peaceful tribe, not the sort of tribe to breed hire-able killers."
With a nod, Giles picked up the second book again. "Perhaps once we've found what the demon who attacked you and Gregory is, we might be able to connect it to this one--"
"I doubt it. Even if the demon that attacked us is a demon for hire, this one," he said, pointing at the book. "Is definitely not." Xander sighed, closed the book he was holding and put it back on the table. "I've studied African tribes a lot, and when it says it doesn't deal well with outsiders, it really means just that. Oh, and Gregory's girls both said they didn't see anything unusual last night--oh, and let me tell you, Ayu's going to be a handful --she doesn't believe demons really exist."
Giles smiled. "Well, she won't be the first. I'm glad that you've at least checked that out, even if it didn't get us anywhere. Mrs. Cheever helped, then?"
"Yeah. Niki wants me to have breakfast with her, Catherine and Ocean in the morning."
"This girl has really taken to you, hasn't she?" Giles put the open book on top of the other one and leaned back in his chair, looking at Xander, his smile never fading.
"Yeah, she did," Xander said, blushing slightly. "I--I know we're not supposed to get close to the Slayers--"
Giles snickered. "Xander, I'd like you to remember who you are talking to. I wouldn't question your attachment to Nkiruka. I think it's rather nice, actually. At her age, so far from home, she'll definitely need the support of a trusted adult." And Xander needed something--someone--to anchor him. Not that Giles would say it out loud, but Xander needed to know he was valued, and trusted, and looked up to. He still had trouble believing he was good at what he did, and Giles wished there was some way he could tell Xander how wonderful a job he was doing without seeming like he was patronizing him.
"I just hope she'll be okay here; I won't be around all the time." Xander's tone was wistful, and Giles frowned.
"If you don't want to leave again, there's more than enough work that you can do at the Academy."
Xander smiled and shook his head. "I like traveling, and I'm even starting to like Africa. It'll never be home, but the people there--" He looked up at Giles, and their eyes locked. Something passed between them in that moment, and they couldn't look away. "Giles, I--"
Then the phone rang.
Tearing his eyes away from Xander, Giles stood and went to pick up the cordless phone from the table by the door. "Rupert Giles speaking."
"Giles?" Dawn's voice came through the receiver, instantly recognizable. "I was expecting Andrew." Giles had had Andrew forward the calls that came into the office through to his private line, hoping that Dawn or York might call back that evening.
"Oh, hello, Dawn." Giles walked back toward the chair, carrying the phone with him.
"Hey." There was a pause of a second or two, and then Dawn went right on. "I know it's kind of late, but Andrew made it sound like you needed the lowdown on this demon right away, so--"
Giles had been about to assure her that it wasn't too late to call him when Dawn's words sunk in. "You've found something?"
He glanced over at the couch. Xander grinned at him, mouthing, "I told you so." Giles shook his head, sitting down and concentrating on what Dawn was saying.
"I think so," Dawn said. "It's only in one of my books, though, so I couldn't confirm it. But it looks exactly like the picture Andrew faxed me."
"Wonderful," Giles said. "What is it?"
"Something with too many consonants in a row," Dawn said. "I tried saying it earlier and gave myself a sore throat. It'll be in my notes, though, so you'll be able to see for yourself." Then she paused. "You do want to see for yourself, right? This isn't like when Xander calls me with questions just to keep me busy?"
Giles couldn't help but laugh. "He does?"
"He calls me with descriptions of things that have never even set foot--or claw, or tentacle, or whatever--in Africa in the past five hundred years. It's kind of obvious."
He'd have to bring that up with Xander later. "No," Giles said. "I assure you, we genuinely need this information."
"Okay," Dawn said, still sounding a little doubtful. "I just wondered why you wanted to know about a demon that supposedly hasn't ever been seen more than a couple hundred miles south of the Arctic Circle."
"I assure you, it has been," Giles told her. "There's one in England right now--at least, there was this morning--and there may have been sightings in Japan and Turkey in the past two weeks." He'd have to have copies of the drawing sent to the Watchers who'd been present for some of the more recent attacks.
Xander leaned forward then, giving Giles a questioning look, and Giles realized that he hadn't yet mentioned the other attacks to Xander. He'd been keeping that to himself, trying not to worry anyone until he was certain there was a pattern to the attacks on the Slayers. It could just be coincidence. Slayers were sought out by a great number of demons who thought the best way to deal with the threat was to eliminate it before the Slayers could hunt the demons down. The last thing he needed was to cause an unnecessary panic.
"You're sure?" Dawn asked. "Because... well, there's this whole long explanation about some demon clan in Alaska and the Yukon Territory, and how they had a... do demons have religion?"
"Some do," Giles said, wondering precisely how demon theology entered into this.
"Weird," Dawn said, before going on. "Well, they had what sounds a lot like a religious war, and the losers moved farther north. The group that won was... well, for demons, they don't sound too bad. It sounds like they mostly stay to themselves and avoid humans as much as possible."
"...And the other group?" Giles asked.
"They... well, they're in the Arctic Circle," Dawn said. "They're probably not a huge threat. But this book says they were more... hang on, let me look at my notes." There was the sound of rustling papers, and then Dawn came back on the line. "War-like and aggressive, and a lot more hostile to humans."
That would explain the differences in attitude, at least, between the demon they were looking for and the one Xander had found. It wouldn't explain the physical differences, but if the demons in the splinter group had been primarily from one or two family groupings, and there'd been time for inbreeding--"How long ago was that?"
"A couple hundred years, maybe?" Dawn said. "This book's pretty recent, but the author apparently spent a year or so up there studying the main group, and then went looking for that second clan. She didn't find out a lot before she had to get out of there, but she did get some pictures."
That could have been enough time for the more subtle physical differences to develop, although he wasn't certain how they could have developed claws in that short time span. Still, he'd have a look at Dawn's research. It did seem like a possibility, if someone else were controlling the demons. He couldn't imagine why a remote clan from the Arctic would be bothering, otherwise; he couldn't remember ever hearing of the Council sending the Slayer to that area... although, he remembered, there'd been a Slayer attacked about six months ago, shortly after the Council had made contact with her--at her home in Fairbanks.
"Send me everything you have on those demons," Giles said. "As quickly as possible."
There was another short pause before Dawn said, "Okay... I can fax over my notes tonight, and then e-mail Andrew a better report tomorrow? And I'll send you the name of that book. It's pretty new, so you ought to be able to get a copy without any trouble."
"That's perfect, Dawn. Thank you." He could hear Xander clearing his throat, although he didn't actually need the reminder of what they'd discussed earlier, "And when you send Andrew your report, be sure to include a statement of how many hours you've spent on this project, so we can pay you."
"Pay--you don't have to pay me, Giles. I like helping." He thought she sounded pleased, though.
"And I'm very grateful that you do, but from now on, any time you help us, I want you to send Andrew a statement of your hours, and any expenses you might have--that book, for example." Even when the Council had been at full strength, they'd occasionally had to consult outside experts, and lately, they'd had to rely on them even more. He was a bit surprised he hadn't considered hiring Dawn before now; once Xander had suggested it, it had seemed perfectly reasonable.
"You'll be paid at the lower end of our fee scale, of course," he went on, "until you've finished university--by which point I hope you'll be considering joining us full-time." He'd talk to her about training once this situation was under control, he decided. The sooner they worked out the details, the better.
While Dawn squealed into the phone, Giles looked over at Xander, who gave him a thumbs-up and a tight smile. Giles smiled back, wondering if the strain of the past two days was getting to Xander more than he'd admitted.
"I'll fax that stuff over now," Dawn said once she'd calmed down a little. "Ignore the stuff at the top of the page; I was doing homework."
"Thank you," he said again, and then, as Xander held out his hand for the phone, "and I think Xander wants to talk to you now." He handed the phone to Xander, picking up the tray with their plates on it instead and leaving Xander to his conversation.
By the time he'd taken care of the washing-up, the fax had come through, and Giles picked the papers up, rifling through them. Dawn's handwriting was large and loopy, but readable, and a quick scan through the notes (credited to chapter nine of Ethnology of the Demon Cultures of Alaska and the Yukon, by H. Doyle) confirmed what she'd just told him on the telephone: this could very well be their demon.
One phrase jumped out at him suddenly from a list of the physical traits of the larger, more peaceful, demon tribe: retractable claws, with Dawn's note, (like a cat, I guess?) to one side of it. That was the one piece of description that he hadn't been able to mesh well with Dawn's research, and there it was, explained for him.
They were onto something, he was sure of it. He still didn't know what had provoked the demons to go hunting Slayers, but they were on the right track.
He left a note for Andrew, asking him to make certain Dawn was paid for her work as well as to find a copy of that book for him--three copies, he decided, crossing out that part of the note and changing it: one for the research department--well, York and his assistant--in London, one for the library here, and one for his personal library, so he could access it without having to wonder if one of the students had checked it out.
Then, putting the faxes from Dawn into a manila folder and tucking it under his arm, he went back to join Xander.
Xander was looking straight at him when Giles came in. Giles handed him the folder, his face grim, and he sat down on the chair.
"Anything you forgot to tell me?" Xander asked, opening the folder and looking down at the faxes Dawn had sent.
"Pardon?"
"Other attacks, Giles?" Xander asked. "You just told Dawn that there have been more than just the two attacks. You never mentioned that." Xander's tone was cold, and he was scanning the pages, turning them with a bit too much force.
Giles sighed, leaning against the back of his chair. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I'm not sure these attacks are related to the attacks on Gregory and yourself. I didn't want to worry you for no reason."
"I'm already worried."
"Exactly. There was no reason for me to add any more. Especially since they are most probably not related. Dawn has explained quite a lot. The demons we are dealing with are related to the ones you found, apparently. There was a tribe war and they were exiled to the north--"
"You're not off the hook, you know. You could have told me."
Xander sounded hurt, and Giles felt a twinge of guilt as he picked up one of the books. "Xander, I thought it would be better if--"
"I get it," Xander said, putting down the file on the coffee table. "Maybe I should go to bed."
"We have to--"
"You probably can figure it out without me anyway." Xander smiled tightly, and stood, heading for the door.
"Xander, sit down, please."
Xander stopped and sighed, putting his hand on the doorway. "Giles--I'm--"
"I never meant to imply that I don't trust you, if that's what you think. I simply didn't want to alarm you even more. I truly need your help here." Giles took his glasses off his nose and rubbed his eyes. "The attacks in Japan and Turkey were brought to my attention the day before you arrived. I didn't think much of them until this morning. Slayers are attacked daily; this isn't anything new."
Xander let out a shaky breath, and turned back to look at Giles, leaning against the doorframe. "Turkey and Japan aren't any closer to the Arctic Circle than England, are they? It makes no sense for the demons to go there."
"Just as it makes no sense for them to come to England. Which is why we need to get to work on this."
"You could have half the Council on this in minutes, Giles, you don't really need me. These guys know more about everything than I do."
Giles sighed, closing his eyes for a minute, and then looking back up into Xander's face. "I don't trust them the way I trust you. I don't want anyone to panic; I especially don't want the girls to panic and think something's going to come after them. I need someone I can trust to work on this with me."
"You know that all the girls know by now; girls talk. A lot." Xander came back to the couch and sat down facing Giles.
"Yes, but if the word gets out, I'm not quite sure how the Watchers themselves will handle this. They could see this as a failure on my part," Giles said, shaking his head.
"Giles--"
"I know you don't believe in yourself, Xander, but I do. And this is a matter in which I genuinely need your help."
Xander looked down to hide the blush that spread on his cheeks. "Thanks, but Giles, you didn't fail. Nothing you did made this happen."
"I'm aware of that. I'm not foolish enough to think that demonic activity of any kind is my fault. But it isn't the way others will see it."
Xander didn't say anything for a moment, and then, finally, he said, "I don't know how to keep it from getting out, Giles. Like I said, the girls have probably told everyone by now. I can ask Catherine and Ocean to downplay it some--they probably haven't said all that much, since Ocean doesn't speak a lot of English and Catherine... she's just not a big talker."
"And Nkiruka?"
"She's ten. This is the most excitement she's ever had in her life. You know she's got to have told everybody. But if the other two aren't making a big deal out of it, maybe people will think Niki's exaggerating a little bit."
Giles sighed. "That's something, at least." Word would get around the school quickly, if it hadn't already, but it was very possible that the staff would chalk much of it up to exaggeration and one-upmanship among the girls. If for no other reason, he thought wryly, than that they wouldn't like to believe their students knew more about the situation than they themselves did.
"The research department," Xander said abruptly.
"Pardon?"
"The research department, York and what's-her-name."
"Bishop," Giles supplied. "What about them?"
"They know something's going on," Xander pointed out. "And it came from you, not one of the girls, so there's no way they're going to believe it was just something that got blown out of proportion."
"I'd thought of that," Giles said. Even a year ago, he might not have done, but he was getting entirely too good at the politics required by his job. There'd been a brief period of respite at the beginning, when everyone was still too shocked by what had happened to their colleagues, their friends--their relatives, given the Council's rather insular nature--to make things difficult for him. That time was long gone, however, and if he hadn't learned to anticipate their games and play his own, he would have found himself out of a job months ago.
It wasn't that he'd miss the job itself, but he didn't like the thought of someone trying to restore all the old traditions he'd put an end to.
"And?" Xander asked.
"They're serving as a... a benchmark," Giles said. "I'm evaluating Dawn's research skills. The task itself is irrelevant." He smiled slightly. "It's close to the truth, at least. I did want to see how Dawn's research compared to York's."
"I'm guessing she passed?"
"She certainly made a favorable impression." He gestured toward the file in his hand. "The speed could partly be attributed to a teenaged girl wanting a reason to avoid doing her homework, but she was remarkably thorough."
"If you ask her, she'll start putting a little paragraph up front where she answers the question 'How do I kill it?' in a hundred words or less." Xander's smile this time was far less strained-looking. "I never have the heart to tell her that most of the time, that's the only paragraph I bother to read."
From Xander's reports, Giles sincerely doubted that; he was sure that was what Xander focused on when there was a crisis, but once it had passed, he obviously went back through the information more carefully. "That might be helpful in the future," he agreed.
Xander rubbed the back of his neck. He still looked tired, Giles noticed, remembering that the last time they'd spoken on the phone, Xander had been looking forward to taking some time off before returning to Africa. This certainly wasn't turning out to be much of a holiday for him, and Giles momentarily regretted relying on Xander so much to help him find out what was going on.
He pushed the regret aside. He did need someone he could trust, and Xander wouldn't have wanted to be left out, anyway. He certainly wouldn’t have been able to rest if he'd been afraid that any of the Slayers were in danger, no matter how strenuously Giles might insist that he had the matter under control.
And since he wasn't even close to having things under control, Giles didn't see a better option than asking Xander for help. He could trust Xander, after all, and there was no doubt that Xander was as concerned about the girls as he himself was.
"We can wait until morning to go through Dawn's notes," Giles offered. He'd spend much of the night looking through them, regardless, but at least one of them could get a few hours' sleep.
"I'd never be able to sleep," Xander said. "Just let me make some coffee and I'll be fine." As he turned to go, he added, "We should set up in the dining room. There's space for us to spread all Dawn's notes out."
Giles nodded. The dining room had the other advantage that it was in the "private" part of the house, rather than the part that housed the offices; he could close the doors and keep people out without anyone thinking it odd of him, and since Xander was staying there, no one would be surprised that Xander had the run of the place. "Let me just put the coffee on, then."
"I've been here often enough. I know where things are," Xander said, starting down the hall toward the kitchen.
Giles picked up some of the books Xander had been looking through earlier; now that they knew what they were dealing with, the information Xander had found about the original group could be useful. He pulled a few more books from the shelves, running his finger over the spines as he considered which volumes might be most helpful. Then, putting the folder of Dawn's notes on top of the stack, he headed for the dining room.
He could still hear Xander moving around in the kitchen, so he left the books on the table, going across the hall to his office to get pens and paper. These days, he wasn't accustomed to having other people around while he worked; he worked at his desk, or took books upstairs if he wanted to work late into the night. This, he thought, was going to be a pleasant change.
Giles came back into the dining room just as Xander entered through the other set of doors, carrying two mugs with steam rising from them. "That's very thoughtful," Giles said, "but I doubt I'll drink it, Xander; take it when you need a second cup."
"It's not coffee," Xander said. "It's tea." A smile flickered over his lips briefly. "Probably really bad tea, but still tea."
Giles smiled, taking the cup from Xander’s hand, and sat down. He pulled a book closer and opened it, and then took a careful sip of his tea, both to avoid the burn, and because he wasn’t sure of the taste. “This isn't bad,” he said, impressed. “Quite good, actually.”
“I’m sure you’re just saying that to make me feel better,” Xander said, pulling another chair closer to Giles’ and sitting down. “But thanks anyway.”
“Hardly,” Giles said, looking at Xander and taking another sip. “Do you really think I’d drink this if it was as foul as you believe it is?"
“I never said it was ‘foul’, just not very good.” Xander smiled. “Okay, so--where should we start?”
Giles pushed the folder containing Dawn’s notes towards Xander. “We should go through Dawn’s notes first, and then see if we can find references in the books to anything she mentions.”
Xander nodded and opened the folder. He took about half of the papers, and gave the rest to Giles. “Cross-referencing,” he said. “That’s my idea of a good time.”
“Please, don’t mock me,” Giles replied, smiling. “Cross-referencing is a valuable research tool.”
“Hey, I wasn’t mocking. I’ve learned to value cross-referencing over the past few months.”
“All right,” Giles said, shaking his head. “We should probably start with mentions of the demons and work our way from there.”
“Sure.”
Two hours later, they still hadn’t found anything of note in the books, and Giles was starting to wonder if they’d find anything at all. He looked over at Xander and smiled. Xander’s head was pillowed on his forearm, facing Giles, and his eye was closed. “Are you sleeping?”
“Mmm? No, I’m not.” Xander looked at Giles, and gave him a sleepy smile. “I’m just resting.”
“Of course,” Giles said softly. “Found anything?”
Xander shook his head. “No, this book is totally useless. I’ve gone through it four times, and there’s nothing.” He sat up and rubbed his eye, groaning and reaching for another book.
“Perhaps you should go to bed.”
“No, we need to do this.” Xander was resolved. He opened the new book, and skimmed the table of contents.
“I’ll make you some more coffee, then.” Giles stood up and walked to the kitchen. He started up the coffee pot, and then set to preparing his own tea.
“Maybe we should get something to eat too?” Xander leaned in the doorway, still blinking the sleep out of his eye.
“That wouldn’t be a bad idea. Although, Xander, if you need to sleep, we can continue to research in the morning. And by then, perhaps York and Bishop might have got back to us with their own findings. We’ve gone through all of Dawn’s material, and it’s evident that my library is severely lacking the right books.”
Xander nodded. “Maybe--but I still think we should keep looking anyway. We don’t know when they’ll strike again.”
“No, we don’t, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t sleep at all. Especially not when you so clearly need it.” Giles poured the boiling water into his cup, and turned to face Xander.
“You know, you could just tell me you want to do it alone. I understand; I’m cramping your style.”
Giles crossed the kitchen and touched Xander’s shoulder, which made Xander look at him. “No, you’re not. I’m simply worried. You’ve barely slept since finding Nkiruka, and forcing yourself to stay awake isn’t going to help.”
“Let's just--I’ll have this cup of coffee,” Xander said, pouring himself a cup and adding sugar and milk, “and we’ll go back to researching, and if I fall asleep on the books, you can put me to bed. How’s that?”
Giles wasn’t fully happy with this plan, but it was better than Xander simply refusing to acknowledge that he was tired. “All right.” He picked up his tea and a packet of biscuits, and made his way back to the dining room, Xander on his tail.
Xander sank down in his chair, gulping coffee and stealing a biscuit from the packet as soon as Giles set it down. Giles reached for the nearest book, pulling it closer to him, although he didn't expect to find anything. He didn't have the resources here; the first copy of anything useful they managed to acquire or replace went to the research department in London, and he was beginning to think that if they did have any references that would help them deal with the demons, they were in books rare enough that they hadn't yet found a second copy.
At least this book was modern enough to have an index, and that spared him from having to do what Xander was currently occupied with: carefully turning page after yellowing page, looking for anything that might be referring to the demon that had been attacking the Slayers. And finding nothing, but the same could be said about his own search as well.
The rustling of the pages of Xander's book slowed; without looking up, Giles asked, "Did you find something?"
Xander didn't answer, and Giles realized that the other thing that had slowed was Xander's breathing; it was deep and even now, and when Giles did look up, it was to see that Xander's head was once again resting on his arms. He'd pushed the book out of his way first, and Giles smiled, thankful that maturity had taught Xander the proper respect for books.
"Xander." Giles nudged him slightly, and Xander sat bolt upright, looking around him warily.
"What--" he began and stopped, reaching up to rub his eye and then turning to Giles. "Would you believe 'resting' again?" he asked hopefully.
Giles shook his head. "Go upstairs and get some sleep. I know," he added, when Xander opened his mouth to protest, "you want to help, but surely you can see that you'll be more help when you're awake enough to remain sitting upright?"
Xander sighed. "Okay, I'll go," he said, yawning and stretching. Then he stopped and looked at Giles for a moment. "But you're coming with me."
He didn't even have time to raise an eyebrow before Xander cleared his throat and added, "And by that I mean, 'you don't look any more awake than I do, so you should go to bed,' and not anything that could fall under the description of 'sexual harassment.'"
"That never occurred to me," Giles assured him. Or rather, it had, but he'd correctly assumed that Xander hadn't meant it the way that it sounded. He sighed. "And I suppose you're right," he added. "It has been a long day."
"Say that again."
"It's been a long day," Giles repeated. "I was up early, trying to sort through some of the paperwork on my desk before I met with the new Slayers, and--"
"No, the other part." Xander smiled. "The part where I'm right. I never get tired of that."
"I could put a note in your personnel file," Giles said dryly. It wasn't as though Xander was never right these days, after all; he'd been doing exemplary work in Africa.
"Not yet," Xander said, picking up the mugs and the biscuits and heading toward the kitchen. Giles hadn't realized just how much at home Xander had made himself here, and he found that he liked it.
From the next room, he heard Xander go on, "Wait until you do more than 'suppose' I'm right, and then put the note in."
Smiling, Giles turned to go up to his room.
***
Part 4