Chapter 10: Departure and Words
Spike couldn’t have been more surprised when he opened his door to find the Watcher behind it. Motioning for him to get inside, the vampire retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his new coat. God, why did just looking at the thing make him feel all fuzzy inside? Soul or no soul, he was still a Vampire, and fuzzy feelings did not quite fit the job description!
“Care for a drink, Watcher? I got some of the real stuff, straight from the mother country.”
Giles sat down on the couch warily, taking his glasses off, and, of course, cleaning them absently.
“No, I’m afraid I don’t have much time now. I’m actually on my way to said mother country.”
Letting himself fall into his favorite armchair, Spike arched an eyebrow. His girls were not going to be happy about that.
“Do they know?”
The Watcher smiled, nodding absently. “Yes, they do. I always said I wasn’t staying. And some. urging matters. call for a prompt return.”
Following an intuition, Spike tried his luck and asked as casually as he could: “Is she pretty?”
“Very pretty, yes, more than.”
Quite satisfied with himself for not having lost his instincts, the vampire chuckled. Giles stared at him with widening eyes and hid his embarrassment with a cough.
“Well, that’s not what I came here to talk about.”
“I suppose not. Let me guess. Veiled threats and murder promises if I do anything to your precious Buffy. Is that it?”
Spike took a long drag on the cigarette. He had almost said ‘my precious Buffy’. All his soul’s fault.
“Hmm, yes and no. I’m sure I don’t need to say if you hurt her in any way I will show you a few things I learned from Angelus.”
At the Ripper-grin that appeared on Giles’ face, Spike almost laughed out loud. Instead, he gave the man a genuine smile.
“If I hurt her, Watcher, I’ll bloody beg you to show me.”
The man only nodded, as if it was a settled matter.
“There is more. I want your promise that you’ll take care of her. Of them. They’re children, all of them, even Anya despite her thousand years of demonic activities. They need someone to watch over them.”
Spike almost strangled himself of a puff of smoke, suddenly glad he wasn’t risking asphyxiation. The Watcher was asking him what?!
“Uh, remember who you’re talking to? Spike? William the Bloody? Ring a bell? I am no bleeding baby sitter!”
Leaning forward, Giles looked carefully at Spike, who was in return staring at him disbelievingly.
“I know exactly who I am talking to. I’m talking to someone who took care of an insane vampiress for a century, because he loved her. Someone who did the last thing a vampire would do and got himself a soul, again because of love. You can say what you want, you wouldn’t have been offered that gift if you had not wanted it. So you’re going to take care of all of them. Because you love Buffy. And Dawn too, I think. This is all the family they have left, so you’ll watch over them.”
It’s only after the Watcher had left, long after, that Spike realized what his answer had been.
He had given his word.
And he even meant it.
Why does he have to leave? Why do they always leave? Dad, Angel, Riley, Mom, Giles, Spike, now Giles again. All the people I care about always end up leaving me. Why is that? Could someone explain me? If I’m doing something wrong, someone should tell me. Or is there something wrong with me?
He came back once. Twice, actually, counting the time he left when I was dead. Will he come back again? God, I hope he will. I need him too much. We all need him.
I hate goodbyes. Really, really, really hate goodbyes. Everybody is getting all sad and pretending that they’re not, like it’s ok for him to go. It’s not ok. Why don’t we tell him? We should tell him, shouldn’t we?
“Buffy?”
“Yes Giles?”
“I very sincerely hope there won’t be a next time, but next time, don’t wait until the apocalypse to ask for help, ok?”
“Ok.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
Only if he promises to come back as soon as I call. But if he does, there will be a message waiting on his answering machine when he arrives in that damned England.
Who is going to help me now that he’s leaving? Who is going to listen to my ramblings and make me admit the truths that are so easy to deny?
Hug time. Everybody gets one. I wonder if he sees us as his children. He certainly is a father for me. He pulls me a little apart from the others. A couple more minutes and he’ll be gone.
“Buffy, just one last thing. All the Watchers of the past will weep in their tombs for me saying this but. You should tell him.”
“.”