Unexpected Visitor

Title: Unexpected Visitor

Characters: All original “Buffy: the Vampire Slayer” characters are the sole property of Joss Whedon.  No copyright infringement is intended.

Setting: Mid-season 2

Word Count: 1,099 (I just barely made it!)

Rating: G

Beta(s): Batmite79

Author’s Notes: I wanted to keep it open enough to be able to fit anywhere into season 2 (after the appearance of Angelus) without a lot of added explanation or addition to existing episodes.  (Which is good, since the word count didn’t leave a lot of room for detail.) 

 

“Buffy is running through the hospital. Her face is cut and she looks like she’s been crying. Her leather jacket sways with every burst of an opening door. She stops as she sees the stretcher ahead. She breathes heavily looking at who is on it…”

“No!  Giles!” she cried, reaching out to him.  At that moment, Xander grabbed her and pulled her away from the stretcher.

            “There’s nothing you can do about it right now.  Let the doctors take care of him.  It’s their job,” he comforted her, leading her to the waiting area.  “Come on, sit down,” he patted one of the chairs.  “They’ll let us know when we can see him.”

            “What happened?  I mean, I was right there.  He was fine.  And then he was gone,” Buffy’s voice was choked by the tears streaming down her face. 

            Xander looked at her, concern on his face, deciding whether or not to tell Buffy the truth.  “I don’t know how, but Angelus got to him.”  Buffy didn’t let him go any further.  She jumped from her chair and started running to the nearest exit.

            “Whoa!” Xander said, grabbing her arm. 

            “Let go, Xander.  I have to find him.”

            “It’s not going to do you any good to go like this, though,” Xander countered, leading her back to the chairs.  “You need to take some time and calm down.”

            “But it’s my fault, Xander.  I have to go after him.”  Xander smiled at the headstrong Slayer next to him.  He had never been a fan of the vampire and wanted nothing more than to see him turn to dust, but he knew Angelus was strong and crafty.  Buffy had to be in top form to fight him and win.  Buffy sat motionless next to Xander, her unseeing eyes trained on the far wall, her mind trying, but failing, to process what had happened.

            A tall young man approached the pair.  “Excuse me, are you Xander?”  Xander nodded, and the man continued.  “I’m Doctor Smith.  I’m taking care of Mr. Giles.  He’s able to have visitors now.”  His gaze moved to the young woman sitting next to Xander.  “And this must be your sister.  He’s been asking for both of you.  This way, please.”

            “Buffy?” he asked, turning toward her.  “Sis, Dad wants to see us,” he said, hoping the code they had unofficially established to use in such instances would register with her, but she didn’t react.  Xander turned back toward the doctor.  “She’s very shaken up,” he said, apologetically.  “It might be best if I go in by myself first.  Then I can assure her that he’s doing fine.” 

            “I understand,” he assured Xander.  He motioned for a nurse to keep an eye on Buffy, and then led Xander down the hall to Giles’ room.  “Here we are,” he said, opening the door.

            “Hey, Dad,” Xander said, the doctor closing the door, leaving the two men alone.

            “Xander,” Giles said, the young man’s voice helping to focus his mind.  “Where’s Buffy?” he asked, his eyes scanning the room.

            “She’s in the waiting area.  I don’t think her mind’s been able to process what happened yet.”

            “I suppose that’s to be expected.  It’s probably best that she not see me here if we can help it.  She needs to be able to stay focused.”

            “You look fine to me,” Xander said, his eyes now showing worry.

            “Oh, I’m doing quite well.  I don’t know what it was Angelus wanted with me, or what he intended to do to me, but whatever it was got interrupted.  The doctor said I lost a good amount of blood, but it’s really nothing more than cuts and bruises.”  Giles did, in fact, look like he had simply struggled free from a bar fight, with the exception of his abdomen, which had been heavily bandaged and seemed to be causing him a great deal of pain.  “Some deeper than others, obviously,” he added, wincing at the pain that crept slowly from his stomach.

            “So, you have no idea what he might have wanted from you?”  Giles shook his head.  “Well, what happened?  Buffy said you were there and then you were gone.”

            Giles nodded his head, painfully sitting up straighter in the bed.  “I was there with her, although I can’t honestly say I was of much help.  I felt someone hit me from behind.  The next thing I remember is waking up in a dark room with Angelus facing me, a twisted smile on his face.”  He winced again, the now familiar pain creeping through his body.  “He kept saying something, but I wasn’t coherent enough to make it out.  His methods of torture are rather barbaric and, I imagine, extremely effective.  I’m not sure how I got there, I imagine I was knocked unconscious again, or perhaps had lost too much blood, but the next thing I remember is you finding me in the street.”

            “OK, so, we should start doing some research, right?”

            “Xander, what exactly would you be researching?” Giles asked, his eyes reproaching the young man, but at the same time appreciative of his willingness to help.

            “I don’t know,” Xander said softly, his head bent in shame.  “But we have to do something.”

            “Look after Buffy.  She shouldn’t patrol tonight.  She’s much too easy a target in this state.  When she’s feeling better, take her home.  Call the others.  Make sure they’re safe.  Then get some rest.  I’m sure we’ll all be much more useful after a good night’s sleep.”

            “All right,” Xander said, somewhat dejectedly.  “Are you sure you’re all right?”

            “I’ll be fine.  Right now I’m much more worried about Buffy.  There’s no saying what effect all this business with Angelus is having on her.”  Giles closed his eyes as Xander left the room and started back to where he had left Buffy.  She had regained a bit of her composure and found herself physically responding to what the nurse was saying. 

 “Thank you,” he said with a smile.  The nurse simply nodded and returned to her rounds.

“Hey, Buffy,” Xander said, squatting in front of her, a soft smile on his lips.  “Giles,” he whispered the name carefully, “is going to be fine.  There was quite a bit of blood loss, but he’s still Giles.  No worries.”

“Are you sure he’s going to be okay?” she asked, relieved, but still ready to condemn herself should something else happen to him.

“I’m sure.”  His voice betrayed him just the slightest bit, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“OK, so, we should figure out what Angelus was after, right?” she asked, her voice low as they walked toward the exit.

“Right now we need to get some rest.  We can start the research tomorrow.”  They slowly and silently left the building, unaware of the figure hiding in the shadows next to them.