locker_monster | Buffy fic: One Hour (6/8) (Reply)

Title: One Hour (6/8)
Rating: G
Characters: Vi, Giles, and some Andrew
Timeline: Two years after Chosen but no spoilers for season eight
Summary: You can learn a lot about someone in one hour.
Disclaimer: Joss' characters, not mine.
A/N: This part went through some re-writes.

Part One. Part Two. Part Three. Part Four. Part Five.

6: 44 pm

The Council building never felt this small before.

Vi suppressed a sigh as Giles re-locked the door to weapons storage. She should have just left the Watcher to his research. He probably would have stayed in the library for the rest of the night if she hadn’t distracted him.

“Sorry. Must have heard Andrew wrong.” It made sense to apologize. She had to make sure this didn’t seem like it was on purpose.

“I believe Andrew was going to organize the weapons next week,” said Giles, locking the last lock. “If he doesn’t change his mind.”

Vi lifted her head. She had come up with the “organizing weapons” lie on the fly. “What’s the point? Most of the girls just run in there and pick the first thing they lay their eyes on. A weapon’s a weapon.”

“The universe is rarely orderly.” Giles tried the handle as a double check. “You learn to impose it where you can.” Satisfied that things were secured, he turned to Vi. “Perhaps Andrew is in the west wing.”

“Or maybe he’s back in his office if he thinks the coast is clear.” It was practically a literal misdirection. Council offices were in the east wing of the building.

“I don’t see the harm in checking both.” Giles started to head off. Vi quickly pushed herself off the wall she was leaning against and stepped into the man’s path.

“How important is this reference really? Is it worth walking every inch of the building? You should relax, Giles. Use this night off like everyone else.” She held back a smile. It was a valid argument. It always seemed like Giles was working on something.

“You seem very interested in all this. Normally you all run off the second I mention the research.”

Vi blinked a few times. “Well, it’s very… interesting.”

“An obscure reference to a pre-ordained event that could very likely identify the demon’s motive?”

“But it’ll save lives?”

“Yes.”

“Then, heck yeah, it’s interesting. Because as a Slayer, nothing’s more important to me than looking out for the welfare of the people.” She felt an overwhelming urge to smack her palm against her face. God, she sucked at lying.

Giles regarded Vi. She just knew he was probably thinking she was a total weirdo. “If that is your belief, perhaps I should seek you out more often when there’s research to be done.” Dodging around Vi, he continued down the hall.

Vi ran after him. Giles needed to stop walking. “Don’t you ever take breaks?”

“I would call this a break.”

“I mean breaks where you can act like a normal person.” Words were just tumbling out of her at this point.

But it did get the Watcher to stop. “What I do with my time is my business.”

“Sure, but it’s not like you’re the only Watcher around here anymore. We have people who know their way around a library. They should be the ones trying to chase down Andrew right now. You deserve time off just as much as we do. It doesn’t have to be all research, all the time.”

“You need to be prepared when you go on patrol. You have to know what you’re facing. Running blindly into a situation only creates chaos.”

“We’re Slayers. We can handle things.”

“But you’re not immortal.”

The intensity of Giles’s reply made Vi take a step back. Whoa. That hadn’t been the direction she was taking with the conversation.

“The next demon isn’t simply going to disappear back into the shadows.”

Vi’s reply died on her lips. In the silence, Giles took his leave.