"I know you probably think I’m being paranoid. But, it is best to take precautions now." Who was Giles talking to? "Perhaps I have read it wrong. I need to do more research first."
She turned the corner. There was Giles, but she couldn’t see anybody else. "Giles?"
He jumped at her voice. "B-buffy. I didn’t hear you come in."
"Who were you talking to?"
"W-what?"
"Who were you talking to? Just now?"
"Nobody. There’s, um, there’s nobody here."
God, sometimes he was like a child. "Giles. I heard you. Now who were you talking to?"
He lowered his head and turned away. It took her a few seconds to realise he was embarrassed. His muttered "Jenny" was barely heard.
"What?"
"Jenny. I-I was talking to Jenny."
Pity welled up inside her. "Giles. Jenny’s dead."
He responded in exasperation. "I know that!" Sometimes Buffy and the others treated him like a fool. "I wasn’t actually talking to Jenny. When I n-need to sort something out, I often find it easier to d-discuss it out loud. So, I, er, imagine I’m talking to Jenny." That sounded foolish to his own ears. He frowned in confusion. How to explain? "It gives me a chance to work things out."
"Oh." She understood. Sort of. At least he wasn’t going crazy. She hoped. "Giles." She waited until he was looking at her. "Does she ever answer back?"
"Are you insane? Jenny’s dead! Of course she doesn’t respond!" At times like this, he despaired of her.
Neither of them noticed the strange mist growing in the corner of the room.
Giles read the prophecy once again. It was hard to decipher these dead languages sometimes. And the writing was so poor as to be illegible. He looked up at a noise. Nothing moved. He decided to have a rest, and make a cup of tea. He rose and turned from the desk. To almost bump into Drusilla.
"Hello pet."
"D-Drusilla. What are you doing here? You know Spike will be angry at you."
She pouted. "He won’t play with me. He’s always too busy. I want to play. Will you play with me pet?"
Damn. He didn’t have a stake handy. "I’m, um, I’m actually in the middle of something now." By the look on her face, that wasn’t the right thing to say. "A-and you know that if Spike found out, he’d hurt me, not you. If he does that, I can’t play again."
"He won’t hurt you. Not if you’re one of us." She morphed into her game face and reached for his neck.
A strong force suddenly lifted Drusilla and threw her back, and away from the librarian. They both looked for Buffy, but they appeared to be alone. She got up, and advanced toward him again. Suddenly she doubled over. If Giles didn’t know better, he would have said somebody hit her in the stomach. Only there was nobody there. Then her head lifted back, and she was once again thrown backwards. He proceeded to watch a five minute fight, where only one combatant was visible. Although, it was unfair to call it a fight. Drusilla didn’t land one punch in.
After being knocked down once again, Drusilla whimpered. She looked toward Giles, whimpered again, then got up and ran out of the library. He waited. For what, he wasn’t sure. But then, he felt a touch. Just a gentle feel against his cheek. Then it was gone.
"It threw her clear across the room?" Buffy couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
"Y-yes. Remarkable really." He’d thought about it all night. From the safety of his apartment.
"And then just disappeared?"
"Yes, Buffy. And no, it didn’t talk to me afterwards." This was the third time he’d explained it to them. They were all looking at him as if he’d suddenly grown another head. "I didn’t imagine it."
Willow began to believe him. "Do you think it was Jenny?"
Giles looked at her. She, more than any of the others would want him to say yes. "I don’t know, Willow. I just don’t know. Whatever it was, it was protecting me. But, I can’t be sure."
Buffy hated to be the voice of reason. "If Jenny’s ghost was wandering around the school corridors, why hasn’t she shown herself by now?" At the looks she received from the Watcher and hacker, she became defensive. "I mean, it isn’t the first time Giles has been attacked. And, if it was because she had unfinished business, why not appear before? When Angel was still bad?"
"I don’t know, Buffy. All I do know is that there was a presence in this room last night. And it saved me from Drusilla."
"Giles’ ghostly lover saved him from his vampiric one? Interesting kind of babe-fest you got going there." The intense pain from the punch delivered accurately by his girlfriend ensured Xander contributed no more to the conversation.
"Yes, well. I believe it’s time to find out some more about this presence."
Willow moved into research mode. "Well we know it’s benevolent. U-unless you’re Drusilla. Then it’s pretty malevolent."
"But can we be sure it won’t harm anyone else?" Buffy had a bad feeling about this - thing.
Giles looked toward his slayer. "No, we can’t. It c-could be anything. A poltergeistic phenomena. Some type of energy collection. E-even a ghost." He couldn’t help the smile that formed at this. It was the compassion in the eyes of the others that pushed that feeling down. "Willow. Could you and Oz start swimming that thing."
"Surfing."
"What?"
"It’s called surfing, Giles."
"Oh. Well, do whatever it is you do to, um, to surf. Xander. Cordelia."
"Wait. Wait. Don’t tell us. Books." He waited. Until he realised Giles wasn’t going to say anything more. "Right, Xander. Books. Now."
Giles turned towards the Slayer as the others moved. "Drusilla was rather unhappy when she left. I fear I may have another visitor tonight."
"Spike!"
"Precisely."
Drusilla walked into the room on tip-toe. She’d been hiding all day, but hunger had finally driven her out.
"Dru. Princess. Where have you been?" He knew. He just wanted her to say it.
She looked for a way to escape. There wasn’t one. Only herself. She turned around slowly. And added a couple of whimpers for good measure.
"Come on now, kitten. I’m not really angry. I was just worried about you. Now, tell Daddy. You’ll feel much better."
"Spike kiss it better?"
He stopped. "Kiss what better?"
"The hurts."
"Who hurt you? When?"
"Last night."
"When you went out?" She nodded. "You went to the library, didn’t you?"
"Hmmm."
"And the Slayer caught you. And hurt you."
"Not the Slayer."
"Who?"
"Don’t know. He was on his own."
Spike felt the rage wash over him. "I’ll bloody kill him." As he moved off, he didn’t see the smile on Dru’s face.
Giles paced restlessly around the room. They’d done all the research. Now, all he could do was wait. He still wasn’t sure what the answer was. But he felt he’d find out tonight.
The doors were pushed open forcibly. Giles decided he was in real trouble now. Firstly, Spike had just entered the library and he, Giles, was on his own. Secondly, Spike was wearing his game face.
"What did you do to her!"
"W-what?"
"Drusilla! You hurt her!"
"N-no I didn’t It wasn’t me."
He hauled the Watcher to his face. "Liar! She told me!"
"Think about it. She’s a vampire. How could I hurt her?"
He paused for a moment. "Good point. But you die anyway." He bared his teeth and moved towards Giles’ neck.
He never made it. One moment he was about to taste Watcher blood. The next his butt made contact with the hard library floor. "Oof." Make that the very hard floor. "What the..." An uppercut to his chin cut off whatever he was about to say."
This was more vicious than last night. Giles felt that whatever it was, it would kill Spike. And he felt powerless to stop it.
Buffy ran into the library. She’d been patrolling and spotted Spike’s car. She was so afraid she’d be so late. Now she froze. Until this moment, she wasn’t sure if Giles was telling the truth. Now she watched the fascinating sight of Spike’s blood being spilled all over the library by - nothing.
In the end, her sense of fairness arose. This was definitely a one-sided fight. She moved forward to stop it. "Hey. Hey!"
It stopped beating up Spike. And turned towards the Slayer. Within seconds she landed with a thud next to her normally mortal enemy. They looked at each other. And tried to run. They both felt a pressure against their throats. Cutting off their air supply.
The slayerettes moved into the library, unable to believe their eyes. Buffy and Spike were both being attacked. A movement beside them made them turned. Drusilla stopped and took in the scene. And smiled.
Giles couldn’t stand still any longer. There was a chance. He had to take it. "N-no. Stop." He raised his voice. "Jenny! Stop!"
The pressure eased off the both of them. They looked up, to see a form taking shape in front of them. At first, it was indiscernible. But slowly, it became more solid. More recognizable.
Willow couldn’t help the gasp that escaped. The only person who didn’t seem surprised was Giles.
He smiled at the figure. His Jenny. Exactly as he remembered her. He opened his arms. "Come here."
Buffy lifted herself up. "No Giles. No."
A movement of his head silenced her. "Come to me, Jenny." She moved forward. Looking only at him. The love in her eyes warmed him. She stopped in front of him, and leaned into his body. He’d almost expected her to pass right through him. But she was solid. He wrapped his arms around her. Pressed his lips to her raven hair.
Spike rose slowly. He wasn’t sure how many bones were broken. But a hell of a lot of them were bruised. He wasn’t in the mood to go a round with anybody. He moved toward to the door. And stopped in front of his girlfriend. "Let’s go." They left the library together. The others didn’t even notice them leave. They were too fascinated by the sight of the Watcher and his dead girlfriend.
Giles knew it was time. "You heard me talking to her. Telling her about my worries. You were looking for an identity. My - thoughts. My emotions gave you shape. You gave me my Jenny. And yourself an identity." Her fingers clawed. Ready to deny his words. "Yes. You see. Jenny’s gone. Her soul was too good to stay here. She had to move on. But I thank you for giving me a chance to say goodbye to her. Now, it’s time for you to go. And I think she’ll be waiting for you. All you have to do is let go. Of the anger. Of me. And you’ll be free." She lifted her head. He was surprised to see the tears in her eyes. But there was acceptance there too. He lowered his head, and touched her lips with his. He closed his eyes. Savouring the warmth of human contact. When he opened them, she was gone.
Next Day
"So it wasn’t Jenny after all?" They’d left him alone last night. Now they wanted answers. Starting with Xander’s question.
"No. It was a convergence of energy. I suppose that’s the best way to describe it. Being on the Hellmouth, there is a lot of psychic energy loose. Moving in the air. Unfortunately, I drew it. Gave it a form."
"So. Why did it attack Buffy?"
Giles turned toward the hacker. "It saw her as a threat. Our closeness. Our unique relationship. She might interfere with it’s desire to be closer to me."
"But it was a good psychic ghost thingy?"
"Fairly. But it was still young. We’ll never know."
The slayerettes moved off towards their various classes. Buffy stayed behind a movement longer.
"You okay?"
"Hm. Yes. Yes, thank you. I’m rather grateful actually. I never got a chance to say goodbye to Jenny. Now I have." He saw how worried she was. "I’m fine, Buffy. What do you Americans call it? Closure?" They walked toward the exit. "One thing though."
"What’s that?"
"I shan’t be talking to ghosts any more."