Final Phase
by GylzGirl
Disclaimer: Joss, aah, savior of the universe.
Type: Angst, You're Soaking In It (aka Aww I Need a Hug)
Rating: PG-13
Ship: W/O [W/X mentioned]
Written: Fall 1999
******
Chapter Two
It had been almost easy. Almost. Over the past month, they had fallen into a routine. Giles had moved some of his things into Willow's house and was taking care of Rupert in the daytime. Xander would come home and take the boy to see his mother in the hospital in the afternoon, and then stay with him all night so that Giles could go and patrol in Buffy's absence. Being summer, longer days than nights, the vampire populace was reduced to a dwindle, easy enough for a Watcher to handle alone. Tonight, the night of the full moon, Xander was at the hospital, taking care of the last minute details to get Willow home in the morning. Giles had agreed to stay with Rupert until it got near sundown, and then Amy would watch the boy until Xander could get home. A small interruption in the schedule but covered none the less, or so Giles thought, until Xander drove up half an hour before Amy was scheduled to arrive. Until Xander came in the front door while Giles was still in the back room tucking Rupert in.
When Giles came out of Rupert's room, he found Xander checking out the rifle he had placed with his patrol gear for the night. "You know, I'm really hoping to find wooden bullets in here when I..." he opened the chamber only to find glistening metal there to greet him, "Golly, silver bullets, what a surprise."
"I-I can explain."
"Let me guess, you're going werewolf hunting and you didn't want me to know. Didn't want me involved? Planned to be long gone by the time I got back, knowing I'd figure you were after vampires again?"
Giles slipped his hands in his pockets. "No, that was pretty much it."
"Well hear hear for the truth. I can't believe you were going to cut me out of going after Caine."
"I've found his hideout, these past few nights on patrol. I narrowed it down and last night I found it."
"And what about me? You were afraid I'd screw up the hunt."
"No. No that's not it at all. Willow and Rupert need you, as will the baby when she comes. And you're a police officer. You must think of your career. There are certain things you can't afford to be involved in. Like when his body turns up in the morning."
"Isn't that my risk to take though?"
"I was also thinking that if I get myself in over my head with this, I may need your help to get out of it."
"Well, I suppose there is that," he said, reasonably if less than happy.
"We have three nights. If I don't get him tonight, you can come tomorrow."
"No I can't. Willow will be here, and I can't lie to her. And I won't risk upsetting her more."
"Leave it to me then?"
"Yeah," Xander moved to the bedroom to check on Rupert. "Giles?"
"Yes?"
"Don't let the bastard get away." He disappeared into Rupert's room.
Giles cocked the rifle and checked the scope. "I don't intend to."
******
Giles drove to Sunnydale's version of Lover's Lane and got out of the car. He loaded his pocket with extra bullets, slipped the rifle down his back to conceal it in the holster there, grabbed a flashlight and headed deeper into the woods.
After a half-hour's trek over the semi-familiar terrain, he came upon the van that was Caine's hideout. He checked his rifle once more to make sure it was loaded and as the sun began to sink, he made his way into the clearing. As it began to darken, and the moon began to appear high over the trees, Giles could hear an almost inhuman wailing from inside the van. He trained his rifle on the sliding door on the vehicle's side. The door slid open and the man Giles recognized as Caine fell out onto his knees in the dirt. His bones were visibly rippling beneath his flesh. He had ripped his shirt open, sweating, shaking. He looked up with pain-streaked eyes, saw Giles, and laughed. "Oh thank God I'm saved! If it isn't People for the Ethical Treatment of Werewolves, and just in time too. Looks like I'm about to join the clan."
"Pity for you I seemed to have let my membership slip in that fine organization. I rather think I'll be taking over your job." For the first time, Caine seemed to notice the rifle that Giles held. "After all, one can't really be both a werewolf hunter and a werewolf now can one?"
Caine doubled over, screaming in pain as the final changes came over him. "Course, unlike you I plan to retire after one specific kill. But what a glorious kill it will be." Yellow hate-filled eyes glared at Giles in the darkness. The Caine-Wolf snarled at Giles and lunged just as Giles squeezed the trigger.
******
~ Two Months Later ~
"You look beautiful."
Willow smiled up, green eyes shining brightly. "And you're a horrible liar, but you're also sweet so I'm inclined to forgive you." Giles moved forward and kissed her on the cheek. He moved aside the blankets near her chest and ran a finger along the chubby cheek of the infant there. The baby burbled and turned into the touch. Willow offered the baby up into Giles arms and he cradled it there, smiling as the child curled its small fingers around his own.
"So did you decide on a name?"
"Alexandria Elizabeth Ozbourne."
"I like it. She's a beauty. Just like her mother."
"Keep talking like that and we may just have to keep you."
"Is this a private party or can anybody play?" Xander stood at the doorway holding Rupert's hand.
"Xander! You get in here!"
Rupert climbed up into the chair next to his mother's bed. Giles smiled down on his namesake. "Come to see your baby sister?"
The little boy nodded vigorously as Xander leaned over and kissed Willow on the forehead, hugging her. "You look fabulous Wills."
"Oh sure, twenty hours of labor does wonders for the complexion," she laughed.
"Xander," he looked up, "introduce this young man to his sister won't you?"
He smiled brightly. "Gladly." Xander took the little girl into his arms and sat beside Rupert, who climbed onto his knees and touched his sister's face so gently, a feather's touch could not have been lighter.
Giles moved to Willow's side and knelt down beside her. "There's something I want to give you."
"Okay."
He reached into his coat pocket and removed an envelope, which he handed to her. She opened it and looked over the contents, gasping when she realized what it contained. There were two bankbooks, trust accounts that had been opened in the names Rupert Ozbourne and Baby Girl Ozbourne, each containing $250,000. And a check for $400,000, made out to Willow. "Giles this...this... I can't accept this."
"You have to."
"How...how did you do this?"
"Let's just say there were certain debts owed to Oz and in his absence, I felt his wife and children were due the benefits. Consider it his way of making sure you will all be all right."
"I-I don't know what to say," a tear slipped down her cheek.
"Don't cry Love," Giles hugged her. "Not today when you have so much to be happy for."
"Come on Little One, I think your Mommy is missing you." Xander stood and placed the baby once more in Willow's arms.
"I have an errand to run," Giles moved towards the door, "I'll be back later on."
"I'll walk you out," Xander picked up Rupert and placed him on the bed at his mother's side. "Be right back Will."
When they were a little ways down the hall, Xander put his arm on Giles' and stopped him. "So, where'd you get the windfall Daddy Warbucks?"
Giles stared out the window. "Caine was right. Pelts really do go for a fortune in Sri Lanka."
Xander smiled slowly. "And this errand?"
"The cemetery. I have something I need to take to Oz." His hand dug into his pocket and produced a single, quite long, canine tooth. "Something that may help him rest in peace." Xander patted his shoulder and returned to Willow's room. Giles' footsteps echoed down the quiet corridor as he exited into the morning light.
The End
by GylzGirl
Disclaimer: Joss, aah, savior of the universe.
Type: Angst, You're Soaking In It (aka Aww I Need a Hug)
Rating: PG-13
Ship: W/O [W/X mentioned]
Written: Fall 1999
******
Chapter Two
It had been almost easy. Almost. Over the past month, they had fallen into a routine. Giles had moved some of his things into Willow's house and was taking care of Rupert in the daytime. Xander would come home and take the boy to see his mother in the hospital in the afternoon, and then stay with him all night so that Giles could go and patrol in Buffy's absence. Being summer, longer days than nights, the vampire populace was reduced to a dwindle, easy enough for a Watcher to handle alone. Tonight, the night of the full moon, Xander was at the hospital, taking care of the last minute details to get Willow home in the morning. Giles had agreed to stay with Rupert until it got near sundown, and then Amy would watch the boy until Xander could get home. A small interruption in the schedule but covered none the less, or so Giles thought, until Xander drove up half an hour before Amy was scheduled to arrive. Until Xander came in the front door while Giles was still in the back room tucking Rupert in.
When Giles came out of Rupert's room, he found Xander checking out the rifle he had placed with his patrol gear for the night. "You know, I'm really hoping to find wooden bullets in here when I..." he opened the chamber only to find glistening metal there to greet him, "Golly, silver bullets, what a surprise."
"I-I can explain."
"Let me guess, you're going werewolf hunting and you didn't want me to know. Didn't want me involved? Planned to be long gone by the time I got back, knowing I'd figure you were after vampires again?"
Giles slipped his hands in his pockets. "No, that was pretty much it."
"Well hear hear for the truth. I can't believe you were going to cut me out of going after Caine."
"I've found his hideout, these past few nights on patrol. I narrowed it down and last night I found it."
"And what about me? You were afraid I'd screw up the hunt."
"No. No that's not it at all. Willow and Rupert need you, as will the baby when she comes. And you're a police officer. You must think of your career. There are certain things you can't afford to be involved in. Like when his body turns up in the morning."
"Isn't that my risk to take though?"
"I was also thinking that if I get myself in over my head with this, I may need your help to get out of it."
"Well, I suppose there is that," he said, reasonably if less than happy.
"We have three nights. If I don't get him tonight, you can come tomorrow."
"No I can't. Willow will be here, and I can't lie to her. And I won't risk upsetting her more."
"Leave it to me then?"
"Yeah," Xander moved to the bedroom to check on Rupert. "Giles?"
"Yes?"
"Don't let the bastard get away." He disappeared into Rupert's room.
Giles cocked the rifle and checked the scope. "I don't intend to."
******
Giles drove to Sunnydale's version of Lover's Lane and got out of the car. He loaded his pocket with extra bullets, slipped the rifle down his back to conceal it in the holster there, grabbed a flashlight and headed deeper into the woods.
After a half-hour's trek over the semi-familiar terrain, he came upon the van that was Caine's hideout. He checked his rifle once more to make sure it was loaded and as the sun began to sink, he made his way into the clearing. As it began to darken, and the moon began to appear high over the trees, Giles could hear an almost inhuman wailing from inside the van. He trained his rifle on the sliding door on the vehicle's side. The door slid open and the man Giles recognized as Caine fell out onto his knees in the dirt. His bones were visibly rippling beneath his flesh. He had ripped his shirt open, sweating, shaking. He looked up with pain-streaked eyes, saw Giles, and laughed. "Oh thank God I'm saved! If it isn't People for the Ethical Treatment of Werewolves, and just in time too. Looks like I'm about to join the clan."
"Pity for you I seemed to have let my membership slip in that fine organization. I rather think I'll be taking over your job." For the first time, Caine seemed to notice the rifle that Giles held. "After all, one can't really be both a werewolf hunter and a werewolf now can one?"
Caine doubled over, screaming in pain as the final changes came over him. "Course, unlike you I plan to retire after one specific kill. But what a glorious kill it will be." Yellow hate-filled eyes glared at Giles in the darkness. The Caine-Wolf snarled at Giles and lunged just as Giles squeezed the trigger.
******
~ Two Months Later ~
"You look beautiful."
Willow smiled up, green eyes shining brightly. "And you're a horrible liar, but you're also sweet so I'm inclined to forgive you." Giles moved forward and kissed her on the cheek. He moved aside the blankets near her chest and ran a finger along the chubby cheek of the infant there. The baby burbled and turned into the touch. Willow offered the baby up into Giles arms and he cradled it there, smiling as the child curled its small fingers around his own.
"So did you decide on a name?"
"Alexandria Elizabeth Ozbourne."
"I like it. She's a beauty. Just like her mother."
"Keep talking like that and we may just have to keep you."
"Is this a private party or can anybody play?" Xander stood at the doorway holding Rupert's hand.
"Xander! You get in here!"
Rupert climbed up into the chair next to his mother's bed. Giles smiled down on his namesake. "Come to see your baby sister?"
The little boy nodded vigorously as Xander leaned over and kissed Willow on the forehead, hugging her. "You look fabulous Wills."
"Oh sure, twenty hours of labor does wonders for the complexion," she laughed.
"Xander," he looked up, "introduce this young man to his sister won't you?"
He smiled brightly. "Gladly." Xander took the little girl into his arms and sat beside Rupert, who climbed onto his knees and touched his sister's face so gently, a feather's touch could not have been lighter.
Giles moved to Willow's side and knelt down beside her. "There's something I want to give you."
"Okay."
He reached into his coat pocket and removed an envelope, which he handed to her. She opened it and looked over the contents, gasping when she realized what it contained. There were two bankbooks, trust accounts that had been opened in the names Rupert Ozbourne and Baby Girl Ozbourne, each containing $250,000. And a check for $400,000, made out to Willow. "Giles this...this... I can't accept this."
"You have to."
"How...how did you do this?"
"Let's just say there were certain debts owed to Oz and in his absence, I felt his wife and children were due the benefits. Consider it his way of making sure you will all be all right."
"I-I don't know what to say," a tear slipped down her cheek.
"Don't cry Love," Giles hugged her. "Not today when you have so much to be happy for."
"Come on Little One, I think your Mommy is missing you." Xander stood and placed the baby once more in Willow's arms.
"I have an errand to run," Giles moved towards the door, "I'll be back later on."
"I'll walk you out," Xander picked up Rupert and placed him on the bed at his mother's side. "Be right back Will."
When they were a little ways down the hall, Xander put his arm on Giles' and stopped him. "So, where'd you get the windfall Daddy Warbucks?"
Giles stared out the window. "Caine was right. Pelts really do go for a fortune in Sri Lanka."
Xander smiled slowly. "And this errand?"
"The cemetery. I have something I need to take to Oz." His hand dug into his pocket and produced a single, quite long, canine tooth. "Something that may help him rest in peace." Xander patted his shoulder and returned to Willow's room. Giles' footsteps echoed down the quiet corridor as he exited into the morning light.
The End