phone call } { with courage as my light fighting for what's right

[kiss_evilgoodbye]

Buffy: [after the girls have gone to sleep, and Buffy has wound down for the evening, and is up in her room alone, she reaches for her phone and dials the number of someone who, depending on where he was in the world, probably wasn't awake. Or maybe he was. She never really did devote a lot of time to Giles' sleep schedule. Either way, she's curled up in bed and has her phone and is calling her Watcher]

Giles: [has fallen asleep over a book at his desk while looking up something on a whim, so when he answers the phone, he sounds half-asleep] ... hello?

Buffy: [a beat] Sorry. Did I wake you up?

Giles: Buffy? [pauses long enough to rub at his eyes and gather his glasses -- took them off for just a moment right before he fell asleep -- and then] ... ah, no -- no. I was just reading.

Buffy: [a small smile] Right.

Giles: I was. There's a, ah, very interesting article on the ... [peers at the page] ... the Kandarian demon in a rather ancient tome I picked up some time ago.

Buffy: Well, the reason why I'm calling is a bit less supernatural if you want to take a break from the ... Kandarian demon? [totally pronounces that wrong]

Giles: Kandarian. [now with proper pronunciation] But, well ... I suppose I could use a break, yes. [and some strong tea, too. gets up to put the kettle on, taking the phone with him]

Buffy: I know the news cycle in Cleveland has been pretty slow lately, but ... have you heard anything about ... "evolved humans"?

Giles: I've -- well, not before recently, no, but they seem to have become something of a, um, a concern Stateside. [gets himself a mug out of the cupboard]

Buffy: A concern how?

Giles: I'd imagine they're a bit like you, when you first became the Slayer. ... Or, ah, perhaps not. [pauses. he's not explaining it every well and he knows it, so he tries again, starting from the beginning] They're a bit like people, Buffy. They have the -- the capacity for good and evil, just like you or me. And there's no real means of policing the ones who have a sort of ... leant towards causing harm. Or those that can't control there abilities.

Buffy: So they're kind of like werewolves? The ones that can't control them, I mean.

Giles: I'd compare it more to ... to what would happen if you were unaware of your strength and how to control it. [she'd go around smashing things accidentally or hurting someone. which is why he initially started off saying they were a bit like her when she first became the Slayer -- he can imagine she might have done just that a few times before her previous Watcher gave her the run down] Less memory loss and more ...

Buffy: Accidental smash-o-crash.

Giles: Yes, exactly.

Buffy: Got it. So ... they're not evil, just ... new and different.

Giles: New to us, yes, though I'd -- I'd imagine they've been around for quite some time, based on what very little I've seen on the news. Again, comparing to your life, it's -- well, it'd be as if the general public were suddenly made aware of Slayers. Or vampires. Or anything else from our, ah, our world, for that matter.

Buffy: Right. [a beat] I think I might have adopted one.

Giles: ... adopted?

Buffy: Yeah. He came to town to check out what was going on, got caught up in wiping out a vampire nest, and now he's sleeping in my living room. He took the whole vampire thing surprisingly well.

Giles: I -- oh. [is silent for a moment, and then something occurs to him] I -- I suppose this explains why you were so interested, then? To make sure he was what he said he was?

Buffy: Yup. Pretty much.

Giles: Is he ... ? [dangerous? in control? whatever?]

Buffy: Out of control? Not so far as I can tell. I mean, he handled himself pretty well against the vamps.

Giles: Can I ask what he does, exactly?

Buffy: He says that he can pick up other peoples abilities, kind of like a chameleon. Of the ones I saw, there's electro-shock and insta-healing.

Giles: Well, that's ... that's very handy. [pauses] I should like to speak to him. [another pause, and then quickly] Not this very moment, of course, but ... [he's terribly curious]

Buffy: Well, if he's still around the next time you're in town, you two can shoot the breeze about the genetic advancement of the human race. [there's a beat, and while she knows she doesn't NEED him need him anymore, there's still a bit of her that misses having Giles around. A lot.] Speaking of ... any idea when that's going to be?

Giles: [misses being around, honestly, though it's unlikely that he'd admit that, particularly over the phone] With any luck, soon. There's a few more things that I need to take care of, but um, yes. Soon. [and after a moment, to clarify] Within the next few months, surely.

Buffy: [not soon enough as far as she's concerned, but she'll take it] Good. We miss you around here.

Giles: [aw, Buffy. vaguely flustered] I -- ah, well -- yes? [which is so not an answer, but this is Giles]

Buffy: [small smile -- she gets what he's saying] Anyway. I should let you get back to your article on the ... Kandarian demon. [and she says it right this time!]

Giles: [as if he completely forgot about that, and it took him a minute to realize what she was talking about -- which is probably the truth] Oh -- oh, yes. [or, you know, he should go to bed] I'll phone if anything comes up?

Buffy: Same here. [there's a beat as she stretches and burrows into her bed more] Night, Giles.

Giles: [warmly] Good night, Buffy.

Buffy: [smiles as she hangs up and gets ready to actually go to sleep]