"No matter what. We do what we have to. That's why we're here." His smile was the one he'd given her before, the one of shared sacrifice and weary understanding. She remembered Acathla and a choice that had come close to killing her.

"You're--you're a vampire. Vampires like blood and death and carnage."

He looked away from her. How much of this face was demon and how much was an old self she'd never wanted to think too closely on? "Your point?"

"If you want to save the world, it must be for some nefer--nafer--"

That smile was back. The patient, amused smile that had gotten her through the SATs. "Nefarious?"

"Yeah. Some twisted purpose of your own."

"Spike didn't."

"Spike's weird."

"Yes, granted. I will confess that elements of my current psyche find Glory's plans--appealing. But the greater part sees the error of that view."

Buffy shook her head. "This isn't--how can you sound so you?"

"As opposed to the typical mindless fledge that crawls out of the ground? I'm not quite sure yet. It's a fascinating study."

"Is that all this is to you?" she snapped. "A fascinating intellectual experiment?"

"This is what I am now, Buffy. I can crouch in the corner and wail to the heavens or I can try to understand my new condition."

"Your new condition." She stepped away, and the Slayer lived in her eyes. "What did you have for dinner, Giles?"

His return gaze was calm. "Ask me again and I'll tell you."

She took a deep breath, but before she could ask Spike came around a bush at a run. He studied the two suspiciously, then shook it off. "Come here, you two, quick."

"Spike," Buffy frowned, "I'm not--" But Giles had already gone, and she wasn't going to be left out.

They followed Spike through a small grove of trees--Buffy hyper-alert for any possibility this was a trap.

"Up here," Spike whispered, crouching behind a bush.

Giles sniffed the air. "Horses, again."Voices from the clearing ahead. Buffy peeked through the shrubbery. Three men, two horses. Two of the men wore metal armor with tabards, and chainmail veils over their faces. The third man wore the rags of the street.

"What's with the medieval recreationists?" Spike said.

"I've seen these guys before," Buffy whispered. "They attacked me, said something about me being the enemy."

Giles glared at the men. "These are the ones who attacked you?"

"Well, it was three last time, but they're dressed like it."

"How interesting." The voice was more parts Ripper than Giles.

Spike smirked. "Think a chat's in order, mate?"

"Quite likely."

"Um, guys . . . maybe we should find out what they're up to first?"

Giles began to straighten. "Oh, I intend to."

"Wait," Spike said, as one of the men in armor pulled out a sword.

Words became clearer. "So bright, so bright," muttered the ragged man. "Going home, not long now, going home."

"Do you agree, brother?" said the man with the sword.

The other nodded. "Yes, this one is lost."

The sword moved, and cut the ragged man's throat.

Two cold hands clamped down on Buffy's shoulders, and another went over her mouth to stifle her yell. She struggled but couldn't break free of the grip of two vampires.

"He's dead, Buffy," Giles said into her ear. "It's too late, he's dead."

Spike leaned in. "And these guys accused you of being the enemy?" If he sounded slightly admiring, no one commented.

The men in armor knelt beside the body, obviously in prayer. One gestured over the body, then they stood.

"May your soul know peace," said the one with the sword as he cleaned his weapon, then sheathed it.

Buffy started to climb to her feet, Spike not far behind her.

"Humans, Buffy," Giles said. "What do you plan to do to them?" And behind her back he glared at Spike and tapped his head. Spike grimaced and mouthed a foul word, but he settled back.

"We can't just let them wander around killing people!"

"I understand. I just wanted you to think about your options."

She gave the standard Buffy-accepts-something-obvious pout. "Can I at least ask them what the heck they think they're doing?"

"Oh, I think questioning is quite within the parameters." Giles straightened easily, attracting the armored men's attention. They drew their swords as he approached.

He stopped out of range and looked down at the body. "And what did this poor gentleman do to offend you so?"

"He was a lost one. We released him from his torment."

Buffy appeared at Giles' side. "By murdering him? And how do you know he was in torment, anyway?"

"His mind had been taken by the beast, we gave him mercy." The soldiers began circling. "You consort with the Slayer," the spokesman said to Giles. "Are you protecting the key as well?"

Giles couldn't help glancing at Buffy, who glared back at him. "I'm doing my best to keep the key from Glory."

"The key must be destroyed. The Slayer stands in our way."

"Well, yes, that's her job. And I understand her reasons."

"I beat three of you guys all by myself," Buffy added. "There's only two of you now."

The soldiers glanced at each other, chain mail masks swinging, then they firmed their shoulders. "No matter. Our duty is clear."

Buffy heard a disturbing noise from Giles. Part chuckle, part growl. A quick glance over her shoulder showed Spike had vanished. She didn't know what he could do with the chip, but she didn't trust him.

"Look, guys, Knights, as for me, I don't want to hurt you. But I'm not going to let you get to the key. Can't we just focus on stopping Glory?"

"Our mission is to prevent the beast from ripping open the portal. Destroying the key will fulfill our mission. We will offer any sacrifice for the cause." His partner straightened purposefully.

"Pretty big talk for someone who's outnumbered," said a mocking voice behind the soldiers. Spike stepped out of the bushes, hands in pockets but looking no less dangerous for it.

The soldiers glanced at each other and moved back to back, obviously ready to fight to the end.

"OK, time out!" Buffy yelled. "All you testosterone junkies just relax." Giles gave her a hurt look. "Deal, Giles." She took a careful step towards the soldiers. "I don't want to hurt you. I just want you to stay out of my way." The body on the ground caught her eye. "And I want you to stop killing innocent people."

The soldier's sigh sounded sincerely grieved. "We granted him a merciful relief. The beast had stolen his mind and made her will his. We freed him from her slavery."

Giles studied them. "There was no option but killing him?"

"It is rumored there are ways to steal a lost one's mind back from the beast, but that is sorcerer's work."

His companion moved uneasily. "We should not be speaking with these. The Slayer is our enemy."

Buffy made a frustrated noise. "No, I am not! Unless you start swinging a sword at me again! We're after the same thing here, guys."

"Can't we all just get along?" Spike said plaintively.

"Shut up, Spike."

"Yes, do," Giles added. Spike smirked and flipped Giles off.

The first soldier let the point of his sword drop an inch. "Our mission is to destroy the key. You protect the key. There are no options."

Buffy loosened her shoulders and took a step away from Giles for moving room. She saw him flex his hands casually and almost ordered him out of the battlefield. The knot in her gut tightened a half second later as she remembered why she shouldn't worry about her Watcher anymore.

She focused on the soldier. "We're not going to attack you. If you want a fight, you're going to have to start it."

The second soldier readied himself, but the first soldier lowered his blade completely. "We are out-numbered, Brother Ferdinand."

"Brother John! Our holy duty--"

"Is to fight the beast, not throw our lives away in impossible battle. Against the Slayer, perhaps, but not against her teacher and her vampire as well."

"Oi! What do you mean, *her* vampire!"

"Shut UP, Spike!" Buffy glanced automatically towards Giles, then forced her mind out of old habits. "You can't keep killing off the poor crazy homeless people. That's got to stop."

"It is more merciful to release them."

"Yeah, well, maybe he had some family somewhere that wouldn't agree."

Giles frowned. "They may be right, Buffy," he said softly.

"I don't care. They're people, if they're sick they need to be in the hospital! If you don't stop," she said to the soldiers, "you'll find out that it's not just the key I'm protecting."

The soldier stiffened. "Is that a threat?"

Buffy cocked her head in surprise. "Well, duh. I've got people who keep an eye out for these kinds of things, and if I find out about a bunch of homeless guys showing up with their throats cut or something, I'm going to know who to come looking for. Call it good and go home and tell your boss."

"You have no right to give us orders."

"Yeah, I do. I'm the Slayer, and this is my town. Get the hell out of here."

The two soldiers hesitated, then backed towards their horses. They mounted and galloped away.

Spike sauntered over, grinning. "You're hot when you're threatening dire physical harm, Slayer." He put a hand to stop both Buffy's and Giles' reply. "I know, 'shut up, Spike.' No

Spike sauntered over, grinning. "You're hot when you're threatening dire physical harm, Slayer." He put a hand to stop both Buffy's and Giles' reply. "I know, 'shut up, Spike.' Not original." He met Giles' annoyed look and only grinned harder.

Giles turned his glare in the direction of the soldiers' departure. "I found very little on the Knights of Byzantium, other than what we already know. Their sole purpose is the discovery and the destruction of the key."

Buffy stepped closer to the corpse of the ragged man. "Poor guy. Just 'cause he was a little nuts . . ." Spike joined her and began going through the dead man's pockets. "Hey, stop that."

He ignored her. "What was that about the hellbitch taking his mind?" he said.

"It's one of her powers," Giles said. "She draws strength from devouring the minds and intellects of others. Apparently the mindless ones become her servants."

Spike settled back on his heels, a wallet in his hands. "This guy wasn't homeless before Glory got to him." He flipped it open to show several credit cards, pictures, and a wad of cash.

"Give it here," Buffy ordered. "And don't you dare take that money."

"He doesn't need it anymore, pet."

"I don't care, that needs to go to his family, give it here."

Spike sighed hugely and handed her the wallet. She was too busy looking through the various cards to notice him pulling off the corpse's watch and wedding ring. Buffy paused on one card. "He worked at Sunnydale General, he was a therapist over there."

"He's been wandering around like this for quite some time, given the state of his clothes," Giles observed. "I imagine his family has given up on him by now, this being Sunnydale."

"So I can have his wallet back," Spike said. He mostly dodged the kick Buffy sent his way.

"No," she said firmly. "I'll give it to the police, say I found it in the park."

"And if you think the cops won't take their share . . ." Spike muttered.

"Jerk." She started to walk away, then paused to give Giles an uncertain look.

"We'll be in touch," he told her. "We'll leave messages with Anya on what we find regarding Glory's location."

"OK," she said. She let herself look sadly at her mentor for a moment, then firmed her shoulders and headed off.

"Buffy, one thing," he called after her. She looked back over her shoulder. "I took the Orb of Thesulah from the shop. I'm using it as a paperweight again. I wouldn't waste time trying to find another one."

Buffy stared at him, licking her lips. Willow had torn the shop apart, looking for the Orb and accusing Anya of selling the thing. Anya had sworn she hadn't, though she admitted it was because no one had asked. The only vampire they'd had to worry about had been Spike.

"If you were to find one," he went on, "don't bother using it. It would be far kinder of you to simply kill me. I doubt I'd survive long if you gave me Angel's curse."

"We weren't . . ." she started, but she knew she'd never mastered the art of lying. "It was just a thought."

He smiled ruefully. "I understand. But not a good one. Your Giles is gone. There's only me left."

She let her grief show for just a moment, then tucked away again everything that distracted her from her job. Without a word she turned and walked away.

"Make a lovely cricket ball, that Orb would," Spike said as he joined Giles. He was counting a thick wad of cash.

"Where did you get that?"

Spike nodded over his shoulder. "Didn't show the wallet till I'd taken my cut. Figured the Slayer would go noble on us and I left enough for her to find so she could feel superior."

Giles shrugged. "It's getting late, I'm tired." They went on their way, leaving the body for whatever scavengers or city clean-up crew happened to come along first.

More to come, hopefully soon.

YAY!!!!

Such fabulosity. It is too a word.

Herself, I just read it. Ooh, nice, with the ending.

"Your Giles is gone. There's only me left."

::sniffle::

::sniffle::

My work here is done.

Well, not DONE done, of course ...

Connie, is the fic posted all together anywhere? I want to read it in toto.

Rebecca, thank you. I managed to swerve at the last minute away from the happy ending I SO did not want.

Not this section, not yet. I'm posting it as I write. I don't want to put it up on my website till it's all done.