Title: Witches' Ladder 2/3
Author: Jadedragon
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Buffy/Giles, of course.
Summary: Dawn discovers a box of books written by her and Buffy's great grandfather, who was a Watcher.
Disclaimer: Not mine, Buffy and company belong to Josh, Mutant Enemy, the WB and UPN. I'm just playing with them a little while and will return them. (Can't I just keep Giles?)
Spoilers: Season 5 up until but not including Checkpoint. Riley is already history, though. I never liked Captain Cardboard.
Notes: Montague Summers actually existed. He was a scholarly writer who believed in the existence of vampires. The books I have attributed to him are still available and can be ordered at Amazon.com. His appearance, strange as it may seem, was taken from a picture I found of him on the web, right down to his most unusual hairstyle.
The Malleus Malficarum was the book written in the Middle Ages that was used by the Inquisition identify, hunt down, accuse and sentence witches to death.
The properties of the herbs mentioned in the story come from Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs.
Thanks: To a wonder beta, Aleta, who kept my timeline in line and helped me iron out the kinks in my story.
* * * * *
For several hours, Montague and Giles poured over the volumes taken from the box. As the research progressed, Giles had Willow go online to locate more information. While the research continued, pizza was ordered and quickly consumed, the night at the Bronze forgotten in the mist of this latest crisis. It was around 10:00 when Montague stretched and asked if he could speak privately with Giles, who took him into the training room, shutting the door behind them.
Montague looked around the room in amazement. If he and Catronia had had such a training facility, she might have lived longer. Her death was a pain he had never forgotten. He turned to the man who had trained his granddaughter.
"Rupert, for Buffy to have been able to unravel the curse, there must be a bond between you, a strong one. What type of relationship do you have with her?"
Giles looked at the man standing before him, not sure of what to say. He loved Buffy, dearly; but he knew that his Slayer saw him as a father figure, a friend, nothing more. "I feel that we have a strong friendship. We've worked together for five years, we've had our ups and downs, but we have always remained friends."
"What are you not telling me?" Montague pressed the Watcher.
"I don't know what you mean?" Giles replied, lying. Could this man see how much he loved his Slayer?
**********
When she came out of the restroom, Buffy noticed that Giles and Montague had gone into the training room and decided to follow them. As she quietly opened the door she overheard their conversation.
"What are you not telling me?" Montague pressed the Watcher.
"I don't know what you mean?" Giles replied.
"You love her, don't you?"
"Of course, I love her. I love all of them."
"No, I mean you love her as a woman," Montague confronted him.
"Yes, I do," Giles admitted to him. "But Buffy will never love me that way. She thinks I'm too old."
"I think you're wrong. Only a Slayer, who had the strongest possible bond with her Watcher, could have unraveled the Witches' Ladder. The acknowledgement of this bond is imperative to the casting of the spell to reorganize the Council."
Buffy listened in shock. Giles loved her. He loved her. She felt like a window opened in her soul, which she had thought, would never be opened. She had never believed that he could love her as a woman. She thought he only saw her as a daughter. As she approached them, Montague turned and saw that she had heard their conversation. When Giles saw his Slayer approaching, Montague left the room, leaving them alone, hoping that each would acknowledge their feelings for the other and in doing so acknowledge the bond singing between them.
"Buffy, I'm sorry you heard that," Giles started, embarrassed that his Slayer knew of his love.
"I'm not. Giles, why didn't you tell me?" she asked him.
"Because you said and I quote, "you're very, very old and it's gross"," he reminded her with pain in his eyes.
"Giles, I was surprised and hurt. I had realized that my feelings for you were changing, but you had already found someone else." Buffy told him. "How could I compete with Olivia, she was so sophisticated and gorgeous. I felt like a dowdy school girl standing there with her in your shirt and you in your sexy robe."
"S…sexy?"
"Giles, you are the only man in my life who totally accepts me as me, Buffy. All the others just seemed to want something else. Angel wanted a fantasy of love, which was in reality nothing but pain. All Parker wanted was to get me in bed, and Riley wanted me to be a normal little college student. He was jealous of my strength and couldn't get past the fact that I could mop up the floor with him. But you, you have always seen me as Buffy, the whole package, the good and the bad and accepted me as such. How could I not fall in love with you?"
Giles looked at her stunned. He heard the words he had wanted to hear for so long, but it didn't seem real. Buffy loved him?
Buffy sat beside her Watcher and took him into her arms. He was trembling. "Giles, what are you thinking? I have to know?" She pleaded with him.
Giles looked down at the woman holding him and reached to hold her. "Buffy, I never thought you would see me as a man, a desirable man."
"I'm sorry for the `gross thing'. I was just so shocked. My feelings for you were just beginning to change and I felt that I had lost my chance," Buffy told him, leaning back to look into his eyes.
"Buffy, I was tired of being alone. Olivia was in LA on a photo shoot and came down to see me. We had been lovers many years ago and decided to try and renew our relationship. After the incident with the Gentleman she realized just how dangerous and frightening my life could be, so she left to return to England. We've talked on the phone on occasion since then, but she won't be back."
"I'm sorry, the Hellmouth has played havoc with your love life."
"I'm not. At least not if we can be together?" he asked, with hope in his eyes.
"I'd like to try. I'm scared, Giles. Every time I try to have a relationship, something bad happens. I don't want you to get hurt. I couldn't stand it if something happened to you."
"Buffy, did you ever think that the reason for your failed relationships was that you might have been with the wrong man?"
"Giles, " she started as she thought back to the cursed box and what Montague had told them. "That makes sense."
"It does, doesn't it?" he agreed as he looked deeply into eyes of the woman he loved.
Buffy reached out and drew his face to hers and their lips met for the first time. As their lips touched, the bond between them started singing and each felt the strong pull of their love for each other, the bond had been acknowledged.
**********
As Buffy and Giles came out of the training room to rejoin the others around the tarot table, Buffy saw her Mom and Dawn entering the shop. Willow had called them at Montague's request. He needed to locate a descendent of his sister-in-law and thought Buffy's Mom was the best place to start. They quickly explained the situation to Joyce who told them that she knew nothing about her ex-husband's Italian relatives. All she knew was that Maurice Summers moved to New York when he was 25.
"Montague, why do you need to find that side of Buffy's family?" Giles inquired.
"In my research, I found the spell that the Slayer and her Watcher much perform to bring about the changes in the Council. I was scared that if the spell were written down in the documents that I had placed in the box, it would be found and destroyed. Catronia's mother, Adelina, agreed to pass the knowledge on to those members of her family where were powerful enough to protect it. Much as I hate witches and their craft, Adelina was a woman of her word. I came to respect her greatly before I learned that she was a witch. She was the first person with that kind of power I had known, who didn't abuse it or use it for her own selfish greed. She and her second daughter, Maria cast the spells and Maria would have held the knowledge after Adelina. I need to make contact with the family to discover who now holds that knowledge.
"Mr. Summers, what was your mother-in-law's surname, where did she last live and what was the date that she last lived there?" Willow asked the man, wanting to help Buffy.
"Young woman why do you need this information. How can you help," he asked the woman before him, irritated that she had interrupted him.
"I can go on the web and maybe find the family through one of the genealogical sites," Willow informed him.
"What are you talking about? What's the web?" he asked in confusion.
This was the first time anyone in the room realized that Montague Summers was truly a man out of time. Willow plugged in her computer and pulled up an Italian genealogical web site and tried to explain to the man from the 40's how she could access information from all over the world with her laptop computer. Once he was assured that it was not witchcraft, he gave her Adelina's last name, Zimbardo. He had last seen her May 17, 1948 just outside of Rome, Italy. He also told Willow that Maria had been dating a man by the name of Rudolpho Mesotti, whom he thought she might have married. After three hours of extensive research by Willow with help from Anya, they located Dolorada Bartella, Maria's daughter, who lived in Los Angles.
It was almost 2:00 in the morning when they broke up for the night, everyone heading for their homes and for some much needed rest. It was decided that Montague would stay at the Summers' home in their guest room. Plans were made for Buffy, Giles, Montague, Joyce, Willow and Tara to go to Los Angles to try to find Dolorada Bartella in the morning. They felt that finding her so close was due in part to the curse on the box. They hoped that she would be at the address that they had found for her.
They took two vehicles, Joyce's SUV and Giles BMW. The vehicles astonished Montague, as did the television that he had seen Joyce watch the news on that morning. He was getting a crash course on the 21st century, and was in shock by some of the things that he was seeing. At first he thought that everything was witchcraft, but it was explained to him about all the technological advances that had been made since the late forties. He rode with Giles who brought him up to date on world history, current events and any thing else that he asked about. Montague was getting a very real lesson in what it felt like to be a time traveler.
The more he got to know Rupert Giles, the better he liked him. Montague knew a few more modern languages than the Watcher, but Giles knew more about the occult and demons than Montague had ever known. He would love to work with him on a book about the demons that he and Buffy had encountered.
About 2 p.m., the two vehicles pulled up to a nice home in one of the better residential areas of Los Angeles. Buffy, Montague and Giles approached the door, leaving the rest with the vehicles. They wanted to make sure that they had the right address and that this was the home of Dolorada Bartella before they brought everyone in.
Montague knocked on the door and it opened quickly. Before them stood a woman in her fifties dressed in a smart lavender pants suit, with her hair neatly cut in a long pageboy style. She saw the swan tipped cane in Montague's hand and immediately invited them into her home.
"Are the others with you?" she asked as they entered.
"Yes," Montague confirmed.
"Bring them with you," the woman instructed.
Buffy went out and brought Willow, Tara and her Mom into the house. Soon they were all seated in a spacious den, waiting while Dolorada went to another section of the ranch styled house. She quickly returned and reached for Montague's cane. He handed it to her and she placed it on the box she had brought back with her. Once the cane touched the lid of the box, it opened immediately. Inside was a book, which she took out and handed to Montague.
"Do you have everyone you need for the spell?" she asked, finding it hard to believe, on one level, but in truth she had been expecting it for days.
"Buffy is the Slayer and Rupert is her Watcher, they have acknowledged the bond between them. Joyce is her mother. I was told that Willow and Tara are witches but I don't know how powerful and if they can help."
Dolorada looked at the couple sitting by the Slayer. Their power was great and when added with hers would be enough for the spell. "Do you know where there's a Hellmouth? The spell must take place there."
"Well, it's back to Sunnydale. That's where. Home is where the Hellmouth is." Buffy told the witch in front of her. She realized that they hadn't had to introduce themselves; Dolorada had just taken everything in stride, like she was expecting this to happen. "How did you know who we were and why we were here?"
"I'm a seer, beside being a witch. My grandmother and my mother trained me; from the time I was 5, in preparation for this day. My family has lost many daughters to the Watchers Council over the centuries and we have looked forward to the day when it would be returned to its original purpose. We didn't regret that many of the women in our family were destined to be Slayers, but, that their lives were so short. When Montague went to my grandmother with the research he had found, she was only too glad to help him. She wanted to do the spell then, but soon realized that it was destined for a future Slayer and her Watcher. I am honored that I am the one to help you set the Council back to its original purpose. The spell must be cast on the full moon, which is tomorrow night. There is much preparation to be done. Let me gather what I need and I will follow you back to Sunnydale and we can prepare for the ritual.
It only took Dolorada ten minutes to gather the additional items she needed, she had already packed the herbs for the spell and only had to gather personal items and clothes for the time she would be in Sunnydale. By 5:00 they were parking behind the Magic Box where they knew Zander, Anya and Dawn would be waiting for them. Dolorada quickly told the diverse group what needed to be done and assigned each tasks. Soon everyone was working on getting ready for the next night. So much had happened in the last 36 hours. Could the Council really be changed tomorrow night?
**********
Buffy and Giles went over their section of the ritual one last time as midnight approached. They were all gathered in the burned out library, in a circle around the opening of the Hellmouth. Dolorada cast the circle and stood in the north position, Buffy and Giles at the southern position, Willow in the East and Tara in the West. Joyce stood beside Dolorada. As Buffy's mother she had a link with the Slayer and was needed to increase the power of the spell. Montague stood with Buffy and Giles, for the same reason.
Dolorada started the ritual.
"I call on the winds of the North to hear our plea. Help us to right the wrong done to those who would protect us from the evil within." Once finished she lit a green candle which was at her feet.
Buffy and Giles continued, together.
"We call on the winds of the South to send to us the strength to over come the obstacles put in our path by those of false witness, who changed history to enhance their own power, neglecting the ones who would protect us from the evil within." They then reached down to light the red candle at their feet.
Willow then took up the spell.
"I call on the winds of the East to rise and bring forth a new dawning of truth and enlightenment to help those who protect us from the evil within." She bent down and lit a yellow candle.
Tara finished the calling of the winds.
"And I call upon the winds of the West to cast out those who want only power without regard to those who protect us from the evil within." Tara kneeled down to light the final candle, a blue one.
As the winds gathered, the candles burned at each of the four compass points and incense was lighted to draw the power of the Hellmouth to empower spell and send it out to the universe.
Dolorada continued.
"Winds we ask that you grant your aid to the Slayer and her acknowledged bonded Watcher, that they will be the first of the new line of Slayers and Watchers who renew the original bonds with the renewed Council to help those who protect us from the evil within."
Once this incantation was completed, the herbs, which the circle had been made of, ignited and a great flash of light invaded the darkness of the room and as quickly was gone, moving toward its goal. The magicks in the library followed and the group was left in darkness, except for the glow of the four candles that were still burning. Everyone sat down heavily, the magicks having taken a lot of energy. It was several minutes before anyone could speak. Dolorada was the first one to say anything.
"Rupert, you may expect to be contacted by the Council in a couple of days, a week at the most. It will be unorganized for a while, until the new orders are in place. You and Buffy need to take time to understand the bond that has taken place between you. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry. Anyone know any all night restaurants in this town?
They quickly gathered together the remains of the ritual and joined the others at the cars. It was soon decided they would head to an all night pancake house to celebrate.