Roles Reversed
by Bwriter
part four
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Part four - Closure
Buffy left Giles in the office and went to sit back down. She completely ignored Faith and turned her attention to the Slayer.
"Fancy talking a patrol round town?"
Willow raised her eyebrow.
"What? Not enough violence for you already tonight?"
Buffy stood up. Reliving the past had made her jittery. She just needed a good kill.
"Yeah well, feel in need for a good kill."
Her words froze everyone but Giles who knew what she was talking about.
"And just what are you killing nowadays anyway Buffy?" Xander hadn't spoken in a while, but that was the first thing that popped into his head.
Buffy skimmed the faces of those present before letting her gaze rest on the Slayer. Buffy could tell that she was just as curious but she really didn't want to get in to how she got her blood right now, after just going through it with Giles.
Surprisingly he came to her rescue.
"Willow go with Buffy, report back if any new threats arise." Turning his attention to Buffy he continued, "I'll find out everything I can. And thank you for the book."
Buffy nodded her head and walked out of the library, Willow right beside her.
"So what was Giles on about?"
Buffy really didn't want to go into her past again so soon.
"No idea."
Willow knew she was lying, but didn't press the issue. She would just ask Giles.
"And don't go bugging your Watcher 'bout it either."
Willow gaped at Buffy.
"How the hell did you know that's what I was gonna do?"
Buffy's emotions were on high. Thinking about her mom and Dawn after so long had her nerves frazzled, so she blamed that on what she did next.
She stepped up, invading the Slayer's personal space before speaking,
"I know you, Slayer." The way she said it made the hairs on the back of Willow's neck stand to attention. And not from fear.
"You know, I don't walk around calling you 'Vampire'. Try calling me by my real name for once."
Buffy never moved, still in the Slayer's personal space.
"What is your real name? Willow or Rose?"
Willow moved away, not liking the reminder of L.A or why she was there. Buffy cursed herself before trying to apologise.
"Look I'm-" She got cut off.
"My name is Willow. I used Rose because its the start of my last name, and I guess I just couldn't let my past go completely."
Buffy walked a little behind the irate Slayer thinking of how to make things less strained when Willow spoke again.
"What was your human name? I can't see your mom naming you Buffy way back then." Willow missed Buffy flinching when 'mom' was said.
Not hearing an answer, Willow stopped walking and saw Buffy had stopped a few paces behind her.
"No she never named me Buffy but it is a nickname from when I was human. She christened me Elizabeth. Elizabeth Anne. She was the only person to ever call me that. Everyone else used Buffy. I wouldn't let anyone else use it."
Willow walked back to the Vampire and stopped a few paces away sensing she had more to say.
Buffy had no desire to hunt anymore.
"Wanna go get a coffee?"
Willow smiled before nodding her head and they headed in the direction of the Espresso Pump, which was right round the corner, knowing that I was open late tonight because of it's five year birthday party.
The Pump was nearly empty. They took a booth in the back and ordered a Mocha and strong black coffee.
Willow sensed that Buffy didn't want to talk about her past and changed the topic.
"So, what've you been up to all month?"
Buffy looked so relieved that Willow almost giggled.
"Travelled to Rome. Knew the book was there. Once I had it I looked up some old friends in Europe before coming back to y...Sunnydale."
"Giles told me the Council have been looking for the book for two hundred years, more than that, so how did you know where it was."
Willow saw that Buffy's eyes filled with hate at the mention of the council but never said anything.
"I knew it was there because it was me who hid it."
Buffy waited for the questions to come and was surprised to find a look of mistrust on the Slayer's face when she looked at her.
"What?"
"Why did you have the book? And why give it to me a few hundred years after stealing it?"
Buffy downed her coffee not caring that it scalded the back of her throat and stood up.
"I never stole anything. The council then, hell even now pisses the hell outta me. I can clearly say I hate them. I gave the book to you because you may be their Slayer but your not like them. God, you've no idea what... Never mind. All of a sudden I find myself tired. Catch you around Willow."
Willow was too shocked at hearing Buffy call her by her real name that she never had a chance to stop the Vampire from leaving. Slumping in her chair she finished her drink before heading home and crawling into bed, promising herself that she was going to find out everything there was to know about Buffy from Giles tomorrow. It was Saturday, so school wasn't an issue.
Buffy sat on her bed staring at the drawn picture in her hands. It had been done just before her father was killed.
It showed a well-to-do family standing in a field surrounded by horses. The man stood with his arm around his wife, his ten year old daughter just in front of him and his three year old daughter in his other arm.
Buffy traced the faces of the smiling family. They looked like they hadn't a care in the world. Buffy knew they hadn't. They had been happy.
Laying down in bed with her picture beside her head, Buffy fell asleep, dreaming of the life she once had.
Willow walked with determination to Giles home the next day.
As usual she walked on in without knocking and caught Giles in the middle of a phone call.
"...yes I realise it happened some time ago but I'm sure someone knows. Something like that just can't happen. It has to be authorised by the Head....thank you, I'll be expecting a call then today. Good day."
"Who was that?"
Giles smiled at his Slayer but Willow could tell it was strained.
"It was the council. What are you doing here so early on a Saturday?"
Willow steeled herself. She wanted to learn about Buffy and he was the man to tell her.
"It's Buffy. We were talking last night when she just snapped and walked off."
Giles frowned before asking what they had been talking about.
"Names. What her real one was. I asked 'cause there was no way her parents named their child Buffy back in the 1700s."
Giles closed his eyes as it all clicked into place.
"Let me guess Buffy closed off and then left?"
"Well yes but she left in a bad mood. She told me a little about her mom and how she was the only one allowed to call her Elizabeth, everyone else had to call her Buffy, sort of a nickname. Then I asked about the book and she told me she got it in Rome. When I asked her how she knew it was there she told me she knew because she put it there."
Giles nodded his head. He had suspected that was what happened. The dates all matched. Buffy's family being killed, her going on a rampage and the Latorth going missing.
Willow saw Giles nodding his head.
"You knew?"
Giles hesitated. What Buffy told him, she told him in confidence.
"Willow, why did you come here?"
"I know you, there's something your keeping from me and I wanna know what it is."
"It's not my place to tell you Willow. It's Buffy's."
"Fine, tell me what the books say about her-" She was interrupted by Xander walking in.
"What are you doing up at this hour?"
"Folks were fighting and I couldn't sleep. What we talking about?"
Willow pulled her friend down beside her and told him Giles was about to tell her about Buffy from what the books said.
Giles sighed knowing she wouldn't let this drop. So he told them. He left out the more gruesome killings, of people he now knew to be Watchers.
Willow and Xander left at lunchtime to meet the rest of the gang, leaving Giles to stare at the telephone.
Dusk fell and Giles was still waiting for his phone to ring. What he wasn't expecting was the knock on the door.
Answering it he found Buffy on the other side.
"You don't have to invite me in or anything but I was just wondering if you'd spoken to the Council yet?"
Giles heard the tone she used when mentioning the people he worked for and he couldn't blame her in the slightest. He also heard the hope in her voice at finally finding out the names of the people who killed her family.
Moving back he shocked the hell outta Buffy.
"Come in."
Buffy's eyes opened wide before she composed herself and walked inside the Watchers home.
"Never saw that coming."
Giles, ever the Englishman offered her a cup of tea, which she declined but accepted the coffee when offered.
"I contacted the Council this morning, I'm still waiting to hear-" the telephone rang.
"Hello, Rupert Giles speaking... hello Wesley did you find out the information I wanted?... No I don't but I can give you a friends... no I trust this person... Wesley just do it... right you have a pen... good take this down witchfu@sunnyhs.com... you get that? Good. Thank you Wesley, you've been a big help."
Giles hung up the phone a turned to face Buffy. Funny that he felt no fear letting a Vampire into his home, even one who openly hates his employers and was know to kill Watchers and the odd Slayer.
"He found the names. Wesley is sending them by e-mail to Tara's address."
Buffy was nearly out the door.
"Right so I have to go see the quiet one then."
Giles stopped her before she left.
"Stay, she can bring her laptop here. I'll give her a call now. Beside, you scare the hell out of her."
The gang were sitting in the Bronze when Tara's cell rang.
"Hello? Oh hey Mr Giles, what's up?... sure I can stop by a grab it on the way... okay then see you in a while."
Willow was already on her feet not wanting her friend to walk alone after dark. The rest of the gang followed suit.
Half an hour later they were walking in Giles front door.
Everyone paused at seeing Buffy sitting in the armchair reading through one of Giles books.
"Good your here. Tara can you log onto your e-mail and receive a message I have waiting? I'm sorry to give out your address but I don't have one and it was important."
"No problem." As Tara got to work Willow walked over to crouch beside the Vampire who had yet to acknowledge their presence.
"Buffy?" nothing, "Buffy?" it was louder this time but still nothing.
Willow attempted to take the Book away when she was suddenly faced with one pissed off Vampire staring straight at her.
When Buffy realised who she was growling at she stopped and let out an involuntary purr as a sorry.
Willow, who was the only one to hear the purr looked at Buffy trying to figure out what was going on. She was also trying to stop her bodies reaction to hearing it directed at herself.
She never got to say anything because Buffy had noticed the rest staring at her and she saw Tara sitting typing away on the computer.
Jumping up she walked over to the blonde and stood beside Giles.
"Wes EAS authorised. Is that it Giles?"
"Yes Tara could you open it for me?"
Tara did then moved away to let him read it in private.
Buffy stayed put and stared at the screen. She read what the Watcher had sent and her borrowed blood boiled.
I do hereby authorise the termination of one Joyce Marie Summers, 48 years of age and one Dawn Summers, 12 years of age, mother and sister of one Elizabeth Anne Summers.
Buffy tore her eyes away from those words to read the names of the people involved.
The Watchers to carry out this mission will be;
Winston Holdings, Johnston Manners and Richard Carling.
Buffy now had her names.
"Does it say how they died?"
The gang who had stayed away came forward at the growled words, Each silently read the words on the screen.
Giles scrolled down, thankful that he had asked Wesley to do this, knowing he would send everything there was.
Termination carried out on 19 July 1780 regarding information obtained from one Drusilla Perkins, Vampire and Sire to Elizabeth Summers.
Holdings died a year later after the event when he was killed and turned by a Vampire. It is unknown about his fate.
Manners died when he was ninety two. His throat had been slit.
Carling died ten years after the killings of a heart attack.
Buffy closed her eyes and took it all in. Dru had been the one to tip off the council. The bastards were dead and-
Buffy's eyes popped open. Moving Giles out of the way she scrolled the page back up.
Manners died when he was ninety two. His throat had been slit.
Buffy had killed one of them. She remember killing him because he had said something at the time which she couldn't work out;
"We got what we wanted in the end, the mission was successful."
Buffy wasn't aware she had spoken out loud.
Xander was confused.
"Who is this Elizabeth Summers anyway?"
Buffy moved away from the computer. Giles followed her with his eyes.
"What did you mean?"
Buffy turned to look at the Watcher.
"Seems I did get to kill one of them after all. Manners. I remember him specifically because that's what he said to me as I killed him."
The others turned to look at Giles expecting him to react to that. He simply gave Buffy a smile and a nod.
"So who's this Elizabeth person?" Xander wanted an answer.
Willow had figured it out. Watching the emotions play across Buffy's face were the give away.
"Its Buffy. Buffy is Elizabeth."
Buffy looked at Willow before nodding her head, though it wasn't necessary.
"Now you know why I hate the council so much."
"Wait your real name is Elizabeth? I can see why you chang-" Xander never got to finish his sentence.
Buffy had him pinned to the wall by the kitchen and was growling at him before anyone could react.
"Never make fun of that name. You don't get to say that name." It was spit out between fangs that were itching to be buried in his scrawny neck.
Xander for the first time realised that he'd over stepped the mark. Reading what he did off the screen he could tell what had happened to Elizabeth's family.
Willow didn't hesitate. She pulled Buffy off Xander, letting him fall to the ground chocking and took on the angry Vampire.
Amber eyes locked into green and no one in the room moved.
"I think you've over stayed your welcome-"
"Willow-"
"-no Giles she's right. Thank you for helping. You didn't have to so thanks."
Buffy turned her attention away from the Slayer in front of her, not wanting to get into a fight with the girl who was starting to make her feel again and faced the Watcher.
It took some effort to shake off the demon face but she did. Buffy walked by Xander who was still on the ground by stopped when he called her name.
"You should stay away from me right now."
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry."
Buffy walked out the door without a backwards glance and headed for the closest cemetery.
tbc