Upsetting Results
Timeline:After ‘Enemies’.
Summary: Wesley’s done it again...he went off and made Joyce upset...and made everyone upset as well....
Note: After ‘Reaping the Rewards’
“Where is he?”a voice growled as the library doors came crashing open. Willow, Xander and Oz looked up, startled, as they saw an irate Giles march in with in hands clenched into fists. His blue hazel eyes were filled with fury as they darted around the library looking for the young Watcher. He snarled again,”Where is Wesley?”
Willow, her eyes wide with fear, squeaked,”He’s in-in the cafeteria to get a drink. He’ll be here in a minute. Is there something wrong?”
Oz watched Giles start to pace before the book cage like a wild animal, and said,”I’m betting that something is. And go on a wild guess that Wes is the source.”
“Giles, what happened? What’s got you so riled on this nice Saturday morning?”Xander asked cautiously. ”Get another call from the Council? Did Wesley tattle on you?”
“In a manner of speaking,”Giles gritted out as he paced back and forth in front of the library.”I am going to murder him long before we find a way to defeat the mayor. I know that I am-”
“Ah, Mr.Giles,”Wesley greeted as he came in through the doors.”Just the man that I wanted-ooof!”
“Giles!”Willow screamed as she saw her mentor punch Wesley in his gut. As Wesley doubled over, Giles then threw him against the library counter, and held the younger man by his neck.”Giles! You’re hurting him! Has Eyghon come back and possessed you again?”
Giles ignored her as he shoved his face into Wesley’s.”Do you know what I was doing for three straight hours last night?”
Wesley shook his head frantically. Xander piped in.”Reading a book?”
“I was on the phone. With Joyce. For three hours,”Giles said as he shoved Wesley against the counter again. Hard.”And do you want to know why I was calming her down?”
“I guessing it’s because Sir Wesley the Blabbermouth said something,” said Xander as he came from behind Giles. He glared at Wesley.”So what’d you do this time? Give Mrs.S the general age that most Slayers bite the dust? Tell her a prophecy of when Buffy was going to die?”
“No, because he knows that I would beat him into mincemeat if he ever told her that,”Giles said conversationally. ”No, he told her, in a nutshell, that she should be careful when going out with men, because as the Slayer’s Mother, she can be considered a target.”
“I never said that,”Wesley said, indignant. Giles tightened his hold on Wesley’s throat. Thinking for a second, Wesley conceded as he choked out,”I might have said something along those lines...can you lessen you grip? I can’t breathe, Mr.Giles.”
Xander groaned as he covered his eyes.”Tell me that he didn’t say that to her...Please tell me.”
Oz, who normally calm face showed no emotion, winced.”He said it.”
“A target of what? He said what?”Willow demanded as she looked from Giles to Wesley, then to Giles again.”How can she be a target? What did he say to Mrs. Summers?”
“Wes the Wonder Mouth probably told her about the Mayor and Faith,” Xander said with a shake of his head.”You just couldn’t let Buffy or Giles handle it, could you Wes? Just had to open your mouth.”
Willow’s eyes opened wide with horror.”Oh, no...”
His eyes still furious, Giles looked at Willow.”And that’s not all...”
Willow winced.”Oh, wonderful. There’s more that the Wonder Wimp said to her? That’s great.”
Ignoring that, Giles glared at Wesley as his hands tightened around Wesley’s throat.“He told her that s the Slayer’s Mother she would be able to attract certain...men that would try and use her for their own purposes that may or may not be related to the fact that Buffy is her daughter. In short, he-”
“He told her about Ted,”Xander groaned.”Way to go, Wonder Mouth.”
“You TOLD her about TED!?!”Willow screeched at Wesley. Willow yanked Giles’s arm off Wesley. Surprised, he moved as Willow smacked Wesley on the shoulder.”YOU TOLD MRS.SUMMERS ABOUT TED?!? Where the HELL did you get your degrees from? Box Top U.?!? United College for We Be Dummies?!?”
“Gee, never knew that Willow could be so violent,”Xander said in wonder.
”Kinda makes you wonder what she could do with a rolled up newspaper,” Oz commented. Though his eyes were twinkling, his face was bland when Giles and Xander stared at him. ”Mistress Willow of the Night, sounds kinda familiar?”
As Giles and Xander blushed, the saw Wesley trying to avoid Willow’s smacks as she chased him to the book cage. He was trying to defend himself.”Well, I though she knew. And when she mentioned she was going on a date-”
Giles’s caught Willow’s hand. “Wait a minute, Joyce said she was going on a date? She told you this? With whom?”
Wesley straightened as he watched Giles and Willow carefully.”Well, of course she did. Why else would it have come up? And I don’t know. Some man. When she told me that, I merely warned her about what could happen, especially what did happen the last time she was seeing that robot. And that she was going to some sort of town function last night.”
“You bloody pillock, do you have ANY idea what you’ve done“Giles glared as he took a step forward to Wesley.”I am going to murder you, then give you to the nearest vampire so that they can play rugby with your head.”
“What did I do?”Wesley cried, confused.”What did I do?”
“Other than upset her?”Xander asked as he pretended to think about it. Then he counted off on his fingers, his voice getting angrier.”First, you upset Buff’s mom. A big no-no around here, as you can tell. Then tell Buff’s mom about being a possible target for the Mayor and Faith, which makes us very upset because it makes her more upset. Then you tell Mrs.S about Ted. We’ve NEVER told her about Ted, and that pisses us off, but upsets her enough to get her into the stratosphere. And then, you tell her that she may be the possible target of a possible demon or Whatever Thing That’s Out There that may or may not have violent tendencies towards Buffy or anything that gets in its way. This sends her upset into space, with us close behind. And how long was this conversation? Ten minutes?”
“I’m laying odds that it was at most five and betting he cut it off when Mrs.S was starting to stutter,”Oz commented as he looked at Wesley the Wonder Blab. Xander’s brows knitted angrily as he thought about this, then he nodded in agreement.
Wesley’s face fell when he saw the two boys take a step forward, threateningly.”It was more like six. And I hung up after I said I was waiting for a call from England.”
“You are talented, Wesley. You managed, in six minutes, to alarm Joyce by telling her that she was a target, reduce her womanly pride, be scared witless for her daughter and cause her to be on the phone with me for over bloody three hours,”Giles growled. Wesley started to cringe.”I was barely able to get her to calm down since she was freaking out from what you told her. You should have learned to keep quiet after that incident at the market. I really am going to-”
“GILES! WHERE’S WUSSY?!?”shouted Buffy as she kicked the library doors open.”YOU!!”
Giles turned to looked at his Slayer, her arms laden with bags of goods. He groaned.”Did she-”
“You can’t protect him this time, Giles,”Buffy shouted as she placed the bags on the table. She stalked over to the book cage.”It’s eleven loaves and at least ten other things. She was baking since that pillock called her while she was dressing to go to the party she was supposed to go to, but NEVER went. INSTEAD, after I came home, Mom was baking and lecturing and was so upset that I feeling like beating you to a bloody pulp.”
Wesley cringed back against the book cage as Buffy glared at him, as her fists were in ready to punch him.”Mr.Giles...have mercy. Help...”
Giles stepped up in front of Wesley.”Go put on the training pads. Buffy, is your mother all right now?”
Wesley scampered off to put on the body pads. If he was going to be pounded on, he was at least going to have some protection. Buffy scowled at Giles as he blocked her way to Wesley.“You mean while she talked to you? Or after she talked to you? After you calmed her down somewhat, she was of the good. Then I came in and was up half the night, calming her down. And now she’s better after I promised her that you would help look out for her and scan guys out. WESLEY! Get over here! I’m gonna beat your scrawny little ass in!”
“Giles is going to scan what guys?”Xander yelped as he stared at Buffy. ”Why is Giles scanning guys?!?”
Willow cleared her throat.”Scan guys out? What guys?”
“I’m going to do what?”Giles yelped.
“You’re scanning the guys that Mrs.S wants to date,”Oz said as he cocked his head towards Buffy. She nodded.”Boy, that’s gonna be a job.”
Buffy glared at Giles as she lifted her head up at him.”It’s partly your fault, Giles. I want to tell Mom about Ted as soon as she knew about this who Slaying deal, but nixed the idea ‘cause it was of the past. So I promised her that if she was going to go some shindig, she was either going with me or you. And if she was going to check out guys, which I think is a totally ick thing for her to do, I said that you’d help her find out which one was a normal one. Then I’d check him out.”
“What?” Giles yelped as he looked at Buffy incredulously. “I’m supposed to help your mother check other men out?!?”
“Isn’t it kinda skanky that Giles would be checking out other men for your mom? I mean, the guys won’t know that he’s checking them out for your mom,”Xander said as Giles scowled at him.
Buffy scowled at him then at Giles.”Yeah. She wasn’t too keen on the idea either, but it’ll work until I come up with a new plan.”
She scowled at the stunned looks of her friends.”And you guys are helping me here. You’re all drafted, exception of Wesley the Wonder Wimp. You’re all helping me keep an eye on her. Willow will check databases, Xander and me will tag him around, and Oz will sniff if he smells funky. Giles, you get to check if he has a soul and a beating heart. No man’s coming to court my mom unless I get multiple input.”
“Buffy, I don’t know,”Giles started as he combed his fingers through his hair in agitation.”For me to be, ah, how does your mother feel about-”
Buffy snorted as she watched Wesley meekly leave Giles’s office. All padded up.”She’s not too keen on it, but then, I’m more interested in keeping her safe than risking her neck. And since I know that you’re not interested in nibbling on her neck or any other part of her-”
“Oh, no. Ah.No, not at all,”Giles said quickly when he saw Buffy’s face cloud over, remembering a warm November night, band candy and a certain couple kissing like there was no tomorrow.”I-uh-well-”
Buffy nodded as she scowled at Wesley.”I can trust you to take care of her. I’m a coming Wesley! Upset MY mom again, will you?”
Xander whistled.”Glad that I don’t have your job, G-man. Just be careful, I’m not sure that want to be around when Mrs.S falls for some guy. Bound to be stressful. Anyone want to see what Buff’s mom baked besides the bread?”
As the three students headed for the library table, and Buffy flung Wesley over the library counter like a rag doll, Giles grew angry at the idea of letting Joyce go off with some other man. A man he would have a hand in approving.He was mad, and he didn’t know why. Probably because he was first guard.”Bloody wonderful. I get the job of guarding Joyce. Like guarding an oasis that you can’t drink from in the dessert."
As thought of something that couldn't be flew through his mind, Giles glared at Wesley as he tried to defend himself from Buffy."Damn it all. Bloody pillock. Buffy! After you’re through beating him, I want a turn to thrash him!”
~ Fin?