Title: Averting the Apocalypse
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rating: Teen
Length: 716 words
Content notes: Spoilers up to 3x13 The Zeppo
Author notes: The focus of this episode was Xander’s side escapade while the others faced a rather powerful demon, but I wanted to write something about the fight with the demon. This is based on the discussion the group has at the end about it.
Summary: With the Hellmouth open and the apocalypse nigh, Giles acts.



It was the end of the world.

Willow was chanting furiously, trying to seal up the Hellmouth and the creature with it. Giles was guiding her, while also fighting off any demon heads that attempted to attack during her incantation. Buffy, Angel and Faith were also fighting the demon, though they had the advantage of more-than-human strength.

Out of the corner of his eye, Giles saw Angel fall. He had been hesitant to allow the vampire to aid them, but given the sheer power of this demon, Giles had seen no other option.

“Angel!” he heard Buffy shout as she dropped down to check on him.

The demon used the Slayer’s distraction to his advantage. Using one of its long worm like heads, it grabbed Buffy by the arm and swung her down to the middle of the library. She cried out in pain. From the force the demon had used, Giles was almost certain her arm was broken.

The demon began to rise over the group. As he looked up, Giles realized that he had seen this horrifying face in a text before. It was the true face of the demon and if he remembered correctly, as the face descended towards the incapacitated Slayer, it was about to suck out her life force.

”Not on my watch.”

Giles threw himself in front of Buffy and stared the demon in the face.

“Giles, what are you doing?!” Buffy yelled as the creature opened its mouth over Giles, revealing a set of long and extremely sharp teeth.

“Saving the world!” he yelled back.

The demon dragged its teeth along the side of Giles’s face and sunk in. He heard Buffy scream, but tried to clear his mind and focus on the one thing that would poison the demon.

Love.

Giles centred his thoughts on all the people he loved. He thought about kissing Jenny in front of her classroom and how nervous he’d been about it. He thought about his research sessions with Willow and Xander and the moments of pride he felt when they found the pertinent information. He even thought of Cordelia, who despite being a bit of a pain, he believed that deep down, she had a good heart.

Mostly though, he thought of Buffy. Travers had been right in a way. Giles cared far too much for the girl, more than any typical Watcher should care about their Slayer. But then again, he wasn’t necessarily the typical Watcher.

And Buffy had never been a typical Slayer.

He thought about how his heart had broken at her reaction to the prophecy of her death, but how she’d taken a hold of her fears and taken on the Master anyway. He thought about his relief and near breakdown when she’d showed up on his doorstep after being missing for months. He thought about the hurt and anger that had ensued following her Cruciamentum and his subsequent firing.

When he’d been overcome with grief at Jenny’s death, Buffy had come to his rescue. He remembered the way she’d clung on to him and sobbed.

“You can’t leave me. I can’t do this alone.”

The words Buffy had said still rung through his ears. Giles knew that it wasn’t exactly true. Buffy was a very capable Slayer and if it came down to it, she would save the world on her own. However, his recent firing had made Giles realize that he didn’t want her to do it alone. He wanted to protect the girl. He wanted to see her succeed, not only as a Slayer, but in her every day life.

Travers was right. He loved her.

Giles felt the teeth of the demon release as it shrieked. It backed away in horror and began to shrink. Willow had managed to complete the incantation to pull the creature back into the Hellmouth. As she closed it, they could steal hear the screams of the demon.

It was then that he collapsed, but two deceptively small arms saved him from falling to the floor. He looked up and saw Buffy looking at him with tears in her eyes.

“Don’t you ever do that again,” Buffy admonished, followed by a bone crushing hug.

Giles chuckled but didn’t respond because he knew that was a promise he couldn’t keep.