Title: Matters of Blood

Author: Kate R.

abelard950@aol.com

Disclaimer: mine? I wish.

Rating: PG-15 to R

Pairings: Giles/Ethan, Hugh/Armond, Wes/Angelus

Summary: Giles' nephew comes to visit, revealing a blood tie he didn't know about.



Matters of Blood
By Kate R.




"So, what are we doing here G-Man?" Xander Harris asked as they made their way through the cemetery. He didn't like this. Didn't like having to patrol with Giles. He wanted to patrol with Buffy, get her mind off of Dead-Boy and on to people that were living and breathing, like him.

"We're visiting a grave," Giles said. "Keep up."

Xander had never seen Giles so short with him. He trailed after the librarian and wondered where they were going that Giles was taking a mixed bouquet consisting of white roses, marigolds, magnolias and daisies. He'd noticed the baby's breath as well and was uncertain where they were going. Miss Calendar was buried in another cemetery altogether.

"Whose grave?" Xander asked as they walked.

"The grave of a friend," Giles returned coldly. He'd thought long and hard himself before coming to the decision he had. And what he knew was that none of them were blameless in the mess of the last year. It had taken deep reflection to reach that conclusion but he had. He'd learned to see past his own hurt and rage to others and he' come to the decision that had him walking through a cemetery at night, going to meet someone he'd decided to make peace with. AH, there they were, waiting juts as Angelus said they would be.

"Angelus," Giles called.

The big, dark vampire turned and smiled when he saw the flowers. "I thought a mix, for everything he was. Marigolds for our grief, white roses for his innocence and purity, magnolia for his nobility, daisies for loyalty and innocence, freesia for trust, and yellow roses for friendship. Baby's breath for the child he was."

"Thank you, Giles," the dark vampire said as he turned to the grave. "I would ask why you brought the boy but since you are here, I'll not argue his presence."

"Oh, I don't think he deserves the honor of being here, either, my friend," Giles said. "But he needs to see what his jealousy and hate caused. Xander, come look at the headstone."

"But, Giles," the boy began nervously. He hadn't missed what Giles called the vampire.

"Xander," Giles growled. "Get your ass up here now! You are going to look at this."

Xander moved forward, sneering at the vampire, until he could look down at the stone.

"So, whose Liam O'Rourke? And why should I give a rat's ass about him?" Xander asked.

"Liam O'Rourke was my soul, Harris," the vampire growled as his eyes flashed an ominous gold. "And You killed him when you lied to Buffy about the curse. I have far more reason to hate you now personally than you did to hate me impersonally but Giles said I've proven myself the better man because I did Not try to kill you. I have more of a right to vengeance now than you do but I wont be you. I wont kill you for wronging me personally. Jesse was no longer human, no longer had a soul, you did not kill your best friend, you killed the demon that wore his face. You did kill mine. And I should hate you for it. But I'm trying to not go down the road I went last time. Wes helps me with that. You do nothing but make me angrier every moment I have to spend in your cursed presence. I do not want you here, ever, but Giles is right, you had to see what you did. You can leave now. And I don't want to even scent your stench near this place again."

Angelus stopped suddenly and tensed. He shoved Wesley behind him and pushed Giles and even the boy in the same direction. He waited for what would come out of the shadows and found himself facing a flock of minions.

"This is too rich," he muttered as he decided to exorcise some of his rage. He snarled, going into his game face, and went after the minions.

He fought and fought, some part of him knowing there were far too many, when they suddenly just stopped and fled. Angelus looked and saw Giles and the others, even his Wes, had been fighting and they all looked confused until Giles saw a man leaning against a tree watching them.

"Hello, Uncle Ripper," the man said. "It's good to see you again."

"Hugh?" Giles whispered as he saw the boy his sister had made with her second husband; he didn't know of any children from her first marriage, which lasted all of nine months. She'd remarried but Giles didn't know to whom.

"Hi Wes," Hugh said next.

And Giles saw the younger Watcher's face light up when he saw him. He moved to Wesley and Giles suddenly had a feeling of dread.

"Hugh, do you know him?" he asked. He was hoping he was wrong but part of him knew he wasn't.

"Of course I do, Uncle Ripper," Hugh said. "Wes is my half brother."

"Your brother? But I...I never knew..."

"Of course you didn't, Wes said. "No one was supposed to know I was related to you. I'm not angry. I just...I'm not sure..."

"I'd very much like to get to know my nephew. Hugh...how long are you here?"

"As long as you need me to be. I'm working on a case but I'll be here mainly working different leads. Anyway, as much as I love scaring the piss out of vampires, Cerberus does not like having to bail my butt out of trouble so can we possibly take this elsewhere?"

"Sure, Hugh," Giles said taking his hand and leading him and Wesley to his apartment.

Angelus followed but Xander did not. He stared down at the grave hatefully for a moment before going in the opposite direction. Still unwilling to admit he'd done something terribly wrong. Still refusing to see his hatred was more from jealousy than anything else. Still unwillingly to do anything about it.



Part 2

"...And he said Liam O'Rourke was his soul," Xander was telling Buffy as he led her to the grave. Xander had found the perfect way to get back at Giles and Angelus: he'd tell Buffy. So far, she'd gone along with him exactly as he hoped she would. And they were at the grave now.

"How did he die, Xander?" Buffy asked as she looked at the headstone. "Why is this here?"

"They said he died in hell," Xander told her. Which means you killed him when you stabbed him to send him there."

Buffy's face started to crumble when a cold voice, the same one as had told Xander he did not want his stench near this place, spoke.

"Liar," Angelus said. Xander watched Buffy turn to the vampire and he waited gleefully. Only…only she wasn't looking at him with hatred.

"What do you mean he's lying?" she asked Angelus. The vampire smiled as compassionately as he could in his own grief.

"Willow did not say 'Kick his ass'," Angelus told her. "She said to tell you she was going to attempt the soul restoration spell again. Which, even though I feared Liam being forced to know all my deeds, I would not have fought. Dru was wrong to interfere the first time. I told her not to. She defied me and I am sorry for that. The fact remains however, that it was not you who was responsible; it was that thing that lied to you. Had you known I am sure you would have stopped me from cutting myself. You did not kill him, Xander did."

Buffy turned to Xander who was backing up slowly. Her eyes were full of a dangerous light.

"You lied to me?" She demanded.

"Like you'd have done me the favor of killing Dead-Boy otherwise? Please, you couldn't do what had to be done," Xander mouthed off. He missed himself saying me instead of the world but neither Buffy, nor Angelus, did. "You killed Angel...out of jealousy? You lied to me because you were jealous?" Buffy demanded incredulously.

"What? Buffy...no," Xander denied. "I...I did it so you'd be able to...to save the world.."

"That's not what you said," Buffy growled. "You said 'Do me the favor'. You, Xander. Not the world but you. You lied to me because you wanted Angel gone. You...You...Monster!"

"I...I'm not a monster, buff," Xander tried to deny. "I'm human. I'm not a filthy demon like that!"

"He cared enough about his soul that he made a gravestone for it when you killed it," Buffy snarled. "He cared enough to tend the grave himself. What have you done? Nothing. You couldn't even admit you lied. You are a monster Xander. You don't have to be a demon to be one of those. Giles is right."

"I am not a monster!" Xander raged. "I'm not a demon!"

"Neither was Adolph Hitler, whelp," a new voice said.

Xander turned to it and that was all the distraction Buffy needed.

She moved so fast it was incredible. "You killed him!" She screamed in rage and pain. "You murdering bastard, you killed him!" She cried as she hit Xander, tears flowing down her cheeks that she ignored. She wanted to make Xander hurt as badly as he had made her hurt and likely Angel suffer in hell but something stopped her: Angelus' arms wrapping around her, holding her gently, not like a lover but someone trying to stop her.

"If you kill him," Angelus whispered as he stroked her hair, "You become him. And you aren't him, Buffy. You will never be him. You're too good for that. Let it go. He's lost. He'll never be anything but a monster wearing a human face. The worst kind of monster there is. Come away now, buff. Giles will console you better than I ever could. Come away. It's okay. Cry now. Cry. We'll come visit him tomorrow again. William, come. It's time to go to the mansion."

Xander, lying in a bleeding heap on the ground, watched as Angelus guided Buffy away from him and he found himself alone. Utterly alone. And it hurt.

"She'll come back," he thought as he lie there. "She will. Once she comes to her senses and realizes he doesn't have a soul."

But she didn't come back. And he eventually dragged himself to his feet and shambled home. Something told him Buffy would tell Willow about his lie. She'd be angry with him too. And Xander Harris, for the first time in his life, found himself facing the prospect of having no friends to do anything for him. Willow had done his homework, Buffy had protected him, Jessie had been his brother and he knew, sitting alone, that Jessie would be disgusted with him for his behavior. But he was right, Dammit! Demons were bad, humans were good and that was the way it was. Nothing would ever change his mind about that. Ever.

Had Xander Harris a trace of any psychic ability, he would have heard the spirit hovering above the grave whisper "Fool" before it faded away.

END PART 2