Disclaimer in part 1.
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And now he was all alone. Xander had said goodbye yesterday. His plane would be leaving later today. Strange, how quiet the library seemed. How empty. As if it’s life force had left with the young people who’s boisterous antics and chatter had at first seemed so alien to it’s hallowed environment. Or perhaps it was just him. And his loneliness. Oh, how he missed them all already. How he missed Buffy.
The sound of teenage laughter made him look toward the doors. They remained shut. Then he remembered. Snyder had informed him of some sort of sporting activity today. That would be why there was so much activity at the school during the holiday period. Ah well. He had a great deal of work to get through. And he would see these next few weeks as the ideal opportunity to do so. Goddess knew there never seemed enough time when Buffy and the others were around.
“Hey Giles.” He looked up at the familiar greeting.
“Xander? Wh-what are you doing here? You should be leaving for your holiday.”
“I’ve got a couple of hours to kill before I have to leave. There’s something I have to talk to you about.” He’d been thinking about it all night. About two o’clock in the morning it had hit him. “Don’t you think it’s kinda weird. All of us having to leave Sunnydale? Leave you? I don’t mean Buffy. That was kind of normal. But the rest of us?”
“W-well this is the Hellmouth...”
“Where there is no such thing as coincidence. Come on Giles. If I can figure it out, why haven’t you?”
“Allright. Perhaps it is a little strange, but...”
“What are you hiding? You know something......”
“Rupert Giles?” They had been so involved in their discussion they hadn’t noticed the intruders. Xander recognized the Police Chief from his interview over Kendra’s death.
“Yes?” Giles didn’t like the look of this. Whenever the police visited him, it meant a death.
The Chief walked towards the librarian. He was really going to enjoy this. Grabbing Giles’ arm harder than necessary, he swung it around and up, while taking out his handcuffs. “You’re under arrest.”
“What?” Xander couldn’t believe it. By the look on his face, neither could Giles.
“What is the charge?” The handcuffs were locked in place, but the officer still held his arm in a vice-like grip. The discomfort was growing harder to hide.
“How about Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor for a start. And while we’re downtown, let’s discuss the disappearance of one Buffy Summers. Not to mention a couple of unsolved murders. The bodies of the victims were both found in buildings associated with you.”
“Wait. This is stupid.” Xander stopped at the look from the cop.
“Just be thankful son, that you escaped with your life. We’ve been watching this pervert for weeks now. As for you.” He swung Giles round to face him. “Open up.” He forced an official looking paper into his prisoner’s mouth. Oh this was fun. “That’s a subpoena. To search your apartment. I understand you like to keep diaries.” He was so busy congratulating himself on his humour and cleverness, he didn’t see the look exchanged by the prisoner and the boy. The Journals, both his and previous Watchers’, weren’t at the apartment. They were here, in the cage.
Xander called after Giles as he was dragged from the library. “I’ll call the others..”
“No!” Giles did not want them involved in this. “It’s all a misunderstanding. No need to spoil their holidays unnecessarily.”
“But..”
“I mean it Xander! Do. Not. Call. Them.” He could see Xander wanted to argue, but he was pulled through the library doors before that could happen. He only hoped he would obey him.
And so it was that Rupert Giles, school librarian, was ignominiously carted off by the Chief of Police in front of half of the student body.
“Stupid bloody incompetent fools!” He’d told them to wait. At least until they’d known the boy had left the country. But no. They had to have their moment of glory. They could have undone his entire plan with their ridiculous grandstanding!
But no. He was overreacting. Everything was in place. Nothing could stop him now. Certainly not a stupid teenage boy.