Chapter Text
In the blink of an eye
Everything will change
For you and I"Chess Pieces" by the Brian Buckley Band
"What are we looking at, here?" Xander asked as he leaned over the Slayerette’s shoulder to get a closer look at the tv monitors.
"Last night's security feed," She explained, pointing toward the screen that showed the entry to Giles' office. "At around zero-three-hundred hours, this man was seen breaking into the office." She let the tape run until the stranger’s face could be seen, then paused it there.
"Breaking into Giles' office? How did he get all the way up there? Was he seen entering the building?" Xander questioned, squinting at the black and white image.
The young man was wearing a dark trench coat - a fancy one, from what Xander could tell - with the collar turned up, reaching into the inside pocket for his lock picks as he glanced over his shoulder for any witnesses.
"Can we blow this up bigger? Print it out for me. Giles has said nothing was missing, and Willow scanned for anything dangerous being left behind - nada." Xander straightened and propped his hands on his hips. "But this guy wanted inside the Head of the Council's office for a reason. If he didn't break into the building then he was let in. I'll show the photo around, see if anyone recognizes him."
"Can't go wrong with a Jaffa Cake," Ed grinned as he pulled the sleeve from the box and tore it open, eating one with relish. "Oh yeah. 'Aven't had one of these in a long time; my dad always hides 'em from me," He talked happily around his full mouth, and Buffy raised her eyebrow at him in mild amusement.
"I'd believe that; seeing the way Giles hoards them. You're local, aren't you?" Buffy guessed; she'd lived here long enough that she was starting to recognize at least some of the differences in London accents compared to others. He nodded, though he seemed to stiffen a little bit at the mention of Giles' name. She mentally noted that but didn't react.
As they’d discovered, he was apparently one of the Watchers-in-training at the school. Some of the other students had recognized his picture that Xander had shown around.
The mystery was, students weren’t allowed in the upper levels of the building unless given specific orders, and escorted by an assistant that held the clearance. And Ed, although recognized and considered “a decent enough bloke, but quiet”, didn’t have any records on file. At all.
So, more than a little curious, Buffy had joined in on the investigation. Under the guise of a Watcher interview, which was something they did at random throughout the year to gauge the mental status of their trainees, Buffy now sat with him in her office.
"Born in Kingston,” Ed explained of his accent. “My gran helped raise me while my parents were out- working." His verbal stumble was slight and barely noticeable, though Buffy noticed it.
"Only child?" She asked, somewhat gently, figuring he must be feeling kind of abandoned; he spoke to her much more easily than she would have expected. He shrugged at her summation, which she furrowed her brow at. ‘Do you have siblings’ was generally a yes or no question.
"I mean, technically." He explained his response. "But there were always others around. Teenagers, mostly."
"Oh," Buffy realized, "Slayers?" His expression answered that one. "Your parents were Watchers?" She grimaced, and asked softly, "Were they in the old building, when it...?"
"What?" He looked confused for a moment, as if he didn’t know what she was talking about. "Oh. No, no, they're uh, they're retired now. Alive and well." He smiled, genuinely pleased about that, and Buffy smiled in return as she relaxed. She believed he was telling the truth, thus far.
It seemed he had quite a content childhood, regardless what it had initially sounded like. Buffy watched him as he chewed his cookie (or whatever they really were - she'd given up trying to keep track of all the biscuits and scones and pastries in this town), and she tilted her head slightly as she took in his features a little more sharply.
There was something about him that made her spidey-sense go a little off... nothing crazy, nothing demonic, but something... something about his mouth, and his cheekbones, kept drawing her eyes. And sure, he was attractive in that sense - but he was young, certainly too young for her. She couldn't put her finger on what drew her to him, though; what made her genuinely want to talk with him and learn about him and his past.
Made her almost... trust him?
Maybe it was a Watcher thing? The Slayer within her was naturally drawn toward who might become an excellent Watcher one day? She made a mental note to ask Giles more about the Slayer/Watcher relationship. Aside from Ed’s possibly nefarious activities, it might be a good idea to get this guy paired up with a Slayer, soon.
Their goal was to have a Watcher for every Slayer out there, that wanted to be an active Slayer, but after everything with The First, they were playing catch-up. If she had a good Watcher ready to go, sitting right in front of her today…
Depending on why the hell he’d broken into Giles’ office the night before, anyway.
"Um... well, thanks for the tea." Ed gingerly closed up the package of snacks and slid it onto her desk, next to his empty cup. "I should crack on."
He'd felt her staring and it'd made him uncomfortable. Buffy tried to relax back into her seat and smile genially.
"I'll see you around, Ed," She called out, and he paused by the office door.
"Actually, you can... you can call me Eddie, if you'd like." His request sounded shy, and he didn't wait for a response before ducking his head and going on to class.
Buffy opened the middle drawer of her desk and pulled out the black and white photo Xander had copied for her, pondering it for a while.
"What are you up to, Eddie?" She muttered, narrowing her eyes as she just couldn't shake that note of familiarity about him.
“Oh.” Ed hesitated as Buffy opened the office door and he realized that both she and Giles were in the room. An odd little smile adorned his face as he slowly stepped in, but then he blinked and ducked his head as he shouldered his bag and came to a stop in the middle of the room.
He outwardly appeared for all the world like the child that got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and Buffy had to mentally applaud his ability to mope. She was sure at least some of it was genuine, but there was no way this kid was that contrite.
Giles got to his feet and came around to the front of his desk, and Buffy closed the door before joining him.
“Hello, Mr. ...” Giles greeted, trailing off as he didn’t know how to finish the sentence. He held his hand out and Ed shook it, almost bordering on excitement now.
“Oh! My name’s Ed, sir.” He smiled, and Giles blinked.
“Alright... Ed.” He glanced toward the woman on his right. “Buffy?”
“Yeah.” He had wanted her to lead the questioning, initially, since he knew she had already developed a report with the young man. “Ed, we’ve got some- ”
“Wow!” Ed grinned lopsidedly, and Buffy stammered to a pause, then gave him an odd look. “You’re both here. At the same time!”
Giles sighed, and Buffy grimaced a little bit.
“Please, neither of us are really big fans of the... fanboying.” Buffy told him, thinking that he was starry-eyed over the whole Sunnydale thing, as those who were in training often were. “We’re just normal people - well, as normal as a Slayer and Watcher can be,”
“But you’re the Watcher and Slayer!” Ed protested almost defensively, and Buffy quirked her eyebrow at Giles. It wasn’t often HE got the ‘first billing’, so to speak. It was a bit relieving - and humorous.
“The Watcher...” She repeated, teasing him, and he glanced a warning look toward her before focusing on Ed again.
“Uh, sorry.” Ed apologized sheepishly.
“I’m going to ask you directly, and I would appreciate a direct answer,” Giles began firmly, and Buffy noticed Ed swallow nervously. “Why did you break into my office the other night?” Ed was silent for a beat, and Giles added, “Nothing was taken and nothing left behind, so I’m not as angry as I would have been otherwise. But why did you sneak in here if it wasn’t to steal something? What were you after?”
“I... it was a dare.” Ed admitted quietly. Buffy folded her arms across her chest.
“A dare from whom?” She questioned.
“Rodger.” Ed mumbled glumly. “Murray.”
“And would Mr. Murray corroborate your story?” Giles asked, and Ed nodded.
“It was just if I could get in; that’s why nothing was taken - I wasn’t gonna take anything,” Ed promised earnestly, and Buffy sighed.
“This isn’t just about suspicion of theft, Eddie.” Buffy told him, and Giles glanced at her in surprise, probably at the nickname. She was surprised, herself, that it naturally flowed from her lips. “There’s dangerous stuff in this office. Stuff that not just anybody is allowed to touch, or use. You could have gotten yourself hurt.”
“Sorry, ma’am.” He lowered his eyes a little again, chastised. Buffy was still getting used to the fact that all the accents around here always made 'ma'am' sound almost like 'mum'... which she had to admit, on a separate note, was kind of an adorable name for one’s mother. “Rodger told me I didn’t have the bol- ...uh, the guts to do it. Told me I was a ponce.”
“Perhaps, in the future, Ed, you’ll do well to avoid testosterone-fueled acts of recklessness.” Giles raised his eyebrow warningly. “A good Watcher thinks beyond himself. Where he must be brave is- ”
“Beside his Slayer.” Ed interrupted softly, nodding and glancing an almost warm look toward Buffy. “Understood, sir.” He squared his shoulders.
“You’re dismissed,” Giles told him, but as he reached the door Buffy couldn’t help but ask,
“How much did you get?”
“I’m sorry?” Ed turned back toward her with a frown.
“On the bet,” She clarified. “How much did you win?”
“Oh. Uh, twenty quid.” He admitted, and Buffy grinned in amusement. Ed did as well, for a moment, but then ducked out of the office and closed the door behind him.
“You went easier on him than I thought you would.” Buffy commented.
“He, ah... he reminds me a bit of myself, when I was younger.” Giles admitted, fiddling with his glasses, and Buffy snorted in dismay as she headed to the door to get to her own class she needed to teach.
“God help us.”
Giles paused his lens cleaning and frowned at her indignantly, and she just laughed as she left his office.