Who, What, Why, Where, When?

CHAPTER 2

A couple of days later Doctor Alexander had Buffy and Xander sitting in an office at the hospital. They were trying to look like responsible adults and he sighed as the pretence kept slipping. “Look” he said “You are the only family that Rupert has, or at least that he is admitting to!” He stressed the words and tried to look sternly at them. “You need to make me believe that it is safe to release him into your care and that you won’t allow him to have any more “sporting injuries” in the near future”. He couldn’t keep up the stern countenance as they looked so guilty. “I know you all care for him, but he does seem to be more accident prone than your average librarian” he smiled “He just needs to get back into his regular routine, be around people who know him well and the memories will return over the next few months.” He looked up as there was a small tap on the door “Come in” he said. “Ah, Willow, I’m glad you could get here so quickly”. He understood that, while Buffy and Xander would do anything he suggested to help Rupert, Willow was the one who would “understand” the importance of what he was saying. “I was just explaining the healing process to Buffy and Xander”.

“Do you know what kind of amnesia he has yet?” she asked.

“Yes, we’re fairly sure he is suffering from retrograde amnesia brought about by several head traumas over the years, culminating in the final, quite severe one he received last month”

“That means he remembers stuff from years ago and stuff from when he woke up but has lost the space in between?” she asked.

“You’ve been reading up Willow” he admonished and laughed at her blush “yes, it means he has lost approximately six years. As far as he is concerned he fell asleep in London in 1994 and woke up, with a headache, in Sunnydale in 2000 without having any idea what happened in between.”

"And it's definitely amnesia?" Buffy asked. Although Dr Alexander answered in the affirmative she didn't seem convinced until Willow nodded slightly in agreement.

“The point is” he carried on, noting their crestfallen and worried faces “Sufferers from this particular form of amnesia usually get memories back, either piecemeal or in quite large swathes, for most of the period they have lost”


“You mean” asked Buffy “that he will eventually remember how he got from London to here and what he has been er.. up to.. for the last six years?”

“That’s it” he said, trying to lift their spirits ”and his memories will be best triggered by getting him back to his normal routine as quickly as possible. In fact he will probably remember everything right up to the actual incident that caused his head trauma!” he looked at them severely “Which brings me back to the point I was making when Willow joined us”

Buffy and Xander looked at the floor again but Willookeooked straight into his eyes “What do you need us to do” she asked.

“I need you to look after him and make sure he doesn’t suffer from any further head injuries and also keep an eye out for any symptoms of remaining trauma”.

“Like headaches and stuff?” asked Buffy

“Sort of, but also personality changes and any unusual behaviour you wouldn’t expect from the Rupert you know” he explained.

“Don’t worry” Willow nodded “We’ll do everything we need to to get our Giles back again”.

He was struck by the force of will behind this statement but never doubted her intent or abilities for a moment. He had always been jealous of the relationship between Rupert and Willow and had often wondered at the possibility of trying to interest her in another Oxford graduate. He realised now from the look in her eyes that she would never waver from his side and he was glad that his friend had such a determined supporter.

Doctor Alexander helped Rupert on with his jacket. “You’ll just have to trust them” he said “They know what your regular routines are and they are your best chance of getting your memory back as quickly as possible”

“Oh, all right” grumbled Giles “I just can’t believe that in six years in this colony I haven’t been able to come up with anything better than a group of ex-students as my life companions”

Willow stood in the doorway, devastated by his words. “Whenever you are readyGileGiles” she ground out.

Both of the men looked crestfallen at the hurt in her face. Doctor Alexander was the first to speak “Rupert, when you have recovered from this experience I am personally going to trounce you for making her feel that way”.


“I don’t seem to be able to do anything but make her cry and look upset” he said a little confusedly.

“If only you knew” whispered Doctor Alexander under his breath “if only you knew”.

The taxi journey home was a little fraught. Buffy and Xander had no idea why Willow was being so frosty towards Giles but they knew that something was wrong. To try to relieve the tension Xander started a discussion on what Giles had been up to in London.

“Did I enjoy the G-Man title before the head injury?” he enquired with a smile before answering any questions.

Xander looked a little embarrassed “Not really, you just kind of put up with it I guess”

“Perhaps you could all call me Rupert as I don’t seem to be working with the faculty any more?”

“Doctor Alexander said we were to get you back to your normal routine” replied Willow frostily “That includes our childish jokes on your name …… Tweed Guy”

Even Buffy gasped. Why was Willow being so spiteful? “Let’s do the rest of the journey in silent running mode, OK” she ordered and received nods all round. The taxi driver breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon entering the apartment Giles took some time to walk around and look at his furniture and books. Eventually he realised they were all standing in his doorway with baited breath. “I don’t think it’s going to come back that quickly” he said with a sad smile “Can someone show me the bedroom and bathroom?”

“I’ll go” volunteered Xander and gave Buffy a stern look. She sighed and nodded, she would find out what was bugging Willow before they returned.

“Did he goose you in the lift?” she asked nonchalantly.

“What!” replied Willow, a very surprised look on her face.

“There must be some reason you’re giving memory guy the frost bite treatment and that was the first one that came to mind. After all the dishy Doctor did say that he may act out of character for a while”


“I am not giving him frost bite” she angrily denied. She looked at Buffy and then a bit sheepishly at the floor “I’m going to put the kettle on”

“So if it wasn’t the bottom pinch, what was it?” asked Buffy, following her into the kitchen.

“He was telling Doctor Alexander how disappointed he was in us”.

“No way”, “Way”, “No Way”, “WAY”

Xander was helping him put away his shaving kit and generally keeping him out of harms way to let Buffy do her stuff.

Giles opened the wardrobe to hang up his jacket and smiled to himself. “I can see that I rather dressed the librarian part”. Xander was about to make a comment when Giles put his palm to his forehead “Of course, Tweed Guy” he looked at Xander who merely shrugged his shoulders.

“Did I always make her so unhappy “ he asked, sitting down on the bed.

“Who” asked Xander settling into the chair and putting his legs over the arm.

“Good god, tell me I didn’t reduce every women I met to tears!”

“Oh, you mean Willow” the light dawned on Xander's face “I’m not sure if we are supposed to fill in the blanks for you or just let you get there by yourself“ he explained.

“Just tell me we weren’t married or an item or something” pleaded Giles.

Xander took pity “Not exactly” and arched his eyebrows.

Giles looked at him and, after a moment, smiled “I think I was probably constantly exasperated with you”

Xander came down the stairs three at a time and startled the girls. “Giles remembered something, Giles remembered something”.

“What” they both asked at the same time.

“How much he used to annoy me” smirked Giles from the top of the stairs. Everyone laughed and the tension was released a little.


Willow brought the tea through and they all sat down. Giles noticed that Buffy was staring at him rather intently.

He sighed and asked “Willow told you what she overheard, didn’t she?”

“Kind of” replied Buffy “Normally I would threaten to punch you out for that kind of comment, but under the circumstances I’ll let it pass for now!”

“What did you say to upset them?” enquired Xander, getting a little more protective of his ladies.

“Willow overheard me bemoaning my lack of em… attachments to Doctor Alexander”

“Something's detached?” asked Xander, and he looked to make sure that the ex-librarian was displaying the usual compliment of limbs.

Willow shook her head and said, a little exasperated “He means he was disappointed to wake up and find three college kids as his nearest and dearest”. Even as she finished the sentence her voice fell away and she looked seriously into her cup as if it contained the mysteries of the world.

Giles started to explain, then looked a little startled and stared at Buffy “Did you just threaten to punch me out?” he asked.

Buffy looked panicked and started a sentence several times before giving up and turning to Willow “Help!”

Willow smiled a little “You used to teach Buffy self defence and she was getting rather good at it! Which brings us to the main point” Willow stood up and collected a notebook from the top desk drawer. “Doctor Alexander wanted you to get back to a normal routine as quickly as possible so we should get started planning for what’s left of this week”

“Well, I guess Buffy should teach me some self defence if I’m to avoid any more head injuries!” Giles laughed.

Xander said “Jeez, you really don’t remember training with her, do you?”

“Xander” shouted Buffy and threw a cushion at him “I didn’t hurt him that often”


“Come on you guys, Giles needs his rest and we do have that “studying” planned for tonight”. Xander looked a bit blank then remembered the patrol planned for that night to the cemetery. “The quicker we can plan this out, the quicker we can leave Giles to his own peace and quiet”

Buffy and Xander looked inclined to ask Giles to continue his explanation of the earlier comment but a determined look from Willow quelled any further discussion.

Willow began drawing out a table in the notebook and allocating assignments “Xander, you can be chief tour guide to the delights of Sunnydale” Xander groaned

“Well, Giles does need to see all of the old haunts again and it will be a perfect way to break up your morning jogs and afternoon swimming sessions”

“Way to go G-Man” Xander grumbled “You get major concussion and bed rest for three weeks and I get respiratory failure on the running track”

Willow ignored him and continued filling in the spaces on her table “Buffy, I don’t think Giles is quite ready for your full training sessions yet, but perhaps you could go easy on him with some gentle exercises, meditation and relaxation stuff to start with?”

Buffy grinned at Xander “Sure, I could sit down and chant with the guy if you insist” Xander threw the cushion back at her.

Throughout this exchange Giles sat staring at Willow with a slight smirk on his face. Finally he got up to refill his mug and, putting his hand on her shoulder, looked over at the notebook, “Which part of my body’s rehabilitation do you get to be in charge of?” he asked.

Willow reddened a little and cleared her throat “I’m afraid I get your mind”

“Oh, don’t be afraid” he smiled “It could turn out to be the most enjoyable part of the whole exercise, after all, it’s the part that needs the greatest work out”

Willow couldn’t help but return the extremely sexy smile and felt her stomach do that back flip thing again. He was flirting with her! “Dear God” she thought “What I wouldn’t give to swap with Xander and see him every day in swim shorts!” With an extremely gratifying mental picture now stuck firmly in her mind, she completely missed most of the conversation that Buffy and Xander were having with her.


“Willow” they both shouted and threw cushions simultaneously.

Her mental picture faded as she came back to reality with a startled cry and looked confusedly at her companions “What’s up?” she asked innocently.

Buffy and Xander groaned. “Just let Giles know that I’ll be here tomorrow morning at 08:30 for some basic exercises and Xander will arrive at 10:30 to go swimming with him”.

Buffy signalled for Willow to follow her out the door and into the sunny courtyard. “Why are you going easy on him?” she asked “I thought we were supposed to be getting back to normal and, normally, you would have been the first to chew him out about this kind of stuff”

Willow sighed and shrugged “The only way we could explain to him about us being his “life companions” would be to remind him of Jenny and Olivia and how he lost both of them through his sense of duty.” Willow turned away, not wanting Buffy to see the sadness in her face but Buffy already knew how much his comment had hurt her. “I don’t want him to remember his loneliness first” she sniffed “Its silly but I wanted his first memories to be his music or our prom or.. or..”

“Demons? Even that would be better than remembering everything he gave up for me” Buffy sighed. “You’re right Willow, I’m sorry for trying to second guess you on this, I should know you’re our resident Giles expert by now.” With a quick smile and hug she hurried to catch up with Xander.

Willow wandered back into the apartment, her mind a million miles away. She figured that by remembering as much about his life as she could, the memories were hers to keep safe until he needed them again.

Giles returned from the kitchen “Where did Laurel & Hardy go?” he asked.

“They had to get ready for some tests they’re sitting tomorrow” Willow explained, a little distractedly. “Look I really should be going as well, Buffy said…”

“I heard, it’s OK” Giles smiled once again and sank back into the sofa. He had one leg curled under him and an arm thrown across the back of the sofa. “Do you need to rush off?”

“Not really” she murmured and returned to sitting behind the desk and toying with the notebook and pen.


“Perhaps you would be more comfortable in the chair?” he asked, indicating the high backed armchair across from where he sat.

“No, I’m OK here thanks” she smiled weakly at him.

He sighed and shook his head “Look I really must apologise for the last couple of days!” she started to protest “No, honestly, I’ve been a complete boor and I can’t let it go on without apologising for making you cry every time I open my stupid mouth”

“Nothing stupid has ever come out of your mouth” Willow said with considerable vehemence. “Whatever else you may have forgotten, you must remember that you are one of the most intelligent men I have ever met” she was on a roll and he gave up trying to interrupt her. “Not just book wisdom, although you have that in spades, but your compassion and understanding of people and their needs, your ability to say just the right thing at the right time, has always been your greatest strength!” she finished in a rush and blushed to the tips of her ears.

Giles was a little startled at the sudden outburst. “Saying the right thing at the right time? My God my recuperation could take years if the last couple of days are anything to go by!”

“Nonsense” said Willow recovering from her sudden tirade “We’ll have you back in tweed in no time”

“What have I done to deserve a friend like you?” he wondered aloud, then looked seriously at her “No, I really wonder what I could possibly have done with myself in the last six years because I wasn’t worthy of you or your friendship when I was in London”

Conscious that he was straying towards territory she wouldn’t enter with him she moved over to sit in the chair and leaned forward “What were you like then, you never really told us much about your past” she explained.

“I’m not surprised really, for the early part of it I was a nasty piece of work and the last few years have been fairly uneventful” he explained, then stopped and thought for a moment. “My father wanted to em.. train me in the family business but I wanted to do something else”

She giggled and nestled back into the chair “A fighter pilot or a grocer” she laughed.

“Good God, yes” he laughed as well and she marvelled that she had heard his laugh so infrequently. “I’m surprised I admitted to that”


“Anyway” he sobered a little and took on a stern countenance and grumpy voice “A sense of responsibility, young man, that’s what you lack” he sighed “That was dad’s favourite line and he was right of course but it never appears so at the time”

“Tell me about it!” murmured Willow with painful memories of Oz and her father in the same room flitting through her mind.

Giles noticed the sadness had returned to her eyes and determined to inject some happiness there as quickly as he could.

“Anyway” he continued “I went about it the usual way, you know, to piss my dad off as much as possible, even left Oxford for a while”

Willow tensed, not sure how she would react to mention of Ethan or Ripper, but she needn’t have worried.

“After kicking my heels for a while I finally decided that a good education at Oxford was actually something I wanted and chucking it all up just to upset my father was only proving his point for him.” He smiled and thought vaguely of warm Oxford afternoons. “Anyway, after I graduated I moved around various jobs and took some em.. additional vocational training” he contemporised “then the job at the British Museum came up and it suited me to a T” .

“Why?” asked Willow, revelling in the chance to ask questions that she had never had the time for before.

“Well it revolved around ancient artifacts and cataloguing an extensive collection of ancient texts” he laughed “Two of my three favourite things”

“What's the third thing?” she asked innocently

He cocked his head to the side and pondered what answer to give her. The truth was magic, of course, but he really liked her and didn’t want to scare her off. “The English weather of course” and he smiled gratefully as she laughed.

“You always moan about the lack of rain and non stop sunshine” she giggled “You haven’t changed that much”

He noticed that she finished the last sentence with a trace of relief in her voice. He guessed that she was glad she could still recognise her Giles in his present state.