Flesh and Blood

2

Rupert Giles paced back and forth in the lobby of their headquarters, anxiously awaiting the return of the slayers and witches that left to assist Buffy. He had just received word from Dawn that their plan to go into hiding had failed. Many slayers were injured; some had even died, along with fellow witches, and their bodies needed to be recovered from the debris. He would be able to get a count on how many lives were lost once they all arrived.

The formerly abandoned mansion they had set up headquarters at was just on the outskirts of Cleveland, Ohio, down a dirt road which was lined with tall grass and thick trees that hid the long driveway leading up to the building. It was no longer vacant; Giles pulled strings with city officials who secretly knew about Cleveland's Hellmouth so that the building was functional for his slayers, Watchers-in-training, and witches. It was the perfect place to start a Watcher's Council.  

His loafers echoed on the tile floor as he paced. They should have been here by now. At this point, he hoped they were not attacked on their way home. The hospital they took Buffy to was also abandoned, but it was across town on the opposite outskirts. Giles had promised the city officials he associated with that they would try to keep the fights outside of town to keep damage to civilian structures to a minimum, but of course there were no promises. Evil goes where it wants, and in Cleveland, it congregates around a football stadium. 

He checked his watch and then looked out the front window. A black van was just turning around the bend in their driveway. Once the van had backed up into the garage, he ran outside to help. 

He was immediately greeted with bloodied slayers. Some were able to hobble their way into the mansion, but the majority needed assistance. One slayer looked on the better side of beaten as she exited the van, but as she reached the building, she collapsed to the asphalt. The toll of the battle was evidently too much for the girl. There seemed to be more wounded than not, and healthy slayers were running back and forth to help unload others out of the van while their peers hauled them inside. Witches and studying Watchers filed out of the home to assist. Giles helped the first van of slayers unload, carrying an unconscious woman from the van to a couch in what would have been the mansion's living room. Her face was unrecognisable; cuts long and short, deep ones and merely scrapes all decorate her skin. One arm was contorted in a manner that made Giles feel sick to his stomach. Yet he pushed on, pushed the images to the back of his mind so that he became blind to the gore, and then it was just get the slayer, set her down, get the slayer, set her down. Until he saw Buffy.

Faith Lehane and Dawn were carrying Buffy, either of the slayer's arms draped over the two, while two other slayers—that Giles could not remember the names of for the life of him—had her feet. Buffy was completely limp and lifeless, and wearing a blood covered hospital gown. Giles' heart dropped when the fearful thought of Buffy not being alive overwhelmed him.   

"Buffy?" he uttered quietly as he watched her get carried into the mansion. He began to approach, but he heard his name yelled from another van that was pulling in.

The former watcher turned to see Willow, awake, but being held up by Kennedy.  "Dear God, Willow!" 

"I'm okay, Giles," Willow responded breathily, "I just... need... some rest..." Then she passed out, and Kennedy stumbled to compensate for Willow's deadweight.

Giles was quick to act, helping to catch Willow as Kennedy tried to rebalance. "Clear the way!" he called behind him.

While they were bringing Willow into the living room, he caught a glimpse of Dawn moving Buffy through the kitchen to the dining room. The infirmary across the home was starting to crowd with slayers, while the witches that stayed behind at headquarters began performing healing spells on the wounded. It would take time for the slayers in the worst shape to heal, but with the help of the witches pairing their Magick energies with the rapid healing abilities of a slayer, they should be healed by the end of the week.