Sister, Sister (Book Five, BTVS)

chapter 11 - Triangle

In the Magic Box, Buffy and I were training in the backroom.

Giles was watching nearby.

Buffy was trying to hit me in sequence. I would raise an arm to block each move.

"All right," Giles told us. "Switch."

I tried to hit Buffy in sequence. Buffy would raise an arm to block each move.

"So, you really think they might be able to help us?" I asked.

"Uh, if you mean are they gonna help us find out something about Glory..." Giles trailed off. I managed to hit Buffy. Buffy seemed surprised. "Uh, the resources that the... Watchers' Council has at their disposal..." Giles seemed wistful. "I mean, the Central Library alone is just--"

Buffy and I stopped practicing, turning to give Giles a look.

"Don't talk about the books again," Buffy told him. "You get all... and sometimes there's drool."

I managed to punch Buffy in the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but we--we've really exhausted the materials I have here, and we're coming up empty," Giles told us. He looked at me. "Zoey, you're--you're dropping your shoulder. Your opponent can see when you're gonna go with your right." 

I raised my shoulder, trying to punch Buffy. Buffy raised an arm to block the move, punching me. 

"So, Glory's all you're gonna talk to them about, right?" I asked.

Giles nodded. "You--you two can take a break."

Giles turned away.

Buffy and I stopped.

"Answer me," I told him.

Giles stepped away. "I--I'm not gonna mention Dawn's name. I wouldn't do that, I promise."

"But you're gonna tell them about the Key?" I asked. "That Glory's looking for something called the Key?"

"Well, knowing her goal is--is crucial," Giles told us. "I mean, i--i--if anything helps them uncover her origins, her--her plans..."

"I know," I told them. "It's just... I trust these Watchers about as far as... you could throw them."

Giles poured himself a glass of water. "Thank you very much."

I sighed. "I'm just freaked about the idea of giving them any information that could possibly lead them to Dawn."

I walked toward a bench, sitting down.

Buffy sat down next to me.

"Truly, Zoey, if I saw an alternative..." Giles trailed off, turning to face us. "If--if the Initiative were still around, I'd consider using them, but... they're gone, and then Riley was--was, uh, the last link we had to the government." He wiped his face with a towel. Buffy looked down sadly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," Buffy told him. "You can say his name." She sighed. "I'm doing all right. These things happen. People break up and they move on... for a while, it feels like the end of the world, you know. But... big picture..."

"Not so huge," Giles told us.

Buffy and I looked at Giles in disbelief.

"Not so huge?" I repeated. "It feels like the end of the world. Don't you listen?" Giles looked dismayed. I smiled, whispering. "I'm teasing."

Giles smiled. "Oh."

"Sort of," I told him.

Buffy managed a smile. "I'll be okay."