Angel sipped blood from his bowl as his captive awoke. He’d bathed and clothed him and put him in chains. Very long chains. Giles jerked awake and looked round startled. He was here again. The mansion, the place where his nightmares lived. He couldn’t remember how he got there.

"Hello, Rupert. Welcome to my home. Relax, you’re safe here." He smiled, showing his fangs, as he paced slowly round the man on the floor. "You upset Willow, y’know. I don’t like my friends being upset."

"W…what are you going to do to m..me?" Giles stammered and shivered. The effect of the drugs he’d taken, ebbing away.

Angel stopped pacing and crouched down to look into his eyes. "Absolutely nothing. You’re going to do it to yourself this time, Giles."

He watched over Rupert as he got steadily worse, he paced at the beginning raging at Angel for taking him from his home and pleaded to be set free. Rupert didn’t sleep, Angel didn’t sleep, and he was getting hungry! If needs be he could last up to two weeks without blood. He gazed at Rupert–pints of warm blood pulsing through his body. Angel felt his vampiric ridges erupt and he fled to the silent blackness of the courtyard. He found two rats and a stray cat. It would do.

Willow was with Buffy. She winced as Buffy took her frustrations out on a hapless and helpless newborn vampire. Angel attracted Willow’s attention and she followed him into the shadows.

"About Giles, Willow I’ve got him." He paused as she reacted. "But I don’t cook and he’ll need to eat. Could you cook for him and leave it outside?" she nodded.

"The Watchers are frantic. He’s not sent any reports in months. They say that if the reports don’t start soon they’ll send an investigator…" She looked at him anxiously.

"Fake ’em. Send fake reports, Willow. They won’t know it’s you. If you want him to have a life after this…" He was lost for the word. "Cock–up. Just do it, Willow. Got to go… She’s coming." Angel melted into the shadows.

"Who were you talking to, Willow?" Buffy asked.

"Angel…" Keep it simple. Breathe-- lie. "He was entertaining and asked me to cook for him." Good. Almost the truth.

He didn’t expect the attack. Giles broke a chair over his head as soon as he got in the door. Angel staggered out of the way as a shard of wood whipped through the air towards his chest.

Giles’ strength was born of desperation. Angel kicked at the stake and it skittered away. He held Giles by the throat, his face vamping. The body beneath him was shuddering with pain and the need to stop that pain at any cost. Angel smiled and bared his fangs; the vein throbbed under his fingers.

"I’ve not eaten in a week, Rupert… Feeling lucky?" He licked the flesh tasting fear and the acrid taint of God knew how many drugs and threw the body from him. He picked up the bag containing his food and popped it into the fridge. He glanced back at Giles. He had landed awkwardly with his back slammed against a stone pillar. He didn’t move until the next night.

Angel was sitting on his sofa reading and murmuring to his book when a noise made him look in Giles’ direction. He was standing up.

"I’m hungry…" Angel looked him up and down. God, Giles was a mess! When he didn’t get an answer, Giles shouted.

"You’ve g.got to f.feed m.me…" In a sudden rush he lunged at Angel. The chain stopped Giles’ momentum. He fell on the floor and brought his hands to his injured ankle. He was weeping with the pain.

"Please… L.let m.me g.go…" Angel stooped down to him.

Rupert hung his head tears filled his eyes."I scared poor Willow to death! I didn’t mean to, God, what must they think of me?"

As Angel regarded Rupert his book warmed and sighed though only he heard or knew its ways, Rupert was getting better. What could he tell him? That no–one save he and Willow knew where he was? That the Council had been trying to track him down? No. All that would send Rupert spiralling down again. He opted for silence. Giles looked at him with realisation dawning in his eyes.

"You’re helping m.me?" Angel nodded. He helped him up and unlocked the chain on his ankle. The doorbell rang. "There’s your food… No attacking me when I come back, now…"

Willow held the basket of food for him; she ticked off the items on the shopping list, whispering to him all the time. Which ones were his favourites, how much sugar he had in his tea and was he all right? Angel staggered under the weight of food and information she had imparted.

"Willow, he’ll be well. With both of us helping, how can he not be? I’ll give him your love." He whispered as well and she blushed and departed.

"Willow sends her love… Giles!" He dropped the basket on the floor. Giles had collapsed by the sofa. Angel checked for a pulse and reached into the basket. He’d seen some orange juice there. Ripping open the carton he hoped his friend would be able to swallow. Giles swallowed, some of the juice spilling down his chin as he finished it. He gasped for breath and sat up a little unsteadily. Angel sat beside him and thanked every God in existence. He didn’t fancy his chances at Willow’s fair hands if Giles died.

"Look, she’s made you a casserole. Let’s see if I can heat it without burning it." He left Giles on the sofa while he went to his kitchen.

Angel cut his hand and dripped some of his blood into the meal and stirred it. He was fairly sure that his blood would protect the new Watcher–Slayer from vampire attack. At least that’s what it said in his prophecy book. Giles was the new Watcher–Slayer. Angel had seen the brands when he’d bathed Giles. He put the casserole into the microwave and set it to full power.

"Ready!" He called. Giles ate like one possessed. When he had finished and digested his first meal, Angel suggested a training session. Giles gave him an odd look.

"You’re going to train me?" he said incredulously. Angel nodded.

"Yeah, you fight like an old Watcher. I’m going to train you to fight like an old Vampire." Rupert smiled. A challenge at last! He was beginning to live again.

Angel attacked and Giles parried slowly, all his muscles seemed to have seized up. By daybreak he was exhausted and ready for his bed. He dragged his feet past the kitchen. What was that fantastic smell? Angel smiled as the librarian gulped down the tea.

"Thank God for Willow!" He wrapped his hands lovingly round his second mug and shuffled off to his bed.

Two months had passed and Giles had regained the weight he’d lost, partly due to the delicious meals Willow provided, but mostly because of the rigorous training schedule Angel insisted on. He had become accustomed to keeping vampire hours. It was easier all round except in bed. Quite often he would wake freezing because Angel tended to hog the blankets.

Angel picked up the food as usual, Willow waited nearby for news. She always came as soon as the sun was off the front of the house. That meant she had enough time to get home before dark.

"I’ve sent in eight reports so far, Angel. They haven’t questioned anything so I think I’m getting away with it." She still whispered as if whispering made being deceptive less deceptive. "Buffy is getting anxious. She’s searching everywhere for him. How’s he doing?"

Angel glanced back at Rupert. He was standing on the other side of the door. He opened the door wide and motioned Giles forward. He hesitated then stepped into the semi–shade of the doorway.

Willow gasped when she saw him; he looked good enough to eat. She took a step towards the door and he did the same. They met at the threshold and embraced. She melted into his arms and lifted her face to gaze into his eyes. They seemed to have a touch of gold in them now.

Giles brought Willow into the hall and Angel smiled at them both.

"I’ll make myself scarce then…" He wasn’t surprised by their lack of response.

End of Pt.2

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