Giles decided to forego his research and be out in the throng of bargain hunters. As he walked through the Mall absently looking at the displays, a few people he knew smiled at him.

He stopped by the jewellery shop and did a double take. That was just what he needed for Buffy. It was a charm with a hinged top containing a seal in the design of a cross and stake. It would go well with the others on her charm bracelet. He had bought her a charm for every Birthday since she had been a Slayer. She had become a lovely young woman and he was proud of his Slayer. It was a great pity that the Council didn’t think the same. As he walked out of the shop the man who had served him ducked into the heavily shaded back room. Then, a woman’s voice came from the shadows.

"Well done. I have decided, you are the one who will poison the Slayer." Extending her pale hand, he brushed his lips over her cool flesh. As she gasped at the heat of his lips her face changed to reveal broken scarred vampiric ridges. It was a face that bore witness to an ancient encounter with a Slayer past. Every Slayer now became subject to her terrible retribution. The ancient vampire bent to kiss her serf’s hand, nipping his fingers gently. He hissed in pleasure, honoured to be her Chosen One. The lady Mary lifted her heavy veil to his gaze. Her terrible beauty held him transfixed while her fangs closed on his throat in a fatal kiss.

Soon, Mary’s chosen returned from the dead. Enfused with speed and power, her chosens only needed these attributes for a short time. The chosen drank the poisoned blood from a crystal goblet that he smashed on the floor after he drained the last drop.

When Giles returned, he opened his door to find both Buffy agitatedly pacing and Willow curled up on the sofa reading one of his forbidden texts. At his entrance she slammed the book shut guiltily, pinching her fingers. She "Ow’d" silently then smiled as Giles wagged an admonishing finger at her. He was in a good mood.

Giles winced as Buffy shouted obscenities at him in her mind. What she said was…

"Where’ve you been? I’ve been waiting for hours!" He frowned at her.

"Well, twenty minutes." She pouted. Ah, the new lipstick, he thought.

"Out… Just for a walk. Window shopping, actually," he said hanging up his coat and walking to the kitchen to make tea.

Willow and Buffy migrated to the stools on the far side of the breakfast bar. Their murmured chatter lulled his brain. He put the tea in the pot whilst absently humming the tune that Buffy exercised to in the morning. The kettle boiled and he poured the water, holding the heavy vessel with a cloth… Suddenly he had a flash of his nightmare.

Harsh, ragged breath and darkness, he was running following the fleeing figure in a dark suit. There’s something familiar about him. He’s the man in the jewellers!

That revelation evaporated as the boiling water scalded his skin. "FUCK!" The kettle slipped from his grasp slopping on his clothes. He leapt from the kitchen and hurtled for the shower. Cold water, cold water. His hands stinging he quickly ripped off his jeans and threw them in a corner. He spun the control to cold and stepped quickly under the icy torrent. He angled his body and arms for maximum cooling effect. Someone was knocking. He opened his eyes, shivering.

"Yes!" His voice echoed.

A tiny, alabaster hand thrust round the door holding his robe. He turned off the water and stepped out, his wet feet squeaking on the floor. He took the robe.

"Thank you." The hand made a "thumbs up" sign. Slipping his robe on he shuddered from the cold and ran his hand through his hair, whipping icy droplets onto the floor. He studied his hands; they were scarlet. "Stupid Bastard," he muttered to himself. He then stilled himself as he remembered his vision. Who turned the assistant and when was he turned? Did his buying Buffy the charm have some evil portent? He shook his head while tying his robe.

Giles fell asleep over his books in the lounge, his open fingers twitching as he dreamt. The horses were galloping closer thundering over him, pounding into his head. He shouted to Willow and Xander for help. Only Willow answered him. He lay still shrouded in darkness. The graveyard at night in Sunnydale was far from peaceful. As he wandered around, he noticed that something was different. His heart began to race and he felt a curious ache in his belly. A vampire was near.

There, emerging from the tombside crept the assistant from the jewellers. The chase ended with the vampire trapped in the alley. He was breathing hard. No! Don’t breathe this time. Use the extra time to learn! The vampire lunged toward his stake. An odd tinkling sound accompanied its headlong rush ending in dust.

He heard the choking, his vision blurring, swallowing the urge to breathe to hold on longer. Buffy’s hand fell from her throat, her bracelet tinkling on the ground. His breath left him explosively. He woke starved of air with a parched throat that curiously filled with liquid. Bathroom!

He staggered out holding the doorjamb for support. His vision still swam before him as tears spilled from his eyes. He had bought her a gift in innocence. That gift had sealed her fate. He sniffed back his tears and crossed the room. He locked the ‘seal’ in a drawer. Now she would never have it. Buffy would live. Ripper would see to that.

The dark figure crept from the shadows. He had lingered by one storeroom for an hour to familiarise himself with the patrol schedule of the guards. He looked at his watch counting the seconds in his mind. Luckily Buffy was oddly quiet tonight, so he had no distractions. He made his move, skirting the shuttered doorways of the shops until he found himself at the right location. But, it wasn’t there! He stared at the tiled floor. The shape of the unit was there. The shop had gone. He stared at the ceiling and kicked at the dusty outline. Dropping to his knees he sniffed the air and found the smell of bitter almonds.

"Shit!" He carried the poison already. Then a guard spotted him and approached, drawing his weapon. Ripper spun away into the shadows and escaped into the silent night.

End of Part 3

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