Interlude Two:

Demonstrations and Diagnosis

Another step on the journey. A small step back, in this case, although a very necessary one. Nothing comes without a price, and it would have been too much to hope that the unquestionable benefits of becoming a Grigori had all been paid for up front. Besides, I really needed to explain why Giles would feel so comfortable about ordering that Bo Peep back in the bar ...

There are some interesting little nuances in this peice; there's a hint here that Willow does not have as much control of her magic as she thinks she does - and Xander , having blithely announced that 'Giles is still Giles - Giles with Wolverine accessories, maybe, but still – well, Giles' gets to witness some of what that actually means.

Buffy, being Buffy, has taken a practical approach to practical problems. She, of course, understands what it's like to suddenly find yourself gifted with unasked for power, and knows that the only way to deal with it is to master it. Giles invested a great deal of his time and energy over the years helping her become the Slayer she was destined to be, and she's determined to repay a little of that

Every good superhero needs a secret identity, of course. Here we get to see that Rupert Giles, aka Ripper, demon prince of Malador, deliberately wraps himself in the trappings of Rupert Giles, mild mannered ex-librarian - complete with tinted glasses he no longer needs, except to obscure the tell-tale colour of his eyes. Some of this is defensive reaction, a need to retain his sense of self while coming to terms with what he's become - and some of it is evidence that Xander's assessment is probably right. Giles, of course, always has had hidden depths; he's never been quite what he seemed - and the ramifications of his demonic (or is that angelic?) inheritance add yet another layer to his already complex character.

Here, one of those ramifications is revealed to be the physical needs of his altered physiology; as Drakaar Creeg so helpfully says, even the princes of hell need to feed sometimes.

They also need demonic doctors. I rather like the rattler demon and his shamanistic bag of tricks. He's an amoral creature, not an evil one; the only judgements he makes concerning his patients are whether they can pay - or their likelihood of slaughtering him on mere whim. He also has certain - foibles - which we might find out about later. He's a good doctor; he's set up his practise in Sunnydale because of the high concentration of demons that tend to gather around the hellmouth, and he makes a pretty good living as a result of it. It's not suprising that Anya knows him, but he's pretty startled to be called in on a consultation concerning a member of the Slayer's inner circle. It's likely that his new patient is going to go on surprising him; after all, the humble, back street witchdoctor has just added a prince of hell to his list of clients - one with a very personal association to the Slayer.

It's even more personal by the end of this peice; Buffy's intentions in gathering the gift she gives her Watcher are purely altruistic - but she is totally unaware of its true significance. The implications of that gift are staggering; the Scooby Gang have - in that one act of selfless generosity - irretrievably bound themselves together; in accepting that gift, Giles has committed himself to that bond, truly making them family. They are now his people. It's not a responsibility he'll take lightly - or abuse either.

But it may come in handy, later on ...