__Fears To Rest__
By Gibberish



"You miss him." Tyrus said as he came into the Library.

Buffy, who sat forlornly behind the big desk, her chin in her hand, looked at him. "Miss who?"

Tyrus gave her a no nonsense look. "Rupert." He said simply.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Buffy tried to sound nonchalant, but Tyrus just continued to look at her. "Okay, yes, I miss Him. How pathetic am I?"

"You're not pathetic." Tyrus replied. "There's something very empty in both of you that the other fills. Apart, you are incomplete. Together, you are whole."

Buffy looked at him oddly. "A whole what?" She asked suspiciously.

"A whole person." Tyrus explained. "You need things from each other that neither one of you have realized yet, but you will. You have always found your ways back to each other. You always will. Rupert *will* return."

"Why should he?" Buffy asked sadly. "All I've ever done is brought him pain and disappointment."

"My dear girl, don't you realize?" Tyrus asked. "You brought him back to life."

Buffy looked confused. "Huh?"

"He had locked so much of his true self away." Tyrus told her. "For the Council, for his Father. With you, he let himself out again, because he could trust you with it."

"You mean like Ripper?" Buffy began to understand.

"Like Ripper." Tyrus concurred. "And Rupert. You have seen the best and the worst of each other. Yet, when you look at him, which do you see? Ripper, or Rupert?"

Buffy looked away thoughtfully for a moment. "Rupert." She said as she looked back around. Only Giles stood there and Tyrus was gone.

"You've never called me that before." Giles commented somewhat surprised.

"Just trying it on for size." Buffy replied.

"And, how does it fit?" Giles asked curiously.

Buffy stood up. "Kind of like a new haircut." Giles raised a brow at the comparison. "You know there's nothing wrong with it, you just have to get used to it."

Giles laughed, just a little. "I don't think I've ever been compared to a haircut before."

Buffy moved a little closer. "You're back." Buffy said quietly.

"So I am." Giles agreed. "I did say that I would be."

"Yes, you did." Buffy replied. "And, here you are." She sighed. "I'm always afraid you won't come back. I have nightmares, actually."

"Nightmares?" Giles echoed. "What sort of nightmares?"

Buffy was quiet a moment. "Sometimes, something happens to you. I can't help you, you're too far away. Other times ..." She paused. "... You just don't want to come back." She looked up at him with big eyes. "I missed you." She said softly. Simply.

"I missed you, as well." Giles replied softly.

"Buffy!" Robin came rushing into the Library. "There's a police officer at the door. He says it's about Dawn. She's hurt."

Buffy flew from the room, Giles right behind her. Robin brought up the rear.

"Keep the girls out of sight." Giles instructed Robin, who swiftly changed directions.

Buffy ran to the front door. "What's happened to Dawn?"

"You're her Mother?" The Officer asked doubtfully.

"Her sister, and guardian since our Mother died. Now, what's happened to Dawn?" Buffy demanded.

"I'm Sgt. Macke" He said. "Your sister's been hurt. I understand that it's not life threatening. But she was taken to a hospital."

"What happened?" Giles asked concerned.

Macke looked at him and saw the real fear in his eyes. "She saved another girl's life."

Xander and Willow came rushing in. "Is Dawnie okay?" Xander asked.

"I think so." Buffy said in a small voice. She looked at Macke. "Which hospital?"

"St. Jude." Macke told her. "I can take you, if you'd like?"

"Go on, Buff, we'll meet you there." Willow told her.

Robin came running in with Buffy's purse. "You'll need this. Your insurance, or ... whatever."

Buffy took the purse, but looked at Giles. "What if ..." She couldn't finish.

"Let's go and find out." Giles said gently. He wrapped a comforting arm around her and guided her out.

Two seconds after the door closed, girls came from every direction.

"What happened?"

"Is Dawn okay?"

"What did she do?"

"Enough!" Faith yelled. She looked at Robin. "What do we know?"

"Not much." Robin answered.

"Apparently, Dawn was injured saving another girl's life." Tyrus explained. "He said that the injury was not life threatening."

"Is there any way that you can, you know, poof over to her?" Faith asked.

Tyrus gave her a dark look. "No, I cannot simply poof over to her."

"Sorry." Faith muttered.

"Who's going with us?" Xander asked.

"Well, we can't all go." Robin stated.

"Robin, you go with Xander and Willow." Faith told him. "I'll stay with the girls. Call as soon as you know anything."

Macke walked Buffy and Giles into Dawn's hospital room. He took notes as Dawn, once again, explained what happened.

"I was late for class." Dawn explained. "I heard something from one of the janitor's closets. When I opened the door ... He had her shirt ripped off and had a hand over her mouth. I didn't... I just screamed and ran at him. I didn't see the knife until it was too late. It burned."

"Her scream, however, drew quite a bit of attention." Macke continued her story. "We caught the guy. The other girl is physically unharmed. She's with her parents and a counselor." He looked at Buffy. "Your sister is a bona fide hero."

Buffy brushed some of Dawn's hair from her face. "That's my girl."

"How badly is she injured?" Giles asked.

"I'll get the Doc, let her explain." Macke said, then put words to action.

After he'd gone, Buffy looked at Dawn. "Is that what really happened?"

Dawn looked hurt. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Buffy took her sister's hand. "Only if there was something demony involved."

"Oh." Dawn replied. "No, just a human monster."

"How are you feeling, Dawn?" The doctor asked as she entered.

"Not too bad." Dawn answered.

"Good, that means that the pain medication is doing it's job." She looked at Buffy. "I'm Dr. Pierce. You must be the sister."

"Buffy." She introduced herself. "Rupert Giles."

Dr. Pierce gave Giles a quick nod, then spoke to Buffy. "Your sister is very lucky. The knife just missed her spleen. She did lose a lot of blood."

"How bad is it?" Buffy asked. "How much blood loss? Will there be any permanent damage? Will she..."

"Buffy," Giles interrupted gently. "Give her a chance to answer."

"I'm sorry." Buffy said. "I'm just ..."

"Worried." Dr, Pierce finished for her. "The only permanent damage will be a rather impressive scar. And an even more impressive story behind it. She's a remarkable girl."

"Thank you, Doctor, but that I knew." Buffy replied. "Extraordinary even."

Dr. Pierce gave her a smile and left the room, just as Willow, Xander and Robin came in.

"Is she okay?" Willow asked anxiously.

"She'll be okay." Buffy assured them. "And she's a heroine."

"Was it ..." Xander lowered his voice. "...Vampires?"

"No, a would be rapist." Buffy said angrily.

Willow gasped. "Rapist?" She echoed horrified. Then, she blinked. "Is it strange that I find that worse than vampires?"

"We're used to vamps." Buffy stated.

"Human monsters seem worse since there is no demon to blame." Giles added. "It reminds us of what we are capable."

"Plus, we can't kill them." Buffy told them.

"And why is that?" Xander asked.

Macke came back in. "Miss Summers, I'm afraid that I have bad news. Gerald Lester, the man who stabbed your sister, just made bail."

"What?!" Buffy exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but I thought you should know." Macke told her.

"Thank you, Sgt." Giles said quietly as the Officer left again.

Buffy looked at Dawn. "Xander, you and Robin stay with Dawn. Don't leave her alone."

"Where are you going?" Robin asked as if he didn't know.

"Well, since I can't stake him, or behead him, maybe I can scare him to death." Buffy answered.

"Good luck!" Xander said almost cheerfully.

* * * * *

Willow managed to pull Lester's police file. "His father posted bail." Willow told Buffy and Giles. "Old money."

"That would explain the solicitor." Giles commented.

"Wolfram and Hart." Buffy said. "Yeah, I noticed that."

"What do you plan to do?" Giles asked Buffy.

"Make damn sure he won't hurt Dawn again." Buffy replied.

"Willow, could you give Buffy a glamour?" Giles requested. "We wouldn't want him to recognize her in court."

"Ooh, good plan." Buffy told him.

"This isn't the first time charges have been filed against him." Willow told them. "They just always seem to get dropped."

"Then, it's high time a girl fought back." Buffy stated.

* * * * *

When Buffy slipped past Lester's security, she had dark hair and eyes. It was late as she made her way through the dark house. A light shone from under the door of a third floor bedroom. She listened carefully, then opened the door.

Buffy was not shocked to find him looking at porn on the computer. She closed the door with a snap. "I hear you like to hurt little girls."

Lester looked her over. "Little girls like you."

"I don't think so." Buffy told him. "You're going to plead guilty, like a good little sleaze."

"And who's going to make me? You?" Lester asked with a laugh.

"Don't judge a girl by her size." Buffy told him. "I've killed things you couldn't imagine in your worst nightmares."

Lester stood, he was big, very big. "You can't scare me, little girl."

"I was *so* hoping you'd say that." Buffy said and promptly broke off the door knob and let it roll from her hand. "See, I protect little girls."

* * * * *

"The DA was shocked when he changed his plea to guilty." Giles told the others at the house the next day.

"Not as shocked as his defense attorney." Buffy added from where she sat next to Giles.

"Buffy," Dawn began. "What did you do?" She asked curiously.

Buffy looked at her. "What makes you think I did anything?" Dawn just gave her a look. Buffy gave in. "I only hurt him a little." She grinned. "But it was enough to scare the bejesus out of him." She looked away. "I wanted to do more than hurt him."

"You aren't the only one." Robin commented.

"Not by a long shot." Xander added. "Nobody hurts our Dawnie and gets away with it."

"So, what's next, Batman (TM)?" Faith asked.

"Well, Robin," Buffy gave the real Robin a grin. "I say we kick some bad guys' asses."

"Sounds like fun." Faith replied.

* * *