Part 33

Genevieve had been caught off guard by Angelus’ question about Rupert Giles. She obviously wasn’t anxious to discuss how she knew him. It was interesting to see her look so uncomfortable and guilty.

Angelus was delighted by her response. He was more certain than ever that there was a story there well worth hearing. He was about to prod Genevieve further when Willow walked in.

“Good morning, everyone,” she said with a sunny smile.

Genevieve rose to welcome her with a hug. “It’s afternoon, chére, but it’s good to see you are feeling cheerful, no matter the time of day.”

Willow hugged her back warmly. “Thank you. I do feel good—it’s, well…we’ll discuss it.”

Angelus was pleased and relieved to see that she was all right today and didn’t appear upset in any way. When she came to greet him with a kiss, they shared an intimate glance that spoke volumes.

As Willow went to sit in the chair in front of his desk, next to Genevieve’s, he breathed a mental sigh of relief. He had had no idea what to expect of her after all the life-altering things she had learned last night. It was excellent to see her this way. He was thrilled with the new things he’d learned, so it felt great that he wouldn’t have to bury his feelings out of respect for a subdued or upset Willow. He was disappointed, though, that he would have to wait to hear about how Genevieve knew Rupert Giles. Oh, well.

Genevieve and Angelus looked expectantly at Willow once she’d settled herself. She looked at each of them in turn. “Right. You guys want details on what’s going on in my head.” She sighed and gathered her thoughts.

“I’m not sure why I’m not all freaked out. I did some thinking while I was taking a bath just now and reviewed my life thus far, trying to…sort things out, I guess. It’s kind of hard to put it all into words, but I’ll do my best.”

She took a deep breath and began to explain. “I’ve been a cheerful, upbeat person my whole life, but until recently, it had been kind of a forced optimism. Evidently, sometime before I was old enough to remember, I decided to try to look at everything in a positive light, no matter what. I’m a little stubborn…”

She ignored Angelus’ snort, wrinkling her nose at him, and continued. “Maybe that’s why I’ve always looked at life the way I do. Maybe as a toddler, or a little girl, I realized that life wasn’t going to give me attentive, loving parents and the other things that can make early childhood an idyllic, happy time. As a sorta…*determined* little person, I think I decided to find the bright side of things and ignore the rest.

“That’s how my whole life went until recently. When I was in the tub looking around the bathroom just now, and everything was so beautiful and elaborate—I realized that, now, so was my life. *Without* having to make a conscious effort.”

She smiled adoringly at Angelus. “Thanks to him. Just thinking about him made me grin. That gorgeous, sexy man…er, vampire, had taken me from my home, brought me here, and then proceeded to turn my whole life upside down.”

Angelus was listening attentively, but took a moment to savor the well-deserved compliment. Willow and Genevieve chortled and exchanged knowing looks. He raised an eyebrow at them reproachfully, but didn’t speak, so Willow stifled her amusement and continued.

“Being happy became easy as pie. Deliriously happy—with no effort. Pretty great.” She offered Angelus a grateful smile.

“And then, last night was quite a jolt. As you guys already know, I was shocked, overwhelmed, and kind of scared. More than ‘kind of’, I guess.

“This morning…um, this afternoon, I mean, when I woke up, I was surprised to find myself excited; feeling like my life stretched out before me endlessly—full of promise and infinite possibilities.”

She looked at them intently, “Believe me, I haven’t forgotten that there are things on the horizon that are going to be difficult—short-term and long-term. But, the thing is, I’m *happy*. I have the same life I had before I found out all that stuff…but just, just with more *factors* involved than before.”

Willow reached out and took Genevieve’s hand and smiled warmly. “I took your words to heart and won’t borrow trouble. I’ll make decisions on how to deal with things when the times come…and try not to worry unnecessarily. Thank you for the valuable advice.”

Genevieve squeezed her hand. “I’m so pleased and proud of you. You’re very impressive. It’s wonderful to see how quickly you’re adapting and coming to view the world, and your place in it, with the assurance of a woman, instead of the trepidation of a child.”

While the ladies had their ‘special moment’, Angelus silently agreed. Willow *had* grown a great deal and he was delighted beyond words with her progress. It was time to move on, though. He was about to clear his throat and interrupt them when Willow spoke again.

“Okay, folks, now you’re updated.” She grinned, “Now you’re up-to-the-minute on my…uh, what’s going on in my head. So, you can stop worrying.”

Angelus leaned toward her, “It’s very good to hear how well you’re dealing with everything. I admit, I’m surprised. And, remember, you’re not alone. You’ve got me now, and I’ll be by your side always.”

Willow nodded solemnly. “I know,” she said quietly, then turned to Genevieve. “And I know I have your support, too. Thank you, it means a lot to me.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, chére. It’s a pleasure to be in your life and offer friendship and any help you need on your path.”

Angelus was relieved when the emotional ‘warm fuzzy’ moment was interrupted by James knocking softly on the door and coming in with a tray of pastries and coffee. “Thank you, James, as always, your timing is perfect.”

Once the ladies were set with their cups and plates, Angelus smirked at Genevieve. “Gen, I believe before Willow came in, you were about to explain how you know Rupert Giles.”

To his amusement, Genevieve frowned; no doubt she’d thought she’d escaped that conversation.

Willow nodded enthusiastically and hurriedly swallowed. “Yeah! That’s so weird--it’s a small world. So, what’s the deal?”

Genevieve took her time helping herself to another croissant and chuckled.

Angelus doubted Willow picked up on the forced tone of the chuckle.

Trying to appear nonchalant, she glanced from Angelus to Willow. “Yes, it is a small world. That’s so true.” She paused to sip her coffee. “I suppose that odd coincidences are common for you two. Proximity to a Hellmouth will do that.” She turned to face Willow. “I imagine that growing up in Sunnydale must’ve made for an interesting childhood. The tales you must have!”

Willow was about to respond enthusiastically, so Angelus snickered and stopped her. “Don’t fall for it, darling. She’s prevaricating.”

At Willow’s confused look, he explained, “I don’t know why, but for some reason our guest isn’t anxious to share the exact nature of her connection to our local Watcher.”

Willow’s brow knit. “Really? Well, then,” she patted her friend’s hand, “don’t feel like you have to. Sure, I’m curious as heck, but…”

Angelus interrupted. “No, no, no sweetheart! Full disclosure is what we need here. Who knows what might be relevant if you two intend to visit Sunnydale together?”

Willow’s mouth formed an ‘O’ of confusion.

Genevieve sighed with resignation. “Very well. You’re right, Angelus.” Her glance in his direction said that her words didn’t match her feelings on the matter 100%.

“Before I begin, you should know that my appearance and voice were disguised when I knew Rupert. He won’t recognize me.”

“Huh,” Willow said with interest. “Did you use one of those ‘glamours’ you mentioned last night?”

“Yes, Willow, that’s exactly it.”

“Sooo,” Angelus drawled and couldn’t resist adding, “you were up to something.”

“Yes, that too,” Genevieve confessed. “I should also mention that while I looked and sounded different, a keen observer could, possibly, recognize mannerisms and such.”

“Oh. So, um,” Willow asked, “it might be that someone who knew you while you were…that way, might find you familiar, but couldn’t place why? Or, that you reminded them of someone?”

“Right.” Genevieve smiled at Willow, “It’s just a possibility, of course.”

Angelus was impatient for her to get to the good stuff. “Go on.”

Genevieve rolled her eyes at his impatience and continued, “It was a lark, really. And curiosity combined with boredom. Eternity is a very long time, so one has time on one’s hands to dream up shenanigans.”

“That’s the truth,” Angelus agreed with a smirk.

“You should know!” Genevieve replied with a snort. “I don’t know anybody who dreamed up more mischief when bored than you.”

He grinned wolfishly and winked at her, but didn’t reply.

Genevieve turned to Willow, “Another thing you should understand, and will in time, is that an immortal has all the time they want to lay a foundation for a plan. Time constraints are irrelevant.”

“So,” Willow said thoughtfully, “like, if you wanted to visit Italy, you could spend as much time as you wanted to learn the language first. Or, to study its history.”

“Yes,” Genevieve nodded, “things like that. And, by the way, chére, you’ll love Italy. Make visiting it a priority. You’re so clever that learning different languages will probably be simple for you. It’s not always been easy for me, but the more you learn, the simpler it becomes. As a seasoned traveler, I can’t stress enough how important it is. You’ll enjoy wherever you travel so much more if you speak the language.”

Willow smiled, “It’s exciting to think about seeing the world. I’ll definitely take your advice.”

Angelus cleared his throat, hoping to urge the conversation back on track.

“Do you have a frog in your throat, Angelus?” Genevieve asked with mock concern.

Willow laughed, then shrugged unrepentantly when he raised an eyebrow at her.

“So,” Genevieve continued, “I had this interesting idea, but needed an alias. Over the next twenty years, or so, I created a person with a history qualified to make my scheme successful.”

“Cool,” Willow said, “undercover work!”

“To what end?” Angelus asked. He was intrigued about what could catch her interest enough to go through so much trouble.

Genevieve might not have been anxious to share the story to begin with, but she looked pleased at having her audience so rapt.

“I infiltrated the Watcher’s Council,” she said with smug satisfaction.

Willow gasped. “Wow,” she said with awe. “That’s, that’s…wow.”

Angelus was impressed. That was an ambitious undertaking. And risky. But…“Why?”

Genevieve grinned at Angelus. “I know. It was bold. But that’s what made it exciting.” Turning to Willow, she explained, “Excitement is a valuable commodity when you live forever. It’s important to have ambitions and goals. Otherwise, despondency sets in. I had had more than my share of despondency and was keen for something that would fully engage me.”

“Yikes,” Willow marveled. “That’s a biggie, though. Wouldn’t it have been safer to…uh, I don’t know, become a prima ballerina or…concert pianist, or something?”

Genevieve laughed. “Sure. But, ‘safer’ wasn’t interesting to me at the time. I wanted risk and excitement. An adventure.”

“I can understand that,” Angelus allowed. “But, still, *why*? You have access to the world’s vampires and demons, and anything supernatural that the Watcher’s Council might be interested in. Your knowledge surpasses theirs and your contacts are extensive. What could they possibly know that you don’t, or that you couldn’t find out if you were so inclined?”

“That wasn’t the point. They’re so smug and self-righteous, so part of it was just infiltrating their organization because I *could*. Watching the sanctimonious Watchers appealed to me. And, I wanted to see their archives: What did they know and about whom?”

Willow cocked her head, “So, you must’ve gained a pretty trusted position. I’m sure they don’t just leave stuff lying around. Right?”

“Right. Over the course of a few years, I—or, rather, ‘Lily Sanders’, my alias—gained trust. I was just a worker-bee, mind you, but that suited my purposes. Especially since I was assigned to the archives.” She grinned. “It was my *job* to snoop through the archives. Very convenient, no? I had access to everything, and incoming intelligence, as well, so I could add it to the relevant files.”

Angelus tapped his fingers on the desk, considering all of the aspects. “I imagine that was pretty boring most of the time.” Then he brightened, grinning rakishly, “What did they say about me?”

Willow and Genevieve exchanged looks. They weren’t bothered in the least by his austere glower at their amusement.

“A lot, naturally,” Genevieve said with a grin.

“Of course,” he said complacently.

“What they *didn’t* say was what I found most intriguing.”

“Really. What do you mean?” Willow asked curiously.

Angelus was affronted. How could every aspect of him not be worthy of recording?

Genevieve took a sip of her coffee and then elaborated. “They had very detailed vampire ‘family trees’, for example, and everything they could find on evil deeds, but left out important—in my opinion—details. Their interest is in painting demons as evil creatures, period. Of course, the Angelus/Angel curse was studied and recorded because it was an anomaly. But then, Angelus’ creation of Service, Inc. was left out entirely. Intentionally.”

Willow looked perplexed. “I don’t get it.”

Angelus growled, then snapped, “Assholes! I’m a business genius. Everyone knows that. What self-respecting organization could document me and leave that out?”

Genevieve nodded her agreement. “Pompous, but true. Service, Inc. isn’t just a profitable enterprise; it was a revolutionary idea. Humans and demons work together peacefully—and have done for over a hundred years. The quality of life for the demons that it employs improved substantially because they were able to make a living, and, of course, life improved for the demons on the receiving end of the services, as well.”

Willow frowned. “So, you mean things that show Angelus in a positive or productive way are excluded from the Watcher’s Council records.”

Angelus sneered.

“Pretty much, yes. Oh, you could eventually put two and two together if you dug around and knew what you were looking for, but the information isn’t readily available. They don’t want their people to see demons as anything but pure evil. There are many demons that wouldn’t hurt a fly and…”

Willow’s eyes grew large, “Really?”

Genevieve smiled at her. “Yes. You’re a perfect example of Watcher propaganda at work. No matter how gentle a demon species is, you can bet that one of their kind has done something unsavory along the line, and that the Watchers have attributed it to that entire species.”

“That’s not fair!” Willow cried out indignantly.

“No, chére, it’s not. Most of the time those demons remain safe from Slayers, though, because they tend to stay away from hubs of evil or danger. A current Slayer’s whereabouts is common knowledge in demon communities.”

Willow nodded slowly; she was still absorbing what she’d just learned about demons.

Genevieve continued, “My darling Nicholai was an exception. Like Angelus and his curse, Nicholai was an anomaly. Or, rather, *we* were. I was surprised at how thorough their research on us was. It was very strange to read a detailed account of our lives together.”

“Yeah,” Willow said, “I bet. But, it makes sense. What about after…after you lost Nicholai? Did they still watch you?”

“Yes. They wanted to know the affect his death had on me. The record became less thorough once it became apparent that my immortality wasn’t tied to his.” Genevieve sighed, “I didn’t die, I didn’t go insane—I just grieved. Mourning isn’t an exciting subject to study and record.”

Willow patted her arm comfortingly. “Was it hard to see your life story in writing and be reminded of everything?” she asked softly.

“No. Well, sometimes it was bittersweet. And, Nicholai *was* a vampire. So, during the course of my reading on him, I came across accounts of events I hadn’t been aware of. Some of those stung. But, by and large, I was, and am, happy that our epic love affair is on record.”

Willow nodded in sympathetic understanding.

Angelus couldn’t imagine that being stuck with those annoying prigs would be a lot of fun. He was also wondering when Rupert Giles was going to enter into the story. Instead of pushing her on that point again, he asked, “So, once you’d assuaged your curiosity, you left?”

Genevieve leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, then re-crossed them. “Well…no. I’d been ready to move on, but…”

Willow waited politely and patiently as Genevieve’s pause hung in the air, but Angelus had tired of her drawing the story out. Impatiently, he waved a hand at her, “Yes? ‘But’ what?”

Genevieve scowled at him, then changed gears and shrugged in her impressive French way. “But then, I got distracted by a handsome young man, as sometimes happens.”

‘Aha!’ Angelus thought. He grinned wickedly and was delighted; this was going to be better than he’d anticipated. Sex always spiced things up.

Genevieve’s face softened and she smiled fondly. “So, instead of disappearing from London in the dead of night, I began a torrid love affair with a young Watcher-in-training.”

Willow’s eyes widened with interest, “Ohhh! Romantic.”

Angelus laughed heartily, Giles’ appearance so late in the story became clear. “Perhaps. But, I’m thinking, more likely, darling Willow, that what she’s saying is that she didn’t just *know* a young Rupert Giles, she *seduced* him.” This was rich, he thought gleefully—stuffy, boring Giles had once been Gen’s boy-toy.

Willow’s expression changed several times; she clearly didn’t know what to think about that. “Is that true, Genevieve? *Giles* was the ‘handsome young man’?”

“Yes, Willow, it’s true.” With a proud set to her chin, she said, “‘Seduced’ wouldn’t have been the word I’d have used, but yes, Rupert and I became lovers.”

Willow blinked owlishly several times. “Huh.”

Angelus continued to find the whole thing immensely amusing. Genevieve had always been an interesting woman, full of surprises, but this one was especially fun. Part of him was disgusted that she would stoop so low—but he knew from experience that occasional slumming kept things interesting.

Genevieve looked at him pointedly. “Angelus, do wipe that look off your face. It was a lovely time. I have fond memories.” Turning to Willow, she said with a smile, “My dear, you look positively agog.”

“Well…” Willow’s voice squeaked, so she cleared her throat and started again. “It’s kind of weird to think of Giles that way. And, you and Giles together is hard to imagine.” She blushed then, and added, “Also, I had a little bit of a crush on him, so…”

Angelus’ amusement disappeared abruptly. “Oh, really?” he asked in a forbidding tone.

His ominous expression made Willow sputter. ‘I…I…w-well, yeah. A little. Before. Before now. *Not* now.”

Genevieve threw up her hands and tsked. “Angelus, don’t be ridiculous. Young girls have crushes. It’s the way of things.”

Angelus couldn’t care less about how normal it was or wasn’t for ‘young girls’ to have ‘crushes’. But, he cared a great deal about who Willow found attractive. He *certainly* wasn’t being ridiculous.

While he mulled over Willow’s disturbing disclosure, Genevieve smiled at Willow and asked, “So, Rupert is still handsome?”

At Willow’s expression of panic, Genevieve took pity on her. “Never mind, chére, that’s answer enough.”

Angelus looked at her suspiciously. “So, Gen, why the interest? Are you looking to rekindle things and fuck the Watcher?”

“Of course not!” she snapped indignantly. “It’s just…natural curiosity. Besides, he won’t recognize me. I’m sure of it.”

Willow chewed her bottom lip in thought. “There’ll be no reason for Giles to connect my new friend with ‘Lily Sanders’ if we go to Sunnydale. From what it sounds like, at most, there might be something familiar about her.”

Angelus didn’t think it would matter much. So what if Genevieve reminded Giles of an old fling? “By the way, how did things end?” he asked curiously.

“Oh, you know,” she gestured vaguely, “things just end.”

Willow and Angelus looked at her blankly, silently pressuring her to elaborate.

Genevieve blew out a puff of air. “Obviously, the relationship couldn’t go anywhere. I cared for Rupert a great deal, but I didn’t want to bring down the wrath of the Council by having my true identity discovered. So, despite my feelings, I never revealed my secret to him. Although our time together was wonderful, nothing significant can be built on a lie. In retrospect, I see that I let things go on longer than I should have. For close to a year we laughed, fought, made love—it was tumultuous and marvelous.”

She paused and smiled to herself, and then continued in a subdued voice. “Rupert fell in love with me. Up until then, it had been everything you could want in an affair—giddy and passionate and over-the-top. Once I saw that his feelings were…of the ‘forever’ variety—or, so he thought—I disappeared.”

Willow looked devastated. “Genevieve, that’s so sad! Poor Giles. Did you break his heart?”

Genevieve sighed. “I don’t know, chére. Probably. For a time. The young are overly romantic and dramatic, but very resilient.”

Angelus was amused by how invested Willow had gotten in the story; she looked so sad. “Oh, cheer up, sweetheart. Genevieve is right; he probably moped around for a bit, then snapped out of it. I’m sure what he was left with after his initial funk was over was a wonderful memory of an exciting romance. It was a long time ago, you know.”

Willow nodded, but still looked glum.

Genevieve smiled at Angelus and winked. Standing, she reached her hand out to Willow and said, “Come, chére, we’ll find Amerie and take a walk on the grounds. I’m sorry I depressed you while I was appeasing Angelus’ rabid curiosity about my connection to Rupert Giles. It’ll be nice, you can give me a tour, and I can try to deprogram you a bit and correct any misconceptions you have acquired by way of the Watcher’s Council.”

End Part 33