"You wanted to waste my time?" asked Cordelia sweetly.
"Yes. I need you to go and get Xander, Willow and Oz and return here as soon as you can.
- Sorry, Giles, no time. I've got a gym lesson in five munites with Mr. Hansworth.
- Cordelia... Mr. Hansworth and I are good friends, and I'm sure he'd forgive you if you missed just one lesson. Don't worry, I'll sort it out."
Something in Cordelia's look told Giles she would be less forgiving than Mr. Hansworth.In ordinary times, if there ever was such a thing in Sunnydale, nothing could turn her away from a lesson with the dishiest teacher in the school. He tried to look fierce.
"Come on, then. We haven't got all day."
Somehow, the old trick worked, and Cordelia hurriedly left the room. She returned a while later followed by the people Giles had asked for. Buffy wasn't there, and anyone could feel that. Take one brick away, he thought, and the whole edifice falls apart. The edifice would have to do without Buffy this time, he thought.
Only Oz and Cordelia didn't know why Giles had brought them here. Xander promptly explained with characteristic finesse: "Angel's lost his soul again, guys. We're in trouble." He had a knack for quick briefings.
"Wow-What!"
Both words were simultaneous, but Cordelia's shrill What came out far clearer than Oz's soft Wow.
Giles felt he could take it from there. "It's true. The binding spell is wearing off. He's fighting to keep his soul. What he really needs is a replacement spell, but..." he sighed heavily.
"Angel's case is quite unique. Only once has a vampire ever regained his soul. People don't write about that sort of thing, especially since Angel is a bit shy as far as vampires go. People expect even less the spell to wear off, and never bother with a spare. Generally, a spell doesn't just wear off, but Angel seems to have an endless conflict between himself and Angelus. Willow and I have been looking everywhere for a replacement, but there is no such thing.
- So what can we do" said Oz.
"We'll have to improvise."
No-one in the room liked the sound of that, least of all Giles.
"What", said Willow, "you mean, like, make a spell?"
- No. Unfortunately, things aren't that simple. I can't just make spells. We have to loot the literature.
- But you said there wasn't anything in the literature.
- Exactly. I'm going to have to sympathize with him.
- But we're all doing that, said Cordelia; isn't that why we're here?
- Fortunately not. I meant "sympathize" in the older sense. It's greek. It means "to share the suffering". It's a type of spell that was used before painkillers to ease the pain of the wounded of the dying. Villages each had their own sympathist. Careers were generally short - they often went mad with pain less than ten years after beginning. That's why people stopped using them as soon as they could.
- So what are you going to do?" said Xander.
"I have to communicate with Angel telepathically. It's like helping him from the inside. We'll have to repair the bind to his soul."
Oz interrupted him. "Just a question here. Why does it have do be you?
- Because I don't want to have to explain to your mother why you've started killing everything insight all of a sudden . Either Angel and I repair the spell that binds his soul to his body, either I lose my soul as well.
He went on: "That's why I need you all here.The spell works both ways, that's why all these sympathists went mad. If I want to get into Angel's mind, I have to let him into mine. And if things go nasty, I want Xander and Oz to push Angel and I into the cage. If that happens, I've bookmarked the page with a demon-slaying spell. It vaporises any minor demon in the vicinity. I hope Willow never has to use it."
Willow jumped as Giles mentioned her name. "What? You don't want me to do it, do you?
- Believe me, if I had the choice I would spare you this, but I can't. I'll give you the book when you need it; but I need to do something first.
He went towards the phone, dialed a number and waited.
"Hello, Joyce. Rupert Giles here. No, no, Buffy's fine. I need to ask you a favour... Can you come and collect her as soon as possible? Make up a story about her uncle wanting to see her or anything? No, I can't explain right now, but I will when this is over. The point is, I have to protect Buffy, and this is why I'm calling you."
He paused for a long while. "Thank you. I'll promise I'll explain when I can." He hung up.
"If I'm still alive" he added to himself.