Blackmail Is Such A Dirty Word by Lady FoxFire

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Author's Chapter Notes:

Damn I realize what a shit storm chapter 3 would be. I mean I know the Buffy and Willow lovers would jump to their defense but I think I was more surprised by how unreasonable they were. Of course I did have an equal number of people who defended my fic from the attack. By the end of Sunday night I was heartsick from it all to the point that I hate Buffy and Willow, something I never did before, and wish nothing more than to write the most vile fanfic I could about them. Of course I soon realize that I shouldn't waste me time of those… spoiled brats but it would still be nice to see Joyce paddle both of them until they couldn't sit down.

Edit - Oct 4, 2009 - removed Back-story because I can do better. The story is now in the form I had original written. Enjoy!

Giles grumbled softly to himself as the knocking at his door interrupted his enjoyment of the soap opera Passions.

"Yes," he said briskly as he opened the door to see a gentleman in a fine fitted suit.

"Is this the home of Rupert Giles?" the man asked.

"Yes," Giles replied cautiously.

The man pulled out a business card and handed it to Giles while saying, "I'm Mr. Cooper of Parker, Cooper and Augustine Law Firm."

"A lawyer?" Giles confusion was evident in his voice as he accepted the card.

"Yes, sir," Cooper replied. "I'm here concerning the Harris estate."

"The Harris estate?"

"Alexander LaVelle Harris," Cooper clarified.

"Xander," Giles whisper as the blood rushed from his face. "Xander's estate? He's dead?"

Seeing Giles’ reaction to the news, Cooper quickly offered Giles some support and comfort as he led the older man back into his home. "I'm sorry. I had assumed you had been informed of his death."

"No," Giles said as he sat down heavily in his chair. "How? When?"

"A car accident," Cooper replied as he opened up his briefcase so he could pull the Harris file out. "The police believe that he lost control of his car and ended up in the river sometime in late June, early July."

"It's October!" Giles shouted in outrage.

"I know. They only discovered the car in September when some hunters stumbled upon it," Cooper explained. "It took a little bit to identify the body."

"Where?" Giles whispered.

"Near the town of Three Forks, Montana," Cooper replied.

Giles nodded his head. "His remains?"

"They were cremated," Cooper explained as he presented a small cardboard box to Giles. "The police found our law firm’s name among Mr. Harris's things. Mr. Harris had stopped at our firm to update his business with us before starting his road trip."

"Business?" Giles echoed as he stared at the box. His hand reached out towards only to stop inches from touching it.

"Mr. Harris came to our offices to update all of his legal documents including the Last Will and Testament that he had with us," Cooper explained.

Giles looked up at Cooper; his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Umm…" Cooper said uncomfortably, not used to having to deal with new grief. Opening up the Harris files, he explained, "Mr. Harris asked that his remains be cremated and be given to either yourself or a Mrs. Joyce Summers. He further requested that his ashes be scattered at a location chosen by either you or Mrs. Summers. He only asks that it not be done in or around… Sunnyhell?"

Giles pulled his hand away from the simple cardboard box as he nodded his head.

"Ahh… Mr. Harris also asked that you, Mr. Giles contact Mrs. Summers about a book he left in her possession before graduation," Cooper read over the document. "He asked you to read the book and follow his instructions inside. I'm assuming you know Mrs. Summers."

Giles nodded his head; "She's a friend."

"Good. Good," Cooper said more to himself than to Giles. "I need to speak to her later."

Cooper flipped through some papers. "The insurance companies have already been notified of the accident and Mr. Harris' death. As per our instructions all of Mr. Harris's assets have been liquidated and split between the accounts."

"Assets?" Giles interrupted with a hope in his voice. "I think you have the wrong person. Xander didn't own anything expect for the car he bought from his uncle."

"I'm afraid that is incorrect," Cooper replied. "From my understanding Mr. Harris had the unusual talent of finding treasure at yard sales or things that washed up on the beach. I once asked Mr. Harris about his talent and he said that he liked to look for old things, to discover if they had treasure before they turned to dust."

Giles blinked a couple of time at the strange turn of words before his face suddenly paled. "Oh dear," he whispered as he realized that Xander had been robbing vampires before dusting them.

Cooper looked at Giles in concern. "Is everything alright, Mr. Giles?" he asked. "If you're concern about Mr. Harris's activities I can assure you that everything was above board. Mr. Harris was very diligent in filing the proper forms with the state and paying his taxes."

Giles waved off Cooper's concern. "How much did Xander amass with his treasure hunting?"

"With the sale of the stocks and bonds," Cooper said as he turned over a few pages, "it comes to roughly a little over 2 million and then with life insurance… double indemnity… we have slightly over 3 million dollar after taxes."

"3 million dollars," Giles said in shock.

"Mr. Harris directed that the funds minus the amount to Ms Chase, would be split evenly between you and Mrs. Summers," Cooper stated.

"Not Buffy or Willow?" Giles asked in confusion.

"I believe there was a falling out of some type," Cooper replied, "however Mr. Harris never alluded to the fact. He simply removed them from his Will and benefits."

"Oh," Giles said softly, confused about what had happened that caused Xander to ignore his friends

"Now if you would sign these papers, Mr. Giles, we can settle this unfortunate business," Cooper said as he pushed a stack of papers in Giles' direction. "The first sheet is your acceptance of Mr. Harris's remains." Cooper flipped down the stack of papers, "After that you need to sign at the arrows to accept your inheritance from the estate. The taxes have been prepaid so you don't need to worry about that."

Cooper watched as Giles numbly signed the forms before passing them back. "There was one other bit of business," Cooper said as he slid a closed envelope towards Giles. "Mr. Harris asks that we deliver a letter to you in the event of his death."

"And you only mention this now," Giles growled as he took the letter from Cooper.

"It was part of Mr. Harris' request," Cooper explained apologetically. "We were only allowed to hand it over once all of the other business was dealt with."

Giles sat staring at the envelope mutely as what happened crashed down around him while Mr. Cooper gathered up his papers and placed them in his briefcase.

"Mr. Giles?" Cooper said as he gently squeezed his shoulder.

Giles looked up at Cooper with a lost expression on his face.

"I am sorry for your loss," Cooper said. "Mr. Harris… Xander was… something else. He was like one of those knights from Camelot. He will be missed." And with that Mr. Cooper showed himself out.

~*~

Giles sat there staring at the envelope for over an hour before picking it up and opening it. Pulling the letter out he starts to read:

G-Man
If you're reading this then I must have died. I hope I died doing some good instead of getting killed in some stupid accident but I have a feeling that I've used up all my extra time. I realized long ago that I've been living on borrowed time, that someday it will come due.
First off let me state I understand why you never visited me in the hospital after graduation. I figure either you never knew since Willow probably hacked the hospital records and changed my in case of emergency contact or you believe whatever cock and bull story they dreamt up.
By now you're wondering what you've missed, what happened between Buffy, Willow and myself. Well I'm not going to tell you because since I'm dead it serves no purpose. There is no justice or revenge for the dead; there is only the hope that someone else won't have to go through the same thing. But know this I will never forgive them for what they did. They are no longer my almost sister or my hero; they are simply people I once had to work with and that is all.
Now I have something I want to say to you in order to cleanse my soul. For the longest time I had hoped that you would look upon me as a son but you never did. To Buffy, you became her father figure. To Willow, you become her mentor, her teacher especially after Miss Calendar was killed. And I was the barely tolerated annoying little brother. I was the little brother everyone ignored until they needed me to do something or say something completely brilliant. I learn to accept this role because it was needed. You learned not to see me, and this gave me the ability to do what was needed. I could spend hours writing down the things I did that none of you ever noticed but I won't since I doubt you could believe them without experiencing it.
And this brings us to a secret I have been keeping from all of you and this secret is one I will only share with you, Giles. Now I know my lawyer made mention of a book I trusted Mrs. S with. Once you have that book I need you to read it and follow the instructions in it exactly. I need you to trust me on this Giles; I need you do what I asked. Remember while I don't like Buffy and Willow right now, at one time I did love them and would do anything in my powers to protect them, you and the rest of the world.
And with that it is time I said good-bye. I know some day down the line you'll find out the total extent of what I did and I can only pray that you'll forgive me when we meet again.
Alexander Harris

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Blackmail Is Such A Dirty Word by Lady FoxFire [Reviews - 11] Chapter or Story Table of Contents - Text Size + Author's Chapter Notes: Damn I realize what a shit storm chapter 3 would be. I mean I know the Buffy and Willow lovers would jump to their defense but I think I was more surprised by how unreasonable they were. Of course I did have an equal number of people who defended my fic from the attack. By the end of Sunday night I was heartsick from it all to the point that I hate Buffy and Willow, something I never did before, and wish nothing more than to write the most vile fanfic I could about them. Of course I soon realize that I shouldn't waste me time of those… spoiled brats but it would still be nice to see Joyce paddle both of them until they couldn't sit down. Edit - Oct 4, 2009 - removed Back-story because I can do better. The story is now in the form I had original written. Enjoy! Giles grumbled softly to himself as the knocking at his door interrupted his enjoyment of the soap opera Passions. "Yes," he said briskly as he opened the door to see a gentleman in a fine fitted suit. "Is this the home of Rupert Giles?" the man asked. "Yes," Giles replied cautiously. The man pulled out a business card and handed it to Giles while saying, "I'm Mr. Cooper of Parker, Cooper and Augustine Law Firm." "A lawyer?" Giles confusion was evident in his voice as he accepted the card. "Yes, sir," Cooper replied. "I'm here concerning the Harris estate." "The Harris estate?" "Alexander LaVelle Harris," Cooper clarified. "Xander," Giles whisper as the blood rushed from his face. "Xander's estate? He's dead?" Seeing Giles’ reaction to the news, Cooper quickly offered Giles some support and comfort as he led the older man back into his home. "I'm sorry. I had assumed you had been informed of his death." "No," Giles said as he sat down heavily in his chair. "How? When?" "A car accident," Cooper replied as he opened up his briefcase so he could pull the Harris file out. "The police believe that he lost control of his car and ended up in the river sometime in late June, early July." "It's October!" Giles shouted in outrage. "I know. They only discovered the car in September when some hunters stumbled upon it," Cooper explained. "It took a little bit to identify the body." "Where?" Giles whispered. "Near the town of Three Forks, Montana," Cooper replied. Giles nodded his head. "His remains?" "They were cremated," Cooper explained as he presented a small cardboard box to Giles. "The police found our law firm’s name among Mr. Harris's things. Mr. Harris had stopped at our firm to update his business with us before starting his road trip." "Business?" Giles echoed as he stared at the box. His hand reached out towards only to stop inches from touching it. "Mr. Harris came to our offices to update all of his legal documents including the Last Will and Testament that he had with us," Cooper explained. Giles looked up at Cooper; his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Umm…" Cooper said uncomfortably, not used to having to deal with new grief. Opening up the Harris files, he explained, "Mr. Harris asked that his remains be cremated and be given to either yourself or a Mrs. Joyce Summers. He further requested that his ashes be scattered at a location chosen by either you or Mrs. Summers. He only asks that it not be done in or around… Sunnyhell?" Giles pulled his hand away from the simple cardboard box as he nodded his head. "Ahh… Mr. Harris also asked that you, Mr. Giles contact Mrs. Summers about a book he left in her possession before graduation," Cooper read over the document. "He asked you to read the book and follow his instructions inside. I'm assuming you know Mrs. Summers." Giles nodded his head; "She's a friend." "Good. Good," Cooper said more to himself than to Giles. "I need to speak to her later." Cooper flipped through some papers. "The insurance companies have already been notified of the accident and Mr. Harris' death. As per our instructions all of Mr. Harris's assets have been liquidated and split between the accounts." "Assets?" Giles interrupted with a hope in his voice. "I think you have the wrong person. Xander didn't own anything expect for the car he bought from his uncle." "I'm afraid that is incorrect," Cooper replied. "From my understanding Mr. Harris had the unusual talent of finding treasure at yard sales or things that washed up on the beach. I once asked Mr. Harris about his talent and he said that he liked to look for old things, to discover if they had treasure before they turned to dust." Giles blinked a couple of time at the strange turn of words before his face suddenly paled. "Oh dear," he whispered as he realized that Xander had been robbing vampires before dusting them. Cooper looked at Giles in concern. "Is everything alright, Mr. Giles?" he asked. "If you're concern about Mr. Harris's activities I can assure you that everything was above board. Mr. Harris was very diligent in filing the proper forms with the state and paying his taxes." Giles waved off Cooper's concern. "How much did Xander amass with his treasure hunting?" "With the sale of the stocks and bonds," Cooper said as he turned over a few pages, "it comes to roughly a little over 2 million and then with life insurance… double indemnity… we have slightly over 3 million dollar after taxes." "3 million dollars," Giles said in shock. "Mr. Harris directed that the funds minus the amount to Ms Chase, would be split evenly between you and Mrs. Summers," Cooper stated. "Not Buffy or Willow?" Giles asked in confusion. "I believe there was a falling out of some type," Cooper replied, "however Mr. Harris never alluded to the fact. He simply removed them from his Will and benefits." "Oh," Giles said softly, confused about what had happened that caused Xander to ignore his friends "Now if you would sign these papers, Mr. Giles, we can settle this unfortunate business," Cooper said as he pushed a stack of papers in Giles' direction. "The first sheet is your acceptance of Mr. Harris's remains." Cooper flipped down the stack of papers, "After that you need to sign at the arrows to accept your inheritance from the estate. The taxes have been prepaid so you don't need to worry about that." Cooper watched as Giles numbly signed the forms before passing them back. "There was one other bit of business," Cooper said as he slid a closed envelope towards Giles. "Mr. Harris asks that we deliver a letter to you in the event of his death." "And you only mention this now," Giles growled as he took the letter from Cooper. "It was part of Mr. Harris' request," Cooper explained apologetically. "We were only allowed to hand it over once all of the other business was dealt with." Giles sat staring at the envelope mutely as what happened crashed down around him while Mr. Cooper gathered up his papers and placed them in his briefcase. "Mr. Giles?" Cooper said as he gently squeezed his shoulder. Giles looked up at Cooper with a lost expression on his face. "I am sorry for your loss," Cooper said. "Mr. Harris… Xander was… something else. He was like one of those knights from Camelot. He will be missed." And with that Mr. Cooper showed himself out. ~~ Giles sat there staring at the envelope for over an hour before picking it up and opening it. Pulling the letter out he starts to read: G-Man* If you're reading this then I must have died. I hope I died doing some good instead of getting killed in some stupid accident but I have a feeling that I've used up all my extra time. I realized long ago that I've been living on borrowed time, that someday it will come due. First off let me state I understand why you never visited me in the hospital after graduation. I figure either you never knew since Willow probably hacked the hospital records and changed my in case of emergency contact or you believe whatever cock and bull story they dreamt up. By now you're wondering what you've missed, what happened between Buffy, Willow and myself. Well I'm not going to tell you because since I'm dead it serves no purpose. There is no justice or revenge for the dead; there is only the hope that someone else won't have to go through the same thing. But know this I will never forgive them for what they did. They are no longer my almost sister or my hero; they are simply people I once had to work with and that is all. Now I have something I want to say to you in order to cleanse my soul. For the longest time I had hoped that you would look upon me as a son but you never did. To Buffy, you became her father figure. To Willow, you become her mentor, her teacher especially after Miss Calendar was killed. And I was the barely tolerated annoying little brother. I was the little brother everyone ignored until they needed me to do something or say something completely brilliant. I learn to accept this role because it was needed. You learned not to see me, and this gave me the ability to do what was needed. I could spend hours writing down the things I did that none of you ever noticed but I won't since I doubt you could believe them without experiencing it. And this brings us to a secret I have been keeping from all of you and this secret is one I will only share with you, Giles. Now I know my lawyer made mention of a book I trusted Mrs. S with. Once you have that book I need you to read it and follow the instructions in it exactly. I need you to trust me on this Giles; I need you do what I asked. Remember while I don't like Buffy and Willow right now, at one time I did love them and would do anything in my powers to protect them, you and the rest of the world. And with that it is time I said good-bye. I know some day down the line you'll find out the total extent of what I did and I can only pray that you'll forgive me when we meet again. Alexander Harris Previous Next You must login (register) to review.

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