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summer_of_giles2011-06-11 01:58 am
Fic Part 2/3 Si Aliquid Amas
At 4:00pm, Giles could stand it no longer and headed to the bar. He wasn’t going to drink, not after last night’s overindulgence and complete lapse in judgment, he just needed something to do, someone to talk mindless drivel with to take his mind off of the situation with his Slayer. Yes, his. Even if she never wanted to see him again, in his mind she would always be his. The distractions he had provided himself with earlier in the day had done nothing to relieve his preoccupation with their situation. He had gone out for a walk, retrieved his rental from the restaurant they’d left it at the previous evening, and picked up a couple more pairs of pants and a few shirts to tide him over for the next several days. His stay in London was open ended and he wasn’t sure what he might find when he returned to his home outside of Bath, knowing full well that the Bringers must’ve ransacked it all those months ago on their quest to destroy the Watcher’s Council and assassinate all the Potentials and Watchers.
“Lookin’ a little maudlin there, Mr Giles. Anything I can do?” Dan asked as he approached the depressed Watcher.
“Not sure there’s much anyone can do,” he replied honestly. “But, thank you.”
“Ah, girl trouble,” the astute barkeeper responded. “Can I get you a beer or something stronger?”
“Orange juice if you have it,” Giles shrugged, not acknowledging his companion’s observation.
“Couldn’t serve screwdrivers if I didn’t.”
“No, I suppose not,” he muttered, taking the juice when it was handed to him and downing half of it before setting the glass down.
“Got plans tonight?”
“Getting inked.”
“Really? You don’t seem the type.”
“Not anymore. But... this... is special, a farewell of sorts.”
“Yeah?”
Giles looked at Dan and nodded, effectively ending their conversation. “Thanks for the juice.”
“No problem. Wanna charge it to the room?”
“Please,” Giles answered, heading out to the lobby to meet his party. He still had about ten minutes to spare, but he was anxious and couldn’t sit still. Not that pacing the lobby would help, but sitting definitely taxed his nerves.
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The three friends arrived in the lobby together and Willow smiled and waved at him. Safety in numbers, the melancholy Watcher mused, noticing that Buffy didn’t acknowledge him, her focus fixed on Xander who seemed to be leading the troupe.
“Hey G-man, ready to add some color to that pasty English body of yours?”
Giles shot him a glare, but since he was in a foul mood, he didn’t trust himself enough not to send a scathing barb the young man’s way, instead deciding to ignore him. “I’ll drive. Shall we go, then?”
“We looked for you to come to lunch with us, Giles, but you were gone. Where did you go?” Willow asked with concern after getting into the rental and strapping in.
“I needed to buy some more clothes, a suitcase in which to pack them, and retrieve the car from the restaurant,” he answered matter-of-factly, surprised when Buffy sat next to him in the front passenger seat. “So, do you know where this place is, Xander?”
“Yup, down off Main, just beyond the laundromat. There’s a parking lot a few blocks down if we can’t find a spot on the street.”
“Alright,” Giles said as he clicked his seatbelt. When he lifted his head, Buffy gave him a small smile and placed her hand on his forearm, acknowledging him for the first time that evening. He backed the car out of the parking space and asked conversationally, “How was your run?”
“It was good. I got in about ten miles and there was lots of time to think. Sorry you couldn’t make it to lunch with us.”
“Yes, well, had I known.” The response seemed formal, stilted, and more than a little accusatory, and he groaned inwardly when he realized that the pettiness was coming through. Yes, her reaction had been somewhat immature, but he should have removed himself from the situation upon waking up. Instead, he did exactly what he was trying to avoid; he broke her trust.
When they arrived at the shop, his three younger companions looked intimidated. Maybe they would just turn around and leave? Although at this point, he’d come back later without them since he had committed himself to the idea. Giles had to wonder if Buffy thought at all about her last tattoo, done under the cowardly but talented hands of Ethan Rayne. Ethan always had a flair for art, but had preferred to dabble in Chaos. A few days after the incident, Giles had overheard his Slayer talking with Willow, lamenting the fact that she wasn’t sure she would be able to keep hiding the mark from her mother until she could raise the funds to have it removed. Having felt more than a little guilty about the whole incident, he figured paying for its removal was the least he could do, and, with her Slayer healing, unless you had been there, you would never have known she’d been marked.
“So, who’s first?” a heavily inked young man asked, coming out from the back.
“Uh... that would be me,” Xander said, stepping forward and turning to address the rest, “since it was my idea and all.”
“‘Will you walk into my parlour, said the spider to the fly,’” the artist quipped, noticing his client’s discomfort. “Often misquoted, but never really gets old. The name’s James.”
“Do you know what he’s getting?” Buffy asked Willow, her eyes following Xander as he passed through the door to the back rooms.
“No idea. When I asked him this morning, he said maybe he’d talk about it after he got back from tracking down new Slayers in Africa. I’m worried about him, Buff.”
Giles put an arm around the witch and drew her towards him, “He’ll be fine, Willow. He just needs his time to mourn Anya a-and his parents. Even though the latter relationship was unhealthy, they were still his family and I am sure he needs to work through these... uh, issues.”
“Yeah, I know, but... Africa... big place, very rural, and Xander’s a suburban kinda guy,” the redhead explained, her eyes full of worry.
A few minutes later another artist came out, a woman named Trish, and Buffy took the initiative to go next, handing a piece of paper over as they walked into the back together.
“That leaves just you and me, Giles, waiting for the gallows,” Willow mused only half-jokingly.
“You don’t have to do this, Willow.”
“I know, but I think it’s important. This is kinda it, Giles. I have a morning flight tomorrow, Xander leaves tomorrow afternoon, and then the day after Buffy flies to Rome and you to London. At least we’ll be close with me in Devon.”
Giles swallowed that all too familiar lump in his throat. It was one thing for him to think these things, another to hear them voiced by someone else. “We’ll all just need to make an effort to not lose touch, then.”
“Yeah.”
They waited for about an hour before Xander came out pulling his shirt down over his torso. “James is just cleaning up and will be out to grab one of you in a moment. So, who’s next?”
“I’ll go,” Giles said. It honestly didn’t matter if he went now or later, but he wanted to give Willow her out, should she want it.
---------------
A couple hours later, Giles emerged from the back of the shop shaking James’ hand. He found Buffy sitting in a chair waiting for him, but the others were missing. When he tilted his head in silent communication, she responded, “We’re going to meet them for dinner at the tavern down the street... if you don’t have plans already.”
Giles sighed, hating the uneasiness between them, “I don’t have other plans. The point of us all taking a couple extra days after everybody left was to spend time together before we head off on our separate ways, Buffy. My plans are to spend as much time as I can with you, Xander, and Willow.”
After handing the tattoo artist his credit card, the sore Watcher signed the receipt. In retrospect maybe he should have placed the tattoo elsewhere, but that would have reduced its meaning in his eyes.
“I didn’t want to assume after... this morning,” she vocalized, looking away and biting her lip.
Taking the seat next to her, he pulled off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Look, I told you, it’s nothing. You’re not to blame, I’m sorry things... turned for the worse there-”
“Hey, I don’t wanna interrupt you two love birds, but I gotta kick ya out,” James called out as he came back through the door. “Closin’ time.”
Giles’ blushed and grimaced. “We’re... uh... not together... like that,” he tried to explain before realizing that James was probably being flippant, and looked at his watch to avoid further embarrassment.
“Sorry, we’re leaving now,” Buffy apologized. “Please give Trish my thanks, again. She did some amazing work today.” Turning to Giles, she asked, “Ready to go?”
As they walked down the street, he noticed she had clammed up again. No doubt that love birds comment undid any progress they might have made. Wanting to reassure her, he said, “Buffy, don’t take what that prat said to heart. He was being facetious and-”
“I think I am going to see if I can change my flight for tomorrow night, Giles,” she announced, interrupting him.
Giles stopped dead in his tracks. This was it. “I-If you feel you must.”
“It’s just that Will and Xander are both leaving tomorrow...”
Choking back his disappointment, but not surprised by her decision, he responded before she could continue, “I understand.” Run, Buffy. Avoiding personal issues is what you do best. “I’ll change mine, too, then, and we can drive to the airport together.”
Her voice was harsh as she spoke, “Fine.”
They continued in agonizing silence to the tavern where they joined Willow and Xander for dinner. He felt some relief in their presence, but the atmosphere was more subdued than the previous night, and even though he played the part of friend, mentor, and Watcher flawlessly, his heart wasn’t in it. Buffy only interacted with him when absolutely necessary, and so he did his best to carry the conversation with his two other companions, who looked for all the world a little lost at the change of mood between the Watcher and Slayer.
When the karaoke started, he ordered a bottle of beer and stood against the back wall, watching the silliness on the stage with melancholy detachment.
Xander took up sentry next to him. “What’s going on, Giles? You look like you lost big at kitty poker.”
“At what?”
“Kitty poker. You know, the card game preference of 95% of all demons in Sunnydale. Seriously, what’s the what?”
“I’m just ... An end of an era, Xander. That’s all. Go up and sing something.”
“Nah, my warbling sends dogs into a frenzy. You though, you should go up.”
“Don’t put yourself down. You did quite well during our musical number a few years back. Never, ever, doubt yourself.” The Watcher gave Xander a wan smile. “As for me, I think I am done tonight. Give my best to the girls, I’ll be up early to say goodbye to you and Willow. Here are the keys. I can get a cab.”
“Sure, Giles, and thanks.”
He knew that Xander knew more than he was letting on, perhaps Buffy had said something to him earlier, but he was glad that his friend was letting him go without protest. The only person he wanted to talk to at the moment didn’t want to talk to him, not in a private setting anyway. Giles put down the bottle on the bar and headed out to find a taxi.
----------------------
The tired Watcher rose at six the next morning after experiencing a restless night. He rubbed his face and swung his legs over the edge of the bed to get ready for the day. The four of them were meeting for breakfast before Willow and Xander had to leave for the airport.
After having showered, shaved, cared for his healing tattoo, and dressed, he made his way down to the hotel’s dining room to meet his party. He stretched out his left arm as he went, feeling the tenderness in his pectoral muscle. It would heal soon enough, but for the moment the sting and soreness were still evident, reflecting what he felt on the inside. As he entered the dining room, he found he was the last to arrive and quickly joined the others.
“Good morning. Are you all ready to go?” Giles asked, placing his hands on Willow and Xander’s shoulders before taking the empty chair at the table.
Willow looked as though she would burst into tears any moment, but she gave him a bright watery-eyed smile when she nodded.
“What she means to say through her nonverbal actions is that we are all packed and ready to fly.”
“You sure you don’t want to stay a few hours longer, Xan? Your flight is so much later,” Buffy pointed out.
“Nah, I’d just be restless sitting around the hotel. No offense to you two, I’m just a nervous traveller. Besides, someone has to keep Will company while she waits for boarding, and since I have a boarding pass, I can go with her past security. It’s all good. Now, how about ordering some chow?”
Giles wondered if Buffy had changed her flight. In the end, he’d decided not to bother. What did it matter, really, another twenty-four hours in this faceless suburb of LA?
The group ordered breakfast and kept the conversation lighthearted, making plans to see each other in six months time, and leaving the destination for their reunion up in the air for the time being. He did, of course, invite all of them to stay with him anytime and for any reason, offering a small smile to Buffy, who sat across from him, ensuring that she knew the invitation was meant for her as well.
After swallowing a bite of his French toast, Giles addressed his Slayer, “What time is your flight this evening?”
He noticed that both Xander’s and Willow’s eyes widened at the question and they turned their heads towards Buffy awaiting her response.
“I didn’t change it. I got in late last night and there’s no point in doing it today. They’ve probably got a huge line for standby already,” she said calmly.
“Then it looks like we’re both here until tomorrow evening.”
Buffy nodded, keeping her focus on her coffee cup before suggesting, "We should decide what to do, then."
Surprised, Giles grunted in agreement since his mouth was full. Though, honestly, he couldn't think of what that might entail, other than sitting around trying not to say anything that would cause her to go running for the hills. How many times was he going to have to apologize for poor judgment and a natural physical reaction?
Having finished breakfast, Xander looked at his watch, "We've got ten minutes before the shuttle leaves for LAX, Will. I think it's time to get those final goodbyes in."
Willow gave the tall Brit as big a hug as she could and allowed her tears to fall. "I'm already missing you! Promise you'll call me after you get settled in London? I'll come visit and we can laugh at all the tweed in the new Council headquarters. Unless, of course you go back to wearing tweed, and then I'll just be all stoic about it."
Returning her embrace, Giles laughed as the tears formed in his eyes and he planted a kiss on her cheek before promising, "I burned all my tweed years ago, so we'll both have a good laugh. Safe journey, my sweet Willow."
When the redhead let him go and made a mad dash for Buffy, the Watcher pulled off his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes. Looking up, he saw Xander waiting for him, wearing a serious expression, his brown eye watery. Giles shoved his specs into one of the pockets of his cargo pants and pulled the young man into a bear hug.
"You fucking watch your back in Africa, you hear me? First thing you do when you land is you get a satellite phone and the second thing you do is register with the US Embassy, understood? Every new country, you register with your government!"
"Yes, dad," Xander replied, only half-jokingly. He then lowered his voice to a whisper and affected a very serious tone, "Now you do something for me, for all of us. Whatever broke between you and Buffy, fix it. Cuz this can't go on, Giles. I know we can never go back to when things were good, but you need to fix your relationship. Both of you are so damn broken. Put the bad stuff behind you and start a new chapter, whatever.”
“Yes, dad,” Giles mimicked, though he had no idea how to do that when Buffy was barely speaking, had barely spoken on a personal level to him since her resurrection two years ago.
The younger man pulled out of the embrace, picked up his suitcase, and said, “I’ll stay in touch, I promise, Big Guy. Take care.”
“You as well.”
Giles watched as Xander and Willow exited the hotel lobby, and when he saw them glance back over their shoulders, he gave a little wave. Spying his Slayer next to him, he noticed she had her arms wrapped around her middle, her shoulders shaking violently as she cried in silence, and his heart broke for her.
On to Part 3/3
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(actual coherent feedback left after 3/3 :-) )
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can't wait to see how you'll wrap this up.....and Xander is SO right.
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And I giggled at your first comment. ;)
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Also, I'm eagerly awaiting to find out what tattoos they got!
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