Chapter Twenty-Six
When Buffy heard footsteps approaching she looked up, half expecting to find Merrick looking down on her once again. After all, it was the same park, the same bench even.
She never expected to find Giles.
“Hello Buffy.” He spoke softly, with that small loving smile he always used when he hadn’t seen her in a while.
With an anguished sob, Buffy threw herself into his arms, holding on for dear life. “Don’t go. Please Giles, don’t leave me.”
He made a soothing noise as he patted her on the back. “It’s alright Buffy. I’m here.” Slowly he eased her back onto the bench, sitting beside her.
“How is this possible?” she asked, confused by his sudden presence. “You don’t even exist.”
“I’ll always be here when you need me.”
“But you’re not supposed to be here,” Buffy cried. She shook her head, even as her eyes refused to leave his face. She couldn’t help but drink in the very sight of him. “Am I going crazy again?”
In true Giles style the glasses came off, the handkerchief came out and he began his trademark cleaning. For some reason it made her feel marginally better. “What do you want me to tell you?” he asked solemnly.
It was on the tip of her tongue to say, Lie to me. But she knew she couldn’t do that anymore. She’d been lied to enough; had lied to herself enough.
“No,” she declared forcefully. “I’m not going crazy. I decide this time and I’m not.” Seeming satisfied, she took a deep breath and turned to look at him again. “I’m really glad to see you though.”
“It’s good to see you too.” He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “How are you doing?”
“Well today sucks beyond the telling,” she replied bluntly. “But…for the most part I’m doing okay. I’m finishing school – again. I have a job I enjoy, new friends, and I have William.”
He stared at her for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to say something and she couldn’t help but ask, “What is it?”
“It’s Spike,” Giles replied. “He’s gone. When you left, it was like he just disappeared. At first I thought that maybe he’d left town, but now I wonder if maybe you didn’t just take him with you when you left.”
A slow smile appeared on Buffy’s lips. “You talk the way Will does. Like I just moved to a different city.”
Giles shrugged. “That’s the way it feels to me.”
Deciding not to analyse that answer too much, Buffy replied, “Maybe you’re right; maybe Spike is back where he’s supposed to be. A part of William.”
Giles smiled knowingly. “I take it you’ll never be returning to Sunnydale then?”
She took his hand, loving how real he felt. His skin, warm under her fingers. “No. Sunnydale doesn’t need me anymore. It has Dawn now. I’ll see to that.”
“We’ll miss you, Buffy. It won’t be the same without you.”
She smiled. “I know. But I don’t want it to be the same. So it’s okay.”
Giles stood, moving a few feet from the bench and Buffy knew that he would be leaving soon.
“Will I ever see you again?” she asked, not bothering to fight the tears that streamed down her face.
“Of course you will,” he replied resolutely. “Willow, Xander, all of us. You’ll see us in every page.”
**********
“Buffy?!”
She moved the phone away from her ear for a moment, while the pain died down. “Yeah, it’s me.”
“Oh thank God. Where are you? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine Mom. I’m at Milton Park, just down the road from home.”
There were a few muffled words spoken before her mother said, “Stay right there. William’s coming to get you.”
“Okay. Before he gets here, I need to talk to you.”
“If it’s about your father…I don’t even know what to say. I can barely look at him right now.”
“No, it’s not about that.” She took a deep breath, suddenly wishing she’d never promised her mother that she’d tell her if anything out of the ordinary happened. She’d never expected to have to keep it. “I saw Giles tonight; here in the park.”
There was silence at the other end and Buffy could picture the fear on her mother’s face.
“It’s okay Mom. Don’t panic. I think he was just here to…say goodbye.”
“Are you sure, Buffy?” There was obvious doubt in her voice.
“Yeah. And I’ll talk to Dr Callahan about it at my next appointment, I promise. But I had to tell you now. That was the deal. Right?”
She could hear her mother’s relief. “That’s right.”
“I can see Will coming now so I’m going to go. I think I’ll head back to his place for the night.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then. And Buffy,” she added, “it will make me sleep better at night, knowing that you’re keeping your promise.”
Buffy smiled. “I know, Mom,” she said, before hanging up. “Me too.”
“Buffy love.” When William reached her he immediately dropped to his knees in front of her. “I was so scared when I couldn’t find you.”
“I’m sorry,” she apologised. “I just needed to get out of there.”
“I get that.” He nodded his understanding. “How are you feeling now?”
She saw the worry on his face and instantly knew the cause. She sighed. “Everyone is always so scared that I’m going to leave again.”
“Yes,” he admitted simply. “When something stressful like this happens, I worry it will be too much for you.”
Frowning, she ran her hand soothingly through his hair. “I know I can’t take that fear away. But I’m going to prove to you every day that I’m here to stay.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a fierce hug before she continued. “There’s something I have to tell you.”
William moved to sit beside her on the bench, his jaw ticking as he seemed to prepare himself for the worst. “Okay love. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
She smiled at him, glad that this would be good news for a change. “I love you, Will.”
His mouth dropped open in shock and his eyes widen comically. “You what…?”
Buffy laughed, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. “I’m in love with you William Reynolds. Totally, irrevocably in love with you.”
He cupped her face with his hands; his eyes reflecting his amazement. “Oh Buffy. I love you too. Have loved you for so long.”
She clung to him like she’d die without him, and she could tell from the strength of his grasp that it was the same for him. Suddenly everything else faded. The situation with her parents, her struggles with reinserting herself into her old life. She knew without a doubt that she could cope with all of that. As long as William stood at her side, she could handle anything.