Rupert Giles tapped his foot in impatience as he waited for the airplane to start unloading all its passengers. He glanced at his watch and polished his glasses for the third time since he’d gotten to the tiny airport. He’d been waiting for Olivia’s arrival for several weeks now and he was rearing to go.
It had seemed as of late, at least the last few days, that he’d withdrawn into himself once again…as he had done in his earlier years. Years when Ethan fondly remembered him as ‘Ripper’. He’d found himself drawn to studying the darker books in his massive library the last few days, as if he couldn’t help himself. He’d even resorted to violence against Spike that morning, just so that he’d have some more information. And if he was not careful, it could turn obsessive.
That’s why he was impatient for Olivia. He was hoping her presence would distract him from the preoccupation that Spike presented. Plus the fact he’d not had a good shag since Joyce…oh good lord. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and tried to push away the thought of his Slayer’s mother and him…in his tub…naked….
Abruptly Giles stood up and started to pace as passengers were filtering out of the terminal doorway. It was a small plane; having flown from the bigger airport in L.A. to little Sunnydale, so there weren’t that many passengers…15 at most.
When the trickle of passengers ended with no Olivia, Giles became worried. He approached the stewardess of the airline and inquired after her absence. “Excuse me, but did you have an Olivia Green on board?”
The stewardess smiled wanly and checked her computer. “I’m sorry sir, there was no Olivia Green on this flight. Was she coming from LAX?”
“I know this is the flight from LAX, she was supposed to be on it! Hence, that is why I asked you, you twit!” Giles ground out in full Ripper menace.
The stewardess eyes rounded in slight panic. “Sir, if you don’t calm down, I’ll have security escort you from the airport!”
Giles just swept his arm across the edge of her station, knocking everything off and stormed off. “I’d like to see them try!” he roared as he left the terminal.
He drove home like a man possessed, running people off the road and earning several middle fingers flipped at him as he passed in an erratic manner. He didn’t park his car as much as he just run up onto the grass and decided to stop. As he was approaching his door, he spied Willow and a strange girl.
“What do you want Willow, I’m in no mood for idle chitchat,” he muttered as he unlocked his door and let the two girls in.
Willow was taken aback by his tone with her and she faltered. “Um…well, I …we…”
“Oh for god’s sake girl, spit it out!” Giles bellowed load enough that the strange girl cringed and edged back towards the door. “Who the bloody hell are you?”
“I’m T-Tara,” she stuttered.
“Should you be here?” he groused.
“I…I…I’m with…”
“She’s with me, Giles. What’s wrong with you?” Willow said with deep concern.
“I’ve just missed Olivia and I’m worried something is wrong. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to,” he said as he dismissed them.
“Well I thought you should know about Spike and Buffy…” Willow started but stopped as she took in Giles’ fevered look
“Spike? Where is Spike? Why isn’t he here?” Giles said as he gripped Willow’s upper arms painfully.
“Giles, you’re hurting me!” Willow cried as she tried to break free.
As she whimpered, his eyes seemed to glow suddenly and then went dull as he collapsed on the floor.
“Giles!” Willow screamed. “Tara, help me get him on the couch!”
The girls lugged the Watcher over to the couch and propped him up on it as best as they could. Tara ran to the kitchen and got a cold, wet towel to drape across his forehead.
Willow lightly tapped Giles’ cheek in an effort to get him to come around. “Giles? Come on, wake up!”
“Willow, if you don’t stop slapping me, I shall be forced to slap you back,” Giles coughed as he was rubbing his eyes. The menace was gone from his voice and Willow visibly relaxed as Giles smiled weakly and pulled the towel over his face moaning.
“I don’t think I can take any more scares today. You seriously creeped me out there, Giles. What happened?” Willow asked as she helped him to a sitting position.
“I…I’m not quite sure. I remember waiting at the airport for Olivia…and then waking up as you’re slapping me. I’ve…I’ve lost a span of time, but I don’t know why,” he said with increasing worry.
“Did you forget to pick up your friend?” Tara meekly asked from the other side of the room.
“Oh good god! Olivia!” Giles said frantically as he got up and headed to the phone, dialing an international number.
Tara was still skittish around the man so she backed away as far as she could and sat on the bottom step of the staircase.
“Olivia??” Giles said with some relief as he apparently reached her at home. “I thought you were coming? What? Oh. Yes, I remember Dwayne… Oh. Oh, I see. No, no, that’s perfectly all right. I understand. No, no, I don’t want you to bother; it’s quite a distance. Getting married? Well…I’ve lost touch it seems. No, my own fault. My best wishes to you both. Yes, well…goodbye,” he said quietly and hung up the phone.
“Are you ok, Giles?” Willow asked hesitantly.
“Um, yes yes, I’ll be fine. Seems my visitor wasn’t coming after all. Ahem. Well. I’m sorry about earlier. You were trying to tell me something about Buffy and Spike,” he said as he sat on the chair and stared at the opposite wall.
Willow came over and sat on the couch next to him and laid a hand on his knee. “You sure you’re gonna be ok? That sounded kinda harsh on the phone.”
“I’ll be fine, truly. Now tell me what has happened,” Giles reassured her…unconvincingly.
Willow told Giles as much as she knew about the days events, including Buffy having a run in with Riley, and how it was very likely that the Commandos knew where Spike was and how it was probably just a matter of time before they caught up with him.
“And where are they now?” Giles asked when Willow took a break from talking.
“In…in my room. It’s safe there,” Tara murmured from the shadows of the stairs.
“I’m sorry, we weren’t properly introduced. Rupert Giles, and you are?” Giles said as he approached the timid girl with his hand held out.
“Tara McClay,” she said with a small smile and shook his hand.
He smiled warmly and apologized for his earlier behavior towards her. She shrugged it off and told him to think nothing of it. Giles then offered the girls some tea which they declined because they were on their way to the butcher’s to pick up some pig’s blood for Spike.
“Yes, that reminds me. How is it that he’s able to be about in the daylight? Or did he take the sewers?” Giles asked with some concern.
“Well, uh…well Buffy gave him…the uh…um…well she gave him the Gem of Amara so he could help her with her report,” Willow finished quickly and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the condemnation that Giles was sure to spew forth.
Giles frowned. “I thought she sent that with Oz to Angel?”
Willow opened one eye and looked at him. “Oz gave it back to her. Said Angel shouldn’t have it. Only the Slayer should be able to have it.”
“I always knew that Oz was a wise fellow, even if he was a man of few words,” Giles mused as he sipped his tea.
Willow looked away so he wouldn’t see the tears that built up in her eyes as she nodded mutely. She fought for control and won, choking down her tears and cleared her throat. “So you’re not mad at Buffy for letting Spike use the ring?
“I didn’t say that. I think it was highly irresponsible of her to one: take Spike with her to campus, and two: give him the ring to use. Those combined could make for a catastrophe. Not her best judgment call to date,” he said with disappointment.
“But Spike’s different, really different,” Willow assured him.
“Yeah, Mr. Giles…for a vamp, h-he’s very different,” Tara pitched in.
“Hmmm well, be that as it may, he still poses a threat if he’s unleashed. Get him the blood and make sure they don’t go anywhere. I’m too tired to deal with him this evening and I would appreciate if you would look after him…just for tonight,” he asked wearily.
“Is that ok, Tara?” Willow asked as they were heading out the door.
“Sure, if you don’t mind bunking on the floor. I got an inflatable m-mattress to sleep on, if it’s ok with you?” she asked, getting excited about having people stay with her.
“Cool! It’ll be like a slumber party!” Willow returned her excitement as they left Giles’ flat.
“Slumber party of the damned,” Giles muttered and sank onto the couch to watch Passions.
The first thing Spike was aware of was that his right arm was asleep. The next was the reason it was asleep.
Buffy’s head was lying on his right bicep as his forearm was curled around her. His left was wrapped around her waist as it tucked her body into his. Buffy. The Slayer…in his arms…asleep.
Spike angled his head to look for a clock in the darkened room and found a radio alarm clock that read 5:45 am. Damn! They’d been asleep all afternoon and into the night, not moving more than an inch from each other. He knew that he had been tired, but he just didn’t realize how tired they both were.
He heard two other slow heartbeats besides Buffy’s and he gingerly looked over the bed at the two girls fast asleep on the floor. Books, papers, and something that smelled suspiciously like sage littered the floor around them.
He did remember waking at one point during the night, around midnight, and hearing Willow talking in her sleep.
“Mmmm gotta find John Wayne…gotta kill the man eating guppies,” Willow mumbled in her sleep and Spike tried not to fully laugh, snickering instead.
Buffy never moved as he looked around the room and he saw her rapid eye movement, which indicated REM sleep. Good. She needed all she could get. He figured he could use some more, so he snuggled deep under the covers, nuzzling into her neck and his bite.
His bite. Peaches would not be happy about that one, the nancy-boy, regardless of what Buffy said. Angel was always trying to run her life, with or without her permission…usually without. He figured the Slayer would get sick of it one day, and he wanted to be around to see it happen.
He glanced at the clock again as it read 5:58 and he started to feel the pull of the dawn, beckoning him to find shelter, but he ignored it this once. With the ring, he could actually wake up to feel the sun on his face, basking in the warmth and beauty of the morning light…and Buffy.
The clock flipped to 6:00 am and it triggered the radio to start playing very, very soft music. He hopped it wouldn’t wake the girls as he listened to the lyrics of the song currently being played.
'I dreamed I was missing, you were so scared
But no one would listen, 'cause no one else cared
After my dreaming, I woke with this fear
What am I leaving when I'm done here?'
And then it hit Spike like a ton of bricks. ‘I’m not gonna make it through this, am I?’ he thought morosely.
'So if you're asking me, I want you to know'
'When my time comes, forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed
Don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory, leave out all the rest'
Tears welled up in Spike’s eyes as the words of the song sunk in. ‘Who will miss me when I’m gone? Angel? Bah. Dru? Hardly. Buffy? Buffy…I will miss her when I am gone. Will she remember me kindly?’
'I've taken my beating, I've shared what I made
I'm strong on the surface, not all the way through
I've never been perfect, but neither have you'
'So if you're asking me, I want you to know'
Spike’s tears finally overflowed and silently fell down his face as he gazed at Buffy’s sleeping form. She had turned over slightly and now faced him, her forehead near his chin. ‘Please don’t resent me, Buffy…I’m a bad, bad man…but underneath, I’m a good person!’ he pleaded silently and gently kissed her forehead.
The song finished and the radio shut off, having run its course of trying to wake up the sleeping person. Buffy snuffled a little and yawned as a small shaft of light filtered in through Tara’s curtains, hitting her square on the nose. She wrinkled it and yawned widely again, opening her eyes slightly to see Spike with red-rimmed eyes staring at her.
She frowned heavily and touched his face, tracing his features as dawn light started to fill the room. He leaned into her hand and closed his eyes in ecstasy at her touch. Her thumb started to trace the outline of his lips as his eyes slowly opened with heated desire flooding into them.
Slowly, so agonizingly slow, Buffy leaned up and placed her lips against his in a gentle kiss that made him whimper. She wanted to taste him as she hesitantly reached out with her tongue to touch his bottom lip. He responded by cupping the back of her head and pulling her in to savor her more deeply.
They explored each other’s mouth fully and finally broke apart with a gasp as Buffy needed to breathe. She opened her mouth to say his name, but nothing came out.
Spike frowned and he tried to speak her name, but once again, nothing could be heard. He looked over the bed at the now awake girls and started to call out for Willow but he couldn’t utter any sound. He tried to growl, but couldn’t even do that.
Willow grabbed at her ears and tried to yell that she’d gone deaf, and Tara was massaging her throat in an attempt to get her voice to work, but nothing happened.
Spike threw a pillow at Willow and mouthed, “You’re not deaf, Red!”
Buffy was sitting up at this point, thoroughly mussed, and asked everyone, “What happened?” mouthing as best as she could.
Willow and Tara shrugged their shoulders and so she turned to Spike, hoping he’d at least have some knowledge of what was going on.
‘Don’t know pet, best find the Watcher,’ he sent the thought to her and she agreed.
[Reviews - 371]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 4701 times
- Text Size +
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +
Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks as always to Zoe and Sotia, you guys are so silly! Also to Mary, Jane, Vara, Cordy and all the people who review - you guys rock! Here is the video that goes with the song in this chapter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0HT3lUl6MA