BTVS fic: Common Ground
Feb. 27th, 2014 03:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
craterdwellerTitle: Common Ground
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Medium: Fanfiction
Size/Length: 1383
Prompt: Believe
Rating: PG for very mild language
Summary: Buffy and Giles have something in common.
Content Notes: Season 3 post-Dead Man's Party.
Buffy Summers sat alone in the library. The wall clock read 7:10. She sighed and stretched, more for something to do rather than to relieve any muscle tension. I wonder where Giles is? She rested her head on folded arms and replayed the events of the last week.
She knew things would be strained with her mother. Mom was oscillating between being over indulgent and over protective. One moment her mother was afraid that anything she said or did would upset her and drive her away and the next moment. Well, how could she ever forget the scene caused at her “welcome home” party. Buffy knew that it was going to take some time to fix things with mom. Provided they didn’t kill each other first.
Xander’s reaction had been unsurprising. He’d made no attempt to hide his hatred for Angel in the past. She saw the truth behind his barbs about her “abandoning her duty”. After all she had spent her first summer with her father in Los Angeles, so it wasn’t like Sunnydale couldn’t handle the Slayer being gone for a few months. No, Xander’s issues boiled down to jealousy. And that was something she couldn’t help him with, for no matter how much Xander wished it, Buffy did not want anything more than friendship. Besides, Willow would hate her.
Willow. If there had been anyone Buffy would have thought would have understood, it would have been Willow. Willow who had always been supportive of her relationship with Angel. The friend that had consoled her as she cried when he had turned into Angelus. Willow who had wanted to help her get Angel back. Her brow furrowed. Maybe Willow’s reason for trying the restoration spell wasn’t about getting Angel back. Giles did not look pleased when he found out that she had been practising spells on her own. I’ll have to ask Giles about that. If he ever shows up. But that didn’t explain Willow’s anger. Sure they had talked and “fixed” things at the Expresso Pump. But, she couldn’t have been mad for the reasons she’d said. Willow had been dating Oz for quite some time and other than being annoyed that he had to be locked up for three days of the month, she never had any issues with him being a werewolf before. Nor had she mentioned it again. And as for the witch stuff, Giles would be much better suited to help her. She sighed. The Willow mystery would have to be solved another day.
She looked at the wall clock again. Seven twenty. Where was her Watcher? True, it was Saturday, but Buffy was almost positive Giles spent his weekends here, researching. She closed her eyes and put her head back down. Giles’ reaction to her return had been the most surprising. But it shouldn’t have been. She had been so afraid that he would hate her. Angelus had killed Jenny and tortured him. And it was her fault. If she hadn’t slept with Angel. if she had been able to kill Angelus. A small sob escaped her lips. God, I’ve hurt him so much. And what did he say when I showed up on his doorstep after being gone for three months? “Welcome home, Buffy.” I wanted to hug him and beg his forgiveness, but then Xander made that lame joke. Another sob escaped her lips.
Rupert Giles entered the library through the side door and almost dropped his breakfast. He had stopped by the Expresso Pump to pick up some donuts before catching up on his research. The last person he expected to see sitting at the library table was Buffy. He’d assumed she’d either be spending the day with Joyce or her friends. Perhaps things were still strained. Well, with time, perhaps. He heard a sob. Is she crying? Oh, dear.
He approached the table slowly and cleared his throat to alert her to his presence. “Buffy?” He crouched down next to her chair and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He was not prepared for what his Slayer did next.
“Giles?” She threw her arms around him and nearly knocked him backwards. She cried harder. He could barely make out her words amidst all the sobbing. But what he could make out was, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please don’t hate me.”
He held her and tried his best to soothe her speaking words and phrases his mother used when he was a small boy. “Shh. Buffy. It’s alright. Shh.” After ten minutes she calmed down and released him. At first she refused to look at him, but would occasionally sniff. He gave her time to regain her composure. She even smiled a bit when he handed her his handkerchief.
“Thanks. Sorry, I uh” She took a deep breath.
He halted her apology with a hand to her shoulder. “No need to apologize. Do you feel up to telling me what’s upset you? Did you have another fight with your mother or your friends?”
She looked into his kind eyes and almost started crying again. Why is he so good to me? She took a deep breath. “Giles, why are you so good to me?”
“Pardon?”
“You should hate me. If it weren’t for me, Jenny would still be alive. You’d probably be married and have kids. And you wouldn’t have been tortured.” She closed her eyes and he could see the silent tears running down her face.
“Buffy. Look at me, please.” She shook her head in refusal. He didn’t press. “What happened to Jenny was not your fault. She should have trusted us, but ultimately her people are to blame. Their lust for vengeance and the idiocy of a curse with such a dangerous loophole. They wanted to make Angel suffer, to hell with the consequences to the rest of humanity if Angelus was ever unleashed again.”
“But I slept with him. It was me. My fault Angelus was unleashed.”
“No. I’ve told you before and I will tell you again. You may have acted rashly, but you slept with someone you loved. And he loved you. I do not now, nor have I ever blamed you.”
“But I ran away. Abandoned my duties as the Slayer. How can you not be disappointed in me?”
“If you recall, I ran away from my destiny as well, and I was a bit older. I know it must horrify you to think that you have something in common with your stuffy old Watcher, but if you believe nothing else, please believe me when I say I’ve done far worse than run away. I understand, Buffy. Truly, I do.” He ducked his head, his cheeks tinted a dark shade of pink.
Buffy wasn’t sure if he was embarrassed from talking about his past or from the emotional shareage, but she needed to let him know she appreciated him. This time her hug, although equally surprising, was more gentle. She whispered, “Thanks, Giles. And apart from it being a little strange, it’s kinda ok.” She released him again and tried to lighten the mood. “Oh my god. Where’s the tweed? Do you have a fever?” She made a show of feeling his forehead.
“No, I do not have a fever. And I do own casual clothes, you know.” He stood up and was about to make another retort when Buffy began to giggle. He raised his eyebrow in question and she giggled harder. He looked down at himself, and began to giggle as well.
“Oops. Sorry. I think I smushed your breakfast.”
He grabbed a towel from his office and attempted to clean the jelly off the front of his sweater. But it was a lost cause. “Come on then. We’ll stop by my flat so I can change and then I’ll buy you breakfast.”
“Its a date!” She said as she walked passed. He couldn’t see her smirk and she didn’t need to turn around to know that his face had gone from pink to bright red.
“Er, uh Buffy. Uh.” he stammered.
She took pity on him. “Relax, Giles. I’m teasing.”
He shook his head and laughed. She was the strangest girl. One day she would be a handful for whomever was lucky enough to catch her eye.
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Medium: Fanfiction
Size/Length: 1383
Prompt: Believe
Rating: PG for very mild language
Summary: Buffy and Giles have something in common.
Content Notes: Season 3 post-Dead Man's Party.
Buffy Summers sat alone in the library. The wall clock read 7:10. She sighed and stretched, more for something to do rather than to relieve any muscle tension. I wonder where Giles is? She rested her head on folded arms and replayed the events of the last week.
She knew things would be strained with her mother. Mom was oscillating between being over indulgent and over protective. One moment her mother was afraid that anything she said or did would upset her and drive her away and the next moment. Well, how could she ever forget the scene caused at her “welcome home” party. Buffy knew that it was going to take some time to fix things with mom. Provided they didn’t kill each other first.
Xander’s reaction had been unsurprising. He’d made no attempt to hide his hatred for Angel in the past. She saw the truth behind his barbs about her “abandoning her duty”. After all she had spent her first summer with her father in Los Angeles, so it wasn’t like Sunnydale couldn’t handle the Slayer being gone for a few months. No, Xander’s issues boiled down to jealousy. And that was something she couldn’t help him with, for no matter how much Xander wished it, Buffy did not want anything more than friendship. Besides, Willow would hate her.
Willow. If there had been anyone Buffy would have thought would have understood, it would have been Willow. Willow who had always been supportive of her relationship with Angel. The friend that had consoled her as she cried when he had turned into Angelus. Willow who had wanted to help her get Angel back. Her brow furrowed. Maybe Willow’s reason for trying the restoration spell wasn’t about getting Angel back. Giles did not look pleased when he found out that she had been practising spells on her own. I’ll have to ask Giles about that. If he ever shows up. But that didn’t explain Willow’s anger. Sure they had talked and “fixed” things at the Expresso Pump. But, she couldn’t have been mad for the reasons she’d said. Willow had been dating Oz for quite some time and other than being annoyed that he had to be locked up for three days of the month, she never had any issues with him being a werewolf before. Nor had she mentioned it again. And as for the witch stuff, Giles would be much better suited to help her. She sighed. The Willow mystery would have to be solved another day.
She looked at the wall clock again. Seven twenty. Where was her Watcher? True, it was Saturday, but Buffy was almost positive Giles spent his weekends here, researching. She closed her eyes and put her head back down. Giles’ reaction to her return had been the most surprising. But it shouldn’t have been. She had been so afraid that he would hate her. Angelus had killed Jenny and tortured him. And it was her fault. If she hadn’t slept with Angel. if she had been able to kill Angelus. A small sob escaped her lips. God, I’ve hurt him so much. And what did he say when I showed up on his doorstep after being gone for three months? “Welcome home, Buffy.” I wanted to hug him and beg his forgiveness, but then Xander made that lame joke. Another sob escaped her lips.
Rupert Giles entered the library through the side door and almost dropped his breakfast. He had stopped by the Expresso Pump to pick up some donuts before catching up on his research. The last person he expected to see sitting at the library table was Buffy. He’d assumed she’d either be spending the day with Joyce or her friends. Perhaps things were still strained. Well, with time, perhaps. He heard a sob. Is she crying? Oh, dear.
He approached the table slowly and cleared his throat to alert her to his presence. “Buffy?” He crouched down next to her chair and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He was not prepared for what his Slayer did next.
“Giles?” She threw her arms around him and nearly knocked him backwards. She cried harder. He could barely make out her words amidst all the sobbing. But what he could make out was, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please don’t hate me.”
He held her and tried his best to soothe her speaking words and phrases his mother used when he was a small boy. “Shh. Buffy. It’s alright. Shh.” After ten minutes she calmed down and released him. At first she refused to look at him, but would occasionally sniff. He gave her time to regain her composure. She even smiled a bit when he handed her his handkerchief.
“Thanks. Sorry, I uh” She took a deep breath.
He halted her apology with a hand to her shoulder. “No need to apologize. Do you feel up to telling me what’s upset you? Did you have another fight with your mother or your friends?”
She looked into his kind eyes and almost started crying again. Why is he so good to me? She took a deep breath. “Giles, why are you so good to me?”
“Pardon?”
“You should hate me. If it weren’t for me, Jenny would still be alive. You’d probably be married and have kids. And you wouldn’t have been tortured.” She closed her eyes and he could see the silent tears running down her face.
“Buffy. Look at me, please.” She shook her head in refusal. He didn’t press. “What happened to Jenny was not your fault. She should have trusted us, but ultimately her people are to blame. Their lust for vengeance and the idiocy of a curse with such a dangerous loophole. They wanted to make Angel suffer, to hell with the consequences to the rest of humanity if Angelus was ever unleashed again.”
“But I slept with him. It was me. My fault Angelus was unleashed.”
“No. I’ve told you before and I will tell you again. You may have acted rashly, but you slept with someone you loved. And he loved you. I do not now, nor have I ever blamed you.”
“But I ran away. Abandoned my duties as the Slayer. How can you not be disappointed in me?”
“If you recall, I ran away from my destiny as well, and I was a bit older. I know it must horrify you to think that you have something in common with your stuffy old Watcher, but if you believe nothing else, please believe me when I say I’ve done far worse than run away. I understand, Buffy. Truly, I do.” He ducked his head, his cheeks tinted a dark shade of pink.
Buffy wasn’t sure if he was embarrassed from talking about his past or from the emotional shareage, but she needed to let him know she appreciated him. This time her hug, although equally surprising, was more gentle. She whispered, “Thanks, Giles. And apart from it being a little strange, it’s kinda ok.” She released him again and tried to lighten the mood. “Oh my god. Where’s the tweed? Do you have a fever?” She made a show of feeling his forehead.
“No, I do not have a fever. And I do own casual clothes, you know.” He stood up and was about to make another retort when Buffy began to giggle. He raised his eyebrow in question and she giggled harder. He looked down at himself, and began to giggle as well.
“Oops. Sorry. I think I smushed your breakfast.”
He grabbed a towel from his office and attempted to clean the jelly off the front of his sweater. But it was a lost cause. “Come on then. We’ll stop by my flat so I can change and then I’ll buy you breakfast.”
“Its a date!” She said as she walked passed. He couldn’t see her smirk and she didn’t need to turn around to know that his face had gone from pink to bright red.
“Er, uh Buffy. Uh.” he stammered.
She took pity on him. “Relax, Giles. I’m teasing.”
He shook his head and laughed. She was the strangest girl. One day she would be a handful for whomever was lucky enough to catch her eye.
