Title: A Quiet Day For Giles
Author's Name: Laura Sichrovsky
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season: Season three, before Helpless.
Rating: PG
Pairing: None
Warnings: None that come to mind.
Spoilers: None really. It takes place in season three, before Giles gets fired.
Disclaimer: This is where I put the statement saying that I do not own Buffy, Giles (Heh! I wish!), Sunnydale, or anything relating
to the show. No one is paying me to do this and if you feel the sudden urge to send me gifts, you might want to talk
to someone about that. Joss Whedon owns all things Buffy and has not given me permission to use these characters
as I have so if you have problems with the story, please send the pretzel bombs to me, not him.
Summary: Just a day in the life of your average Super Watcher Librarian Hero as seen from the eyes of Willow.
Author's Notes: This one snuck up and bit me in response to an off hand comment made by someone on the Livejournal
Giles Watchers list. Because of the small amount of Giles related posts, this someone said, "It's a quiet day for
Giles." This got into my head and I began to wonder, what would a quiet day for him be? And here we are.
grin Thanks need to be given, and here is where they go. Thanks to Joss for creating characters so fun to
watch and to borrow for a bit. Thanks to Tony Head for making Giles so amazing. I tried to fight it, but he was
just too remarkable not to fall for. Big thank yous to my sister, Kristen the Beta Goddess. She takes my
ramblings and puts them in some readable order. I could never write without her help and I would never want to
try. Love ya! To Ann, who helped with the details. She's very patient to listen to us ramble and she helped me
find my inner Brit. Thank you so much! To Antennapedia, who made me stay true to Rupert while setting the
bar so high, thank you, thank you, and…oh yeah, THANK YOU! Thanks to my amazing husband who not only
doesn't get upset when my writing takes over, but who doesn't freak about the men who live in my head. I love
him so.
A Note on the spelling of Willow's nickname here: I spelled it "Wil" instead of "Will" because that was the way
it was spelled in the subtitles on the DVDs.
A Quiet Day For Giles
Willow yawned as she walked into the library. It was seven o'clock in the morning and she hadn't quite gotten her brain awake yet, but she'd promised Giles that she'd come in early to help with some research. And speaking of Giles… Willow smiled as the tall librarian walked out of his office, reading a book. She was impressed that he was able to navigate the library without having to look up. He'd just gotten to the book cage when he noticed her.
"Oh, good morning Willow," his smile was slightly distracted, but pleased nonetheless. "you're here early."
"You asked me to come in and help research Trychrayle demons," Willow put down her book bag and walked over to him.
"Oh! Yes, I'd forgotten," Giles turned away from the cage, walking back to his office. "I have the books right here. I do appreciate this. I have so much to do these days."
"Maybe you should come in earlier," Willow volunteered, walking back to the table.
"I suppose I could," Giles replied, bringing her the books. "Although I've been here since six o'clock."
"Six o'clock? Why did you get here that early?"
"I had some library business to attend to this morning before getting to my research."
Willow just nodded, pulling a book to her. At six o'clock, she'd just barely gotten out of bed. She knew Giles got here early on a regular basis, she'd just never really thought about it before. She looked up as she open the book to see Giles resuming his reading while collecting papers from around the library. Willow inwardly shuddered. If she were to wander around with her nose literally in a book like that, she'd be logging some hospital time. With that thought, she turned her attention to the book in front of her.
At eight o'clock, Willow was back in the library. She'd gone to her first class at 7:50 to find they were reviewing for a test that she didn't have to take due to her grades. She'd gotten permission from the teacher to go to the library for the remainder of class and here she was. As she walked in, she heard a terrible scraping noise that sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard. She looked around to see Giles sitting at a table, a sword in one hand, a large grey stone in the other.
"What are you doing?" He didn't seem to hear her at first. "Giles! What are you doing?"
"Oh, Willow," Giles looked up, smiling. "Couldn't hear over the noise. What are you doing here?"
"I had some free time for research. What are you doing?"
"This? I'm sharpening the sword." He looked at her like she should have known this. "I've got to keep the weapons clean and sharp. It wouldn't do to have one of us try to kill something with them and not be able to."
"I guess not," Willow replied, sitting at the table and reclaiming the book she'd been studying earlier.
She put her hands over her ears as Giles went back to sharpening. She tried to study, but found herself watching him instead. She'd never really thought about the state of the weapons. They were sharp and they were deadly. It didn't occur to her that you might have to do upkeep on them to make sure you could actually kill something. Giles never made a big deal about it and Willow suspected that none of the others thought about it either. Good thing someone did. She shook the musings from her mind and forced her thoughts back to the book.
Twenty minutes later, Giles was oiling one of the crossbows and Willow was marveling that crossbows needed to be oiled, when Buffy came in.
"Hey, Giles," she breezed in, walking to the table where Willow sat. "Hey, Wil. Giles got ya working?"
"Yep," Willow smiled. "I had a free period and here I am."
Buffy nodded, then turned to Giles.
"Can't stay long, but I needed to let you know that I saw a demon last night while I was patrolling. It was big, fuzzy, purple, and had horns on its neck. Should we be worried?"
"Well, I'm not sure what it is, so I can't tell you right off," Giles frowned, heading for the demon books. "I'll look it up and get back to you."
"Sounds good. I've got to get back to class. Mr. Beecher thinks I'm in the bathroom. Later!"
Buffy left and Willow frowned as she watched Giles take a book and sit down.
"Something else to add to your research list?" She asked.
"Well, there always is something, isn't there?"
"But you're already looking up like four other things."
"Yes, but this is rather urgent, isn't it? I'll just have to add it to my list for the day."
Willow shook her head, wondering just how long that list was as she went back to her research.
At nine o'clock, Willow almost laughed as she walked into the library yet again to see Giles's startled face. He was at the circulation desk, checking in books with a pencil between his teeth. She walked in and his eyes widened, the pencil fell from his mouth.
"Willow, what are you doing here this time?"
"Gee, Giles, you are going to make me think you aren't happy to see me," she had to fight back another laugh at the panic on his face.
"No...I…Of course…It's just…" He paused and took a breath. "I hadn't expected to see you so soon. Of course I'm happy to have you here."
This time Willow did laugh.
"Just teasing, Giles," she crossed to a table and put her books down. She then took a piece of paper to Giles.
"A library pass?" He looked at her with one raised eyebrow.
"I'm here officially to do research on my history paper. But since I'm already finished with it, I thought I'd help you."
Giles signed her pass and smiled at her.
"Well, I'm not going to turn you down. We have one vampire, two demons, and three prophecies to research."
"Sounds like a Hellmouth Christmas song," Willow retrieved the book she'd been working on, smiling as Giles chuckled and went back to checking in books.
Ten minutes later, her concentration was broken when the phone in Giles's office rang. He ran in and answered it. Willow couldn't hear what he was saying, but after a moment, she could hear his tone and he didn't sound happy. His accent sounded crisper and his voice got louder. After a bit, he was loud enough to understand.
"Well you bloody well better find it," His voice had an edge to it that worried Willow. "Look, I don't have time for this. Well, what do you think I'm doing here? I do have a Slayer to train. You have people to do this sort of thing, so have them do it, then get back to me. Fine."
She heard the phone slam down, then Giles stalked in to the room, his face dark and broody.
"Everything okay?" She knew her voice sounded timid, but she couldn't help it. He looked like he might actually snap at her.
"What?" His reply was terse and waspish. After a second, his face softened. "I'm sorry. Nothing wrong really. Just something else that needs to be done. Apparently my reports to the Council got lost in the mail and they want me to fill them out again and resend them. I tried to tell them I was busy, but they won't take no for an answer."
He'd gotten a folder from behind the circulation desk and had pulled out a small stack of forms. Muttering to himself, he sat at the table Willow was at and began to fill out the forms.
"You have to fill out paperwork?" The question was out of her mouth before she'd really thought it through.
Giles looked up at her, a glare in his eyes and a retort on his lips. He looked at her wide eyes and his expression relaxed again.
"It's how the Council tracks everything," he smiled at her and shrugged. "They need to know what the Slayer does. If I don't fill out the forms, they don't send us money for weapons and training. So, much as I hate it, here I am filling out forms."
Willow found herself nodding again. Paperwork to track the Hellmouth beasties. Who knew? And because of a postal mishap, Giles had yet another interruption to his day. At this rate he wasn't going to get anything done. And at this rate, she reminded herself, if she didn't concentrate on her work she wouldn't get anything done either.
Willow actually sat through her entire 9:50 math class. It had been completely boring and she thought she might have fallen asleep for a minute, but she stayed in class for the whole period.
At eleven o'clock, however, she was walking back into the library with Buffy. Giles looked up at them and smiled, not in the least surprised to see them. But why should he be; they came in here at this time every day during study hall. Willow sat down with the book and some paper for note taking, while Giles and Buffy set up to train.
It wasn't unusual for the two to train during this time; after all, students rarely ever came into the library. Willow was usually in here, researching or logging computer time. She was always so engrossed in what she was doing and never paid much attention to the Watcher and Slayer who sparred in the open area of the library. But today for some reason, she couldn't keep her mind on the book and found herself watching the two of them.
At the moment, they weren't using weapons and were engaging in hand to hand practice. For all of Buffy's Slayer strength and speed, Giles seemed to be holding his own, blocking her efficiently and matching her blow for blow. He leaned forward a small fraction and caught the edge of Buffy's shoulder. She rounded on him, just missing slamming him across the head as he ducked.
Willow furrowed her brow as she watched them. She wondered if they knew how perfectly matched they were, how graceful they looked as they fought. It was almost like watching a dance. Each knew the other's moves and timing, able to anticipate the blows before they came and to compensate for them. Give and take, kick and block, ying and yang.
Buffy seemed to realize the move Giles expected her to make, feigning a punch to the left, then at the last second pulling it, turning around, and sweeping his legs with a low kick to his shins. Giles went down hard, but he didn't stay down for more than a heartbeat, jumping to his feet and aiming a blow to Buffy's head.
That fall looked like it hurt. At the very least it had to have knocked the breath out of Giles. Most people would have taken a few minutes to get back on their feet. Willow had never thought about it before, but Giles must be tougher than he looked.
After fifteen minutes, they had given up on the hand to hand and had moved to quarterstaves. The library rang with the sound of wood on wood as they thrust and parried in what looked like a perfectly choreographed fight. Buffy showed little mercy, slamming her staff into his. Willow winced at the force of it. That must really hurt, yet Giles showed no sign that it might. If fact, he kept telling Buffy to stop holding back, stop moving so slowly, to show him how much damage a Slayer could do.
Finally, in what seemed an act of frustration, Giles swept the staff low and made contact with Buffy's ankle. She yelped and jumped back. Concern washed over Giles's features and his staff lowered a fraction from the blocking position he had pulled it to as he turned his attention to Buffy, making sure she wasn't really injured. That second of inattention cost him, for Buffy whipped around, landing a bone jarring blow to his shoulder. Willow saw all the color drain from his face as he sucked in a sharp breath. He was pale and sweaty for a moment, but he never broke their rhythm.
The staves met once more, the library again filled with the sound of the fight as Giles and Buffy picked up the dance steps again. This time, no one dropped a shoulder or lost eye contact. They were smooth and flowing in their battle.
Just then, Willow heard a noise from her left and turned to see that a small group of six students had come into the library, passes in hand. She jumped to her feet to help them, but not before they noticed the fight before them. There were gasps of surprise and excitement and one loudly exclaimed, "Cool!" That was all it took to break Giles's concentration. He turned his head for a moment just as Buffy brought her staff around to catch him full in the face. He stumbled back, almost going to his knees, but catching himself as he dropped the staff, his hand going to his left eye.
Buffy and Willow both ran forward to make sure he wouldn't need a trip to the ER. By the time they reached him, he seemed to have composed himself, bringing his hand down so that they saw a deep gash over his eye. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the handkerchief that he was always using to polish his glasses, and pressed it to the cut.
"Giles, I am so sorry," Buffy started, looking worried.
"You have no reason to be," Giles replied with a smile. "That's how sparring works. You take advantage of your opponent's weaknesses. You did exactly what you were supposed to do."
"But you're hurt."
"I'll be fine. You should go get a drink and catch your breath before you have to leave. I have to help these students. And Buffy…well done."
With that, he walked over to the students, keeping the cloth over his cut as he checked passes and assessed what they needed. They were there to get material for reports. Giles smiled reassuringly at them. With Willow's assistance, he pleasantly helped each one locate their books and sent them on their way, all the time bleeding onto the handkerchief.
When the students were gone, Giles walked back into his office. Willow closed the checkout window on the circulation computer, then followed him back. Giles was sitting at his desk, a small mirror set up before him, gently cleaning the cut with an antiseptic wipe, softly wincing every few seconds.
"That looks pretty bad," Willow volunteered. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"I'm just fine, Willow," Giles replied, putting an oversized band-aid over the cut. "It might scar a bit, but I'll live. Thank you for your concern."
He got to his feet, tossing the wrapping from the wipe and band-aid into the trash, using his left hand. Willow heard him gasp, his right hand going to his bruised shoulder and she suddenly remembered the blow Buffy had landed there.
"Giles, you're hurt."
"Nonsense. It's just a bruise. I'll be fine."
His words sounded confident, but Willow noticed that he moved his shoulder slowly and painfully. He opened the top drawer of his desk, bringing out a bottle of aspirin. He swallowed two them dry.
"Giles, Buffy really hurt you."
"I'd rather she hurt me than have something kill her. That's why we spar." Willow heard the catch in his voice and looked up to see naked worry written on his face.
She'd always know that he worried for Buffy's safety, but she'd never really thought about it much before. He was willing to face anything to keep her safe, to keep them all safe. But this couldn't be healthy for him. She stepped forward and opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off.
"I've got a circulation report to fill out and I believe you'll miss lunch if you don't leave soon."
Willow nodded, following him from the office. She knew better than to argue when he dismissed her like this. She gathered her books to leave, then turned to look at him one more time. His face was a touch paler than usual and he was writing slower as he filled out the reports, favoring the injured shoulder. She suddenly wondered how often this happened to him. How many times did he just work through an injury, never letting on how badly he was hurt?
She sighed as she walked out of the library and found herself wondering just how far behind schedule this was going to put him. At this rate he was never going home.
Willow stopped at her locker, then went to the cafeteria to meet Buffy, Xander and Cordelia for lunch. Oz was home with the flu today. The meal consisted of something orange and slimy that Willow chose not to investigate too closely. Some things were better left a mystery. Cordelia had to leave early for a cheerleader meeting and the three friends teased and joked through the rest of lunch. On the whole Willow felt much better about her day as they all made their way back to the library to check in with Giles after they'd finished eating.
They walked in to find the library deserted. Giles was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey G-man," Xander called. "Where are you hiding? Did you get lost in the stacks again?"
They were greeted with silence.
"Since he hasn't shown up to try and strangle Xander, I'd say he's not here," Buffy supplied.
"Do we wait or do we run for it while we can?" Xander asked.
Before either of the girls could respond, the doors swung open and Giles stalked in, muttering darkly to himself. He walked right past the group, not seeming to see them. He walked straight into his office, his grousing getting louder and including some swear words. A moment later he came back out, an open book in his hand, reading while he made his way to the circulation desk. He was flipping pages and frowning.
Buffy and Willow looked at each other. Should they say something?
A minute later, Giles held the book up.
"Ha! I knew it. Stupid ponce."
"Giles?" Willow finally risked.
He whipped around and looked at them, his shock in seeing them plainly on his face.
"Everything okay, Watcherman?" Xander asked.
"What? Oh, yes. Herr Snyder called a staff meeting," Giles replied, recovering from his surprise. "He introduced a new rule about after school clubs. He said it was to ensure that students had time for homework, but he was looking at me the entire time, so I suspect this decree was aimed at us."
"I don't understand." Buffy said.
"At the beginning of the year, Snyder passed a rule that said that only after school clubs could be on school property after hours. I know that he did so to keep us from meeting here. So I filed the paperwork listing us as a self defense club, allowing us to meet here and not break the rules. This new tenet limits the hours per week clubs can meet to three."
"Three hours a week? That's all?" Willow was outraged. "We can't get everything done in that time. We have to appeal this!"
"I intend to," Giles smiled at her. "Until then, I'm also going to register us as a research club, a paranormal club, and a library club. That should increase our legal hours to twelve a week. I'm also registering the three of you, Oz, and Cordelia as library volunteers. This will give you all an extra ten hours a week you can be here after school."
"Go, Giles," Xander said with a smile.
"Will Snyder let you be the staff volunteer for so many groups?" Willow asked with a frown.
"I already thought of that," Giles responded. "That was what I was looking up. According to the staff handbook, there are no limits to the clubs a staff member can chair as long as it doesn't keep him from doing his job. I've always seen to it that it hasn't."
"You're a genius!" Buffy enthused, spontaneously hugging Giles. "Poor Snyder. He had no idea what he was getting into when he took on our Watcher."
"Yes, well," Giles blushed at the praise. "You lot had better get to class. Let's not give Der Furhrer any reason to deny our new club charters."
Buffy and Xander smiled at him and left together chatting about the coup that Giles had just pulled. Willow stayed behind for a minute.
"How's your head?" She'd caught him by surprise.
"It hurts, but it will heal."
"And your shoulder?"
"I'll survive."
"Giles?" A thought just occurred to Willow. "Did you eat lunch?"
"Willow, you needn't worry about me."
"That would be a no?"
"I'll grab some tea," Giles sighed. "Please don't fuss over me, Willow. I have a mother and you look nothing like her. I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine."
"I know I'm not your mother. I'd be scared if she looked like me. I'm just a friend, Giles and I'm sorry, but I do worry about you."
He smiled at her.
"Thank you, Willow. I'm in one piece and I anticipate staying that way, so you can safely go to class."
Willow smiled back at him.
"I understand. But I swear, if you do permanent damage, I'll sic Buffy on you."
"Duly noted," Giles's lips twitched and Willow could see that he was suppressing a smile.
With a final wave, Willow left the library.
Willow stayed for the whole of her 12:40 class. She actually enjoyed Chemistry and before she knew it, the bell was ringing, signaling the end of class.
At 1:55, Willow paused outside the library doors, wondering how Giles was going to react when she showed up this time. After a minute, she walked in. He looked up from a book he was searching through, then arched an eyebrow at her.
"Ms. McHarnet sent me here," she said defensively. "She needed a book. What are you researching?"
"The demon that Buffy saw last night," Giles rose stiffly from the chair, crossing to take the pass and note from her.
"Do you need help?" Willow asked.
"You have class."
"We're reviewing stuff I already know. I can tell Ms. McHarnet that I had to wait for the book."
He looked as if he were considering it.
"I can look through the books written in English and you can get the rest. I promise I'm not missing anything important."
"I'll hold off on writing the time on your pass then," Giles replied, smiling at her. "I hate to admit it, but I really could use your assistance."
Fifteen minutes later, Willow was completely engrossed in the book she was studying when Buffy suddenly came stalking in. She looked angry as she stomped up to Giles.
"I'm not going to be able to train after school tomorrow," Buffy said with no preamble.
"Why not?" Giles looked concerned.
"I have detention."
"Whatever did you do to receive detention?"
"I didn't have my homework completed for Mr. Caruthers' English class. Which by the way is totally unfair. Marc Kramer didn't have his done either, but he's on the football team, so he got off with a warning."
Giles's expression darkened.
"I see. I'll talk to Mr. Caruthers after school today. He's a reasonable man. If I can't talk him out of the detention, perhaps I can convince him to allow you to serve it in here. That way you can still train."
"Giles, have I ever told you that you are a god?" Buffy smiled at him. "And I need to go. Again, the teacher thinks I'm in the bathroom. Later!"
She breezed out of the library and Giles shook his head.
"You never read about anything like this in other Watchers' journals."
Willow chuckled softly, then she and Giles went back to studying. Five minutes later, she had just found the first mention of the creature she was looking for when an earsplitting wail broke the silence of the library. She jumped violently, looking around. Giles had been pretty startled too, but now he was standing up, shaking his head.
"What is that noise?" Willow yelled, louder than was really necessary. She was miffed at the interruption.
"Fire drill," He shrugged at her, a half smile on his face. "You have to admire the timing."
Willow slammed the book closed, then followed Giles from the library. They spent the next fifteen minutes outside with the other students until the all clear signal came over the loud speaker. They walked back into the library and Willow looked up at the clock, noting that she had ten minutes to get back to class before school was over.
"That was a total waste of perfectly good study time," she groused. "And I'd just found what I was looking for."
Giles smiled at her as he stood at the circulation desk writing on her library pass.
"I wouldn't worry about it, Willow. These little distractions come up. You just have to learn to go with them. Here is your pass and the requested book."
"Don't move the book I was working on. I'll be back right after school," Willow replied, taking the book and pass. She looked down at the piece of paper, then started laughing. "Giles, you do realize this is only going to reinforce your absentminded professor image, don't you?"
At the bottom of her library pass he'd written a note to her teacher. It said, 'I had difficulty locating this book. Ms. Rosenberg was most patient while I searched through the library. Terribly sorry. R. Giles'
"Well, yes," Giles smiled that self deprecating half smile of his. "But this way you don't get in trouble for having spent your class hour here. Now, off to class before the bell rings."
As Willow walked through the halls, she found herself thinking about Giles. He had tried so hard to get some research done and had been interrupted at every turn and yet, he just went with it. If it had been Willow, she'd have been completely frustrated by now, heck, she was just helping him and she was starting to feel picked on by the universe. But he just smiled and shrugged it off. She wondered how he stayed so calm.
She paused outside her classroom door, collecting her thoughts. She'd just go get her things and head back to the library. Maybe this time she could get some actual studying done.
Willow put her head down on the library table. Her head was hurting and her eyes were burning. She turned her head slightly, looking at the clock. Ten minutes to seven; she'd been in the library for almost four hours and she hadn't really gotten much further in her investigation. She'd never noticed how many interruptions could come up in a day.
She'd come back to the library after a quick stop at her locker. Giles wasn't there and Willow had settled in to go back to her book. Over the next ten minutes, the rest of the gang had shown up, everyone taking a seat and talking about their day. A little after three o'clock, Giles had come back looking satisfied.
"Buffy, your detention has been waived."
"How did you do that?" Buffy asked.
"It wasn't that hard really. I simply mentioned that the school board might be interested to know that football players were immune to punishment for the same offense. It was gratifying how quickly Mr. Caruthers agreed that you deserved a second chance."
"Go G-man!" Xander said from his place next to Cordelia.
It was a sign of how pleased Giles was with the complement that he let Xander get away with calling him that.
"Like I said, you are a total god, Giles," Buffy hugged him again. "Thank you."
"Yes, well," Giles was actually blushing. "We should get to work."
Giles handed out study assignments to the rest of the group, then settled into the chair next to Willow with a demonology book that was written in Russian. Twenty minutes later, Willow's note taking was interrupted by Faith walking into the library.
"Hey gang," she greeted them. "What's the sitch?"
"Nothing to worry about, Faith." Giles smiled, closing his book and standing up. "They will study. I need you to train now."
"Cool. I'd rather hit something anyway."
Willow was slightly alarmed as Giles pulled out the weapons and set up to train with Faith. After his earlier injuries she was worried that he might really get hurt this time. But, if she hadn't seen how badly he'd been damaged this afternoon, she wouldn't have known anything was wrong. Giles gave the same attention to his sparring with Faith that he had with Buffy, showing no sign of being in pain.
Willow watched the two of them, noting the differences from his training with Buffy. Giles and Faith didn't know each other as well and were still feeling out the other's style. Giles never took his gaze from her eyes, reading each move from there, instead of feeling it from the rhythm as he had with Buffy. Faith seemed to be holding back, unsure of how much the librarian could handle. Giles kept telling her not to pull her punches, after all, a demon would show no mercy.
As with Buffy earlier, they started out with simple hand to hand and every time Faith weakened her blows, Giles would strike back harder. Willow could see the anger building in Faith's eyes and hoped Giles knew what he was doing. After a few minutes, Faith was hitting Giles with a force that made Willow wince. That had to hurt. Giles's only response was to tell Faith that she was doing better.
Giles kept up with her, as he had Buffy, although this match wasn't as graceful. The moves seemed rougher, less thought out and more reaction. But Giles held his own, taking the punches and returning them with force. The only bad moment was when Faith landed a blow to his injured shoulder. Willow gasped, watching as all the color drained from his face, which took on a slightly greenish cast. She thought he was going to faint, but he merely pulled in a shaky breath and kept fighting. Willow was stunned at the willpower that must have cost him.
A few minutes later, they moved to quarterstaves and Faith was mercilessly pounding at him. Willow couldn't stop watching the fight. Again, it lacked the grace of his match with Buffy, but Faith had more power behind her blows. For a few minutes, Willow was worried that Giles was going to really damage himself, but he easily returned each blow and she just lost herself in watching them. Faith pressed the advantage of her strength and had backed Giles up a few steps when the match was interrupted.
A teacher had come into the library and was now looking on with horror. Giles extricated himself from the fight with Faith and Buffy stepped in to take his place. Willow watched the two girls. They were grinning and trying to brain each other with the staves. They really seemed to enjoy it. Her attention however was drawn by the conversation Giles was having with the teacher.
"What is going on here?" The woman sounded outraged.
"This is a meeting of the self defense club. The students are practicing."
"They are hitting each other with sticks. You condone this?"
"They are learning to protect themselves. Of course I condone it; I'm the one instructing them."
"And it doesn't bother you that they are learning such violence?"
"Miss Maylor, these girls are learning to defend themselves. I feel better knowing they will be safer for it."
"Well," the teacher sniffed, taking her books and turning her back on him as she left the library.
Willow heard her audibly muttering about barbaric foreigners and turned to see if Giles had heard her. From the look on his face, she was pretty sure that he had. She caught his eye and smiled reassuringly at him and was gratified when he returned the smile.
'Stupid woman,' Willow mouthed to him.
He laughed, then returned to the sparring match, picking up a quarterstaff and stepping between Buffy and Faith. For the next half an hour, Willow watched as Giles coordinated an admirable defense against two Slayers with quarterstaves. He took quite a few blows and was actually knocked down a couple times, but he always got right back up and gave the two girls an actual challenge.
At 4:30, he called an end to the sparring and sent the Slayers to run laps around the track. Willow was aware that he was sweating and slightly shaking. She decided if she hadn't been looking for it, she wouldn't have noticed. She couldn't however ignore the fact that the cut over his eye was bleeding again, a small trickle of blood creeping a trail from under the bandage. Without a word, Giles walked back to his office. Xander and Cordelia hadn't even looked up from their studying and conversation.
Willow went back to check on Giles. He was again sitting at his desk with the mirror in front of him. He was just pulling off the band-aid and wincing when Willow walked in. He gently poked at the cut, assessing the damage as she reached over and opened an antiseptic pad.
"How bad is it?"
"It could be worse."
"That's not reassuring," She leaned over, swabbing lightly at the cut.
Giles drew in a sharp breath and looked up at her questioningly.
"What, no one's ever taken care of you before?" She finished wiping all the blood off. She got a clean bandage from the first aid kit and gently centered it over the cut.
"Not since I was about twelve years old," Giles chuckled. "Why are you playing Florence Nightingale for me?"
"No real reason, I guess," Willow smiled at him. "I just thought you deserved some babying."
His expression was unreadable as he looked at her, then he smiled.
"Thank you. It does feel better now."
"Why don't I believe you, Watcherguy? Just be careful, okay?"
His only response was a smile as they went out to join the others.
They settled back into their seats and had been studying for about twenty five minutes when the quiet of the library was disturbed by the whining voice of a child. Both Willow and Giles looked up in alarm. A large woman had walked in, crying child in tow, and was looking around. Giles stood and walked over to her.
"May I help you?" He asked.
"I'm looking for the librarian."
"I'm Mr. Giles, the librarian. How may I help you?"
"I need to know where to set up for the PTA meeting tonight."
"Excuse me?" Giles looked horrified.
"Principal Snyder told me that we could use the library for our meeting tonight."
"I'm afraid that's out of the question," Giles gestured to the table where Xander, Cordelia, and Willow sat. "We are having a club meeting here tonight."
"Well, I'm sure you'll be done by seven o'clock."
Willow watched as Giles exasperatedly argued with the woman that his library would already be in use for the evening. She countered every argument and her child's whining got louder with each passing minute. Even Xander and Cordelia's attention had been caught by this exchange.
"Madame," He finally ground out, sounding at the end of his rope. "How many people will be attending this meeting?"
"Oh, about forty or so." She sounded as if she'd thought she'd won.
"Look around this library," Giles answered. "Do you think you could fit that many people in here? There aren't enough seats for them."
"Why not?" The woman seemed completely outraged.
"I'm afraid I have no answer for that," Giles's accent was clipped and pronounced. He must be pretty upset. "I did not design the building. I merely work here."
The woman was looking at him, her mouth pulled into a frown.
"I'm sorry the library won't be suitable for your needs," Giles said, not really sounding sorry at all. "Perhaps you should try the cafeteria. I know you could comfortably fit forty people in there."
"Well, maybe that would be better," she conceded, looking around the library. Without another word, she grabbed her child by the hand and left the room.
"Way to go, Giles," Xander interjected.
"That really was some fast thinking," Willow concurred, smiling at Giles.
"That was desperation," Giles responded, retuning to the table. "And since when did we become the bloody Elk's Club? I suppose I'll have to talk to Der Fuhrer about this tomorrow."
Giles had no sooner reopened his book, then Buffy and Faith returned and he turned his attention to them to lead them through a series of meditation exercises. Willow found herself thinking yet again that he was never going to get done with everything on that list of his.
About fifteen minutes after six o'clock, Giles had sent everyone off for the night. Willow had opted to stay, telling him that her parents wouldn't miss her anyway. And so, the two of then had sat, studying in the quiet library. At six thirty, the quiet had been broken as Willow's stomach growled. Giles looked over at her and smiled.
"I think your stomach is trying to tell you that it's dinner time."
"I'll eat when you do," Willow had responded, not looking up from her book. She wasn't trying to be mean; she was just worried about him. "I had breakfast and lunch. I'm pretty sure you didn't."
After a pause, Giles closed his book.
"Why don't I order some Chinese food? I know they'll deliver here." He somehow managed to put an entire peace proposal into those words.
Willow looked up at him and smiled.
"I'm sorry to snap, but somebody has to make sure you take care of yourself. And hey, are you buying me dinner?"
"Call it paying you back."
"For my research help?"
"And for your fussing. My mother would be proud of you."
Willow laughed. They looked over the takeout menu that Giles had in his office, then he called in an order. They'd gone back to studying, waiting for the food to arrive. Now, here they were at ten minutes to seven and Willow's body had decided that she'd studied enough.
"Are you all right, Willow?"
"Hmm?" Willow tilted her head and looked over at him. He appeared worried. "I'm fine. I just need a break."
"Well, the food should be here any time now. I suppose we can stop until after we've eaten."
He had just closed his book when Xander came running in.
"Is there something wrong?" Giles asked, getting to his feet.
"Buffy sent me," Xander seemed out of breath. "She saw the demon again and she wanted me to tell you that she was wrong."
"Wrong?"
"When she saw it last night it was in the shadows. She got a better look at it tonight. It's not purple and fuzzy. It's maroon and scaly. And the horns on the neck? They were really more like wings. Sorry."
Giles sighed.
"So all the research that Willow and I did was for nothing? Ahh, well. I suppose we start over."
Willow picked up her head and looked at Giles incredulously.
"We have to start again?"
"What else can we do? It's not like we can force it to be purple and fuzzy, now can we?"
Willow sighed and put her head back down.
"Is Buffy still patrolling?" Giles asked Xander.
"Yeah. She and Faith spilt up. Faith is taking the west side cemeteries and Buffy's got the east side ones."
Giles nodded.
"And now I'm going back out," Xander said, heading for the door. "I didn't have anything else to do, so I'm keeping an eye on Buffy."
"See that you do," Giles responded, turning to smile at Xander. "I actually feel better knowing she's not alone. Keep watch on Faith too, if you would. And remind them to get some sleep?"
"Will do, G-man."
"Don't call me that." The response seemed automatic. "And Xander…do be careful for yourself please."
Xander smiled, then nodded as he left the library.
"Well, that was…disheartening," Giles sighed as he sat down again.
"That's all you can say?" Willow sat up. "We worked all day and it was for nothing. How can you be so casual about this. You have so much to do already and now a whole day's research is just wasted."
"It's what I do Willow," He smiled. "I could get upset, but would it help?"
"I guess not."
"And it's not as though we'll never use the information. You wait. Some time soon a fuzzy, purple demon will turn up and we'll already know what to do."
Willow looked at him for a minute, then burst out laughing.
"We'll just keep a good thought there, Giles."
Giles opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted as the young man with their food order walked in.
Willow watched him as he paid for the food and talked politely with the delivery boy. It was an odd feeling to be looking at him this way; not as a Watcher, not as a teacher, but as a person. She realized that she took him for granted most of the time, having no idea how much effort he put into balancing both of his jobs. She felt a little guilty as she thought about how little she usually helped him. She was always so wrapped up in her life, her friends, Oz. And all the while, Giles worked tirelessly to make sure that the world stayed safe.
Willow had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that the delivery boy had left and Giles was now setting up food on the table. He must have asked her something, because he was looking at her.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I was asking if everything was all right," Giles said, looking concerned.
"Oh, yeah. I was just thinking."
"About what?" Giles handed her a paper plate and a napkin and began spooning rice onto her plate for her.
"Nothing," Willow shook her head, looking at the table.
"Willow?" His voice sounded worried and she looked at him.
He was watching her, his brow furrowed.
"It's just…God Giles, how do you do it?"
"Do what?" He'd moved on and was spooning chicken with garlic sauce over the rice. Something about the calm domesticity of the situation struck Willow as surreal.
"This," she gestured to the library. "Day in, day out, working, fighting, never a minute to breathe. And no one helps you, no one appreciates you."
"Willow, I simply do what's needed," He dumped some noodles on her plate, then handed her a fork. "I am a Watcher. This is just part of the job."
"No it's not," Willow corrected, watching as he dished out his own food. "No other Watcher has had to not only train the Slayer, but train two Slayers and hold down a full time job on the side."
"I will admit that it can be a challenge some days to balance my Watcher duties with my librarian job," he pulled two bottled waters out of the bag. He opened one and handed it to Willow. "It's not as if I have a choice though, is it? If I quit my job as librarian, I won't be here to help Buffy, to help you all. I'm needed here, all day, every day. And this is the only way to do that. I could appeal to the Council and ask for another Watcher to be sent for Faith, but I'd rather not. Some of the other Watchers are…well, stuffy and rule-bound would be understatements. Faith doesn't need someone who will criticize her for not being perfect. For that matter, Buffy doesn't need that either. And so, that leaves me to train them both."
"But Giles…" Willow paused. "I guess I've just never thought about how much work you put in. I'm sorry I don't help more. I just…somehow I never noticed before how hard you work."
"You've never noticed because you are a seventeen year old girl," Giles smiled at her. He was now sitting next to her, pushing his food around on his plate while he talked to her. He picked up another carton and placed an egg roll on Willow's plate. "You aren't supposed to notice what I do or worry about what needs to be done. You should be enjoying your life. You have no idea how guilty I feel for stealing your youth from you. You shouldn't even know that vampires are real and I'm making you read up on them instead of letting you go on dates. It's really not fair to you."
"Oh Giles, none of this is your fault," Willow reached out and put her hand over his. "I guess we all got messed over by the cosmic forces. I don't mind helping you, really I don't. Please don't feel guilty about this. There's something ironic about this, both of us feeling guilty for not helping the other more. I'm not complaining that I'm involved in this; I wouldn't want it any other way. Now that I know what's out there, how could I ever pretend I don't? All I'm saying is that I'm sorry I take you for granted. You work so hard and I'm sorry that I've never noticed it before. I promise to try to help more."
"It is entirely all right, Willow," Giles smiled, removing his hand from under hers. "You'll do what you can and I will be grateful for the help. I would like to ask though, what made you aware of the work I'm doing?"
"I was watching you today. Normally, I'm only in here a few hours a day, but for some reason today I spent most of my day in the library. Hey, I got to watch the Watcher. Anyway, I got a chance to see what it is you do."
"Well, today isn't a good example of what my usual day is like," Giles said, going back to his food.
"It isn't?"
"No," He looked at her seriously. "Quite days like today make me aware of just how stressful my life can be."
"This was a quiet day?" Willow looked at him incredulously.
"Well, no vampires attacked, none of us died, the school didn't burn down, I wasn't deported, and the Hellmouth is still closed. We didn't even have to take anyone to the emergency room, so yes, I'd say this was a quiet day."
"Giles, I think we have very different opinions of quiet." Willow smiled at him, taking a bite of her food. "I'd hate to see your idea of a vacation."
The End