Five People
Disclaimer: BtVS belongs to Joss Whedon, all rights reserved. Five People You Meet in Heaven belongs to Mitch Albom, I've only skewed the idea for my own purposes.
Summary: SPOILER: COMIC-VERSE SEASON 8. The five people Giles meets in heaven.
V.
It's not clouds or gates or even a warrior guarding the entrance to the heavenly realm. To Rupert's surprise and relief, it's more like a sense of calm; a feeling of a river, of magic. It's not who he expects to see first, but he supposes, that he was a Watcher, and it is unlikely the Council would let him rest without having the last word.
Quentin Travers, younger than he was, rests a final hand on his shoulder. Tender actions for a man who would have seen their Slayer burn.
IV.
He hasn't seen her in the longest time, and he briefly wonders why she would greet him. He was never hers; not like the others. Rupert is happy to see a familiar face, one whose eyes convey gratitude. He had seen his Slayer die, too many years before, and it left him prepared for a death he ignored as vampires danced and played with his mind.
"I have been watching," Kendra says. "You led her well."
He thinks she means Buffy, but then he reconsiders. He feels comfort knowing that even Faith has a guardian angel.
III.
He greets her as an old friend, even though in life, she looked upon him with eyes of a lost demon, desperate for approval. She had never said such kind words in her life, she wouldn't start now. He feels old, having died for a purpose.
As Anya loudly passes him, he thinks that she waited a thousand years to die, and at least they both left the world so valiantly.
II.
He feels her warmth before he sees her. She takes his hand. He knows they took Buffy away from her but she doesn't seem to mind. A gentle squeeze of the hand conveys more than years of virtual co-parenting. A Slayer needs a mother, a Slayer needs a father.
"You saved her," Joyce whispers.
"She needed me," he replies, all the wisdom and love in the world that a father, not a Watcher, bestows upon a child.
A silent understanding lingers between them, thank you for watching over her.
I.
Finally, he sees her, sitting. His heart is alight. He has seen her in his dreams. She laughs and she cries and she stares back at him from a bent body, arranged so perfectly on his crisp, clean sheets. She is the river, she is the sun.
A lifetime of pain, suffering and joy, such joy is here. She has been waiting.
Jenny takes his hand.
He is home, amongst the stars.