"We can't tie him up, Faith!"
"We can't have him barreling out of the car at fifty miles per hour either."
The frustrated blonde put her hands on her hips, giving the other girl a look that signaled she knew she was losing the fight. Willow's spell would only have him out for so long and by the time he was awake they needed to have him wherever they were going to go.
"What if he wakes up and he's tied? He'll be more scared than he is now."
"Xander's driving. We keep Willow in the back to work the mojo if he wakes up again. You to hold him as long as it takes for her to get the spell off and me in the front to give directions."
She paused and thought about it, finally conceding. "I don't like this."
"I don't either."
They got everything packed, all of them squished into Giles' car. His sense of automobiles had never improved leaving them cramped together. The Watcher was lazily draped across the witch and the slayer in the back seat. Buffy held his hand the entire time, whispering to him about their lives, memories, anything she thought could get him to come back to her. He failed to respond, thrashing occasionally against the two women but thankfully didn't stir.
They pulled up the gravel drive toward his family house in the country. Xander parked the car next to the cabin he and Willow would be staying in. Faith unpacked the things they'd shoved in duffle bags. She slung one over her shoulder. Buffy took the other and between them they carried the unconscious man. Thankfully it wasn't very far to get to the trees. There was no guarantee he wouldn't take off running when he woke up but they were both going to take the chance, sleeping in shifts.
"Faith?"
She looked up from starting a fire, her eyes drifting across camp.
"Thanks. For all of this."
"I care about him, too."
"I'm getting that."
They fell back into silence, setting up a small camp in a clearing. Soon a fire crackled, providing a ring of light around them. Away from the city nothing sounded but the fire's occasional popping and the whisper of the breeze through the trees. He began to stir when Faith put a spit over the fire to roast some meat she'd brought. She grinned, thinking it was sort of typical for a man to wake up for food. And usually for sex, but mostly for food. She chuckled but then was on her guard in case he panicked.
He looked around, getting to his feet before he realized his knife was not where it had been. It was laying next to the fire, a few feet in front of him. He looked between the girls and then at the meat. Slowly, so slowly Faith thought she might die of old age before it happened, he relaxed. Whatever they were to him he had at least decided they weren't out to hurt him.
"Hey."
She got up, handing him a cup of water. He yanked it from her and drank greedily. When he lowered it she refilled it from the bottle. That he kept in hand, turning around to look at their surroundings. He shivered and the other slayer was quick to root around in one of the duffle bags. She came out with a loose pair of pants and a shirt, both of which were likely too large for him now but it was all they had. She offered those to him. He took them and pondered them a minute, running his hands over the cloth. He let out a soft sound, pushing his pants down to put the other pair on. His slayer turned a bright shade of red and eeped, turning her back to him. Faith just averted her eyes.
He seemed to realize something was wrong and paused, staring at them both. The brunette smiled and gave him a small nod, trying not to make him self conscious before turning her back to him as well. She heard rustling at first, and then a struggle and a strangled sound, like a dying animal. She whipped back around and saw him standing in place, the shirt halfway on and stuck. He looked cute and helpless, a befuddled look on his face that reminded her of the Giles he was. She moved toward him, hands up, and took hold of the shirt. She helped him with the sleeves, bringing it down properly over his head. Her hand brushed his skin, which felt like it was flushed with fever. He flinched but did not lash out this time.
"You look a little like yourself." She promised him.
It wasn't exactly a lie. The clothes weren't his usual style and hung off of him like some muscled scarecrow but at least they weren't made from demon skins. It was a step in the right direction and neither girl was going to complain about that. Buffy yawned and Faith moved to the spit to take the meat off the fire. It looked plenty cooked through. He eyed it hungrily but seemed to understand that it was too soon to eat it. While the blonde fell to sleep Faith sat in silence with Giles, used to staying up late. Normally she was demon hunting, but tonight she'd have to be low key.
He ate with abandon as soon as she offered it to him, groaning at the taste. She rummaged around and found a football she'd brought for something to do. She leaned back against a log and tossed it straight up above her, catching it as it spiraled down. It was going to be a long night and she had nothing else to do. After a few minutes, once the meat was gone, she realized he was watching her. His eyes followed her every move, keen and appraising. She turned her eyes on him, still throwing and catching the ball. Without warning she tossed it in his direction. His hand shot out and caught it, holding it out in front of him. He brought the ball to his nose and sniffed it curiously, turning it over in his hands to examine when smell yielded no results. Finally his eyes drifted back to hers. She pointed to the ball and then to herself, nodding encouragement.
He threw it.
The ball connected with her hands with a solid sound but his aim was surprisingly accurate. She smiled to reward the effort; he looked proud and a little playful.
"Come on."
She led him from their camp to the open field beyond the trees. The moon hung overhead, illuminating the night with plenty of light. He looked around and then up, mesmerized by the sky. She watched him as he stared, reaching up as if to touch one of the stars that winked down at them. A heavy sigh erupted from his lips and he looked at her, mouth open, a look of concentration painting his features. No sound came and he scowled instead, turning his back to her. His hands were in fists, shaking by his side.
"Hey," she chided softly. "It's ok. We'll get there. I know it makes no sense to you now, but I promise we'll get there."
Where had all of this come from? This patience? This willingness to put herself on the emotional line? Her mind turned back to a night when they were battling the First. She'd been sitting on the back porch, looking up at the night sky the same way they were looking now. There was peace in the house tonight as everyone else was asleep. She heard him approach, opening the back door.
"Faith?" his voice broke her silence and she nodded acknowledgment.
"Yeah, G."
"I noticed you out here and thought you might like some tea."
He offered the mug. She didn't drink tea, but took it all the same. "That all?"
"I thought you might like some company as well."
She motioned to the chair beside her, shrugging apathy. He sat down, the chair creaking a little as it shifted. Beyond the porch she could see the trees at the back of the Summers property line. Beyond that the sky. The moon was full and nighttime in Sunnydale tended to be well lit but it didn't block the view of one particular star, the one she'd been staring at for the past hour.
"That's Sirius." He pointed.
"Like the Harry Potter guy?" He gave her a sharp look which she returned innocently. "I saw the movies."
"No, not at all like that." He turned away, looking up again. "It's known at the dog star -"
She snickered.
"What's so funny?"
"Because he turns into a dog."
The movie about wizards. He'd sighed in despair then, wondering for a moment why he was in this conversation at all. She quieted, shaking her head.
"I'm sorry."
He wasn't sure he believed her but chose to pick up again. "In ancient times sailors used that star to plot their way home. They said it was a steadfast companion, like a dog, and the name stuck."
"I'm sensing a speech coming."
"No speech," he smiled. "But now that you mention it -"
"I'm out."
She moved to get up and he caught her hand, laughing. "Stay, Faith, please. I promise I won't lecture."
He grew more serious as she sat back down. "You know, we'll see light from that star for many years after it's died. Its light resonates and travels toward Earth, taking years to reach us. All around us are the ripples of light from stars that have died and those yet to be born."
He wasn't talking about stars; she just knew it, deep down.
"We're going to win, Giles. You're not going anywhere, but when you do we won't forget you."
He looked toward her, eyes soft. "Of course we will. I'd never suggest otherwise."
"Crazy how stars live and die one after the other with no choice in the matter."
He picked up her line of thought without hesitation. "Every star is unique, Faith. They shine in their own ways, brighter depending on who views them and when. It's constantly changing. No star can ever be duplicated."
"So I'm not just Buffy's stand in?"
"Of course not. We're talking about stars. Don't be ridiculous."
He looked at her, she looked at him, neither said a word as they turned back to the night sky. Here with him now she looked up again, spotting Sirius. It was in a different place, they were in another country altogether, but she pointed to it.
"That's Sirius, the dog star; you taught me that. It used to guide lost sailors home. It's always there, never changing, like a dog. It saved people and brought them home to their loved ones."
She wasn't talking about stars, either. He stayed transfixed, staring at the sky before looking at her again. He opened his mouth again to say something but again the words didn't come. The same frustrated hue was cast over his body and she felt sorry for him. A Giles without words was probably his idea of hell. She couldn't imagine the things he was thinking, feeling, unable to express himself.
"Here." She handed him the football. "Why don't we exercise a little while B sleeps?"
She backed away from him, keeping him in sight. He looked down at the ball and then at her, tossing it as he had before. She ran a few steps and caught it, flinging it back to him without hesitation. She saw the change in him immediately, his eyes never straying from the ball. He ran to catch it, calculating where she was and sending it off toward her with pinpoint accuracy and strength. As they played they drifted further and further apart until there was nearly half a football field between them. She found herself relaxed, wishing they'd done something like this before. He appeared to be having fun as well, a pleased grin on his lips. He dove for her throw, catching the ball and cradling it to his chest. He went down and rolled in the grass. She let out a cry and began running toward him. He had begun to get back up, ball in hand, when her foot caught in a hole hidden in the grass. Her ankle twisted and down she went, landing on her side heavily. Her head hit a rock, leaving her a little dazed. She saw his face hovering over her and felt his strong arms scooping her up. She tried to protest that it wasn't necessary, that she could walk, when she realized he was carrying her - touching her willingly. In fact, he was carrying her back toward the dim glow of the fire.
"I'm ok," she promised but as she said it a wave of dizziness washed over her. She moaned softly, reaching up to feel a lump swelling at the base of her skull.
He laid her down next to the fire pit, piling some of the wood they had onto it to build the flames back up. The warmth felt nice. She realized how tired she was and tried to wake Buffy, her arm reaching for the blonde before she drifted off. She woke to sunlight streaming through the trees. It took effort to push herself up, the ground hard on her body.
"B?"
She saw Giles sleeping curled against the base of a tree first. She turned and saw Buffy staring at what appeared to be a deer hanging from a tree. It was bound by its entrails to a limb, hooves tied together around the branch, skinned and prepped. The skin was draped over the same limb. The wide eyes and sour frown explained how horrified her counterpart was.
"He went hunting."
"Yeah, after you fell asleep."
"We were playing catch last night," she tried to explain.
"Catch?"
"The football I brought. Figured it might be a good way to get that energy out without violence." Thankfully, the blonde nodded and didn't want to argue about that. "Anyway, I fell and hit my head on a rock. He carried me back to camp. I tried to wake you but I guess I passed out."
"He carried you?"
"Yep." She nodded. "He came to check on me when I fell, wanted to see if I was ok."
"He's providing for us."
"He's trying to. Twice last night I think he wanted to say something but the words didn't come. It made him angry. He knows something's up, B, he just doesn't remember what yet. He's learning."