selfindulgence9altff
Part 9

Buffy sprinted into the Magic Box and opened the door with a crash. A dozen or so customers looked up, startled, but the mild mannered proprietor continued ringing up a set of herbs for the lanky, dark woman on the other side of the counter. "Giles! We have a problem…or not. It could be. Or it could be a good thing. But most likely not of the good. I just don't know." The Slayer slowed her ascent upon Rupert as she struggled to make sense of her thoughts. He hardly seemed to notice her. Giles had endured enough hysterics in his time that he could tell the difference between 'life and death Buffy', and just 'rattled Buffy'. She rarely got up his dander anymore.

"Thank you, um, Ms. Coyle, and have a nice day." A sincere smile crossed his lips and the customer strolled out of the store, but not without glaring at the obnoxious blonde who had stormed in. With a gentle push to close the cash register, he lovingly looked up at his slayer. "What seems to be the trouble, Buffy?"

"It's Spike!" This was the one thing she knew for certain.

"What, has he gone and done something sinister again?"

"No…yes…he, he, he…"

"Did he commission a Buffy bot from Warren with the intent of having nights and nights of wild sex with you, er, her?"

(Okay, Giles didn't actually say that, but I like to imagine he did.)

Giles pulled her into the back room and sat her down. With a strong hand on her shoulder, he asked, "Now, calm down. Is anyone hurt?"

"No! It's not that. I saw him today. In the cemetery. He was with a woman and they were talking. Talking about…" Buffy fell silent. Anya was heard asking as to the whereabouts of a certain mystical item.

"It's in the storeroom on the third shelf to the right, under the orbs of Thesila." He then turned his attention back to the girl.

"He didn't know I was there, listening." Now Giles' curiosity was piqued.

"What did he say, Buffy?" There was a desperation in his eyes.

"He was talking to her about his soul."

"What soul?"

"His soul. The one that he supposedly has. And, and he was asking her why he wasn't all broody like Angel. And. And." Her eyes suddenly stared off as her mind tried even harder to make sense of this.

"Oh my. Well, when did this happen? I mean, did he do this on purpose? I-I'm shocked."

"I don't know, Giles. I could barely hear them. She kept chewing on her fingers and mumbling. I gather he's had it for a while." She paused, but then her eyes lit up. "Maybe it had something to do with that chip in his head, or maybe something else the Initiative did to him."

When she refocused on her Watcher, he was no longer standing at her side. Instead, he had retreated to the front of the store, and was grabbing five or so heavy books. "Perhaps, we should talk to him. You know, just ask him."

Buffy stood suddenly. "Oh, no! I'm not talking to that perv. Couldn't you guys go and... Couldn't you just... Argh!" Buffy stopped babbling and purposely calmed herself. "I want to know what's up with this 'soul' thing. I want to know what that means for Angel. I have to know what it means for us. But I can't deal with him right now. I just can't." She took a deep breath. "Besides, I have some stuff I have to do right now, like pick Dawn up from Xander's and start dinner, and laundry, and..."

The Watcher looked at his Slayer. So young, yet forced into an adult's life without her say so. Every day she seemed to have more responsibility and less freedom. Less time to grow up. Giles replaced his hand on her shoulder. "Buffy. Are you sure? This is your first night back at the house. Perhaps you would like to stay with me for a while. I don't like the idea of you and Dawn alone where…" He couldn't bring himself to finish, especially when he looked in those hazel eyes of hers, the ones that always held so much strength and unity, and saw the tears welling up. She was trying her best to ignore the fact that her mother had died…right there on the living room couch. The same place where she had enjoyed movies, popcorn and motherly lectures for the past five years.

"I can't stay away forever, Giles. I have to face it sometime."

"But why tonight? Why so soon? Please. Stay with me. There's not much room, but I can make it work. If worse comes to worse, we can always put Dawn up in the tub." It was a reach at humor, a far reach, but one that she appreciated.

Giles fully expected Buffy to turn him down. She was an emotional girl, true, but she always tried to hold herself above her sticky, messy, inconvenient feelings. At this point in her life, she probably wanted nothing more but to feel in control of something. If that meant facing that house, and that couch, alone, then she would.

"That actually sounds like a good idea. Thanks, Giles."

Or not.

Giles looked at her with mixed emotions. "Yes, well, you know I'll always be here for you and Dawn."

Buffy sheepishly looked up at him and without warning, lightly kissed his cheek. "Thank you." One lone tear fell from her eye and Giles took her into his arms as a father would his grieving daughter.