Giles retrieved the blue box from Xander's closet later that evening then got the books out from under the boy's bed. He also found the wedding ring Xander had for Anya. He decided to put it on the girl's finger before her burial. That was where it belonged.
Giles crept quietly back into Buffy's house, not wanting to wake the others. Buffy was out patrolling, probably trying to get her mind off of things.
When he walked into the living room, he was surprised to see Willow sitting there in the dark. She looked up when he entered.
"Do you have it?" she asked quietly.
Giles nodded and handed the box to her. He then looked at the books in his hand. One was a fiction novel about a magic librarian. Giles chuckled softly at that. The other was a familiar hard-covered one. Carefully, he opened it and inside was a note.
Giles-Went back and got this dusty old thing for ya. Hopefully I'll remember to give it back to you-Xander.
Giles ran his fingers down the spine of the book. It was the one the vampire had stolen for Druscilla's healing spell. He suddenly realized that he had never remembered that it was missing.
"Oh wow," Willow murmured suddenly.
Giles came over to sit next to her on the couch and was shocked at what filled it. Ashes.
Willow gingerly pulled out a letter taped to the lid.
Wills-Please don't freak out and drop this box but these are Jesse's ashes from when I had to stake him. Please, use whatever savings I have to buy him a nice tombstone and a spot at one of our many cemeteries. I haven't really been able to afford it but I've got a little stash saved up at the bank.-Xander
Willow put a hand over her mouth as she stared at the ashes. "Oh my God."
Giles carefully took the box off of her lap and put the lid back on tightly. "We'll get something nice for him."
Willow nodded. "I can't believe he saved them all these years."
"He was his best friend," Giles said. "And he had to kill him, even though it was really the demon."
Willow started to cry and Giles put an arm around her comfortingly. Tears filled his eyes as well and the two cried together over their lost friend.
+++
Buffy walked through the cemetery, only pausing every now and then to stake a vampire with precision and ease.
"Buffy."
She whirled around to see Spike standing behind her. "What?"
He looked a bit sheepish as he stepped towards her. "I heard about the kid and his girlfriend. I'm sorry."
"Thank you." Buffy turned to walk away.
Spike hurried to catch up with her. "If you need anything..."
"No I'm fine."
"I can take over patrolling for you if you want."
Buffy shook her head. "It's okay." She paused. "Thank you for offering."
They walked on together in silence before Buffy spoke.
"He wrote something to you in his will."
Spike raised his eyebrows. "He had a will?"
Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Um, he said that he wants you to watch over us and especially Dawn. Oh yeah and he said you can have his lamp."
Spike chuckled softly at that. "He did, did he?" He shook his head. "You know, I have to say, even though I didn't like him, I did respect him. That kid had more balls than I'd ever seen on most humans. And he really cared about your lot which is surprising considering that place he's grown up in."
Buffy frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Oh come on," Spike scoffed. "I lived with him for only two days and saw what kind of home life he's got. His parents kept me awake the whole bloody night with their ranting. I've seen the kid more than once walk over to Giles' house beat up and limping."
Buffy's eyes were wide. "I-I had no idea."
"Look a little closer at your friends, Slayer. Maybe next time you'll be able to help them before they get themselves killed."
Spike knew the blow was coming before Buffy even lifted her fist. He went down, a hand over his cheek.
"Don't ever talk about my friends like that again," Buffy said menacingly as he started to get up. She kicked him and he went down again. Suddenly, she went over to a bench on the sidewalk and lifted it up then threw it against the wall of a mausoleum.
Spike slowly got to his feet, watching Buffy begin to cry. Wordlessly, he put his arms around her and she fell into them.
+++
Xander had never felt more helpless than at the moment Buffy had begun to cry. He couldn't believe Spike knew about everything that had gone on in his house. The only person he had ever told was Giles. Now Buffy knew and the others would soon find out.
Xander had followed her the whole night, whispering in her ear when a vampire was about to approach, watching her in action.
Now, he came to stand by her as she cried onto Spike's shoulder. The vampire rubbed her back comfortingly and made soothing noises. Xander tentatively reached out a hand to touch her hair. She couldn't feel him but maybe she could sense him.
Xander knelt beside the slayer and gently touched her cheek. "It's okay," he whispered, staring at her tear-stained face. "I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me."
Buffy sniffled and looked directly at him. For a second, his heart skipped a beat, but then he realized she wasn't really looking at him, but beyond him.
"I'm okay now," she said, getting to her feet.
"You sure, pet?" Spike asked.
Xander was surprised at how human-like Spike was being. Xander followed the two as they walked home, his hand on Buffy's back, keeping strict watch for vampires or any other danger.
As they reached an intersection, he heard the squeal of tires in the distance. Warning bells went off in his head and he instinctively tried to pull on Buffy's shoulder. His hands went right through her and he remembered that he couldn't directly protect her.
Instead, he ran to the nearby bushes and began rustling them. Buffy paused and turned around, as did Spike.
Suddenly, a silver car turned the corner and zoomed right over the spot that they would have been standing in if they hadn't stopped.
"Whoa, that was close," Buffy said.
"Yeah if we hadn't stopped..." Spike paused. "Maybe the kid's watching over us."
Buffy glanced at him then smiled. "Maybe he is."
************************************************************************
Chapter 5 will be up soon! Please review!
Giles crept quietly back into Buffy's house, not wanting to wake the others. Buffy was out patrolling, probably trying to get her mind off of things.
When he walked into the living room, he was surprised to see Willow sitting there in the dark. She looked up when he entered.
"Do you have it?" she asked quietly.
Giles nodded and handed the box to her. He then looked at the books in his hand. One was a fiction novel about a magic librarian. Giles chuckled softly at that. The other was a familiar hard-covered one. Carefully, he opened it and inside was a note.
Giles-Went back and got this dusty old thing for ya. Hopefully I'll remember to give it back to you-Xander.
Giles ran his fingers down the spine of the book. It was the one the vampire had stolen for Druscilla's healing spell. He suddenly realized that he had never remembered that it was missing.
"Oh wow," Willow murmured suddenly.
Giles came over to sit next to her on the couch and was shocked at what filled it. Ashes.
Willow gingerly pulled out a letter taped to the lid.
Wills-Please don't freak out and drop this box but these are Jesse's ashes from when I had to stake him. Please, use whatever savings I have to buy him a nice tombstone and a spot at one of our many cemeteries. I haven't really been able to afford it but I've got a little stash saved up at the bank.-Xander
Willow put a hand over her mouth as she stared at the ashes. "Oh my God."
Giles carefully took the box off of her lap and put the lid back on tightly. "We'll get something nice for him."
Willow nodded. "I can't believe he saved them all these years."
"He was his best friend," Giles said. "And he had to kill him, even though it was really the demon."
Willow started to cry and Giles put an arm around her comfortingly. Tears filled his eyes as well and the two cried together over their lost friend.
+++
Buffy walked through the cemetery, only pausing every now and then to stake a vampire with precision and ease.
"Buffy."
She whirled around to see Spike standing behind her. "What?"
He looked a bit sheepish as he stepped towards her. "I heard about the kid and his girlfriend. I'm sorry."
"Thank you." Buffy turned to walk away.
Spike hurried to catch up with her. "If you need anything..."
"No I'm fine."
"I can take over patrolling for you if you want."
Buffy shook her head. "It's okay." She paused. "Thank you for offering."
They walked on together in silence before Buffy spoke.
"He wrote something to you in his will."
Spike raised his eyebrows. "He had a will?"
Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Um, he said that he wants you to watch over us and especially Dawn. Oh yeah and he said you can have his lamp."
Spike chuckled softly at that. "He did, did he?" He shook his head. "You know, I have to say, even though I didn't like him, I did respect him. That kid had more balls than I'd ever seen on most humans. And he really cared about your lot which is surprising considering that place he's grown up in."
Buffy frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Oh come on," Spike scoffed. "I lived with him for only two days and saw what kind of home life he's got. His parents kept me awake the whole bloody night with their ranting. I've seen the kid more than once walk over to Giles' house beat up and limping."
Buffy's eyes were wide. "I-I had no idea."
"Look a little closer at your friends, Slayer. Maybe next time you'll be able to help them before they get themselves killed."
Spike knew the blow was coming before Buffy even lifted her fist. He went down, a hand over his cheek.
"Don't ever talk about my friends like that again," Buffy said menacingly as he started to get up. She kicked him and he went down again. Suddenly, she went over to a bench on the sidewalk and lifted it up then threw it against the wall of a mausoleum.
Spike slowly got to his feet, watching Buffy begin to cry. Wordlessly, he put his arms around her and she fell into them.
+++
Xander had never felt more helpless than at the moment Buffy had begun to cry. He couldn't believe Spike knew about everything that had gone on in his house. The only person he had ever told was Giles. Now Buffy knew and the others would soon find out.
Xander had followed her the whole night, whispering in her ear when a vampire was about to approach, watching her in action.
Now, he came to stand by her as she cried onto Spike's shoulder. The vampire rubbed her back comfortingly and made soothing noises. Xander tentatively reached out a hand to touch her hair. She couldn't feel him but maybe she could sense him.
Xander knelt beside the slayer and gently touched her cheek. "It's okay," he whispered, staring at her tear-stained face. "I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me."
Buffy sniffled and looked directly at him. For a second, his heart skipped a beat, but then he realized she wasn't really looking at him, but beyond him.
"I'm okay now," she said, getting to her feet.
"You sure, pet?" Spike asked.
Xander was surprised at how human-like Spike was being. Xander followed the two as they walked home, his hand on Buffy's back, keeping strict watch for vampires or any other danger.
As they reached an intersection, he heard the squeal of tires in the distance. Warning bells went off in his head and he instinctively tried to pull on Buffy's shoulder. His hands went right through her and he remembered that he couldn't directly protect her.
Instead, he ran to the nearby bushes and began rustling them. Buffy paused and turned around, as did Spike.
Suddenly, a silver car turned the corner and zoomed right over the spot that they would have been standing in if they hadn't stopped.
"Whoa, that was close," Buffy said.
"Yeah if we hadn't stopped..." Spike paused. "Maybe the kid's watching over us."
Buffy glanced at him then smiled. "Maybe he is."
************************************************************************
Chapter 5 will be up soon! Please review!