Giles woke to the feel of a small hand gently pawing at his face. He blinked
tiredly, and his eyes focused on the petite blond Slayer in front of him.
Buffy's hands lingered on his cheeks for a moment as she stared at him
intently. Her voice was barely audible. "Giles."
Giles felt tears build in his eyes and he impatiently brushed them away. He
wanted to explain, to apologize, anything that would gain forgiveness, but
all he could say was her name. "Buffy..."
She shook her head; her shining hair swished around her face. "No. Just be
quiet for a second."
Giles nodded and became still under her scrutiny. Her eyes, those deep,
pain-filled blue eyes, searched his and again she took his face in her hands.
"Giles." Her voice had become stern, commanding an answer.
"Yes?" he asked hoarsely.
Buffy's lips and chin trembled, her face crumpling, and tears escaped her
eyes. Slowly, steadily, as if speaking to a child, she spoke to him. "I
don't... blame you." The words were soft and forgiving and Giles swallowed,
not allowing himself to cry.
"Thank you." He spoke meaningfully, gratefully, loving and admiring his
Slayer more than he ever had before.
She slipped easily into his arms, her tears flowing more freely. Giles
hugged her closer in a rare display of emotion as he felt her hot tears
against his neck. Her words were muffled, but sincere. "You're welcome."
And Angel watched, a smile tugging at his mouth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey," Xander said, catching Cordelia in mid-flight through the school
hallway. She looked at him a moment, her mouth turned down, and then slipped
out of his grasp, heading for nowhere.
He ran after her, catching up to her easily. Grabbing her arm again, he spun
her around to face him. "What's wrong?"
Cordelia sighed and shook her head. "Nothing, Xander. Why is it that you
automatically assume that something's wrong?"
"You mean just because you're running through school, nearly crying?" he
countered.
"Yeah."
He smirked. "Maybe because you were running through school, nearly crying.
You don't usually do that, by my records."
"You keep records on me? Stalker much?" she asked with a smile. Then her
smile vanished. "I really think I should go to the library. I need to talk
to Giles."
"I could go with you," he volunteered. "No one's there right now."
Cordelia raised her eyebrows.
"I mean to *talk*," he defended. "Just to talk, if you wanted to."
She sighed again. "This is going to get out eventually. I have to warn you,
it's not good." Her large brown eyes filled with tears again, and she shook
her head, her ponytail bouncing.
"Is it ever?" Xander asked warily. His hand found her cheek and he touched
the smooth skin for a moment before nodding in the direction of the library.
Cordelia nodded back, and he looped his arm around her waist, half guiding
her, half carrying her there. She leaned against him compliantly.
The tears came faster, and Xander knew to expect the worst.
Ironic how he forgot that sometimes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Willow pushed her plate of spaghetti away and threw her fork down. Oz looked
at her, concerned. "Is it something other than the food?"
She exhaled heavily. "Yes. Of course. I just can't stop thinking about..."
She looked away.
Oz took her hand across the table. "Buffy." Willow nodded, and he went on.
"You know, it would be weird if you *weren't* thinking about her, Will.
She's your best friend, and you want to do all you can to help. It's
natural. It's good. It's what I love about you."
Willow sniffed and then glanced back at him with a trembling smile. "Thanks.
Oz," she said suddenly, "What were you doing with Xander and Giles last
night?"
He stiffened, his smile becoming weak. "Willow..."
"You... You don't have to tell me," she said haltingly, "But I'd like to
know."
His eyes met hers for a long moment, and then he nodded. "We were finding
out who those men were. We went to Willy's."
Oz studied her for her reaction. Her eyes shined.
"Good," she mumbled softly. Louder, she continued, "Very good. I want to
help."
"Willow, I don't think that would be--" he started to protest.
"If you say one more thing like that, I'm going to have to resort to using my
resolve face," she interrupted. A smile flickered around his mouth and he
nodded quickly. "I want to help. I can, and I want to. I could... I don't
know, do a location spell or something. It could work."
Oz paused, then nodded again. "It could. But you're out of the scene when
everything goes down." His tone booked no room for argument, and Willow
smiled. He stuck his hand out. "Deal?"
She took his hand, squeezing it warmly. "Deal."
They stood, still clasping hands. "Library?" Oz asked.
She bobbed her head. "You have yourself yet another deal."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You have quite a decision to make, Buffy," Giles said quietly.
"What do you mean?" she asked, watching the students bustle around them as
they headed for the library. "Is it something that has to do with..." she
swallowed.
"No," he assured her. "I believe I know what you'll choose, but you have to
be the one to make the choice and say it aloud. The words preceding the
choice you make must be, 'I choose, for my destiny...' " He smiled sadly.
"It's an affirmation of sorts. Once the words leave your mouth..."
Buffy stared at him blankly, then smiled. "I hear the words, and see your
mouth moving but can't quite understand what language you're speaking in."
"Oh." Giles flashed another, bashful, smile at her. "The choice you have to
make. You are now allowed to choose whether or not to remain a Slayer. I
thought I had explained this all earlier."
Buffy stared at the library doors they were fast approaching. "I did... I
just... Giles?"
She sounded scared, he realized.
"Take all the time you need, Buffy," he said gently.
"Okay... It's going to be hard, though," she murmured. He nodded in mute
understanding.
They walked into the library, stopping in surprise when they saw Cordelia,
Xander, Willow and Oz waiting for them with grave looks on their faces.
Cordelia stepped forward. "You have too many hard things going on right
now," she noted. "Which is why I hate telling you this." She paused for a
moment, her throat working silently. "I wasn't sure I should at first but...
Then I thought you might find out some other way and I didn't really want
that to happen."
"What is it?" Buffy whispered.
Cordelia handed her a small sheet of paper. "This."
Buffy took it, something dark and scary building in her stomach and unfolded
it. For a long time she looked down at the words, her lips tight and her jaw
clenched. At length, she looked back at the group, who was staring at her in
concern. She nodded, a bitter smile on her face, and handed the note to
Giles.
Giles continued watching her, not glancing down at the paper. Buffy's
shoulders were hunched slightly and she began walking stiffly into his
office. He called after her, not knowing what to do. "Buffy?"
"Please just... Leave me alone."
tiredly, and his eyes focused on the petite blond Slayer in front of him.
Buffy's hands lingered on his cheeks for a moment as she stared at him
intently. Her voice was barely audible. "Giles."
Giles felt tears build in his eyes and he impatiently brushed them away. He
wanted to explain, to apologize, anything that would gain forgiveness, but
all he could say was her name. "Buffy..."
She shook her head; her shining hair swished around her face. "No. Just be
quiet for a second."
Giles nodded and became still under her scrutiny. Her eyes, those deep,
pain-filled blue eyes, searched his and again she took his face in her hands.
"Giles." Her voice had become stern, commanding an answer.
"Yes?" he asked hoarsely.
Buffy's lips and chin trembled, her face crumpling, and tears escaped her
eyes. Slowly, steadily, as if speaking to a child, she spoke to him. "I
don't... blame you." The words were soft and forgiving and Giles swallowed,
not allowing himself to cry.
"Thank you." He spoke meaningfully, gratefully, loving and admiring his
Slayer more than he ever had before.
She slipped easily into his arms, her tears flowing more freely. Giles
hugged her closer in a rare display of emotion as he felt her hot tears
against his neck. Her words were muffled, but sincere. "You're welcome."
And Angel watched, a smile tugging at his mouth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey," Xander said, catching Cordelia in mid-flight through the school
hallway. She looked at him a moment, her mouth turned down, and then slipped
out of his grasp, heading for nowhere.
He ran after her, catching up to her easily. Grabbing her arm again, he spun
her around to face him. "What's wrong?"
Cordelia sighed and shook her head. "Nothing, Xander. Why is it that you
automatically assume that something's wrong?"
"You mean just because you're running through school, nearly crying?" he
countered.
"Yeah."
He smirked. "Maybe because you were running through school, nearly crying.
You don't usually do that, by my records."
"You keep records on me? Stalker much?" she asked with a smile. Then her
smile vanished. "I really think I should go to the library. I need to talk
to Giles."
"I could go with you," he volunteered. "No one's there right now."
Cordelia raised her eyebrows.
"I mean to *talk*," he defended. "Just to talk, if you wanted to."
She sighed again. "This is going to get out eventually. I have to warn you,
it's not good." Her large brown eyes filled with tears again, and she shook
her head, her ponytail bouncing.
"Is it ever?" Xander asked warily. His hand found her cheek and he touched
the smooth skin for a moment before nodding in the direction of the library.
Cordelia nodded back, and he looped his arm around her waist, half guiding
her, half carrying her there. She leaned against him compliantly.
The tears came faster, and Xander knew to expect the worst.
Ironic how he forgot that sometimes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Willow pushed her plate of spaghetti away and threw her fork down. Oz looked
at her, concerned. "Is it something other than the food?"
She exhaled heavily. "Yes. Of course. I just can't stop thinking about..."
She looked away.
Oz took her hand across the table. "Buffy." Willow nodded, and he went on.
"You know, it would be weird if you *weren't* thinking about her, Will.
She's your best friend, and you want to do all you can to help. It's
natural. It's good. It's what I love about you."
Willow sniffed and then glanced back at him with a trembling smile. "Thanks.
Oz," she said suddenly, "What were you doing with Xander and Giles last
night?"
He stiffened, his smile becoming weak. "Willow..."
"You... You don't have to tell me," she said haltingly, "But I'd like to
know."
His eyes met hers for a long moment, and then he nodded. "We were finding
out who those men were. We went to Willy's."
Oz studied her for her reaction. Her eyes shined.
"Good," she mumbled softly. Louder, she continued, "Very good. I want to
help."
"Willow, I don't think that would be--" he started to protest.
"If you say one more thing like that, I'm going to have to resort to using my
resolve face," she interrupted. A smile flickered around his mouth and he
nodded quickly. "I want to help. I can, and I want to. I could... I don't
know, do a location spell or something. It could work."
Oz paused, then nodded again. "It could. But you're out of the scene when
everything goes down." His tone booked no room for argument, and Willow
smiled. He stuck his hand out. "Deal?"
She took his hand, squeezing it warmly. "Deal."
They stood, still clasping hands. "Library?" Oz asked.
She bobbed her head. "You have yourself yet another deal."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You have quite a decision to make, Buffy," Giles said quietly.
"What do you mean?" she asked, watching the students bustle around them as
they headed for the library. "Is it something that has to do with..." she
swallowed.
"No," he assured her. "I believe I know what you'll choose, but you have to
be the one to make the choice and say it aloud. The words preceding the
choice you make must be, 'I choose, for my destiny...' " He smiled sadly.
"It's an affirmation of sorts. Once the words leave your mouth..."
Buffy stared at him blankly, then smiled. "I hear the words, and see your
mouth moving but can't quite understand what language you're speaking in."
"Oh." Giles flashed another, bashful, smile at her. "The choice you have to
make. You are now allowed to choose whether or not to remain a Slayer. I
thought I had explained this all earlier."
Buffy stared at the library doors they were fast approaching. "I did... I
just... Giles?"
She sounded scared, he realized.
"Take all the time you need, Buffy," he said gently.
"Okay... It's going to be hard, though," she murmured. He nodded in mute
understanding.
They walked into the library, stopping in surprise when they saw Cordelia,
Xander, Willow and Oz waiting for them with grave looks on their faces.
Cordelia stepped forward. "You have too many hard things going on right
now," she noted. "Which is why I hate telling you this." She paused for a
moment, her throat working silently. "I wasn't sure I should at first but...
Then I thought you might find out some other way and I didn't really want
that to happen."
"What is it?" Buffy whispered.
Cordelia handed her a small sheet of paper. "This."
Buffy took it, something dark and scary building in her stomach and unfolded
it. For a long time she looked down at the words, her lips tight and her jaw
clenched. At length, she looked back at the group, who was staring at her in
concern. She nodded, a bitter smile on her face, and handed the note to
Giles.
Giles continued watching her, not glancing down at the paper. Buffy's
shoulders were hunched slightly and she began walking stiffly into his
office. He called after her, not knowing what to do. "Buffy?"
"Please just... Leave me alone."