***
"Giles can I point something out," Willow said softly.
The original Scoobies had not wanted to leave each other. They sat in Buffy's living room. They had brought all the books that they thought they would need and they had looked at none of them. Willow, Xander, and Giles sat in a house that wasn't theirs waiting for Buffy to return. Anya was minding the store and Tara had class. Xander, Willow and Giles sat together and attempted to reconcile the fact that they were going to loose her again.
Dawn was completely numb and inconsolable upstairs. No one wanted to leave Dawn, no one wanted to leave Buffy, lest she disappear.
"What Willow."
"These things can be taken in many ways, right?"
Giles nodded, "Most times that is the case, but this one seems pretty straightforward. Blood of a Slayer is hard to misinterpret."
Willow nodded and curled back up into Xander. The pair was heartbroken. They were looking for anyway out that didn't involve Buffy dying.
"She is not going to die," Xander said firmly, "She could just not die and let the Hellmouth stay open. What is so bad about that?"
That was a moot point. Closing this Hellmouth would mean an end to apocalypses. No more chance that mankind would be wiped out. There was still a chance, but a much less chance of one.
Giles shook his head, "No. The needs of the many…"
"Thanks Spock," Xander said sarcastically, " I think now is the plan time. We will find some way not to let Buffy die. I've saved her once and Willow saved her once. I'm getting tired of this."
"There's more to it than just a single person," Giles said full of Brittish stiff upper lip. He had shut off.
"English guy has taken over," Xander muttered, "You know what, I will not let this happen again. I was just getting a book one day and I found the world was a lot scarier than I thought. I decided then and there that she would not be alone in this fight. I would fight by her side no matter what. I stood by her then. I stand by her now. I will not let her die without trying. You will not give up."
Giles took off his glasses. He just stared off into space.
"I understand why watchers don't get involved," he mused, "With Buffy its almost like I didn't have a choice. I can remember the time I first met her. I knew she was different, hardheaded. However I never knew how much her difference made her stronger. I just thought by changing my methods I would be better to accommodate her fighting. I was too inexperienced to see what caring for her would mean."
Willow looked at Xander. They held a silent agreement.
"Giles, you are being an ass." Willow stated. Looking very shocked she had said that.
Giles looked up startled.
"She isn't dead yet," Willow finished.
Xander chimed in. "You talk as if feeling for Buffy is something bad. Oh no we broke the Council rules, what will we do. Oh yeah we have a slayer who actually has lived more than two years."
"Giles she needed us," Willow said, "Not to fight because she never needed us to fight. it's the moments between the fights that she needs us. It is the moments before the fight that she needs us. Preparation, that is what we do. I mean take graduation. She did the big work. She was General Buffy. However it took all of us, not to mention the senior class to stop the ascension. What would have happened if everyone wasn't there."
Giles put his glasses back on, "She'll never let someone else take her duty. I mean what she did when Glory was here…"
Willow got up and stood before Giles.
"Well you know what, we will do the preparation. There has to be a way. We just will keep quiet. No need to get her hopes up."
Giles nodded, "Yes. We just need to have hope."
***
It was surprisingly serene in the next few weeks.
Buffy spent the days with Dawn and her friends. The initial tension over the upcoming closing of the hell mouth was over shadowed by a strange sense of calm.
No one mentioned that this may be the last time. No one tried to push anything. For the first time there was no angst. They were just together without tension. It had been a very long time.
The nights were moments stolen away from the gang. She was allowed to relax. She usually simply slept with him, it wasn't about sex this time. She would talk about her mother and about the younger days. She would talk about the time when she wasn't a slayer. She would slide into daydreams about Dawn's future.
"I'm worried about her."
"Why luv?" Spike asked pulling her closer, "I'll watch over her forever. If you want I'll watch over her children and their children.
She shook her head, "No its not that. I think that the problem is that the world for Dawn is divided up into those that would protect her and those that wouldn't."
"You're losin' me."
"Well of everyone I would say that mom, you, and I love her most, then the gang. Now what about everyone else. It is as if the monks put the greatest love for her in the minds of the people who would not let her die. Then everyone else was just secondary. Everyone else in Sunnydale just has a cursory idea of her."
"Cursory?"
"Blame Willow, she's writing her thesis."
"Luv, I think you may be right, Dawn is different. Sometimes it seems like the magic of the Hellmouth is rejecting her. Just like people just gloss over the violence, they gloss over Dawn. I mean she has so few friends. She isn't normal."
Spike knew that he didn't even have to say that he would protect her. There was something else about Dawn. She would have to learn to take care of herself. This world wasn't made to protect her.
Buffy sighed and snuggled closer.
"I wish mom was here."
Spike smiled.
"Joyce. She was something else. She is the most amazing woman. Who else would chase after a thug? She had the maternal instincts of a lion."
Spike looked down at the woman in his arms. Her tear streaked face smiled and she curled up and slept. The weight of the world was lifted for a moment and she slept in peace.
Under the quiet the Scoobies searched for hope.
"Giles can I point something out," Willow said softly.
The original Scoobies had not wanted to leave each other. They sat in Buffy's living room. They had brought all the books that they thought they would need and they had looked at none of them. Willow, Xander, and Giles sat in a house that wasn't theirs waiting for Buffy to return. Anya was minding the store and Tara had class. Xander, Willow and Giles sat together and attempted to reconcile the fact that they were going to loose her again.
Dawn was completely numb and inconsolable upstairs. No one wanted to leave Dawn, no one wanted to leave Buffy, lest she disappear.
"What Willow."
"These things can be taken in many ways, right?"
Giles nodded, "Most times that is the case, but this one seems pretty straightforward. Blood of a Slayer is hard to misinterpret."
Willow nodded and curled back up into Xander. The pair was heartbroken. They were looking for anyway out that didn't involve Buffy dying.
"She is not going to die," Xander said firmly, "She could just not die and let the Hellmouth stay open. What is so bad about that?"
That was a moot point. Closing this Hellmouth would mean an end to apocalypses. No more chance that mankind would be wiped out. There was still a chance, but a much less chance of one.
Giles shook his head, "No. The needs of the many…"
"Thanks Spock," Xander said sarcastically, " I think now is the plan time. We will find some way not to let Buffy die. I've saved her once and Willow saved her once. I'm getting tired of this."
"There's more to it than just a single person," Giles said full of Brittish stiff upper lip. He had shut off.
"English guy has taken over," Xander muttered, "You know what, I will not let this happen again. I was just getting a book one day and I found the world was a lot scarier than I thought. I decided then and there that she would not be alone in this fight. I would fight by her side no matter what. I stood by her then. I stand by her now. I will not let her die without trying. You will not give up."
Giles took off his glasses. He just stared off into space.
"I understand why watchers don't get involved," he mused, "With Buffy its almost like I didn't have a choice. I can remember the time I first met her. I knew she was different, hardheaded. However I never knew how much her difference made her stronger. I just thought by changing my methods I would be better to accommodate her fighting. I was too inexperienced to see what caring for her would mean."
Willow looked at Xander. They held a silent agreement.
"Giles, you are being an ass." Willow stated. Looking very shocked she had said that.
Giles looked up startled.
"She isn't dead yet," Willow finished.
Xander chimed in. "You talk as if feeling for Buffy is something bad. Oh no we broke the Council rules, what will we do. Oh yeah we have a slayer who actually has lived more than two years."
"Giles she needed us," Willow said, "Not to fight because she never needed us to fight. it's the moments between the fights that she needs us. It is the moments before the fight that she needs us. Preparation, that is what we do. I mean take graduation. She did the big work. She was General Buffy. However it took all of us, not to mention the senior class to stop the ascension. What would have happened if everyone wasn't there."
Giles put his glasses back on, "She'll never let someone else take her duty. I mean what she did when Glory was here…"
Willow got up and stood before Giles.
"Well you know what, we will do the preparation. There has to be a way. We just will keep quiet. No need to get her hopes up."
Giles nodded, "Yes. We just need to have hope."
***
It was surprisingly serene in the next few weeks.
Buffy spent the days with Dawn and her friends. The initial tension over the upcoming closing of the hell mouth was over shadowed by a strange sense of calm.
No one mentioned that this may be the last time. No one tried to push anything. For the first time there was no angst. They were just together without tension. It had been a very long time.
The nights were moments stolen away from the gang. She was allowed to relax. She usually simply slept with him, it wasn't about sex this time. She would talk about her mother and about the younger days. She would talk about the time when she wasn't a slayer. She would slide into daydreams about Dawn's future.
"I'm worried about her."
"Why luv?" Spike asked pulling her closer, "I'll watch over her forever. If you want I'll watch over her children and their children.
She shook her head, "No its not that. I think that the problem is that the world for Dawn is divided up into those that would protect her and those that wouldn't."
"You're losin' me."
"Well of everyone I would say that mom, you, and I love her most, then the gang. Now what about everyone else. It is as if the monks put the greatest love for her in the minds of the people who would not let her die. Then everyone else was just secondary. Everyone else in Sunnydale just has a cursory idea of her."
"Cursory?"
"Blame Willow, she's writing her thesis."
"Luv, I think you may be right, Dawn is different. Sometimes it seems like the magic of the Hellmouth is rejecting her. Just like people just gloss over the violence, they gloss over Dawn. I mean she has so few friends. She isn't normal."
Spike knew that he didn't even have to say that he would protect her. There was something else about Dawn. She would have to learn to take care of herself. This world wasn't made to protect her.
Buffy sighed and snuggled closer.
"I wish mom was here."
Spike smiled.
"Joyce. She was something else. She is the most amazing woman. Who else would chase after a thug? She had the maternal instincts of a lion."
Spike looked down at the woman in his arms. Her tear streaked face smiled and she curled up and slept. The weight of the world was lifted for a moment and she slept in peace.
Under the quiet the Scoobies searched for hope.