CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: RINGED
The lecture ended on time, and the college students raced out the doors, trying to get away from their uncomfortable chairs at to the cafeteria as fast as they could. Buffy Summers, however, remained in her seat, just watching as the Professor cleared the papers from his desk, packing them in his brief case.
Giles turned and caught Buffy's eye, smiling at her.
"Hey Giles. Nice lecture," she said, standing up and making her way to the front of the room. She slipped herself into his arms, savouring the feel of him. She had missed sleeping in his arms the night before and was very much looking forward to being back in them that evening.
"Thank you," he said, gently kissing the top of her head. "How's the girl from the hospital?"
She laughed a little and tilted her head to the side. "You got an hour?"
He looked at her curiously. "I have two actually before I have another class. Why?"
She just took his hand and began dragging him towards the door. "I'll explain over lunch. Come on, I'm starving."
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They sat themselves down under a tree in the middle of an open grass area, Buffy laying down, her head in Giles lap as he leant against the tree for support. He ran his hands through her hair, marvelling at how relaxed such a simple activity could make him feel.
"The girl from the hospital was one of Erika's friends from Sydney?" Giles repeated.
Buffy nodded and just revelled in the comfort he was giving her by playing with her hair.
"Yeah. Her best friend and her very own Scooby Gang of one. The vamps in Sydney musta been pretty stupid cos Kat had convinced them that she was the Slayer instead of Rik," Buffy explained.
Giles sighed and idly wondered whether any of Buffy's own Scooby Gang would be willing to do something like that so that Buffy's own life could be saved. He didn't have to think too long about the question. They had put themselves in very real jeopardy to get Buffy back, even though it had been a grievous mistake.
"And now she's here. That poor girl," Giles commented softly.
Buffy looked up at him and wasn't at all surprised by the compassion that her Watcher's face showed.
"She had it pretty rough. I…I can't imagine would it must have been like for her. And…the thing was, she was a really good fighter. I can't imagine knowing that I could kick vampire-ass and still be subjected to…that," Buffy said.
"She'll need a lot of time to come to terms with it I suppose," he mused.
Neither one said anything and Buffy felt herself being slowly lulled to sleep by the gentle ministrations of his hands in her hair. She relaxed against him, desperately wishing that the day could be over so that they could go back home and fall into bed.
"Buffy?" Giles whispered eventually.
She opened one eye and looked up at him. He shifted his legs, causing Buffy to moan in protest. He helped her to sit up and she tried to keep her eyes open.
He shifted his position once more, reaching into his pants pocket to retrieve a small box. She looked at him cautiously, her breath catching in her throat. Was that…?
"I uh…I know that you're not ready to be…well, more intimate than we have been," Giles said softly, his hands trembling a little as he held the small box in front of him. "But, uh…I don't wish to…to waste a moment of what we have together. And I know that things are still…difficult for you, which is why I'm not proposing, but…I wanted to give you this as a uh…token of my affection. And as a promise that I will be at your side for the rest of my life."
A single tear slipped down Buffy's cheek as she listened to his words. Giles just reached out and gently wiped the tear away, leaning forward to kiss her gently. He managed to open the box and pull out a small ring, placing it onto her ring finger. Buffy looked down at it and her breath caught in her throat. The band was made from white-gold and had three small diamonds studs spaced evenly apart on the band. She looked up at him, a smile on her face, trying desperately not to cry.
She leant forward and hugged him tightly. Without even hesitating she brought her lips to his ear, kissing the earlobe before quietly whispering to him.
"If you hadda proposed, I would have said yes," she told him.
He pulled away, amazement written in his eyes. He smiled brilliantly and took hold of her hands.
"Well, in that case, I feel the need to re-word what I just said," he said, his voice almost getting caught as he tried to formulate the words.
"For six years now, you've been my Slayer, my friend and my partner in all things, bar one. I'd like to rectify that but making you everything that I have in life. And I'd like you to be my everything for as long as you'll have me. I would be the most privileged man on earth if you would let me take your hand for the rest of my life and allow me to stand beside you at all times. Marry me?"
She could barely speak when she heard his words, sounding so much like poetry to her ears. All she could do was pull him back into an almost painful hug and whisper a single word again and again. "Yes."
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Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Willow ran, sobbing, throughout the streets of Sunnydale. She wasn't even sure of where she was going, just knowing that she had to get away from the college. All she could hear in her head was Tara's accusation towards Buffy.
'Why did you lie to us in the shop that day? About being in hell?'
Buffy hadn't been in hell. All logic had told her that Buffy had been suffering horribly. But now, she knew that it wasn't the truth. Buffy hadn't been suffering, she hadn't been in hell. Which meant that she had been happy. Her best friend had been resting peacefully in Heaven or some other happy dimension, and Willow had pulled her back into a world of pain and constant fighting.
'You did make a mistake…about a few things actually, but…I didn't come back wrong, so…we're okay on that one.'
That's what Buffy had meant when she had told her about not coming back wrong after all. Willow had made a mistake about Buffy being in hell. It all suddenly made sense now.
Without any real thoughts or plans in her mind, Willow raced back to her room at the Summer's house, forgetting all about her self-imposed exile away from the household. She raced up to her room, tearing through the wooden chest with all of her magick supplies, grabbing ingredients for a spell that she had found when researching Tara's condition after Glory had brain-sucked her girlfriend.
It was a simple spell, to wipe away the memories of however long the caster wanted them to forget. With a little reworking, Buffy's memories of being in Heaven would be taken, and she could finally be happy about being back. Maybe then, Buffy would actually be grateful for being in the world, rather than depressed about the turn of events. She could also work the spell to make Tara forget it as well.
Willow raced down to the fireplace in the living room, putting a small amount of Leathe's Bramble on the bricks and lighting it with a match.
"For Buffy and Tara, this I char. Let Leathe's Bramble do its chore. Purge their minds of memories grims, of pains from recent slights and sins. When the fire goes out, and the crystal goes black, the spell will be cast. Tabula Rasa, Tabula Rasa, Tabula Rasa."
She breathed a sigh of relief and slipped the crystal into her pocket. She stood and went back up the stairs to make sure she tidied the mess she had left in her room so that Tara wouldn't be suspicious of what Willow had done.
As she left the room, a spark from the small fire flew onto the bag that Willow had left by the fireplace. The fire spread through the bag of Leathe's Bramble and fizzled itself out, burning into a small pile of ash before Willow could come back down.
Willow bound down the stairs and out the door, not even casting a look towards the fireplace as she realised that there was only twenty minutes before everyone would be convening at the Magic Box to have their daily Scooby Meetings.
With a quick feel of the pocket she had placed the crystal in, Willow made her way to the Magic Box.