TITLE: In Your Eyes
AUTHOR: Gaeriel Mallory
RATING: PG
CATEGORY: BTVS/Batman: the Animated Series Crossover
DISTRIBUTION: The Haven, TTH, Anyone else, just ask.
DISCLAIMER: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all related characters are the property of Josh Whedon and Mutunt Enemy, Inc. Batman and related characters are the property of Warner Brothers and DC Comics.
NOTE: I had some trouble with this chapter and was actually contemplating putting the story to the side. That was until I thought of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. It fit in perfectly with the story.
Chapter Eight
Giles hung up the telephone carefully, almost reverently. Willow's call had been a surprise and he was not sure how to react. Quentin Travers, the previous head of the Council, had been derisive towards the relationship between Giles and his Slayer. He had made it no secret that he felt that Giles had compromised himself by becoming a friend and a father figure towards Buffy. He had been even more disdainful of Giles's allowance and acceptance of the Slayer's friends who called themselves the Scooby Gang and aided her in fighting the forces of darkness.
But Giles had always cherished his 'children' and that had not changed—not by the grace of God nor Quentin Travers.
So when Willow had called to tell him that Buffy and Angel had been trapped as ghosts, doomed to possess and relive the last moments of their lives over and over...
He got up from his desk and slipped his suit jacket back on. He walked out of his office, surprising his secretary—ahem, personal assistant—who had just settled in at her desk. "Mr. Giles!" Virginia looked up from sorting the mail. "Is there something I can do for you, sir?"
Giles closed the door to his office. "I'm going to take today off. Reschedule my meetings."
Virginia looked up at her boss in shock. "Sir?"
He smiled gently at her. "I have some personal matters to attend to today."
Giles left the building that housed the Watcher's Council and started walking in no direction in particular. He had always thought best while walking which had led to his pacing habit during research sessions. He eventually found himself in front of St. Paul's Cathedral. The Watcher stood at the bottom of the steps looking up at the tall building as tourists and the devout streamed past him.
During World War II, St. Paul's had been the symbol and rallying cry for those trapped in London because of Hitler's bombings. Fire teams worked tirelessly to ensure that the beautiful building would still be standing after the end of each Blitz. The people of London would see the cathedral and know that things were still fine.
The English soldiers fighting overseas would ask their comrades to light a candle for them at St. Paul's if they happened to fall in battle.
Giles' throat tightened as he thought of a few fallen soldiers who he had never lit candles for. He had never been truly religious. When he was younger, he attended church only enough to appease his parents. Then he had fallen in with the likes of Ethan Rayne during his university years. Even after he had come back from the dark, he still had not seen much reason to worship a God who allowed such things as vampires and demons to exist and terrorize the world.
None of the Scoobies had been overly religious either. Funny in that they were all warriors for the Light and readily used crosses to repel vampires yet he had never seen any of them set foot in a church or synagogue for the sole purpose of worship.
Yet, it was still tradition for the British, religious or not, to light a candle for their dead at St. Paul's.
Giles started up the stairs and paid the two pounds entrance fee. He walked past the tourists snapping pictures of the stained glass windows and statues. Where he wanted to go was at the back of the cathedral. He knelt down in front of the altar and picked up a taper. He lit the wooden stick with the red candle at the base of the candle rack and gently picked up a white candle from the basket. He set it into a holder and lit the wick.
"For Buffy," he whispered. He lit other candles, one for each of his fallen. "Anya, Faith, Angel," he murmured. "Tara, Kendra."
Giles then picked up two more candles and stared at them in his hand. His hand shook as he placed them next to the others and he felt tears sting his eyes. For all that the other candles were for those he considered his children, these two were for the women he had loved and lost. "Jenny," he said softly as the wick of the first candle lit. "Joyce," he said for the second.
He then shook the taper out and set it down. He sat back and regarded the eight candles lined up in a row. "May you all find peace." He slowly got up and dropped a few pound coins into the collection plate by the candle altar. "I miss you all," he told the candles.
When Giles left the cathedral and stepped back out into the sunlight, he felt lighter and freer. He realized with a start that he was hungry. Looking at his watch, he saw it was well past noon. He went into a nearby deli and bought a sandwich and a drink. He planned to eat outside today with only his memories of happier times of his 'family' in Sunnydale for company.
As soon as the top of the Batmobile slid back, Batgirl jumped out of the car and started walking towards the computer. She had to smile at the sight that greeted her. Willow was curled up in the chair, sound asleep. On the screen were police files from the GCPD database. Barbara pushed the button that turned the screen off and gently shook her awake.
"Wha?" Willow blinked the sleep from her eyes and looked up at the vigilante. "What time is it?"
"Almost morning. Let me get changed back into street clothes and I'll drive us back home."
The witch stretched and yawned. "Sounds good to me."
Barbara quickly changed and threw her costume into the hamper in the costume vault. When she reemerged, Willow was waiting for her by the car. Robin was standing with her, talking animatedly about the patrol, punctuating his narrative with visuals by punching and kicking. Willow was smiling broadly.
Barbara had to smile as well at the sight. Tim Drake acted so grown up at times, it was hard to remember that he was still only a kid. She walked over and gently shoved Robin towards the stairs. "Time for bed, pipsqueak," she teased.
He pouted at her. "Aw, Babs!" He scuffed the floor with his boot and walked sullenly away. Barbara walked to the driver's side and heard Willow stifle a giggle. She grinned as she imagined Robin sticking his tongue out at her.
She started the car and Willow got in. The witch put on the blindfold without having to be asked by Barbara. That gained her several points in Barbara's book and she felt guilty about her earlier treatment of Willow. Her talk with Robin had made her rethink her kneejerk reaction when she found out Willow's past dabbling in the dark arts.
After driving for about five minutes, long enough for Wayne Manor to be long behind them, Barbara spoke. "You can take off the blindfold now."
Willow unwrapped the scarf from her eyes and set it in her lap. An uneasy silence descended in the car.
"I'm sorry."
Willow looked up in shock. "What?"
Barbara gripped the steering wheel. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I—I acted like a jerk to you and I'm sorry."
"Oh." Willow nibbled on her lower lip and played with the scarf. "You had every right to be angry, you know. I still get a little angry with myself sometimes when I think of what I did."
"I had no right to judge you," Barbara said softly. "You came here to help us, not to treated like I treated you. I'm not perfect and I shouldn't have expected you to be."
"Thanks, I think." Willow smiled slightly into the night.
"Hey, did I tell you that time I teamed up with Catwoman?" Barbara asked.
"Who's Catwoman?"
"She's a thief. One of the best. Anyway, there was a break in at the museum and a cat statue was taken. It was still pretty early in my career and I assumed it was Catwoman. But it wasn't. Turns out it was this slimy businessman Roland Dagget and she and I ran all over town trying to get him." Barbara smiled as she recounted the tale.
When she was finished, Willow started telling about the love spell Xander had tried to do in high school that had backfired on him. The two were laughing at the end of that one. They continued trading stories until they reached Barbara's apartment building.
Willow went to bed completely relaxed, which was a good thing, because she would have to do the soul restoration spell tomorrow night.
NOTE (2): Many thanks to Indarae in pointing out that it is St. Paul's Cathedral, not St. Peter's. It should be fixed now.
