The Four Wishes
Giles stepped off the plane in Cleveland and headed for the baggage claim. He hadn't told anyone he was coming this time so there would be no welcoming committee. After collecting his bag, he proceeded to the rental counter to claim the car he had reserved. The drive to Glenville was actually quite pleasant ordinarily, but this time he was merely impatient to be there. To see Buffy and reassure himself that she was all right. Deep down, he knew she wasn't, but he didn't think he was ready to face that yet. He pulled into the driveway, stepped out of the car and stretched. *Perhaps I should have called. Oh well, what's done is done.* He followed the pathway around to the workshop. Getting the lay of the land from Xander first seemed like a good idea.
Xander was expertly applying the last coat of urethane to the wood on the bench in front of him. He tipped his head to make sure the finish was smooth and even. Suddenly, he felt like he was being watched. He started to turn toward the door and picked up a hammer that was always nearby. It was a Hellmouth, couldn't be too careful. He grinned in delighted surprise. "Giles! G-Man, hey it's good to see you! Why didn't you call? We'd have met you in Cleveland! Hey, have you seen Buffy yet? We gotta tell Buffy you're here. She'll be so..." He trailed off realizing he didn't know how Buffy was going to react when she saw her Watcher.
"Yes, well, that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. Just how is Buffy?"
"Um... she's..." Xander sighed, "She's in pretty bad shape, Giles. But you knew that or you wouldn't be here, would you?"
"I feared that was the case. Is it the dreams?"
"Partly. She tries to sleep, has a dream, then doesn't want to try to go back to sleep because she's afraid she'll have it again. So she stays up all night watching infomercials and old movies on television. She says it reminds her of --" He stopped abruptly, not sure how much Giles knew about Buffy's feelings for Spike.
"Spike." Giles met Xander's eyes and nodded. "She's finally discovered she was in love with him all along, hasn't she?"
Xander just bowed his head. Willow came around the corner then calling, "Xan-der, phone. It's Mrs. Travis. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't you know you had -- Giles, wow! Hi! You're here! Well, I mean, obviously, you're here, but um... why? Not that it's not great, it's great, but confused here." Giles gathered her in for a hug. They held each other for a long moment.
"Come to give Buffy what-for for avoiding your calls, huh?"
"Not exactly. But I did figure that part out. Where is she?"
"Inside. Getting ready to patrol. I think Dawnie's going with her tonight. Since last week, one of us has tried to go with her every night."
"Really, why?"
"She found a part of one of the cemetaries that we hadn't fully explored and there was a crypt in it that reminded her of --" She stopped abruptly and looked at Xander for guidance.
Xander and Giles both said "Spike."
"He knows, Wil. I'm gonna go catch the phone and keep Buffy from leaving until you can say hi."
"I'll ask you the same question I asked Xander. Just how is Buffy?"
Willow was silent so long that Giles thought perhaps she wasn't going to answer. Finally, she raised her eyes to his and said, "Broken. She has these horrible dreams that she won't tell us about and she cries a lot. She tries to avoid sleeping at night and she sort of sleepwalks through the days. But if you ask her, she'll say she's fine. She misses him, Giles. Spike. We all do, but she was in love with him and he was a part of her."
Giles took his glasses off and began cleaning them. "You all miss him?"
Willow looked a little uncomfortable, but then decided to be honest. "Yes, Giles. We all do. You know Dawnie always loved him like a big brother. They spent a lot of time together, especially the summer that Buffy was um... gone. And I think Xander misses the way Spike kinda, you know, poked at him, but they still respected each other in a neither-one-of-us-can-have-Buffy way. And I developed a little of a soft spot for him that night right after he first got chipped and couldn't bite me, you know? But more than anything, we all miss the way he made Buffy smile -- all the way up to her eyes. She doesn't do that anymore. It barely even makes it to her mouth most days."
"Yes, well... hard as it is for me to admit it, I miss him too. For all the reasons you mentioned and a few you didn't. But that's not going to help our Buffy, is it?" They walked arm in arm along the pathway back to the front of the house and inside for awkward hugs and difficult silences. Then Buffy collected Dawn with a glance and they went out to patrol.
While the girls were out patrolling, Giles took the time to read the journal Buffy had been keeping. Goodness, such a vivid dream. He wondered idly what a psychiatrist woule make of it, but realized that Buffy was correct. That was just not a possibility. When they returned, Buffy headed straight for the shower and Giles finally had an opportunity to talk to Dawn alone. Again, he asked the same question and got very much the same answer. Then Dawn ran for her room in tears. Giles sat quietly in the living room waiting for Buffy.
*Damn. If there were any justice in this world, she'd have what she needs to be happy.*
Xander ran his hand along the edge of the gleaming wood as he stared into space. *I wish there was a way for Buffy to have what she needs to be happy. After everything she's done for the world, she certainly deserves it.*
Willow stared at her monitor waiting for the computer to finish shutting down so that she could go to bed. *If only I could use all that magick to find a way to give Buffy what she needs to be happy. She has a right to it after all she's been through.*
Dawn threw herself on her bed and turned the stereo up to cover her sobs. *It's just not fair. We're all ok except for her. She's hurting. And none of us can do anything about it. She needs Spike. He's the only one who was always able to make her laugh, even when she didn't want to. I wish he could be here for her now. He'd make her happy.*
D'Hoffryn listened in stunned amazement as four heartfelt desires made themselves known. All in the name of justice and what's right. He knew he had to find a way to grant them. It was, after all, his calling. But it wasn't going to be easy. What they were asking was almost out of reach -- almost beyond even his powers. He thought perhaps he could find a way. The Slayer was going to have to work for it though. She was going to have to be willing to reach out. A smile began to appear as he set things in motion.
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A/N - Things are about to get interesting. Thanks for all your great feedback. Please keep it coming.
Giles stepped off the plane in Cleveland and headed for the baggage claim. He hadn't told anyone he was coming this time so there would be no welcoming committee. After collecting his bag, he proceeded to the rental counter to claim the car he had reserved. The drive to Glenville was actually quite pleasant ordinarily, but this time he was merely impatient to be there. To see Buffy and reassure himself that she was all right. Deep down, he knew she wasn't, but he didn't think he was ready to face that yet. He pulled into the driveway, stepped out of the car and stretched. *Perhaps I should have called. Oh well, what's done is done.* He followed the pathway around to the workshop. Getting the lay of the land from Xander first seemed like a good idea.
Xander was expertly applying the last coat of urethane to the wood on the bench in front of him. He tipped his head to make sure the finish was smooth and even. Suddenly, he felt like he was being watched. He started to turn toward the door and picked up a hammer that was always nearby. It was a Hellmouth, couldn't be too careful. He grinned in delighted surprise. "Giles! G-Man, hey it's good to see you! Why didn't you call? We'd have met you in Cleveland! Hey, have you seen Buffy yet? We gotta tell Buffy you're here. She'll be so..." He trailed off realizing he didn't know how Buffy was going to react when she saw her Watcher.
"Yes, well, that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. Just how is Buffy?"
"Um... she's..." Xander sighed, "She's in pretty bad shape, Giles. But you knew that or you wouldn't be here, would you?"
"I feared that was the case. Is it the dreams?"
"Partly. She tries to sleep, has a dream, then doesn't want to try to go back to sleep because she's afraid she'll have it again. So she stays up all night watching infomercials and old movies on television. She says it reminds her of --" He stopped abruptly, not sure how much Giles knew about Buffy's feelings for Spike.
"Spike." Giles met Xander's eyes and nodded. "She's finally discovered she was in love with him all along, hasn't she?"
Xander just bowed his head. Willow came around the corner then calling, "Xan-der, phone. It's Mrs. Travis. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't you know you had -- Giles, wow! Hi! You're here! Well, I mean, obviously, you're here, but um... why? Not that it's not great, it's great, but confused here." Giles gathered her in for a hug. They held each other for a long moment.
"Come to give Buffy what-for for avoiding your calls, huh?"
"Not exactly. But I did figure that part out. Where is she?"
"Inside. Getting ready to patrol. I think Dawnie's going with her tonight. Since last week, one of us has tried to go with her every night."
"Really, why?"
"She found a part of one of the cemetaries that we hadn't fully explored and there was a crypt in it that reminded her of --" She stopped abruptly and looked at Xander for guidance.
Xander and Giles both said "Spike."
"He knows, Wil. I'm gonna go catch the phone and keep Buffy from leaving until you can say hi."
"I'll ask you the same question I asked Xander. Just how is Buffy?"
Willow was silent so long that Giles thought perhaps she wasn't going to answer. Finally, she raised her eyes to his and said, "Broken. She has these horrible dreams that she won't tell us about and she cries a lot. She tries to avoid sleeping at night and she sort of sleepwalks through the days. But if you ask her, she'll say she's fine. She misses him, Giles. Spike. We all do, but she was in love with him and he was a part of her."
Giles took his glasses off and began cleaning them. "You all miss him?"
Willow looked a little uncomfortable, but then decided to be honest. "Yes, Giles. We all do. You know Dawnie always loved him like a big brother. They spent a lot of time together, especially the summer that Buffy was um... gone. And I think Xander misses the way Spike kinda, you know, poked at him, but they still respected each other in a neither-one-of-us-can-have-Buffy way. And I developed a little of a soft spot for him that night right after he first got chipped and couldn't bite me, you know? But more than anything, we all miss the way he made Buffy smile -- all the way up to her eyes. She doesn't do that anymore. It barely even makes it to her mouth most days."
"Yes, well... hard as it is for me to admit it, I miss him too. For all the reasons you mentioned and a few you didn't. But that's not going to help our Buffy, is it?" They walked arm in arm along the pathway back to the front of the house and inside for awkward hugs and difficult silences. Then Buffy collected Dawn with a glance and they went out to patrol.
While the girls were out patrolling, Giles took the time to read the journal Buffy had been keeping. Goodness, such a vivid dream. He wondered idly what a psychiatrist woule make of it, but realized that Buffy was correct. That was just not a possibility. When they returned, Buffy headed straight for the shower and Giles finally had an opportunity to talk to Dawn alone. Again, he asked the same question and got very much the same answer. Then Dawn ran for her room in tears. Giles sat quietly in the living room waiting for Buffy.
*Damn. If there were any justice in this world, she'd have what she needs to be happy.*
Xander ran his hand along the edge of the gleaming wood as he stared into space. *I wish there was a way for Buffy to have what she needs to be happy. After everything she's done for the world, she certainly deserves it.*
Willow stared at her monitor waiting for the computer to finish shutting down so that she could go to bed. *If only I could use all that magick to find a way to give Buffy what she needs to be happy. She has a right to it after all she's been through.*
Dawn threw herself on her bed and turned the stereo up to cover her sobs. *It's just not fair. We're all ok except for her. She's hurting. And none of us can do anything about it. She needs Spike. He's the only one who was always able to make her laugh, even when she didn't want to. I wish he could be here for her now. He'd make her happy.*
D'Hoffryn listened in stunned amazement as four heartfelt desires made themselves known. All in the name of justice and what's right. He knew he had to find a way to grant them. It was, after all, his calling. But it wasn't going to be easy. What they were asking was almost out of reach -- almost beyond even his powers. He thought perhaps he could find a way. The Slayer was going to have to work for it though. She was going to have to be willing to reach out. A smile began to appear as he set things in motion.
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A/N - Things are about to get interesting. Thanks for all your great feedback. Please keep it coming.