Author Notes: You will find out what happens to Giles!
Chapter 2
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Each passing day, every passing face, seems like such a blur.
"Million Miles Away" The Offspring *********************************************************************
Tara ran her fingers through her wet hair as drops continued to fall down her back. She had got out the shower nearly half an hour ago, but her hair was so long now it retained more water than the shower did. She frowned unfolding her legs from under her and moving off the sofa. Dawn looked up at her for a moment, from where she had propped herself against the sofa, before getting to her feet,
"Do you want a drink?" Dawn asked stretching out her arms and legs, yawning slightly,
"Please." Tara said bobbing her head up and down,
"I'm just going to get a brush. See if I can go recycle some of the water from my hair." She said before moving towards the stairs. Dawn giggled silently,
"Film's getting kind of lame anyway," Dawn shouted to Tara as she made her way into the kitchen,
"I mean how can you fall in love with your brother and then go to save the world while your mom is the one who wants to end it?" she added to herself before flicking the switch on the kettle and grabbing two mugs from the drying rack while humming the theme tune to the film they were watching.
At least it had a good theme tune.
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Willow glanced at the still form of the man in the passenger seat of her car as she killed the engine. He had fallen asleep almost the moment she had set him down in the seat, and she didn't want to disturb him. The poor man looked as though he hadn't slept in a long while.
It reminded her of the days when she was still at high school and would come in to find him in a more wrinkled version of clothes that he had worn the previous day. The memory brought a smile to her worried face. She had many memories of Giles staying up researching all night that sometimes she felt guilty for not joining him to help. He had done so much for Buffy, yet she knew that was part of his duty as Watcher. Yet even when he had been fired he had continued to stay up late and research into the small hours of the morning; doughnuts and a cup of tea being his only saviours when school hours came round again and Buffy, with scoobies, returned,
"Giles." She called softly, shaking his shoulders slightly, and soon regretting what she had done.
A small moan escaped the Watcher's lips as he pulled away from Willow. She frowned,
"Sorry Giles. It's just, I can't carry you up to the house." She said truthfully, watching his bleary eyes trying to focus on her,
"Willow?" he questioned hesitantly. Willow watched the man concerned for him. She nodded slowly,
"It's me Giles." She said comfortingly, before undoing the seatbelt she had wrapped round him with difficulty,
"We need to get you inside." She said opening her car door, still watching him,
"Into Buffy's house." She clarified as she watched his confused face. At the moment he looked like a small, confused child and it disturbed her. Giles had always been the grown up, always been the one with the level head, and now. Willow sighed heavily before getting out the car and going round to the passenger's side. Willow dreaded to think what had happened to the once stable man.
"Buffy!?" he questioned confusion in his voice,
"Buffy." He said after a long pause, remorse in his voice now, as if sudden realisation that his slayer was dead had only just sunk in.
Willow sighed again as she opened the car door, fighting hard against the many questions she needed to ask the man.
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Tara found her hairbrush lying under a pile of Willow's clothes on a chair. She frowned as she put the hairbrush between her teeth before she picked up Willow's clothes and started to sort through them. Willow had never been the tidiest person on the planet, but it didn't mean Tara didn't love her any less. She hung up her green lace top that Willow had been looking for the other day, before depositing her jeans and socks in the laundry basket in the bathroom. She took the hairbrush from her mouth and started to pull at her tangled golden locks. Her hairbrush got stuck half way down and she sighed coming down the stairs. She met Dawn halfway from the kitchen,
"What do you think Dawnie? A new look for me?" she asked, the hairbrush still stuck in her hair. The girl laughed, almost spilling the two hot chocolates,
"Very you!" she exclaimed before handing Tara her cup and heading into the living room to curl up on the sofa. It was winter in California, and even though winter temperatures never reached much below ten degrees it was still the season to drink hot chocolate and curl up in front of the television watching pointless films that made no sense. In fact, Dawn enjoyed every minute of it,
"Ok I think the dad's come back and is now trying to save the world by telling the girl's mom that he still loves her. Either that or he's trying to propose to the girl." She frowned as she watched the figures interact with each other on the screen.
Tara set her mug down on the coffee table and took up her seat beside Dawn, continuing to tug at her unruly hair that would just not sit straight,
"Either that or the dog's going to save the day." Tara said jokingly,
"Don't be stupid Tara. That would so never happen." Dawn said, not taking her eyes off the screen. Tara smiled, continuing to brush at her hair as someone started to bang on the door. Tara sighed, standing up and looking at the clock, before placing her brush on the table,
"Xander's not coming over until later is he?" Dawn shrugged, not taking her eyes away from the screen, too engrossed by it all. Tara sighed, walking towards the door,
"So that leaves the dog, the alien mom who wants to take over the world or.Giles!" Tara exclaimed as she opened the door to reveal a rather dishevelled looking Giles draped over her girlfriend,
"Tara we don't know where he is," Dawn said finally pulling herself away from the television and off the couch,
"We've searched for him for so long now that I don't think he'll be.here." Dawn trailed off as she stared agape at the only father she had ever really had.
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Giles had brought himself up to his full height again standing on his own two feet, Willow no longer holding him up. He hadn't seen any of them for so long and he wanted to make a good impression, especially after he had left them without a word.
He watched Dawn take a few hesitant steps forward. She had changed so much; grow up into a lovely young woman he thought. She had kept her dark locks, but they were shorter, only reaching past her shoulders, marginally. She was a lot taller, only a head shorter than him he thought, measuring himself up against her,
"Giles?" Dawn asked, uncertain of whom he was. He had changed so much he knew, but not enough to not recognise him surely. He nodded silently, watching her, watching them all for any sign that he would be accepted back.
"You're back!" Dawn said happily after a pause as tears started to stream down her cheeks. Giles tried to smile, wanting to nod again, but he felt himself slipping.
His heart hammering in his chest.
The shrill scream of others still echoing in his head.
The fire dancing in front of his eyes, causing them to sear with pain.
The blows to his head, to his arms, to his chest becoming dull and throbbing.
The stabbing pain as the knife went in deeper, ripping up his insides.
The manic laughing.
The acute pain in his chest as he tried to breath.
As everything came back to him he felt himself falling.
Falling.
He would never stop falling.
He heard his name called and several pairs of hands grabbing at him.
They were too late.
They were all too late.
Chapter 2
*********************************************************************
Each passing day, every passing face, seems like such a blur.
"Million Miles Away" The Offspring *********************************************************************
Tara ran her fingers through her wet hair as drops continued to fall down her back. She had got out the shower nearly half an hour ago, but her hair was so long now it retained more water than the shower did. She frowned unfolding her legs from under her and moving off the sofa. Dawn looked up at her for a moment, from where she had propped herself against the sofa, before getting to her feet,
"Do you want a drink?" Dawn asked stretching out her arms and legs, yawning slightly,
"Please." Tara said bobbing her head up and down,
"I'm just going to get a brush. See if I can go recycle some of the water from my hair." She said before moving towards the stairs. Dawn giggled silently,
"Film's getting kind of lame anyway," Dawn shouted to Tara as she made her way into the kitchen,
"I mean how can you fall in love with your brother and then go to save the world while your mom is the one who wants to end it?" she added to herself before flicking the switch on the kettle and grabbing two mugs from the drying rack while humming the theme tune to the film they were watching.
At least it had a good theme tune.
*********************************************************************
Willow glanced at the still form of the man in the passenger seat of her car as she killed the engine. He had fallen asleep almost the moment she had set him down in the seat, and she didn't want to disturb him. The poor man looked as though he hadn't slept in a long while.
It reminded her of the days when she was still at high school and would come in to find him in a more wrinkled version of clothes that he had worn the previous day. The memory brought a smile to her worried face. She had many memories of Giles staying up researching all night that sometimes she felt guilty for not joining him to help. He had done so much for Buffy, yet she knew that was part of his duty as Watcher. Yet even when he had been fired he had continued to stay up late and research into the small hours of the morning; doughnuts and a cup of tea being his only saviours when school hours came round again and Buffy, with scoobies, returned,
"Giles." She called softly, shaking his shoulders slightly, and soon regretting what she had done.
A small moan escaped the Watcher's lips as he pulled away from Willow. She frowned,
"Sorry Giles. It's just, I can't carry you up to the house." She said truthfully, watching his bleary eyes trying to focus on her,
"Willow?" he questioned hesitantly. Willow watched the man concerned for him. She nodded slowly,
"It's me Giles." She said comfortingly, before undoing the seatbelt she had wrapped round him with difficulty,
"We need to get you inside." She said opening her car door, still watching him,
"Into Buffy's house." She clarified as she watched his confused face. At the moment he looked like a small, confused child and it disturbed her. Giles had always been the grown up, always been the one with the level head, and now. Willow sighed heavily before getting out the car and going round to the passenger's side. Willow dreaded to think what had happened to the once stable man.
"Buffy!?" he questioned confusion in his voice,
"Buffy." He said after a long pause, remorse in his voice now, as if sudden realisation that his slayer was dead had only just sunk in.
Willow sighed again as she opened the car door, fighting hard against the many questions she needed to ask the man.
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Tara found her hairbrush lying under a pile of Willow's clothes on a chair. She frowned as she put the hairbrush between her teeth before she picked up Willow's clothes and started to sort through them. Willow had never been the tidiest person on the planet, but it didn't mean Tara didn't love her any less. She hung up her green lace top that Willow had been looking for the other day, before depositing her jeans and socks in the laundry basket in the bathroom. She took the hairbrush from her mouth and started to pull at her tangled golden locks. Her hairbrush got stuck half way down and she sighed coming down the stairs. She met Dawn halfway from the kitchen,
"What do you think Dawnie? A new look for me?" she asked, the hairbrush still stuck in her hair. The girl laughed, almost spilling the two hot chocolates,
"Very you!" she exclaimed before handing Tara her cup and heading into the living room to curl up on the sofa. It was winter in California, and even though winter temperatures never reached much below ten degrees it was still the season to drink hot chocolate and curl up in front of the television watching pointless films that made no sense. In fact, Dawn enjoyed every minute of it,
"Ok I think the dad's come back and is now trying to save the world by telling the girl's mom that he still loves her. Either that or he's trying to propose to the girl." She frowned as she watched the figures interact with each other on the screen.
Tara set her mug down on the coffee table and took up her seat beside Dawn, continuing to tug at her unruly hair that would just not sit straight,
"Either that or the dog's going to save the day." Tara said jokingly,
"Don't be stupid Tara. That would so never happen." Dawn said, not taking her eyes off the screen. Tara smiled, continuing to brush at her hair as someone started to bang on the door. Tara sighed, standing up and looking at the clock, before placing her brush on the table,
"Xander's not coming over until later is he?" Dawn shrugged, not taking her eyes away from the screen, too engrossed by it all. Tara sighed, walking towards the door,
"So that leaves the dog, the alien mom who wants to take over the world or.Giles!" Tara exclaimed as she opened the door to reveal a rather dishevelled looking Giles draped over her girlfriend,
"Tara we don't know where he is," Dawn said finally pulling herself away from the television and off the couch,
"We've searched for him for so long now that I don't think he'll be.here." Dawn trailed off as she stared agape at the only father she had ever really had.
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Giles had brought himself up to his full height again standing on his own two feet, Willow no longer holding him up. He hadn't seen any of them for so long and he wanted to make a good impression, especially after he had left them without a word.
He watched Dawn take a few hesitant steps forward. She had changed so much; grow up into a lovely young woman he thought. She had kept her dark locks, but they were shorter, only reaching past her shoulders, marginally. She was a lot taller, only a head shorter than him he thought, measuring himself up against her,
"Giles?" Dawn asked, uncertain of whom he was. He had changed so much he knew, but not enough to not recognise him surely. He nodded silently, watching her, watching them all for any sign that he would be accepted back.
"You're back!" Dawn said happily after a pause as tears started to stream down her cheeks. Giles tried to smile, wanting to nod again, but he felt himself slipping.
His heart hammering in his chest.
The shrill scream of others still echoing in his head.
The fire dancing in front of his eyes, causing them to sear with pain.
The blows to his head, to his arms, to his chest becoming dull and throbbing.
The stabbing pain as the knife went in deeper, ripping up his insides.
The manic laughing.
The acute pain in his chest as he tried to breath.
As everything came back to him he felt himself falling.
Falling.
He would never stop falling.
He heard his name called and several pairs of hands grabbing at him.
They were too late.
They were all too late.