Chapter 3
*********************************************************************
Time is a valuable thing, watch it fly by as the pendulum swings, watch it count down to the end of the day, the clock ticks life away.
"In The End" Linkin Park
*********************************************************************
A world without time would be a world without purpose.
Time meant everything.
Time was the rule everyone lived by.
But where Giles was now, time had no meaning.
Minutes could drift into days; drift into weeks, into months and years.
He wouldn't notice.
He was at peace here, but here was not where he needed to be.
As much as Giles wanted to stay here, he couldn't.
He knew that.
They all knew that.
"Rupert, come inside and wash up for lunch."
"Coming Nana."
*********************************************************************
"We can't take him to the hospital!" Willow protested for the umpteenth time as Dawn turned on her with vengeful eyes,
"He has no passport or anything on him." She said panic rising up in her voice,
"What are we supposed to do then? Leave him lying on the couch?" Dawn protested,
"No. We.we can look after him."
"Willow," Dawn looked up at her with pleading eyes,
"I don't think he."
"Dawnie, lets not think like that. We have to think positive." Tara interjected,
"Willow sweetie, why don't you go get the first aid kit and we can see if we can get him cleaned up. Dawnie go call Xander. Ask him to bring some clothes for Giles." Tara went to the Watcher as both Willow and Dawn disappeared,
"Dawn!" she called after the tall teen, who re-emerged in the doorway,
"Don't tell him what's happened to Mr. Giles. Just tell him that he's back."
Dawn nodded, understanding in her eyes before she turned back into the kitchen again.
Tara turned away from the space where Dawn had been and back to Giles. She heard Dawn pick up the phone and punch Xander's number into the phone. There was a beat before she let her eyes wander over the tired and withered face of Giles, not hearing Dawn's cheery greeting to Xander in the other room. She didn't even hear the cupboard's in the bathroom upstairs slamming, as her girlfriend searched in desperation for the first aid kit. She frowned as stray locks of hair slipped from her shoulder in front of her face as her eyes watched the man's closed eyelids. She could feel the pain and suffering coming off him in waves. She didn't know what had happened to him, and she honestly wasn't comfortably about finding out either,
"I found it, but I think it's almost empty." Willow said, coming back into the living room and placing the box on the table,
"Tara?" Tara looked up abruptly, suddenly torn from her thoughts,
"Sorry," she mumbled,
"It's just -" she indicated Giles by looking back at him. Willow sighed heavily before kneeling down next to Tara. She placed her head on Tara shoulder,
"He's back." She said, a longing for relief in her voice,
"But that doesn't mean." she trailed off for a moment, pulling her head off Tara's shoulder,
"That doesn't mean we can't still lose him."
There was a silence between the two women that sent shivers up their spines. Just thinking about it was too unbearable for Willow. She had lost him and Buffy three years ago, yet she still had hope.
The only thing that had kept her going was the knowledge that he was alive and well, and living somewhere where he could be cared for into his old age. She smiled at the thought. Giles would never let himself be put in a nursing home, but she had still hoped he was safe and well.
Now that she had him back it was just as bad as not having him at all. At least when she didn't have him she could pretend to herself he was fine. Now she had to face the truth that she might lose him forever.
Willow quickly brushed those thoughts away, as well as a few stray tears,
"Help me get his coat off."
*********************************************************************
"Giles?!"
"Yeah."
"Giles is here?"
"Uh huh."
"Giles in Sunnydale? As in here?"
"Yes!"
"Rupert Giles? As in the G-man? As in Sunnydale's answer to Sherlock Holmes?"
"Yes Xander!" Dawn exclaimed, finally losing her rag with Xander and the constant repetition of Giles' name,
"Giles is here. O-kay. If I keep saying it I might get the fact that. Giles is here?!"
Dawn rolled her eyes to the ceiling even though Xander couldn't see,
"Yeah Giles is here. We're all kinda shocked that Giles is here. We're all happy that Giles is here. But seen as Giles is here and Giles' clothes are not here, can you bring clothes that Giles can wear. Here." Dawn said, a sarcastic tone to her voice,
"Yeah, sure." Xander said, still fazed by the whole idea of Giles being here that he didn't find it odd that Giles needed clothes,
"I'll bring them. Giles is here?"
"Bye Xander."
"Giles is here?" Xander found himself questioning the dial tone as to whether Giles was here or not, and as good news as it was he didn't think the dial tone needed to be asked if Giles was here or not.
Xander turned into the empty flat, annoyed that Anya had as yet to return from the store. He needed to tell someone that Giles was here. Instead he found himself in the bedroom looking out some old clothes for Giles.
'Okay Xander! When Anya gets here don't go rushing in and tell her Giles is here. Ask her how her day was, let her rant for a bit and then maybe slip into the conversation after a while. Like, "Hey guess what An? Giles is back." Nice and simple. It won't take her by surprise and she can have time to digest it and.'
He heard the front door. He dashed for it as a harassed Anya stood there,
"Giles is back!" he exclaimed so quickly Anya didn't have a hope of getting a word in edges ways, 'Nice one Xand.' He thought to himself.
Anya stared at the man she loved for a moment as he shouted at her. She thought, processing what he had said, before a smile broke out on her face. A beat passed before the smile disappeared again,
"He doesn't want the store back does he?"
*********************************************************************
Time is a valuable thing, watch it fly by as the pendulum swings, watch it count down to the end of the day, the clock ticks life away.
"In The End" Linkin Park
*********************************************************************
A world without time would be a world without purpose.
Time meant everything.
Time was the rule everyone lived by.
But where Giles was now, time had no meaning.
Minutes could drift into days; drift into weeks, into months and years.
He wouldn't notice.
He was at peace here, but here was not where he needed to be.
As much as Giles wanted to stay here, he couldn't.
He knew that.
They all knew that.
"Rupert, come inside and wash up for lunch."
"Coming Nana."
*********************************************************************
"We can't take him to the hospital!" Willow protested for the umpteenth time as Dawn turned on her with vengeful eyes,
"He has no passport or anything on him." She said panic rising up in her voice,
"What are we supposed to do then? Leave him lying on the couch?" Dawn protested,
"No. We.we can look after him."
"Willow," Dawn looked up at her with pleading eyes,
"I don't think he."
"Dawnie, lets not think like that. We have to think positive." Tara interjected,
"Willow sweetie, why don't you go get the first aid kit and we can see if we can get him cleaned up. Dawnie go call Xander. Ask him to bring some clothes for Giles." Tara went to the Watcher as both Willow and Dawn disappeared,
"Dawn!" she called after the tall teen, who re-emerged in the doorway,
"Don't tell him what's happened to Mr. Giles. Just tell him that he's back."
Dawn nodded, understanding in her eyes before she turned back into the kitchen again.
Tara turned away from the space where Dawn had been and back to Giles. She heard Dawn pick up the phone and punch Xander's number into the phone. There was a beat before she let her eyes wander over the tired and withered face of Giles, not hearing Dawn's cheery greeting to Xander in the other room. She didn't even hear the cupboard's in the bathroom upstairs slamming, as her girlfriend searched in desperation for the first aid kit. She frowned as stray locks of hair slipped from her shoulder in front of her face as her eyes watched the man's closed eyelids. She could feel the pain and suffering coming off him in waves. She didn't know what had happened to him, and she honestly wasn't comfortably about finding out either,
"I found it, but I think it's almost empty." Willow said, coming back into the living room and placing the box on the table,
"Tara?" Tara looked up abruptly, suddenly torn from her thoughts,
"Sorry," she mumbled,
"It's just -" she indicated Giles by looking back at him. Willow sighed heavily before kneeling down next to Tara. She placed her head on Tara shoulder,
"He's back." She said, a longing for relief in her voice,
"But that doesn't mean." she trailed off for a moment, pulling her head off Tara's shoulder,
"That doesn't mean we can't still lose him."
There was a silence between the two women that sent shivers up their spines. Just thinking about it was too unbearable for Willow. She had lost him and Buffy three years ago, yet she still had hope.
The only thing that had kept her going was the knowledge that he was alive and well, and living somewhere where he could be cared for into his old age. She smiled at the thought. Giles would never let himself be put in a nursing home, but she had still hoped he was safe and well.
Now that she had him back it was just as bad as not having him at all. At least when she didn't have him she could pretend to herself he was fine. Now she had to face the truth that she might lose him forever.
Willow quickly brushed those thoughts away, as well as a few stray tears,
"Help me get his coat off."
*********************************************************************
"Giles?!"
"Yeah."
"Giles is here?"
"Uh huh."
"Giles in Sunnydale? As in here?"
"Yes!"
"Rupert Giles? As in the G-man? As in Sunnydale's answer to Sherlock Holmes?"
"Yes Xander!" Dawn exclaimed, finally losing her rag with Xander and the constant repetition of Giles' name,
"Giles is here. O-kay. If I keep saying it I might get the fact that. Giles is here?!"
Dawn rolled her eyes to the ceiling even though Xander couldn't see,
"Yeah Giles is here. We're all kinda shocked that Giles is here. We're all happy that Giles is here. But seen as Giles is here and Giles' clothes are not here, can you bring clothes that Giles can wear. Here." Dawn said, a sarcastic tone to her voice,
"Yeah, sure." Xander said, still fazed by the whole idea of Giles being here that he didn't find it odd that Giles needed clothes,
"I'll bring them. Giles is here?"
"Bye Xander."
"Giles is here?" Xander found himself questioning the dial tone as to whether Giles was here or not, and as good news as it was he didn't think the dial tone needed to be asked if Giles was here or not.
Xander turned into the empty flat, annoyed that Anya had as yet to return from the store. He needed to tell someone that Giles was here. Instead he found himself in the bedroom looking out some old clothes for Giles.
'Okay Xander! When Anya gets here don't go rushing in and tell her Giles is here. Ask her how her day was, let her rant for a bit and then maybe slip into the conversation after a while. Like, "Hey guess what An? Giles is back." Nice and simple. It won't take her by surprise and she can have time to digest it and.'
He heard the front door. He dashed for it as a harassed Anya stood there,
"Giles is back!" he exclaimed so quickly Anya didn't have a hope of getting a word in edges ways, 'Nice one Xand.' He thought to himself.
Anya stared at the man she loved for a moment as he shouted at her. She thought, processing what he had said, before a smile broke out on her face. A beat passed before the smile disappeared again,
"He doesn't want the store back does he?"