Giles was finishing up his French fries, surprised at how hungry he really was, when Fred mentioned naming their daughter after Andrew. His throat tightened at the thought, and he suddenly realized that Andrew was gone. No longer would the younger man be there to keep him company while he was researching, or to tell him some corny joke.
"That, um, that sound lovely, Fred," he pushed out, his voice filled with emotion.
He should've went with them, instead of going with Gunn. If he would've been there, then Knox would've backed off and left Fred alone, and Andrew would still be alive. But, he wasn't. He was gone.
Looking over at Fred, the tightening become worse. He couldn't lost his wife and daughter too. He was reminded of the fear he'd felt when Ethan had taken her. Standing, he went over to her and help her stand up. He led her over to the bed and laid her down before sliding in beside her.
Giles pulled her closer and buried his face against her hair. "I could've lost the both of you, Fred," he whispered as tears slid down his cheeks.
Fred smiled wanly when Rupert agreed with her idea that they name the baby after Andrew in some way. She wanted to remember him in that way, having something that carried on his name when he couldn't.
When her husband stood up and walked over to help her up, she took his hand tightly in hers, leaning against him as he took her over to the bed. Once she was settled and he had slipped in beside her, she pressed against him, closing her eyes. Images from the night before played in her mind, reminding her how close it had been.
"I know," she whispered, trying to keep her voice from cracking. Reaching up, she rubbed her thumb gently across his cheek, wanting to wipe away his pain as well as his tears. "I'm still here, though. We're both still here."
Shifting slightly, she looked up at him for a moment before leaning up to kiss each of his tear tracks. Then she looked into his eyes and kissed him gently on the lips.
"I love you, Rupert," she told him softly. "I won't let anything separate us, ever. I promise."
Being there with Fred was all Giles wanted at the moment. He knew they needed to figure out what to do with Illyria, but he didn't want to be bothered by it. He wanted to remember Andrew for who he was, and for what he'd done. He didn't want to look at Illyria and see pieces of the young man who had saved his wife and unborn daughter. "I know, love," he murmured as his hand laid on her pregnant stomach.
Giles knew they needed to call the others and tell them what had happened. He didn't want to though, hoping maybe all of this had been some awful dream. With a weary sigh, he reached down and took his mobile out of his trouser pocket. "Perhaps I should ring Xander, and you can ring Willow. I'm rather sure Xander's not going to take it well. Andrew and him were close," he quietly said before slipping off the bed. If they did this now, then they could rest for the rest of the night.
Walking over to the other side of the room, he sat down at the desk and dialed Xander's number. He wasn't surprised when Martin answered. After asking to speak with Xander, Giles gripped the phone and waited.
"Hey. What's up Giles?"
"It's about Andrew. He...he's gone Xander. Knox tried to infect Fred with Illyria but Andrew saved her and got infected instead. He passed away this morning and he's now Illyria," Giles quietly said.
"Oh, god. D-Did...what's going to happen now?" Xander asked.
"Spike is taking care of it at the moment. Right now Fred and I are resting and we'll go from there and come home."
"Does Willow know?"
"Fred's going to call her," Giles said.
There was a long pause and Xander cleared his throat. "I-I should go," he said, his voice cracking.
Fred rested her hand over Rupert's on her stomach, looking at him for a moment before he got out his phone. When he suggested that she call Willow while he spoke to Xander, she nodded. For a moment, she watched him as he rolled off the bed, biting her lip before reaching for her own phone. She stared at it for a moment, then dialed Willow's home number.
"Hey, what's up? Did you find the sarcaphogus? When are you guys coming back?"
Swallowing, Fred looked up at the ceiling and covered her stomach with her hand. She could hear her husband speaking to Xander in hushed tones, telling him what had happened, so she just told Willow the same, explaining that they had found the sarcaphogus and what Knox had tried to do and what Andrew had done to save her and the baby.
Fred nodded even though her friend couldn't see her, feeling her throat tightening painfully. "We're not sure what we're going to do. Spike's dealing with him...it now."
"I can't believe he's...gone. Andrew. Who's going to make bad Star Trek jokes and bug me about my reports for Giles?"
"I know," Fred said, tears coming to her eyes again.
"I...I need to tell Charlotte. She's at the Council at the moment. I need to have her come home and tell her. She should know. And Xander..."
"Rupert's talking to him now."
"I should call him then. I'll...talk to you later?"
"We'll call you when we get home."
"Okay." Willow paused for a moment. "Fred...I'm glad you're okay. You and the baby."
"Thanks, Willow. I just wish Andrew was too."
"Bye, Fred."
"Bye." Hanging up the phone, she looked over at Rupert. "Willow's going to tell Charlotte and call Xander to make sure he's all right, I think." She held her arms open to him, needing to hold her husband again.
While he was waiting for Fred to finish her call, Giles rang Spike and spoke to him for a few moments. The vampire told him Illyria had agreed to allow Spike to guide it. It was the best they could do because Giles knew there was no possible way he'd take Illyria back to England, even if it did look like Andrew. He told Spike he would call as soon as they got back to England and then rang off.
"Good," he said with a nod. "I just spoke to Spike and he said Illyria is responding to him so I'm going to leave it here. If the Council were to get a hold of Illyria...well, I don't want to think about the sort of destruction they would do."
When he saw Fred holding her arms out, Giles went over to her and gathered her into his arms. "It's going to be all right, love," he whispered as his hand laid on her stomach. "We're going home tomorrow. I'm going to get tickets and we're leaving and we aren't ever coming back here again because..."
He suddenly stopped talking when he felt a fluttering under his hand. "Was that...is that the baby?" Giles asked as he looked at his wife.
"That, um, that sound lovely, Fred," he pushed out, his voice filled with emotion.
He should've went with them, instead of going with Gunn. If he would've been there, then Knox would've backed off and left Fred alone, and Andrew would still be alive. But, he wasn't. He was gone.
Looking over at Fred, the tightening become worse. He couldn't lost his wife and daughter too. He was reminded of the fear he'd felt when Ethan had taken her. Standing, he went over to her and help her stand up. He led her over to the bed and laid her down before sliding in beside her.
Giles pulled her closer and buried his face against her hair. "I could've lost the both of you, Fred," he whispered as tears slid down his cheeks.
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When her husband stood up and walked over to help her up, she took his hand tightly in hers, leaning against him as he took her over to the bed. Once she was settled and he had slipped in beside her, she pressed against him, closing her eyes. Images from the night before played in her mind, reminding her how close it had been.
"I know," she whispered, trying to keep her voice from cracking. Reaching up, she rubbed her thumb gently across his cheek, wanting to wipe away his pain as well as his tears. "I'm still here, though. We're both still here."
Shifting slightly, she looked up at him for a moment before leaning up to kiss each of his tear tracks. Then she looked into his eyes and kissed him gently on the lips.
"I love you, Rupert," she told him softly. "I won't let anything separate us, ever. I promise."
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Being there with Fred was all Giles wanted at the moment. He knew they needed to figure out what to do with Illyria, but he didn't want to be bothered by it. He wanted to remember Andrew for who he was, and for what he'd done. He didn't want to look at Illyria and see pieces of the young man who had saved his wife and unborn daughter. "I know, love," he murmured as his hand laid on her pregnant stomach.
Giles knew they needed to call the others and tell them what had happened. He didn't want to though, hoping maybe all of this had been some awful dream. With a weary sigh, he reached down and took his mobile out of his trouser pocket. "Perhaps I should ring Xander, and you can ring Willow. I'm rather sure Xander's not going to take it well. Andrew and him were close," he quietly said before slipping off the bed. If they did this now, then they could rest for the rest of the night.
Walking over to the other side of the room, he sat down at the desk and dialed Xander's number. He wasn't surprised when Martin answered. After asking to speak with Xander, Giles gripped the phone and waited.
"Hey. What's up Giles?"
"It's about Andrew. He...he's gone Xander. Knox tried to infect Fred with Illyria but Andrew saved her and got infected instead. He passed away this morning and he's now Illyria," Giles quietly said.
"Oh, god. D-Did...what's going to happen now?" Xander asked.
"Spike is taking care of it at the moment. Right now Fred and I are resting and we'll go from there and come home."
"Does Willow know?"
"Fred's going to call her," Giles said.
There was a long pause and Xander cleared his throat. "I-I should go," he said, his voice cracking.
"Night, Xander," Giles said before ringing off.
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"Hello? Rosenberg-Moore residence," Willow answered.
"Willow? It's Fred," she said softly.
"Hey, what's up? Did you find the sarcaphogus? When are you guys coming back?"
Swallowing, Fred looked up at the ceiling and covered her stomach with her hand. She could hear her husband speaking to Xander in hushed tones, telling him what had happened, so she just told Willow the same, explaining that they had found the sarcaphogus and what Knox had tried to do and what Andrew had done to save her and the baby.
"Oh, Goddess," Willow breathed out. "He's...Illyria...?"
Fred nodded even though her friend couldn't see her, feeling her throat tightening painfully. "We're not sure what we're going to do. Spike's dealing with him...it now."
"I can't believe he's...gone. Andrew. Who's going to make bad Star Trek jokes and bug me about my reports for Giles?"
"I know," Fred said, tears coming to her eyes again.
"I...I need to tell Charlotte. She's at the Council at the moment. I need to have her come home and tell her. She should know. And Xander..."
"Rupert's talking to him now."
"I should call him then. I'll...talk to you later?"
"We'll call you when we get home."
"Okay." Willow paused for a moment. "Fred...I'm glad you're okay. You and the baby."
"Thanks, Willow. I just wish Andrew was too."
"Bye, Fred."
"Bye." Hanging up the phone, she looked over at Rupert. "Willow's going to tell Charlotte and call Xander to make sure he's all right, I think." She held her arms open to him, needing to hold her husband again.
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"Good," he said with a nod. "I just spoke to Spike and he said Illyria is responding to him so I'm going to leave it here. If the Council were to get a hold of Illyria...well, I don't want to think about the sort of destruction they would do."
When he saw Fred holding her arms out, Giles went over to her and gathered her into his arms. "It's going to be all right, love," he whispered as his hand laid on her stomach. "We're going home tomorrow. I'm going to get tickets and we're leaving and we aren't ever coming back here again because..."
He suddenly stopped talking when he felt a fluttering under his hand. "Was that...is that the baby?" Giles asked as he looked at his wife.
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