Fic: Lover's Noose (G/Willow) FRT (part 2/5)
Part 2 - Something Blue
Buffy looked panicked. “Oh my God! Riley thinks I’m engaged.”
Willow was confused. “What?”
“Riley. He saw me! What the hell am I going to say?”
The red-head chewed her bottom lip in thought. “Oh, hey… What if you tell him it was all a big joke? Like, making fun of the whole ‘guy fear of commitment’ thing.”
“Do you really think that might work?” Buffy frowned.
“Well… Either that or I can make him about a hundred dozen cookies.” Willow held up the plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies she was holding. “Have I mentioned how sorry I am?” she murmured.
“I guess it’s worth a try,” Buffy sighed. “The joke thing I mean. Not the cookie thing.” She glanced at the front door.
Willow let a small smile cross her lips. “Go on and find him. I’ll be all right.”
“Thanks, Will,” Buffy hugged her and hurried toward the front door. She called out, “Just remembered some work I have to do on campus. I’ll see you all later.” And was out the door before anyone could respond.
Xander stood and stretched, then helped Anya up. “Yeah, I guess we should be going, too. Last night was pretty wild, and if I stay here any longer I might actually achieve the fabled cookie overdose.”
Giles stood and watched them move to the door. “Yes, that would be quite a feat for you.”
The boy grinned back at him. “Hey Wills, you want us to walk you home?”
Willow started towards them but, before she could answer, Giles said, “Um… Willow, I was hoping that you, you could stay a little longer. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”
The young witch didn’t turn to look at him, but nodded slowly.
“Uh oh…” Anya said, pulling on her jacket. “Kept behind after class. She’s in trouble.”
“She’ll be fine,” Xander stated in a soothing voice. “Go easy on her, Big Guy. She didn’t mean to, and no one really got hurt.”
Anya huffed. “She could’ve gotten you killed. I think he should spank her.”
“And thank you, An, for the image I’ll be needing therapy to get rid of.”
Giles sighed. “I assure you both, Willow is in no danger of a reprimand from me. I just need to run something by her. That is, if she has the time.”
“It’s okay, guys,” Willow tried for more of a voice that she felt, “I’ll catch up with you later.”
Xander gave her a reassuring nod before exiting with Anya in tow. As the door shut, Willow suddenly found the design of the rug to be the most intriguing thing in the room. It took her a few more minutes to work up the courage to speak, but she still couldn’t bring herself to turn and face Giles.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered with her head hung.
Giles came around the couch, but gave her plenty of space. “Willow,” he cleared his throat, as if unsure of how to make his thoughts clear. “This really isn’t about the spell. I’ve noticed that since the… e-events of last Thursday, you haven’t felt comfortable being here without the others.” The girl could hear him remove his glasses and start polishing. “It, uh, pains me to think that you are still so upset with my actions.”
Willow turned around slowly, clutching the plate of cookies as if it could shield her. “You think I’m…” she began in a small, careful voice. “Giles, after the way I acted, I was sure you’d never trust me to be alone here or even want to talk to me again. I just thought you kept being nice to me so Buffy and the others wouldn’t…”
He slid his glasses over his ears and gave her a small smile. “You were upset and somewhat stressed. That’s how I took everything you said. No real harm done.”
“Oh, please,” Spike drawled from the chair he was again tied to, “all this touchy feely, friends forever, make-up bollocks is gonna make me hurl. You two are much more entertaining when Little Red is playing the role of horny lil’ slut monster assaulting the noble, better-than-thou, put-upon white Watcher-man who just has to keep up the front long enough the drive her off so he can go wank for the rest of the night.”
Willow saw Giles close his eyes wearily, a touch of pink on his cheeks. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment, she couldn’t tell.
“Go on, Little Witch, get him all fired up for me again. You have no idea how boring it is being stuck here with Mr. No-life. Or, if you’re still all desperate, you can come over here and let me see what I can do for ya’. At this point I’d suck either one of you off just to get the taste of Slayer out of my mouth. I’m not stupid enough to turn down a beauty like you… Plus, I do kinda owe him a good ride. You know, like he gave me way back when. Hey, maybe we could talk ol’ Rupert into a three-way.”
“That’s enough,” Giles growled.
“Right,” Willow stepped toward Spike. “I deserve it, but if you don’t stop picking on Giles, I’ll…I’ll… I know a gagging spell that’ll turn your tongue into a cactus!”
“No, not another spell,” Spike screeched in mock horror. “Save me from the wacky witch. With her track record, I might lose something important.”
Giles went to his desk. “You know I don’t need spells to gag you, Spike.” He pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and a leather strap with a rubber ball fastened in the middle.
“What’s that?” Willow wondered.
Spike spoke first. “It’s a sex toy, Little One. Don’t you know? Watcher-boy has more kinks than a Smegrath Snake demon. You won’t let him kill me, so now he just tortures me by using me as a sex slave.”
Giles fastened Spikes hands behind his back and shoved the gag into his mouth. “Your commentary is no longer required,” he rumbled in the vampire’s ear. Grabbing the back of the chair, he dragged the prisoner across the room and flung him into the closet. Spike came to rest balanced precariously on two chair legs and leaning with his head and shoulder braced awkwardly against the wall. “Now,” he leaned in and hissed, “if I even hear you tap on this door, I have some new and interesting ideas we can try with the Holy Water.” He glanced at the bottles stacked up next to Spike. “Do we understand?” The vampire nodded. “We’ll discuss your touching my Slayer later.” The door to the closet swung shut, leaving Spike in darkness.
Giles turned and saw Willow staring wide-eyed at him. He took off his glasses and sighed. “Willow, you’ve known me how long now? Am I the sort of man who would torture a harmless creature?”
She whispered, “A harmless creature, or Spike?”
“Yes, well… It seems I am outvoted on the killing him front, so he is being tolerated. Now, where were we?”
Willow put the plate of cookies down on the desk and started for the kitchen. “I-I was just about to make you a batch of oatmeal raisin to say sorry for being an evil slut monster.”
Giles stopped her with a light touch and held her by the shoulders. “I would rather you tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing,” Willow’s eyes were again glued to the floor.
“I’m not blind. Well, not normally,” he chuckled. The witch whimpered. “You seemed to be doing better, and then all of this with the lack of focus and the spell. Willow, what happened?”
“Probably nothing Buffy didn’t already tell you about,” she murmured.
“My dear, I’m sure we could fill volumes with what Buffy neglects to tell me these days. However, I would much rather hear it from you. It’s just us now. I only pray you still trust me enough to confide in me.”
“I do trust you. But my problems…” Willow looked up into his gentle, caring eyes. Everything poured out in a rush of words and tears. “I went to Oz’s room and everything was gone. He’s not coming back, Giles. He sent for his stuff so he can be someplace far from me. And I tried. I tried to just cry and get over it. I tried to stop whining to all of you. I even tried to get a little drunk so I’d be happy for everyone. But that just made them upset with me. Then the spell that was supposed to fix me went all kerplooy...” She melted into Giles’ strong arms and descended into sobs and nonsense syllables.
***
Willow wasn’t sure how he’d managed it, but when her sobs calmed down she was sitting with him on the couch. He had situated her next to him, facing the end of the couch so she could lean comfortably into his embrace and bury her face in his broad chest. When she managed to control herself enough to lift her head, he had a box of tissues ready in front of her.
“Feel any better?” he whispered as she blew her nose.
The girl brought her hand up and weakly wiped at the place on his chest her head had been resting. “I made you all wet,” she murmured.
Giles let a chuckle roll through him. “It’s all right. I believe I’ll dry.”
“I bet your calling never warned you about having to deal with teenaged girls weeping all over you.”
“No, but right now that’s not a problem I’m having. I’m only caring for Willow. Something I will always be glad to do.”
Willow gave a feeble snort. “Great, the only one willing is the one I can’t have.”
He raised her eyes to his with a tender touch. “Dear girl, any man in his right mind would love to be yours.”
“Then why did he go?”
“Well, what should we settle on today? That Oz was trying to protect you from the wolf and figure out his own problems. Or that he was an idiot pillock that couldn’t see the angel in his arms and didn’t deserve you anyway.”
Willow let out a small laugh. “And what are you?”
Giles closed his eyes and let himself hold her a little tighter. “I’m a very lucky man who gets to have you in his life.”
Settling her head comfortably under his chin, the young witch sighed contently. “Tell me why this won’t work when right now it feels so wonderful.”
“Mmm?”
“Just being here in your arms, Giles. If I’m an angel, I think I found heaven. So why is it wrong?”
A deep sigh heaved in Giles’ chest. “Well, for one thing, you are nineteen. When I was nineteen, your birth was still a few years off.”
“Not a valid argument,” Willow shook her head against him.
“Pardon?”
“The age thing, I’ve already ruled it out as a good reason.”
“And how, pray tell, did you arrive at that conclusion?” He did his best to ignore the feel of her light hand absently petting his chest.
“Well… Just look at who we are and what we do. Giles, we fight evil. We live lives that are dangerous, that not only threaten us, but tend to steal the people we love from us. So, if we decided that we can give each other a little happiness, why not take it while we can? Besides, odds are the two of us will end up dying on the same day during the same apocalypse anyway.”
“Not if I have any say in it,” his voice rumbled. “I’ll see that you, and Xander, and even Buffy have long, fulfilling lives. I don’t care what kind of evil I have to sell my soul to in order to do it.”
Willow’s head popped up and she looked concernedly into his resolute face. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.”
“Yes, I believe you would do that. But you can’t, Giles. We all want long, happy lives. But they won’t be very happy if you’re not there with us.”
“Willow, you’ve all grown up,” he smiled gently. “I’m on the very fringes of your lives now as it is. You wouldn’t even miss me.”
The surprising slap on his cheek was enough to make him focus on her intense, red-rimmed eyes. “I’d miss you,” she whispered tightly. “If you weren’t here for us… who’d… who’d be there to hold me and let me blubber all over them?”
“Buffy and Xander,” he returned with a slight smile at her intense reaction.
Willow frowned, “No selling your soul to evil and that’s final.” She punctuated the order with a thump on his chest. Giles gave her a relenting nod and a smile. Accepting that, she tucked her head back under his chin and muttered, “Besides, the evil would probably just use you against us in some way and then we’d all be screwed.”
Giles chuckled, “You win. I bow to your logic. I’ll have to find another way to accomplish the same ends.”
“Only you better include yourself in the ‘long, fulfilling life’ thing, Mister.”
“Until I’m a senile, old man?” he smiled into her hair.
Willow gave a tiny nod against him. “Then it’ll be our turn to take care of you for a change.” After a moment of relaxed silence, she sighed. “So, give me the next one.”
“Next?”
“Reason we can’t be together.”
“Ah… Well, not to return to the age issue, but it is a fact that we are from two very different generations. An important part of a relationship is communication and challenging conversation.”
“You don’t like to talk to me, Giles?”
He sighed, “I suppose that argument would work better if I had Buffy or Xander here in my arms.”
Willow started giggling. “Sorry, it was just the image of you sitting here with your arms around Xand. It was disturbing, in a very undisturbing kind of way.”
“He has grown into a fine young man,” Giles chuckled.
“Anya would scratch your eyes out. Plus, I think I’d be pretty jealous, too.”
“Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I’m not planning to make any move on Xander. God forbid.”
“Good to hear,” Willow grinned against his chest. “Next.”
“Well… Even though I am no longer in any kind of official authority over you, there is that I’m a sort of mentor to you in your study of magicks, among other things.”
“That one’s not gonna work either.”
“And what logic do you have to thwart me this time?”
“Ooo… I’m thwarting the Super Watcher. I feel like a real villain.”
Giles affectionately stroked along her arm. “You forget, I’m not a Watcher anymore. They fired me. Which counts as another reason I’m not good enough for you. You can do better than an unemployed, middle-aged lay-about.”
“What did I tell you about putting yourself down like that? I don’t care about those Council poopheads, you’re still our Super Watcher. Plus, being a lay-about just means you’ll never be too busy when I want to come over here and use you for all my dirty, little needs.”
Giles cleared his throat, trying hard to ignore the images suddenly drifting around in his head. “You still haven’t rebuffed the mentor argument,” he whispered.
“Oh yes…” Willows warm fingers began playing along the bare skin at the neckline of his shirt. “As far as mentoring me in magick goes… First, after my last couple of bungles, I don’t think you want to accept responsibility for that. By the way, sorry again for blinding you,” she added in a soft murmur. Giles gave her a forgiving squeeze, trying to keep his mind from focusing completely on the delicious feel of her delicate fingers. “And second, there are many kinds of magicks that are much easier and more effective when done with a lover. So, having your magick mentor also be your lover can only be a good thing.”
Giles sighed. It was beginning to be hard to tell if he was talking her out of it or she was talking him into it. All he was sure of at that moment was how very wonderful she felt.
Willow had somehow managed to sneak a hand under his shirt and was playing it through the hairs on his chest. “Any more reasons I can’t take you upstairs and get all these clothes out of my way?”
“I can only think of one,” he breathed. “Buffy.”
Her hand suddenly stopped moving. “Buffy.”
“I, um, I was half expecting you to tell her the other night. You were so angry with me. But, since all of my bones still seem to be intact, I assume you didn’t.”
“I thought about it. She kept asking me what Spike said to upset me, why I was mad. Part of me wanted to tell her everything that ever happened, and that it was all your fault, that it was your idea. I imagined coming back here with her and laughing while I watched her beat you senseless.”
Giles swallowed hard at the thought. “But you didn’t,” he whispered.
“No. We decided a long time ago that she wouldn’t handle it well. You should have heard some of the rants she made to me when she found out about you and her mom. And the way I was feeling was nobody else’s fault.”
“I’m sorry I hurt you. It was what I had to do if I were to live with myself ever again.”
“I understand,” her voice became muffled as she buried her face deep in his chest. “Seems like you found the perfect reason to get me to back off.”
“You’ll be glad that you feel no obligation to me when someone new comes along.”
“No,” Willow began to cry softly. “No one will ever want me again. I can’t even attract the interest of an ex-librarian who hasn’t had a girlfriend in…” Giles lift her chin to make her look into his eyes. “Sorry,” she whimpered.
“Willow, Luv, too many complications is very different than a lack of interest. You are a beautiful, intelligent, caring, young woman.” At this she snorted. Giles pulled out his handkerchief and dried her face. “Even soggy you’re beautiful.” He lowered his head and caressed her lips with the kiss she should have, not the one she tried to steal before. Willow responded, brushing her soft lips along his and melting into his heated body. When he pulled back, her breath was coming quick and shallow. “Do you believe me?” he murmured.
Willow gazed, blurry eyed, up at him. “I think I feel part of your body that’s trying to tell me you’re not lying,” she whispered.
“I said I was old,” Giles smiled, “not dead.”
“I could…”
He shook his head slowly. “This time it really will go away on its own. Besides, I can’t seem to bring myself to let you go for any reason right now.”
“Can I have one more?” she asked with a slight blush. “Just in case it’s all I ever get.”
Unable to resist, he returned to her mouth and poured all the reasons there were to love her into the kiss. It was tender and loving, neither chaste nor wanton. It was a moment’s glimpse of what they could have had, in another life, in another time.
When they separated, Willow sighed contently with closed eyes. As she snuggled into his chest, she murmured, “Thank you, Giles. For everything.” Emotionally exhausted, she quickly fell asleep in his steady arms.
“My pleasure, Luv,” he breathed, his lips against the top of her head.
Part 3- Hush