FIC: Mistakes (PG-13, gen)
Title: Mistakes
Author: Aaronlisa
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pairing/Characters: Rupert Giles, Faith Lehane
Rating: FR13
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and company.
Summary: Giles realizes over the years that he's failed Faith as a Watcher.
Word Count: 1158
Giles is fully aware that he's failing Faith every single day that goes by. He doesn't quite know how to help her when she refuses to open up to him. All he can do is hope that the Watcher has promised to send out for her is one that can break through the walls that Faith has erected around herself. He also hopes that the Watcher arrives sooner than later as he can recognize the signs of self-destruction, having gone down that path himself once before. Yet Faith isn't opening up to him or to anyone else and Giles has a hard enough time relating to Buffy as it is. When he talks to his own Slayer about Faith, Buffy clams up and refuses to talk about her. Giles barely has the time to deal with the obvious jealousy between the two girls much less Faith's problems. His duties as Buffy's Watcher, the Hellmouth and his job as high school librarian keep him busy enough as it is, he makes the decision to do what he can for Faith while he awaits for her Watcher to arrive.
* * *
Wesley Wyndham-Pryce is a joke of Watcher. Gwendolyn Post was a far better Watcher than he is. Although Giles is well aware that he only has his own position because of his family connections, the fact that Wesley Wyndham-Pryce has been allowed to become a Watcher of an activated Slayer is disgraceful. What's worse is that Wesley has no intention of bonding with his Slayer. He has no intention of finding the route of Faith's problems, of what happened in Boston. Wesley is content with Faith's terse explanation that Diana Dormer died at the hands of Kakistos and Faith ran because she was afraid. Giles knows that the root of Faith's problems are connected to her first Watcher's death yet the Mayor and his plots are consuming Giles' times. And then, of course, there's Wesley's poor attempts at playing politics that cause further problems for him.
* * *
Giles visits Faith every week in the hospital. He doesn't bother leaving her flowers or a card, he doubts that should she wake up tomorrow that he'd appreciate such things. He sits by her bed and talks to her. He tells her stories about his troubled youth, things he would never dream of telling Buffy about. Giles tells Faith that she can be so much more than just a cardboard cut out villain, that she can be more than the darkness to Buffy's lightness. Every week, he visits her and holds her hand because he read somewhere that human contact can make a difference to a coma patient. Giles tells her that he believes in her because he does. If he could change, if he could become the man he is today, then Faith can become a better person all she has to do is wake up.
* * *
When it's all over and Faith is back in her own body and Buffy in her own body, Giles thinks that he should have seen beneath the surface right away, that he should have recognized Faith as Buffy and Buffy as Faith right away. Yet he hadn't and he thinks that perhaps if he had, then maybe things would be different. He lies awake in his bed and thinks that if today had been the day he had gone to visit her, he could have been there for Faith when she woke up. He regrets not leaving her some sign that someone cared. Now she's out there and no doubt she thinks that no one but the Mayor has ever cared. Giles hates the fact that his own stupidity has kept Faith in the dark.
* * *
Once a month, Giles makes the trek from Sunnydale to LA, apocalypses permitting, to visit Faith in jail. The first few visits are uncomfortable: Faith sits there staring at him through the thick glass, arms folded across her chest, refusing to pick up the phone so that they can talk. When she finally does, she tells him to leave and not bother coming back. Giles ignores her request and the next month, she finally listens as he talks. He tells her about how he visited her in the hospital, how he felt that he failed her when she arrived in Sunnydale. When he's finished, she hangs up the phone and walks away. And Giles realizes that he's made it all about himself. The next time he arrives, he simply tells her that he's willing to listen if she wishes to talk. It's not until after Buffy's death, that their relationship changes.
* * *
Giles ignores Buffy's rant about how Willow shouldn't have brought Faith back to Sunnydale and he tries not to roll his eyes. He might be proud of the young woman his Slayer has become but there are times like this when her pettiness astounds him. Even now, Buffy is jealous of Faith and he's not sure why. Faith is there to help them, not to undermine Buffy or take over her leadership role. All he can do is listen to both of the Slayers and hope that they can fix the rift between them before all is lost.
* * *
He finds her alone, sitting on a chair outside one of the motel rooms smoking a cigarette. Their rag-tag band of survivors are still coming to grips with what happened at the high school, with what happened in the battle against the First.
"Do you think we stopped it for good?" Faith asks. "Or is it just sleeping again?"
Giles sits down beside her with a tired sigh. To be honest, he doubts that they've managed to actually destroy the First. If they're lucky, it's asleep. However there are still agents of the First that are undoubtedly awake and gunning for them.
"I hope that we've managed to stop it for awhile," Giles replies. "I doubt that the First is something that can be truly destroyed without upsetting the balance of things."
"That's what I thought," Faith says.
They sit there quietly as the sun sets, Faith smoking her cigarette and Giles lost in his thoughts. He wonders what would have happened had he done better by her, if he had been a Watcher to her like he had been to Buffy. The fact that he's failed her for so long weighs heavily on him even now.
"I should check in on Robin," Faith tells him as she stands up.
As she passes him, she touches his shoulder, gently squeezing it. Giles decides it's time to put the past away for once and for all. They have a Council to rebuild, countless Slayers to look for and to care. He smiles as he watches Faith enter the motel room that holds Robin, he suspects that she'll have a far larger role to play in the future.
((END))
Author: Aaronlisa
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pairing/Characters: Rupert Giles, Faith Lehane
Rating: FR13
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and company.
Summary: Giles realizes over the years that he's failed Faith as a Watcher.
Word Count: 1158
Giles is fully aware that he's failing Faith every single day that goes by. He doesn't quite know how to help her when she refuses to open up to him. All he can do is hope that the Watcher has promised to send out for her is one that can break through the walls that Faith has erected around herself. He also hopes that the Watcher arrives sooner than later as he can recognize the signs of self-destruction, having gone down that path himself once before. Yet Faith isn't opening up to him or to anyone else and Giles has a hard enough time relating to Buffy as it is. When he talks to his own Slayer about Faith, Buffy clams up and refuses to talk about her. Giles barely has the time to deal with the obvious jealousy between the two girls much less Faith's problems. His duties as Buffy's Watcher, the Hellmouth and his job as high school librarian keep him busy enough as it is, he makes the decision to do what he can for Faith while he awaits for her Watcher to arrive.
* * *
Wesley Wyndham-Pryce is a joke of Watcher. Gwendolyn Post was a far better Watcher than he is. Although Giles is well aware that he only has his own position because of his family connections, the fact that Wesley Wyndham-Pryce has been allowed to become a Watcher of an activated Slayer is disgraceful. What's worse is that Wesley has no intention of bonding with his Slayer. He has no intention of finding the route of Faith's problems, of what happened in Boston. Wesley is content with Faith's terse explanation that Diana Dormer died at the hands of Kakistos and Faith ran because she was afraid. Giles knows that the root of Faith's problems are connected to her first Watcher's death yet the Mayor and his plots are consuming Giles' times. And then, of course, there's Wesley's poor attempts at playing politics that cause further problems for him.
* * *
Giles visits Faith every week in the hospital. He doesn't bother leaving her flowers or a card, he doubts that should she wake up tomorrow that he'd appreciate such things. He sits by her bed and talks to her. He tells her stories about his troubled youth, things he would never dream of telling Buffy about. Giles tells Faith that she can be so much more than just a cardboard cut out villain, that she can be more than the darkness to Buffy's lightness. Every week, he visits her and holds her hand because he read somewhere that human contact can make a difference to a coma patient. Giles tells her that he believes in her because he does. If he could change, if he could become the man he is today, then Faith can become a better person all she has to do is wake up.
* * *
When it's all over and Faith is back in her own body and Buffy in her own body, Giles thinks that he should have seen beneath the surface right away, that he should have recognized Faith as Buffy and Buffy as Faith right away. Yet he hadn't and he thinks that perhaps if he had, then maybe things would be different. He lies awake in his bed and thinks that if today had been the day he had gone to visit her, he could have been there for Faith when she woke up. He regrets not leaving her some sign that someone cared. Now she's out there and no doubt she thinks that no one but the Mayor has ever cared. Giles hates the fact that his own stupidity has kept Faith in the dark.
* * *
Once a month, Giles makes the trek from Sunnydale to LA, apocalypses permitting, to visit Faith in jail. The first few visits are uncomfortable: Faith sits there staring at him through the thick glass, arms folded across her chest, refusing to pick up the phone so that they can talk. When she finally does, she tells him to leave and not bother coming back. Giles ignores her request and the next month, she finally listens as he talks. He tells her about how he visited her in the hospital, how he felt that he failed her when she arrived in Sunnydale. When he's finished, she hangs up the phone and walks away. And Giles realizes that he's made it all about himself. The next time he arrives, he simply tells her that he's willing to listen if she wishes to talk. It's not until after Buffy's death, that their relationship changes.
* * *
Giles ignores Buffy's rant about how Willow shouldn't have brought Faith back to Sunnydale and he tries not to roll his eyes. He might be proud of the young woman his Slayer has become but there are times like this when her pettiness astounds him. Even now, Buffy is jealous of Faith and he's not sure why. Faith is there to help them, not to undermine Buffy or take over her leadership role. All he can do is listen to both of the Slayers and hope that they can fix the rift between them before all is lost.
* * *
He finds her alone, sitting on a chair outside one of the motel rooms smoking a cigarette. Their rag-tag band of survivors are still coming to grips with what happened at the high school, with what happened in the battle against the First.
"Do you think we stopped it for good?" Faith asks. "Or is it just sleeping again?"
Giles sits down beside her with a tired sigh. To be honest, he doubts that they've managed to actually destroy the First. If they're lucky, it's asleep. However there are still agents of the First that are undoubtedly awake and gunning for them.
"I hope that we've managed to stop it for awhile," Giles replies. "I doubt that the First is something that can be truly destroyed without upsetting the balance of things."
"That's what I thought," Faith says.
They sit there quietly as the sun sets, Faith smoking her cigarette and Giles lost in his thoughts. He wonders what would have happened had he done better by her, if he had been a Watcher to her like he had been to Buffy. The fact that he's failed her for so long weighs heavily on him even now.
"I should check in on Robin," Faith tells him as she stands up.
As she passes him, she touches his shoulder, gently squeezing it. Giles decides it's time to put the past away for once and for all. They have a Council to rebuild, countless Slayers to look for and to care. He smiles as he watches Faith enter the motel room that holds Robin, he suspects that she'll have a far larger role to play in the future.
((END))