FIC: The Four Loves (3/4)
Title: The Four Loves (3/4)
Contact Information: skydragon@att.net
Characters: Rupert Giles, Faith Lehane, Jenny Calendar, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, Buffy Summers, Spike
Rating: PG-13
Setting: Various - including S8 Comics
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its concepts, and its characters © Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy Productions
Warnings: Mild swearing, a little violence, discussion of a (canon) character death
Notes: I was skipping about on TVTropes the other day when I stumbled across this page, and it gave me this fic idea. It is a four-parter, though the four parts are more like vignettes than actual ficlets. Enjoy! This part takes place sometime between S4 and S5.
Storge - Affection/Familial
Xander and Willow weren’t technically family, but they might as well have been. How many late nights had they all spent in the library, flipping through ancient texts with tired eyes and stiff necks? How many times had one of them stopped by the hospital to check on the Watcher, who was probably recovering from his latest head injury?
They weren’t family. Not by dictionary definition, anyway. But they might as well have been.
“So, G-man - vidfest tonight?”
“Don’t call me that,” Giles answered automatically. It was pretty much a reflex nowadays. Then the second half of Xander’s sentence caught up to him, and he glanced up, alarmed. “Wait - what?”
“The Buffster’s going out for a quick patrol tonight, right? What say you to another vid night? You, Buffy, Willow, and me?”
“Right. Because it went so splendidly the last time we tried one.”
“Okay, first of all - the spirit of the first Slayer tried to kill us in our dreams, not in Buffy’s living room. Second of all - that was at the start of the summer! Totally different circumstances, plus there were still after-affects from that über-Buffy spell we did. That’s all worn off by now...I think.”
“I appreciate the offer, Xander, but really - ”
“Hey, Xander. Hey, Giles.” Willow entered with her usual sunny smile. “Did you tell him about the thing?”
He really needed to start locking his door.
“The...um, thing?” Giles was almost scared to ask.
“Movie night! Buffy said she wanted to try that again since it...well, it didn’t work out so well last time.”
“I’m really not sure that’s such a good idea, Willow.”
“Come on! Being a Watcher doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.”
Giles was about to protest further, but the look on their faces - Willow, full of excitement, and Xander, looking hopeful - stopped him.
“Oh, very well. Do be sure to bring something interesting, though. Last time, I believe Xander picked the movies, and we all ended up asleep within minutes.”
“That was a post-mojo exhaustion thing!” Xander complained. “Apocalypse Now is about as far-removed from boring as you can possibly get!” He looked thoughtful. “Speaking of which, we never did see the full movie, did we? Maybe we should - ”
Giles and Willow didn’t even need to exchange a glance.
“No,” they countered in unison.
“Fine,” grumbled Xander. “But you’re missing out on the action-y fun times.”
“I think Buffy will be quite done with those once she finishes her patrol,” Giles replied.
“Right, she’ll want one of those corny ice-skating movies, won’t she?” Xander nodded wisely. “G-man, you can’t tell me that you’d prefer one of those over the classic Apocalypse Now, would you?”
“I remain convinced that it wouldn’t matter what I said in relation to the movies. You’d still pick whatever you wanted.”
“Uh-oh. Looks like he knows you too well, Xander,” Willow teased. She turned to Giles. “We’re meeting at Buffy’s house at eight. She has to patrol first, so we might have time to watch one movie of the non-ice-skating variety before she gets back.”
“As long as said movie is not Apocalypse Now, I think I will be just fine with that.”
“Hey!” Xander piped up again. He slouched on Giles’ sofa, crossing his arms. “Great. Just great. I just had to make friends with the only two people in the world who don’t appreciate the classic napalm action flick that is Apocalypse Now.”
“I tend to avoid movies that have the words ‘napalm’ and ‘action’ in their description anyhow,” Willow chimed in.
“No one understands me,” Xander declared mournfully.
“As if!” Willow flopped down on the couch beside him and jabbed an elbow into his ribs. Xander yelped, then, with a wicked grin, started tickling her.
“Ow, no! Xander!” squeaked Willow, desperately trying to fend him off. “Giles, help!”
Giles didn’t hear her. He was too busy laughing harder than he had in weeks.
Contact Information: skydragon@att.net
Characters: Rupert Giles, Faith Lehane, Jenny Calendar, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, Buffy Summers, Spike
Rating: PG-13
Setting: Various - including S8 Comics
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its concepts, and its characters © Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy Productions
Warnings: Mild swearing, a little violence, discussion of a (canon) character death
Notes: I was skipping about on TVTropes the other day when I stumbled across this page, and it gave me this fic idea. It is a four-parter, though the four parts are more like vignettes than actual ficlets. Enjoy! This part takes place sometime between S4 and S5.
Storge - Affection/Familial
Xander and Willow weren’t technically family, but they might as well have been. How many late nights had they all spent in the library, flipping through ancient texts with tired eyes and stiff necks? How many times had one of them stopped by the hospital to check on the Watcher, who was probably recovering from his latest head injury?
They weren’t family. Not by dictionary definition, anyway. But they might as well have been.
“So, G-man - vidfest tonight?”
“Don’t call me that,” Giles answered automatically. It was pretty much a reflex nowadays. Then the second half of Xander’s sentence caught up to him, and he glanced up, alarmed. “Wait - what?”
“The Buffster’s going out for a quick patrol tonight, right? What say you to another vid night? You, Buffy, Willow, and me?”
“Right. Because it went so splendidly the last time we tried one.”
“Okay, first of all - the spirit of the first Slayer tried to kill us in our dreams, not in Buffy’s living room. Second of all - that was at the start of the summer! Totally different circumstances, plus there were still after-affects from that über-Buffy spell we did. That’s all worn off by now...I think.”
“I appreciate the offer, Xander, but really - ”
“Hey, Xander. Hey, Giles.” Willow entered with her usual sunny smile. “Did you tell him about the thing?”
He really needed to start locking his door.
“The...um, thing?” Giles was almost scared to ask.
“Movie night! Buffy said she wanted to try that again since it...well, it didn’t work out so well last time.”
“I’m really not sure that’s such a good idea, Willow.”
“Come on! Being a Watcher doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.”
Giles was about to protest further, but the look on their faces - Willow, full of excitement, and Xander, looking hopeful - stopped him.
“Oh, very well. Do be sure to bring something interesting, though. Last time, I believe Xander picked the movies, and we all ended up asleep within minutes.”
“That was a post-mojo exhaustion thing!” Xander complained. “Apocalypse Now is about as far-removed from boring as you can possibly get!” He looked thoughtful. “Speaking of which, we never did see the full movie, did we? Maybe we should - ”
Giles and Willow didn’t even need to exchange a glance.
“No,” they countered in unison.
“Fine,” grumbled Xander. “But you’re missing out on the action-y fun times.”
“I think Buffy will be quite done with those once she finishes her patrol,” Giles replied.
“Right, she’ll want one of those corny ice-skating movies, won’t she?” Xander nodded wisely. “G-man, you can’t tell me that you’d prefer one of those over the classic Apocalypse Now, would you?”
“I remain convinced that it wouldn’t matter what I said in relation to the movies. You’d still pick whatever you wanted.”
“Uh-oh. Looks like he knows you too well, Xander,” Willow teased. She turned to Giles. “We’re meeting at Buffy’s house at eight. She has to patrol first, so we might have time to watch one movie of the non-ice-skating variety before she gets back.”
“As long as said movie is not Apocalypse Now, I think I will be just fine with that.”
“Hey!” Xander piped up again. He slouched on Giles’ sofa, crossing his arms. “Great. Just great. I just had to make friends with the only two people in the world who don’t appreciate the classic napalm action flick that is Apocalypse Now.”
“I tend to avoid movies that have the words ‘napalm’ and ‘action’ in their description anyhow,” Willow chimed in.
“No one understands me,” Xander declared mournfully.
“As if!” Willow flopped down on the couch beside him and jabbed an elbow into his ribs. Xander yelped, then, with a wicked grin, started tickling her.
“Ow, no! Xander!” squeaked Willow, desperately trying to fend him off. “Giles, help!”
Giles didn’t hear her. He was too busy laughing harder than he had in weeks.