Giles returned to the table with a second cup of tea on a saucer, this one for Willow. Sitting down, he slid it toward her and returned her smile.
"Thanks," she murmured, blowing on the steaming liquid a moment before taking a sip.
He just watched her as she set the cup back on its saucer, tracing the ornate handle with her index finger. A long sigh escaped, and soon she had her chin propped in her hand. "I know you couldn't possibly understand what I've done or what I'm going through..." she began.
Giles was quick to shut her down with a shake of his head and a soft reply of, "Willow, I understand what you're going through a bit more than I care to admit."
Brows furrowed in surprise, she met his gaze. "What do you mean?"
Taking a breath, and another sip of tea, Giles chose to tread lightly over this topic, as it was one he never even broached with his Slayer. "Let's just say, Willow, that in my forty-plus years, I have seen and done some things that I haven't spoken of for quite some time."
"Yeah, but," she chuckled a bit, "that's just youngster stuff. I bet you can't say you ever killed anyone."
Giles just held her gaze, never offering a rebuttal nor a confirmation, and watched as the realization spread on Willow's face.
"You have?"
He nodded slowly.
"But... just by accident, right?" she asked softly, almost hesitantly.
Giles responded once more with a long stare, and Willow averted her gaze, pushing a slice of red hair behind her ear.
"I-I, uh... I didn't know. Buffy never told me."
"It's not something I've ever shared with Buffy to be perfectly honest."
"Wow." Her teacup hit the saucer a bit hard this time, likely due to her surprise though Giles still flinched at the state of their fine china.
"It's not something I've shared much with anyone, really," he added, thinking of his wife still down the hall in their bedroom, mostly unaware of the things he'd done in his youth.
Willow narrowed her eyes slightly, taking another sip of tea and setting the cup down. "Then... why are you telling me?"
"Because, Willow. Because you are going to change now - the way you think of others, of yourself, the way you behave... it's all going to change as a result of the darkness you immersed yourself in."
She frowned. "That doesn't sound very pep-talky."
"It's not meant to be," he told her, a bit harshly, leaning forward in his seat and pulling his glasses off. "This information I'm about to share with you, Willow, is meant to prepare you for the changes you're going to go through. The emotions you'll experience. The urges you'll be tempted with."
The girl searched his eyes, obviously sensing his hesitation in sharing the darker corners of his past, and she asked softly, "So... where do we start?"
Giles glanced down to his arm, and gently rolled up the sleeve of his cotton tee-shirt, exposing the dark ink permanently etched there and answering, "Here."
"Thanks," she murmured, blowing on the steaming liquid a moment before taking a sip.
He just watched her as she set the cup back on its saucer, tracing the ornate handle with her index finger. A long sigh escaped, and soon she had her chin propped in her hand. "I know you couldn't possibly understand what I've done or what I'm going through..." she began.
Giles was quick to shut her down with a shake of his head and a soft reply of, "Willow, I understand what you're going through a bit more than I care to admit."
Brows furrowed in surprise, she met his gaze. "What do you mean?"
Taking a breath, and another sip of tea, Giles chose to tread lightly over this topic, as it was one he never even broached with his Slayer. "Let's just say, Willow, that in my forty-plus years, I have seen and done some things that I haven't spoken of for quite some time."
"Yeah, but," she chuckled a bit, "that's just youngster stuff. I bet you can't say you ever killed anyone."
Giles just held her gaze, never offering a rebuttal nor a confirmation, and watched as the realization spread on Willow's face.
"You have?"
He nodded slowly.
"But... just by accident, right?" she asked softly, almost hesitantly.
Giles responded once more with a long stare, and Willow averted her gaze, pushing a slice of red hair behind her ear.
"I-I, uh... I didn't know. Buffy never told me."
"It's not something I've ever shared with Buffy to be perfectly honest."
"Wow." Her teacup hit the saucer a bit hard this time, likely due to her surprise though Giles still flinched at the state of their fine china.
"It's not something I've shared much with anyone, really," he added, thinking of his wife still down the hall in their bedroom, mostly unaware of the things he'd done in his youth.
Willow narrowed her eyes slightly, taking another sip of tea and setting the cup down. "Then... why are you telling me?"
"Because, Willow. Because you are going to change now - the way you think of others, of yourself, the way you behave... it's all going to change as a result of the darkness you immersed yourself in."
She frowned. "That doesn't sound very pep-talky."
"It's not meant to be," he told her, a bit harshly, leaning forward in his seat and pulling his glasses off. "This information I'm about to share with you, Willow, is meant to prepare you for the changes you're going to go through. The emotions you'll experience. The urges you'll be tempted with."
The girl searched his eyes, obviously sensing his hesitation in sharing the darker corners of his past, and she asked softly, "So... where do we start?"
Giles glanced down to his arm, and gently rolled up the sleeve of his cotton tee-shirt, exposing the dark ink permanently etched there and answering, "Here."
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