Giles could feel his heart breaking as Fred talked about how Illyria had consumed her. He wanted to reach out and comfort her but didn't. It seemed every time he tried to help someone it blew up in his face and he had simply stopped trying. Yet, he knew calling her Illyria was uncalled for and he struggled to find the words to make it right
( ... )
Once Giles had gotten the fire started, she sat in front of it, letting it warm her up. As she stared into the flames, she found herself thinking back over what had happened in the alley. She really hadn't approached it - or him - too well, and as result, she understood Giles' compulsion not to trust anyone, especially when working in the world they did. She could very well have easily been a vampire seeing him as easy prey...or Illyria, apparently
( ... )
Giles finished making the tea and placed it, along with a few other things, including chocolate biscuits, on a service tray. He roughly wiped the tears from his eyes, not wanting Fred to see him like this. Giles knew how broken he was and he was becoming good at putting up a front.
When he came back to the parlor, he saw her sitting by the fire and stopped. Now that they weren't in a dark alley, he could see how beautiful Fred truly was. Shaking his head, he stepped further in and placed the tray on the coffee table. "I didn't know what you took in your tea so I brought some sugar, cream and honey along with," Giles said before sitting on the sofa. "And chocolate biscuits. Ch-Chocolate is always good."
He reached forward and picked up one of the cups of tea and took a sip from it, figuring Fred could make her own. "I'm afraid the Powers have made a mistake. My life isn't worth saving. I-I think perhaps they have me mistaken with someone else." Giles took another sip of tea. "I'm not worth much anymore."
Fred looked up when Giles came into the room with the tea tray, wanting to hug him so badly despite what had happened between them earlier in the alley. She could understand his feelings, especially since she was going through them herself. Was this why she had been sent? Because she could sympathize
( ... )
Giles watched as Fred put the sugar and cream in her tea. He pondered her existence for a brief moment, wondering if he could find a book on what she really was. Was she an angel? An entity? A human? It confused him and interested him all at the same time. He furrowed his brow in thought, which flew out the window when she touched him
( ... )
Fred sat back when Giles jerked away from her, her eyes opening wide at the expression on his face and the emotions that were rolling off him. He really did believe what he was saying, that despite everything he had done, he hadn't done much good, only harm. And she knew that wasn't true. She knewBefore she could figure out what to say to him, he was telling her that she could stay the night but had to leave in the morning and then leaving the room. She sat there for a moment, not sure what to do. How could she make him see what others saw? What even she could tell though she wasn't completely sure how? How could he feel this way after everything he had done
( ... )
When Fred asked him to talk to her, Giles had to bite back a bitter laugh. He turned and looked at her, his eyes staring into hers. “You really want to know about all my failures and how I’ve gotten here? Will that make you feel better, seeing how weak I am?” he hiss out, wanting to advance on her but he stayed in his spot. “I failed all of them Fred. All of them!”
He shook his head. “When I came to Sunnydale, I was supposed to be Buffy’s Watcher and I failed. Within months, she died and Xander had to rescue her. I should’ve rescued her, not Xander! And it doesn’t stop there,” he said, the painful lump forming in his throat. “I left Jenny, the woman I loved, alone in the school and Angelus killed her and put her dead body in my bed. I should’ve stayed there with her
( ... )
Fred stared at him as he castigated himself, blaming himself for everything that had gone wrong in the lives of Buffy and the others, taking it all on himself. He really believed that it was all his fault - that no one else had any responsibility for any of it. It wasn't fair that he was taking it all on his shoulders, not based on what she knew
( ... )
"If I'm so bloody wonderful than why don't they need me anymore?" Giles asked, his voice raising a bit in anger. He took a deep breath, knowing none of this was Fred's fault and he shouldn't take it out on her. She was just as lost as he was, which he found a bit concerning, seeing how she was supposed to save him.
When she pressed the hanky against his cheek, Giles found himself pressing into her touch. When was the last time someone had touched him because they wanted to, not because they had by accident? And Fred touching him felt nice and it seemed to warm him deep down. "I only saved Wesley because I didn't want to deal with the Council." A small smile lifted on his lips to show it was a bad joke, but it quickly disappeared.
"I don't want to feel so useless anymore but I don't know how to stop it," he sobbed. He needed more from her; he needed human contact. Stepping forward, he pressed his forehead against her shoulder and continued to cry, hoping she would do nothing more than hold him.
Fred felt him responding to her touch when she reached up to wipe his tears away, so she didn't move away. She could sense how much he needed this, how much he needed someone. She could see he was trying be brave, though, when he tried to brush off what he had done for Wesley, the smile on his face quickly appearing and disappearing
( ... )
Giles allowed himself to be held as Fred told him he wasn't useless. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been told that. It was something he desperately needed to hear, especially now. He felt the coldness that had consumed his heart for so long melt away as Fred held him in her arms.
"Thank you," he whispered against her shoulder. He pulled away, his hands still on her back. "That's what I needed to hear. I just needed to know someone believed in me again." Slipping his hands off her, he took a small step back and wiped his face off. It was still early and he suddenly remembered why she was there.
"Someone is out to hurt me?" Giles asked as his brow furrowed. "Do you know who or way?" He tried to think of all of his enemies, which seemed like a long list. He went over to the couch and sat down. The tea was still warm and he poured himself soon. "Is it Ethan Rayne? Is he trying to hurt me?"
Fred reached up briefly to run her hand across Giles' temple when he pulled back from their embrace, giving him a gentle smile. "You're welcome," she told him softly, glad that she could help him in some way. Despite the way things had started out with him, she was finding that she really did like him - there was so much to him, she could feel. So much more than she was sure he showed the world
( ... )
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When he came back to the parlor, he saw her sitting by the fire and stopped. Now that they weren't in a dark alley, he could see how beautiful Fred truly was. Shaking his head, he stepped further in and placed the tray on the coffee table. "I didn't know what you took in your tea so I brought some sugar, cream and honey along with," Giles said before sitting on the sofa. "And chocolate biscuits. Ch-Chocolate is always good."
He reached forward and picked up one of the cups of tea and took a sip from it, figuring Fred could make her own. "I'm afraid the Powers have made a mistake. My life isn't worth saving. I-I think perhaps they have me mistaken with someone else." Giles took another sip of tea. "I'm not worth much anymore."
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He shook his head. “When I came to Sunnydale, I was supposed to be Buffy’s Watcher and I failed. Within months, she died and Xander had to rescue her. I should’ve rescued her, not Xander! And it doesn’t stop there,” he said, the painful lump forming in his throat. “I left Jenny, the woman I loved, alone in the school and Angelus killed her and put her dead body in my bed. I should’ve stayed there with her ( ... )
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When she pressed the hanky against his cheek, Giles found himself pressing into her touch. When was the last time someone had touched him because they wanted to, not because they had by accident? And Fred touching him felt nice and it seemed to warm him deep down. "I only saved Wesley because I didn't want to deal with the Council." A small smile lifted on his lips to show it was a bad joke, but it quickly disappeared.
"I don't want to feel so useless anymore but I don't know how to stop it," he sobbed. He needed more from her; he needed human contact. Stepping forward, he pressed his forehead against her shoulder and continued to cry, hoping she would do nothing more than hold him.
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"Thank you," he whispered against her shoulder. He pulled away, his hands still on her back. "That's what I needed to hear. I just needed to know someone believed in me again." Slipping his hands off her, he took a small step back and wiped his face off. It was still early and he suddenly remembered why she was there.
"Someone is out to hurt me?" Giles asked as his brow furrowed. "Do you know who or way?" He tried to think of all of his enemies, which seemed like a long list. He went over to the couch and sat down. The tea was still warm and he poured himself soon. "Is it Ethan Rayne? Is he trying to hurt me?"
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