Fred bit her lip when Giles told her that he had several enemies within the Council. That would definitely make things more difficult in trying to figure out who might be after him. She listened as he explained what changes had been made - calling all the Slayers, making sure Watchers could be trusted, computerizing things. She could see that this was unsettling to him, and she didn't blame him. It was quite a bomb to have dropped on him, especially by someone who was supposed to be dead.
Getting up when he said it was snowing, Fred walked over to the window and stood beside him, looking out. "It's been years since I've seen snow," she told him. "California's too warm, and Pylea just never had any even though it got cold."
She looked down and took a deep breath, thinking over everything that Giles had told her. "My guess is that it probably is one of the Watchers you fired since one or more of them would be most likely to not like what you've been doing and want to go after you. The whole cause and effect thing. I wish they had told me more than just 'go off and help'." She sighed and tilted her head to look up at him. "Is it possible for me to go with you to the Council tomorrow? It may sound weird, but I think I can sense things now, so maybe I can pick something up there."
When Fred came over to the window, Giles glanced over at her and smiled. "I remember my first snowfall here after living in California for so long." He frowned a bit when she mentioned Pylea. Willow had told him snippets about Fred after meeting her twice. He knew about her being in Pylea but didn't know the whole story.
He wanted to ask her more about the another dimension but figured it was best to not. They barely knew each other and it wasn't his place to say anything. Instead, he listened to her and nodded. "I think we fired about twenty Watchers, and hired about forty or so. There's still not enough Watchers to go around, which you probably don't care about," he said with a small smile.
When she asked to go to the Council with him, Giles nodded. "If you think it'll help you then by all means," he said before yawning. "I do suppose it'll be easier to figure all of this out on a full night's rest. Would you like me to show you to the spare bedroom?"
"It's beautiful," Fred whispered, watching it for a moment before turning her attention back to Giles and the question of who might be after him.
The twenty Watchers seemed the most likely possibility, especially considering that Cordy had said it was people unhappy with the changes. But was it just because Giles had fired them or was there something more to it? She wasn't sure. She hoped that her suggestion that she go with him to the Council building tomorrow helped, especially when he said that she could go with him if she thought it would help.
"I'd like to try," she said and then nodded when he asked if she'd like him to show her to the spare bedroom. "That would probably be good, thank you."
Picking up the t-shirt, she followed him out of the room and down the hall to the room.
"Thank you. I...I appreciate this, considering that our meeting didn't exactly start out on the right foot. Goodnight."
Giles stood in the doorway for a moment and just looked at Fred. She was quite beautiful - the classic type of beauty that he always seemed to be attracted to. He stared at her for a moment before ticking her eyes down at the t-shirt she was holding. "I wish I had something more for you to wear," he said with a small frown.
Taking a step back, Giles looked at the floor. Part of him wanted to touch her, feel her warmth. It'd been so long since he'd touched a human being in any sort of way. But he knew it wasn't right and he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, especially considering the way he'd treated her earlier. "The bathroom is next door," he dumbly said, looking up at her.
He took another step back and waved behind him. "My bedroom is across the hall and if you need anything, don't hesitate to wake me." Giles said, giving her a small smile. "There's extra blankets in the closet if you get cold." He shoved his hand into the pockets of his trousers and started to turn away. "Goodnight, Fred."
Giles turned on his heel and went to his room. Once inside, he closed the door behind him and took a deep breath.
"It's all right," she told him when he said he wished he had something else she could wear. "It's...it's fine, and...it'll be fine." She silently chastised herself, wondering when she had suddenly lost the capacity for words. "Thank you."
Giving him a smile, she nodded at his indication to the bathroom and where he bedroom was if she needed him. She wanted to say something more to him, but again found herself at a loss for words, unable to even say goodnight again before he went into his room and closed the door. Sighing, she closed the door and walked over to the bed sitting down. As she looked down at the t-shirt, she began trembling slightly, everything suddenly hitting her.
She was here on Earth. She was here, and she was alive and could feel things she couldn't before, and Wesley was dead, and Giles was lost, and she was feeling... She couldn't even explain what she was feeling herself anymore. She had just been realizing how she felt about Wesley, and now she was here, and things were different.
Sighing, she started to change out of her dress and skirt into Giles' t-shirt. It felt nice, and she tucked her legs up underneath it as she sat on the bed, staring out the window at the snow, unable to sleep.
Giles stripped off his clothes and put them into the hamper before putting his pajamas, which consisted of a t-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms, on before pulling down his bed. He knew he wasn't going to sleep since his mind was littered with a million thoughts. And most of them led right back to Fred.
He got in and cuddled under the blanket with a soft sigh. Giles remembered when Robert had told him what Illyria was doing to Wesley. He couldn't imagine how it made the other man feel. Giles knew if something like that had happened to Jenny and he had to see someone walking about, looking like her, he would've went mad. And Wesley almost had.
A cold breeze blew through the room and Giles furrowed his brow. He turned and saw the window was open. With a confused look, Giles grabbed his axe from the side of his bed and walked over to the window. There was nothing there so he shut it and turned to go back to bed but stopped in his tracks. Lying on his bed was some sort of suitcase.
Giles had never seen the suitcase before and cautiously approached it. Placing his axe on the bed, he opened it. Inside was clothing. Small clothing. He picked up a pair of pink knickers and blushed when he figured out the clothes had to be for Fred. The Powers had finally seen fit to give her something to wear.
Shoving the knickers back into the suitcase, he shut it and went across the hall and knocked on Fred's door. "Fred? Something just arrived for you," he said through the door.
Fred felt tired, but she just couldn't sleep. She wasn't sure if it was because she had apparently been asleep for so long or if it was because of all the questions and uncertainties running around in her head. She had already realized one of the changes in herself. What more would there be? How would she use them to help Giles? She had already managed to make him feel a bit better about himself, but would she be able to help him stop whoever was after him?
She was thinking about trying to at least lie down when a knock came on the door, followed by Giles' voice. Standing up, she walked over to the door and opened it, looking out to find him holding a suitcase. Her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Someone sent me a suitcase?" she asked as she took it from him when he handed it over. Walking over to the bed, she set it on it and opened it, her eyes opening wide at the sight of the clothes inside. "Where did all this come from?"
"I don't know," Giles said from the doorway. "I was lying in bed and suddenly my window was open. I got up to close it and when I turned back around, the suitcase was on my bed." He watched her for a moment as she looked through it. "And I didn't mean to touch your knickers. I mean…the knickers in the suitcase. I, uh, looked through it to make sure nothing was…nevermind. I'll just shut up now."
He felt a warm blush rise on his cheeks and he looked down at the floor. He didn't know what it was about Fred that made him act like a teenage schoolboy again. "They…they might be from Cordy I suppose. I've never had a suitcase of woman clothing pop up on my bed before," Giles said with a small shrug. He was still unable to look at her.
"How…how is everything in here? Do you need more blankets?" He asked from the doorway. He didn't know if Fred wanted him to come in or not. "I could get your something hot to drink if you're still cold."
Fred froze for a moment when he mentioned touching her underthings, feeling her breath catch in her throat and her cheeks pinkening. The thought of him--she shook her head, realizing she was being stupid. He was making sure nothing dangerous had been delivered to his room, she was sure. His embarassment had only to do with having to look through because of that.
"Cordelia always had a strange way of doing things," she said softly, a small smile crossing her face. She looked over at him when he asked if she was all right. "I'm...I'm fine. Thank you. Really."
She looked down at herself, feeling a bit exposed wearing only the t-shirt but not wanting to be rude. "Ummm...would you like to come in? You don't need to stand there like that," she told him. Looking down in suitcase, she saw a cardigan, which she took out and put on before closing the case and setting it over on the floor.
Turning back to him, she gave him a smile. "You've been really sweet to me with all this. I really...appreciate it."
Getting up when he said it was snowing, Fred walked over to the window and stood beside him, looking out. "It's been years since I've seen snow," she told him. "California's too warm, and Pylea just never had any even though it got cold."
She looked down and took a deep breath, thinking over everything that Giles had told her. "My guess is that it probably is one of the Watchers you fired since one or more of them would be most likely to not like what you've been doing and want to go after you. The whole cause and effect thing. I wish they had told me more than just 'go off and help'." She sighed and tilted her head to look up at him. "Is it possible for me to go with you to the Council tomorrow? It may sound weird, but I think I can sense things now, so maybe I can pick something up there."
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He wanted to ask her more about the another dimension but figured it was best to not. They barely knew each other and it wasn't his place to say anything. Instead, he listened to her and nodded. "I think we fired about twenty Watchers, and hired about forty or so. There's still not enough Watchers to go around, which you probably don't care about," he said with a small smile.
When she asked to go to the Council with him, Giles nodded. "If you think it'll help you then by all means," he said before yawning. "I do suppose it'll be easier to figure all of this out on a full night's rest. Would you like me to show you to the spare bedroom?"
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The twenty Watchers seemed the most likely possibility, especially considering that Cordy had said it was people unhappy with the changes. But was it just because Giles had fired them or was there something more to it? She wasn't sure. She hoped that her suggestion that she go with him to the Council building tomorrow helped, especially when he said that she could go with him if she thought it would help.
"I'd like to try," she said and then nodded when he asked if she'd like him to show her to the spare bedroom. "That would probably be good, thank you."
Picking up the t-shirt, she followed him out of the room and down the hall to the room.
"Thank you. I...I appreciate this, considering that our meeting didn't exactly start out on the right foot. Goodnight."
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Taking a step back, Giles looked at the floor. Part of him wanted to touch her, feel her warmth. It'd been so long since he'd touched a human being in any sort of way. But he knew it wasn't right and he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, especially considering the way he'd treated her earlier. "The bathroom is next door," he dumbly said, looking up at her.
He took another step back and waved behind him. "My bedroom is across the hall and if you need anything, don't hesitate to wake me." Giles said, giving her a small smile. "There's extra blankets in the closet if you get cold." He shoved his hand into the pockets of his trousers and started to turn away. "Goodnight, Fred."
Giles turned on his heel and went to his room. Once inside, he closed the door behind him and took a deep breath.
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Giving him a smile, she nodded at his indication to the bathroom and where he bedroom was if she needed him. She wanted to say something more to him, but again found herself at a loss for words, unable to even say goodnight again before he went into his room and closed the door. Sighing, she closed the door and walked over to the bed sitting down. As she looked down at the t-shirt, she began trembling slightly, everything suddenly hitting her.
She was here on Earth. She was here, and she was alive and could feel things she couldn't before, and Wesley was dead, and Giles was lost, and she was feeling... She couldn't even explain what she was feeling herself anymore. She had just been realizing how she felt about Wesley, and now she was here, and things were different.
Sighing, she started to change out of her dress and skirt into Giles' t-shirt. It felt nice, and she tucked her legs up underneath it as she sat on the bed, staring out the window at the snow, unable to sleep.
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He got in and cuddled under the blanket with a soft sigh. Giles remembered when Robert had told him what Illyria was doing to Wesley. He couldn't imagine how it made the other man feel. Giles knew if something like that had happened to Jenny and he had to see someone walking about, looking like her, he would've went mad. And Wesley almost had.
A cold breeze blew through the room and Giles furrowed his brow. He turned and saw the window was open. With a confused look, Giles grabbed his axe from the side of his bed and walked over to the window. There was nothing there so he shut it and turned to go back to bed but stopped in his tracks. Lying on his bed was some sort of suitcase.
Giles had never seen the suitcase before and cautiously approached it. Placing his axe on the bed, he opened it. Inside was clothing. Small clothing. He picked up a pair of pink knickers and blushed when he figured out the clothes had to be for Fred. The Powers had finally seen fit to give her something to wear.
Shoving the knickers back into the suitcase, he shut it and went across the hall and knocked on Fred's door. "Fred? Something just arrived for you," he said through the door.
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She was thinking about trying to at least lie down when a knock came on the door, followed by Giles' voice. Standing up, she walked over to the door and opened it, looking out to find him holding a suitcase. Her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Someone sent me a suitcase?" she asked as she took it from him when he handed it over. Walking over to the bed, she set it on it and opened it, her eyes opening wide at the sight of the clothes inside. "Where did all this come from?"
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He felt a warm blush rise on his cheeks and he looked down at the floor. He didn't know what it was about Fred that made him act like a teenage schoolboy again. "They…they might be from Cordy I suppose. I've never had a suitcase of woman clothing pop up on my bed before," Giles said with a small shrug. He was still unable to look at her.
"How…how is everything in here? Do you need more blankets?" He asked from the doorway. He didn't know if Fred wanted him to come in or not. "I could get your something hot to drink if you're still cold."
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"Cordelia always had a strange way of doing things," she said softly, a small smile crossing her face. She looked over at him when he asked if she was all right. "I'm...I'm fine. Thank you. Really."
She looked down at herself, feeling a bit exposed wearing only the t-shirt but not wanting to be rude. "Ummm...would you like to come in? You don't need to stand there like that," she told him. Looking down in suitcase, she saw a cardigan, which she took out and put on before closing the case and setting it over on the floor.
Turning back to him, she gave him a smile. "You've been really sweet to me with all this. I really...appreciate it."
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