Fic: Stalwart and True 3/6
And, what the heck, here's chapter three as well. lorelei_frolick helped a lot on this chapter.
I don't wanna spam people's friends pages, so I'll stop for now.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter Three
Buffy walked into her office at Sunnydale High the next day and stopped in her tracks, slightly alarmed.
“Giles? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
He had been waiting for her in her office. He looked up when she entered, but didn’t meet her gaze.
“No. No, I, um, I-I was just h-hoping that I, um, th-that I-I-I might talk to you…” He trailed off embarrassedly.
Buffy crossed her arms and regarded her Watcher coldly, “It can’t wait ‘til four? ‘Cause you know, this is my work. And funnily enough, they actually expect me to work when I’m here.”
Giles shrank back at Buffy’s tone. “Right. O-of course. I-I… well… I-it’s simply that there isn’t much opportunity for private conversation at the house as of late, is there?” He attempted a reconciliatory smile. It faded quickly. “But you’re right, o-of course…Well, um, I’ll just, uh, go…” He walked past Buffy and towards the door, his head hung low, staring at the ground.
He was so humble and repentant it was pathetic. Against her will, Buffy felt her heart giving way. “Giles, wait. What did you want to say?” she called out to him reluctantly.
He turned to face her, but still couldn’t look her in the eye. “That you were right,” he said softly. Buffy blinked, surprised by his admission. “Last night. About everything. But especially about there being nothing else I can teach you, that-that you don’t need me...”
He sounded so wounded that Buffy unexpectedly found herself searching for something comforting to tell him. Not that she was forgiving him. Not so soon. Not yet.
“…That’s why I’m leaving.”
Buffy did a double take. “What?”
“This afternoon. I’ll be, uh, gathering more potentials, but I shan’t return.”
“Wha-? Why?” He couldn’t leave her. Not again. It wasn’t right for him to be the one to go.
He looked at her with an odd mix of exasperation and sadness. “I just told you. And you know full well, I’m more of a burden than an asset.”
“No you aren’t. We do need you here.”
Giles’ lips twitched upwards in an ironic smile. “To do what?”
Nothing came to mind. He just couldn’t go. All of Buffy’s previous ire towards him was melting away.
“I want you here,” she replied, a note of pleading in her voice. “I want you to stay.”
Almost imperceptibly, Giles’ countenance seemed to harden. “In what capacity?” he asked.
Buffy was puzzled by what he meant. “As a friend?” she replied uncertainly.
“We aren’t friends, Buffy.” Giles declared, a hint of bitterness tingeing his voice. “Friendship is a reciprocal relationship. Mutual respect. We don’t have that.”
Dumbfounded by Giles’ statement, it was a moment before Buffy could answer. Finally she spoke, her voice quavering, “How can you say that? You know I care about you.”
He was looking right at her now, with an almost pitying gaze. And with something else that Buffy couldn’t quite name. “You don’t show it. And really, it doesn’t come close to how I feel about you,” he said.
She could only stare back at him, completely confused.
“I’ve given my life for you, Buffy,” he explained. “Even before we met, thirty years in preparation for you. Then seven years serving you, sacrificing for you, only to be cast aside for the sake of a vampire.” He ended bitterly.
Buffy gawked in disbelief, as a slow-burning comprehension overcame her. ”Oh my god. This is about Spike?”
“I can’t help that it hurts me to see you with him.”
“What?” Buffy wasn’t sure she heard him properly. What he was saying just made too little sense, was too unreal.
“It hurts,” he spoke quietly, looking away, unable to face her, “to know that you’d given yourself to a vile creature of evil. Again.”
Buffy’s mouth hung open. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. And yet, she was hearing it. A look of dawning horror crept into her expression.
Giles was looking at her directly now, looking at her like… like he never had before. He slowly began to approach her, speaking softly, intimately, “Angel tortured me for hours, you know. I still have the scars. But far worse was when he told me precisely what you let him do to you the night he lost his soul. He told me every sordid detail. So I do know of what I speak when I say I could do so much more for you.” He dropped his gaze, scanning her body.
“Oh, god,” Buffy said, sickened. She shrank away from him, backing up towards the wall.
“Shocked, are you?” Giles’ voice took on the dry, sarcastic tone he usually used when they bickered about more mundane things. He kept advancing towards her. “Surprised that those marvelously short skirts you used to wear affected my imagination the same way they affected every other boys’ you sauntered past in the hall?” Her back hit the wall. He stood only inches from her. “Don’t look so appalled, Buffy. You let monsters touch you, why not me?” He raised a hand to gently caress her face.
But before he could, Buffy pushed him away violently. Or tried to. Instead, she passed right through him. She froze in place, her eyes wide with the shock of awful comprehension.
The First turned around to face Buffy, light amusement playing on its face. “Hm. I suppose that makes it rather a moot point, doesn’t it?”
Buffy was already out the door. She had bolted from the office without looking back.
Next Chapter
I don't wanna spam people's friends pages, so I'll stop for now.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter Three
Buffy walked into her office at Sunnydale High the next day and stopped in her tracks, slightly alarmed.
“Giles? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
He had been waiting for her in her office. He looked up when she entered, but didn’t meet her gaze.
“No. No, I, um, I-I was just h-hoping that I, um, th-that I-I-I might talk to you…” He trailed off embarrassedly.
Buffy crossed her arms and regarded her Watcher coldly, “It can’t wait ‘til four? ‘Cause you know, this is my work. And funnily enough, they actually expect me to work when I’m here.”
Giles shrank back at Buffy’s tone. “Right. O-of course. I-I… well… I-it’s simply that there isn’t much opportunity for private conversation at the house as of late, is there?” He attempted a reconciliatory smile. It faded quickly. “But you’re right, o-of course…Well, um, I’ll just, uh, go…” He walked past Buffy and towards the door, his head hung low, staring at the ground.
He was so humble and repentant it was pathetic. Against her will, Buffy felt her heart giving way. “Giles, wait. What did you want to say?” she called out to him reluctantly.
He turned to face her, but still couldn’t look her in the eye. “That you were right,” he said softly. Buffy blinked, surprised by his admission. “Last night. About everything. But especially about there being nothing else I can teach you, that-that you don’t need me...”
He sounded so wounded that Buffy unexpectedly found herself searching for something comforting to tell him. Not that she was forgiving him. Not so soon. Not yet.
“…That’s why I’m leaving.”
Buffy did a double take. “What?”
“This afternoon. I’ll be, uh, gathering more potentials, but I shan’t return.”
“Wha-? Why?” He couldn’t leave her. Not again. It wasn’t right for him to be the one to go.
He looked at her with an odd mix of exasperation and sadness. “I just told you. And you know full well, I’m more of a burden than an asset.”
“No you aren’t. We do need you here.”
Giles’ lips twitched upwards in an ironic smile. “To do what?”
Nothing came to mind. He just couldn’t go. All of Buffy’s previous ire towards him was melting away.
“I want you here,” she replied, a note of pleading in her voice. “I want you to stay.”
Almost imperceptibly, Giles’ countenance seemed to harden. “In what capacity?” he asked.
Buffy was puzzled by what he meant. “As a friend?” she replied uncertainly.
“We aren’t friends, Buffy.” Giles declared, a hint of bitterness tingeing his voice. “Friendship is a reciprocal relationship. Mutual respect. We don’t have that.”
Dumbfounded by Giles’ statement, it was a moment before Buffy could answer. Finally she spoke, her voice quavering, “How can you say that? You know I care about you.”
He was looking right at her now, with an almost pitying gaze. And with something else that Buffy couldn’t quite name. “You don’t show it. And really, it doesn’t come close to how I feel about you,” he said.
She could only stare back at him, completely confused.
“I’ve given my life for you, Buffy,” he explained. “Even before we met, thirty years in preparation for you. Then seven years serving you, sacrificing for you, only to be cast aside for the sake of a vampire.” He ended bitterly.
Buffy gawked in disbelief, as a slow-burning comprehension overcame her. ”Oh my god. This is about Spike?”
“I can’t help that it hurts me to see you with him.”
“What?” Buffy wasn’t sure she heard him properly. What he was saying just made too little sense, was too unreal.
“It hurts,” he spoke quietly, looking away, unable to face her, “to know that you’d given yourself to a vile creature of evil. Again.”
Buffy’s mouth hung open. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. And yet, she was hearing it. A look of dawning horror crept into her expression.
Giles was looking at her directly now, looking at her like… like he never had before. He slowly began to approach her, speaking softly, intimately, “Angel tortured me for hours, you know. I still have the scars. But far worse was when he told me precisely what you let him do to you the night he lost his soul. He told me every sordid detail. So I do know of what I speak when I say I could do so much more for you.” He dropped his gaze, scanning her body.
“Oh, god,” Buffy said, sickened. She shrank away from him, backing up towards the wall.
“Shocked, are you?” Giles’ voice took on the dry, sarcastic tone he usually used when they bickered about more mundane things. He kept advancing towards her. “Surprised that those marvelously short skirts you used to wear affected my imagination the same way they affected every other boys’ you sauntered past in the hall?” Her back hit the wall. He stood only inches from her. “Don’t look so appalled, Buffy. You let monsters touch you, why not me?” He raised a hand to gently caress her face.
But before he could, Buffy pushed him away violently. Or tried to. Instead, she passed right through him. She froze in place, her eyes wide with the shock of awful comprehension.
The First turned around to face Buffy, light amusement playing on its face. “Hm. I suppose that makes it rather a moot point, doesn’t it?”
Buffy was already out the door. She had bolted from the office without looking back.
Next Chapter