Title: Green Raven Shantey 4/6
Author: Elisabeth
Email: dragonydreams@yahoo.com
Rating: PG - this part (NC-17 eventually)
Pairing: Willow/Giles, Buffy/Riley, Xander/Anya, slight Willow/Tara
Summary: Giles receives a mysterious brochure to a resort and takes
the gang on vacation.
Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over these characters. I am merely
borrowing them from Joss et al.
Spoilers/Timeline: Day after the episode 'Restless' (end of season 4).
Distribution: WLS, WWW, ODD, anyone else - please ask.
Feedback: Yes please.
Author's Note: Thanks to my wonderful Betas for all of your help.
An hour later Willow and Giles headed back towards their cabins. They strolled casually along the paths, holding hands, without thought to anything or anyone aside from themselves. They were shocked back into reality when Buffy and Xander accosted them, both looking extremely anxious.
"It's about time you showed up," Xander exclaimed.
"Where have you two been? And what have you been up to?" Buffy demanded. She thought about what they could have been doing and quickly amended, "Wait, don't tell me. I don't want to know."
Giles and Willow shared an amused glance.
"Was there something you wanted to say to us Buffy? Such as an apology?" Giles inquired.
"I don't have anything to apologize for," she firmly stated.
"Me neither," Xander agreed before he could be accused of something.
Giles sighed. "Very well. Is there something that you wanted?"
"Yes." Buffy grabbed Giles by the arm and dragged him into his cabin as Xander did the same to Willow.
*****
Ethan's attention was caught as he saw Buffy pulling Giles into his cabin and Xander pulling Willow into hers.
"What have we here? By the looks on their faces I'd say we're in store for an argument or two. Oh joy."
Ethan double checked to make sure he was recording the activities in both rooms. He didn't want to miss a minute of any of this.
*****
"Now what is this all about?" Giles demanded when Buffy released his arm and locked his door.
"You and Willow of course."
"Ah. What about us?" Giles dreaded the answer, but had to ask.
"What the hell are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that the woman that I have been in love with for years has finally told me that she loves me as well."
"Try again."
"I am thinking that I am no longer going to have to drink myself into a stupor out of loneliness and can now have a lifetime of happiness with the woman I love."
"Wrong."
"Perhaps you would like to tell me what I'm thinking so that I can give you the answer you want."
"You are thinking that you are in a position to take advantage of my best friend when she's hurting over the breakup with her girlfriend." Buffy informed him.
"Buffy, you know perfectly well that I would never take advantage of Willow, or anyone for that matter."
"Oh yeah, what about my mother?"
"That wasn't me, exactly, you know," Giles tried to reason. "It was Ethan and that damn Band Candy. And if I remember correctly, your mother wasn't exactly an unwilling participant. I believe she instigated things the second time…"
Buffy covered her ears with her hands. "Enough. That's just gross."
Giles smirked, allowing himself a brief moment to remember that night with Joyce. He certainly learned that Buffy's stamina wasn't necessarily because she was the Slayer.
Buffy noticed the far-away look on Giles' face and made gagging noises to get his attention again.
"So what, you go from my mother to my best friend? Can't you have a relationship that doesn't involve me?"
"How soon she forgets," Giles said more to himself than to Buffy. "Apparently you've forgotten being traumatized by Olivia's visits. I believe that you voiced your… disgust at me having a private life at that time."
"I did not forget," Buffy insisted, even though she momentarily had. "I just repressed it. She was younger than you too, wasn't she? And Ms. Calendar."
"I don't see what that has to do with…"
"You just keep going younger and younger, you… cradle robber!"
"Now that is uncalled for. Believe it or not, Buffy, but my entire world does not revolve around you. And Willow is certainly old enough to know her own mind. Or are you saying that she is incapable of choosing whom she loves?"
"Well," Buffy looked abashed. "Just take a look at her track record. First she was in love with Xander for like, ever. Then she dated Oz, okay werewolf, need I say more? From Oz she rebounded into Tara, a woman. Now she's rebounding into you – a fossil. I'd say that her taste is off."
"What exactly about us being together has you so upset?" Giles sat on his couch and gently asked, knowing that a shouting match wouldn't solve anything.
Buffy thought for a moment before giving her answer. "Willow is my best friend and she's like a sister to me. You're kinda like a father. So it'd be like incest."
"As flattered as I am that you think of me like a father, Buffy, you know that I am not. Just as Willow is not really your sister."
Buffy sat down as well. "Yeah, I know. But that's how it feels. Don't you sometimes think of me as a daughter."
"You know that I do. I was sacked from the Council for my fatherly feelings as you recall."
"So if you see me like a daughter, then don't you see the others as your children too?"
"Xander is more like a nephew really," Giles chuckled. He sobered to continue, "However, I have never viewed Willow as a surrogate child, or any relation."
"Why not?" Buffy sulked.
"I have always thought that Willow was wise beyond her years. Her thirst for knowledge is amazing. Her courage and loyalty to her friends is fierce. She is cautious when undertaking new activities. Shall I go on?"
"Please don't."
"Is there nothing that I can do to convince you that Willow and I are meant to be?"
"I'm sorry Giles, but I don't think so. Willow can't seem to make up her mind as to which gender she prefers and I don't want you hurt in case she's really gay. You can't seem to be with someone your own age, and I don't want Willow hurt when you do. You're both like family to me. So no, I'm afraid that I can't support this relationship."
"I'm sorry that you feel that way, Buffy, but I'm not about to give Willow up after waiting for so long to have this chance to love her. If there's nothing more I can say, then I think you should go. I'll see you when it's time to check out tomorrow."
Giles unlocked the door and held it open for Buffy. She sat on the couch, stunned at being kick out for a minute before she finally stood to leave. At the door she quietly said, "I hope you can live with this decision Giles. You've chosen your lover over your daughter. I hope you're prepared for the consequences."
*****
Ethan watched as Giles closed the door and leaned against it. He had been a little worried for a few minutes there when he thought that Ripper had convinced the Slayer of his love for the Witch. Lucky for him that she couldn't see past her own feelings. He glanced at the monitor for Willow's room and saw the boy shake his head and leave. He watched as Willow stood looking out the window after the boy, then she left herself. Ethan focused back on Giles' room.
He didn't have to wait long.
*****
Willow knocked on Giles' door and he opened it immediately, having been leaning against it since Buffy left. She flew into Giles' arms, hugging him tightly.
"Oh Rupert, it was awful," she wailed.
Giles stroked her hair. "I'm afraid I fared no better with Buffy."
"Why can't they see how happy we can make each other?"
"I wish I knew." Giles brought Willow over to the couch and they sat holding each other as he related his conversation with Buffy to her.
"Xander tried the whole father-figure line too. I told him that you have never treated me as a child, therefore I never saw you as a father-figure. You always treated me as an equal. I think that's one of the reasons that I fell for you."
"What else did Xander say?" Giles asked.
"He said that it would be like Rogue falling for the Professor," she huffed.
"I beg your pardon?"
Willow sat back and looked into his confused face. "Sorry, they're X-Men, only Rogue's a girl and Professor X is the old guy who is in charge. You know Xander and his pop-culture comic book references."
"Ah, yes. Please continue."
"I tried to explain to him how comfortable I am with you; even when I was with Oz or Tara I could always come to you when something was bothering me, or I needed help with something. And you helped me to learn magick, even after you tried to stop me, because you knew it would be safer than me doing it on my own. Xander just couldn't get past the age thing."
"Yes, and Buffy couldn't see beyond her familial views of the group."
"I told Xander that I wasn't going to let him get in the way of me being with you though."
"I said the same to Buffy."
"So it's us against the world?"
"It appears so," Giles sighed. "Are you certain this is what you want?"
"More than anything."
"Thank the gods." Giles kissed her, feeling that there had been way too much talking and not enough kissing in the last hour. The couple that no-one-else-wanted-to-be spent the remainder of the afternoon on the couch.
*****
Buffy was waiting for Xander at his cabin when he huffed up. "I take it you didn't have any luck either?" she asked.
"Nada." Xander plopped down on the porch steps next to Buffy. "What do we do now?"
"I don't know if there's anything we can do. Talking isn't going to get us anywhere. Giles basically told me to leave him alone until it's time to go home tomorrow."
"Yeah, I got the same thing from Willow."
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Eventually Buffy stood. "I'm going to go find Riley."
"I'd better go find Anya and let her get in her 'I told you so's before dinner."
"Do you want to meet up for a bonfire tonight?"
"I'll bring the s'mores."
*****
Ethan finished watching the recording from Willow's room, pleased that her confrontation seemed to have mirrored Giles'.
"If I know Ripper like I think I do, he's not going to be leaving his room again tonight. No need to get into another fight when he could spend the night making love to the little witch. I think that housekeeping should make a few additions to tonight's turndown service, just to be on the 'safe' side."