Title: Tumblin' Down 11/?
Author: Elisabeth
Email: dragonydreams@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.dragonydreams.com/
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Willow/Giles
Summary: What if Riley hadn't been there to pull Willow out of harm's way during "Wild at Heart"?
Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over these characters. I am merely borrowing them from Joss et al.
Distribution: My site, the usual lists, anyone with previous permission. Anyone else - please ask.
Feedback: Yes please! It makes me happy and keeps me writing.
Author's Note: Thanks to my wonderful Betas for all of your help and encouragement.
Xander made a point to stop by the dorms when he got off work the next day. He had debated going home to shower and change first, but he figured that he should bite the bullet and go see Buffy while he was still on campus. And before he could chicken out.
Buffy was sitting at her desk, trying to think of ways not to study. She didn't want to admit it, but she really missed Willow being there. Not only was Willow a wonderful source of information and school help, but it was so quiet with her best friend gone.
Unable to get the redhead off her mind, Buffy found herself wandering over to her side of the room. She knew that she should probably pack up the rest of Willow's stuff and take it over to Giles', but she wasn't ready to accept the fact that she wouldn't be moving back this semester. She also wasn't ready to see them together, not yet.
A knock at the door made Buffy drop the pillow she had been holding. She placed it back in its rightful place on the bed before answering the door.
"Xander! What are you doing here? And why are you all dirty?"
"Hey Buff. Can I come in?"
"Oh, yeah, sure." The blonde stood to the side so Xander could enter the room.
"I, uh, got a job doing construction on campus," Xander said. "Hence the dirty."
"You… doing construction?" Buffy questioned, an amused look on her face.
"Don't laugh, I'm actually pretty good at it."
"But you didn't just stop by to show me how dirty and sweaty you get at work. To what do I owe this pleasure?" She silently added, 'As if I couldn't guess.'
"You gotta go see them," he blurted out.
"Them?" Buffy casually questioned, pretending she didn't know whom he meant.
"Willow really misses you," he said, sitting on the redhead's bed.
Buffy looked sufficiently guilty. "Me too. But I can't see them, not yet. Not together."
"I don't get it," Xander threw his hands up in exasperation. "Giles and Willow are the most important people in your life after your mom. Why are you avoiding them?"
Buffy sank onto her bed, avoiding his eyes. "You wouldn't understand," she mumbled.
"Try me."
"Where to begin…"
"Start with Giles," Xander suggested, guessing that's where most of her issues lay. "Is it because he's so much older than her?"
"In part." Buffy squirmed. "Doesn't it wig you out that he's old enough to be our father?"
"Sure it does, but he doesn't act like it around her."
"You've seen them… together?"
"Yeah, I stopped by yesterday. They make a good couple, Buff. I didn't want to believe it, but they really care about each other."
"But he's always treated her differently," Buffy protested, hoping that she didn't sound as jealous as she did in her own ears.
"You mean like a grown-up? I noticed that too."
"But she's our age!" Buffy exclaimed. "If he acts like a father to me, and he acts like a father to you, why isn't acting all fatherly to Willow?"
"I can't answer that one."
"I know this is going to sound awful, but Giles has been more of a dad to me than my own has."
"Me too," Xander agreed.
"I mean, he even got fired from the Counsel for his fatherly feelings for me. I just don't understand how Willow can see him as anything other than a father-figure."
"Buffy, you know she had that crush on him through high school," Xander reminded her.
"I was hoping it was a phase," Buffy admitted. "She got over crushing on you."
"Yeah, but not until after we made with the illegal smoochies, several times." Xander countered with a blush.
"Exactly," Buffy said triumphantly. "Once she had a taste of you she no longer wanted to be with you, no offense." Xander shrugged and motioned for her to continue. "What if that's all that she's doing with Giles?"
"You think Willow's using Giles," Xander doubtfully asked. "C'mon, this is Willow. She doesn't use people like that."
"But she and Oz just broke up a couple of weeks ago. They didn't even really break up; Willow found Oz with that skanky ho, they had a fight, she got hit by that car and he skipped town. They haven't had any kind of closure. What if he comes back and tries to get back together with her? Oz is the first guy she ever dated. What if she goes back to him?"
"Willow wouldn't take Oz back," Xander said with certainty. "He betrayed her. He lied to her about sleeping with that wolf chick."
"But she cheated on him with you…"
"Those don't even come close to comparison. Willow and I kissed a few times, that's it. Oz had wild animal sex with Veruca. If she had been some groupie I think Wills could maybe forgive him, someday. But she wasn't. She was another werewolf. And that's always going to make her wonder if she'd be able to compare to someone who knew exactly what he was going through."
"When did you get so insightful?" Buffy asked in awe.
"Just because I don't always act like it, doesn't mean that I don't notice what my friends are going through."
"Then how come you didn't know about me and Riley, Oh Insightful One?"
"I've been busy," he shrugged. "It's not like we've all been hanging out that much lately. I mean, I've got my new job and Anya, and you've got school and slaying and Riley. And Wills can't really go out Bronzin' with us…"
"So she's been stuck spending all of her time with her one-time crush in close quarters without her friends to keep her company, and no boyfriend to distract her," Buffy surmised.
"You got it in one."
"I'm a bad friend," Buffy frowned, staring at her hands. "It's my fault she and Giles turned to the only other person they knew who was unattached."
"It's no one's fault," Xander insisted. "Willow told me yesterday that Giles admitted to wanting her even back in high school. This isn't something new, for either of them."
Buffy's face blanched. "I think I'm getting nauseous again."
Xander couldn't help laughing. "I know, it freaked me out at first too. But it makes sense. They were always doing that smart book thing together. They speak the same language, Buffy."
"What? Nerd?" Buffy slapped a hand over her mouth. "I didn't mean that."
"Yes you did," Xander laughed. "But it's okay. I'm sure they'd both agree with you, but they'd be proud of it. You know what they were doing when I got there?"
Buffy's eyes grew wide with apprehension. "I don't know…"
"They were going through old files of research."
"Oh, man, they deserve each other."
Xander grinned, knowing Buffy didn't realize what she'd just said. She caught his knowing grin and the light bulb switched on.
"Oh God, they really do deserve each other," she said in awe.
Memories flashed in front of her eyes: Willow sleeping at her computer to find the missing bit of info they needed on the web, Giles searching through book after book to find the way to stop that week's big bad, Willow freaking out when Giles was fired, Giles' overwhelming sense of loss when they thought Willow was a vampire and his relief that she was alive. Instance after instance of things that her two favorite people had in common made themselves known to the blonde and she realized how selfish she was being.
"It's been there all along," she whispered in newfound belief.
"You gonna be okay," Xander asked, worried about how Buffy would handle her epiphany.
"Yeah," she slowly smiled. "I think I get what they see in each other now. I'm not saying that it'll be easy seeing them together now. I mean, he's still practically my dad."
"It'll get easier once you've actually spent some time with them. Giles can still be your surrogate dad, even if he's Willow's… boyfriend."
"That just sounds so weird. Giles is Willow's boyfriend."
"Tell me about it. He isn't even a boy, he's a man," Xander agreed.
"Well, there are certain advantages to dating a man…" Buffy trailed off with a blush.
Xander covered his ears, "Blaahh, I don't want to hear about it. I never need to hear what you and your undead 240 year old boyfriend did. Ever."
"Okay, okay," Buffy giggled, knowing how much Xander hating hearing about her relationship with Angel.
"But maybe you could talk about it with Willow," Xander suggested, getting serious again. "I can tell how much she needs your support in this."
"You think she'd stop dating him if I asked?" Buffy perked up.
"No, she'll do what she wants. And she deserves to be happy, even if it's with Giles. She'd just feel better knowing you didn't hate her for dating him"
"I know, you're right. I'll go talk to her, I promise."
"Soon?" Xander pressed.
"As soon as I can. I'm going out with Riley after a quick patrol tonight, but maybe tomorrow, or the day after that."
"Go sooner rather than later," Xander suggested.
"I'll try," Buffy promised.
Xander slapped his hands on his thighs as he prepared to stand. "On that note, I have a shower with my name on it. I'll see ya later, Buffy."
"Thanks for stopping by," she sincerely thanked him.
"No prob. Anything to make Wills smile."
"And you really think seeing me will make her smile?" Buffy nervously asked.
"A thousand watter."
Buffy just smiled in response, hoping that was true, hoping she'd be able to be supportive when she saw them together again.