TITLE: The Conversation (1/1)
AUTHOR: K2
EMAIL: methos@medelle.com
SUMMARY: Willow and Buffy talk about Giles
DISCLAIMER: Joss is God, we are but humble servants
RATING: G (W/G)
FEEDBACK: You bet your bippy. Sock it to me!
DISTRIBUTION: You want, lemme know.
TIMELINE: Ummmm..... maybe middle of Season 5? End of Season 4?
THANKS: To all my fans, my adoring public, the academy.... oh wait, wrong speech....
NOTES: Hope this doesn't get truncated. :-)

"You have to tell him, Buffy. He's not stupid, sooner or later he'll figure it out and that will just make it worse."

"I know, Will, I know, but I just can't. I mean, how can I? What he says no or that he's flattered or something equally humiliating?!"

"There's only one way to find out," Willow said. "Besides, if you don't, you'll always wonder what if. And besides that, even if he says no you haven't lost anything."

"Okay, and on what planet does that actually work?" Buffy snapped pacing the room.

"Sorry," Willow frowned. "I was just trying to help."

Buffy shoulders slumped and she turned around at the hurt tone in her friends voice.

"I'm sorry, Will. I know youre trying to help, I dont mean to snap, I'm just nervous. Im good with the Slaying, not so good with the talking."

"But its GILES," Willow said her tone implying that that said it all.

"That's the problem though! Its Giles formerly of the 'Ick! Youre old!' And now of the 'Whoah, when did you get to be a hottie?' "

Willow laughed and then sobered thinking of the butterflies she felt at odd moments with Giles.

"If only," she thought and then pushed it away. "No," she chided herself. "Giles will never think of you that way, especially not with she of the leather pants throwing herself at him."

"Will, are you sure you're okay with this? I mean with the idea of me and Giles."

"Pshaw! Of course!" Willow protested, forcing herself to sound enthusiastic. "It totally makes sense, Buffy. I mean what with you being the Slayer and him being the Watcher. Its like meant to be. Besides, why would it be any of my business anyway?"

"You can't fool me Wills. I know you've got a thing for Giles. I don't think anyone else realizes it, but I do. I've seen the way you get around him. And last Thanksgiving when you argued, I thought Xander and I were gonna have to leave the room. I've never seen so much with the fireworks. To be honest, I think that's what I'm most afraid of, that I don't stand a chance against you."

She sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed, suddenly feeling scared and a little foolish.

"That's nonsense," Willow cried. "Giles isn't mine. He'd never look at me next to you."

"Maybe, but you think of him as yours," Buffy said quietly daring her best friend to deny it.

"No! Well, okay, maybe a little, but not much and only because we have a lot in common. We're friends. We share things. But that doesn't mean that -"

"I don't share anything with him," Buffy admitted more to herself than to anyone else.

"Sure you do!" Willow exclaimed jumping up. "There's the Slaying and patrolling and uh, and lots of things!"

"Not the things that really matter. I dont even know his favorite color." "Blue," Willow answered automatically.

"Or his mother's maiden name," Buffy responded. "Lathrop," Willow said smiling. "We researched his family tree on the 'net last summer after you - uh, while you were gone."

"See?" Buffy said crossing her arms defiantly. "But like I said, that just means we're good friends," Willow tried to reason. "And perfect for each other," Buffy muttered not quite under her breath.

"Hey! How did we get on to me and Giles anyway? I mean I know the Giles part, but not the me part." Willow tried desperatly to turn the conversation back to its original track.

"I dont know, I was sort of thinking about how to tell him and I figured that youre so good with words, maybe I could just kind of pretend like I was you talking to him. You wouldn't walk up to him and say 'Hey Giles, nice ass.' You'd find some way to make it sound elegant, or you'd make his favorite meal, or play his favorite opera or something."

"I doubt that," Willow said. "I'm terrible at Shepherds Pie and he wont listen to La Bohem since Jen - since Ms. Calendar."

"I don't even know what Shepherds Pie is!" Buffy cried throwing her hands up into the air.

"But that's okay," Willow tried to comfort her friend. "You know other stuff and you're still you, Giles will love that. Does love that, I'm sure."

"I dont know, Will. To be honest, I'm not totally sure I really love him. Shouldn't I know that stuff if I do? Shouldn't I pay attention to the details? Maybe I'm just lonely. Since Riley left, I'm feeling kind of lost and Giles is, well, he's comfortable and familiar."

"But," Willow started to protest and was cut off by a knock at the door.

"Whoever you are, go away!" Buffy yelled out, annoyed.

"Uh, sorry, hope I'm not interrupting." Giles peered around the slightly open door.

"Oh, sorry Giles," Buffy said a little too quickly feeling nervous and awkward.

"If now is a bad time, I could.."

"No, no, it's cool. What's up, G? Big bad on the lose?"

"What? Oh, no, nothing like that I assure you. I simply came by to ask Willow, er that is, to see if she might be willing, uh..."

"Bloody hell!" Buffy shouted to the room in general as she watched her watcher's eyes lock with her best friends.

The use of this particular colloquialism snapped Giles back to reality. "I think you've been spending a bit too much time with Spike," he observed dryly.

Then, becoming concerned he focused his attention entirely onto his Slayer. "Are you alright? Is something bothering you?"

"Uh Buffy really needs to talk to you, uh, alone, about uh, something, uh, without me here...uhh...."

"Yes?" Giles asked his statement blank.

"Oh, its um, uh, oh, hell, nothing."

"Are you certain?"

Buffy struggled to form the words on her lips but failed. Cocking her head, she stared at Giles for a long while trying to say with her heart what she couldn't with her voice.

Giles stared back a myriad of emotions playing across his features. First confusion, second the dawn of sudden realization, then the rush of embarassment, uncertainty, and finally compassion, understanding, acceptance.

Buffy watched all this her stomach churning in knots, a lump forming in her throat, as she came to the truth. She didn't - couldn't love him as a father, but he would never see her as more than the daughter he longed for. She nodded and lowered her head, fighting tears.

"Buffy," Giles began not sure what he could say that would help, but needing all the same to make it right.

"Its okay, it's cool. At least now I know."

With that she turned to Willow and laughed, her voice a dry bitter chuckle.

"He's all yours," she whispered. "Take care of him or I'll stake you."

With that, she walked out of the room, closing the door firmly behind her. Giles and Willow stood there silent, awkward, in seperate corners. Finally Giles looked up, soft gold green eyes capturing confused, yet hopeful, emerald ones.

"Me?" Willow asked, not quite believing what had just happened.

"You," Giles nodded striding towards her.

"When?" She asked moving to meet him.

"Always," he answered taking her hands in his.

END