Katy Hart - Songs of the Heart 01

Title: Songs of the Heart 1/3
Author: Katy Hart
Pairing: B/G (what else?)
Rating: FRT
Summary: Listening to songs make Giles and Buffy act on their true feelings.
Spoilers: Everything, about six months after Chosen
Disclaimer: Joss and everyone else own them; I’m just borrowing for fun. I do not own the songs either.
<Song lyrics>
Dedicated to Gileswench and Koala for reading my rants and responding with encouragement and understanding of the muse.

A/N: Unbetaed, but previewed at my LJ, where it was recieved rather well. Not sure I like the title, but it will do for now.

Part One: Have you really ever loved a woman? Giles POV

Giles stretched his legs in front of him, thankful the Council’s jets had not been destroyed. Flying on a private plane with all the legroom he desired more than made up for all the traveling he was doing. He was corralling Watchers and well they weren’t Potentials any more were they? The girls were now Slayers, thanks to Willow and to Buffy’s mysterious axe.

Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He’d been globetrotting for months now, only occasionally stopping to think about the events that led to the destruction of Sunnydale. He would really rather not dwell on one person in particular, Buffy. Leading up to the end, there had been the massive fight about Spike and the role he played. Something she’d ended up being right about. After they’d stared at the hole that had been their home, they’d driven the bus to the nearest hospital. The injured were taken care of, everyone else housed in a nearby hotel thanks to Council money.

Giles was head of the Council now. As the most senior Watcher left alive he was in charge of reorganizing. He’d called in favors from all over, even asking Wesley to help. He’d tried to approach Buffy, but there’s been so much anger at first. Finally they’d talked some, agreeing to let most of the past go, to move on for the sake of all the new Slayers in the world.

He hadn’t told Buffy about his position, especially given her history with the Council. Instead he mentioned helping with the reorganization and rounding up Slayers. She’d agreed to help in her own way, and they’d parted. He knew Faith and Wood had gone to Cleveland with some of the girls. Dawn had gone to her father, Andrew has disappeared. Willow was in England with the coven and he wasn’t sure of Xander’s whereabouts. Giles mourned the loss of so many of the girls, of brave Anya, even Spike. He’d heard a rumor that Spike had come back but wouldn’t lay credence to it unless he saw the vampire face to face. So he relaxed in his seat, thinking of the one thing he’d tried to avoid, Buffy.

He’d loved her for so long, the love changing from that of a Watcher for a Slayer to that of a man for a woman. His love was the reason he’d stayed. The reason he’d left. The reason he’d been so angry at her choices. They’d talked about that, Buffy showing glimpses of her old self, teasing and flirting. It had given him a spark of hope, something to hold onto during the long nights.

He dwelt momentarily on the future. How would they act? What would they say? Could they repair the damage and at least be friends again? Giles didn’t have the answers. All he had was a note from the Council to come back to England. There was something to organize or correct or be dealt with in person. He was being met at the airport by someone they were sending. Strange though that they were meeting in a coffee shop rather than the gate, but he didn’t give it a second thought. Instead he pulled out a small bag he’d been carrying since the start of his trip. It was full of CDs, a wide range of music. For some reason, the Potentials (he would always think of them that way) had taken it upon themselves to educate him to modern music. They’d obviously heard too many stories from Buffy. He plucked one out at random.

Bryan Adams, an anthology. He remembered Buffy mentioning this artist several times while arguing about training music. He hoped this was better than some of that noise she had trained with. Some of the choices the Potentials had made were not bad, others were utter rubbish. He slipped the disc into the plane’s state of the art system and listened. This was the time he took for himself, a time to forget the past and ignore the future. He relaxed, rather enjoying the mix of rock songs and ballads. As the next song started, he was intrigued by the melody. He listened to the words, their meaning sinking in.

That was Buffy. He knew her better than she knew herself. He knew her dream had always been for a normal life, something she had a chance for now. He had given her wings after high school, a choice they’d both regretted for a long time.

That night at the factory, the countless times he’d found himself knocked in the head, they had all helped build and strengthen his love for her.

He’d never wanted to say any of those things to anyone but Buffy. It hadn’t even crossed his mind with Jenny until it was too late.

She smelled of vanilla. She would taste wild and free. She had always been in his blood that was part of the Watcher/Slayer bond.

They would be strong like he, have her eyes and he would love them because they were hers.

Buffy. Always and forever, Buffy. Would he tell her? Could he tell her? Could he risk the heartbreak?

As the guitars played, Giles knew. No matter what had happened, he loved her. Somehow they could work past the last year, they had before. When he saw her again, he would tell her. He would bare his heart and soul and hope she felt the same. As the chorus repeated, Giles was making plans for his next meeting with Buffy, when he would tell her everything.