Title: Tomorrow 7/?
Author: Madsdog
Disclaimer: If I just owned Willow's body, Dawn's hair and Giles' voice to sing me to sleep... okay... none of it's mine- those bits belong to the actors and the rest is Joss' and Marti's (Tara-killers) and Love Letter #1 belongs to Red
SPOILERS: UP UNTIL THE END OF 'TWO TO GO'
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Late Season 3
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Pushing open the door to the library, Willow took a step inside, looking around to see, as she suspected, that none of her friends were there.
“Giles? Rupert?” Seeing no one in the main part of the library, the girl made her way around to her lover’s- no, fiancé’s office. Seeing him sat at his desk, a smile broke over her face and her pace quickened, before she came to a dead halt.
“Freeze.” Looking away from the back of Rupert’s head, she turned to face the neatly pressed shirt of the man two inches in front of her. Raising her head she took in the self-important, pompous expression on the man’s face and raised an eyebrow.
“Can I...?” she gestured to the doorway behind him.
“You most certainly cannot. This is a private area of the library, open to staff only. Students may not enter without the express permission of a higher authority.”
“Did I not just ask for permission?”
“But I have yet to grant it.” She looked witheringly at the man, before smiling and opening her mouth to shout.
“Giles, can I come in?” Without looking up or turning around, the librarian granted his permission.
“Of course Willow.” She loved it when Rupert was so involved in something, as he was now… and she also loved the challenge of distracting him from whatever it was, so her expectant glance at the suit-clad Englishman in front of her was tinged with more than a little frustration.
“That does not-”
“Can you tell the tight-ass that I’m allowed to come speak to you?” Willow hadn’t meant to be catty, but she couldn’t deny the small thrill that ran through her as a look of wounded shock crossed the man’s face. She hadn’t stopped glaring at him for a few minutes now, and as she felt Giles come up behind the man, she also became aware of her fists placed firmly on her hips.
“Wes-”
“That’s Mr Wyndham-Pryce to you Mr Giles, and I believe it is highly inappropriate for a man of such stature as yourself to be consorting on such an intimate level with such a foul-mouthed, young American as this girl. Your time here should be devoted entirely to the welfare of Miss Summers-”
“I will remind you that I am a faculty member here, and as such-”
“’Foul-mouthed, young American?’ I will have you know ‘Mr Wyndham-Pryce’ that I may be a student, but I am perfectly capable of mature decisions. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being an American- and should you have a problem, I suggest you get on the soonest flight available, and… FOUL-MOUTHED?”
“Willow, calm-”
“And where do you get off speaking to Giles like that?”
“Miss Willow, I believe-”
“Wesley! Will you stop believing and go make yourself useful. Buffy will not be in the library until fourth period and I suspect Faith will not appear until at least then also. So find yourself something to do for the next three hours. Preferably away from here.” Willow watched as Wesley began, again, to argue and then, seeing the faces of the two others in his presence, decided against it and headed for the library doors. Once they’d swung shut, Willow felt herself relax before she turned back to Giles.
“New watcher?”
“Fresh from the mother country.”
“Sorry I was mad- he made me… grrrr.”
“He seems to be awfully good at that.” They shared a smile before she followed him into his office, pausing only to close the door and drop the blinds before depositing herself in his lap and pressing her lips to his. Pulling back she revelled in the slightly dazed expression on his face.
“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”
“Missed you since last night- well, two this morning.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned his forehead against hers.
“I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t be, I’m over it. You should be too. It’s not your fault Buffy’s not psychic. Plus, you more than made up for it in advance.” She reached into her top and pulled out the almost invisible chain to swing it and the ring hanging from it in between their faces.
“I tried wearing it on the wrong finger but it was kind of conspicuous- of course I couldn’t take my eyes off it, so I was kind of biased…” She trailed off, again almost hypnotised by the ring. Giles opened his mouth to speak just as she restarted. “Anyway. Last night meant the world to me and I wanted to pay you back a little- I figure this is probably going to be one of those long term engagements- what with me being a student and Mr Pryce-Guy being around, so I decided to make this a two way deal.” Sliding back off his lap, she fell to her knees on the floor before him and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small box. She was about to open it when something occurred to her. “I’m meant to be on one knee for this, aren’t I?” Adjusting her position accordingly she looked up to catch his eye
“Rupert? Rupert Giles. Will you do me the honour of becoming my husband?”
Absorbing the past few minutes of Willow-speak, and staring in shock at the ring in front of him, Giles realised that despite the security of last night, right now was as nerve-racking for Willow as yesterday had been for him. The fear of rejection was clear in her face, and along with it, the uncertainty and shyness that seemed to shadow all her actions. Knowing she was waiting for an answer, he took the sides of her face in his hands and pulled her up to kiss her.
“Of course I will.” He watched as her face broke into a huge smile and wondered if anyone else knew that the sun actually radiated from Willow Rosenburg.
She struggled to take the simple ring from its box and put it on his finger and he looked down to admire it. It was made from two thick bands, crossed over once on each side of the ring to hold them together. One was silver, one gold.
“Thank god it fits- I was so worried. I figured it probably wouldn’t destroy your manliness if you were to wear it, and the gold-” he cut her off with a soft kiss.
“Put yours on.” Giles’ voice had dropped a few notches and it sent a thrill down Willow’s spine. Taking off her necklace she put it in her pocket and slipped the rind onto the appropriate finger. Holding her to him, Rupert spun the swivel chair before sitting her on the desk in front of him and standing up. He kissed her fleetingly, a mere brushing of lips against lips. Later he told himself he’d fully intended that to be it, but when one of her hands strayed to rest on his chest, and the other moved to the side of his face he figured one more kiss wouldn’t hurt. Nor another, nor another.
When Willow felt her fiancé’s hand begin to creep under her skirt, there was no way she could say she was displeased. Mildly surprised, definitely: Rupert was usually so worried about someone seeing the two of them that events such as last night’s dinner were a rarity, let alone serious groping in his office, but no matter how much he might moan about it later, there was no way Willow was even going to consider removing his rapidly ascending hands as she began to busy her own in running through his hair and undoing the buttons of his shirt, and when she found herself lying, topless, across his desk she wasn’t complaining about how tightly he had now pressed himself between her thighs to continue kissing her. But as his mouth left hers and travelled down the column of her neck to lavish attention on her breasts, she was definitely going to object to the open office door and the figure standing in it.
“Faith!” Giles’ head shot up as he spun around, giving Willow something to hide behind as she hurried to re-clasp her bra and button her shirt.
“Been giving Will some extra lessons G-man?”
“W- I- er- well…” Running a hand through her hair, the witch slid off the desk and around Rupert to give him a chance to restore his own dignity.
“Faith- you’re early.”
“Thought I’d come,” she dragged the word out, “offer Giles my company. Figured a forty- something year old librarian would have as little to do on a Wednesday morning as I. Guess I was wrong.” Willow turned her head to look at Giles, who had a sort of… anguished look on his face, and then back to look at the slayer.
“Faith. Let’s go. Let Giles finish his… work.” The girl smirked but allowed herself to be led out of the office, refusing to be submissed once in the main library.
“Say Red, didn’t you have lip gloss on earlier?” Willow searched for her bag, flushing before realising a) it was still in Giles’ office, and b) this was the first time she’d seen Faith in a couple of days. She looked up to see the self-satisfied grin on Faith’s face.
“I hate you.”
“You too- I was thinking maybe I stood a chance with him. I’m guessing not now. Nice ring.”
“Shhhhh-” She cut herself off before the curse emitted itself.
“Relax, you could do worse- you could’ve got him.” Spinning around, Willow saw whom Faith had nodded at.
“Faith, meet Wesley. Your new watcher.”