Title: Tomorrow 12/?
Author: Madsdog
Rating: Errr- probably up to R
SPOILERS: UP UNTIL THE END OF 'TWO TO GO'
Distribution: NHA, AEFM, ODD
Disclaimer: 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
If there was one thing that he was ever sure of, it was this: Dawn Summers would never send a letter with an ink stain. Like Willow, Dawn was a perfectionist and even if it was the last thing she did, the Summers girl would rewrite the page rather than have someone think her a slob or untidy.
And so, Giles knew, with sinking sense of certainty, that he hadn’t been forgotten by his young friends in Sunnydale, he was merely being cut off from them in a very privacy imposing way. For all he knew they could be dead, and for all they knew, he could be.
Tomorrow he’d find a phone, away from this damned place and find out if they were all alright, if Willow was okay. Tomorrow.
He put the enveloped letter onto his bedside table and pulled the covers over himself. As he had every night for the past eight hundred and fifty days, he moved to kiss the ring on his left hand, and as he had every night for the past ninety days, found the finger cold, empty, and unwelcoming.
***
“She’s what!”
“Engaged and pregnant.”
“To Mr Giles!”
“Wesley!” Turning, Buffy offered their coffee shop audience a weak smile and glared at the man opposite her to lower his voice.
“But… but- Mr Giles is an important part of the scheme. He and Eliza were supposed to have produced the watcher superior to all others by 2010.”
“Eliza?”
“His wife.”
“Giles has a wife!?”
“Has had for about fifteen years now.”
“Fifteen years! But he never mentioned-”
“He wouldn’t. He’s never been the most- obedient of us. When they finally got him to the alter, he refused to… to, er… consummate the marriage until he was finally brought into line about four years later. Then he became the model watcher, and because of that reform and a lineage far superior to anyone else’s, he got the job of training you. Fiasco that was.”
“But… if he was so model, how come he didn’t bring Mrs Giles over here?”
“The Watcher- i.e. the one training The Slayer- is supposed to have no contact outside of his charge. Family and friends are to be forgotten unless needed for research purposes. Until Mr Harris saved your life, he and Willow were under intense scrutiny- the kind that leads to murder- and you saw what happened to Ms Calendar.”
“Jenny? That was The Council?” Wesley began to play with his drink, avoiding the question for a moment, before;
“Angelus was paid handsomely.”
“God. Oh God.”
“No just men who think they are.” Buffy had no answer to that. “I fear Ms Rosenburg and her child are both in very serious danger. Excepting guarding her night and day, I am unsure what to advise.”
“We can’t- I mean- she doesn’t… is there any way to do this without her knowing? I mean, can we check on Council in any way?”
“I doubt it- at least, we’d need a damn good hacker. And without Ms Willow-”
“Oz.”
“What?”
“Oz. He’s as good with computers as Will.”
“How are you going to-”
“Cell phone. Honestly, we’re 21, we do have them along with every other youth in the country.” Wesley gave her a strange look
“You all have them?”
“Well no- Will hasn’t found a company ethical enough for her yet and Anya says they cost too much. But Xander and Oz and I have them.”
“How do you-”
“Will and he kept in touch. I found out in the same way as I’ve discovered everything- good old nosiness.”
“So we can find out what The Council has planned from their computer records?”
“A limited amount. We’ll be able to work out their overall scheme of things, but the details will be trickier to figure out. The Council are, in general, willing to accept technology-” Buffy let out a snort, then tried to look contrite off Wesley’s glare “-but they are still wary of it. Basic plans are kept in the system. Details are more… guarded.”
“As in Alsatian guarded?”
“As in shotgun guarded.”
“So unless you happen to have a very nice friend in England, we’re not going to get hold of them?”
“No.”
“So we what? Find out the basics, then plan from there?”
“Contact me here,” he wrote down a phone number and gave it to her, “when you’ve spoken to Oz.” Without another word, Wesley stood, placed some money on the table and left the coffee shop.
“I’ll just… do that then.” She smiled at the space opposite her and then muttered to herself “Is it working with Angel that make people do the stealth act?”
***
Buffy took out her key and opened the back door of The Magic Box. It was Sunday and the shop was in darkness. Normally Anya was around, but Buffy didn’t think it was particularly unusual that she was missing. After contacting Oz that morning, she’d decided to come and work some stuff out on her favourite training dummy. She’d barely put her bags down and picked up the strapping for her hands, when the phone in the front of the shop began ringing.
On automatic pilot, she ran through and picked up;
“Hello?”
“Buffy?”
“Giles! How are you? How’s… wait, why are you calling?” Although she was excited to hear from her watcher, her initial enthusiasm died as she remembered what she’d found out about him recently.
“What do you mean ‘why am I phoning’?”
“Shouldn’t you be out with Eliza?” The silence was almost audible as Giles struggled for a reply once the shock of Buffy’s attack wore off.
“Buffy, it’s not…”
“It’s exactly what I think.”
“Buffy, The Council-”
“Are trying to kill Willow. I got that.”
“What? They said-”
“And you trusted them?”
“Look, there are good-”
“There is no good reason for what you did to Willow. You’d do well to remember that. Just… find a way to solve what you did or stay away from her, from us.”
“Bu-”
“Bye Giles.” She hung up the phone before what she’d just done sank in. She was just so… angry with him. She hadn’t felt this mad since… well, in a long time, she hadn’t felt this anything in a long time. She was broken out of her musings by a sob behind her. Startled, she spun ‘round.
“Willow.” She hadn’t heard her come in, but Buffy was guessing she’d been stood there a while. Her hand was over her mouth and her eyes were wide and wet. Slowly she took her hand away.
“That was Giles.” It wasn’t a question, but Buffy was unsure what she meant and so answered anyway.
“Yeah it was.”
“Buffy he’s your watcher.” Still unsure what she meant, Buffy remained silent. “You’d… reject him like that? For me?” Suddenly, the slayer understood and took a step towards the witch.
“Of course I would… I- you’re my best friend Will.”
“Am I?” Buffy nodded and Willow sobbed again.
“I thought you hated me.” Closing the distance between them, Buffy wrapped her arms around her best friend.
“I could never hate you Will, I love you, I need you with me.” With a start she realised she was telling the truth, it was like, as soon as she acknowledged the feelings, they were there. She didn’t need Spike to feel, she had Willow and Dawn and herself.
“But… Dawn and lost memories and heaven and…”
“And Willow. Willow’s the important part here.” She lifted her head from Buffy’s shoulder.
“How did you know? Did Anya…”
“No, there was an… accident and Dawn and I found a letter you’d written to him. Then nosy Buffy took over.”
“An accident in my private drawers?”
“Hey, shouldn’t I be reprimanding you for giving my little sister condoms?” A slight blush covered Willow’s tear stained face.
“I didn’t know how to be a mother, I was just trying to look out for her.”
“You did good. She was your trial run.” Buffy placed a kiss on her forehead before taking a step back and glancing down. “If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t notice- but you’re starting to bulge. Just a little.”
“I am!” Willow looked down. “Oh Goddess I’m going to need more clothes. I can’t afford more clothes, I’m a student! And just how much snooping did you do?”
“Enough to know you’ve been hiding things for way too long.” She grinned and Willow smiled back weakly.
“Because you’d’ve so loved to know your best friend was doing your watcher.”
“Oh, visual. Ugh. I can cope with my best friend being in love with my watcher, but less of the ‘doing’ comments. Please.” That gained her a proper smile. “So, are you up to a best friends shopping trip- the mall’s open all Sunday now… except for that cute shop owned by those Catholics- but that’s okay ‘cause I always spend money on things I don’t’ really want there. Anyway. Shopping.”
“Buffy, I don’t know. To go shopping isn’t money generally needed? I haven’t really got any at the moment.”
“I’ve got some.”
“No you haven’t- remember… working in ‘smell hell’ to make ends meet?”
“Look, I’ve got some spare because with only buying the things I really needed, the extra Giles gave me never got spent… so actually it’s him that’s paying- which he should be- but he won’t know- which is good because then you don’t feel indebted and he still feels guilty for doing nothing for you and the baby.”
“He doesn’t feel guilty about doing nothing for the baby now.”
“Why not? It is his isn’t it?”
“Yes it’s his!” Willow was almost insulted at the insinuation.
“Then why… he doesn’t know?” Buffy watched her friend shake her head. “Why not?”
“I can’t get a message to him. The council…”
“I’m going to fecking shoot the goddamned Council!” Willow raised an eyebrow and took half a step back in a combination of surprise and apprehension. “Sorry. It’s just… can’t they make anything- just one thing- easier for me?”
“Hey, it’s not like he’s been rushing to see us, is it?”
“I guess not. Oh God! Did I just hang up on your one chance to tell him?”
“Probably. Don’t worry though, if he doesn’t want to be a part of this, then he doesn’t get the baby either.” The words were harsh, but both girls knew they were spoke from anger and bitterness and that Willow would never follow through on such a threat. “Come on, let’s get mall-bound.”
Arm in arm, the girls left the store.