Title: Darkness
Author: Mel
Rating: G
Summery: The darkness becomes an even bigger part of Giles’ existence
Notes: This may have sequels, it likely will, but it may take a bit of time to decide where to take it. I wanted it to be a long fic but I apparently do much better with ficlets and drabbles.

Much of Rupert Giles’ life had been spent in darkness. It was his constant companion as well as his most bitter, cunning enemy. He worked and hunted in darkness, searching for the creatures it harbored. It was when most of humankind slept and the things he had spent his life battling, things most humans had no clue even existed crept out to feed, and hunt, to kill and destroy. And it was when he and his co-workers boldly took up their fight against them, so people wouldn’t have to find out about the monsters in their world.

It was also a part of his soul, long repressed and kept hidden away but still there, sometimes whispering to him, tempting him to cross back into that dark side of himself that went by the name ‘Ripper’. Sometimes he allowed the darkness to surface under tight rein when he needed to employ it in his work, but such occasions were rare as he still somewhat feared Ripper hurting someone he cared for if he allowed it too much freedom. He despised it, yet could not survive in this world, in this line of work, without it.

And now he had received the news that he was sinking into another kind of darkness: blindness. His brain, so badly taxed and damaged from countless blows, had received a blow that had left him without sight. His eyes themselves were no more damaged than they had always been before, but the part of his brain that controlled them was beyond repair. Of course he could ask Willow or someone else for help, but he would not. He knew the dangers of mixing magic and medicine, especially in the brain. Instead, he would push on, would adapt to the changes and continue with his work as always.

Mixed emotions filled his mind about his new situation. He feared what the darkness hid, but not enough to let it overwhelm him. He was saddened at the thought of never again seeing the light and the many precious things it held, but he did not need eyes to see what mattered most: the love and care of his friends, the importance of the battle he helped wage against evil, the convictions that drove his life and work. He was uncertain of some things, but to a man for whom darkness was such an integral part of so much in life, a little more darkness was something whose limitations he could deal with. It would not become an impediment, a handicap to him, would not stop him from continuing the work he’d devoted his life to.

END