Title: Outta Sight, (Part 1/2)
Author: Neena (varscona_pal@yahoo.ca)
Pairing: Giles/Xander
Rating: NC-17 (slash)
Disclaimer: Joss and Mutant Enemy own the characters and the Buffyverse.
The line: “Just go. Get out of my sight.” Is a quote from the episode “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered.” The rest is detritus from my own twisted brain, and I apologise.
Summary: Sequel to “Amores Illuminata”, and set at the end of the episode “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered.” In my version, Giles and Amy mess up the counter-spell at the end of the episode, stranding Giles and Xander in another dimension.
“Just go. Get out of my sight.” The words echoed again and again in Giles’ mind; like a medieval hair shirt, the harsh tones of his own voice stung him, but he refused to let it go. His penance wouldn’t be over until he could properly patch things between himself and Xander. The hurt look in Xander’s eyes haunted him—he wanted to go to him right now and apologise.
Not that he didn’t have due cause to be upset. His life was only just starting to get back to normal after their encounter with The Amores Illuminata. He was only now able to be in the same room with Xander without making an ass of himself by laughing too hard at his jokes or snapping at him for no good reason. And then there was Jenny to consider. She would have put an end to their estrangement today if Xander’s asinine spell hadn’t backfired. To see her fawning all over the boy… (Giles couldn’t say just who he was jealous of, but it hit him hard). How could Xander be so stupid? So soon after recovering from a love spell that nearly killed him? If Giles lost his temper, it was only because he cared so much about him (although having his slayer turned into a rat hadn’t helped). How can you protect someone you love from their own stupidity?
Giles was finding it difficult to stay focused. He and Amy had to get the counter-spell to work fast, before Xander was ripped to shreds by every woman in Sunnydale. Giles recited the incantation, while the words “Just go. Get out of my sight” repeated like a skipping record in his head.
Xander was locked in Buffy’s basement with Cordelia. “Disastrous” didn’t begin to describe the kind of day he was having.
He’d only been trying to clean up the mess of confusion his life had fallen into since his weekend with Giles. God, his life had gotten so complicated. There were only two things he was certain of: one—that he was not gay (I mean, hello!), and; two—that he was in love with Giles. So, even the two things he was sure of didn’t make any sense.
He’d promised Giles that he would never mention their curse-induced sexual feeding frenzy again. But it was getting harder as time passed and he found his feelings for the man hadn’t changed. If anything, his feelings had grown stronger. Giles had moved on, though, and as much as it hurt him, Xander knew that’s how it had to be. At least for now.
That’s why Xander needed Cordelia back. It wasn’t revenge he wanted, even though he’d said so to Amy. What he wanted was someone to love him. Cordy wasn’t Giles, but she was, at least, a distraction from his nearly-constant Giles fantasies.
Giles!
Xander mentally kicked himself. Why couldn’t anything go right? Now Giles was mad at him, and Xander had never felt so ashamed. The thought that he’d disappointed the only person he truly loved hit him hard and left him feeling hollow. Giles’ last words to him kept coming back to him, even as the basement door burst open under a deluge of frantic Xander-fixated women. “Just go. Get out of my sight.”
In the science lab, the faces of Amy and Giles glowed in the shimmering light of retreating magicks. The counter-spell was working and Amy allowed herself a moment of pride. Of course, she couldn’t take all the credit—not with Giles here doing half the work.
And the next thing she knew, he was gone. Vanished into thin air.
“Oops,” she said.
Cordelia lay on the floor of Buffy’s basement, which was a good thing, because otherwise she would have collapsed. Seconds away from being axe-murdered by an insanely jealous Willow, Cordelia suddenly found herself surrounded by a bunch of women holding weapons and looking perplexed. And Xander was gone. Somehow, in all the confusion, he’d managed to disappear without a trace.
Xander closed his eyes, waiting for the end, but nothing happened. Everything was quiet…much too quiet. He opened his eyes a crack. He was alone.
Willow, Cordelia, Mrs. Sommers, Ms. Calendar—all of them were gone.
“Hello!” he called out. There was no answer. Xander got to his feet, brushing the dirt off as he looked around. This just didn’t make sense (of course, in Sunnydale, that was par for the course). He made his way upstairs and looked around up there. Everything looked normal, but the place was deserted.
Xander popped his head outside, half expecting Angel to grab him and make a happy meal out of him. There was no one. It was like walking through a ghost town. Xander shivered at the thought, but started heading into town, hoping he might find out where everyone was.
Giles knew something had gone wrong with the spell, but he wasn’t sure what, exactly. Amy had disappeared along with the light of the magicks. Giles searched the school, but he couldn’t find Oz or Buffy either. When he went outside, his footsteps echoed ominously in the dead silence. It wasn’t just Amy—everyone else was gone as well.
Giles decided to test how far-reaching the effects of their spell had been. He started by making a few phone calls from his office. He called a few local numbers and got no answer, then he tried long distance with the same results. Even 911 wasn’t responding. This was not good.
As Giles hung up the phone, an oppressive feeling of loneliness washed over him in a wave, like vertigo. He needed his books. The spell had to be righted--he couldn’t even begin to contemplate being the only person left on Earth. The familiar surroundings of his library helped settle his nerves a bit, and he went immediately into full research mode.
His nose had been buried in books for quite a while when he heard a noise coming from the hallway outside the library. It sounded like footsteps. Giles silently retrieved the crossbow from its lock up in the book cage and aimed it at the door.
His finger slowly squeezed back on the trigger as the door swung open, and a man walked in. Giles very nearly fired before he realized it was Xander.
“Giles! Whoa there, big guy—hold your fire.”
“Xander!” Giles let the weapon clatter to the floor, too overcome with relief to be concerned about damaging the crossbow. “Are you all right? Are there others out there?”
“I’m fine. And, no—you’re the only person I’ve come across. I think we may be the only people in Sunnydale.”
“Actually, I think we may be the only people on the whole planet.”
Xander grinned broadly, expecting a punch-line. When it became clear there wasn’t going to be one, his face fell.
“You’re serious? You can’t be serious.”
Giles frowned and shoved his hands deep into his pants’ pockets, fixing Xander with a sobering glare.
“Okay, you’re serious,” said Xander, feeling the gravity of their situation, but trying to stay positive. “So…where did everybody go? Was it something I said?”
“Xander, please, this is no time for…” Giles stopped mid-sentence, looking for all the world like a big light bulb had just clicked on over his head. “Of course! But it wasn’t something you said, it was something I said.”
“Huh? Xander gaped at him, feeling like he’d come in at the middle of a movie.
“The spell, Xander. I’ve been trying to work out what went wrong with the spell Any and I were casting. The incantations were flawless—we’d done everything right, and there was no reason for it to go wrong. Except…” Giles began pacing in front of the centre table, mentally returning to the moment the spell went awry.
“Except what?” Xander asked, breaking through Giles’ reverie.
“Magic is a dangerous thing, Xander. It requires a great deal of concentration to ensure a spell has the desired outcome, and I fear my thoughts might have wandered at a crucial moment.”
“So…you were taking a mental tea-break and that resulted in all life on Earth disappearing? I don’t know if it’s just me, but the consequences seem a tad extreme.”
Giles stopped pacing and perched himself on the corner of the table. He took out his handkerchief and started cleaning his glasses. “You don’t understand. We’re the ones who disappeared—everyone else is still there, going about business as usual.”
“Not following,” said Xander.
“When I was…distracted during the spell, the magicks that we called upon must have picked up my thoughts and interpreted them in the same context as the incantation I was reciting.”
“Okay,” Xander nodded his head, “Still not following.”
Giles sighed. “We were working a reversal spell. My thoughts were detected and their meaning reversed, resulting in the two of us being removed from our world and brought here.”
“What were you thinking that could possibly have that effect?”
Giles studied his feet, a touch of pink staining his cheeks. “Uh, well…I was thinking about our conversation earlier. I’d said some things that were uncalled for, and I was busy berating myself over it.”
“You mean when you told me to get out of your sight?” It was clear from the look on his face that Xander was still feeling the impact of those words.
“Yes,” said Giles, fidgeting with his glasses again. “Those words must have been going through my mind at the exact moment the spell took effect. But, because it was a reversal spell, the literal meaning of the words was reversed, and now no one can see us and we can see no one but each other. You could say we now exist on a magical plane, separated from, but still linked to the rest of the world.”
“You mean like ghosts? Are we dead? Because I don’t feel dead—I’m feeling very much alive—peppy, even.”
“No, we’re not ghosts. Unfortunately, we don’t even have a ghost’s tenuous presence in the real world.”
“So you’re saying we’d be better off dead?”
“Xander, you’re not helping.”
“Sorry, but I’m a little creeped out here. Do you have any ideas on how to get back?”
“Well…no. Not as yet. Which is why we should both…”
“…start researching?” Xander asked, eliciting a small smile from Giles. “Point me to a dusty volume and let me at it.”
Xander and Giles ploughed through book after book as the night gave way to morning. They worked mostly in silence; Giles wishing he’d made a proper apology when he’d had the chance, instead of falling into the safe routine of exposition. The tension in the air was palpable, with Xander avoiding eye contact.
When Giles returned from a trip to the school cafeteria with two stale rice crispie squares and two cans of Sprite (ah, yes—the breakfast of champions), he found Xander dozing over an open book. Giles looked at the boy, and the urges he’d been fighting to control for so long finally got the better of him. He circled around behind Xander and couldn’t resist resting his hand on the pale, warm skin at the back of his neck.
Xander stirred, a sweet smile spreading across his face as he felt the stroking of Giles’ thumb along his hairline. He opened his eye just a crack, not wanting to scare Giles off—he’d been yearning to feel his touch for so long…
“Xander. Xander, I know you’re awake.” Xander reluctantly raised his head off the table and was pleasantly surprised when Giles left his hand on his shoulder as he sat on the table facing him. “I think we need to talk.”
“Look, I know what I did was beyond stupid, and I’m sorry; but I only did it because…” Xander stopped when he realised he’d said too much.
“Why, Xander? What possessed you to put a love spell on Cordelia? You knew first hand how deadly a spell like that can be.”
“The only reason I put a spell on Cordy was because I couldn’t be with you. I needed somebody, and being with her made being without you bearable.” Xander dropped his gaze to the book on the table, avoiding the expected confrontation.
“I’m sorry, Xander,” Giles spoke softly, and Xander raised his head. “I’ve been an insensitive fool. I just assumed you’d moved on—you seemed so happy with Cordelia. And what I said yesterday…please understand that it was fear more than anger that triggered my reaction. Although that’s no excuse, and I apologise.”
Xander studied Giles’ eyes and knew he felt just as bad about hurting his feelings as Xander felt about disappointing him.
“Truce, then?” asked Xander.
“Truce.”
They sat for a while not certain how to proceed. For a second, Xander thought Giles might hug him, but all he did was pat his shoulder and cough nervously.
“So how close are we to finding a way back? Are you just about ready to light a candle and chant our way out of this?”
Giles stood and started a serious bit of pacing.
“Uh-oh. That’s not a good sign,” said Xander.
Giles stopped in mid-stride and lifted an eyebrow at him. “Am I that transparent?” he asked.
“Actually, right now you’re pretty much invisible…but, yeah—we’ve really got to work on that whole poker-face thing.”
“Well, Xander, I have a feeling you’ll have plenty of time to teach me.” Giles began pacing again in earnest. “From what I’ve gathered, the retrieval spell has to be worked from the other side by Amy. Which means not only does she have to know what went wrong, but also where we ended up and how to perform the spell to get us back.”
“Without managing to make things worse.”
“Right.”
“So, we could be here a while.”
“I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but given Amy’s track record to date, I think we have to consider the possibility that we may never get back.”
“So…any idea where they are?” asked Buffy, striding into the school library. It was eight o’clock in the morning, and Amy, Willow and Cordelia looked at her with bleary-red eyes.
“No clue, I’m afraid,” said Amy with a grimacing twist of her lip. “The spell worked—everything was right—I just don’t get it.”
“She’s right, Buffy,” said Willow. “From what she said, everything went smoothly. Then…poof.”
“Something must have gone wrong if Giles and Xander went ‘poof’,” said Buffy.
Cordelia piped up: “We’ve been researching all night, and all we’ve managed to come up with is a cure for sleep. Oh, God!”
“What?” they all asked.
“I’m still wearing the clothes I wore yesterday! I can’t go out there like this.”
Willow rolled her eyes. “Way to stay focused, Cordelia.” She turned to Buffy; “We need some more time, but we’ll figure this out, I promise. Ms. Calendar is looking into some trans-dimensional locator spells for us, so we can track them down.”
“Good,” said Buffy. “Keep me posted—I’m off to distract Snyder. If I can keep him busy, maybe he won’t notice he’s lost his librarian.”
The group broke up, Willow heading off to History, Buffy to find Snyder, and Cordelia to the washroom to salvage her image. Only Amy stayed behind, determined to find a solution, even if it meant never sleeping again.
“I can’t focus my eyes anymore. I’m serious—I think I sprained my eyeballs.” Xander shook his head, trying to make the words on the page make sense.
Giles leaned back in his chair, took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I think we could both use a break. And some food.”
“We could take a walk,” Xander suggested. “Get some fresh air, stretch our legs? And then we could ransack the donut shop for free day-olds.”
“You’re on,” said Giles and stood, stretching out the kinks in his back and neck. He’d taken off his jacket ages ago. The tie had quickly followed, and by now the top buttons of his shirt were undone and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Xander eyed the tattoo on his left arm which looked so conspicuous on the tweed-clad librarian. Xander felt an overwhelming urge to trace the dark mark with his tongue…
“Xander?”
“Hmmmm?”
“Are you coming?”
Now that was a loaded question.
“Give me a sec,” said Xander, trying to reign in his hormones before the bulge in his pants became too noticeable. He made a show of marking the page he was on and straightening his research materials before getting out of his chair.
They walked down the deserted streets with the late afternoon sun burning down on them. The silence was eerie, and Xander felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Almost instinctively, he reached out and grabbed Giles’ hand.
Giles looked over at Xander whose eyes were busy avoiding him. He allowed himself a smile as he gently squeezed Xander’s hand and got one of the boy’s enormous grins in response. What harm could it do to show a little affection? It’s not like there’s anyone here to see it. But the truth was he needed the contact as much as Xander did. Maybe more.
They took the long route to the donut shop, making stops here and there to look in store windows, excusing the delays by claiming to be scouting for supplies, just in case. When they finally ran out of excuses and found themselves in front of the donut shop, Giles reluctantly let go of Xander’s hand, giving it one last squeeze. Xander looked up at him a little sadly—it had felt so good holding his hand; like he truly belonged to someone.
“Can you see them?” asked Cordelia.
“Shh!” said Willow in a whisper, “She’s not there yet.”
Willow and Cordelia were in the science lab, sitting on the floor in a circle with Buffy and Oz. Amy sat cross-legged in the centre of the group, a series of triangles painted on her face and arms in a blend of charcoal and ash. Her eyes had become dark, channelling the magicks they had summoned.
Buffy shifted uncomfortably. This whole witchcraft thing still wigged her out a bit since that deal with Amy’s mom.
“I see them,” Amy said, her voice sounding oddly tinny, like it was travelling over a bad phone connection.
“Where are they? Are they okay?” asked Cordelia, her voice betraying how deeply concerned she was.
“They’re…in a donut shop. They’re alone.”
“But are they okay?” Cordelia pressed.
“They’re fine—they’re smiling and talking…Hello? Giles? Xander?…They can’t hear me. I don’t think they can see me either.” Amy broke contact, and the pent up energy of the circle dissipated. Amy’s eyes turned back to their regular shade of blue and she blinked a few times as the science lab and everyone in it took shape and the other dimension faded.
“Wow,” said Willow, “You crossed over to the other side—and it was a donut shop! Somehow I expected something a little more—other-dimensiony.”
“So now we know where they are, which is a good thing, but how do we get them back?” asked Buffy, getting to her feet. The rest of them followed suit.
“I still have to figure out what went wrong in the first place, so I can reverse the mistake,” said Amy.
“Well think,” snapped Cordelia, “What did you do wrong? You have to remember.”
“Nothing. That’s just it—I’ve been over it a thousand times, and I didn’t make any mistakes.”
“Well, then it must have been Giles,” said Oz. Amy jumped. He’d been quiet for so long she’d forgotten he was behind her.
“His incantations were dead on, and his timing was perfect—so it couldn’t have been his fault. Unless…”
“Unless?” asked Buffy.
“No,” said Amy, dismissing the idea. “Giles is too careful to make such a simple mistake.”