Title: Peace At Last
Author: Ness
Contact: sessa1_2@yahoo.com
Written: 7-09-2003
Spoilers: none really, unless you want to say "Passion" in season two.
Pairing: Giles/Jenny.
Rating: R for language and a bit of violence.
Warning: Angst! Character death!
Summary: Giles gets caught in the middle of a bank robbery.
Distribution: Anyone that already has permission. Anyone else, please ask first.

Disclaimer: We all know who owns 'em and it ain't me. Joss and Co. are gods in their universe, I'm just a peon in mine.
A/N#1: This bunny came from the song "Heather's Wall" by Ty Herndon. That doesn't belong to me anymore than BtVS does, just in case anybody might be delusional enough to believe otherwise.
A/N#2: Thanks to Gail for the beta. It's much appreciated. J

Giles walked into the bank, his attention on the mental list of things that had to be done *today*. He sighed to himself. He could defeat demons, but he couldn't seem to get the most mundane errands done in a timely fashion.

He became aware of an eerie silence as the door swooshed closed behind him.

He looked up.

A man was holding a gun on the teller.

The robber spun around to face the newcomer. "Fuck," was the succinct curse as he realized that he had yet another witness to contend with. "Get the hell over here!" He gestured with his gun to the people sitting, huddled, on the floor.

Giles did as he was told, knowing that anything could set the man off.

"Hurry up!"

Giles sat down beside a frightened older woman.

She started to cry softly.

He put his arm around her and tried to comfort her.

"Don't move!" The robber was trembling with fear and adrenalin. He divided his concentration between the teller putting money in a bag and the new threat to his plan. He was almost out the door. Just a few minutes more. The old woman's wailing was getting on his nerves, though. "Shut up!" He waved the gun in her direction. He didn't want to admit how scared he was, but he couldn't stop now, he was too far in.

The older woman tried to do as she was told, but she couldn't seem to stop weeping.

The gunman yelled at her to be quiet again, but she was unable to stop.

"Fine. If you can't shut up, I'll shut you up myself." With that ominous warning, he swung the gun around.

If was as though Giles was seeing the events in slow motion. He saw the gun barrel come around to focus on the woman beside him. He knew, without any doubt, that she would die in the next few seconds if he didn't do something. He moved to put himself in front of her as he saw the flash of light from the gun barrel. He felt an impact, as though someone had punched him in the chest, and felt himself driven back against the woman he was protecting.. He looked down to see blood gushing out of his chest and felt the warmth flowing out of his body.

Someone screamed and the robber dropped his gun as he realized what he'd done. He stared at the wound in Giles' chest. He didn't even realize that the police had entered the bank as he dropped to his knees. "OhGodohGodohGod, what have I done?" He whispered as he realized he'd just gone somewhere he couldn't come back from. He was thrown down on the floor, putting him face to face with his victim.

"Mister?" He whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He continued to repeat the litany as he was jerked to his feet and led away.

Giles wasn't sure what was happening. One moment he was lying on the floor of the bank and the next, he was walking up the stairs of his flat. It was the night he'd found Jenny in his bed, dead.

If his life was passing before his eyes, did it have to start with that particular scene?

His mind screamed at him to run, not to find what he knew he was going to find. But he couldn't seem to stop the slow, inexorable climb up the stairs. He paused for a moment, his hand on the knob, before slowly turning it.

He stopped in the doorway.

Jenny wasn't lying on his bed, her neck broken.

She was standing beside the bed, wearing a white, gauzy dress, a vision from heaven. Her hair was a dark cloud around her beautiful face.

"J-Jenny?" He stammered.

"It's me, England." She smiled softly.

He shook his head. He knew he was dying, was he hallucinating as well? Against his will, he moved further into the room. He reached out before abruptly dropping his hand. If his hallucination meant that Jenny was alive, he didn't want to destroy the illusion.

"I'm here, Rupert," she repeated as she walked towards him and took his hand.

"How?"

"You're dying, my love," she told him gently.

"That still doesn't explain this," he insisted, gesturing around him, first to her and then to the room.

She chuckled. "Analytical as ever." She reached up and caressed his face. "You're here and I'm here, that's all--"

He was abruptly pulled back to his body. He could feel pressure on his chest as the paramedics worked on him. He knew, now, that he was dying, but the thought didn't cause him distress. Perhaps he should fight harder to live, but he was tired and the thought of real peace--finally--after all this time was very comforting, indeed. And maybe, if he was very lucky, he would get to spend eternity with Jenny. The thought almost made him smile.

He heard someone say, 'we've lost him' before he began to drift away again.

He was walking up the stairs again. Fear flowed through him, would she still be there? Would she still be waiting for him?

He stepped through the door and found her where he'd left her.

She smiled at him and took his hand again.

They walked towards the light that offered the peace and togetherness they were denied in life..

FINIS