TITLE: A Different Life 6/15
AUTHOR: Rari Coss
E-MAIL ADDRESS: RariCoss1956@yahoo.com
SPOILER WARNING: SEE PT. 1--Major spoilage of many things up
through Wrecked.
DISCLAIMER: It all belongs to Joss, the real king of
the world, the WB, UPN, Fox, Mutant Enemy and anybody
else who feels they own it.
FEEDBACK: Absolutely.
A long time later they were lying side by side, taking
a quiet moment, content to be still. She turned until
she was on her stomach, resting her head on his chest.
“Giles?”
“Hmm?”
“Have you ever been to America?”
“A few times actually. Never for very long, just for
conferences and that sort of thing.”
“You ever been to California?”
“I’ve been to LA and San Francisco. Why?”
She shook her head. “I just feel like I’ve met you
before. I keep trying to figure out where it could
have been.” She looked at him. “I feel like I’ve
known you forever.”
“I know. I feel the same way. But I don’t know how
we could have met. When I’ve been in LA I’ve spent
all my time in museums and conference centers.” He
rolled on his side and grabbed a pillow for her to
rest her head on. He held her hand. “Why do you call
me Giles?” She had called him Giles all evening, all
during their lovemaking. And not once had he
considered it odd, but now suddenly he was curious.
She frowned. “What do you mean? It’s what I’ve
always called you.” Her brow furrowed as she listened
to her words. The gaze she shot Giles was almost
frightened. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“That makes two of us. But I don’t think I really
care as long as you’re here with me.”
“Do you mind that I call you Giles?”
He let out a soft laugh. “No, it feels right,
somehow. As if it is what you’ve always called me.
Feel free to call me Rupert though, or Ru, that’s what
Gwen calls me.”
She softly kissed him and then she laid her head back
on the pillow. A remembered piece of one of her
dreams flitted through her brain. “Have you ever
heard of Watchers and Slayers before?”
Now that Giles cared about. He sat up and looked down
at her. “Why do you ask that?”
She shook her head. “I dreamed about it. I dreamed
that I was something called a Slayer and you were my
Watcher. And this man was saying something about a
Council remaining and the Slayers changing. And you
got so mad at him for saying that. Then he said that
I was an instrument and you practically took his head
off telling him that I was not his bloody instrument
and that he had no right to do this. He was doing
some sort of test.” She shook her head again. “I
didn’t understand much of it, but it felt so real.”
She looked up at him. “Do you know what it means?”
Giles was even more confused now. He tucked a piece
of her hair behind her ear. “Not really, or at least
not why you would be dreaming about that.” He didn’t
explain further. “I also dreamed that I was your
Watcher and that you were my Slayer.” His eyebrows
were furrowed.
“What is a Watcher?”
Giles let out a short laugh. He had no idea how to
explain. And he was still under oath to protect the
Council’s secrets. He decided to ask a question
instead. “What else did you see in your dream?”
“Dreams, actually. I’ve had them almost every night
since I met you. We’re always in some sort of danger
and we’re trying to protect each other. And that man,
he said that we fought evil.” She took a deep breath.
“And then the last dream I had, you left me. And I
hated you for it.” She shook her head as if to try
and erase how the dream had saddened her. She looked
up at him, her realities confused for a moment, tears
in her eyes. “Why did you leave me?”
Giles shook his head. “I didn’t leave you. I’m right
here.” It had to be magic. Giles couldn’t imagine
what else it could be. “Buffy, I know these dreams
feel very real, but they’re only dreams. I didn’t
leave. We’ve only just met.” Even as Giles said
those words he knew that somehow they weren’t true.
“What did you dream?”
“I dreamed that you died, twice. Once I just saw your
tombstone. It’s how I knew your name. Then I dreamed
that I watched you fall to your death and afterwards I
held you in my arms. Both times I felt as if I had
failed you. But then you came back; you were alive
again. I…” He laid a hand on the side of her face,
remembering how he had touched her in the dream,
needing again, right then, to feel her warmth, to know
she was alive. “I couldn’t believe it. You were
alive again.”
This time it was Buffy who reassured him. “I didn’t
die, I’m right here.” She kissed him softly on the
lips. “Why is this happening?” She ran her fingers
down his arm until she noticed his tattoo. “And this
tattoo, I know it.” She touched the back of her neck.
“I had one, I think. Back here.” She covered his
tattoo with her hand. “What does this mean?”
Giles pulled her towards him so he could look at the
back of her neck. There was nothing there. “It’s a
reminder of the foolishness of my youth.” He covered
her hand that was covering the tattoo with his and let
out a cry as he felt a flash of heat shoot through her
hand to his. He tried to remove his hand and he
couldn’t. He was thrust into a waking dream.
Giles watched as Ethan placed the mark of Eyghon on
the back of Buffy’s neck. He spoke to her in that
mocking tone of his. “You can go ahead and scream.”
Buffy grimaced but stayed silent. Giles was appalled
at what he was seeing. Why would Ethan be doing this?
How would he even know Buffy?
He realized he was seeing this part of the dream
through Buffy’s eyes. Giles could still feel her next
to him and he tried to speak to her but he was frozen
as more scenes played themselves out. Images started
playing one on top of another. Him crossing names off
a list, Thomas Sutcliffe, Phillip Henry, Deirdre Page,
Eyghon engulfed in flames, Deirdre screaming, a
possessed Phillip crashing through a window, Ethan
pouring acid on his arm to obliterate the tattoo.
Giles watched the sequence realizing that in this
dream that all his friends were dead and Ethan was
planning on having Buffy die in his place. Giles
cried out and he wasn’t sure if it was him or the man
he was watching. “Ethan…oh, no” He staggered up and
stumbled to the door, filled with an urgent need to
get to Buffy, to keep her safe.
Ethan wrapped a bandage around his arm. He turned to
Buffy. “I hate to mutilate and run, but…” He looked
up; he had taken too long. Eyghon was there.
Ethan backed away, fast. Eyghon menacingly walked up
to him. “It is your time.” It moved in closer but
then it suddenly swung its head to Buffy and moved to
attack her instead, following the lure of the tattoo.
Giles slammed open the door just in time to see Eyghon
go after Buffy. He yelled. “Eyghon. Take me.”
Eyghon whipped its head around. Giles yelled again.
“Buffy, get out of here.” Eyghon went for Giles.
Buffy screamed. “No!” She tried to move in between
them. Eyghon raised its hand and touched its finger
to Buffy’s face. A surge of energy rushed through the
touch and Buffy was thrown across the room.
At the same time the surge of energy threw their hands
apart and the dream stopped. They sat there facing
each other, panting with imagined fear and exertion.
Giles touched her face. “Are you all right? Did it
hurt you?” Realizing the absurdity of the question
Giles shook his head. He pulled Buffy down again to
look at the back of her neck. There was still nothing
there. “I don’t understand. That’s not what
happened.”
Buffy was looking at Giles just as confused. “That
was Ethan Rayne wasn’t it? The man you named your
dogs after. What was he doing to me?”
Giles ran his hand over his face. “I don’t know. But
Eyghon’s dead. Ethan and I killed him five years ago
when he tried to possess Thomas. But he’s fine, him
and Phil and Deirdre; they’re all fine. None of them
died.” Only Randall had died. But he and Ethan had
saved the rest of them.
Buffy looked at Giles with widened eyes. “You mean
there was a thing like that? Boy, I had no idea that
being a museum curator was such an exciting life. Was
it like one of the mummies, did it come back to life?”
She almost looked thrilled about the possibility.
Giles barked out a laugh. Again, he didn’t know how
to explain. But, if he really wanted Buffy in his
life she’d have to know about this, about this and a
great many other things. There were still occasions
when Giles found himself on the other end of a stake
as it plunged into a vampire’s heart. He had saved
Gwen from one the first week he was home after
quitting the Council. Choosing not to be a Watcher
didn’t make the night any safer. And then there was
the fact that being a museum curator sometimes was
pretty exciting, although to date, none of the mummies
had come back to life.
Giles lay down and he pulled Buffy down with him.
Holding her close he stroked her hair. “I don’t know
how to explain any of this to you. I want to but I
don’t know where to start. I don’t want to scare you
away.”
Buffy leaned up and over him. “Just tell me something
for now. Which is real? This life we’re in or the
one we’re dreaming of. Which one is real?”
He lifted his head up and kissed her. “I know which
one I want to be real. This one. That other one, the
one we’re dreaming about, it hurts too much.” He
smiled softly at her. “And despite how real they
feel, I do believe they’re only dreams and unless
someone has changed the rules this life feels very
real to me. You feel very real to me.”
Buffy held him tightly. “I wish they’d stop. I don’t
like them. I don’t like to feel that we’re always in
danger, and always almost dying and hurting all the
time. How do we get it to stop?”
“I don’t know.” He didn’t know how to fight this, not
when he didn’t know what it was. Besides, whatever it
was, it had brought them closer, it had connected
them. Looking up at her he began to kiss her. The
kiss grew passionate and for a while their thoughts
turned away from their dreams and became entirely
focused on each other.
***
The next morning it was nearing the time when Giles
needed to leave for work. Hugging Buffy tightly he
spoke to her. “When can I see you again? I can
hardly bear the thought of letting you go. I’m afraid
I will be quite worthless all day.”
Buffy grinned. “I love how you say things like that.”
She ran her hands down his suit jacket lapels. “You
look so handsome.” She was thrilled that he was hers.
“Besides you’re much busier than I am. When are you
free?”
He considered her question. “When am I free?” He ran
his thumb over her bottom lip. “How about the rest of
my life?” He smiled at her.
Buffy’s eyes widened but then they grew very bright.
“Well, I’ll have to check my calendar but I think I’m
free too.”
Giles kissed her, a kiss that started spiraling out of
control. Only the dogs barking to be let back in kept
Giles from taking her back into the bedroom, or taking
her right there in the foyer. Sighing he let the dogs
in. “Perhaps I should actually feed you tonight.”
They’d never gotten around to eating last night.
“There’s a wonderful little place right by the museum.
Perhaps you could meet me there.” He pulled out a
business card and wrote the name of the place on it
and another number and then he handed it to her.
“That’s my number here, and the name of the
restaurant. And my direct line to my office is on
that card.” He winced as if already apologizing. “If
I’m late, call me.”
Buffy laughed. “At least I’ve been forewarned. I can
see lots of waiting in my future.”
Giles kissed her again. “If anyone can cure me of it,
it will be you.”
“See, there you go again, saying those wonderful
things.”
Giles softly laughed. “You’re so easy to say them
to.” At Buffy’s grin he grinned back. Then he looked
concerned. “You will be there, won’t you? You’re not
going to just vanish on me?”
Buffy squeezed him tightly. “I’ll be there.” She
grinned. “And if you’re late, I’ll call.” She waved
the card at him. Standing on her toes to kiss him she
spoke softly to him. “I’m missing you so much
already.”
Giles began to kiss her when his eyes lit on the clock
in the hallway. “Good Lord, is that the time? I have
to go.”
Buffy grabbed her jacket, laughing. “Let’s go then.”
Buffy walked with Giles partway until they reached the
road to her apartment. Kissing briefly and hugging
for a longer time they finally parted.
***
A short while before Buffy planned to head out to meet
Giles she called home. She still hadn’t quite gotten
into a rhythm that took into account the time
difference. Her dad had probably already left for
work but she should still catch her mom. She had to
tell somebody.
“Hello?”
“Mom, it’s me.”
“Buffy, your dad and I were just talking about you,
trying to decide when we could fit in a trip to visit
you.”
“Really? That would be so great.”
“How are you? You sound good.”
“I met someone.”
Buffy could almost hear her mom smile. Buffy was
always meeting someone. “That’s nice. One of your
classmates?”
“No, I met him in a park. He was out walking his
dogs.”
“So, tell me about him.”
There was a brief pause. “He’s a little older than
me.”
“How much older.”
“He’s 46.”
“Buffy, he’s as old as I am. I’m not sure…”
“Mom, he is so handsome, and in great shape and…”
“Does he have a job?” Joyce had visions of some
deadbeat older man sponging off of Buffy.
Buffy laughed. “Are you sitting down?”
Joyce grimaced. “No, should I be?”
“He’s the Curator at the British Museum.”
There was a silence. “You mean, The Curator?”
“With a capital T. He runs it, mom. He’s the boss.”
“The British Museum? That big one in Bloomsbury
Square?”
“Yep, that’s the one.”
“Oh, my.”
“And he’s got a Ph.D., and everyone calls him Dr.
Giles, and he teaches at my school sometimes although
he isn’t teaching this term.”
“Oh, my.”
“And he is so smart, and so funny, and has a great
sister and two great dogs.”
Buffy’s enthusiasm was almost buffeting Joyce. “You
seem quite taken with him.”
Buffy let out a sigh. “I am. His name’s Rupert
Giles. His sister calls him Ru.”
“Rupert Giles. That’s a strong name.”
“Mmmm.” Buffy could feel his strong arms around her.
“Are you sure he’s not married?”
“He’s never been married.”
“Why hasn’t he ever been married?”
“Mom.”
There was a pause. “When are you seeing him again?”
“Tonight. He’s taking me out for dinner.”
“That’s nice. The Curator, you say?”
Buffy smiled. “Yup, and I’m sure he’ll give you guys
a private tour when you come and visit. Into all the
cool back rooms where you can’t usually go.”
Joyce’s eyes gleamed at the thought. “Well, perhaps
your father and I will firm up our plans tonight. Of
course, I realize that you might not still be dating
him when we arrive and I don’t want you to feel badly
about that or stay with him…”
Buffy interrupted her. “Mom, this is for keeps. I
don’t understand why I know that, but I do.”
Joyce sat down. “Buffy…”
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to wig you out but you’ll
understand when you meet him. Come soon, I miss you,
you and dad.”
Joyce’s mind had wandered again. “The British
Museum.” She couldn’t quite get past that.
Buffy laughed. “I gotta go. I love you. Give dad a
hug for me.” At Joyce’s distracted response Buffy
hung up. Grabbing her coat she practically skipped
out the door.
NEXT