Title- Admissions of Guilt 10/?
Sequel to- Admissions
Author- Veronica
E-mail- roni.s@sympatico.ca
Pairing- G/W
Rating- G, for now
Disclaimer- Joss owns all in the Buffyverse, I just use them like
Barbie's for my own twisted fun.
Spoilers- post Grave
Distribution- if you like it, take it… just let me know where.
Feedback- sure, why not. ;)
Summery- An old nemesis is back, and is seeking revenge on Giles and
Willow.
He had held off as long as he could, but the two coffees he'd had with Buffy earlier that day had finally hit bottom.
"Time to do my part for the planet and recycle." He said to himself as he tried to move his sleeping friend without waking her. But no sooner had he stood up and the phone rang, causing him to make a run for it before the ringing woke Willow up. "Hello?" he said. "I mean, Rosenberg residence."
"Xander, it's me. I-is Willow all right? Is she there?"
"Hey, Giles. Yeah, she's here and she's fine. Sleeping though. Why, what's up?"
"Oh, well. Nothing then."
"What is it, G-man? Out with it."
"Xander, please stop calling me that." Replied Giles, a little exasperated. "I was just a little worried about Willow, that's all. Apparently I had no need to be."
"No, everything's fine here. She was a little tired though, so I brought her home. She did that spell up there on the Bluff today, I guess that's what wiped her out."
"Ahhh, I see." Said the watcher, but with a puzzled tone in his voice.
"Giles, what's wrong?"
"I don't know… nothing, I guess."
"That's enough, I want to know. This is my best friend we're talking about." The young man said sternly.
"Maybe it's nothing. It's just that, well, with the amount of power Willow has; a little spell like that shouldn't have exhausted her so."
"What do you think is happening to her?" he looked to the sleeping red head. "She must be having a bad dream or something, she's pretty restless right now."
"Yes, of that I am not surprised to hear. She is still having nightmares about Warren, and about what she tried to do to you, Buffy and I."
"But that was months ago… we're all okay with it now."
"Yes, `we' are. But Willow has a tendency to hang on to her guilt, as you well know. I fear that this will bother her for some time yet." He said to the young man, sadness in his voice. "I suppose I should let you go. I appreciate you putting my fears to rest some."
"No problem-o, G-man. I mean, Giles." He couldn't see it, but he knew Giles was smiling at the other end of the phone.
"Will you be staying with her until I arrive?"
"Yeah, I'll be here. And don't worry, everything's fine." He said reassuringly.
"Yes, quite. Thank you, Xander. I shall see you tonight. Perhaps you would like to join us for dinner?"
"Hey, you know me… never one to pass up the opportunity for a free meal." He laughed, causing the older man to chuckle as well.
"Very well, I'll see you tonight then. Goodbye, Xander."
"Bye, Giles." And with that, the young man hung up the phone. He turned and quickly headed up the stairs towards the washroom. `Whew, any longer and I would have been borrowing a pair of Giles pants'. He thought as he shut the door.
When he finished relieving himself and washed his hands, he looked at himself in the mirror. He just didn't have the heart to tell the watcher of what had happened today, not wanting to worry the man any more than he already was. He didn't want anyone to know how he really felt towards the man but Giles felt like a father to him and he loved the watcher for it.
He splashed cold water on his face and dried himself off with a towel, and looked back once again into the mirror. `Damnit! This just isn't right!' he thought to himself. He hated keeping secrets. But the young man knew Willow, inside and out; and today she was different. She was not the girl he grew up with. Giles had said, before taking her to England, that she might never be the same, and he was right.
When she came back she was quieter, wasn't as quick to join in anything and even her interest weren't quite the same either. But these changes were small, easy to get accustomed to. But the girl he had seen today; forceful and down right snarky. This was not his friend.
At least, not until he saw an abrupt change within seconds. She looked confused and almost scared to death, and had quickly tried to hide it. But she wasn't fast enough; he had seen it.
He made his way back down the stairs and stopped to watch her sleep.
"This is more going on with you than just a dinky little spell tiring you out." He said quietly. "What is going on with you?" he shook his head in frustration. "The dream and now this. I don't know what's happening yet, but I `will' find out." He promised himself, and went to the kitchen to find something munch on while he waited for Giles to get home.