Winter Of Discontent 2
Author: Gileswench
Contact: gileswench@yahoo.com
Feedback: Constructive criticism always welcome. Praise abjectly sought.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc., etc., etc. I
just let them have all the fun Joss won't. I own nothing except my
twisted mind which you really don't want. Please don't sue.



Willow and Tara were silent as they prepared for bed. Each appeared to
be waiting for something that never came. At last they slid quietly
between the sheets. Even Miss Kitty Fantastico seemed on edge. She
couldn't settle anywhere. She extended a nervous paw first on one witch
thigh, then the other, then pulled back. She stalked carefully up the
narrow gulf that normally would not have existed between the lovers.

At the edge of the pillows, Miss Kitty pulled back from the wet spot
her toes disliked. She leapt off the bed, out the door, and scurried
down the hall.

Tara wiped away the silent tear that threatened to drip off her face to
join the ones that had already upset Miss Kitty.

Willow rolled so that her back faced Tara. She had tears of her own to
shed.

*****

"Xander?"

"Yeah, An?"

"Why won't you do this one little thing for me?"

"Because...it's not a little thing, An. It's pretty huge, really."

"Nu-uh. I don't see why you won't become Jewish with me. You're already
circumcised. And you have pork issues. You said."

"There's more to it than that. There's God and Jesus and all of that to
think about, too."

"What do you think about them?"

"I don't know. I - I guess I never really thought about it much
before."

"Then why are you resisting this?"

Xander sighed and rubbed his hand over his face in frustration.

"Because I can't just choose a religion like I'd choose a shirt.
There's no one size fits all, here. Look, if you want to be Jewish,
then I'm all for it. I'll back you all the way. I just...I can't ignore
what I was taught growing up, and I can't decide something this big
based on what you think is gonna work for you. Can you understand
that?"

"I understand," she grumbled.

"Good. Now can we get some sleep?"

"I understand you don't really love me."

Xander sat up, panicked.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean you can't possibly love me if you refuse to believe what I
believe without even trying."

"Of course I love you, Anya. I love you like crazy. I just...I
can't...look, this isn't about whether I love you."

"Then what is it about? Is it about the little hats?"

"Hats?"

"Yes. The hats. The little tiny round ones that look like a diaphragm.
Is it about those?"

"No. It has nothing to do with hats. It has nothing to do with pork. It
has nothing to do with any of that stuff. All that...it's just
accessories. Honey, do you even know what Jewish people believe about
God?"

"A little."

"See, that's the part it's all about, and you're not going to learn it
from watching Fiddler on the Roof, or Yentl, or even Woody Allen
movies. And for God's sake, don't try to learn it from The Merchant of
Venice."

"Then how?"

"You do this the Giles way: you research. Get some books, talk to a
Rabbi, whatever. Then, whatever you decide, I'll still be there. I'll
be with you all the way, and who knows? If I like what I hear, I might
even consider it myself. But Anya, whether I choose to convert or not,
I love you. Got that?"

She nodded seriously.

"Got it."

Xander leaned down and kissed her softly.

"Good."

"And Xander?"

"Yeah, honey?"

"I love you, too."

*****

Giles found Wesley in the kitchen already heating soup. He really would
have preferred to be alone. He could feel his face grow red at the
thought of what the younger man had heard at the dinner table. Still,
he could hardly avoid the entire household forever. Best to get the
first awkward meetings over with.

"Hungry after all?"

"Not really. But I thought Crystal should eat something. For the baby's
sake, you know."

"Yes, yes of course. I thought I'd bring something up to Buffy."

He opened the refrigerator and peered about with little interest at its
contents.

"There's plenty of soup. I could dish up a bowl for Buffy as well as
Crystal," Wesley offered.

"Thanks. That's very decent of you, Wesley."

"My pleasure." He returned to his stirring. After a moment, he spoke
again. "I hope you don't mind my asking this, but are you alright?"

Giles sat heavily and rubbed his eyes.

"I assume you mean in light of Buffy's bombshell tonight?"

"Precisely."

"I'll survive. You didn't seem especially surprised by it."

"You forget the circumstances under which we met. Mr. Travers saw to it
that I had a very long look at your dossier before I left London.
Besides, I attended public school, just as you did."

Giles allowed himself a wan smile at that.

"Somehow, though, I doubt that there's any photographic evidence of
what you got up to."

"Well, it's not as though I kept it up when I left school, either."

"No, I don't suppose you did."

Wesley ladled some of the soup into a bowl, added some bread and a
piece of fruit, and arranged the lot on a tray. He handed it off to
Giles.

"Look, Giles, I know this is...embarrassing for you, but I'm sure it
will all blow over in a few days' time."

"Thanks. I'll, um...take this up to Buffy then."

In the doorway, he hesitated.

"Thank you, Wesley. for everything."

*****

Leo sat in an armchair trying to read. He'd expected a visit from
Rupert by this time. He reminded himself that his former student was
married now and had a wife he needed to see to. Perhaps he would come
by later.

Resolutely turning to his book again, he was startled when he heard a
plaintive mewing by his leg.

"Well hello there," he greeted Miss Kitty. "What brings you to see me?"

He took the cat by the scruff of the neck and placed her in his lap. He
was delighted when she began to purr loudly. It had been too long since
someone had stayed with him just because they wanted to. Rupert only
seemed to drop by when he needed advice or information, and it had been
a long time since he'd sought out the company of women.

It suddenly struck him as wrong that he should live with so many people
and yet be so alone.

His reverie was interrupted by a knock on his door. Leo smiled. Perhaps
Rupert would come in now and have a chat.

"Come in?"

A dark head peeped through his doorway, but it wasn't Rupert.

"Cordelia, how nice to see you."

"Hey, Leo. I decided to get a snack, and I saw your light on. I'm not
bothering you, am I?"

"No, no, of course not. Come sit down and tell me what's on your mind."

"Wesley. What else?"

Leo shook his head.

"What is the matter with the pair of you? And what on earth made you
cut off all that pretty hair?"

"Gee, thanks. I'll be sure to ask you the next time I want a new look."

Leo grinned sheepishly.

"An example of the reason I've been divorced as often as I've been
married."

"At least you noticed. Nobody else did."

"And by 'nobody', I assume you mean Wesley."

"I mean, he even helped me brush it sometimes. I thought he'd notice it
was gone. That's why I went for such a drastic change all at once."

"Cordelia, I'm going to give you some advice. You can take it as gospel
because I've made every mistake in the book when it comes to love. Just
talk to him. There's something he doesn't know and you won't tell him,
isn't there? Tell him what it is and let him help you with it. He's a
good man. Men like that don't grow on trees."

"I know. He really is a special guy, but he has to earn it. He said
three tasks, and he's going to pass all three. Then I'll know."

"Know what?"

Cordelia shrugged.

"I'll just...know. Thanks, Leo. I think I'm gonna turn in now, or I'll
be all dark circles under my eyes in the morning, and I can't let
Wesley think I'm losing sleep over him."

"Heaven forefend," Leo agreed with a laugh.

As soon as she was gone, Leo turned his attention to the cat, now
curled into a ball and fast asleep.

"She'll keep him on his toes, if she doesn't drive him away. Miss
Kitty, we must see to it that she doesn't do that."

He tickled the cat under one ear as he returned to his reading.


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