Title:  Parachutes

Author:  Froxyn

Rating:   FRT

Pairing:  None, pre Buffy/Giles

Timeline:  S4

Synopsis:  An old friend comes to visit Giles.

Author’s Note:  Album fic.  Song and lyrics can be found here.  Special thanks to wyvernwolf for agreeing to beta this project.

 

 

Hearing the knock, Giles opened his front door, smiling as he shoved his right hand into his pocket.  “Olivia…”

 

“Hello.”  She replied, returning his smile as she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.  “How are you?”

 

He ushered her in and closed the door, gesturing towards the couch in a silent invitation for her to have a seat.  “At the moment?  Surprised.  What brings you to Sunnydale?”

 

“I was in the area.”  She answered, sitting down and smiling brightly at him.

 

He chuckled and raised an eyebrow.  “In the area?”

 

“Well…Los Angeles.  Sunnydale’s not that long of a drive.”  She allowed her eyes to drift over his body before looking into his eyes again.  “You look well.”

 

Giles blushed lightly and took a step backwards towards the kitchen.  “Um…tea?”

 

“I’m not really thirsty at the moment.”  She purred as her eyes roamed over him again.

 

“I, uh…”  He jumped as the front door swung open with a loud bang.  “Jesus!”

 

Buffy raised an eyebrow at him as she walked in, Willow and Riley following her.  “What’s your problem?”

 

Giles took a deep breath and then glared at her.  “Other than you barging into my home…once again…and…”  He rolled his eyes as she smiled at him.  “What do you need?”

 

“I scared you.”  Buffy stated, almost proudly. 

 

“You did no such thing.  Startled me, perhaps…but you didn’t scare me.” 

 

Hearing a soft laugh coming from the couch, Buffy turned and furrowed her brow.  “Um…didn’t know you had company…”

 

“Buffy, right?”  Olivia asked as she stood and smiled.  “I’m – ”

 

“Olivia.”  Buffy finished for her.  “Yeah, I remember.”

 

Giles regarded Buffy carefully, sure that he had heard something in her tone.  “Buffy?”

 

Buffy waved a hand at him, stiffening momentarily as Riley put his hand on her shoulder.  Giles saw the brief moment of tension and tilted his head slightly in a silent question.  Buffy’s eyes told him that she wouldn’t answer now and then she carefully shrugged free of Riley’s hand before moving towards one of the three bookshelves in his living room.

 

“Green, scaly demon…purplish eyes…big, fangy teeth.”

 

Fangy?”  Olivia asked, an amused tone to her voice.

 

Buffy shot a glare at her as she pulled a book down from the shelf.  “Yeah, like a whole mouth full of fangs.  Fangy.  Giles knows what I mean.”  She turned her eyes to Giles and gave him a small smile.  “Don’t you?”

 

Giles gave her a gentle nod, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.  “Of course I do, Buffy.  Claws?”

 

Buffy thought for a second and then nodded.  “Yeah, two on it’s left…flipper-like thing.  None on it’s right.  That’s another thing…flippers instead of arms, but it had human-like legs.”

 

Riley grinned.  “Yeah, if you call legs that are green with big honkin’ scales on them ‘human-like’.”

 

Riley’s grin faded slowly as Giles and Buffy just stared at him.  Willow patted his arm and smiled softly.

 

“I thought it was funny.”

 

Riley sighed and jammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.  Buffy gave him a sideways smile and walked over, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

 

“It was funny, Riley…just inappropriately timed.”

 

Giles rolled his eyes.  A reaction that was missed by everyone in the room…except Olivia.  Olivia merely raised an eyebrow and sat back down, crossing her legs as she realized there may actually be a show here to watch.

 

“Anyway…”  Buffy started as she turned back to Giles.  “What do you think?”

 

“Sounds like a Vidalva.”  He glanced at the book in her hand and shook his head.  “That’s the wrong book.  Try the Demonica Compendium, Volume Two…no, Three.”

 

Buffy smiled widely and replaced the book in her hand with the one he had mentioned.  “That’s why you’re you…what would we do without you?”

 

“I’m sure you’d survive.”  Giles answered softly.

 

Buffy and Riley both grinned at him, but Willow heard the sadness hidden in his words.  When Giles looked at her, she started to question him but stopped when he gave her a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. 

 

Olivia was now even more intrigued.

 

“Mind if we borrow this?  I promise not to get coffee or anything on it.”  Buffy asked, oblivious to what Willow and Olivia had found curious.

 

“No.  No, not at all. Just…”

 

“Be careful with it, I know.”  Buffy finished with a smile.

 

Giles removed his glasses and polished the lens.  “I was actually going to say ‘be careful’ as in ‘don’t get hurt’.  But, I’m glad to know that you’ll also look after the book.”

 

With another bright smile, Buffy nudged Riley towards the door.  “Come on, you can buy us a double mocha mint and then we can hit the books.”

 

Riley beamed at her, lifting his hand to run his fingers through her hair. Seeing this, Giles bristled and then turned, making his way to the kitchen. 

 

“Should you run into any problems, please call.  He called out as he filled the tea kettle and placed it on the stove.

 

“Will do!  I’ll come by tomorrow, okay?”

 

Before he could respond, Buffy was gone…taking Riley and Willow with her.  He took a deep breath and set to the task of preparing a pot of tea. 

 

“I gather she doesn’t know?”

 

Giles jumped, seemingly having forgotten about his visitor.  “Um…uh…know what?”

 

Olivia rolled her eyes and stood up, walking over to the mantle and inspecting the photographs on display.  “That you’re in love with her.”

 

Giles fumbled the tin of loose-leaf tea, groaning as it spilled onto the kitchen floor.  “Bloody hell!”

 

“Why haven’t you told her?”  She asked calmly as she turned to face him, a picture of the Scoobies in her hands. 

 

Knowing to deny it would be a lost cause, he sighed heavily and grabbed the broom.  “Because she’s happy.”

 

“You could make her happier…”

 

Giles huffed as he swept up the tea leaves.  “I highly doubt that.  She’s stated on more than one occasion that I’m not her type.”

 

“Mm-hm.”  Olivia smiled when he looked at her.  “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”

 

Giles groaned and pulled down another tin of tea.  “Why do you care, Olivia?”

 

“Because I care about you.  And it bothered me to see you upset…and it bothered me even more that she didn’t realize you were upset.”

 

He exhaled softly, going about the task of making tea as he spoke.  “She wasn’t supposed to realize that I was upset.  What good would that do, Liv?”

 

“You’re just going to stand there and watch?”

 

Giles thought for a moment and then shrugged a shoulder.  “I’ll wait until the time is right.  And the time isn’t right now.”

 

“And what if it never is?  What if she just keeps you in line while she goes through boyfriend after boyfriend?”

 

He raised his eyes and looked directly into hers.  “Then I’ll stand in line…and wait.”

 

Olivia furrowed her brow.  “That’s not the Ripper I know.”

 

“No, it’s not.”  He smiled warmly.  “This is Rupert Giles, Watcher…or ex-Watcher, as it were.  It doesn’t matter…I’ll be here for her until she no longer needs me.”

 

“And you’ll love her all that time, won’t you?”

 

The smile reached his green eyes and he gestured towards the teapot as the kettle whistled.  “Tea?”

 

She knew that was the end of the conversation for now.  But, Buffy would be back tomorrow…and maybe, she’d be able to take the young lady off to the side and have a talk with her. 

 

“Tea would be wonderful, thank you.”

 

 

~ End

 

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