Title: A Message
Author: Froxyn
Rating: FRT
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Timeline: S6, AU. Giles is in England, but not for the same
reasons as he was on the show.
Synopsis: Giles is in
England. Buffy’s missing him.
Author’s Note: Album
fic. Song and lyrics can be found here.
“Are you coming back soon?”
Giles smiled, cradling the
receiver between his shoulder and ear as he stirred the homemade pasta
sauce. “You act as though I’ve been
away for months. It’s only been four
days, Buffy.”
“Four days for a Slayer without
her Watcher on an active Hellmouth can feel like months.” She grumbled.
He chuckled softly and lifted
the wooden spoon to taste the sauce.
“Yes, I suppose it can.”
“What are you doing?”
“Hm?” He murmured as he swallowed.
“Sounds like something’s boiling
and then it sounded like a slurp. And
that’s just weird, because who knew that my Watcher slurps?”
He rolled his eyes in
amusement. “I do not slurp. I am, however, in the middle of making
dinner…and I was tasting the sauce.”
“Dinner? Are you…is someone else there?”
He smiled at the uncertainty in
her voice. “No, love. It’s just me.”
“Oh. So…have you met up with any old friends?”
He furrowed his brow at the way
she said ‘friends’. “Friends?”
“Yeah, you know…old school
friends, Council friends…um…girlfriends…”
He laughed and shook his head
even though she couldn’t see him.
“No. Well, no to the
girlfriends. There’d be no use in
that.”
“Why not?”
“Because my heart belongs to
you.” He answered without
thinking.
As soon as the words left his
mouth, he closed his eyes and dropped the spoon into the sauce. He didn’t notice the resulting red splatters
on his white shirt.
“I, uh…”
Before he could finish his
explanation…or his apology, he wasn’t sure which…the line was disconnected by
the unmistakeable sound of her hanging up the phone.
“Bloody hell.” He muttered to himself, absently turning the
knobs on the stove to the ‘off’ position.
He was still standing there and
holding the cordless phone in his hand when it rang, startling him. He caught it just before it bounced on the
tiled kitchen floor.
“Um…hello?”
“Sorry, I…I dropped the…what did
you mean by that?”
He licked his suddenly dry lips
and took a deep breath. “I can’t take
back what I said, Buffy. And
furthermore…I don’t want to. I meant
exactly what I said…my heart belongs to you.”
“Oh.”
“I…well, this isn’t exactly how
I planned on telling you how I feel about you.” He stated softly as he walked into the living room of the
apartment that the Council had acquired for him.
“Were you going to tell me?”
He nodded as he sank onto the
couch. “Yes…that’s the true reason I
came to England.”
“Huh?”
He could almost see her brow
furrow in confusion…and it brought a smile to his face.
“I had to speak with my
aunt…Mum’s sister. I…well, she has
something that Mum left for me when she passed. And Laura wanted to know my intentions before she gave that something
to me.” He cleared his throat and then
continued. “For Aunt Laura, that meant
she had to look into my eyes. And it
was easier for me to travel to England than for her to fly to California.”
“Giles…”
“You’re…not seeing anyone, are
you? I was under the assumption that
you weren’t…and…” He blew out a nervous
breath. “Now it suddenly occurs to me
that you might very well be seeing someone and just haven’t said anything to
me…”
“I promised you that I wouldn’t
do that again…not after keeping Riley from you.” She whispered. “It’s
just…I thought that the Slayer was supposed to be alone…”
“You’ve never truly been alone,
Buffy. I’m not going to spout long
recitations of love and promises that I have no chance in hell of keeping. But, I will say this…” He glanced down at the antique ring resting
on the coffee table in front of him.
“I love you. And I want you.” He shook his head as he gave an embarrassed chuckle. “Um…what I meant was – ”
“You want a relationship with
me.” She finished softly.
He nodded and swallowed. “Yes.
Yes, I do.”
“But…do you want me? I mean…want me?”
“I…” He started and then stopped himself.
“Be honest, Giles. Please.”
He took a deep breath to steady
his nerves and then spoke with a conviction that he hadn’t known in a very long
time.
“I burn for you, Buffy.”
“I really hope you don’t mean
that literally. ‘Cause fire? Yeah, not so into literal flames…”
He smiled at her gentle
teasing. “Sometimes I feel that it’s
literal.”
He lowered the timbre of his
voice, closing his eyes as he continued.
“But…God, how I want you. To
hold you, to kiss you, to…be with you.”
He felt himself start to harden
when he heard her soft gasp. “Buffy,
I…”
“Are you coming back soon?” She repeated her earlier question.
He opened his eyes and leaned
his head against the back of the couch, staring at the ceiling as he willed his
body to calm. “Do you…still want me
to?”
“Please come home, Giles.” She whispered thickly.
Giles lifted his head, sure he
could hear tears in her words. “Buffy,
are you crying?”
“If you’ll tell me your flight
number, I’ll…I’ll come up to meet you at the airport. I can…take a bus, or maybe ask Xander to drive me to L.A.” She sniffled quietly.
Her sniffle wasn’t quiet
enough. Now Giles was positive she
was crying.
“Buffy, if I’ve upset you with
this revelation, I – ”
“I love you, Giles. Please…just come home.”
Giles’ mouth dropped open. “You…love me?”
“I don’t even know how long,
but…yeah, I do.” She answered. “Please, will you come home soon?”
He nodded slowly, unable to stop
the smile from forming. “I’ll be on the
first flight out of London tomorrow morning.”
“Can we talk a while
longer?”
His smile turned to a grin at
her tentatively asked question. “We
can…but, what if I call you back? Let
the Council pay for an international call…”
She laughed softly. “Sounds like a plan. I love you.”
“I love you too.” He replied, adoration evident in his
voice.
It wasn’t panic or sadness he
felt when he heard the line disconnect this time. He felt joy fill his heart as he quickly dialled the number and
then stretched out on the couch when she answered before the first ring
finished.
“Hey…”
“Hello.” He breathed, hearing the joy in her voice
that nearly rivalled his own.
Morning wouldn’t come quickly
enough…for either of them.
~ End