Part 3 of The Undiscovered Soul series
Hard Times Come Easy
by: Miss Witch
Rated PG-13
Summary: Giles had very interesting dreams while Buffy was dead. Buffy's back and the dreams have stopped. Coincidence? I think not.
Disclaimer: You know the drill. I own nothing of the Buffyverse and don't pretend to. I also make no claims to the songs used in this series. The only thing I can lay claim to is my unhealthy obsession with ASH and Richie Sambora. (Just two of the many)
Disclaimer 2: Direct dialogue from "Flooded" was garnered courtesy of BuffyWorld (www.buffyworld.com) I did not write the dialogue and take no credit for it.
Spoilers: Season 6, through Flooded. All I've got to say is if they'd let me write Flooded, everyone (except the Spuffies) would've been a lot happier.
Distribution: If you've had my permission before, knock yourself out. If you don't have my permission, you've just to ask.
Feedback: Does the word "Duh!" mean anything to you?
Author's Notes: [ ] means thoughts.
Once again, the timeline has been tweaked a bit for story purposes. It's been about a week since Willow brought Buffy back, and she did not call Giles that day.
This is the third part in a series inspired by songs off the Richie Sambora album "Undiscovered Soul."
Giles awoke with a start, not quite sure where he was. It was a sensation that had become increasingly familiar. He stared up at the ceiling, taking a moment to let his brain adjust to reality.
[Buffy was dead.]
Since his brain wasn't quite ready for that fact, he started with something simpler.
[They'd saved the world again.] Ok, he could handle that.
[He was in England.] So far, so good.
[Buffy was dead.] His brain rebelled, but recognized the statement as fact.
Giles sat up and ran his hands over his face. He'd always known that the Slayer's life was a short, brutal one. But Buffy had been so different. She'd survived where other Slayers had failed, lived when others had died.
Even in death, she'd defeated a god. A freakin' god!!
Giles had done more than watch his Slayer. He'd supported her, trained her and loved her.
He'd resigned himself to the fact that the memory of carrying Buffy's broken, battered body from the base of Glory's tower would never fade. He continued to dream of it every night.
Yet, Giles knew she was happy now. Her soul dwelled in one of the heavenly dimensions. It was this knowledge that kept him going. That his Slayer had been duly rewarded for her hard work and sacrifice.
Giles had walked a fine line to gain this peace of mind. The thought of Buffy trapped in Hell had tortured him day and night after her death. Calling on the knowledge of his youth, Giles had performed a very dangerous ceremony that enabled him to project his spirit to Buffy's current plane of existence. It was an iffy undertaking even for someone as practiced in magic as he was. The chance of "getting lost" and never finding his way back was great. But he had risked the danger.
He'd found her. Happy. Laughing. Beautiful.
Buffy had been so sad when she'd first seen him, thinking he'd died as well. She'd cried when he'd told her what he'd done, why he was there, and that he'd fallen in love with her.
Giles could still feel the joy he'd felt when she'd assured him that she was all right and that she'd loved him too.
Giles shook his head. He thought of that spell entirely too much, the way she'd looked up at him, her eyes filled with love.
It was because of the dreams.
Buffy was alive in his dreams. She was full of life and laughter, the cares of being a Slayer far away. In these dreams, they lived the life they'd never had together.
Giles had fought the dreams at first. But the bleak reality that Buffy was out of his reach, that he would never be able to hold her in his arms the way he wanted to, had weakened him and finally he had welcomed the dreams.
These dreams made the morning ritual of telling himself that she was dead necessary. They were so real, that for a few hours at night, he was happy, away from the reality of his life.
A life that was barren and empty.
In his dreams, he lived an entirely different life. Buffy was in love with him, they made love and lived in a world without vampires. Every morning, before he woke, she'd kiss him good-bye tenderly, promising to see him soon.
Strangely, the dreams always started where they'd left off the night before. They never repeated. Sometimes they were unbelievably erotic, other times, they'd just hold each other as he told her about his day. She never talked about her life, deflecting his questions. Awake, he realized this, but asleep, he was powerless to press her for answers.
But for the last few nights, she hadn't come. He'd spent his nights searching for her, but she wasn't there, no matter how hard he looked. He woke each morning, bereft, the reality of her death even harder to face.
"Congratulations, old boy," Giles muttered to himself, "you've finally gone 'round the bend."
Giles pushed himself off the bed, going through the motions of making his morning tea. He didn't really want it, but the ritual soothed him. He was standing at the counter, swirling a spoon in the cup absently when the shrilling of the phone startled him. He still hadn't quite adjusted to the difference of the ring. He snatched up the receiver.
"Hello?"
"Giles? It's Willow? Did I wake you?" The closeness of Willow's voice belied the distance between them. Giles picked up his glasses, as if seeing better would help him hear better.
"No, I was awake." he assured her. He lifted the tea, but Willow's next words froze it halfway to his mouth. "She's alive, Giles! Buffy's alive." Giles set down the tea with a thump, sloshing the liquid over the sides.
"What? When? How?" Giles asked in astonishment. He took off his glasses, polishing them furiously as he listened to Willow's explanation of events.
At first, his heart leapt with joy with her words. But as he listened, it sank. He realized Buffy had not returned willingly, but had been ripped out of heaven by her friends.
"I'll be there as soon as I can get a flight."
[Buffy was alive.]
Giles' brain managed to get itself around that fact quite nicely. In fact, it was doing back flips and leaps of joy around it.
Giles threw himself into action, calling for the first available flight to California.
Inside the Magic Box, Buffy was pummeling the punching bag. She imagined that it had the face of the loan officer who'd turned down her application for a loan. She tried to recapture the fleeting feeling of anger she'd felt, to no avail. Willow was trying to help, making up stories about Riley and Angel.
Buffy shook her head. It wasn't working. And even worse, Buffy couldn't seem to care that it wasn't working. It was like she was a zombie. Her body, even her mind was here, but that was it. What made her Buffy was missing. Sighing, she'd called it quits.
"Let's go see if the gang found anything about my demon." she suggested. Willow nodded silently, disturbed by the fact that Buffy was still so remote and nothing she did seemed to help.
Dawn looked up at the girls as they walked into the shop.
"This your guy?" she asked holding up the book. Buffy raised her eyebrows.
"You do research now? Want a cappuccino and pack of cigarettes to go with it?" Buffy asked sarcastically. The gang glanced at each other with small smiles at the exchange between siblings. This was their Buffy. Dawn sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Would you just look at the picture?" she demanded.
"Doesn't exactly fit the profile for your typical bank robber." Xander pointed out. Buffy shrugged.
"Maybe they turned down his loan application." she said, giving Willow a small smile. Looking at the picture, Buffy nodded. "That's him. Big bad. This thing was strong, guys." she told the group. "No weapons I could see, but…" Buffy trailed off, staring across the room. "still… real… dangerous."
Buffy stared at the figure in the doorway. Inside of her, every emotion she'd been so desperately been trying to feel moments before sprang to life. Hope and happiness warred with hurt and anger. For a moment, Buffy stood motionless, letting them all swirl through her.
Giles stood in the door of the Magic Box, watching Buffy with the rest of the group. He smiled as she bickered with Dawn over doing research. Inside his chest, his heart swelled with joy at the sight of her. She was the most beautiful thing in the world. Buffy looked up and saw him standing there. Their eyes met. Giles put down his suitcases and moved toward her. Buffy met him halfway across the room.
"Oh God, Buffy." he said smiling. He took her into his arms, holding her close. Giles drank in the way she felt, the scent of her hair. Buffy closed her eyes as she hugged him back. She felt so safe in his arms, as if clawing her way from her own coffin was just a distant nightmare. "You're alive." Giles whispered. Buffy tightened her grip on him "You're here. And you're still…" Giles gasped for breath. "remarkably strong." Buffy looked at him in confusion.
"Huh?" Suddenly she realized how tightly she was holding him. "Oh. Sorry." she said as she released him. Buffy remained close, unable to bear the thought of being away from him. Later, she'd analyze all the emotions running through her, she promised herself, but right now, she just wanted to be near him.
"Willow told me you were alive." Giles murmured. "But I didn't really let myself believe…" Buffy gave him a small smile and shrugged.
"I take a little getting used to." she told him. "I'm still getting used to me." Buffy joked, trying to cover how uncomfortable she was in her own skin. Giles searched her face, as if memorizing it for later.
"It's, uh… you're…"
"A miracle?" Buffy supplied. Giles put his hand on her cheek, caressing it with his thumb.
"Yes, but then, I always thought so." he told her. For a moment, they stared at each other like they were alone in the room.
Finally, Willow piped up, breaking into the silence.
"I'm sure you guys have a lot to catch up on."
Giles looked at her distractedly.
"Um, er, yes." he stuttered. Leaving his things in the shop, he led Buffy to the workout room.
Giles watched Buffy wander around the room restlessly. He hit the punching bag lightly.
"So…" he said.
"I can start. How was England?" she asked, sitting on the couch. "How was…" Buffy paused, searching for the right word "life?"
Giles smiled ruefully.
"I'm not really sure how to answer that. Um, well, I arrived home, I, uh, met with the Council." he told her, pacing the room.
"Always a good time." Buffy said wryly, watching him as he moved around the room.
"Yes." he agreed with a smile. "Otherwise, there's, uh, nothing really to report. I, um, keep a flat in Bath. I, uh, met with a few old friends. Almost made a new one, which I think is statistically impossible for a man my age." Giles tossed his jacket onto the couch.
"And now you're back." Buffy summarized.
"Yes." Giles said softly. Buffy's heart ached at his lack of enthusiasm.
"Wow, Giles, are you miserable about it or just really British?" she asked sarcastically. Giles smiled. Taking off his glasses, he sat next to her on the couch.
"I can't lie to you, Buffy. Leaving Sunnydale was… difficult." Giles fought the urge to jump up and pace again. "And coming back was…"
"I'm guessing the word is 'inconvenient'?" Buffy said wryly. Giles shook his head.
"No," he said softly, looking Buffy in the eye. "Bewildering." Buffy dropped her gaze to her lap. Giles put his hand on her shoulder, caressing it gently.
"And how are you?" he asked. "Really." he added. "You look tired." Buffy shook her head, waving away his concern.
"Me? Nah. Fine." Giles just continued to look at her. A look that said he wasn't buying it and that she might as well just fess up.
"I mean, yeah, you know sleeping's hard, but… just because of the whole waking up in a box thing." Buffy said carelessly. "So maybe waking up's the problem. You know… but just for a second." she assured him. "I sleep ok. Great even. Except, you know, for the dreams." Buffy trailed off and looked away.
"You seem to be doing remarkably well under extreme circumstances. I'm proud of you." Giles said softly. Buffy shrugged.
"Actually, it wasn't me. Willow brought me back. I just lay there." she joked. Giles looked at her seriously and took her hand in his. Buffy allowed herself the luxury of lacing her fingers through his.
"Buffy," he said softly. "Do you think that I've forgotten?" he asked. Buffy looked puzzled.
"Forgotten?" she asked. Giles reached up and brushed back a loose tendril of her hair.
"When Billy was in the coma and nightmares came true. One of your nightmares was being buried alive."
"Oh." Tears filled Buffy's eyes, and she pulled away from Giles' reassuring touch. "Oh." she said again, words failing her. She should have realized that he would remember. Giles never forgot anything. "Oh."
"It must have been terrifying to wake up, not knowing who or where you were, trapped in a box." he said gently. Buffy's lip trembled, and she brought her hand to her mouth. Giles stroked her hair as tears tumbled from her eyelashes. With a huge wracking sob, Buffy threw herself into Giles' arms, allowing him to hold her as she wept.
Slowly, but surely, between sobs, Buffy told him about awaking in her coffin and having to dig herself out. She told him about the confusion of walking around Sunnydale while the demons were ransacking it. About climbing Glory's tower and Dawn finding her and talking her down. About asking Dawn if this was hell.
"It's so hard here, Giles." Buffy whispered against his shirt. Giles rested his chin on the top of her head.
"I know, Buffy." he assured her. "I know. But you're strong, and you'll get through this. You have people who love you and want to help you." Buffy nodded against his chest.
"I know they do, but they keep waiting for the 'old Buffy' to appear. And I don't know where she is right now." Buffy told him.
"You'll find her." Giles promised. "You'll find her." Giles held her close until her sobs finally subsided to faint hiccups.
Buffy sniffled against Giles' chest, mesmerized by the calming circles he was making as he rubbed her back. She suddenly was overwhelmed by a sense of déjà vu. She had a picture perfect image in her mind of her and Giles snuggled together, talking and smooching. It was disturbingly similar to her memories of heaven. Stiffening, Buffy pulled away from Giles safe embrace.
"Well, I, uh, better start prepping. The slayage." she explained. The excuse sounded lame even to her. Giles nodded and stood.
"Yes, there's always that, isn't there?" he asked calmly. No one would have ever guessed that his heart was racing, and that it had taken every thing in him to let her go. For a moment, it had been like he was living the dreams he'd had while Buffy had been dead.
Buffy had her back to him, wrapping her hands in protective bandages, preparing to spar with the heavy bag.
"Seems that way." Buffy muttered as he left the room.
Giles stood motionless for a moment outside the training room. Removing his glasses, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Buffy wasn't ready to talk about her time in heaven. Giles could accept that. He hadn't expected to walk in the door to find her chattering away about it. But the almost complete withdraw surprised him. Sighing, Giles ran his fingers through his hair. Dear Lord, he was tired. He needed some time to think, to work out a course of action.
Buffy smiled ruefully as she shook the pillow into the pillowcase.
"I know they're… so cute you could die." she told Giles, holding the pillow out to him. "But they're all I got." she said as Giles took the pillow from her, laughing.
"Think nothing of it." he assured her softly. "It's, um, whimsical." Giles tossed the pillow on the couch as Buffy shook out a matching sheet.
"They were mine when I was little. Couldn't find the guest sheets." Buffy grew still and looked at Giles sadly. "Mom always did this stuff." Kneeling on the couch, Buffy attempted to fit the sheet onto the cushions. "They don't actually fit."
Smiling softly at her, Giles leaned over and began to help her with the sheet. Buffy stared at him for a moment, wondering if he had any idea how much better his mere presence made her life. Resisting the urge to throw herself into his arms, Buffy straightened up from the couch.
"I blame the sofa." she joked, trying to shake her mood. "We need one of those pull out kinds. The ones with no payments until 2000 and infinity."
"What?" Giles asked, his brow furrowed in confusion and concern. Buffy dropped onto the coffee table.
"It's just money stuff." she told him, trying to sound unconcerned. "It turns out that Mom left me some, but it got squandered on luxuries, like food and clothes." Giles slowly sank onto the couch across from her.
"How bad is it?" Giles asked, reaching out and covering both her hands with his. Buffy stared down at them for a moment, as a memory of a similar situation flashed through her head. The lighting was all soft and glowy, like it had been in heaven. [How could that be?] she wondered. [Giles wasn't in heaven with me.]
"Anya says pretty bad. I'm kinda taking her word for it." Buffy looked up and quirked a smile at him. "Actually, I'm kinda trying to not think about it." she told him. Giles grinned at her, causing her heart to give an inexplicable pitter pat.
"Sound policy." he said. "At least for tonight." Buffy gave a nod.
"Figured I'd put it out of my mind. You know, take a break. Get some perspective…" Buffy trailed off, pulling her hands free from Giles'. "and then wake up at 4 am, terrified." Sighing, Buffy gave into her need to be close to Giles and flopped onto the couch next to him. She clutched a sheet to her chest and sighed. Giles leaned towards her, his shoulder against the back of the couch.
"Buffy, perhaps you're putting too much pressure on yourself." he suggested softly. "I mean, to return from where you were… it's only natural that coming back… will be a process." Giles was very careful not to mention Heaven in any way. His hope was that she'd bring it up on her own. Buffy dropped her chin to her chest.
"In the meantime, I'm scaring people." she huffed. Giles smiled.
"Well, that can take time too." he offered. Buffy stared despondently into the distance. Concerned, Giles continued. "If it's any consolation, life can be… pretty overwhelming, even for people who haven't been where you have." he assured her.
"I guess." Buffy said softly. Her mind was racing. [How can I tell him about where I've been?] she wondered, wracking her brain. Buffy briefly contemplated just blurting the truth out, but decided not to. She knew the longer she held off telling him, the harder it would be.
"Look, tomorrow morning, you and I will sit down together and we'll go through everything. Every bill, one by one. We'll work it out together." Giles promised. Buffy turned her head to look at him. He was so concerned about her, Buffy could tell. But unlike the others, he was willing to let her move at her own pace. It was one of the reasons Buffy loved him so much.
Giles wondered what was going on in Buffy's mind. Several times over the course of the evening, she'd seemed to be on the verge of telling him something, but had held back.
"I'm glad you're back." Buffy told him softly, causing his heart to leap wildly.
"Well, I'm glad you are too." he replied softly, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Buffy panicked and stood before he could make contact. She knew the minute he did, she'd be overwhelmed with more memories that she simply didn't understand.
Giles sighed as he watched her walk away. He dropped his head on the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling. He was pushing Buffy too hard, he decided. Giles lurched up from the couch. Grabbing a towel from the pile Buffy had left him, he went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. [I have to be careful.] he thought, staring at his face in the mirror. [One wrong step, and I'll lose her forever.]
Giles dried his face, tossing the towel over his shoulder as he wandered into the dark kitchen.
"Hey Giles!" Willow said brightly, as Giles pushed open the door. Giles gave her a steely glare, but said nothing. Too pleased with herself to notice, Willow continued. "You have a good talk with Buffy?" she asked, taking a box of cookies down from a cupboard. Giles closed the kitchen door quietly and deliberately behind him.
"Yes," he said softly. "now that she's back." Willow beamed at him as she hopped on a stool, munching on the cookies.
"Isn't it awesome?" she asked, her enthusiasm bubbling over. She was completely oblivious to the deliberate way Giles walked across the room, to the sink. Bracing his hands on the counter, he stared at the metal basin for a moment, trying to reign in his temper.
"Tell me about the spell you performed." he demanded, his voice tight with emotion. He removed his glasses as he spoke. Willow began to bounce with excitement.
"Oh, ok, first, of all, it was so scary." Willow covered her eyes. "The Blair Witch would've had to watch like this." she laughed, peeking through her fingers. Giles seethed silently as she spoke. Willow didn't seem to notice as she waved her hands wildly. "And, and, and… this giant snake came out of my mouth and there was all this energy crackling, and this pack of demons interrupted, but I totally kept it together." she told him proudly. "And the next thing you know… Buffy." Willow smiled triumphantly, biting into a cookie, pleased with herself.
His back still to her, Giles' hands, still resting next to the sink, clenched into fists.
"You are a very stupid girl." Giles said over his shoulder, his voice filled with disgust. Stunned, Willow dropped her cookie and frowned at Giles' back.
"What?" she stammered in disbelief. "Giles…?" Giles spun around to face her.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" he demanded fiercely. "The forces you've harnessed? The lines you've crossed?"
"I thought you'd be… impressed or something." Willow said, hurt. Giles shook his head in disgust.
"Oh, don't worry, you've made quite the impression." he said. Giles leaned against the counter. "Of everyone here, you were the one I trusted the most to respect the forces of nature."
"Are you saying that you don't trust me?" Willow pouted.
"Think what you've done to Buffy." Giles demanded intensely.
"I brought her back from Hell." Willow said, defensively. Giles snorted with derisive laughter.
"How do you know?" he hissed at her. Willow looked taken aback at this question. Her brow furrowed in confusion.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Giles leaned forward.
"How do you know she was in Hell?" he demanded angrily.
"She told me." Willow declared.
"Before or after your little parlor trick?" Giles inquired sarcastically. Willow jumped to her feet angrily.
"I did what I had to do. I did what nobody else could do." she told him, self-righteously. Giles shook his head.
"No," he said quietly, his voice hard and cold. "You did what you wanted to do. You decided that Buffy was in Hell and you brought her back without even checking."
"How would you know? You weren't even here!" Willow accused. Giles stepped close to Willow.
"If I had been, I'd have bloody well stopped you." Giles swore. "The magicks you channeled are more ferocious and primal than anything you can hope to understand." Giles' anger grew with every word he spoke. "You rank, arrogant amateur." he spat. No longer able to tolerate being in the same room with the person who caused Buffy so much pain, Giles turned on his heel and stalked towards the door.
"You're right." Willow's quiet voice stopped him in his tracks. Pausing by the door, Giles turned to look at her. "The magicks I used are very powerful. I'm very powerful." she boasted. "Maybe it's not such a good idea for you to piss me off." Giles seethed at her words.
"Try me," he whispered threateningly. "and we'll see who shouldn't piss off whom." Taken aback, Willow immediately changed her tone.
"C'mon Giles, I don't want to fight. I'll think about what you said, and you… try to be happy Buffy's back." she cajoled. Giles shut his eyes and shook his head.
"I'll be happy when she is."
Outside on the steps, Buffy cringed as Giles and Willow argued angrily. [Over me.] she thought in dismay. Sighing, Buffy dropped her head to her knees. This wasn't what she wanted, none of this was. Giles and Willow grew louder. Buffy rested her cheek against her knee as she listened.
"How do you know she was in Hell?" she heard Giles demand. Buffy's head shot up, her eyes wide with surprise. Such was her shock, she missed the next couple of sentences, but snapped out of her stupor when she heard Giles accuse "You decided that Buffy was in Hell and brought her back without even checking."
[Oh my God!] she thought. [He knows. Giles knows that I was in Heaven.] Buffy desperately tried to figure out how he could've known. How would Giles know that she was in Heaven?
Buffy jumped at the sound of a door slamming behind her. Whirling around, she found Giles standing in the doorway, waves of anger rolling from him. He was taking deep breaths to calm himself.
"Giles?" she said softly, causing him to jump. Giles looked around wildly for a moment before focusing on her. Buffy patted the step next to her. "Sit." she requested. Looking slightly abashed, Giles sat on the wooden plank next to her.
"Did you hear…?" he asked softly, gesturing toward the house. Buffy nodded. "I'm sorry." he said. "I never meant for you to hear…"
"You know, don't you?" Buffy asked suddenly, interrupting him. Shocked, Giles' gaze flew to her face. Buffy didn't need to explain what she was talking about. Giles knew.
"Yes." he said softly. Cautiously, he took one of her hands in his. "I know." Buffy moved closer to him, her grip on his hand almost painful.
"How? How could you know?" she demanded. Giles moistened his suddenly dry lips. He glanced at the yard, the steps, the house. Anywhere but at Buffy. "Giles?" Buffy cried softly, a note of desperation in her voice.
"Because I was there." he admitted finally. "I couldn't bear the thought of you trapped in some hellish dimension, so I went looking for you." Giles confessed. Buffy dropped his hand, and moved away from him. The moment he'd spoken, memories came rushing back, dropping all the puzzle pieces into place.
"Oh my God." she whispered, her eyes wide. "It was all real. That's how I can have memories of you in Heaven. You were there." The words came out as an accusation. Giles shook his head.
"Just once." he swore. "I just needed to know you were ok." Desperation filled his voice, begging Buffy to understand.
"No." Buffy said, shaking her head. "No, it was more than that. We… we were lovers." she whispered. Speechless, Giles stared at her.
"The dreams." he said, suddenly understanding. "They were real. You crossed the barrier between dimensions while I dreamt."
Buffy and Giles sat in silence, staring at each other, each trying to digest this new information. Buffy mind whirled with the implications of this revelation. Giles stared at her, unable to believe that his dreams had been real.
A scream from inside the house snapped them back to reality.
"Dawn." Buffy said to Giles, scrambling to her feet. Inside they could hear crashing, followed by a roar. Jumping to his feet, Giles rushed inside. Dawn was on the floor, screaming as the M'Fashnik demon towered over her. Giles leapt for the demon, only to have it backhand him into the stairs. He smashed into the banister and slid to the floor, unconscious.
The demon turned back toward Dawn, but found himself in the grip of one very pissed off Slayer.
"You're paying for that door." Buffy informed the demon angrily, flinging him into the living room. The demon landed on the coffee table, smashing it. Growing increasingly angry, Buffy punched and kicked the demon until finally managing to toss it down the basement stairs. It landed with a splash in the still flooded basement.
Roaring with anger, the M'Fashnik demon reached up and yanked a piece of pipe from above his head.
"NO!" Buffy yelled, as water began spraying all over. The demon came out her with the pipe, but Buffy deftly snatched it away and began to beat him with the pipe.
"No. More. Full. Copper. Re-pipe." she said, hitting him with each word. Chest heaving, Buffy stepped back as she realized the demon was dead, floating in the water.
The next morning, Buffy listened with half an ear as Anya gave a full explanation of her debt.
"This is going to take forever." Buffy bemoaned as she looked at the extremely large number.
"There's always the charging option." Anya reminded her gently. Buffy shook her head.
"No, I will definitely…" Buffy trailed off, then amended her sentence. "probably not be doing that." she said. She looked up as Giles entered the room. His forehead was bruised and Buffy desperately wanted to leap from her seat and throw her arms around him, easing both their pain.
"Well, now I know I'm back in America now that I've been knocked unconscious." Giles joked, carefully avoiding eye contact with Buffy.
"Poor lumpy Giles." Buffy sympathized. Giles looked at Buffy in surprise. After last night's revelations, he'd feared that Buffy wouldn't want anything to do with him. "Thank you." he murmured to Tara as she handed him an ice pack, his eyes never leaving Buffy's face.
"I wonder what he wanted." Tara wondered aloud. The lamp in Dawn's hands crumbled, causing her to jump. "I mean, aside from costing you a bundle." Buffy shrugged.
"Don't know. Now he's way too dead to answer any questions. Wish I knew who hired him." Willow perked up immediately.
"Oooh, I could do a locator spell…" she said eagerly. She trailed off as Giles looked over and gave her a hard stare. "Or not." she amended.
"That's it." Xander declared. "I'm calling it." He threw down the coffee table leg he held.
"Well, let's take these things to the trash and give 'em a decent throwin' out." Willow suggested.
The gang gathered up various pieces of broken furniture from the floor, and left to throw them out, leaving Giles and Buffy alone in the room. Carefully, Giles sat on the chair next to Buffy.
"Buffy?" he queried softly. Buffy stared at the paper Anya had worked up.
"I can't do this." she told him listlessly. "You know why I can't do this." Giles shook his head.
"You can." he assured her. "And, if you'll let me, I'll help you get through this." Buffy looked at him and smiled, her face more relaxed. Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the shrill ring of the phone.
"Who's calling me?" she wondered out loud as she moved to the phone. "Everyone I know lives here."
Giles waited for her return, his heart filled with hope. He'd been afraid that Buffy would be angry after the revelations of the night before. Instead, the opposite seemed true.
Buffy strode back into the living room, distracted. Giles jumped to his feet in concern.
"Buffy, what is it?" Buffy whirled to face him.
"Angel. He knows I'm…" she trailed off. "I'm going to go meet him." she said, moving towards the door.
"Now?" Giles asked. Buffy paused, her hand on the doorknob.
"Yes, now." she told him. "We'll finish this conversation when I get back, ok?" Buffy said, and was gone before Giles could reply.
Hard Times Come Easy
R. Sambora
It's amazing
We go through changes
When times get crazy
It's up and down, it's hot and cold
These complications
Just keep on coming
There ain't no running
When it comes to life that's how it goes
'Round and round we go
Sometimes it feels like
We're on a roller coaster ride
Baby don't you know
It could eat up
If you try and keep it all inside
CHORUS
Seems like hard times come easy
We do a lot of hangin' on these days
But the heart finds a reason
And love always seems to find a way
Even if it hurts
Even if it hurts us baby
There's gonna be thunder
There's gonna be rain
There's gonna be those times
We both get caught up in the pain
The realization
Keeps sinkin' in
The way you make it
Is learn to take it on the chin
'Round and round we go
It's just another day
With trouble knockin' at your door
Baby don't you know
We can work it out
'Cause we always seem to find a cure
CHORUS
'Round and round we go
Sometimes it feels like
We're on a roller coaster ride
Baby don't you know
We'll keep holdin' on
Through the changes that we feel inside
Seems like hard times come easy
We do a lot of hangin' on these days
But the heart finds a reason
And love always seems to find a way
Hard times come easy babe