Watchers Council

Chapter 6

“Don’t tell me, it’s a boat” Buffy sighed as they walked along the pier.

“Actually it’s a ship” Xander grinned at her over his shoulder. “See – sails and masts and stuff” he ended rather lamely as he ran out of nautical terms.

“Buffy, you could have waited in the car” Giles suggested.

“I thought there might at least be one or two sailors” she admitted and smiled at him. “I mean who drives these things?” Giles shook his head and handed her up onto the gangplank.

Willow was trailing behind them, paying more attention to her mobile phone than her surroundings. “Hey, wait for me” she hurried after them as she put the phone in her pocket. “Nice ship” she looked up towards the top of the mast. Xander smiled at her and pointedly put his arm through hers to lead her off to explore.

Buffy chuckled and lounged against the railing, looking out towards the bay and several other sailing vessels. “This has been a fun weekend” she turned to look at Giles.

“It has at that” he agreed and squinted to look at her. “I know I haven’t spent much time with any of you since the Council moved it’s headquarters here but it’s nice to know that we can pick up where we left off whenever we can all get together”

“I still can’t quite get used to being together without there being an apocalypse behind it” she ran her hand through her hair. “But it’s surprisingly easy to make the change to us all being adults together rather than you taking us kids out for the day”

“It seems as you all get older I’m able to get a little younger, perhaps one day we’ll meet somewhere in the middle?” he suggested and turned to lean his back against the railing. “I don’t think I’ve ever told you how proud I was of you, all of you, during the final days of Sunnydale” he spoke quietly and looked at his feet the whole time. “It would have been easy for us to let the arguments and disagreements carry over into our lives now but I think I would have lost three of the dearest friends I’ve ever had” He finally looked up to gauge heactiaction. “It’s easy to take each victory and pretend that everything is rosy afterwards but I know that I’ve felt closer to you this weekend than I have since..”

“Giles, please” she interrupted him. “The whole point was that it wasn’t your job to be proud of me anymore, it was my job to be proud of you and the others” she pointed to where her two friends were taking photographs. “I’d finally realised that it wasn’t fair to ask you to take the lead role in our relationship when the ultimate responsibility was mine. I was angry with you that night and I’ve wanted to take my words back ever since but the sentiment behind them was genuine” she met his eyes and held them. “You had trained me for years to take responsibility for my own actions and to learn to live with the results, however unpleasant they may be” she took a deep breath before continuing. “I finally realised what you had been trying to tell me since Willow brought me back, that you were there for me but the final decisions rested with me, the Chosen One” she took a step closer to him as some other people walked past. “I was trying to tell you that I was finally stepping up to the plate, taking charge and that you shouldn’t feel responsible for me anymore and then you really pissed me off and it came out sort of wrong” she shrugged. “I was relieved that we had the chance to make our peace before the final battle, but I’m even more relieved that we all survived and can work out new ways to deal with each other” she watched him closely to see if he was following her meaning. “Even if that means inappropriate sex talk with the very, very old ex-librarian” she smiled and waited for his reaction.

He chuckled but took a few moments to gather himself before looking up at her and taking his sunglasses off. “I don’t think I would do anything differently if I had the same time over again but I’m glad that we survived as I’m able to watch you all grow into adults” he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “You know that Travers was wrong, I never wanted to be your father but I am blessed to be able to be your friend”

Buffy hugged him back until she heard him wince. “I think Travers was right” she took a step back and smiled as she watched his amazed reaction. “I think father’s are supposed to love unconditionally, cherish their children, teach them the things they’ll need to know to survive the big bad world and have the strength to stand back and let them make their own mistakes so that they can learn from them. If you’re lucky, your father becomes one of your best friends, someone you can share your life with as an equal” she continued to grin as his face took on astonishment as well as amazement, surprise and delight. “I’ve thought a lot about what a father should be like because I thought I’d missed out with mine, then I realised I hadn’t missed out on anything”

He swallowed the enormous lump in his throat and sniffed before replacing his sunglasses and turning to watch the other ships again. Buffy closed her eyes and released a breath that she felt she had been holding since before the final battle with the First Evil. They were standing side by side, staring out across the bay when Xander and Willow finally arrived.

“Buffy” Xander bumped his hip against hers as he leaned next to her. “I’m starving when are we getting lunch?”

“They have a nice looking seafood restaurant in the museum building” Willow suggested and seemed a little puzzled by something. “Are you guys OK?” she asked and watched Buffy and Giles glance at each other before they both turned and smiled at her.

“More than OK” Giles nodded. “I’m starving as well, let’s get some lunch”

Buffy linked her arm through Willow’s as the two men headed down the gangplank. “I need a quick word with you later, about Giles” she whispered.

Willow looked panicked. “You didn’t tell him?” she grabbed her friend’s arm.

“Nope” Buffy shook her head. “It’s a Watcher/Slayer, Giles/Buffy thing” she smiled at her friend. “Besides I assumed you had sorted the other thing out by going straight to the new girlfriend part of the plan?”

Willow blushed. “We just swapped phone numbers” she shrugged and very nearly pulled off a casual look.

“And you haven’t been checking your mobile signal ever since we left the park?” Buffy giggled.

“I was only making sure the Council could contact me in case of an emergency” Willow protested, failing dismally to brazen it out.

*****

“And this is supposed to reassure me?” Giles asked dryly as he walked beside Xander towards the restaurant. “You’re judgement in these cases does tend to err on the side of divination rather than avoidance” he looked towards a perplexed Xander and shook his head. “You’re expertise is usually in finding the one woman in a room of a hundred who wants to sacrifice you to something or other, rather than avoiding her and choosing a human, non fatal alternative”

Xander was about to argue when he shrugged. “Let’s hope it doesn’t work when I’m setting up my best friend with a girl?”

“We live very strange lives” Giles sighed and put his arm round Xander’s shoulders. “Lunch is on me as a thank you for this weekend, I’m glad you bribed Dawn”

“Not as glad as Dawn is going to be” Xander waggled his eyebrows and waited for Giles to look shocked and horrified. Instead he saw Giles trying to cover his laughter as the girls joined them.

*****

“Where do you put it?” Giles asked incredulously as Buffy and Willow ploughed through an enormous ice cream sundae.

“Hey we don’t all have desk jobs you know” Buffy pointed her spoon at him.

“Thanks very much” Willow pouted at her.

“Like you won’t be getting some extra curricular exercise real soon” Buffy whispered to her and they continued to eat while giggling.

Xander shook his head. “No use arguing with them when they are in this mood” he sighed. “What are we going to do for dinner?” he looked around the others as they all stopped and stared at him. “What?”

“We haven’t even finished lunch yet and you’re worried about dinner!” Giles blew out his cheeks.

“I just meant that we could head back to the house and spend our last afternoon and evening on the beach” Xander explained patiently. “If everyone is happy with barbecue for dinner again?”

“Sounds like a good plan” Willow nodded and held out a spoonful of ice cream to him. “Here’s your reward” she grinned as he took the ice cream then stuck his tongue out at her.

“I see the inner children are making another appearance” Giles glared at Buffy as she held out a spoonful for him. “Perhaps I’ll go and settle the bill while you finish”

“So?” Xander leaned across the table as soon as Giles was out of earshot. “Have you heard anything?”

Willow giggled and shook her head. “I only gave her my phone number two hours ago” she protested.

“Have you sent her a message yet?” Buffy asked. “Let me see your phone and I’ll make sure it’s working OK” she tried for an innocent look but missed by a country mile.

Willow pushed her chair back and finished her final spoonful of the desert as she stood up. “Perhaps I’ll just go and help Giles with the bill” she skipped round Buffy and headed after him.

He smiled at the waitress and accepted his card back from her. “Thanks, can I leave the tip with you?” he asked and pulled some notes from his pocket.

“Hey Giles, need any help there?” Willow bounced up behind him.

The waitress smiled at Giles and thanked him before turning away. “Willow” he sighed and turned to see her grin at at him.

“Ooohh did I just interrupt something?” she waggled her eyebrows and tried to look arch.

The effect was rather spoiled by the chocolate sauce on her chin and he handed her a napkin from beside the till. “You are the one who picks up women in restaurants” he reminded her. “Let me get that for you” he offered as she wiped every part of her chin but the messy part.

Buffy offered to drive them back but the panicked looks on every face told her all she needed to know. Willow also offered but Giles suggested she would be better able to handle any phone calls if she were a passenger. Giles eventually took the driver’s seat with Xander beside him but the young man fell asleep about ten minutes into the journey so the others tried to remain quiet and Giles settled into a comfortable position for the hour long drive.

Buffy nudged Willow and tried to mime sending a text message. Eventually she gave up and whispered in her ear. Willow shook her head and scowled at her but Buffy just nodded her head vociferously and whispered some more. Willow eventually turned very red and slid across the seat to rest her head against the side window. After about two minutes of thoughtful silence she surreptitiously pulled her phone from her pocket and tried to compose a text message that didn’t make her sound desperate. Buffy tried looking out her window but eventually her curiosity got the better of her and she started edging closer to her friend. Willow sensed her presence and glanced up to make sure that Xander was still asleep and Giles was concentrating on the road before passing the phone to Buffy. Buffy read through the message and shook her head, whispering sternly in Willow’s ear for a few seconds before handing the phone back and watching as the message was erased and another entered in its place. When this was done Willow handed the phone over for consultation again and was pleased when Buffy gave the phone back with a thumbs up sign. She sent the message and then looked up to find Giles staring at her in the rear view mirror.

He wasn’t sure that Buffy was the best person to advise Willow in this situation but he had to admit he had even less of an idea how to romance someone by text message. When she caught him watching her she blushed again and he turned round slightly and signalled her to come closer to him. “I would turn the sound off, you don’t want to wake Xander when the answer comes in do you?” he smiled at her and returned to concentrate on the road.

*****

They were all sitting on the deck, quietly watching the waves rolling into the bay. “This has been really nice” Willow sighed as she leaned against Xander. “I think I’m finally starting to relax, do we have to go back tomorrow?” she looked round to Giles and pouted.

“I need to go back and I would assume Xander would need to check in at least, but it’s up to you how long you stay away” he shrugged. “I’m sure you could phone in some instructions for your team and stay here for a few more days”

Buffy seemed a little surprised. “I could phone the rental people tomorrow morning and see if this place was free for the rest of the week” she smiled at Willow. “I don’t need to be back for another two months so it’s up to you”

Willow nodded and turned round to look at the sea again. “I don’t know, it’s just that I’m usually looking forward to getting back to work by this stage but I’m not this time and I think maybe I need another few days”

Xander ran his hands through her hair. “Giles and I will drive back up tomorrow and we can send someone back down with the car whenever you want to come home” he handed her the glass of juice that she was reaching for. “It’s good to see you finally chilling out a bit and I think you should take the opportunity while you can”

Willow shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll decide in the morning” she sighed and closed her eyes.

Xander looked across at Giles and saw worry on the older man’s face. He lifted one eyebrow in question and saw him shake his head and lean back in the chair. Whatever was worrying Giles would have to wait because Willow had fallen asleep against his legs and he didn’t want to disturb her.

They had fallen into the kind of relaxed state that eventually befalls a group of friends who are all tired and who have no immediate worries. Giles felt his eyelids getting heavier and glanced at his watch. It was only four thirty and he looked around the others to see them all in various stages of relaxation, Buffy was reading a book, Xander was flipping through a comic and Willow appeared to be napping. He put down his glass and kicked his shoes off before stretching his legs out and yawning.

*****

Willow woke t sit six and stretched a little before gently moving away from Xander. She looked around, wondering what had woken her and checked around the deck to see if there was anything on the beach that had disturbed her. Suddenly she felt a strange sensation against her hip and had a moment of panic before she remembered setting her phone to vibrate only. She giggled at herself and moved down the beach a little to check her messages.

Ten minutes later Buffy watched her from the deck for a few moments before moving out to sit beside her. “Hey” she stretched out on the still warm sand. “If we stay for a few more days will she come down and visit?” she nodded towards the mobile.

“That’s not why I’m thinking of staying” Willow glanced at Buffy out of the corner of her eye. “But she is planning on being in the neighbourhood on Tuesday so it would be churlish not to meet up with her” she finally gave in to the smile. “Are you mad at me?” she turned to face her friend, lying on her side.

“Why would I be mad at you for getting on with your life?” Buffy seemed surprised at the question. “I hoped the break would make you remember the important stuff and it seems to have worked out OK”

Willow frowned a little. “The weird thing is that I’ve never done the asking out before, perhaps she won’t like me as much when she meets me again”

Buffy shook her head. “Willow, she liked you enough to give you her number and to say she wanted to meet you again, why would she suddenly go off you?” Buffy waited a beat. “Unless she likes cute, feisty red heads with good legs?” she shook her head and looked sad. “Sorry, Will, she’s definitely gonna dump you”

“That’s it” Willow shouted and jumped up but Buffy was already ten yards ahead of her. “You are so going to get dunked Buffy Summers” she yelled and started after her friend, pulling her sweatshirt off as she ran.

Buffy stopped to kick off her shoes before heading straight into the surf. “If your best friends can’t tell you” she shouted, running backwards to laugh as Willow tried to run in the water. She waited till her friend was almost at her side before dodging back in her direction and tackling her round the waist. They both spluttered as they came up from the water.

“What did you do that for?” Willow tried to get her hair out of her eyes.

“You looked like you were getting mad and I thought I’d help you to cool down” Buffy grinned and held out her hand to help Willow up. “Besides I was trying to work up an appetite for dinner”

Willow watched as Buffy walked away from her before frantically searching in her pockets. “Shit!” she shouted and started running up the beach.

“Will, what’s up?” Buffy started after her and brought her to a halt about half way to the house. “Are you OK?”

“My phone” Willow held up the dripping item. “It was in my pocket and I forgot all about it”

Buffy looked at the phone and worried her bottom lip. “Is it dead?” she asked.

“I think I’ll be able to dry it out OK but I was kind of in the middle of something when you came out” she glared at her friend. “And I don’t have her number written down anywhere else so she’ll think I’m ignoring her!” she grew louder as she worked out the implications.

Buffy couldn’t help the grin and took the phone from Willow’s hand before running at full speed to the deck “Emergency, I need a hairdryer and towel, stat” she shouted at Xander.

They all stood and looked down at the component parts of the phone as Buffy gently tried to dry individual parts with the hairdryer on its lowest setting. “Watch you don’t melt it” Willow mumbled for the tenth time and Giles put his hands on her shoulders.

“I’m sure Buffy’s doing all she can, perhaps you’d like to get out of the wet clothes?” he suggested helpfully. He swallowed a little nervously as he tried to avoid making obvious eye contact with her wet t-shirt.

“No more fluids near it!” Willow wagged her finger at all of them.

“Why on earth did you go swimming with your clothes on anyway?” Giles tried to find out what had led to a dripping wet ex-slayer and witch.

“I was chasing Buffy” Willow stated and finally looked up to see the two men looking at her expectantly. “What is wrong with my legs anyway?” she asked and threw her hands up in the air. “I’m going to get changed” she muttered under her breath and headed for her room.

Xander was the first to start laughing and the three of them started giggling and shooshing each other. “What did you say to her?” he finally whispered and saw Giles lean in to hear the answer.

“I was just kidding her on about what you said the other night, suggesting the new girlfriend might like cute, feisty red heads with better legs” Buffy shrugged and started putting the phone back together. “I think she’s a bit worked up about this one” she grinned. Five minutes later she winked at Giles as the phone lit up, working perfectly. “She said she was in the middle of something, perhaps we should check that all of her text messages are still saved?”

Giles lifted the phone from her hand and shook his head. “You two get the dinner started and I’ll give this back to Willow” He strode across the room and knocked on her bedroom door. “Willow?” he said quietly and heard a muffled response. He opened the door a little and stuck his head round to see into the room. “Are you decent?” he grinned as he saw her sitting at the dressing table, trying to fix her hair. “Mission accomplished” he held up the phone and came into the room to hand it to her. “Are you feeling OK?” he looked at her as she accepted the phone and sheepishly put it in her jeans pocket.

“I’m fine, sorry I was grumpy with you out there” she nodded towards the chair and indicated he should close the door behind him. “Thanks for getting this working again, you probably think I’m insane”

Giles sat down and cocked his head to look at her for a few moments. “Absolutely” he finally nodded his head and saw her look up at him. “You want to have a proper holiday for the first time in eight years, you enjoy being in the sun instead of skulking around graveyards at midnight and you’re excited about a possible new romance” he listed the symptoms on his fingers. “I think you are exhibiting the classic signs of insanity” he nodded gravely and watched her smile. “Or you could be acting perfectly normally for an overworked, overachiever in their early twenties” he shrugged. “It’s a close call, could go either way”

She giggled and pulled her legs up as she perched on the end of the bed. “OK, my leg is now officially pulled” she acknowledged. “It’s just been a while since someone looked at me that way and I’m still not used to it, that’s all”

He smiled. “I know you won’t believe me but I do remember what it’s like, this first rush of excitement and anticipation”

“You’re not that old” she admonished.

“Thank you for that” he said dryly. “You should enjoy yourself while you can” he shrugged. “You can definitely afford to take as long a break as you need, I know you brought your laptop with you so we’ll be able to contact you if we need to”

She looked a little guilty. “Don’t tell the others, Buffy will confiscate it” he nodded his agreement. “And I don’t want to stay here just because of this” she pulled the phone from her pocket and put it down beside her. “I’ve just been feeling a bit off colour lately and some strange stuff has been going on and I think I could do with a break”

He immediately sat forward and looked concerned. “Strange stuff, Willow if you are unwell or concerned about magical occurrences..”

“It’s not that” she interrupted him and stretched out to put her hand on his arm. “You know I’d tell you if I started to feel like that again” she kept eye contact until she saw him relax a little. “Since the potential slayer release spell I haven’t felt like doing any serious magic anyway” she leaned back again and sighed. “It just felt so incredibly perfect and I don’t think I’m ever going to get back to that again so I’m not really interested in experimenting any more”

He watched her for a few minutes, trying to work out what else could have been troubling her when the phone beside her started to vibrate on the bed covers. “I’ll leave you alone” he stood and grinned at her. “Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes”

Willow smiled a little guiltily and had enough restraint to wait till the door had closed before checking the incoming message. She was grinning and reading it through again when Giles popped his head round the door. “Oh” he smiled as she dropped the phone by her side. “I meant to tell you, there isn’t anything wrong with your legs, they are perfect”

She stared at the closed door for several minutes, completely unable to get rid of a crystal clear image of his legs when she had been admiring him the day before. Shaking her head she began picking up her wet clothes from earlier. “Now I’m excited about meeting a new girl and dreaming about his legs, this weekend just gets weirder and weirder” she mumbled before joining them for dinner.