Title: A Mile In His Moccasins 24/26
Author: Gileswench
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.

During breakfast it became clear that, hard as they'd tried to be discreet, everybody knew exactly what Buffy and Giles had been up to. Between the merry giggles Willow and Dawn shared, the disapproving sniffs of Mrs. Wilmot, and Tara's gentle, sympathetic smiles, they felt a bit awkward. All in all, they were relieved when breakfast was done.

Buffy moved to clear the table, but Tara stopped her.

"I have a clean up crew already," she said. "I think Mrs. Wilmot will be able to do something for Giles today. You should be with him."

Buffy turned at a sound behind her only to see Dawn clearing plates while Willow filled the sink with hot, soapy water.

"Thanks guys," she breathed in relief. "I really do want to be with Giles today. Sort of hold his hand."

"Or maybe other body parts I don't want to think about Giles having," Dawn piped up.

"In front of Mrs. Wilmot?" Buffy replied with a withering glare. "Eeiw. Willow, you have the soap. Feel free to wash my sister's mouth out."

She turned on her heel and went into the back yard where Mrs. Wilmot had already dragged Giles for another consultation. Buffy moved to Giles' side and took his hand. He smiled tightly and gave her hand a slight squeeze in return.

Mrs. Wilmot, in the meantime, muttered to herself as she scanned a tattered notebook and organized jars of herbs. Buffy and Giles watched her nervously. At last, Buffy couldn't take the not knowing anymore.

"Find anything?" she asked.

The old woman grunted and nodded, but said nothing. Buffy waited as patiently as she knew how, but had to ask another question when several more minutes had passed without further information.

"What is it? Is it gonna work?"

"Not much of a one for waiting, is she?" Mrs. Wilmot asked Giles. "That's the trouble with young folks now. Rush, rush, rush. Can't be bothered to take their time over anything. Instant gratification, that's what they're after. Well, Missy, this takes as long as it takes and your questions only make it take longer."

Giles pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes.

"I'd like an answer to Buffy's question, myself," he said in a dangerous tone.

Mrs. Wilmot met his eye with amusement.

"So there's a backbone in there, after all. I was beginning to wonder. Yes, I've got something. It'll take a couple hours to prepare. Why don't you take your girl somewhere else for a while? But no caffeine for the next two hours."

"Will it mess up the cure?" Buffy asked.

"Nah. It's just bad for you."

*****

Buffy couldn't believe she was strolling down the street with her honey on a sunny day. It had been a long time since she'd done that. She'd forgotten how good - how normal - it felt. So there'd been a few odd looks from the passers by and a couple comments about cradle robbers and gold diggers that Buffy wouldn't have heard without her enhanced Slayer hearing, but there'd been some approving and even jealous looks as well. On balance, Buffy decided to exert her famous powers of denial to deal with anyone who didn't like her choice of partner. If she was happy, and he was happy, what did it matter what anyone else thought? She slipped her arm around Giles' elbow and leaned closer to him.

"So where're we going?" she asked at last.

"Somewhere I think you'll like."

"Cryptic guy," Buffy grumbled. "Can you give me a hint? Is it bigger than a breadbox?"

"Yes."

"Yes which?"

"Yes, it's bigger than a breadbox. And yes, that is your hint."

"Are we getting anywhere near it?"

"You're really not much of a one for waiting, are you?" he teased. "It's not far. We'll be there soon."

Buffy tried to glare at him, but Giles looked so happy, even boyish, she couldn't help smiling instead.

"You're lucky I love you so much," she informed him, "'cause you're about the biggest pain in the butt I've ever met."

Giles just grinned at her and led her into Weatherly Park.

"Okay, I know this place already," Buffy said impatiently. "Killed about a zillion nasties here, caught that aspect of the demon, found Hansel and Gretel. This place has sort of lost its charm for me."

"Trust me, Buffy, there's something you'll like a bit further on."

"I've been over this whole park I don't know how many times on patrol. There's nothing here I haven't seen."

Giles just took her hand and walked faster until Buffy almost had to trot to keep up with him.

"It's just over here," Giles told her when they reached a row of trees near the back of the park.

"I've seen these trees, Giles. Pretty standard tree-like things. Bark, leaves that fall off in the aptly named Fall, an occasional bit of sap in the spring. Trees. Nothing special."

"Not the trees, Buffy. Behind them."

Giles parted some low-hanging branches and indicated to Buffy that she should step through them. She did, though she raised her eyebrows at Giles as she followed his instructions.

Once through the line of trees, though, her eyes went wide at the sight before her. There was a tiny clearing surrounded by the trees that everyone else thought marked the edge of the park. In this small place, wildflowers bloomed in abundance. Everywhere she looked, Buffy saw more flowers.

"When did this get here?" she asked.

"I can't tell you that," Giles said, "but I found it shortly after you and Willow went off to college. I had a lot of time to myself, then, and I went wandering one day. I was feeling a bit lonely and sorry for myself, so I just went wherever my feet took me, as it were. The next thing I knew, I was at the back of Weatherly Park, and I saw a flash of something behind one of the trees. When I went to investigate, I found myself surrounded by poppies. It all looked so cheerful..."

"It made you feel better?" Buffy guessed. "When we were staying away in droves?"

"Actually, that first time, if anything, it made me feel worse. I was a bit offended that anything dared to look so bright and happy when I wasn't. But after a time, I found myself wanting to come back. It became something of a ritual to come here about once a week and just daydream for a while."

"What did you dream about?" Buffy asked as she wrapped her arms around Giles' waist.

"Any number of things. What I might have done with my life if I hadn't been born a Watcher, changes I would make if I was head of the Council, how good it would feel to hold you and kiss you...and how satisfying it would be to turn you over my knee and give you a good spanking. I thought about chucking it all and going back to England. And I wished with all my heart that we were back in the library at Sunnydale High. Silly, really. One can't turn back the clock."

"If you could, would you do it?" Buffy asked curiously.

Giles looked down at Buffy. He drank in her sweet face filled with both affection and concern. He smiled and shook his head.

"No," he answered, "I don't believe I would."

"But if we went back, maybe I wouldn't do so many stupid things that hurt you."

"There were mistakes enough on both sides, Buffy. And most of yours were a result of having a great deal of growing up to do. I had some of that to do as well."

"Giles, you're grown up. You've been grown up as long as I've known you. You were grown up way before you came here."

"In some ways," he said. "In others...I feel as if I put that on hold along with my studies when I was twenty one. Of course, I went back to Oxford. But for the rest...I'm not entirely sure I ever picked that up again until I came to Sunnydale. In some ways I feel as if I've been growing up alongside you."

"Is that why you did it?" she asked, her hand rubbing involuntarily across his left forearm. "Because you decided you were too grown up for Eyghon now?"

"What...? Oh, that! It was silly, really. I just looked at it one day and it hurt too damn much. I thought of you and I thought of...of Jenny, and how much both of you were harmed by it. How I'd lost you both before I'd ever really had you. I just couldn't bear to look at it again."

"You still miss her, don't you?"

"Don't you miss Angel?"

"Yeah. Sometimes." She snuggled closer to his chest. "And sometimes not. Right now, I'm really not. But it's okay if you are. Missing her, that is. I don't think you miss Angel all that often."

"Not that often," he admitted as he wrapped his arms tighter around Buffy. "And this is most definitely not one of those times."

*****

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