In the Summertime
Author: M. Jade
Summary: Willow reflects on an eventful summer
Rating: PG-13
If you have any comments or questions, email me at jaderozegirl@yahoo.com
Spoilers: Post “The Body”
Feedback: Essential to my muses' daily diet
Disclaimers: Ownership does not become me
Distribution: My site, Strange Brew, Charity can have it, Jen too, Zak if he wants it, fanfiction.net. Any others only need to ask
Notes: Takes place a few months in the future. End of the summer
More Notes: I originally got the idea as I prepared to go back for fall semester myself
Willow Rosenberg sighed softly as she watched the sleeping form of the person lying in the bed beside her, snoring lightly. Rupert Giles' face looked calmly peaceful as the early morning light shone on his face. She marveled at how content he looked lying there, on the cusp of a dream. Willow knew she liked these moments. She enjoyed the quiet and the solitude that these sparse moments afforded them. A few months before, this scene would have been impossible. A few months ago, this would have been unthinkable. Back then, there had been Tara.
“Morning, love,” Giles greeted her sleepily as he woke, breaking her train of thought. Willow smiled as she propped herself on her elbow and turned to face him. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“Morning,” Willow replied as her hand brushed the side of his face. Giles smiled and took her outstretched hand.
“Don't tell me this is the day,” Giles mused as he massaged the palm of her hand. Willow nodded and gave him a wistful look.
“Buffy and Dawn's plane arrives at ten,” she reminded him. “And we have to pick them up,” she added. Giles sighed and nodded.
“Not that I would deny either of them their time away, nor the visit with their father, but there are times that I would rather a vacation last longer,” Giles said ruefully. Willow gave him a semi-serious look.
“We've had our fair share of alone time this summer, mister,” she reminded him mock-sternly.
“With you, love, it's never enough,” he whispered as he kissed her forehead. The tender kiss soon moved to her lips, and for those moments, they were lost in the warmth of the gesture.
“Hmmm,” she mused as they parted. “This is definitely something I could get used to,” she told him with a smile.
“If you get used to this much longer, we are going to be late,” Giles informed her wryly. Willow gave a small laugh as she began to pull the sheets down.
“We can't have that,” Willow said as she rose from the bed. Giles just smiled as he watched her walk to the bathroom. She turned at the doorway to face him, a coy grin on her face. “Join me?” Giles didn't need to be asked twice. A short time later, they were on their way to the airport, driving along the way in Giles' convertible in an easy silence. As she watched the landscape pass before them, Willow's mind wondered back to how it had begun.
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When the summer began, Willow had been in bubble of happy content with Tara. She had believed their relationship was strong, especially after Tara had seen her through the initial shock and grief following Joyce Summer's death. They loved each other, and that was enough for them. Then, at the beginning of May, her friend Xander was notified that he would be heading a summer crew at a town fifty miles away. It was a job that would keep him away from Sunnydale for several months. Anya begged Giles to give a leave from the shop so she could join Xander for the summer, and Giles reluctantly agreed, but only after Willow offered to take Anya's place at the Magic Box during her absence. Meanwhile, Buffy's father had taken a new job in New York City, and so she and Dawn had decided to spend the summer visiting with Hank in an effort to reconnect with him. Both girl's still felt the awful sting of their mother's sudden death in February, and Buffy thought it was best for her and Dawn to try to get closer to their father. They both left for New York at the end of May, shortly after Xander and Anya left for his jobsite.
When Willow offered to take the job at the Magic Box, she had no idea how much of her time it would take, or how much time she'd be spending with Giles. As June wore on, she had less and less time for Tara and found herself paying less attention to her girlfriend, which made Tara very unhappy. By the Fourth of July, Tara had had enough. By that time, both of them were feeling the distance in their once close relationship, and Tara felt it was best for them to call it off. She told Willow that she didn't think her heart was in their relationship any longer. Willow was heartbroken when Tara ended their relationship, and she didn't know where to go. She ended up at Giles' apartment that night, crying about what had happened. She eventually fell asleep in Giles' arms, and when she woke the next morning, she found Giles making breakfast for them. The scene touched her, and she knew that a part of her could get used to it. A part of her wanted that comfort, that security he had provided for her that night.
She spent a great deal of time at Giles' apartment in the aftermath of her breakup with Tara, Giles providing a comforting presence for her when she needed it the most. Giles gave her the time and space she sorely needed to handle the turmoil. It was never spoken, but as their time together grew, so did the bond between them. They would spend evenings together speaking about whatever was on their minds, whether it be Joyce's loss or Buffy and Xander's absence, or nothing really at all. A few weeks went by that way, their friendship growing stronger every day. Then one evening, they had been speaking again of Joyce, and of Tara, and Oz, and Willow ended up crying again. Giles held her as she cried and allowed her to shed her tears, but after awhile she had calmed down. As he whispered soothing words to her, he gave her a gentle kiss, which turned passionate as she began to feel it's effects and kissed him back. Soon, they were making love, and she fell asleep in his arms. She awoke the next morning to find him again making breakfast, and she knew in her heart that the picture was complete.
“What's on your mind, love,” Giles asked from the driver's seat, rousing Willow from her thoughts. She smiled and looked over to him.
“This summer. Us.” She answered, and Giles looked over to her.
“Really. Anything I should be aware of?” he asked gently, teasing her just a little. Willow shook her head.
“Just … how it began. A part of me is still asking myself if all of it was real. As if Buffy coming home will break some sort of spell, and it'll be over,” she explained. “Is that what's going to happen, Rupert?” she questioned in a small voice. Giles smiled at her and shook his head.
“Buffy and Dawn's coming back to Sunnydale will not affect what happened, Willow, I assure you. What has been will always be, and I would gladly carry on this way for as long as you would have me,” he assured her.
“I just… do you think Buffy and Xander will understand? I know it'll be sort of a shock to them…” Her voice got small as she began to realize that Giles had no idea that she had yet to tell Buffy or Xander about their newfound relationship.
“Did you ever mention it to them in your letters or phone calls,” Giles asked, suddenly realizing what Willow meant. Willow mentally kicked herself. This was going to be the tough part.
“I sorta neglected that part. They know that I broke up with Tara but, well… I wanted to keep you to myself for awhile, so…” she broke off as she looked at him, trying to gage his reaction. He wasn't angry with her, but neither was he happy. More like… “You're disappointed,” she realized.
“Not really… I had just assumed that you had told them at some point.” She gave him a hurt look, feeling that he truly had been disappointed with her. “It doesn't matter, Willow. When they find out is not that significant. It's not as if you deceived them or me. Perhaps it is wisest for us to tell them in person,” he offered. “It will work itself out no matter what, but telling them in person is more than likely our best option in the end.”
“Sure,” Willow replied. “That way we can see the surprise and horror written all over their faces, in person no less,” she replied sarcastically. Giles sighed and shook his head.
“Willow… it won't be that way. If anything, Buffy and Xander may surprise us and say that they've seen it coming.” Giles knew he was reaching, but it was worth the chance.
“Well… it really has been,” she conceded thoughtfully. “We've had some pretty passionate moments before…” she mused and giggled as she remembered some of their exploits before that summer's turn of events.
“I seem to recall some beautiful redhead driving me positively crazy one particular Thanksgiving.” The silly smile on his face made Willow giggle even harder
“Oh, and the roll down the stairs when we found out that the high school had been possessed by that student and his teacher,” Willow added with a giggle.
“All completely innocent, of course,” Giles added dryly.
“So you say,” Willow teased him. “I fondly remember some ‘naughty' touching during some of those moments,” she added, both of them grinning.
“Willow!” Giles said in mock horror, but he was still laughing. Willow placed her hand upon his thigh.
“What? Can I help it if you have one of those… touchable bodies?” she mused coyly, her eyes shining with mirth.
“Buffy and Xander are really in for a surprise,” he answered in a tight voice as Willow began to massage his thigh.
“We are going to give them a great big old shock, mister Giles,” she said.
“I don't think things around going to be the same after today,” Giles returned tightly as Willow continued to tease him.