__To Pass the Time__
By Andrea



"Giles, how long did the AAA guy say it would be before they'd come?" Willow asked, fidgeting a little.

"Twenty to thirty minutes." He grumbled, pacing back and forth beside the car. Shaking his head, he still couldn't believe that the car was dead. Just like that.

Dead as a doornail.

Damn Citroen.

He and Willow had been coming back from an out of the way occult shop, where they'd been browsing and buying some well-needed herbs and amulets.

Giles had finally relented to Willow's persistent begging, and decided to assist in her developmental studies in magic. So, today was the day he decided to take her to this hidden and relatively unknown arcane shop, only frequented by serious occultists, and get her started on her next level of magics.

The day had gone smoothly. Willow, as usual, was charming company, sharing stories and telling jokes. He'd felt so comfortable, so relaxed in her presence that the hours seemed to fly by, first with the shopping then lunch.

As they were making their way back to the college, his car began to make these funny noises. Like a moose with his foot stuck in the mud. After a few miles, he pulled to the side of the road and checked the engine. At the time, nothing seemed amiss, so he'd slammed the hood shut and started the engine back up again.

And nothing. Absolutely, bloody nothing.

The car had just died. He had done everything possible to restart it but nothing worked. Willow finally suggested that they'd call AAA to tow them to the nearest gas station for repairs.

So, here they were.

He kicked the hubcap of his tire in frustration. He hated waiting in general, but to wait for this...was a waste of precious time.

"Giles?" Willow asked, walking over to him. Giles turned around as she rested her hand gently on his arm,causing a shudder to flow through him. Facing her, he found himself staring into those beautiful emerald eyes of hers. Eyes that held worry and tenderness all at once.

Smiling to reassure her, he asked, "Yes,Willow?"

"Don't worry,Giles. Everything will be fine." She beamed." I've had to wait for the AAA before and they really mean it when they say it will take only twenty minutes to get here. So, no worries."

Smiling tenderly, he said, "I know Willow." He brushed some hair out of her face. "It's just the waiting is killing me. I hate not being able to do anything."

"Well," She jumped onto the hood of the car, her skirt riding up, giving Giles an eyeful of her creamy thighs. "We can always play a game. You know, to pass the time."

He leaned back next to her, his arms crossed. "A game? What kind of game?"

"Anywhere but here." Willow answered, swinging her legs, causing them to brush Giles' side each time.

He raised an eyebrow. "Anywhere but here. I've never heard of that."

"Well, its a game Buffy, Xander and I used to play in High School." She told him, leaning back on her hands. "It's where you imagine yourself in a situation, usually a fantasy of sort, that takes place anywhere but where you are now." She explained, grinning at him.

"Willow..." He turned to give her a look. "You can't be serious."

She raised her own eyebrow. "Oh, why can't I?"

"Alright. ...I didn't mean it like that." He quickly amended, "What I meant to say is there must be something else we can do to occupy our time."

Willow sat in silence for a moment, pondering. Giles looked over at her, idly wondering what was going on in that beautiful head of hers. Grinning widely, Willow said, "Well, we could play another game."

Feeling slightly uneasy at the twinkle in her eye, he asked tentatively, "What other game?"

"I just made it up. It's called 'Whole truth, nothing but the Truth' It's where we each ask the other a bunch of questions and you have to answer truthfully. I'll go first. Where did you get the name Ripper?" Willow asked, turning expectantly toward him.

Giles' eyes widened considerably. Clearing his throat, he sputtered. "What was the other game called? Anywhere but there?"

Smiling, knowing she had him, Willow answered. "Anywhere but here. I'll go first."

Closing her eyes, tilting her face to the sun, Willow began her ABH.

   "I'm sitting in a piazza in Rome by myself. All around me, it's very quiet. For no reason at all. As I sit there reading 'The Aeneid', fantasizing about Aeneas and his adventures, a sudden tingle courses down my spine. It feels like someone is behind me, as if watching me.

   I can hear his footsteps coming closer and closer. I turn my head and stare into the most gorgeous green eyes I've ever seen. He.." She continued, a wistful smile on her face.


Giles was enraptured. Her words drifted over him like a warm wave, drawing him to her. She looked so beautiful, a goddess in the sun. Fiery red hair, with the sunlight glinting off at just the right moment, creating a halo around her head.

She was leaning on her hands, her back in a perfect arch. Her long,slender legs were crossed, causing her skirt to ride up, giving him a glorious view of her creamy skin.

Lost in the thought of her, he barely registered that she had stopped talking. "Giles?" Willow asked, staring at him expectantly, a soft smile on her face. She noticed him looking at her with this dreamy look on his face. A look that sent shivers down her spine and to her stomach, warming her up.

"Giles?" she asked, softer this time.

"Hmmm?" He answered, blinking his eyes a few times. "Oh..lovely tale, Willow. That was certainly as far from here as you could get." he told her, hoping she hadn't noticed his absentmindedness.

Blushing slightly, Willow replied. "Thanks. Now, it's your turn, Giles." He gave her a look of annoyance that she caught. "No,no Giles. Don't give me that look."

"What look?" he asked innocently.

Exasperated, Willow answered. "The 'I don't want to do this' look." She shook her finger at him. "No way, Giles. You're playing." She shifted on the trunk, preparing herself for his tale. "Okay. ABH me."

Sighing, Giles began:

   "I'm in a beautiful garden. A secret garden that only a few know about. Everywhere I turn, there are bushels and bushels of lush flowers growing about. Rich and vibrant colors were all to be seen. Red and violet, yellow and orange, I like to call it 'The Fire Garden'.

   Walking through, I hear a soft, lilting voice singing. As I approach, the song becomes familiar to me, my body starts to heat up at the recognition. As I round the ivy wall, I see a vision before me. The song she is singing, suddenly seems fitting, for it's describing what I'm feeling at the moment.

   As I step closer, the notes of 'I Only Have Eyes for You' wafts through the air, washing over me in a gentle, loving wave.

   She's lovely.

   She's sitting there while a butterfly flutters around her, entranced as much in her presence as I am.Slowly, she turns and I catch my breath. Her eyes are of the deepest green, emeralds in the sun.

   But, it is her smile that sets my heart aflame. Open and friendly, sweet yet sexy, her smile is the most brightest thing I've ever seen in my life. So welcoming, so comforting. Her smile drags me by its own will towards her. And I can't help but surrender.

   Raising her hand, she gestures for me to sit beside her. And I do, careful not to sit on her dress, one of my favorites as well as hers."


"What kind of dress?" Willow interrupted, her eyes closed, lost in his ABH.

Smiling fondly, Giles answered. "A red velvet. Not apple red but a more fiery orange red."

"Sounds pretty." Willow whispered, picturing herself in that dress.

"It gets better." Giles admitted. "The best part of the dress is the design....I like to call it the 'Sun' Dress."

"Sun dress?" She asked, her voice surprisingly shuddering.

"Yes. A beautiful, gold sun is embroidered on the bodice of the dress. Rays of light are shooting out of the front, down to her stomach, to her arms." Giles explained, watching her the whole time.

"It sounds beautiful." Willow whispered.

Giles nodded his agreement. "The dress reminds me of her. It always does. She radiates the same way the sun does on that dress. Bright and vibrant...so full of energy."

His voice dropped to a whisper. "I love that dress."

Slowly, so slowly, Willow opened her eyes to find him staring at her. Her green gems locked onto his, the heat between them intensifying to an inferno.

Leaning in, she whispered, just as softly. "I have a dress like that."

He nodded, and moved even closer to her, his body touching her knees. Smiling seductively, he answered her.

"I know."

* * *