__Late Night Conversations__
By Gibberish
Buffy awoke with a start, her breathing harsh. She looked around her room,
finding some comfort in familiar surroundings. It was the room of an adult;
pictures on the dresser, no stuffed animals. Not even Mr. Gordo had made it
out of Sunnydale. Once her heartbeat had returned to a semblance of normal,
Buffy threw back the covers. She didn't even bother with the light as she
made her way out of her room.
Giles awoke easily at the touch on his shoulder. "Buffy."
"Another one." Buffy said quietly. "I don't know what it means."
"You can't protect all of them." Giles said as he sat up and put on his glasses.
"I know." Buffy said as she took a seat next to him on the
bed. "Believe me, I know. They aren't like me, Giles."
"No, they aren't." Giles agreed.
"Do you ever feel like you've seen too much?" Buffy asked.
"Quite frequently." Giles told her. "Buffy, you were much younger than
these girls when you became the Slayer. They've never known what it was like
to truly do this alone. Not even Faith. They all look to you for guidance
and approval. You've been through so much."
"Dawn was with them this time." Buffy said. "I can't protect her either, can I?"
"Not from everything." Giles answered. "Buffy, you're doing an excellent job with her."
"Good, 'cause I really couldn't take it if you left again." Buffy told
him. "Giles, do think that the dreams are prophetic?"
"Do you?" Giles asked instead of answering.
"Unfortunately." Buffy sighed.
"What are you going to do?" Giles asked next.
"I don't know yet." Buffy answered. "But this Hellmouth has no idea who it's dealing with." She
looked at him seriously. "This is why you can't leave. You're the only one I can really talk to.
None of them is up to helping me organize *my* thoughts."
"You don't need me here, Buffy." Giles told her. "You're long past needing a Watcher."
"Maybe." Buffy said. "But I need *you*. I didn't do so well without you, you know?"
"You did fine once you found your equilibrium." Giles qualified. "Buffy, your biggest problem is
just believing in yourself."
"See, that's what I need you for." Buffy stated.
"Yes, well," Giles began embarrassed. "I didn't do a very good job of that, did I?"
"Do you mean Spike?" Buffy asked. "Or the whole kicking me out of my own house thing?"
"Both actually." Giles replied unable to meet her eyes. "We'd have lost without Spike. Without
you, we wouldn't have even made it to the fight. You found the weapon, you killed Caleb alone. I
didn't agree with you, and I didn't understand what you were doing."
"Well, neither did I." Buffy commented.
"But I should have known better than to have simply dismissed you." Giles said sadly. "I've seen
you come through too many times."
"You've also seen me fail." Buffy reminded him. "Big time. It's of the past, Giles. We're not
there anymore." She met his eyes. "Please don't leave again."
Giles looked at her seriously. "I shall have to return England upon occasion."
"I think I can handle that." Buffy responded. "As long as you come back." She blinked slowly and
yawned.
"Go back to bed, Buffy." Giles said with a small smile. "We'll find out tomorrow if any of the
others have been having these dreams."
* * * * *
Xander was returning from a late night snack, when he saw Buffy slip out of Giles' bedroom. He
blinked to dispel the image, but she was still there. She slipped silently into her own room,
never having seen Xander. "Okay, what was that all about?"
* * * * *
"Buffy was what?" Willow asked in disbelief as she and Xander sat at the kitchen table the next
morning.
"She was sneaking out of Giles' room last night." Xander said again.
"When?" Willow asked next.
"About 2am." Xander told her.
"What were you doing out of bed?" Willow asked suspiciously.
"I was hungry." Xander answered simply. "The question is - What was Buffy doing in Giles' room at
that time of night?"
"Maybe she'd just come in from patrolling." Willow suggested.
"In her pajamas?" Xander asked doubtfully. "Look, I don't want to be thinking what I'm thinking,
but what else am I supposed to think?"
"About what?" Dawn asked as she came into the kitchen.
Xander and Willow exchanged a look. "Have you noticed anything different with Buffy lately?"
Xander asked.
"Like what?" Dawn asked in confused concern.
"Dawn," Giles said as he came in. "Are you ready? You'll be late for school."
Dawn looked at Xander, then back to Giles. "Let me get my books." She left the kitchen.
"Is she alright?" Giles asked. "She seemed a bit off."
"She didn't sleep well." Xander replied. "I don't think anyone did, actually. How did you sleep
last night?" Willow's eyes shot to him, but he ignored her.
Giles was thoughtful. "No worse than usual, I suppose. I don't sleep very well normally, so it's
hard for me to judge. Buffy didn't sleep well, I know, but she hasn't been for a few days now."
He missed the look that Willow and Xander exchanged. "It's not that I mind her waking me up
every night." Giles said without realizing how it sounded to them. "I just
wish there was something I could do besides take her mind off things." That
time he did catch their looks. "What?"
"Nothing." They said quickly, and in unison.
"Quite convincing." Giles commented wryly. "Now, ..."
"Ready, Giles." Dawn called from the other room.
Giles looked at them. "We'll talk about this later." He left the kitchen.
"Oh my goodness." Willow said in shock.
* * *