Giles was driving home from the museum, his mind lost in thoughts of artifacts and paperwork. The autumn evening was warm, even by Southern California standards, so he rolled down his window.
The air had the distinct odor of smoke. He breathed it in and wondered who would be insane enough to build a fire on night like this. 'I hope it's a hearth fire,' he thought nervously. He stopped for a red light and reflexively scanned the area for trouble.
Across the street he saw it. He blinked a few times and shook his head. Just when you think you've seen everything...
It looked like a little bear was fighting with a big tree, and the tree was winning. Knowing he shouldn't, Giles pulled over the side of the road and went to investigate further.
He dashed across the road and as he got closer to the melee he could tell that it wasn't a real bear or a real tree. It was Sunny the UC Sunnydale mascot, and what appeared to be a man dressed as a Giant Sequoia. Although, he noted absently to himself, the bark resembled more of a knotty pine. No Hellmouth at work here, probably just a fraternity prank.
He started to turn away, but thought better of it. The bear *was* awfully small and was definitely getting the worst of it. The tree loomed over its victim, branches flailing. It connected with a rather vicious blow that sent the bear's head spinning all the way around.
Giles heard a muffled scream. "That's enough!" he called out.
The tree turned to look at him and the bear used the diversion to its advantage and kicked the tree in the... um... trunk.
"AIEIAEIE!!!" screamed the tree as it doubled over in pain.
The bear seized the moment and scrambled away from the attacker. It limped quickly over toward Giles and then past him, waving for him to follow. Giles stood his ground and looked back at the tree. A series of extremely vulgar invectives could be heard as the Redwood stood to its full height, which in this case was about 10 feet. Emblazoned across the tree's chest was "BIG RED".
Giles was continuing to mentally catalogue the errors in costume design when he was startled out of his reverie by the sound of his own car horn. He spun around to see the bear sitting in his passenger seat leaning on the horn and waving him over.
"I'm gonna get that little bear," the tree swore.
Giles tried to think of a response, but what do you say to an irate tree? A tree that was waggling its branches in a very threatening manner. Shaking his head and trying not to appear as if he were running away from a tree, Giles ran quickly back to his car.
He jumped in just as the tree was picking up speed. He looked at the bear that was saying something unintelligible and banging on the dash with its paws, urging him to drive.
Giles turned the key and blessedly, for once, the car started on the first go, receiving applause from the bear. Muttering something about being insane, Giles pulled away and saw the tree disappear in the rearview mirror.
"What... who are you?" he finally asked.
The answer was a stifled mumble.
"I can't hear you through the costume," he said.
The bear nodded and tried to lift the headpiece off, but there wasn't room in the small car. It patted it the roof with its little paws and shrugged.
"We'll be at my place soon. Are you hurt?"
The bear lowered its head.
"Are you... what's wrong? You're hurt?" Giles asked concerned.
The bear's chest heaved a deep sigh and nodded.
"Here we are," Giles said as they reached his apartment. He hurried to help the bear out of the car and up the steps. The little thing, barely over five feet tall, was limping noticeably and the "S" in Sunny was dangling by a thread.
He opened the front door and helped the bear inside.
"Let's get this off you," he said. He reached out and carefully pulled the headpiece off and set it aside.
"Thanks, Giles."
He spun back around. "Willow?"
Her hair was wet with sweat and matted down against her forehead. She let out a long breath and pulled off her paws. "So hot in there."
"W-Willow?"
"I've gotta sit down." She limped her way over to the sofa and collapsed. "That tree was brutal."
Giles made several sounds, resembling speech, and yet not coalescing into actual words.
"Oh, look at my 'S'", Willow said sadly. "Now I'm just Unny." She giggled. "Unny bear... that's kinda cute." Then she frowned. "I don't feel well."
Giles snapped to and crossed to stand next to her. She didn't look particularly well. She was paler than normal and she was sweating.
"It's... um... probably heat exhaustion. Y-you should t-t-take the rest of ... your costume... off." He blushed and reached out to help her undo the fasteners.
Willow followed suit and threw in ducking her head for good measure. "I... don't have clothes... I'm... I've only got my underwear on."
Her words reached him, but didn't compute. He had just pulled the zipper down past the clasp of her bra. He stared at her creamy skin, hiding behind that wisp of lace. He blinked a few times, mesmerized by the smooth lines of her back, the long, elegant...
Then, with a rush, he finally realized what she had said and that he was sitting there ogling her near nakedness.
"Good lord," he mumbled and quickly re-zipped.
"Ouch!" Willow gasped.
"S-S-sorry," Giles sputtered turning away. "Wh-hat... what..."
"Do you have a robe or something?" Willow asked sheepishly.
"A robe?" The image of Willow in his robe seemed to freeze his brain for a moment. He stared at her blankly.
"Or a big T-shirt..."
The image of Willow in a big T-shirt replaced the robe image and he felt a wave of heat. Clearing his throat, he managed to speak. "A... robe. Of course."
He scrambled upstairs and tried in vain not to caress the material that was about to caress her skin. He sighed and barreled back downstairs.
He handed her the robe and helped her to the bathroom. "Do you need any...oh, of course. I'll just..." He pulled off his glasses, which had suddenly steamed up.
Willow smiled shyly and shut the door behind her.
A few minutes later, she emerged. His breath caught in his throat. So beautiful. She'd washed her face and put her hair up. The robe was far too big for her, but only added to his urge to take her into his arms. He fought down that urge, among others... *again*...
She was still limping, although less so, and he hurried to her side. "Does it hurt badly?" he asked gently.
She smiled up at him and tried to ignore the heat that his touch always caused. "No, it's not too bad. Just twisted it."
He eased her onto the sofa and offered her a glass of water, which she gratefully accepted.
He sat next to her, sure not to be too close. "What on earth... was that all about?"
She laughed and set down her glass. "I'm Sunny, the UC Sunnydale mascot."
"Why?"
"Well, I wanted to do something to show I have school spirit, the big game's tomorrow... and they needed somebody kind of small for the costume. Sunny's a Sun Bear," she said with a cute little smile. "Sun bears are small and I fit and everything was great at the pep rally. I think I really inspired pep in some previously pep-less people."
Giles chuckled. "I'm sure you did."
"And I was walking home and then that mean old tree jumped out of nowhere."
Giles shook his head in confusion. "And the tree is..."
"Oh. He's Big Red. That's the mascot for Terrytown University... that's our big rival."
"Ah, like Cambridge was to Oxford. The boat races brought out the animal in some of the upper classmen."
Willow giggled. "Something like that."
Giles frowned and his eyes darkened. "Why was the tree beating you?"
"He was trying to get me to go with him."
"Kidnap you?" Giles fumed.
"It's tradition. Each school tries to kidnap the other's mascot before the big game."
"That's barbaric!"
"That's college," she said with a shrug.
"If I ever get my hands on that tree," Giles growled.
Willow stifled another giggle, but then had a thought. "I guess they'll try again."
Giles stood up and started to pace. He was taking this very seriously. "Well, they won't find you here."
"Here?"
"I won't risk your going to the dorm. You'll stay here tonight," he said with finality.
"Um okay." Willow said softly.
"You'll be safe here." He looked at her and swallowed hard. Her big green eyes looked at him with such trust. How he ached for it to be something more.
"I know," she whispered and then smiled in a way that always made his heart jump. She reached for her water glass and let out a small moan.
"What is it?" he said suddenly at her side again.
She scrunched up her face and rubbed her left shoulder. "Ow."
He started to reach out to touch her, but pulled his hand back nervously. "Y-your shoulder?"
"That tree got in a few good whacks."
Giles frowned and cleared his throat. "L-Let me." He took her hand and moved it out the way. He turned her slightly, so she was facing away from him and tentatively, gently started to massage her shoulders.
She moaned and he pulled his hands away. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"
"No," she said. Life gives you opportunities, she thought, but it's up to you what you make of them. Throwing caution to the wind, Willow seized the moment. "It feels good, it's just that.."
He had to lean in to hear her, his breath hot against her neck. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of lavender. "Just what?" he said softly.
"The robe," she whispered. 'Courage.' "It's so thick... I think... would you mind if..." she shrugged and slipped the robe off her shoulders.
Giles moaned, coughed and sputtered. "Mind?"
He sat perfectly still, not trusting himself to move. She was sitting with her back to him, exposed to him. Her creamy skin and delicate shoulders inches from him. He licked his lips and raised trembling hands. His fingers hovered above her skin. He closed his eyes and touched her.
His hands were just as she had imagined them to be, warm and strong. He barely brushed against her at first, his long fingers tracing the length of her neck down across her shoulders.
He marveled at the feel of her skin. It was softer than he'd dreamed and he'd dreamed of it often. His fingers traced patterns, seemingly if their own accord, along her pale skin. He noticed a red mark and frowned. His fingers ran along the outside area that marred her perfect skin. He felt a wave of anger that someone had struck her. Without thinking he leaned forward and brushed his lips across the mark, a feather-light kiss.
She gasped and he pulled back. Missing his touch more desperately than she thought possible, Willow turned to face him.
His eyes were filled with emotion. He wanted to look away, ashamed of his reckless behavior, but he couldn't. He met her gaze and found his own passion reflected, dark and wet.
"Willow-" he whispered. She reached out and placed one slim finger on his lips. She smiled, at once the innocent and the seductress. He knew he was lost. She cupped the side of his face and gently urged him toward her.
He let her guide him to her mouth. With infinite tenderness he pressed his lips to hers. She moaned quietly and he pulled her closer. With one arm he lifted her onto his lap, while the other caressed her cheek. He tilted her head back to give him access to neck and trailed kisses down to her collarbone. The robe was barely clinging to her now and he leaned back and looked down at the sash.
Willow followed his gaze. She took hold of one of his hands and kissed the palm. He looked back up to her face and knew he could stare into her eyes for an eternity. She took his hand and placed it on the sash of her robe, giving him silent permission. Eternity would have to wait.
The next day at the big game, Buffy and Xander were doing the bump as the band played its very own special rendition of "Kung Fu Fighting". Buffy bumped Xander a bit too hard and he skittered out on his butt into the aisle of the student section.
"Sorry," he muttered to a pair of tennis shoes.
"Quite all right. Xander?"
Xander looked up and saw Giles or someone who looked a lot like Giles... but this guy was wearing blue jeans and tennis shoes. "G-Man?" Xander croaked.
Giles smiled and offered him a hand up.
"Giles," Buffy added with a big grin. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh.... Willow gave me her ticket. She, um, had something else to do."
Buffy looked at him a little suspiciously. "She's been Super Secret Girl the last few days."
Giles tried unsuccessfully to hide an "if you only knew" smile.
"Peanut?" he offered.
Xander grabbed a handful. "Thanks."
"You look... different," Buffy observed. "Different, but good... collegey."
Giles smiled, slightly embarrassed, and turned to scan the field.
"Didn't think you liked football, G-funk," Xander said between mouthfuls.
"There are a great many things you don't know about me, Xander," Giles said cryptically. "And don't ever call me that."
The teams took the field and the crowd roared. Giles clapped politely, but craned his neck, trying to see something in particular.
"And now..." intoned a deep voice from the PA system. "The pride of UC Sunnydale -- Sunny the Sun Bear!" The crowd applauded and few jeered, while Giles dropped his peanuts and whistled and may very well have "whooped".
Buffy and Xander looked at him in shock.
"I just love that little bear," he said brightly.
