Disclaimer: I don't own any Buffy characters; besides, I'm too poor to sue.
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Part Four
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"Sunnydale hasn’t changed much, has it?" Willow’s brown eyes surveyed the passing scenery of her old hometown.
Buffy glanced at her traveling companion. "I guess not. It will always be a one Starbuck’s kind of town." She looked down at William, who was sleeping between the two of them in Buffy’s convertible. She had graciously put the top up so William would not be burned. "Is he okay?" The boy hadn’t been his usual chipper self ever since they had left Seattle.
"I’m not sure." The redhead ran her fingers through William’s reddish hair. He stirred, but did not awaken. "I thought he would draw power from the Hellmouth, but it seems to be having the opposite effect on him." Her son was paler than usual, besides being lethargic. She wasn’t used to seeing him so calm. It was eerie.
They drove by Sunnydale High with no sign of stopping. "Isn’t Giles at the library?" she asked, looking back at her old school.
"He didn’t go back to his old job once we got back from England. There wasn’t any need." Buffy paused for a moment, fixing her lipstick in the rearview mirror. "I had graduated, and he wanted to do something more to his liking. So he bought a bookshop."
Willow started laughing. "I thought there was no possible way for Giles to have any more books."
Buffy smiled, happy to see her friend’s face light up with giggles. "He never sells anything. I’m amazed that he even stays in business."
They sped by the flat where Spike had held her captive five years before. Buffy hurried past the place, trying to keep Willow from noticing. But the redhead was all too observant.
she noted. She swallowed her tears.
"We’re here," Buffy announced, pulling onto Pertainia Street and into a small parking lot. Even from the outside the bookstore was very Giles; very British and old looking. Willow noticed a second story to the place, and Buffy explained.
"He lives in the apartment above the shop. All his books at his fingertips, all the time." Buffy grinned good-naturedly. "I bug him about it at least once a month, but he really loves the arrangement. The only time he isn’t near his precious books is when he’s staying at my house."
Willow had been getting out of the car, but she stopped dead when she heard Buffy’s last sentence. She looked at the Slayer with wide eyes. "Buffy, are you and Giles a couple? Isn’t that against the rules, and a few laws?"
"Ugh, that’s kind of a gross idea Willow. Giles is like a father to me." Buffy shivered with disgust. "He stays at my house because I have nightmares a lot. Especially lately." She inadvertedly glanced at William. "Come on. He’s been dying to see you again."
"There’s he is," Buffy said suddenly. The former librarian appeared on the sidewalk in front of the bookstore, anxiously awaiting their arrival.
"Hi honey, we’re home!" the Slayer yelled as she got out of the car, throwing a devilish grin at Willow. She carried her lethargic son in her arms as Giles ignored Buffy and walked straight to Willow.
"Hi Giles," Willow squeaked nervously. She stared at the changed Watcher. His hair was shot with gray, and he had finally seemed to realize that tweed was too stuffy for California. He was dressed in a light shirt and khakis. It looked great on the nearly fifty- year-old man.
"Hello Willow," he said stiffly. She shifted William into Buffy’s arms and approached the Watcher. Pausing only for a moment, Willow threw her arms around him as she began to cry.
"I missed you, old guy," she joked. "You look good."
"Thank you," Giles returned, flustered. His teary eyes settled on the boy. "I presume this is your son?"
"This is my baby." The drained little boy glanced up at Giles slowly, but seemed to lose interest and buried his head in Buffy’s chest. "He hasn’t been himself lately, with the H-E-L-L mouth and all." Giles smiled at Willow’s motherly guarding of her child’s ears.
"I understand. Do come inside. I have tea ready." Giles turned to lead them into his store, but stopped when he heard Willow snickering.
"Giles, do you have any coffee?" Willow asked, laughing. "I’ve lived in Seattle since William was born. There’s no beverage *but* up there."
"Of course," he replied, smiling. Giles led them into the sitting room of his apartment. After Willow laid little William on Giles’ bed for a nap, the Watcher served them some coffee, taking his usual tea.
"Your son is not at all what I expected," Giles started. "I thought he would be more---"
"Evil?"
He looked embarrassed. "No. What I mean is…well, um…"
Willow saved him from further discomfort. "It's all right, Giles. It would be perfectly normal to think that William is evil. But he’s not, I assure you. He’s an angel."
Giles got up and walked to a drawer. He then pulled out a book Willow knew all too well. The Codex. She paled at the mere sight of it. That book held her son’s fate.
"Willow, Buffy has already informed you of the prophecy, about William, correct?" She nodded her red head. "I found another that affects you. I just translated it this morning, so Buffy hasn’t even heard. Frankly I’m quite shocked that it could be possible at all."
"Giles, I don’t think I want to hear anymore. My life was semi-okay before, and now it’s in shambles." She sniffed quietly. "I’ve tried to forget about this kind of life for the past four years. I’ve tried to forget about prophecies, and vampires. I don’t want to hear any more. It will just be another prophecy, foreseeing the death of my son."
"Willow," he stammered, disturbed by her words. "It isn’t about William, directly. It’s about Spike."
It felt as though her heart stopped cold. Her breath came in short, small gasps, and Giles thought the girl would pass out right then and there. Willow finally managed to get a few words out of her cotton-dry mouth. "Spike? Wh-what about him?" Buffy seemed as shocked as she was. "What does the Codex say about Spike, Giles?"
Giles took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, echoing the movement Willow had seen almost daily during high school. He replaced them and exhaled deeply. "There’s a chance that Spike can be brought back to life. It’s not clear if he would be a demon, or human again. But he could be brought back."
Willow felt her head swim and the coffee cup she held crashed to the floor. Everyone jumped, except for her. She simply swam in her daze, unable to believe what Giles had just told her. Buffy’s angered voice broke into her thoughts.
"So what? So what if Spike can be resurrected? Why would you want to? Does anyone but me remember the bad stuff he did? Spike was evil. You don’t just bring back a demon; it wouldn’t be right."
Willow turned on her friend fiercely. "Spike was not evil. He gave me the most beautiful gift in the world. And why shouldn’t he be brought back? Especially if he would be human. My son could finally have a father. Do you really want to deny a little boy of that right?"
"Willow, I’m just thinking of you," Buffy pleaded. "Spike could be a totally different person as a human, and who’s to say if he’ll even know you. For all we know, his last memory could be of the nineteen hundreds. Could you really take it if he didn’t recognize you?"
Giles intervened, seeing that Willow was about to cry. "Why don’t you two go home, and get some rest. Get settled, then we’ll discuss this further. I’m going to go over the translation again and double-check it, to make sure I made no mistakes."
Willow grasped Giles’ hand firmly and stared at him with teary eyes. "Promise me you’ll find out everything you can. I want Spike back. I want my child’s father alive. Vampire or not," she emphasized.
"I won’t keep anything from you, Willow," Giles said. "You have my word."
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