Fic: Subterfuge (25/?)

[inell@xxxxxxx]

Title: Subterfuge
Author: Inell
Email: Inell@xxxxxxx
Disclaimer: Joss owns them all
Distribution: My site, Kiss or Kill, 
http://members.fortunecity.com/kissorkill Anyone that has permission, take. 
Otherwise, just ask.
Rating: R
Pairing: Willow/Buffy
To Dan~Ask and ye shall receive :)


SUBTERFUGE (25/?)


"Hello?" Buffy answered the phone, wondering if it might be Willow. She'd 
been up for two hours and still had seen no sign of the redhead. She was 
becoming a bit worried.


"Buffy, how are you feeling?"


Buffy frowned as she replied, "Much better, but how did you know I was sick?"


Giles sighed as he said, "I suppose that means Willow isn't back yet. I 
suspected as much."


"Willow told you," Buffy smiled as she sat back, not at all surprised that 
her best friend had told her watcher about her illness. "Good. For a second 
there, I was thinking you might be reading minds or something equally 
Hellmouthy."


"She came to see me this morning," he said quietly, relieved to hear in her 
voice that she was doing well. 


"She didn't just call?" Buffy was a bit surprised that Willow had gone all 
the way to Giles instead of just picking up the phone. A nagging began at the 
back of her mind as she asked, "Why did she see you, Giles?"


"It's not my place to answer that question, Buffy," Giles said, knowing he 
would not betray Willow by telling her secret unless she failed to do so as 
she promised. He was far more worried than he had let on to the redhead, not 
having a vague idea how they were supposed to fight Glory's interest in the 
key much less this new obsession with Willow. She'd already proven that she 
could kill Buffy, if she wished. He knew there was a way, they just had to 
find it, he just had to find it. 


"I don't like the sound of that," Buffy said softly, her tone becoming 
worried. "Is Willow okay? Is this because of last night, when I fainted? She 
was so scared, Giles. She thought I had died. Did she freak out? Why didn't 
she wait and talk to me today?"


"Buffy, calm down," Giles warned, noting the agitation in the slayer's voice. 
"Willow promised to tell you everything when she got home. I need you to do 
something for me, though. A promise."


"Anything," Buffy said, trying to figure out why Willow had seen Giles and 
why her watcher was being so damn cryptic.


"When she gets home, when she's telling you what she told me," he stopped as 
he debated whether to say the next words.


"Yeah?" Buffy waited, not very patiently as her hazel eyes moved to the door 
when she heard footsteps on the stairs.


"Remember that you love her," he finally said.


"What?" Buffy's eyes widened as she said, "How did you? I never said...."


"I'm your watcher, Buffy. I'm also your friend," he said with a small smile 
as he heard the disbelief in her voice, his guess confirmed. "If you need to 
talk, I'm here."


"I know. I was planning on telling her today. I'm so tired of being scared, 
you know? Giles, I love her so much," Buffy stopped when she heard the key in 
the lock, "she's home."


"I'd better go," he said, saying a small prayer that his slayer would make it 
through this latest development in her life, hopefully with the love that she 
deserved, "Bye."


"Bye," Buffy said as she placed the phone back in its cradle, still shocked 
that Giles knew she loved Willow, maybe even before she had, and that he was 
fine with it. She was also curious as to what had driven Willow to the 
watcher so early in the morning and scared as to what Willow was going to 
tell her. She had to be thankful that she at least had a moment to prepare 
herself for the news, whatever it might be. If Giles was worried and telling 
her to remember her feelings for Willow, she somehow knew it must be serious 
and not good. She also knew that, now that she had confirmed her feelings for 
Willow to Giles, she had to tell the redhead how she really felt. That scared 
her more than thinking about whatever it was Willow was going to tell her. 
Gathering all of her strength, she looked up and gave Willow a smile as the 
redhead came into the room.