Fic - "Gifts" - Chapter 5
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gen_storytellerTitle: Gifts
Author: Maia
Rating: G for the first few chapters; later chapters will be PG-13 for violence
Warnings: Multiple character deaths in later chapters
Characters: Dawn, William, Buffy, Giles, Xander, Willow, several original characters.
Feedback: Yes, please!
Disclaimer: Everything except the original characters belongs to Joss
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
This chapter was first posted on my LJ here.
Gifts
Chapter 5
She awakened slowly, moving upwards through the waters of her mind until she broke through to the air of the darkened room.
She felt as though she had been asleep for a very long time and was surprised to find Merlin still sleeping beside her. It was still raining outside. She looked at the clock on the bedside table. The digital display glowed green. 3:07 a.m.
She felt as though she ought to remember something. But she was too tired. Cold and tired, as though her body's warmth had been completely drained. And yet...strangely peaceful. She unfolded the extra blankets and cuddled up to Merlin. He purred as she fell asleep again.
The second time she awoke the rain had stopped and Merlin was gone. She looked at the clock. 7:30 a.m. Maybe it was afternoon in London, but...
The third time she awoke it was nearly ten and she finally felt rested. She lay in bed for a few minutes feeling warm and happy. Then she remembered that she had to call Buffy today. She got up.
*
When she went into the kitchen William was making strawberry pancakes. He'd gone to the Farmer's Market early and found the first strawberries of the season, and was nearly dancing with enthusiasm over them. Dawn thought that it was a good thing that Spike had never been in Angel's situation with the soul: it didn't take much to make him happy.
She did hope, though, that he wasn't making pancakes because he felt obligated; she would have been happy with cold cereal. But he told her that he really enjoyed it. "To misquote Ratty in The Wind in the Willows: there is nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in the kitchen. I'm just lucky to be able to earn my living from it."
That reminded her that today was a normal working day – a Wednesday, in fact. Had it really been only two days ago that she'd gotten on the plane in London? It seemed like years had gone by since then. "Do you have to work today?" she asked.
"No. The restaurant is small. We're open Thursdays through Sundays, for dinner only. I work 2 p.m. to midnight those days."
"That's a long day. Must be tiring."
"It is. But it's nice having three days a week to myself."
"So you're free today?"
He flipped a pancake and looked uncomfortable. "Well...I do have...something...this afternoon."
"Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked. Okay, that was both out of left field and completely not her business. But she had wondered about it, and she was curious.
William looked surprised. "What? No. I..."
"What then?" She knew she was being dreadfully nosy. But when had Dawn Summers ever not been nosy? She'd been ferreting out information that was none of her business as far back as she could remember. Sometimes she wondered if the monks had made her that way for a reason other than driving Buffy around the bend.
William looked both embarrassed and annoyed. "I work in a soup kitchen, okay? No need to make a thing of it." He glared at her as though daring her to laugh.
For a moment she wasn't quite sure why he was embarrassed. Then she realized that she was probably the first person he'd met since becoming human again who had known him as a vampire. It was strikingly different from his Big Bad image.
She was careful not to even imply amusement as she nodded casually and said, "I did that in college."
He relaxed a little as he turned his attention back to the pancakes. After a moment's silence he said softly, "It's just...I've been there myself, y'know?"
He stole a shy glance at her as though to gauge her reaction. She nodded.
After another minute of focus on the pancakes he added, even more softly, "And – I've eaten enough people in my time. Makes sense to feed 'em now."
Dawn had an odd moment of deja vu. That reminded her of...something. But she didn't take the time to try and remember what it was. She wanted to reassure William that she respected and admired him as a human.
"You're a good man, William," she said. His head shot up and he gave her a piercing look which puzzled her. He was probably surprised by the cliche-ish-ness of it. Yeah, it was a dumb thing to say. But it had gotten the point across. She asked if she could help with the breakfast preparations, and he let her help, and everything was comfortable again.
*
Fifteen minutes later, when the pancakes were done and they had sat down at the table and started to eat, she wrecked the comfortableness. She mentioned that she had to call Buffy today. William choked on a bite of pancake. "W- What are you going to tell her?"
"What do you want me to tell her?"
"I couldn't ask you to keep it secret from her."
"It would be a bit hard if I'm living with you."
"She has to know. But you shouldn't have to – I could – "
"I don't mind telling her.
He looked like he was about ready to bolt from the room. Obviously, he still had feelings for Buffy. Well, in her omniscient younger sister opinion, Buffy still had feelings for him, too. She felt an odd hope rising. He and Buffy were the closest thing she had to parents. If there was a chance...
He hadn't asked, but maybe he was afraid to. "She's not seeing anyone," she informed him.
He looked more miserable rather than less. Why wasn't that good news to him?
Oh.
Buffy, sobbing in her arms. "I told him that I loved him, Dawnie. I told him that I loved him, and he didn't believe me!"
She was well aware that she was yet again meddling in things that were none of her business. But...surely it would be better for both of them if at least they had the same information? If they didn't get back together because they were wrong for each other, that was one thing. But if they didn't get back together because of a misunderstanding...she couldn't bear that.
She made a decision. "She meant it, you know."
He looked confused.
"She meant it when she told you she loved you." She regarded him fiercely. He looked away.
Don't you dare disbelieve me. Not after you left me to cope with her broken heart.
No, not just broken heart. Broken soul. And it wasn't his fault.
He didn't answer for a minute. Then he said, still not looking at her, "Even if that's true...that was a long time ago."
"Five years." Oh, wait, it seemed like more than that to him, didn't it? "Or, I guess – longer for you."
He didn't say anything.
"And you still love her."
"Yes." He said it so softly that she had to strain to hear.
"I think she still loves you too."
"Maybe she loves what I was. But I'm so different now."
"She's different too. She's changed a lot." Healed a lot. Not entirely. But a lot. She'd told him last night about Buffy's depression in the year after he'd died, and she'd told him that Buffy was fine now – but she hadn't told him the source of her recovery. "She had a couple of years of counseling. Saw a psychologist who knows about the demon world and all. He said Buffy had severe post-traumatic stress disorder."
"I could have told 'em that."
"Well, yeah. But the point is, she's worked a lot of stuff out. And you have too. You're both different, and –"
"I'm different in a bigger way than psychotherapy."
"- and maybe you can get to know each other again."
"Straighten up their mess with togetherness..." Geez, Dawn. Indulging your Parent Trap fantasies. Pity the monks hadn't thought to make her an identical twin.
William was quiet for a while and then said, "She's going to be furious with me for not contacting her."
"Well, yeah."
His hand had gone to his nose as though to shield it. Oh. His experience with Buffy's anger was different from hers...
She took a deep breath. "She told us what she did to you."
"She WHAT?"
"About a year after you died. We had a Scooby reunion thing, and Buffy sat us all down and told us about...about...that she had...that she...that she...abused you. She told us about...about...like that...that time at her birthday party when you were so beat up and you told us that you'd run into a demon but Buffy told us that it was her and - "she babbled on nonsensically, even though she knew from the storm of emotions on William's face that she ought to stop. " – and she feels awful about it, and everybody kind of realized, you know, that, you know..."
"Canonized me, did you lot? Scooby College of Cardinals decided that since Spike was out of the picture it was safe to officially declare him to have been an actual PERSON? Takes such conviction, that. I'm touched."
So, the snarkiness wasn't entirely from the demon.
"I don't think you're being fair. The Scoobies aren't a hive mind..."
"They were at one point."
"Whatever. Willow was always nice to you and you know it. And Xander had issues too and he's worked a lot out and I think you guys have a lot in common and you could be friends if you gave each other a chance. And Giles admitted he was wrong and he feels bad about – "
"-trying to KILL me-"
"-yeah, well, he says he's sorry."
"And Giles is an honorable man."
Dawn was starting to get mad now. "You know, Buffy has her flaws, but there's one thing she never does. She never, ever, holds a grudge. And that's a lot more than can be said for you."
His eyes widened. "Touche, Niblet. You're entirely right." But he didn't start eating again – he hadn't taken a bite since she mentioned calling Buffy – he just pushed a bit of pancake around on the plate and chewed on his lower lip.
Dawn wondered at the intensity of his reaction. It seemed like the big deal to him wasn't really with the Scoobies as a group – it was with Giles. Sunnydale seemed longer ago to him than his childhood did – so why was it still such a fraught issue for him?
She suddenly remembered the time that Willow's spell had wiped all their memories. Spike had assumed that Giles was his father. Not a coincidence, she realized. For some odd reason Giles had been a father-figure to Spike, and though Spike would never have admitted it, he had longed for Giles' approval. He must have felt deeply betrayed by Giles' actions.
And now...it seemed like William's adoption by Rosemary had helped him resolve his Mommy issues, but maybe he still hungered for a father figure.
"William...how old were you when your father died?"
He looked up, surprised, "What? Two."
Yup. Made sense.
William, though, wanted to change the subject. "What's Willow doing now?"
"She's finishing her doctorate at Berkeley. And she met a woman named Rebecca, and they got married last year."
William's face lit up. "That's great!"
"And Xander met a slayer named Zoe and they got married a year ago. They live in San Francisco, so they're close to Willow and Rebecca."
William started eating again, and for the rest of breakfast Dawn filled him in on the lives of the Scoobies. He wanted to hear every detail. After all, he did love soap operas.
*
Chapter 6
Author: Maia
Rating: G for the first few chapters; later chapters will be PG-13 for violence
Warnings: Multiple character deaths in later chapters
Characters: Dawn, William, Buffy, Giles, Xander, Willow, several original characters.
Feedback: Yes, please!
Disclaimer: Everything except the original characters belongs to Joss
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
This chapter was first posted on my LJ here.
Gifts
Chapter 5
She awakened slowly, moving upwards through the waters of her mind until she broke through to the air of the darkened room.
She felt as though she had been asleep for a very long time and was surprised to find Merlin still sleeping beside her. It was still raining outside. She looked at the clock on the bedside table. The digital display glowed green. 3:07 a.m.
She felt as though she ought to remember something. But she was too tired. Cold and tired, as though her body's warmth had been completely drained. And yet...strangely peaceful. She unfolded the extra blankets and cuddled up to Merlin. He purred as she fell asleep again.
The second time she awoke the rain had stopped and Merlin was gone. She looked at the clock. 7:30 a.m. Maybe it was afternoon in London, but...
The third time she awoke it was nearly ten and she finally felt rested. She lay in bed for a few minutes feeling warm and happy. Then she remembered that she had to call Buffy today. She got up.
*
When she went into the kitchen William was making strawberry pancakes. He'd gone to the Farmer's Market early and found the first strawberries of the season, and was nearly dancing with enthusiasm over them. Dawn thought that it was a good thing that Spike had never been in Angel's situation with the soul: it didn't take much to make him happy.
She did hope, though, that he wasn't making pancakes because he felt obligated; she would have been happy with cold cereal. But he told her that he really enjoyed it. "To misquote Ratty in The Wind in the Willows: there is nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in the kitchen. I'm just lucky to be able to earn my living from it."
That reminded her that today was a normal working day – a Wednesday, in fact. Had it really been only two days ago that she'd gotten on the plane in London? It seemed like years had gone by since then. "Do you have to work today?" she asked.
"No. The restaurant is small. We're open Thursdays through Sundays, for dinner only. I work 2 p.m. to midnight those days."
"That's a long day. Must be tiring."
"It is. But it's nice having three days a week to myself."
"So you're free today?"
He flipped a pancake and looked uncomfortable. "Well...I do have...something...this afternoon."
"Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked. Okay, that was both out of left field and completely not her business. But she had wondered about it, and she was curious.
William looked surprised. "What? No. I..."
"What then?" She knew she was being dreadfully nosy. But when had Dawn Summers ever not been nosy? She'd been ferreting out information that was none of her business as far back as she could remember. Sometimes she wondered if the monks had made her that way for a reason other than driving Buffy around the bend.
William looked both embarrassed and annoyed. "I work in a soup kitchen, okay? No need to make a thing of it." He glared at her as though daring her to laugh.
For a moment she wasn't quite sure why he was embarrassed. Then she realized that she was probably the first person he'd met since becoming human again who had known him as a vampire. It was strikingly different from his Big Bad image.
She was careful not to even imply amusement as she nodded casually and said, "I did that in college."
He relaxed a little as he turned his attention back to the pancakes. After a moment's silence he said softly, "It's just...I've been there myself, y'know?"
He stole a shy glance at her as though to gauge her reaction. She nodded.
After another minute of focus on the pancakes he added, even more softly, "And – I've eaten enough people in my time. Makes sense to feed 'em now."
Dawn had an odd moment of deja vu. That reminded her of...something. But she didn't take the time to try and remember what it was. She wanted to reassure William that she respected and admired him as a human.
"You're a good man, William," she said. His head shot up and he gave her a piercing look which puzzled her. He was probably surprised by the cliche-ish-ness of it. Yeah, it was a dumb thing to say. But it had gotten the point across. She asked if she could help with the breakfast preparations, and he let her help, and everything was comfortable again.
*
Fifteen minutes later, when the pancakes were done and they had sat down at the table and started to eat, she wrecked the comfortableness. She mentioned that she had to call Buffy today. William choked on a bite of pancake. "W- What are you going to tell her?"
"What do you want me to tell her?"
"I couldn't ask you to keep it secret from her."
"It would be a bit hard if I'm living with you."
"She has to know. But you shouldn't have to – I could – "
"I don't mind telling her.
He looked like he was about ready to bolt from the room. Obviously, he still had feelings for Buffy. Well, in her omniscient younger sister opinion, Buffy still had feelings for him, too. She felt an odd hope rising. He and Buffy were the closest thing she had to parents. If there was a chance...
He hadn't asked, but maybe he was afraid to. "She's not seeing anyone," she informed him.
He looked more miserable rather than less. Why wasn't that good news to him?
Oh.
Buffy, sobbing in her arms. "I told him that I loved him, Dawnie. I told him that I loved him, and he didn't believe me!"
She was well aware that she was yet again meddling in things that were none of her business. But...surely it would be better for both of them if at least they had the same information? If they didn't get back together because they were wrong for each other, that was one thing. But if they didn't get back together because of a misunderstanding...she couldn't bear that.
She made a decision. "She meant it, you know."
He looked confused.
"She meant it when she told you she loved you." She regarded him fiercely. He looked away.
Don't you dare disbelieve me. Not after you left me to cope with her broken heart.
No, not just broken heart. Broken soul. And it wasn't his fault.
He didn't answer for a minute. Then he said, still not looking at her, "Even if that's true...that was a long time ago."
"Five years." Oh, wait, it seemed like more than that to him, didn't it? "Or, I guess – longer for you."
He didn't say anything.
"And you still love her."
"Yes." He said it so softly that she had to strain to hear.
"I think she still loves you too."
"Maybe she loves what I was. But I'm so different now."
"She's different too. She's changed a lot." Healed a lot. Not entirely. But a lot. She'd told him last night about Buffy's depression in the year after he'd died, and she'd told him that Buffy was fine now – but she hadn't told him the source of her recovery. "She had a couple of years of counseling. Saw a psychologist who knows about the demon world and all. He said Buffy had severe post-traumatic stress disorder."
"I could have told 'em that."
"Well, yeah. But the point is, she's worked a lot of stuff out. And you have too. You're both different, and –"
"I'm different in a bigger way than psychotherapy."
"- and maybe you can get to know each other again."
"Straighten up their mess with togetherness..." Geez, Dawn. Indulging your Parent Trap fantasies. Pity the monks hadn't thought to make her an identical twin.
William was quiet for a while and then said, "She's going to be furious with me for not contacting her."
"Well, yeah."
His hand had gone to his nose as though to shield it. Oh. His experience with Buffy's anger was different from hers...
She took a deep breath. "She told us what she did to you."
"She WHAT?"
"About a year after you died. We had a Scooby reunion thing, and Buffy sat us all down and told us about...about...that she had...that she...that she...abused you. She told us about...about...like that...that time at her birthday party when you were so beat up and you told us that you'd run into a demon but Buffy told us that it was her and - "she babbled on nonsensically, even though she knew from the storm of emotions on William's face that she ought to stop. " – and she feels awful about it, and everybody kind of realized, you know, that, you know..."
"Canonized me, did you lot? Scooby College of Cardinals decided that since Spike was out of the picture it was safe to officially declare him to have been an actual PERSON? Takes such conviction, that. I'm touched."
So, the snarkiness wasn't entirely from the demon.
"I don't think you're being fair. The Scoobies aren't a hive mind..."
"They were at one point."
"Whatever. Willow was always nice to you and you know it. And Xander had issues too and he's worked a lot out and I think you guys have a lot in common and you could be friends if you gave each other a chance. And Giles admitted he was wrong and he feels bad about – "
"-trying to KILL me-"
"-yeah, well, he says he's sorry."
"And Giles is an honorable man."
Dawn was starting to get mad now. "You know, Buffy has her flaws, but there's one thing she never does. She never, ever, holds a grudge. And that's a lot more than can be said for you."
His eyes widened. "Touche, Niblet. You're entirely right." But he didn't start eating again – he hadn't taken a bite since she mentioned calling Buffy – he just pushed a bit of pancake around on the plate and chewed on his lower lip.
Dawn wondered at the intensity of his reaction. It seemed like the big deal to him wasn't really with the Scoobies as a group – it was with Giles. Sunnydale seemed longer ago to him than his childhood did – so why was it still such a fraught issue for him?
She suddenly remembered the time that Willow's spell had wiped all their memories. Spike had assumed that Giles was his father. Not a coincidence, she realized. For some odd reason Giles had been a father-figure to Spike, and though Spike would never have admitted it, he had longed for Giles' approval. He must have felt deeply betrayed by Giles' actions.
And now...it seemed like William's adoption by Rosemary had helped him resolve his Mommy issues, but maybe he still hungered for a father figure.
"William...how old were you when your father died?"
He looked up, surprised, "What? Two."
Yup. Made sense.
William, though, wanted to change the subject. "What's Willow doing now?"
"She's finishing her doctorate at Berkeley. And she met a woman named Rebecca, and they got married last year."
William's face lit up. "That's great!"
"And Xander met a slayer named Zoe and they got married a year ago. They live in San Francisco, so they're close to Willow and Rebecca."
William started eating again, and for the rest of breakfast Dawn filled him in on the lives of the Scoobies. He wanted to hear every detail. After all, he did love soap operas.
*
Chapter 6
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-04-15 10:18 pm (UTC)Yep - that's our lad!
no subject
Date: 2007-04-17 03:23 am (UTC)I'm so glad you're reading and enjoying!
no subject
Date: 2007-04-23 12:51 pm (UTC)Dawn is showing great maturity here and working very hard at forging a new relationship.
I spotted the Wind in the Willows reference. While it makes a nice throw away line, I am not totally convinced William would have known the children's book as he was turned long before it was written. Unless Dru had a copy for the dollies?
Sorry I didn't comment on this before. I must have missed it while I was offline and thanks for pointing it out.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-23 10:47 pm (UTC)She is very perceptive.
I spotted the Wind in the Willows reference. While it makes a nice throw away line, I am not totally convinced William would have known the children's book as he was turned long before it was written.
I was thinking that he'd read it since he became human again. (Since he had such a long convalescence after the accident, I figure he read a lot of Rosemary's books.)
I must have missed it while I was offline and thanks for pointing it out.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting!