Unbeta'd fic "Home" PG

["A.M. Glass"]

Title: "Home"
Author: Angela
E-Mail: glasswrks@xxxxxxxxx
Copyright: Nov. 30, 1999
Story Disclaimer: Joss owns the characters from
"Buffy: The Vampire Slayer". No copyright infringement
is intended or inferred.
Author's Note: The song used in this story is called
"Home To You" it is written by Sara Light and Arlos
Smith, it's sung by John Michael Montgomery. This does
contain some spoilers for "Wild At Heart" and a few
others that I don't have the titles of, sorry.
Thoughts are indicated by the < > symbols, song lyrics
by the ( ) symbols.
Rating: PG... and that MIGHT be pushing it some.
Special Thanks: To my beta reader Tracy, thanks. As of
right now, 12-01-99, this story has NOT been beta'd
yet. If Tracy has shown me the many errors of my way,
I will post the beta'd version. How did the move go?

********************************************

Buffy, Giles and Willow were going over the latest
information they had on the commando group at Giles's
apartment, Xander had left with Anya in tow a few
hours earlier.

Willow went over to Giles's stereo system and turned
it on. She found the local country station and let the
songs tell her story.

Buffy sighed, <Not country again>


(I get up and battle the day
things don't always go
my way)


Giles sighed silently, <I wonder if I'll get used to
this music?> he shuddered.

(It might rain
but that's okay

I get to come home
to you)


<Yes, I do> Buffy thought to herself.

<I could only hope> Giles mused.

(Sometimes life might
get me down)

"Tell me about it," Willow muttered to herself.

(I get tired of gettin'
kicked around)

Buffy stretched, trying to work out the kinks from her
latest work out against a vampire she had dusted
earlier in the evening.

Giles wondered if his feelings were going to recover
from being repeatedly quashed by Willow. He truly
cared for the young woman, and had hoped to assist her
during this difficult period in her life.

(I feel lost in this
maddening crowd)

<Lost in the shuffle... I can't even cast a spell
correctly. What good am I? Buffy... she... she
saves... well... practically everyone. Giles...>
Willow thought as she looked up from the book she had
been reading, and saw him staring at her. She smiled
at him weakly, which he returned. <He's Giles>

(But I get to come
home to you)

Willow looked over to Buffy, <I do come home to her>
she thought.

Giles watched as the red haired beauty turned her
attention towards Buffy.

('Cause you are
my best friend)

<Will is my best friend> Buffy told herself, she
hoped Willow could/would forgive her attitude during
the last few weeks. The whole Oz 'thing' had almost
crushed her friend's spirit, and that was something
she was determined not to let happen. Of course the
whole wanting to marry Spike fiasco still made her
skin crawl, but all was forgiven.

(And you are where
my heart is...

And I know at the
day's end...

I get to come home
to you)

<She is my heart> was silently echoed in the room, by
Buffy and Giles.

<They hold my heart> Willow realized.

(Hangin' out in our
old sweatshirts)

Willow and Buffy both smiled, sharing a memory of
eating ice cream on a Sunday afternoon, doing
absolutely nothing...

And enjoying every second of it.

(Ya let me complain
about a hard day's
work)

Giles had been able to open up to Willow as he had
never done with anyone else. She understood the
overwhelming responsibility he had; watching over the
Slayer. He had shared with Willow the feelings he had
whenever Buffy had been hurt... or how he had betrayed
the trust that was so paramount in their relationship,
when he had drugged Buffy.

He hated that they were at odds with each other
recently, he never wanted to hurt Willow, ever. All
they seemed to do is argue, and that was something
that had to stop, before it permanently damaged the
friendship that he cherished.

<If only...> he wondered, immediately tucking the
thought away with the others he had about Willow, the
ones he held close to his heart. Taking them out in
the dead of night and examining them like precious
artifacts.

(I don't know
what I did to
deserve to

Get to come home
to you)


'Home'

It meant different things to the trio.

To Buffy...

It was Angel.

For a long time it had been him...

Then things changed.

'Home' no longer meant just one person.

A person she couldn't have no matter how much she
wished.

Home was her friends...

'Home'...

Was someone else.

Someone who had crept into heart without her
knowledge.

But not without her consent.

**********

To Willow...

Home meant her parents who were hardly ever there
anyway.

'Home' was the library, where she felt safe.

'Home' used to be Oz...

Now there was...

**********

To Giles...

'Home' was never far away.

All he had to do was glance in her direction...

And he was home.

He wasn't sure when or if he'd ever tell her, but he
always had hope...

Perhaps, 'this' was the day he'd tell her.

**********

('Cause you are my
best friend...

And you are where
my heart is...)

Buffy and Giles wondered what Willow was up to when
she got up from the chair she had been sitting in and
walked over to where they were sitting on the couch.

"Did you find something?" Giles asked.

Willow shook her head.

(And I know at the
day's end...

I get to come home
to you)

"Are you okay Will?" Buffy asked.

Instead of answering, Willow reached out and took
Giles by the hand and brought him to his feet. Giles
looked confused, he had no idea what was happening.

('Cause you are my
best friend...

And you are...

Where my heart is)

Willow reached over and took Buffy by the hand.

"Come here," she said.

(And I know at the
day's end...

I get to come home
to you)

"What's the matter Will?" Buffy asked.

"Yes Willow, please tell us?" Giles asked concerned
by her rather odd behavior at the moment.

(Yes... I get
to come home
to you

Oh... I love coming
home to you)

"I... I... just wanted... wanted to tell you two
something," Willow said.

"Yes?"

"What?"

Willow looked down, suddenly very shy, silently
wishing the earth would just open up and swallow
her... she quickly tossed the thought out of her head.
<You never know> she told her herself.

She felt two different hands lift her face back up,
and looked into two faces full of concern... and love
for her.

"Um... I just wanted to tell you... I love you both,"
she finally said, still holding on to their hands,
getting a reafirming squeeze.

"OH.. God, Will... I thought you were going to tell
us that you're sick or something..." Buffy said,
wrapping her arm around her friend relieved that it
wasn't something life threatening.

"Quite right, you had me worried for a minute," Giles
replied mimicking Buffy's embrace.

"I love you too," Buffy whispered into Willow's right
ear.

"As do I," Giles told her in her left.

Willow smiled.

"Home," she whispered.

The End.


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