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dragonyphoenix) wrote2013-11-16 10:31 pm
Fic: Without the Lion
Title: Without the Lion
Fandom: BtVS
Rating: R, Mature
Characters: Giles, Willow
Concrit: Please, in comments
Summary: Given that libraries have been shown to not be safe, you'd think Willow would study somewhere else.
Disclaimer: They aren't mine, not yet, but they will be ... once I've taken over the world. Bwah-ha-ha!
Warning: Death of a major character
Note: I thought I didn't get Willow/Giles, and it was from Giles' PoV – why would he be attracted to someone so much younger? Which just goes to show I'm getting older I guess. I thought I didn't get Willow/Giles and then I read Trekker's Nothing Like a Prayer.
Note: Gabrielle suggested I read over at Hairy Eyeball which is what got me on this Willow/Giles kick.
Nominated in the Best Angst category at the Willowy Goodness awards.
Waking was a shudder rolling through her body, a ghost walking over her grave. Willow had sat up, her arms already halfway into a stretch, before she saw him: Giles sitting on the other side of the table as if he were a late study buddy who'd just shown up. Had they been up researching again? They were in the library, which was right for Giles, but it wasn't. Why wasn't it right? Oh, right, wrong library. Not only that, wrong Giles? He was wearing a leather jacket and below that a black shirt, silk maybe, and his hair was ruffled or unkempt or something. She hoped she was wrong as she asked. “Ripper?”
He frowned at her word but didn't move otherwise. Something in his eyes seemed disappointed. Anyway it couldn't be Ripper. He'd always been moving. He'd never have sat still for this long. It was creepy, how he was just sitting there, doing nothing. “What are you doing here?” He still didn't move. He looked as if he were waiting for her to work something out. He was wearing Ripper's leather jacket, but his shirt was black and silk and … oh.
He wasn't trying to hide it. That was bad, right? If he were trying to hide it, he could lure her into a trap but maybe this was already a trap. They were in the library over at the university. How had he gotten in? Oh yeah, public space. But, yeah, public space. There had to be people around, but that'd be people who didn't know about vampires, who'd be useless in a fight, who'd most likely just get killed. It was up to her. She'd have to save them all. “So, um, liking the college library? A lot bigger than the old high-school one, huh, but I guess you're used to that what with your two Ph. D.'s and all.” He still hadn't moved even when she'd slid her hand into her backpack. That was good. He must not have noticed. When she pulled out the cross, he batted it out of her hand, hissing as it burned his skin. Willow felt the confirmation tearing through her heart. Please, not Giles.
She ran. Maybe she could get out and warn Buffy but oh, poor Buffy. Killing Giles, that would be right up there in big badness with killing Angel. Willow darted between the stacks, heading for the back staircase. As she ran out into the open study area, she pulled up short, squeaking in surprise. Damn, she's just told Giles were she was but there was a body, a guy. His throat was torn out. She heard something behind her and dashed around the table toward the door. It was locked. The doorknob barely moved in her hand. Then she stopped and let it go. Giles was behind her. She didn't know how, but she knew.
When she turned he was just standing there, fifteen feet away, between the tables, as if he were waiting for her. “Giles, you don't need to do this. We can to the spell. We can put your soul back.”
“And why would I want that?” His voice was the same as it had always been, stuffy and British and detached in that scholarly way. It was worse, hearing Giles' voice coming from this monster. It was worse than seeing him, although she hadn't seen the new face yet.
She could tell him Giles wouldn't have wanted to become a monster, but he already knew that. He knew everything that Giles knew. “Don't … don't you need to get out of Sunnydale? I mean, once Buffy knows ...” She left the threat hanging.
He actually smiled at that, as if she'd said something delightful. “Buffy isn't paying attention. Besides, she'll be taken care of soon enough.”
Willow felt her head shaking from side-to-side. No, not Buffy. He couldn't. Buffy always came through, somehow. Although this, killing Giles, this would hurt her. Willow found herself speaking even though she knew words wouldn't help. “This isn't you Giles. You're not a killer.”
He rested one hand against the boy's bloody throat. “Without the lion, the antelope forgets how to run.”
Giles took a step toward her. Willow chanted quickly. “Involvo.” Books flew off the shelves heading straight for Giles.
He raised an arm, pointed toward Willow, and chanted his own spell. “Devolvo.” How had he done that? The last time she'd seen him do a spell, he'd had to read it. Willow put her arms up, trying to shield, as the books rained down on her.
After the books stopped pounding down on her, Willow looked up. He grinned at her. “Did you honestly think I wouldn't prepare first?” Sweeping his hands out from the center, Giles chanted, “averro.” The books moved off to each side, leaving a clear space around Willow. Giles took three steps forward.
Oh God, there was nowhere to run.
“You misunderstand me, Willow. You're not the prey.”
Not the prey? That didn't make sense. He was hunting her, wasn't he?
“You're the predator or you will be. Do you think I've forgotten what a delightfully terrible predator you can be?”
Predator? Did he mean magic, but she'd never, not really … Oh. “But that was vamp-me and not me-me.” Oh.
She saw a pencil, on the desk, next to the body. Willow muttered the chant as quietly as she could, hoping Giles wouldn't notice. The pencil rose and flew at him, closer, closer, almost there. He turned and ripped the pencil out of the air. “Magic won't save you.”
And suddenly he was there and his hands were on her and they were falling to the floor. Giles was below, which didn't make sense, and she could feel his legs wrapping around her. She squirmed to get away until she felt his cock hard below her. She let out a shriek. “What the hell do you think you're doing?”
He had the nerve to chuckle at that. “Don't worry, my dear. Your virtue is safe with me, for as long as you want it to be that is.” He thrust his hand out to the side and crushed the pencil. “I'm merely making sure you can't dust me.”
“Giles, please. Don't.”
The shards of the pencil fell to the floor. He brushed the hair away from her neck. “But you're the one, Willow, the only one. I might get close enough to kill Buffy, but I might not. You, on the other hand, you're still her sweet, innocent Willow. She trusts you.”
And then she did see his new face and his fangs felt like razors at her throat.
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This is a super duper little slice of darkness!
Gabrielle
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(And also, kudos for dropping the sex, Not that it doesn't have its place but you know me.)
I've never understood btw why Buffy/Giles shipping is so popular but not Willow/Giles. I assumed she had a crush on him from the way she looked up at him (and up to him) in the early seasons long before it became text in Where The Wild Things Are. They seem like a nifty pairing, share dark pasts and had that summer together in England. (Unless there's a tribe of W/G shippers I don't know about somewhere.)
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I figured vamp!Giles would want to turn Willow for her power more than anything else. Yeah, once she is turned I expect they'll have a sexual relationship but even as a vampire Giles would be disciplined.
I haven't seen that much Buffy/Giles but I'm more of a Spander fan so it may be more that I haven't paid attention to them. But yeah, there is a commonality to Willow and Giles. And I adore the idea of a tribe of W/G shippers off in some remote location. ;-)
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*nods* I can definitely see that! Rule the world together no doubt. The notion of Giles and Ripper fused into one by the demon is - actually a pretty damn scary thought. He'd be a lot more efficient than Angelus. Vamp!Giles sets out to psychologically torture someone or destroy the world? It's gonna happen.
I still wonder why Joss didn't go there (oh, wait, wasn't that the entire subject of my Giles as big bad post? *lol) I mean, Buffy having to try to stop Giles and possibly have to kill him? Screw Angelus - the ANGST, people! TEH ANGST!
I haven't seen that much Buffy/Giles
I think I've already rec'd
But I really didn't expect entire websites devoted to the pairing, and the Wicked Awards had so many nominated entries for Buffy/Giles vids that they created a new category just for them. And aside from capitano's fics, I mostly don't get it - Buffy and Giles are so father/daughter. What next. Buffy/Hank? Joyce/Dawn? (I hope I didn't give somebody ideas just now.)
But then I can conceivably ship Willow with almost anyone, whether or not I actually read the pairings, people can put her with Xander or Faith or Spike or Angel and I'll be "sure, I can see that". I don't tend to feel the same way with any other characters, and I'm not sure why. I do think that Aly does tend to have a lot of chemistry with her various co-stars (as she continues to on HIMYM.)
And I adore the idea of a tribe of W/G shippers off in some remote location.
Nifty mental image!
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I'm sure if someone was going to write Buffy/Hank or Joyce/Dawn they would have by now. But ick, those are creeping me out. You know the possibly oddest pairing I've ever seen: Ethan/Dawn. Can't say I get that one. Granted, the actor who played Ethan was hot, particularly once he had that goatee thing going, but with Dawn?
Let's see. I've definitely seen Willow/Xander that worked. Obviously W/G although the age thing makes it a bit odd for me. Yeah, I can see Willow with a lot of the characters but not with Buffy so much. Maybe because they have such a friends vibe on the show. On the other hand, I've also seen Xander work with each of the characters you've mentioned.
For some reason when I see the phrase W/G shippers, I read it as W/G worshippers. ;-)
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There was a lot of really fantastic W/G written in about 2003-2005. You can find a lot of it archived at
Bright Minds & Dark Magics (http://willowgiles.com/archive/).
Authors like Doyle, Gulessable, wisdomeagle, and Trekker (whose Corpus et Sanguis Season 5 W/G is what sold me on the pairing, and is sort of the gold standard for W/G for me) were active back then. Most of those authors have moved on from the Buffy fandom, or from writing fanfic altogether.
These days,
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Your story sounds cool. I'm looking forward to reading it. Here's hoping your job gets less stressful and your husband's back heals soon. Either one of those would be a lot to deal with and you've got both going. You have my sympathies. I'll be working on Giles as the Big Bad of seasons 1 & 2, but only after I finish NaNoWriMo.
My stories sound great in my head too. I'm still working on that translation process from thoughts into book form! ;-)
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Glad you ended up checking out Corpus. I think I bounced off the story 3 or 4 times for the same reason, and was glad I finally persevered. Trekker's such a good writer that I found myself enjoying stuff that I never thought I would.
And hopefully the head-to-book translation process gets easier for everyone. :)
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Unfortunately, my job currently involves working 60+ hours a week on an extraordinarily stressful project, and I'm helping my husband recover from a back injury, so I'm not getting much writing done lately.
Real life comes first hon; take your time. What sort of work do you do? Stress aside, do you like your work?
What happened with your hubby's back?
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My job basically involves analyzing electronic documents (like emails and powerpoints) for litigation. Most of the time it's low-stress and about 40 hours a week, and gives me plenty of mental space so I can write on my lunch break or whatever free time I have. Under normal circumstances, I like it a lot.
The current project has really tight deadlines and involves me writing a lot of summaries, so the writing part of my brain is fried right now. Fortunately there is an end in sight in 2-4 months.
My husband has a slipped disk in his back that's pressing on a nerve, which makes it really painful for him to walk or even stand up sometimes. He's getting really good care and gradually improving, and the doctor thinks he can be pain-free and mobile again in a few months.
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Is he having pain down his leg and around the groin? I did. Kept me housebound for a year, tremendous pain could barely get out of bed some days, even with physical therapy. Just taking a 5-minute ride in the car (as a passenger) was excruciating, no lie. An epidural only helped slightly, didn't last and I gained 8 pounds within a week afterward. The doctors were starting to talk surgery.
And then, rather recently, it's gotten a lot better - mild pain (mostly in the lower back, not in the leg anymore) don't need the cane except for longer walks, etc. Totally on it's own, but it's taken a year. So it's sounds like your hubby is going down that path as well, and good luck with that!
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Giles through Sunday, November 17
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And vamp!Giles icon! Perfect. ;-)
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Back when I wrote my first Vamp!Giles story, I had so much fun working on it. He's just so good when he's bad! Still one of my best, I think.
Oh and, welcome to the W/G shippers tribe. I can't wait to see what else you come up with.
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welcome to the W/G shippers tribe Why thank you. I don't have any W/G stories planned for the near future. My next big story is Giles as the Big Bad of seasons 1 & 2. He does mess with Willow a bit but since she's way underage not to the extent of W/G. The pairing of that story will be Giles/Ethan.
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:D
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