Title: Yellow
Author: Froxyn
Rating: FRT
Pairing:
Buffy/Giles
Timeline: A few
years after the end of the series, AU.
Synopsis: Someone
has questions. Giles has answers.
Author’s Note:
Album fic.
Song and lyrics can be found here. Special thanks to wyvernwolf for
agreeing to beta this project.
“Come on, Rhi…lay down.”
The little blonde
girl with bright green eyes looked up at him.
“Why did you and Mummy name me Rhiannon?”
Giles chuckled and
sat down on the edge of the bed. “It was
the song that was playing in the doctor’s office when we found out you were going to be a girl.
It just seemed appropriate.”
Rhiannon giggled and
slid under the blankets. “Tell me a
story, Daddy.”
Giles smiled and
gestured towards the pillow. Rhiannon
rested her head obediently, pulling her teddy bear into her arms.
“What kind of story
would you prefer tonight, Rhi?”
Rhiannon thought for
a second and glanced out the window. “A story about stars.”
Giles laughed softly
and gave her a wink. This was his
favourite part of every single day.
Rhiannon liked to challenge her father, and the best way for her to
challenge him was to come up with story ideas.
“Once upon a time,
there was a beautiful little girl…she had hair as golden as the sea at sunset…”
“Was her name
Buffy?” Rhiannon asked eagerly. She loved stories about her mother when she
was young.
Giles shook his head. “Listen to the story, Rhi.”
Rhiannon sighed and
cuddled her teddy tighter. When Giles
was certain that he had regained his daughter’s attention, he continued.
“This young girl used
to dread the night, the darkness. So,
one night she made a wish. And she
wished that the night wouldn’t be so dark and scary.”
“Did her wish come
true?”
Giles smiled,
expecting the interactive story telling.
“It did. And
that night when the sun set, tiny flickers of light shone in the sky.”
“Stars…” Rhiannon whispered, fully entranced by her
father’s voice.
“Yes.” He agreed, brushing his fingers through her
hair. “The stars helped the little girl
overcome her fear of the dark. And…they
allowed her to find her way if she became lost at night.”
He licked his lips,
his thoughts forming quickly.
“One day, many years
later, the girl and her father were taking a walk at night. The girl asked her father why the stars were
in the sky. You see…she couldn’t
remember making the wish when she was little.”
“What did her Daddy
say?”
“Her father smiled at
her as he looked up at the sky, seeing the stars twinkle gently, and said… ‘the stars are there for you, they shine for you so that you
don’t lose your way’.”
Rhiannon furrowed her
brow. “Daddy?”
“Hm?”
“Why are there
stars in the sky?”
Giles smiled and
leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “The stars are there to remind you that
you’re never alone, and that I…and your mother…will do anything to keep you
safe and happy.”
“So…the stars are
there for me?” Rhiannon asked sleepily.
Giles nodded slowly,
watching her eyes droop. “They shine for
you, love.”
“Love you.” She whispered softly, sleep overtaking her
quickly.
“I love you too, Rhi. Sleep well.”
He waited until he was
sure she was asleep and then gave her another kiss. As he stood and turned towards the doorway,
he grinned. Buffy pushed herself from
the doorframe and returned his smile.
He moved to stand
in front of her, threading his fingers through her hair, as he leaned down to
kiss her. She returned his kiss with
equal passion, hands roaming across his body, pausing only when her fingers
felt the thick scar tissue under his shirt.
He pulled back
slightly and shook his head when he saw the sadness in her eyes. “Don’t, darling.”
Buffy sniffled as she
pulled away from Giles and walked over to their daughter’s bed. She knelt next to it and lovingly stroked
Rhiannon’s hair. When she heard Giles
whisper her name, Buffy turned to look at him with tears in her eyes.
“Please…come with
me.”
Buffy swallowed and
then nodded, kissing Rhiannon’s cheek before she stood. “She’s so beautiful, Giles.”
Giles glanced at the
sleeping girl and nodded in agreement.
“Yes. Yes, she is.”
Buffy looked into his
eyes again, a tear rolling down her face.
“You almost weren’t here to watch her grow up.”
Giles took her hand
and gently pulled her towards the door, not wanting to have this conversation
in front of their daughter…even if she were asleep. As he stepped into the hall and closed
Rhiannon’s bedroom door, Buffy fell against his chest…her tears quickly soaking
his shirt.
He picked her up,
sliding his right arm under her knees, and carried her into their bedroom. As he lowered her onto their bed, she
sniffled again and glanced at his chest.
“Buffy, please
don’t. I’m fine…I’ve been fine for
years.”
“She was just a
baby…she almost lost the chance to know you.”
Buffy whispered, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
“That was four years
ago, darling. And you know that I had no
choice.”
When she lowered her
eyes, he gently tilted her head upwards and gave her a tender smile. “You saved me, Buffy. You brought me back.”
“I love you.” She whispered, sliding her arms over his
shoulders and kissing the side of his neck.
“I love you so much, Giles.”
He held her tightly,
sighing contentedly as she moved her kisses down the front of his throat. “I love you too, Buffy.”
They didn’t talk
about that night very often. In fact,
they only talked about it when Buffy’s mind would force her to relive it. Luckily, that didn’t happen much. But, when it did…she was nearly inconsolable
for a brief time.
He had made a promise
when Buffy became pregnant. He had
promised that he would do anything to protect their child. A particularly vicious demon had gotten word
of his promise…and had set out to test the sincerity of the Watcher’s oath.
The demon had grinned
maniacally, the baby girl in his reptilian arms, as Buffy screamed from the
other side of the room where she’d been chained to the wall. Giles glanced at Buffy, his love for her
showing in his eyes as he picked up the dagger.
And there…in front of
Buffy, in front of the demon…he had plunged the blade into his chest. And he had bled himself dry for his
daughter’s safety. As the Watcher passed
the demon’s test, the demon was forced back into Hell…leaving a screaming baby
lying on the ground where he once stood.
Buffy had focused her
energy as she watched her Watcher…her lover, her husband…crumple to the ground
in a pool of his own blood. With the
demon’s power no longer fortifying her bonds, she had been able to break the
chains.
She had picked up
their daughter, her cries instantly calmed, and then
set to work on healing Giles through the magic that he had taught her. She had begged him to teach her…and he had
resisted until she told him that she was pregnant and only wanted to know in
case of an emergency.
And this had been an
emergency.
She had worked
feverishly, hoping that through her panic she hadn’t forgotten anything. She was rewarded many, eternally-long,
minutes later when he had finally coughed and groaned in pain.
And now, four years
later, all that was left was a thick band of scar tissue on his chest…and the
memories she had of watching him die.
And no other demon had dared test the Watcher’s sincerity when it came
to his family.
Giles smiled as
Buffy’s warm lips brushed across the scar.
“They’re all yellow…”
Buffy looked up in
confusion. “What?”
“My
memories of that night. They’re all yellow.”
“I don’t understand.” She whispered.
“The color yellow symbolizes many things…fear, weakness, greed…”
“You think you were
weak and greedy?” She asked, her eyes
widening.
He smiled warmly and
shook his head. “No, I think the demon
was. But, as I was saying…yellow also
symbolizes happiness, sunlight, and hope.
Therefore, all of my memories of that night are tinted yellow. I wouldn’t change my decision, Buffy.”
Understanding slowly
seeped into Buffy’s mind and she smiled as she pulled him down for another
kiss. Maybe with his help, she’d be able
to recolor her own memories…in time.
~ End