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The next morning shone brightly through the windows.Unfortunately,the person inside didn't appreciate the effect.
Groaning, Giles grabbed his head and cursed as loud as his pounding head would allow.Willow and Oz had gotten up an hour earlier and prepared coffee and hot tea with honey.She had sent Oz to sit outside Giles room and listen for when he woke up.
Hearing Giles inside, Oz went inside the door, knocking softly as he did."Hey Giles,feeling rough?"
Giles swung his head around and stared at Oz, trying to figure out how the *bloody hell* the boy got into his house. Taking pity on him, OZ explained about the night before and told him that he and Willow had stayed there to make sure that everything was fine.Willow chose that moment to come into the room with a tray loaded down.
"Hey Giles, how are you doing? I brought some stuff to make you feel better. There's coffee,tea, crackers,rolls and donuts. Oh and I brought a small bit of whiskey, you know, the hair of the dog?" Willow smiled brightly at Giles before setting the tray down on his night table.
Turning a nasty shade of green from the smells coming from the tray. Slowly, ever so slowly, getting up Giles discovered yet another problem, he was naked. "What in the bloody hell?! Grabbing the sheet off his bed, he wrapped it around him.Looking at the two well meaning friends, he quietly told them to please leave.He would be just fine and could handle it from here.
Willow started to object, but Oz grabbed her hand and pulled her from the room. The two went downstairs and gathered their stuff up. Once outside, Willow turned to Oz and told him about a plan she had come up with. Just to make sure that Buffy and Giles got together and talked.They got in the van and went to tell the others of the idea.
After they had left, Giles went to the bathroom and cleaned himself up. Getting dressed he then dumped everything on the dreaded tray and went to the kitchen to fix some tea and scones.As he passed the living room, last nights 'fight' with the furniture came back with startling clarity.
"Good lord, man you have completely lost it." Shaking his head he went and got some aspirin and the phone book. It was time for some new furniture.
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Willow entered the room she and Buffy shared to check on her friend. Finding Buffy asleep on her bed, still dressed in the clothes she had on the day before, Willow let her lay and shut off all the lights and closed the blinds so Buffy could sleep as late as needed. Before leaving the room, Willow went to the closet and grabbed the walkie talkies and left.
It was hours later before Buffy would wake. Rolling over she looked at the clock. Seeing it was five o'clock, she got up and stretched before making her bed. After cleaning up the room a bit, she went to take a shower and get ready to face Giles for the first time since finding his book. Shoving her stakes in various places in her clothing, Buffy left her dorm room forty-five minutes later.She headed straight for Giles.So intent in her thoughts of him she was unaware that she was being followed.
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Rearranging his new furniture, Giles grumbled when he heard the knock at his door. Swinging it open, he tiredly stated,"Go away Willow,Oz,Xander or whom ever you are. I am fine and don't need your h--Buffy! Umm hello, it-it's nice to s-see you. W-would you like to come in?"
Walking in the door Buffy raised her brows at Giles,"Kinda formal aren't Giles? Man you look bad! Oh, not that you look bad-bad just that you look...Um hey! Isn't that new furniture? Why do you have new furniture?"
Wearily rubbing his head,Giles groaned before saying,"Buffy, I can't deal with this right now. Come back later.Please."
"Nope, no can do watcher man. I'm here to stay until we talk this all out."At that announcement, Buffy plopped down on the new couch."Oooooooooh comfy, I like Giles."
"Oh bloody hell.Buffy if this is about that blasted book,just forget it.It didn't mean a thing." Grabbing his cup of tea off the table, he took a sip before continuing."Look, I don't mean to hurt your feelings but it was lies." He couldn't control the wince. Buffy noticed this and smiled smugly.
"Oh so that whole Olivia thing was a lie in a lie in a lie then?"
"You do realize that wasn't a true sentence, but oddly enough, I followed the logic. I'm frightened now. To answer that statement, yes, Olivia and I are an item. We have relations and what not.Now go."
Sucking in a breath at the pain his words caused,even if she knew they were a lie,Buffy shakily replied back,"I don't believe you Giles. You tried to tell me before that you had sex with her and I believed you then. Well this time, no dice. I read that book front to back and I know a lot more about you than I ever did.Care to explain *why* you told me you slept with her the first time?"
Not able to take the pressure any more, Giles stalked over to where Buffy sat and jerked her up off the couch. Holding her close, he all but spat,"I never told you that. I only stated that she was a very dear friend. You just assumed that we had sex."
Not even attempting to break free Buffy just looked at Giles with disbelief."Oh way to split hairs Giles. Denial much?She was in your shirt, YOU come out in your FLIPPING robe! You knew damn good and well what I would think and you let me do it. It was one thing to keep all this from me, but to deliberatly mislead me is too much coming from you."
Laughing with rancor,Giles let go of Buffy so abruptly that she stumbled."Oh really? Tit for tat, wouldn't you say? How many times have you mislead me?And nearly every bloody fucking time was for Angel!"
Shivering at the hatred coming from his mouth,Buffy wiped a tear from her eye before staring Giles down.
"How many times Giles. How many times can I say I'm sorry before you quit holding that against me?Do you want me to sign it in blood?Where is all this love you spouted in the book? Or did all the fun you had with torturing Angel and forcing me kill it?"
Ashamed to his core at how he allowed the conversation to disenagrate, he looked for an easy way out before they were both hurt beyond repair.
"Buffy, it's just the ramblings of a confused old man. I'm sorry,but I-I don't l-love you." Miraculously his face remained expressionless, though inside a vital part died at having to tell her the lie.
Buffy, however, couldn't hide the deep pain she felt and was openly crying. "So, you're saying that all I read means nothing? You expect me to buy that?"
Laughing a touch hysterically,Buffy scornfully yelled at him, "You are a pathetic,spineless,poor excuse of a man and I love you any way damnit! But I'll be damned if I'll stay here and wait for you to quit lying to me Giles."
Turning around, Buffy walked out the door.Never looking back once.