PART TWO:
The Summer’s living room, the
next morning. WILLOW is still asleep in her chair. GILES is asleep on
the couch. BUFFY is nowhere to be seen.
GILES wakes with a bit of a
start, looks around. He walks into the kitchen, where BUFFY is looking
out the window, drinking coffee. Sunlight streaming in, lighting her up
like an angel. Giles kind of hangs about in the doorway, staring at her
wistfully (not inappropriately). Finally:
BUFFY
(Without looking at Giles)
Check it out. Another day.
GILES enters the kitchen and
looks out the window. The sun is about halfway up.
Silence. Finally Buffy turns to
Giles
BUFFY
Can I make you a tea?
GILES
Ah, no. Thank you. I think I’ll go for a walk. I need
some air.
BUFFY nods
BUFFY
Be careful, okay?
GILES nods, with a faint smile,
and heads towards the door.
BUFFY
Giles?
GILES stops and turns to face
her.
BUFFY
About what you were saying last night… Ms. Calendar…
she knew you loved her.
GILES looks surprised
BUFFY
If she didn’t know, she wouldn’t have felt so bad.
Besides, anyone would have to be functioning pretty low on the cognition
scale not to notice you loved her.
GILES smiles and nods but does
not looked convinced. He leaves. BUFFY sits watching after him, looking
concerned.
CUT TO:
The Bringers, in all their
eyeless glory, working some time-travel mojo.
CUT TO:
GILES walking, deep in thought,
not paying attention to where his feet are taking him.
His thoughts: (would be unheard,
but are here for you to read) God, why did I tell Buffy that? She has
enough on her mind already, without worrying that I’m losing mine. I
must be. Jenny… why won’t you leave me alone? I could go days, weeks
even, without thinking about her before. Then Willow asked me about…
that night. I thought I could talk about it. Bloody hell, why can’t I
push her out of my mind again? Damn it, Jenny… she was beautiful,
though. Wonderful… beautiful, and brilliant, and wonderful, and God, she
could have been mine. She could have been. If I wasn’t such a stubborn…
idiot! Damn it! … God, she tasted wonderful… Bloody sodding hell! She’s
dead! I’m insane. There’s something wrong with me. She’d been dead for…
for five years. Five miserable years. Five years we could have been
together. And all I can think… there’s something wrong with me. I just
bloody fantasize about her. Damn it, she’s dead! Oh, God, she was
lovely. I should have kissed her more… Damn, stop it! She’s dead, in the
ground, for Christ’s sake… my Jenny… God, I feel ill.
He ends up in the cemetery. He
looks up, sees that he has walked to Jenny’s gravesite without even
thinking about it. He stops. He stares at it for a moment, his mouth
slightly open. He then turns sharply and walks away.
CUT TO:
Bringer mojo.
CUT TO:
GILES walking through the
cemetery.
SMASH CUT TO:
HALLS OF THE ORIGIONAL SUNNYDALE
HIGH.
GILES is walking with Buffy, who
is talking about Angel. He is wearing his old tweed suit, his old
glasses.
GILES looks up, surprised. Looks
at BUFFY. BUFFY stops.
BUFFY
Is something wrong?
GILES
Uh… no. Sorry. Go on.
BUFFY continues. GILES casts his
eyes around, with a “what the hell is going on here?” look on his face.
BUFFY
So, d’ja find a spell to keep Angel out of my house?
GILES
(stammering much more than usual)
What? Oh…uh, um, n-n-not as- as- as y-yet.
They stop in front of a
classroom.
GILES P.O.V.
WILLOW talking to JENNY
CALENDAR. Sunlight is streaming through the windows behind them, giving
them, JENNY especially, a surreal glow.
GILES’ breath catches in his
throat, he is absolutely stunned, to say the least. (he hasn’t had a
dream like this in years).
BUFFY
Hey, Will.
Jenny and Willow look over at her.
JENNY
Hi, Buffy. Rupert.
Giles looks down.
GILES
(to himself)
This is a dream. I’m still asleep…
BUFFY
(ignoring Jenny)
Willow, I thought I might take in a class. Figured I could use someone who knows where they are.
Willow glances over at Jenny with her eyes and then starts to walk out
of the classroom.
WILLOW
(to Buffy)
Sorry. I have to talk to her. She's a teacher, and teachers are to be respected,
(they exit the room)
even if they're only filling in until the real teacher shows up, because otherwise chaos could ensue...
Giles has let the girls go. He hangs in the doorway, frozen in place.
JENNY
How have you been?
GILES
Uh…
(steps into the class)
not so good, actually. (falls into same dialogue as the first time, testing it out) Uh, since Angel lost his soul, he's regained his sense of whimsy.
JENNY
Well, that sounds bad. (crosses her arms)
GILES
He's been in Buffy's bedroom. I-I-I need to drum up a spell to, uh, keep him out of the house.
She reaches down to her desk and picks up an old book.
JENNY
This might help.
(hands it to Giles)
I've been doing a little reading since Angel changed.
(crosses her arms again)
I don't think you have that one.
GILES
Thank you.
(doesn’t look at the book)
Jenny:
So, how's Buffy doing?
Giles:
(mechanically)
How do you think?
Jenny:
(faces away)
I know you feel betrayed.
GILES looks like he’s about to say something, but looks down and is silent. His breathing is coming a little hard.
Jenny:
(looks down at her desk)
Rupert... I was raised by the people that Angel hurt the most.
(looks up at Giles)
My duty to them was the first thing I was ever taught. I didn't come here to hurt anyone, (looks away)
a-and I lied to you because I thought it was the right thing to do. I... I didn't know what would happen. I didn't know I was gonna fall in love with you.
She pauses for a moment before looking back up at Giles. They exchange a
meaningful look, but then she looks away again.
Jenny:
Oh, God. Is it too late to take that back?
Giles:
(swallows)
(kind of sad, kind of breathless, kind of sounding like he’s on the brink of a heart-attack)
Do you want to?
Jenny:
(looks at him)
I just wanna be right with you. I don't expect more. I just want so badly to make all this up to you.
Giles:
(a bit mechanically, and a teensy bit guiltily)
I understand. But I'm not the one you need to make it up to.
She looks at him, understanding. He gives her a little smile and raises
the book.
Giles:
Thank you for the book.
He turns and walks out of the room. She just watches him go.
Giles turns the corner and leans against the wall. He shuts his eyes and puts his hand to his head. His breathing is forced.
JONNATHAN, who is walking down the hall, comes up to him.
GILES (knowing what Jonathan becomes later) looks at him like he has three heads.
JONNATHAN
Excuse me, Mr. Giles? Are you alright?
GILES
(curtly)
Y-yes. Go to class.
JONNATHAN give him a sideways glance and walks away.
GILES searches through his pockets, and comes up with a small pen-knife. The halls are about empty at this point. Giles opens the knife, and calmly jabs himself in the hand. He swears and drops the knife. He pulls out a handkerchief and holds it in his hand to stop the bleeding. He shuts his eyes.
GILES
(to himself) Alright then. Definitely not a dream.
He takes a deep breath, takes a moment to collect himself, puts the handkerchief back in his pocket and then walks quickly back to Jenny’s class.
JENNY is just leaving the class, books and tote bag in hand, when GILES almost runs into her. They are both startled.
JENNY
Oh! Hi. I was just going to lunch…
(Aware that he is looking at her intensely)
Is- is something wrong?
GILES
(transfixed)
No…
(realizing he is making her uneasy)
I… I, uh, j-just for- uh, forgot something.
(clears his throat)
JENNY
Well…
(She steps back into the class to let him in)
GILES
(enters the class, turns to face her)
I… uh…
JENNY puts her things down and walks closer to him, a puzzled expression on her face.
GILES (cont.)
I f-forgot to… to…to t-t-tell you…
(He trails off and is transfixed by her gaze)
JENNY’S puzzled look disappears as he looks at her. She knows what he’s trying to say. She gazes back at him with equal intensity, eager for her affections to be returned. They are drawn closer to each other.
GILES (cont.)
(softly)
I…
He leans towards her, hypnotized, as she tilts her head towards him.
They kiss. Long, slow, and steady.
They separate, only just barely.
GILES
(extremely softly)
I love you.
JENNY
(smiling, her lips brushing his)
I know.
They kiss again, deeply, but not as long as the first.
They separate again, more so this time.
JENNY
(clears her throat)
I have some marking to do for my next class.
GILES
Hm? Oh. (he steps back) Yes. I, uh, I sh-should, uh, g-go find Buffy.
JENNY
(nods)
(a bit breathlessly)
uh huh.
They go to the door, and turn to face each other.
GILES
(a bit suddenly)
I’ll see you after school?
JENNY
(smiles)
Yeah. Oh no, wait. I’m busy with… stuff. Tomorrow?
(She looks at him, her eyes shining)
GILES
(smiling back, still completely absorbed in her eyes)
Yes.
They stand, smiling at each other for a beat.
JENNY takes a few steps backwards, then turns and walks away. She looks over her shoulder to wave goodbye to him.
GILES just smiles back at her, watching her walk away. When he can no longer see her he turns to walk in the opposite direction.
Chapter
3