No More Farewells - Chapter 1

As he walked down the hall towards the restoration lab with three members of his staff, Rupert Giles' mobile phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket, he answered, "Giles here."

"What the hell is going on between you and my sister?"

"Dawn?" he asked, halting his progress. His colleagues looked at him and he motioned for them continue, mouthing, "I'll catch you up," before turning his attentions back to the caller.

"Yeah, it's me. Look, whatever you are doing to Buffy, you need to just stop."

"Listen, Dawn, I am not at liberty to have this conversation at the moment."

"Then find the liberty, Giles, because if you hang up, I swear, that's the end of our friendship. For real! Don't think I won't do it."

He knew her threat to be genuine. Dawn wasn't one to bluff where Buffy was concerned. Despite her artificial origins, the bond between the sisters was very real. Their devotion to one another the strongest he'd ever known, with both willing to die for the other, and one actually having performed that feat.

"Alright, Dawn. Let me return to my office and I am all yours. Will you ring again in five minutes?"

"What are you doing at work so late on a Friday? I thought you guys clocked off early for a pint and a round of darts or something equally English."

"Ha ha, I'll have you know it's only half four and there's-" He stopped himself short. "Does it matter?"

"Not especially," Dawn replied testily. "I'll call back in five. You better answer."

Inwardly he thanked modern technology. She was unable to punctuate her displeasure by slamming down the receiver and leaving him with partial deafness in his left ear. Dawn hadn't reached out to him in over six months despite him trying repeatedly to mend their friendship by pleading with her, bribing her with holidays to various European cities, and offering to spend copious amounts of time with her, but nothing had appeased her. She was furious with him, and he didn't understand why… until now. Clearly she was upset with him because of his tumultuous relationship with her sister.

He closed the door to his office and sat down just as his mobile rang again. "Dawn?"

"Who else? You told me to call back, you big jerk."

Ignoring her name calling, he asked, "How are you? How's school?"

"Angry. And fine."

"Listen, Dawn, I understand you are angry. Perhaps we could have a conversation without the yelling and you can tell me why."

"Fine." She paused before unloading. "I've got a pretty good idea of what went on between you and Buffy last winter and I know that you keep hurting her. Fix it or let her go, or I swear on my mother's lost grave that when I am there for Christmas I am going to unload a Summers sized apocalypse on you."

"Did Buffy confide in you?"

"Does it matter?" she asked, but he remained quiet. "No, she didn't. But I know you two did the horizontal tango in the desert. I couldn't sleep so I took a walk in the middle of the night and I happened by your room. Let's just say the doors and walls were pretty thin at that motel."

He blushed to his roots.

"When she told me she was going to see you after Christmas last year, she was so happy, Giles. I hadn't heard such a lift in her voice in a long time. She was so excited. Then, when she returned to New York, she called me and I could hear how upset she was. She wouldn't go into details about the trip or you, she just said everything was fine and that you were doing well, but I know you hurt her.

"And then you were such a colossal asshole at the memorial and Buffy was so miserable, but she still had a job to do. She still had to remain professional. I watched her the whole time. She couldn't keep her eyes off of you, and you were so distant and downright rude. I have never been so angry with you-"

"Dawn-"

"Shut up! I never thought I could be more angry with you until I saw my sister this week. And now I am downright livid!"

"Is she alright?" he asked tentatively.

"She says she's fine, but she's not, and only you can bring that kind of misery on her."

Somehow, he doubted that. "Perhaps she looked up Angel while she was in LA," he muttered petulantly.

"Giles, grow up! Jesus, who's the teenager here? She's in love with you! The question is, are you in love with her?"

"It's not that easy."

"Then make it that easy and stop with the big brooding angst!" Dawn yelled, her patience wearing thin. "Don't you see? She doesn't need another Angel! Look, I know you love her and if you don't do something, you are going to lose her altogether. And then I am going to have to hate you because you didn't do anything to make it right."

Taking off his glasses, Giles placed them down on his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dawn, I am not going to discuss my relationship with Buffy with you. I'm sorry. It's just not appropriate. I appreciate your insight and that you would protect her so ferociously, but this matter is between me and your sister. I wish you wouldn't take sides. I've always considered us to be family."

"She's my sister, of course I am going to take her side."

"Very well," he gave in. "All I am going to tell you is that we talked before she left for California and she has a decision to make. There is nothing I can do. But stay out of it, Dawn, please, I ask you as your friend."

"Well, without knowing specifics, I wouldn't know what to say, but she's not here anymore, so don't worry, there is nothing I can interfere with," Dawn said with a tired resignation. She hadn't slept most of the night, her frustration with her sister's continued sadness taking up more than a few brain cells. When the sun finally rose, she decided to do something about it and calling Giles to confront the big jerk seemed like a good idea at the time.

"She's not? I thought she would be there through next week."

"Yeah, so did I, but she got a call from Xander yesterday and had to leave for some emergency summit or something."

"I see."

"Yeah, sucks. Dad was supposed to leave to go back to LA today and Buffy and I were going to go sightseeing and shopping in San Francisco during the fall break."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too. On the plus side, Dad is going to stay through the weekend to make up for it. I'll make him take me shopping. He hates that. Usually he just sends me on my own with his credit card." She laughed and he could hear that she quite as angry anymore.

"I am sure he truly doesn't mind," Giles answered with a bit of envy. He wasn't a fan of shopping either, but he missed spending time with Dawn and he figured Hank probably did too.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," she sniffed. "But I'm still mad."

"It's understandable. I am sorry too," he paused. "Dawn, regardless of what transpires between your sister and me, I'd like us to remain friends."

"Yeah, I'd like that, too. I hate being mad at you."

"I hate you being mad at me too."

"Giles, seriously, don't screw this up. You know Buffy is Action Girl. Lay off the excuses and be Action Guy. Do something!" Dawn's concern rang loud and clear.

"Dawn…" His voice held a note of reproach, but then he thought better. "I will do my best.

"I gotta go, Giles, I have to meet dad for breakfast and I need to hit the shower and make myself pretty first."

"You're already pretty, Dawn, but I am very familiar with how long it takes for the Summers women to get ready."

"Hey! I'm faster than Buffy," she protested, her good humor restored.

Giles gave a little chuckle. "It is really good hearing your voice, Dawn."

"Yeah? Even though I yelled at you?"

"It's better than the silent treatment you've been giving me."

"I didn't like that either. I will call again soon, I promise."

"I'll hold you to it."

"And, Giles?"

"Yes?"

"I hope everything works out," she said right before hanging up. Dawn had a habit of not saying goodbye. It was too final for her. She'd said goodbye to too many people she'd loved in her young life and she refused to say it anymore, opting for "see you later" if she said anything at all.

Giles stared down at his phone and whispered, "Me too, Dawn, me too."

A knock sounded at his door and startled him out of his reverie.

"Do you have a moment, Rupert?" the director of the museum asked as he peeked into the office.

"Sir John, yes, please, come in. What can I do for you?" Giles asked as his boss entered his office.

The older man sat down in the chair opposite Giles and crossed his legs. "We have a slight problem."

"Oh?" Giles asked as he settled back in his chair.

"Yes, you see Allison Maynard was supposed to present at the conference in Paris later this week, but she has taken ill. I know you've been working on your own presentation regarding artifact preservation for a future conference. Is there any way you would be able to present that paper next Thursday evening?"

"Sir John, my conference is six months away. I've only gotten through the outline and maybe the first three sections. Perhaps David or Alex could present?"

"David is a wonderful colleague, Rupert, but have you ever heard him speak? He's positively dreadful. We can't bore the audience to death. And Alex's lecture series tend to be more intimate affairs as her material is extremely focused," the older man explained.

"I see. Could perhaps one of Allison's staff present for her?"

"I did give that some thought, but we need someone with more seniority, with more gravitas and experience to present. Someone to represent the V&A amongst the most prestigious academics in our field."

"I appreciate the confidence, Sir John, however, I haven't presented a proper paper in almost ten years," Giles protested.

"All the more reason to get you back out into the community, my boy. Now I won't hear another word about it. My office will provide you with your tickets, hotel booking, and itinerary. You leave on Wednesday."

"Of course," he relented, knowing there was no way to change his boss' mind. "I'll send you a copy Sunday afternoon for approval."

"Good man. I look forward to it. That should give us enough time to make any necessary changes and send it on to the Louvre before Monday close of business to ensure they include you in the program."

Sir John left his office and Giles stared at his to-do list. It was time to delegate and reprioritize his current list of projects, and then spend the rest of the night working on his presentation. It certainly beat brooding over what Dawn had to say about his situation with Buffy, even though she was the center of his focus these days. Not an unwelcome distraction, but a distraction he could ill afford with such a preposterous deadline imposed upon him.

It would prove to be a long weekend, indeed.