Title: Parting Gifts 1/5
Author: Luisa
Email: [email protected]
Pairing: B/G Duh!
Rating: R
Distribution: You want my humble fic? What a flatterer. Just ask, and ye shall receive.
Summary: Based on the Love Letters Challenge at buffygiles.com, Giles leaves gifts for all the Scoobies when he leaves. Unfortunately the gift he intended to leave his Slayer travels to England with him, and the present she opens turns out to be some rather private letters revealing well-hidden feelings. We all know Buffy loves Giles, but what will she do with her newfound knowledge that he loves her back? *grin* I wonder.
Spoilers: S6 Through Tabula Rasa. The B/S thing went no further than the kisses they shared at the Bronze. Xander and Anya are happily married, but Giles never went to the wedding as per the actual episode.
Disclaimer: Everyone from the Buffyverse belongs to Joss and M.E. "Stuck on You" belongs to Lionel Richie and Brockman Music. "Never had a Dream Come True" written by C. Dennis/S.Ellis published by EMI. Feedback: Do I need to beg? Notes: Am I the only person who noticed the intimate and meaningful look that passed between Buffy and Giles in the song, "What Can't We Face if We're Together?" in "Once More With Feeling"? I haven't seen any mention of it in any other fic, so I thought I'd do the honours. Dedication: To Rari, for your advice, encouragement and excellent (as usual) beta work.
Part 1: Missing You.
"Buffy?" Dawn tapped lightly on Buffy's bedroom door and entered cautiously. She never knew these days what sort of mood Buffy would be in, or if she'd even notice Dawn there at all. Mostly Buffy was quiet and withdrawn, and on occasion she lashed out unexpectedly, but she never smiled, never laughed. Dawn sometimes wondered if Buffy had left her happiness in Heaven.
She'd been like this since Tara and Giles' departures four months ago, never talking unless absolutely necessary, hardly even eating. Dawn had guessed that this was more to do with Giles' absence than being brought back from the dead, but what confused her most is that Buffy wouldn't even talk to Giles if he rang, always making a point of being "Just on her way out the door to patrol". Dawn in her naïveté couldn't understand it at all; she missed Giles too, but she concluded that talking to him actually helped to ease the empty ache.
"Buffy?" Dawn asked again, slightly louder. She approached hesitantly to where her sister sat on the floor leaning against the cool wall.
Dawn noted that Buffy was still in her nightclothes, seemingly inactive: staring blankly into space. A slight movement broke the stillness as Buffy snapped out of her thoughts, turning her head slightly to view her younger sister with a weary expression.
"What is it Dawn?" Her voice was tired and resigned, as if she didn't truly care what the reason for Dawn's presence may be.
"Um." Now that she'd come this far, Dawn couldn't remember what she had come in for. Casting her eyes about the room, she asked the first question that popped into her head.
"Aren't you going to open the box? Everyone else has opened theirs."
She was referring of course, to the carton that had stayed in the exact same spot in the centre of the floor every day since Giles had left, laying just a couple of feet away from where Buffy sat now. Buffy hadn't even allowed it to be moved when the rooms had been cleaned. Dawn didn't even want to think about what might be living under it.
Buffy at last broke the awkward silence that had filled the space as their thoughts had been occupied by the existence of Giles' gift.
"No." The note of finality in Buffy's tone surprised Dawn enough to ignore the unspoken warning.
"But aren't you curious, even just a little bit?" She held up her thumb and forefinger to emphasise her point.
Buffy chose to ignore the persistent teenager's question. "Dawn, don't you have homework to do?"
When the blank expression resumed its position on her sister's face, Dawn knew that she'd had her share of Buffy's attentions for the day and realised that there would be no point in reminding her that it was the middle of vacation.. "'Kay" she said softly, backing out of the room and almost walking into Willow.
"Hey," the Wicca quietly greeted her. "You okay this morning?" Dawn nodded, knowing the next question that Willow would ask.
"What about Buffy? How's she doing?"
Dawn snorted softly, "She managed two sentences this morning."
Willow sighed knowing in her opinion, how Buffy must feel. "Let me try, Dawnie."
Dawn sidestepped away from the door to give the older girl access into the room and went to get some breakfast, sensing that if she didn't leave willingly she'd be yelled at. She contemplated that for a moment: even yelling would be better than this silence. The sudden growl of her stomach however, convinced her to go downstairs.
"Buffy?" Willow, like Dawn before, approached tentatively.
Buffy sighed again, knowing that Willow wouldn't leave her alone until she at least had breakfast. That was the way it was everyday. The fact that it was a Saturday and vacation didn't deter Willow in the least. She and Dawn would badger Buffy until she ate, then reluctantly leave her alone until lunchtime when they would begin nagging again. It was beginning to drive Buffy crazy. Willow's voiced pierced her thoughts once more.
"Buffy, you've got to eat. Starving yourself to death won't help."
Buffy's reply was again fatigued. "Look Will, I'm just not hungry right now. I'll get something later" *Much later*.
Willow found herself growing bolder for the first time in weeks, and settled herself on the edge of Buffy's bed. "Look, Buffy. I'm not planning on going anyplace right now, and as you don't look like you are either, I think we ought to have a talk about. this."
There was no response.
Willow continued, "Buff, you're scaring the Dawnster. This is so unlike you: I mean okay, you've got stuff to deal with, but so have the rest of us. Don't you think it might be better if we work through this together?"
Still Buffy refused to respond.
*Okay,* Willow thought to herself, *Time to bring up the one thing that will make Buffy talk.*
"I know you're missing Giles, right now, but this is not the way to deal.
Just as she predicted, Buffy's eyes suddenly flashed with anger.
"What do you know about it? You don't have the first idea of how I feel." Her tone softened slightly as her sadness and loneliness overwhelmed her once more.
"You can't even begin to imagine what it's like to be ripped from Heaven and then, just when you're getting over it and you're starting to think you've maybe got a second chance at life and. and putting things right, to have that chance snatched away from you. You haven't been in my position, so how could you possibly know how it feels?"
She didn't allow Willow to answer, but added in a shaky voice, "As far as Giles is concerned; yeah, I'm missing him. But there's nothing that can be done about it, nothing can bring him back or make him care enough to stay."
A heart-wrenching sob escaped her and she ended her outburst on a tearful note, unaware of what she was revealing.
"You don't understand. It's like my whole reason for living has been stolen away from me. "
Willow tried to sympathise with her friend's anguish, and not focus on her own internal reaction to Buffy's distressed words.
"Buffy. I do. I do know how it feels. Tara left me, remember?"
There were tears in Willow's gentle eyes as she spoke, but Buffy didn't notice them, replying without thinking, "Yes I remember, but that was your fault. She left because you lied to her and broke your promises. Giles left me for no logical reason whatsoever. And besides." she faltered, "Besides, if you hadn't noticed: me and Giles have a platonic relationship, you know: Student/Teacher, Watcher/Slayer yada, yada. You and Tara had an intimate relationship. you were lovers."
Willow blinked back the tears, concentrating only on her best friend's pain.
"I know you're hurting right now Buffy, so I'll let the Tara comment slide for now. But Buffy, I just don't get why you're denying your feelings about Giles."
Again Buffy's eyes flashed, this time with confusion.
"Will, what are you talking about? There's nothing between Giles and me. Nothing. The only reason I'm upset is because he left me when I needed him most. He knew where I'd been, what I had been through and still he left. He didn't even have a good reason. And then he couldn't be bothered to come back for my birthday - celebrate I'm alive and all that." Her voice rose, "He didn't even come back for the wedding! If there was anything between us, don't you think he'd be eager to use any excuse to be with me?"
Willow smiled knowingly. "Have you finished convincing yourself, yet? 'Cause you sure can't fool me."
Buffy merely glared at her.
"Look Buffy, you can look at me like that all you want if it makes you feel better. But stop hiding your feelings. There's no point. We all know how you and Giles feel about each other, so stop denying it."
Buffy couldn't prevent the question that escaped her if she'd tried. Curiosity urged her to ask it. "How. how do you know?"
Willow grinned, sliding on the floor to be closer to her friend as she sensed the change in the atmosphere.
"Buff, you kinda gave it away with that 'I'm so in love with you' look you gave Giles that time in the Magic Box when Xander summoned that singing demon-y thing." She waved her hands in the air as she spoke, trying to explain with actions what her words could not say. "And. if you didn't notice, Giles went all. you know, the way he goes when he's embarrassed. shy I guess. He looked at you like."
Willow paused again, trying to think of a British phrase, "Like he was saying 'I'm completely smitten with you, too' then he kinda ducked his head away. You must remember" she insisted.
In all truth, Buffy did remember. The moment she and Giles had exchanged that look something had clicked between them, in fact she could have sworn that electricity passed through her. It was the one thing she focused on in his absence: the hope that he might have felt it, too.
Willow mistook Buffy's reflective silence for rebellion, and a trace of an accusatory tone crept into her voice.
"Buffy, Giles loves you. How come you can't see it? I've already told you everyone else can. Why can't you? It's so obvious. You should be happy."
Buffy looked at her friend in confusion. "So what if he does?" She asked quietly.
"It won't bring him back, will it?" She ended the question with a hiccup, and after four long, dry months of hurt and anger, the dam finally broke. With a sob, Buffy launched herself at her best friend, desperate to be held. "I miss him so much, Will."
"I know you do, Buffy." Willow soothed, rocking her friend, stroking her hair and crooning words of comfort into her ear.
As Buffy's sobs subsided, Willow hesitantly asked, "Um. are you ready for some food yet? 'Cause my tummy's rumbling pretty bad."
Buffy drew a deep breath and managed a shaky laugh. "I'm still not hungry. But thanks anyway Wills."
Buffy's meaning was clear even before she added, "Thank you for everything."
Willow gave her a last hug, tears shining in her own eyes at Buffy's unspoken forgiveness for bringing her back, before getting up and heading out. She paused at the door.
"Um. Buffy? Does this mean you'll open the box yet?" Buffy squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she tried to hold in the fresh set of tears that threatened to spill out. A single tear managed to escape.
"I don't know, Will."
"Why haven't you opened it already, anyway?" Willow couldn't help asking. A puzzled expression was apparent on her pretty features as she explained her question.
"I would have thought that his gift would be a comfort for you. I know that he'd want it to be."
Buffy let out a harsh laugh, followed by a sad smile.
"If I do that Will, it's like admitting that he's really gone. That whatever his present is, that's all I have to remember him by. I'm not sure I want to remember him in that way."
Willow smiled reassuringly at her friend.
"I know you'll like. He asked for my advice. At least consider it?"
Buffy reluctantly nodded her agreement before the redhead exited the room.
Alone once more, Buffy sat for what seemed like hours staring into space. Only this time, the silence wasn't filled with hurt, anger or tension - just a refreshing peace that she had admitted her loss, her hurt and loneliness and her love for her former Watcher. Just as she felt her eyes become misty again, she snapped out of it, refusing to cry again.
She adjusted her focal point to the carton sitting nearby, watching it warily for long moments before letting out a long ragged breath and reaching for it. Yet, even when she held it in her hands she still couldn't bring herself to open it. She felt her eyes grow wet again.
*God, am I ever going to stop crying? If I don't stop, the house'll get flooded. again.*
She replaced the package to its previous position on the carpet, not wanting to ruin the contents with her tears - after all this was a gift from Giles, and it was to be treasured, she reasoned. Then, for the first time in weeks, Buffy rose with a sense of purpose. She decided that she was hungry, after all. Pulling her robe around her, she further decided that after breakfast and a shower, she would open Giles' package.
* * * * *
Thousands of miles away, on another continent, Rupert Giles was finally getting around to unpacking the last of his belongings.
How could it have been four months since his arrival?
He thought about how he should have opened this much sooner and couldn't help himself musing as he ran a knife along the sealed container, that despite looking forward to retrieving his most prized effects, the one thing he really wanted more than anything was still in Sunnydale.
He reached in and began digging into the box, looking for his most cherished possession, even above his beloved books.
Since leaving California, he had planned on opening this box immediately on arrival, but somehow it had been pushed to the bottom of the list when things like clothes and food had proven themselves more important necessities. Then he'd become preoccupied with getting a job and arranging his apartment so that he could actually move within it and not stumble over the mounds of boxes. He couldn't believe that amidst all the chaos his ritual had become forgotten.
He touched the carton he was looking for and after pulling it out and resting it on the sideboard, he opened it up.
"Oh dear Lord."
In front of him sat, not the box of letters he'd lovingly written to Buffy every week since the Prom, but the gift she should have received when he'd left them all: a crystal figurine of an ice-skater. His heart seized with sudden fear.
If this was here, then the collection of letters. he collapsed onto a nearby chair in shock as he realized where his letters were.
"Oh dear Lord." How on earth had that happened?
* * * * *
Author: Luisa
Email: [email protected]
Pairing: B/G Duh!
Rating: R
Distribution: You want my humble fic? What a flatterer. Just ask, and ye shall receive.
Summary: Based on the Love Letters Challenge at buffygiles.com, Giles leaves gifts for all the Scoobies when he leaves. Unfortunately the gift he intended to leave his Slayer travels to England with him, and the present she opens turns out to be some rather private letters revealing well-hidden feelings. We all know Buffy loves Giles, but what will she do with her newfound knowledge that he loves her back? *grin* I wonder.
Spoilers: S6 Through Tabula Rasa. The B/S thing went no further than the kisses they shared at the Bronze. Xander and Anya are happily married, but Giles never went to the wedding as per the actual episode.
Disclaimer: Everyone from the Buffyverse belongs to Joss and M.E. "Stuck on You" belongs to Lionel Richie and Brockman Music. "Never had a Dream Come True" written by C. Dennis/S.Ellis published by EMI. Feedback: Do I need to beg? Notes: Am I the only person who noticed the intimate and meaningful look that passed between Buffy and Giles in the song, "What Can't We Face if We're Together?" in "Once More With Feeling"? I haven't seen any mention of it in any other fic, so I thought I'd do the honours. Dedication: To Rari, for your advice, encouragement and excellent (as usual) beta work.
Part 1: Missing You.
"Buffy?" Dawn tapped lightly on Buffy's bedroom door and entered cautiously. She never knew these days what sort of mood Buffy would be in, or if she'd even notice Dawn there at all. Mostly Buffy was quiet and withdrawn, and on occasion she lashed out unexpectedly, but she never smiled, never laughed. Dawn sometimes wondered if Buffy had left her happiness in Heaven.
She'd been like this since Tara and Giles' departures four months ago, never talking unless absolutely necessary, hardly even eating. Dawn had guessed that this was more to do with Giles' absence than being brought back from the dead, but what confused her most is that Buffy wouldn't even talk to Giles if he rang, always making a point of being "Just on her way out the door to patrol". Dawn in her naïveté couldn't understand it at all; she missed Giles too, but she concluded that talking to him actually helped to ease the empty ache.
"Buffy?" Dawn asked again, slightly louder. She approached hesitantly to where her sister sat on the floor leaning against the cool wall.
Dawn noted that Buffy was still in her nightclothes, seemingly inactive: staring blankly into space. A slight movement broke the stillness as Buffy snapped out of her thoughts, turning her head slightly to view her younger sister with a weary expression.
"What is it Dawn?" Her voice was tired and resigned, as if she didn't truly care what the reason for Dawn's presence may be.
"Um." Now that she'd come this far, Dawn couldn't remember what she had come in for. Casting her eyes about the room, she asked the first question that popped into her head.
"Aren't you going to open the box? Everyone else has opened theirs."
She was referring of course, to the carton that had stayed in the exact same spot in the centre of the floor every day since Giles had left, laying just a couple of feet away from where Buffy sat now. Buffy hadn't even allowed it to be moved when the rooms had been cleaned. Dawn didn't even want to think about what might be living under it.
Buffy at last broke the awkward silence that had filled the space as their thoughts had been occupied by the existence of Giles' gift.
"No." The note of finality in Buffy's tone surprised Dawn enough to ignore the unspoken warning.
"But aren't you curious, even just a little bit?" She held up her thumb and forefinger to emphasise her point.
Buffy chose to ignore the persistent teenager's question. "Dawn, don't you have homework to do?"
When the blank expression resumed its position on her sister's face, Dawn knew that she'd had her share of Buffy's attentions for the day and realised that there would be no point in reminding her that it was the middle of vacation.. "'Kay" she said softly, backing out of the room and almost walking into Willow.
"Hey," the Wicca quietly greeted her. "You okay this morning?" Dawn nodded, knowing the next question that Willow would ask.
"What about Buffy? How's she doing?"
Dawn snorted softly, "She managed two sentences this morning."
Willow sighed knowing in her opinion, how Buffy must feel. "Let me try, Dawnie."
Dawn sidestepped away from the door to give the older girl access into the room and went to get some breakfast, sensing that if she didn't leave willingly she'd be yelled at. She contemplated that for a moment: even yelling would be better than this silence. The sudden growl of her stomach however, convinced her to go downstairs.
"Buffy?" Willow, like Dawn before, approached tentatively.
Buffy sighed again, knowing that Willow wouldn't leave her alone until she at least had breakfast. That was the way it was everyday. The fact that it was a Saturday and vacation didn't deter Willow in the least. She and Dawn would badger Buffy until she ate, then reluctantly leave her alone until lunchtime when they would begin nagging again. It was beginning to drive Buffy crazy. Willow's voiced pierced her thoughts once more.
"Buffy, you've got to eat. Starving yourself to death won't help."
Buffy's reply was again fatigued. "Look Will, I'm just not hungry right now. I'll get something later" *Much later*.
Willow found herself growing bolder for the first time in weeks, and settled herself on the edge of Buffy's bed. "Look, Buffy. I'm not planning on going anyplace right now, and as you don't look like you are either, I think we ought to have a talk about. this."
There was no response.
Willow continued, "Buff, you're scaring the Dawnster. This is so unlike you: I mean okay, you've got stuff to deal with, but so have the rest of us. Don't you think it might be better if we work through this together?"
Still Buffy refused to respond.
*Okay,* Willow thought to herself, *Time to bring up the one thing that will make Buffy talk.*
"I know you're missing Giles, right now, but this is not the way to deal.
Just as she predicted, Buffy's eyes suddenly flashed with anger.
"What do you know about it? You don't have the first idea of how I feel." Her tone softened slightly as her sadness and loneliness overwhelmed her once more.
"You can't even begin to imagine what it's like to be ripped from Heaven and then, just when you're getting over it and you're starting to think you've maybe got a second chance at life and. and putting things right, to have that chance snatched away from you. You haven't been in my position, so how could you possibly know how it feels?"
She didn't allow Willow to answer, but added in a shaky voice, "As far as Giles is concerned; yeah, I'm missing him. But there's nothing that can be done about it, nothing can bring him back or make him care enough to stay."
A heart-wrenching sob escaped her and she ended her outburst on a tearful note, unaware of what she was revealing.
"You don't understand. It's like my whole reason for living has been stolen away from me. "
Willow tried to sympathise with her friend's anguish, and not focus on her own internal reaction to Buffy's distressed words.
"Buffy. I do. I do know how it feels. Tara left me, remember?"
There were tears in Willow's gentle eyes as she spoke, but Buffy didn't notice them, replying without thinking, "Yes I remember, but that was your fault. She left because you lied to her and broke your promises. Giles left me for no logical reason whatsoever. And besides." she faltered, "Besides, if you hadn't noticed: me and Giles have a platonic relationship, you know: Student/Teacher, Watcher/Slayer yada, yada. You and Tara had an intimate relationship. you were lovers."
Willow blinked back the tears, concentrating only on her best friend's pain.
"I know you're hurting right now Buffy, so I'll let the Tara comment slide for now. But Buffy, I just don't get why you're denying your feelings about Giles."
Again Buffy's eyes flashed, this time with confusion.
"Will, what are you talking about? There's nothing between Giles and me. Nothing. The only reason I'm upset is because he left me when I needed him most. He knew where I'd been, what I had been through and still he left. He didn't even have a good reason. And then he couldn't be bothered to come back for my birthday - celebrate I'm alive and all that." Her voice rose, "He didn't even come back for the wedding! If there was anything between us, don't you think he'd be eager to use any excuse to be with me?"
Willow smiled knowingly. "Have you finished convincing yourself, yet? 'Cause you sure can't fool me."
Buffy merely glared at her.
"Look Buffy, you can look at me like that all you want if it makes you feel better. But stop hiding your feelings. There's no point. We all know how you and Giles feel about each other, so stop denying it."
Buffy couldn't prevent the question that escaped her if she'd tried. Curiosity urged her to ask it. "How. how do you know?"
Willow grinned, sliding on the floor to be closer to her friend as she sensed the change in the atmosphere.
"Buff, you kinda gave it away with that 'I'm so in love with you' look you gave Giles that time in the Magic Box when Xander summoned that singing demon-y thing." She waved her hands in the air as she spoke, trying to explain with actions what her words could not say. "And. if you didn't notice, Giles went all. you know, the way he goes when he's embarrassed. shy I guess. He looked at you like."
Willow paused again, trying to think of a British phrase, "Like he was saying 'I'm completely smitten with you, too' then he kinda ducked his head away. You must remember" she insisted.
In all truth, Buffy did remember. The moment she and Giles had exchanged that look something had clicked between them, in fact she could have sworn that electricity passed through her. It was the one thing she focused on in his absence: the hope that he might have felt it, too.
Willow mistook Buffy's reflective silence for rebellion, and a trace of an accusatory tone crept into her voice.
"Buffy, Giles loves you. How come you can't see it? I've already told you everyone else can. Why can't you? It's so obvious. You should be happy."
Buffy looked at her friend in confusion. "So what if he does?" She asked quietly.
"It won't bring him back, will it?" She ended the question with a hiccup, and after four long, dry months of hurt and anger, the dam finally broke. With a sob, Buffy launched herself at her best friend, desperate to be held. "I miss him so much, Will."
"I know you do, Buffy." Willow soothed, rocking her friend, stroking her hair and crooning words of comfort into her ear.
As Buffy's sobs subsided, Willow hesitantly asked, "Um. are you ready for some food yet? 'Cause my tummy's rumbling pretty bad."
Buffy drew a deep breath and managed a shaky laugh. "I'm still not hungry. But thanks anyway Wills."
Buffy's meaning was clear even before she added, "Thank you for everything."
Willow gave her a last hug, tears shining in her own eyes at Buffy's unspoken forgiveness for bringing her back, before getting up and heading out. She paused at the door.
"Um. Buffy? Does this mean you'll open the box yet?" Buffy squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she tried to hold in the fresh set of tears that threatened to spill out. A single tear managed to escape.
"I don't know, Will."
"Why haven't you opened it already, anyway?" Willow couldn't help asking. A puzzled expression was apparent on her pretty features as she explained her question.
"I would have thought that his gift would be a comfort for you. I know that he'd want it to be."
Buffy let out a harsh laugh, followed by a sad smile.
"If I do that Will, it's like admitting that he's really gone. That whatever his present is, that's all I have to remember him by. I'm not sure I want to remember him in that way."
Willow smiled reassuringly at her friend.
"I know you'll like. He asked for my advice. At least consider it?"
Buffy reluctantly nodded her agreement before the redhead exited the room.
Alone once more, Buffy sat for what seemed like hours staring into space. Only this time, the silence wasn't filled with hurt, anger or tension - just a refreshing peace that she had admitted her loss, her hurt and loneliness and her love for her former Watcher. Just as she felt her eyes become misty again, she snapped out of it, refusing to cry again.
She adjusted her focal point to the carton sitting nearby, watching it warily for long moments before letting out a long ragged breath and reaching for it. Yet, even when she held it in her hands she still couldn't bring herself to open it. She felt her eyes grow wet again.
*God, am I ever going to stop crying? If I don't stop, the house'll get flooded. again.*
She replaced the package to its previous position on the carpet, not wanting to ruin the contents with her tears - after all this was a gift from Giles, and it was to be treasured, she reasoned. Then, for the first time in weeks, Buffy rose with a sense of purpose. She decided that she was hungry, after all. Pulling her robe around her, she further decided that after breakfast and a shower, she would open Giles' package.
* * * * *
Thousands of miles away, on another continent, Rupert Giles was finally getting around to unpacking the last of his belongings.
How could it have been four months since his arrival?
He thought about how he should have opened this much sooner and couldn't help himself musing as he ran a knife along the sealed container, that despite looking forward to retrieving his most prized effects, the one thing he really wanted more than anything was still in Sunnydale.
He reached in and began digging into the box, looking for his most cherished possession, even above his beloved books.
Since leaving California, he had planned on opening this box immediately on arrival, but somehow it had been pushed to the bottom of the list when things like clothes and food had proven themselves more important necessities. Then he'd become preoccupied with getting a job and arranging his apartment so that he could actually move within it and not stumble over the mounds of boxes. He couldn't believe that amidst all the chaos his ritual had become forgotten.
He touched the carton he was looking for and after pulling it out and resting it on the sideboard, he opened it up.
"Oh dear Lord."
In front of him sat, not the box of letters he'd lovingly written to Buffy every week since the Prom, but the gift she should have received when he'd left them all: a crystal figurine of an ice-skater. His heart seized with sudden fear.
If this was here, then the collection of letters. he collapsed onto a nearby chair in shock as he realized where his letters were.
"Oh dear Lord." How on earth had that happened?
* * * * *