Foray

by Angela

Disclaimer:

I don't own the characters herein, we all know who does, Josh Whedon, etc. Except the ones I've made up. Very quickly, "Xena: Warrior Princess" belongs to Universal/Ren. Pictures, no copyright infringement intended. Same goes for the "X-Files" who belong to Chris Carter at 1013 productions, and Fox. I should let you know RIGHT now, this is a story that involves Giles and Willow... together. Now, you may not like it, and that's your right, but this is what I chose to write about. So... unless you're open to "Extreme Possibilities", as they say for "X-Files tm" relationship fiction, I would suggest that you find something else to read, Serendipity has a vast amount out there. Also, for those of you who would LIKE to read more fiction with Willow and Giles, I suggest Sweaty Palms it's small right now, but give it a chance.

Author's Note:

I don't intend to write any other stories as I'm not a writer, nor am I confidant enough with the characters to do them justice, although my Beta-Reader(s) have told me otherwise. I'd liked to pay special thanks to my Beta-Reader(s), Tracy... and you know who. I KNOW that my story wouldn't have been HALF as good as it is now, without their assistance. (bowing)

Second Author's Note:

There are certain sections of this story that have violence, implied or otherwise, but it's nothing we probably wouldn't see, on... say a PG-13 movie, or TV-14 television rated program, or a regular "Buffy" episode... which come to think of it, are basically TV-14 anyway. Consider yourself forewarned. Also, there are sections of this story that are... sexual of nature. They are NOT graphic... no... no... no... but they're in here just the same. So, dear reader, if you're still here, I hope you enjoy this labor of mine... or not, it's up to you.

12-12-98

Hi...

My editor, Tracy, has asked me a question, that being, "What is an MRI?" Later on in the story, one of the characters under goes an MRI examination. So, I thought the best thing for me to do is to allow you, the reader, to actually "See" an MRI image, as well, as "Read" about MRI.

You don't have to read much, just the first paragraph. When you've finished, just "click" on your brower's "back" button, and it'll bring you back here.

As I work in a Radiology department, I thought why not use something that I, MYSELF have had. Yes, I have had an MRI scan performed, I'm very greatful that the exam turned out negitive.

If, for some reason, the information doesn't really answer the question, let me know. I'll be more than happy to get some material from the department, that may explain it better.

On with the story.

Feedback would be appreciated.

CHAPTER 1

She moved her hands slowly across his chest, feeling the hard muscles quiver at her touch. This was something they both wanted, it was the moment of truth.

Would this foray into physical intimacy bring them closer, or would it crush the budding romance started five months ago...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willow was sitting in front of the computer terminal in the high school library, searching the net for information Giles needed, when she heard a crash.

Startled, the young slayerette jumped to her feet, reaching for the crucifix she kept with her. Moving in the direction of the sound, she made her way cautiously towards it.

"Giles?" the redhead whispered, there was no reply.

Edging closer to the door that led to his office, Willow wished that Buffy were with her, or even Xander.

'He's probably out with Cordelia, I can't believe he going out with her,'

she thought, moving closer still.

Peering into the office, Willow was puzzled by what she saw. Giles was in Drucilla's arms of all people.

'This is not happening,' she thought, shaking her head in amazement.

"Giles!" she screamed as Drucilla bent forward towards his neck.

CHAPTER 2

Instinctively Willow held the crucifix up, as Dru shoved the Watcher aside knocking into his file cabinet, where he collapsed.

The action momentarily distracted Willow, giving the mad vampire a chance to escape as she pushed her way past the teenager. Getting back to her feet, Willow quickly went to his side.

"Um... Tha... thank you Willow," he said, when she helped him up.

"Are you alright? How did Drucilla get in here?" she asked as she looked out the door.

"I'm... uh, I'm not sure. She... um must have come in while we were out earlier," he explained, looking for his glasses.'Ah, there they are,' he thought as he picked them up.

"You're bleeding!" Willow cried out.

"What?" he asked.

The young woman reached out and gently touched librarian's neck. Rupert saw his blood smeared on it.

"Oh... Oh my," he said as he felt the side of his neck.

"Where's the first aid kit?" Willow asked. She could see the troubled look on his face and, felt him trembling as she took his hand into hers. "Giles where's the first aid kit?" she repeated.

"Um, it's... uh, it's in the top drawer of the file cabinet, over there," he responded, somewhat relieved once the beautiful hacker had let go of his hand.

He hoped the tremor had not given him away, and that she would think it was due to shock. He watched as Willow got the first aid kit, looking inside for something to clean his wound. She turned and smiled shyly at him. It made his heart ache with the longing he felt for her.

Rupert Giles, Sunnydale's High School Librarian, Buffy Summers' Watcher, was helplessly in love with Willow Rosenberg. He had done everything he could think of to bury his feelings for her, he even went as far as dating Jenny Calendar, a fellow teacher at school.

Deep down he knew from the beginning that the relationship with Jenny was doomed. Whenever they had gone out, his mind would eventually drift to Willow. He had recently told Jenny that he didn't think it would work out between them, not surprisingly, she agreed with him.

"Find what you're looking for Rupert. Find it and keep it," she had told him.

And yet, even now as he stood before Willow, he was tormented by the fact that he would see her practically every day. Yet, he couldn't risk telling her how he felt.

"Giles... Giles, are you there?" Willow asked, waving her hand in front of his face, having noticed his distracted look.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I... was um... I was trying to figure out why Drucilla attacked me," he responded.

"Oh, okay, why don't you sit down? You're taller than I am," she said.

"Excuse me?" Giles asked thoroughly confused by the request.

"You'll have to sit down, or I won't be able to take care of the scratches on your neck," she explained.

"Yes, yes, of course. Silly of me," Giles replied as he sat down.

"You are going to Buffy aren't you?" she asked.

"Tell me what?" the slayer said, having just walked into the office.

CHAPTER 3

Startled, they turned around, they hadn't heard Buffy come in.

"Tell you that he was attacked by Drucilla!" the hacker said quickly, hoping her heart would stop trying to escape from her chest, having been surprised by Buffy's silent entrance.

"WHAT!" the vampire slayer exclaimed.

"There is nothing to get excited about Buffy, I'm... I'm quite alright, thanks to Willow," Giles stated.

"I didn't do anything...," Willow began.

"Yes, you did. If it hadn't been for you, I might have ended up as a snack for Drucilla," Giles told her, reaching for her hand before continuing, completely forgetting about Buffy. "You saved my life, and I will be eternally grateful to you Willow."

"Hey, like I hate to break up this love fest here, but what are we going to do?" Buffy asked.

Giles quickly released Willow's hand, but not before he noticed the blush on her cheeks.

"Nothing, Drucilla's long gone by now," glancing at his watch, it was past three in the morning. "And I think the best plan would be for me to take you both home. It's late."

"Could I finish what I'm doing first?" Willow asked hesitantly.

"Yes... yes, of course Willow," he told her, then turned his attention to the slayer. "How did things go tonight Buffy?" Giles asked.

"The usual, dusted a few badies, nothing much. I did see Xander and Cordelia at the Bronze earlier..." she said.

"Really?" Willow asked, trying to be nonchalant about them going out.

"Yeah... they weren't there long," Buffy replied, she could see how much it hurt her friend to hear about them, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.'That boy is SO blind,' she thought.

"Okay Giles, you're done," the redhead exclaimed.

"Thank you again," he replied as he stood up.

"Well we better head out. I'm going to check on things, to be on the safe side," the slayer said.

"We'll wait here for you, do be careful," Giles told her.

Rolling her eyes, Buffy left them and made a tour of the halls. Grabbing his coat, Rupert escorted Willow out of his office, locking the door behind him.

"Shouldn't you get your things?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied as walked back over to the computer terminal. "So, Giles, have you thought about buying a computer like I've asked?" she said as she logged off the computer.

"As a matter of fact, um, I have," he answered.

"And?"

"I'm not sure I want anything to do with that dread machine," he replied.

"Giles," she said exasperated, "It'll make your life so much simpler. I'll teach you, no charge," she said laughing.

"I'll... uh... I'll give it more thought, but I won't promise anything," he told her.

Willow nodded as she began devising strategies to get him to buy a computer. Grabbing her coat, she began to put it on, when Giles walked over to her.

Her heart began beating faster,'Why is that?' she pondered.

"Allow me," he said, taking her coat, holding it out. Willow slipped her arms through.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," he replied.

"I'll come back later, after school," she noticed the blank expression on his face. "To get the information you needed?"

"Ah, yes," he answered.

"I was a bit distracted earlier," the hacker said.

"I could see how Drucilla's unexpected visit might have curtailed your search. Not that anything else would," Giles responded smiling, knowing Willow would have been at the computer all night if Drucilla hadn't shown up. "I have the utmost faith in you Willow." They both looked at the library door when Buffy returned.

"Any problems?" the Watcher asked.

"Nada. It's as quiet as a crypt... not that any of the crypts we've seen have ever been quiet," Buffy replied.

"Shall we go then?" Giles asked.

"Yeah, I've got a history exam today. I can't wait," Willow said, getting a look from Buffy. "Can I help it if I like school?"

"LIKE? Excuse me, did you say like?" she asked, watching her friend nod her head. "Love, adored, can't live without, maybe... but LIKE?" Buffy responded.

"I think it's very commendable of Willow, if I do say so myself," the librarian said in her defense.

"You would Giles. So, are we leaving or what?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, let's go, otherwise you'll both have some serious explaining to do," Giles replied.

The trio left the school, Giles dropped Buffy off first, waiting until she had entered her home before beginning his drive to the Rosenberg residence.

CHAPTER 4

The drive was a quiet one, as both Willow and Giles were lost in thought.

Willow went back over the events of the past few hours. She felt she had a strong bond with the Englishman, she trusted him, perhaps more than she trusted Xander, which said a lot in her book.

She thought back to the dream she had about him almost a week ago, one that left her feeling quite... 'Aroused?' she asked herself, as she looked out the window.

Rupert glanced over at the beautiful redhead sitting beside him, seeing her reflection in the window.

'What's making you smile that way?' he wondered.

Before they knew it, they had arrived in front of Willow's home, parking his car, Giles opened his door and stepped out.

"Wait a moment Willow," he asked, looking around carefully. He was going to make sure before he let her out of the relative safety of the car, that there was nothing that could pose a threat to them, especially the hacker.

Only when he thought it was safe, did he go around the other side of his car and open the door for her.

"Thank you Giles," she had never known him to be so protective of her.

"My pleasure Willow. I'll see you to your door," he said, as he gestured her to walk in front of him.

"You don't have to... " she began.

"I know I don't have to Willow. I... um, I want to. Unless you'd rather not be seen with a stuffy old librarian," he told her, getting ready for her refusal.

"You... are not old Giles. Stuffy... maybe. Lead the way kind sir," she replied smiling, taking his arm.

Grinning, Giles walked Willow to her front door, wishing it could have been longer. He moved aside as she put the key in the lock, opening the door.

Willow stepped into her house, turning around she said, "Goodnight Giles, I'll see you later?"

"Of course Willow. Goodnight," he replied. He started to walk back towards his car, when he felt a tapping on his shoulder. He saw Willow standing there looking away, as if she were afraid to face him. Concerned he asked, "Is there something wrong?"

The hacker looked at him and before he could react, she kissed him on the cheek, and ran back into the house closing the door behind her.

He wasn't sure how long he had stood there before he walked back to his car. He had absolutely no idea how he had been able to drive home without having an accident.

'She kissed me. She actually kissed me,' he thought in utter amazement.

It was the perfect ending to an eventful evening, closing the door behind him, Rupert entered his kitchen and filled his tea kettle with water placing it on the stove.

He tried not to dwell on the kiss but he knew that would be an impossibility. After the water had come to a boil he fixed himself a soothing cup of tea, taking it with him, as he went into the living room and sat the couch.

"Why did she kiss me, I wonder?" he asked himself, taking a careful sip from his steaming cup.

CHAPTER 5

"I don't believe I kissed him," Willow exclaimed, as she went upstairs to her room. She tossed her pack on her bed and went to her computer checking for e-mail.

Having replied to the few she had, she went to bed. Throughout the rest of the night she tossed and turned as she dreamt of the kiss and other things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the morning came both Rupert and Willow were exhausted, each for their own reasons.

The consequences of the kiss could cause serious ramifications to their friendship.

Rupert arrived at the school earlier than usual, he couldn't sleep. Each time he had drifted off, the beautiful redhead would invade his dreams.

Walking down the crowed halls of the high school, Willow was avoiding the library at all cost. She hadn't seen Xander or Cordelia yet, she had already spoken with Buffy earlier. She didn't have the nerve to tell Buffy about the kiss, she had no idea how Buffy might react. There was NO way she was going to tell Xander.

By the time school had let out for the day Willow knew that she would have to face him. Walking to the entrance of the library she desperately tried to think of something to say.

Giles had paced up and down glancing at the entrance whenever he heard the door open. He admitted to himself that he was waiting for Willow to arrive.

Pausing outside the library door the shy young woman stood, debating if she should go in or not. Her mind was made up for her when Xander showed up.

"Hey Wills," he said.

"Um, hi Xander," she replied.

"So, why are we standing outside?"

"No reason, really," she answered.

Nodding his head, Xander pushed the door open, "Well let's get going," he said dragging Willow behind him.

Giles looked up to see both Willow and Xander coming through the door. His heart sank, he was hoping to see her alone.

"Hey G'man, how's it going?" Xander asked.

"Good afternoon Xander, Willow. To answer your question, things are looking up," he replied.

"Um, I'm going to get to work on finding that information you needed Giles," Willow said as making her way to the computer terminal.

"Thank you Willow. Well Xander, what brings you here? I haven't seen you for a few days," Giles asked the young man.

"I told Cordelia I'd be here, thought I could help out...," he stopped and looked over to Willow who was staring at him. "What? Do I have something on my face?" he asked.

"You did say 'Help out', didn't you?" the hacker asked skeptically.

"HA HA very funny. Yes, I did say I wanted to help out. If you needed my special talents," he replied.

"And what exactly might these special talents be Xander?" Giles asked.

"You know..., " he was at a loss.

"Research?" Willow supplied.

Snapping his fingers, "That's it, research."

"Ah, research. There is something you can do for me then Xander..." Giles began.

"Name it," the teenager eagerly responded.

"Could you go to this address?" Giles said as he wrote it down on a slip of paper, "Ask for Jason Mercury, tell him I've sent you and he'll give you a package. It contains some rare books on the occult." He gave the slip of paper to Xander, who frowned.

"This is on the other side of town," Xander said after reading the address.

"Is there a problem? Perhaps I could find someone else to do it."

"No, no. It's not a problem," his eyebrows raised as a thought came to him. "I'll ask Cordy for a ride, we're supposed to go out later. Wills do you want to go with us to the Bronze?" he asked his best friend.

"Go with you and Cordelia?" she replied.

"Yeah, it'll be fun. Besides, I wanna pump you for some information, you know... about girls, seeing as you are one." he asked.

Giles ached to take Willow into his arms. 'How could he do that to her? How could he ask her to give him advice about women?' he asked himself.

"No thanks Xander, I've really got to get this for Giles, he needs me here. Don't you Giles?" she asked, silently pleading with her eyes.

"Yes... yes I do. I'm sorry Xander, but I need Willow with me," he said, 'Always', he continued silently.

"Okay, I'm going to see if I can catch up with Cordy. See you guys, I'll bring the books by later tonight G'man," Xander said as he was leaving the library.

"Xander," Giles called out.

"Yeah," he replied stopping at the entrance.

"I don't plan on staying late tonight. Why don't you call first, if I'm not here, just drop them off tomorrow, alright?" Giles said.

Shrugging his shoulders, Xander replied, "No problem, bye Wills," and left the library.

"Bye...," Willow's response died on her lips, he left before she could finish.

Part 2