Shacking Up, 10
By
EntreNous********
Chapter Eighteen: The Interpretation of Dreams
Giles looked up from the volumes scattered on his table and drew himself up. So much for a quiet morning alone with his books, he thought wistfully, rising to answer the knocking at his front door.
“Oh, Xander! Yes, do come in,” Giles invited the young man uselessly, seeing as how Xander had already stumbled into his apartment and curled up into a ball on his couch.
Giles looked Xander over with an expert eye. No apparent injuries, unless it was something internal. No demon goop or vampire dust on the clothes, he noticed with no small relief. Xander’s tendency to collapse on Giles’s couch after patrolling had necessitated the purchase of a bulk canister of Scotch Guard.
Giles sat at the other end of the couch and listened to Xander mumble into his knees about how he was probably the stupidest guy in the universe, not just in this universe, in any universe out there.
“Xander?” Giles inquired. “Are you physically hurt?”
Shake of the head.
“Has something frightening occurred? Are the others all right?”
Wary shake of the head, followed by vigorous nodding.
“Well, then,” Giles said, and stopped. “Cup of tea?”
Shrug.
“Hang on then, I’ll be right back with the pot. Care for a scone?”
Enthusiastic nod. Well, at least the boy wasn’t a complete wreck. The prospect of food still excited a reaction.
Giles puttered around his kitchen, making the tea and pulling out plates. His preparations were broken only occasionally by the sounds of pitiful moans coming from the couch. Finally having gathered all of the accoutrements on a tray along with the tea and scones, Giles braced himself a bit and returned to the living room.
He sat silently and watched Xander add numerous spoonfuls of sugar to his tea and smear butter and jam on his scone.
“Well,” Giles began, “what can I do for you, Xander?”
Xander widened his eyes and said “uhm -- wahntdtotk -- abtdreems”
“Please continue when you’re done chewing, Xander,” Giles said with a sigh, and waited.
Xander swallowed and looked down into his tea. “Um. I wanted to talk about dreams.”
“All right,” Giles responded. “What would you like to know about them?”
“No, it’s more like . . . you talk to Buffy about her dreams, right?” Xander paused and brushed crumbs from his shirt onto the couch.
“Yes, of course.” Giles watched mournfully as jam dripped off Xander’s scone onto the cushions. “Buffy often comes to realize important insights through her dreams. They are perhaps one of the most valuable tools we have in determining the crux of her missions.”
“So is that like a slayer-watcher thing, or do you pretty much take on all comers?” Xander asked nervously.
“I beg your pardon?” Giles inquired. Seeing Xander’s anxious look, he soldiered on. “Xander, would you like to speak to me about one of your dreams?”
“It’s not so much my dream, as the dream of a friend of mine,” Xander said hastily. “Come on, I have friends,” he muttered at Giles’s skeptical look.
“Xander, I’m not questioning the breadth of your social circle. But if you . . .” Giles let the words hang, aware that Xander was starting to look a little panicked. Perhaps it would be best just to play along with the “friend” scenario. He assumed a neutral front, and started over. “Well, why don’t you tell me about your friend’s dream, and we’ll go from there.”
“See, okay, my friend . . . he had this dream with two other people in it. And the two other people, they don’t like each other so much in real life, but in the dream they were very friendly.”
“Yes, go on,” Giles nodded.
“Right. So they were friendly, uh, kind of affectionate, to each other, and to m-- my friend. Who was there also. In the dream.”
“Yes,” Giles said slowly, taking a sip of his tea. “The description you provided sounds rather vague. I can assure you that your friend would gain more chances for insight and interpretation if he would provide more specific information.”
“There was sex.” Xander glanced up at Giles, his faced flushed.
“Pardon?”
“In the dream. The other people had sex with my friend in the dream. All at once -- as in three people having sex together.” Xander dropped his eyes to the floor and waited.
“I see,” Giles said quietly.
“You know, Xander,” he continued gently, “often we dream of sexual situations or other types of intimate contact when we wish to increase the depth of our relationships. Your friend shouldn’t feel odd that he had this dream. It may be that he wishes to reconcile the other participants, resolve some point of dispute, in order that they might all get along with one another.”
“Oh!” Xander nodded hopefully. “I think he would like it if the other people were friendly to each other.”
“Or,” Giles went on, “he may worry about his place in each of their lives, and find himself doubtful as to how he could detect some sign to assure himself that they care for him.”
“Yes! Yes, that makes sense. It could be about that, right?” Xander nodded excitedly.
“Certainly.”
Giles paused and took another sip of tea. “Of course,” he observed, “the dream may simply indicate that he wishes to have sex with these people.”
Xander dropped his teacup with a clatter.
“What?” he gasped out.
“Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar,” Giles said genially, deciding to ignore the tea sinking into his rug. “The dream could communicate a real desire to increase the literal level of intimacy in the relationship with one or both of the other participants.”
“One or . . . both?” Xander repeated in a whisper.
“Indeed. There are other types of encounters and relationships besides the traditional dyad. Besides just two people together,” he added hastily, seeing Xander’s confused look.
“Or with just one of them,” Xander said slowly, frowning.
“Yes,” Giles responded. “Was there any more . . . erm . . . specific information about the encounter that seemed particularly pertinent to your friend? It may be that such details would lead to a clearer view of the situation.”
“Maybe,” Xander said warily.
“Then I would focus on those elements. There’s no need to tell me the details, Xander, if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“Okay,” Xander said, and then hesitated once more.
“Yes?”
“Maybe it is about sex. But what if it’s not supposed to be? Like, he hadn’t really thought he could be attracted to them?”
“Whatever the initial feelings about these other individuals, I can assure you that sexual attraction is rarely supposed to be more than what it is. And as for his doubt beforehand regarding the possibility of desiring these people, well, his thoughts may not have reached that conclusion, but desire and thought rarely move in concert.”
“Yeah . . .” Xander said quietly, and Giles reflected that he seemed both relieved and concerned.
“Well, thanks Giles. This has helped a lot,” Xander said, and grabbed the tray to bring it into the kitchen.
“Always happy to help, Xander,” Giles observed, swiping at the coffee table with a damp rag.
“Guess I’ll take off,” Xander announced, and turned to the door.
“Oh, Xander?” Giles asked quietly.
“Uh, yeah?”
“Your desires are what they are, and you shouldn’t judge them. But your thoughts do play a significant role in the course you choose to take. Please be careful of yourself.”
Xander turned back, and grinned sheepishly.
“Kind of figured out it was me, huh?”
“Yes, somehow I did,” Giles replied dryly.
There was a pause.
“Figure anything else out?” Xander asked with seeming nonchalance.
Giles gazed at him with a neutral expression. “I did observe we were both taking a great deal of care keeping the pronouns involved in this conversation ambiguous,” he noted casually.
“Yeah,” Xander said simply. “Maybe they’ll get more specific later.”
“Perhaps they will. I trust that you know what sort of precautions you ought to take in these situations, regardless of the specificity of your . . . pronouns,” Giles observed paternally.
“Oh, yeah,” Xander said hastily. “I’m all set with precautions.” He started backing away in the direction of the door. “So, thanks Giles, and I’ll just get out of your hair now, so . . .”
Giles nodded kindly at Xander’s frantic goodbye wave and regarded the chipped tea cup on the rug thoughtfully. His research on the latest prophesy could wait for now. If he could contribute anything to help Xander choose wisely, then certainly he ought to do his part.
More confidences from the young man himself would serve the purpose best, but then again, he could query Xander another time. For now, he did have some pertinent information at his disposal.
Giles deposited the damaged china on the kitchen counter, and headed to his bookcases to find the appropriate Council writings on the vampire known as Spike.
***