GlassWorks - Home

By A.M. Glass [glasswrks@yahoo.com]

Copyright: Nov. 30, 1999

Story Disclaimer: Joss owns the characters from "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer". No copyright infringement is intended or inferred.

Author's Note: The song used in this story is called "Home To You" it is written by Sara Light and Arlos Smith, it's sung by John Michael Montgomery. This does contain some spoilers for "Wild At Heart" and a few others that I don't have the titles of, sorry. Thoughts are indicated by the < > symbols, song lyrics by the( ) symbols.

Rating: PG... and that MIGHT be pushing it some.

Special Thanks: To my beta reader Tracy, thanks. As of right now, 12-01-99, this story has NOT been beta'd yet. If Tracy has shown me the many errors of my way, I will post the beta'd version. How did the move go?

********************************************

Buffy, Giles and Willow were going over the latest information they had on the commando group at Giles's apartment, Xander had left with Anya in tow a few hours earlier.

Willow went over to Giles's stereo system and turned it on. She found the local country station and let the songs tell her story.

Buffy sighed,

(I get up and battle the day things don't always go my way)

Giles sighed silently, he shuddered.

(It might rain but that's okay

I get to come home to you)

Buffy thought to herself.

Giles mused.

(Sometimes life might get me down)

"Tell me about it," Willow muttered to herself.

(I get tired of gettin' kicked around)

Buffy stretched, trying to work out the kinks from her latest work out against a vampire she had dusted earlier in the evening.

Giles wondered if his feelings were going to recover from being repeatedly quashed by Willow. He truly cared for the young woman, and had hoped to assist her during this difficult period in her life.

(I feel lost in this maddening crowd)

Willow thought as she looked up from the book she had been reading, and saw him staring at her. She smiled at him weakly, which he returned.

(But I get to come home to you)

Willow looked over to Buffy, she thought.

Giles watched as the red haired beauty turned her attention towards Buffy.

('Cause you are my best friend)

Buffy told herself, she hoped Willow could/would forgive her attitude during the last few weeks. The whole Oz 'thing' had almost crushed her friend's spirit, and that was something she was determined not to let happen. Of course the whole wanting to marry Spike fiasco still made her skin crawl, but all was forgiven.

(And you are where my heart is...

And I know at the day's end...

I get to come home to you)

was silently echoed in the room, by Buffy and Giles.

Willow realized.

(Hangin' out in our old sweatshirts)

Willow and Buffy both smiled, sharing a memory of eating ice cream on a Sunday afternoon, doing absolutely nothing...

And enjoying every second of it.

(Ya let me complain about a hard day's work)

Giles had been able to open up to Willow as he had never done with anyone else. She understood the overwhelming responsibility he had; watching over the Slayer. He had shared with Willow the feelings he had whenever Buffy had been hurt... or how he had betrayed the trust that was so paramount in their relationship, when he had drugged Buffy.

He hated that they were at odds with each other recently, he never wanted to hurt Willow, ever. All they seemed to do is argue, and that was something that had to stop, before it permanently damaged the friendship that he cherished.

he wondered, immediately tucking the thought away with the others he had about Willow, the ones he held close to his heart. Taking them out in the dead of night and examining them like precious artifacts.

(I don't know what I did to deserve to

Get to come home to you)

'Home'

It meant different things to the trio.

To Buffy...

It was Angel.

For a long time it had been him...

Then things changed.

'Home' no longer meant just one person.

A person she couldn't have no matter how much she wished.

Home was her friends...

'Home'...

Was someone else.

Someone who had crept into heart without her knowledge.

But not without her consent.

**********

To Willow...

Home meant her parents who were hardly ever there anyway.

'Home' was the library, where she felt safe.

'Home' used to be Oz...

Now there was...

**********

To Giles...

'Home' was never far away.

All he had to do was glance in her direction...

And he was home.

He wasn't sure when or if he'd ever tell her, but he always had hope...

Perhaps, 'this' was the day he'd tell her.

**********

('Cause you are my best friend...

And you are where my heart is...)

Buffy and Giles wondered what Willow was up to when she got up from the chair she had been sitting in and walked over to where they were sitting on the couch.

"Did you find something?" Giles asked.

Willow shook her head.

(And I know at the day's end...

I get to come home to you)

"Are you okay Will?" Buffy asked.

Instead of answering, Willow reached out and took Giles by the hand and brought him to his feet. Giles looked confused, he had no idea what was happening.

('Cause you are my best friend...

And you are...

Where my heart is)

Willow reached over and took Buffy by the hand.

"Come here," she said.

(And I know at the day's end...

I get to come home to you)

"What's the matter Will?" Buffy asked.

"Yes Willow, please tell us?" Giles asked concerned by her rather odd behavior at the moment.

(Yes... I get to come home to you

Oh... I love coming home to you)

"I... I... just wanted... wanted to tell you two something," Willow said.

"Yes?"

"What?"

Willow looked down, suddenly very shy, silently wishing the earth would just open up and swallow her... she quickly tossed the thought out of her head. she told her herself.

She felt two different hands lift her face back up, and looked into two faces full of concern... and love for her.

"Um... I just wanted to tell you... I love you both," she finally said, still holding on to their hands, getting a reafirming squeeze.

"OH.. God, Will... I thought you were going to tell us that you're sick or something..." Buffy said, wrapping her arm around her friend relieved that it wasn't something life threatening.

"Quite right, you had me worried for a minute," Giles replied mimicking Buffy's embrace.

"I love you too," Buffy whispered into Willow's right ear.

"As do I," Giles told her in her left.

Willow smiled.

"Home," she whispered.

The End.