What Would Happen?
Companion Piece to "Poetry Reading"
Author: M. Jade
Summary: Giles has an interesting dream...
Rating: PG
If you have comments or suggestions, email me at jaderozegirl@yahoo.com
Feedback: Pretty please, with sugar on top?
Spoilers: Up to "Restless"
Disclaimers: Joss is the man with all the rights to the show, Meredith Brooks owns the song "What Would happen
Distribution: My site, Strange Brew, Bite Me... Please?, and Willow's 'Lil Secret, others are required to ask, but I'll probaby say yes
Notes: Companion piece to "Poetry Reading"
More Notes: As always, { } denotes lyrics
Rupert Giles was aware he was dreaming. He had started out in the school library where he used to work, and there had been something too unreal about one of the books on the shelf. That had been his cue. The Watcher's Council had taught him well. Giles had been one of the best lucid dreamers they had encountered, and his talent served him well at times. There were a number of times his dreams had alerted him to potential dangers, such as the recent visit from the legendary First Slayer who had invaded the dreams of the Scooby Gang in order to kill them, and his control over them was fundamental as to forcing them to divulge their meaning. Tonight, however, he just wanted to let himself go and have a good time. That was how Giles ended up at the Bronze.
The club was sparsely populated. The crowd was thin, and there were very few people on the dance floor. He didn't even bother to stop at the bar. He chose, instead, to take a seat a small table in the corner. The table was vacant, and that was exactly what he had wanted. The music the band was playing in the background was faint, and for now he didn't care what it was. Giles had other things in mind.
He spotted her almost immediately. There, by the door, she stood like a vision. Her fiery red hair, which was currently framing her face, her soft green eyes, and the pale blue dress he had imagined her in were, in his mind, perfection. Willow was as stunning as he had ever envisioned her, and that only made the dream even better. The witch didn't even bother to speak to him; she just glanced over into his direction, and made her way over to his table. Willow took Giles' hand and her touch was like fire. Even that simple of contact seemed to send an intense wave of electricity throughout his entire body. She led him out to the floor, put her arms around him, and, as the music slowly came up, they began to dance.
{Electricity}
{Eye to Eye}
{Hey, don't I know you?}
"Willow," he breathed into her ear.
“Shush, Rupert,” she commanded him as the music went on. Giles didn't feel he had much of a choice. When he was in her arms, there was nothing else. That was the best part. The outside world, with all its problems, hassles; all of his insecurities were gone. In this dream world, there was only Willow. And the music.
{I can't speak.}
{Strip my senses}
{On the spark}
Giles didn't know why he had chosen Willow. Something in the redhead made him feel at peace, more peace than his girlfriend Olivia or even his late love Jenny had ever provided him. It just happened one day that Willow appeared in his dream, and he ended up feeling more content when he woke up than he ever had in his entire life. As long as he dreamed, his brain didn't bother to process it. He wasn't sure that he ever wanted to. Right at that moment, he didn't want to be psychoanalyzed or his motivations scrutinized. All Giles wanted to do was dance.
{I've never been defenseless}
{I can't even make sense of this}
{You speak and I don't hear a word}
“Why am I here, Rupert,” she asked.
“I don't know Willow,” he replied absent-mindedly. As he said it, he was staring into her eyes. The truth was that he wasn't sure himself what it all meant. He hadn't really consciously chosen the music, but it was as if she was singing to him. It was all the things he had wanted her to say to him, and more.
{What would happen if we kissed?}
{Would your tongue slip past my lips?}
{Would you run away?}
{Would you stay}
{Or would I melt into you?}
{Mouth to mouth}
{Lust to lust}
{Spontaneously combust}
There was no denying what he wanted to do. Giles wanted that one perfect moment, that one shared thing between two people and he intended to share it with Willow. Offhand, he wondered what his father or grandmother would say if they knew what Giles was doing. It wasn't exactly what they had taught him a good Watcher was supposed to do. Fantasizing about a young woman who was more than half his age, he didn't think they would have approved. Giles had known Willow for three years, and she still had no idea what being so close to her did to him.
It took a lot for Giles to pretend that Willow was just another member of the Scooby Gang. Willow was supposed to be a friend of his Slayer who happened to help out in their fight against their enemies. Every time he got close to the hacker, it was awkward for him. He had to keep reminding himself that she was simply a young woman doing a job, not some nubile nymph teasing him. Most importantly she was his friend, and Giles had done his best to treat her as such. Willow almost certainly did not have the slightest idea as to his dreams and her part in them. In the end, he convinced himself that it was for the best.
{Room is spinning}
{Out of control.}
{Act like you didn't notice}
{Brushed my hand}
His dreams had been getting worse. They had been simple at first, harmless little things, but recently they had begun to get more suggestive and erotic. Giles knew he should stop, let it go, but part of him needed to be there, to feel her skin. The whole effect was intoxicating to him. The more he dared to experience with Willow, the more he wanted.
There was also the danger that his dreams would carry out into the real world. There had been a few times he had come perilously close to attempting to live out these dreams, and it scared him. So far, Giles had managed to catch himself any time he found himself staring at Willow's enchanting features or wanting to touch her a little longer than necessary. The more he dreamed, the harder it became to hold back. He was afraid that if he ever dared to share any of this with the sweet redhead, it would ruin the tentative friendship they had built, and that was not a chance he was willing to take.
{Forbidden fruit}
{Ring on my finger}
They both had someone they cared about, someone they had made promises to. Giles had Olivia, who he did care for; there was no question as to that. Olivia meant the world to him, and she was a wonderful woman, but she had no clue as to these dreams of his. Olivia had no idea that in his dreams Giles had chosen someone else.
Then there was Tara. Willow clearly liked the girl, and Giles did respect their relationship. Willow was an independent young woman with a life of her own, and Tara was the one she had chosen to share that life with, as he had chosen Olivia. But in his dreams, Giles didn't care about that. In his dreams, no one stood between them.
{You're such a moral, moral man}
{To throw it away, no questions}
{Will I pretend I'm innocent?}
In his dreams, all his propriety and morals be damned. Every time he had hugged Willow, or come thisclose to her, he had kept his cool and managed not to act like some bloody prat. In the real world, he had remained the consummate gentleman, and it had worked. Willow didn't know about the world he had created in his mind, the things that he had imagined them doing.
But in his dreams, she wanted him just as much. Willow, too, had forgotten all the proper things they were supposed to do. In his dreams she acted as boldly as Giles did.
“This is nice,” she commented sweetly as they continued to dance.
“Yes, I would have to agree, Willow,” he replied as he began to stroke her silky hair.
“But it could be nicer,” the redhead added. The music played on.
{What would happen if we kissed?}
{Would your tongue slip past my lips?}
{Would you run away?}
{Would you stay?}
{Or would I melt into you?}
{Mouth to mouth}
{Lust to lust}
{Spontaneously combust}
{What would happen if we kissed?}
“What would happen,” Willow mused, repeating the lyrics to the song. Giles didn't know how to answer. Each time in his dream, it was different. The situation was always the same, but their reaction was never the same. This time he chose to say nothing. Willow, however, chose to act.
“Let's find out,” she purred. She leaned in and gave him a polite kiss in the cheek, something friendly and nice, and looked up into his eyes. No, this was not what he wanted.
{I struggle with myself again}
{To keep the walls from crumbling}
{I don't know if I can turn away}
They were in the middle of the dance floor; no one else was paying attention to them. They were alone in the spotlight, and for once, Giles chose to give in. They had never gone this far in his dreams. Now, he wanted to.
“Willow,” he breathed as he took her chin in his hand and held her to him.
“Rupert,” she replied. Giles bent down to her and pressed his mouth to hers. The effect was electric. His whole being felt like it was on fire, and the heat seemed to fill the whole room. She eagerly returned his kiss as they kept swaying to the music. Yes, this was the type of moment he had envisioned. The two of them, alone and uninterrupted. It was magic, unlike anything he had ever experienced with Jenny or Olivia. This was the magic he imagined Willow could weave. They just stood there and kept at it as the music went on, no one seeming to be paying any attention to them.
{What would happen if we kissed?}
Giles awoke with a start as he heard the telephone ring. It had been a wonderful dream, but as all dreams must, this one had ended. He groaned as he reached over to grab the receiver.
“Hello,” he answered as he listened to who was on the other line. “Oh, hello, Willow.”
Companion Piece: Poetry Reading