Title: A Thanksgiving To Remember
Author: Shawna
E-mail: smkraus1@juno.com
Couple: Willow/Giles
Summery: Hmmm...It is kind of hard to say...Put the title says a lot...As so it involves Willow and Giles getting some unseen help....
Rating: 12????
Distribution: Strange Brew, if they want it...Anyone else, please ask.
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Joss Whedon, Fox and the WB network.
Feedback: Please give me feedback...Tell me how to make this story better...Tell me if you enjoyed it..Trust me the reply button will not hurt you..No, flames.
Spoiler: Pangs, maybe...I am not sure if there are any other spoilers in this fic..
Note: Okay, this is another 'what are you thinking, Shawna fics'...Yes, another one...A warning though, I am not sure if you will like this story for it is very strange...But then I think a lot of my stories are sort of strange...This is my very first holiday fic..so I hope everyone enjoys and have a wonderful holiday...




Willow stared at Buffy in shock. The coke she had been about to take a sip of was stopped halfway to her mouth. She slowly lowered her drink and kept staring at Buffy...

"So...What do you think?" Buffy asked Willow excitedly.

Willow just keep staring...

"Willow, what is it?"

Finally, Willow found her voice...

"Thanksgiving? You want to try another Thanksgiving."

"Well, the food was surprisingly...eatable...And we lived, that is always a plus..."

"Remember the Indian Spirit who wanted revenge?"

"Like I said, we lived."

"I thought you were still talking about the food..."

Buffy gave Willow a certain look. Buffy's voice suddenly became gentle and looked at Willow with a plea in her eyes as she said....

"Come on, Will...Please, just think a normal thanksgiving with the Scooby Gang...All of us...One big happy family."

"A normal Thanksgiving?"

A sparkle entered Buffy's eyes...

"Well, as normal as it can be with us."

"Are you sure about this?" Willow still couldn't believe what Buffy was suggesting.

"What is there to be sure of? And anyway I've already told Giles that we were having Thanksgiving at his place again."

"You didn't ask?"

"Ask? Hmmm..No, I think I just went up to Giles and said 'we are having Thanksgiving at your place, again. So ready to train with me?"

"What did he say?"

"He said he was ready to train with me and we trained...And trained...Then, we trained some more...Now, I am all trained out..."

"Buffy! I mean what did he say about Thanksgiving at his place..."

"He said that it sounded like a fine idea, as long as we don't stick him with the clean up once again."

"Well, I guess we can try Thanksgiving again. But what if we get attacked by some angry spirit guy, who I might add had every right to be mad?.."

"Come on, Will...What are the chances of some spirit guy coming over for Thanksgiving?"

"We live on the hellmouth, Buffy."

Buffy looked at Willow for about a minute, shrugged and then said...

"Let's go grocery shopping...We are going to need a lot of stuff, including fresh peas. They aren't gonna be mushy this year."

"Maybe we can also get the other kind, too. For Giles likes mushy peas."

Both girls left Buffy's room...

Neither heard the chuckle that came from the other side of the room.

"Let's go to the store...Another Thanksgiving..."

The ghost shook his head as he walked towards the closed door and went right threw it.

Part 2

The ghost was watching the two girls and enjoying it...

They had enough food to feed an army. The girls were trying to juggle too many bags at one time...To the ghost it was an amazing sight...And to be honest, kind of funny. For Buffy grabbed hold of the turkey by the strings of the wrapper...Holding it with her teeth.

Buffy finally got one hand free and tried to turned the door knob...She let go of the turkey, dropping it onto her own foot.

"Ouch!" Buffy screamed..."Today is the day you, finally, lock your door! Giles! Hey, Giles! You knew we were coming, so open the bloody door!"

The door was thrown open...

"Buffy, don't use the word bloody."

"Why? You do and you would too, if a bloody turkey was on your toes!"

"I'm British, I'm allowed...You are not."

"So because I'm not British. I can't use words like that."

"Precisely. It just doesn't sound right. Saying the word 'bloody' should be keep for the professionals only. Anyway, people from England have the legal right to use 'bloody'. That means *no* bloody Americans have the right."

"Um, Giles, this is an interesting conversation and all...But these bags are too heavy and I am about to drop the eggs all over your floor..Plus, I don't have slayer strength..." Willow said trying to see Giles over all of the many and various bundles. "By the way, Hi, Giles."

"Oh, of course, sorry Willow and a Hello to you, too." Giles quickly grabbed some of her bags and helped her inside.

As the group sat all the bags down, Giles looked around in amazement.

"You have enough to feed an army."

"Sometimes feeding Xander is like feeding an army." Buffy said with a warm smile, as she started to empty a grocery bag.

The ghost laid down on Giles' green couch, as he watched everyone.

"Yes, that boy does eat a lot...I once saw him put a whole twinkie in his mouth." The ghost said with a twinkle in his eyes. Of course, the people that were in the room didn't hear him. They never did. Which was fine by him. If only they knew what he had seen. What he knew about each and everyone of them..

The ghost chuckled as Giles said something sarcastic to something Buffy said...

Suddenly, the ghost saw a bright light and he quickly stood up. He knew who it was.

The people as always stayed oblivious to what was going on...

Part 3

The light faded and a beautiful woman stood before the ghost.

"My Love..." The ghost said to the woman.

"John. Don't you dare, my love, me." The woman said glaring at him.

"What did I do now?" John, the ghost, said coming closer towards the woman.

"What you have always done...Absolutely nothing!"

"Nothing? Dearest...If I was alive you wouldn't be saying that..I remember a few nights where we..."

"John! That is not what I am talking about and you know it!"

"Yes, dear..."

"And don't try to sweet talk me."

"Yes, dear. Anything you say my Dearest, my wonderful heart's delight..."

"What did I just say to you?...John..." The woman shock her head. She looked around and saw the people she had come to know as Giles, Willow and Buffy.

"It's Thanksgiving again?" The woman said as she noticed all the food.

"Yes, hopefully without the Indian spirits."

The woman laughed and looked at John....

"It's good that they got a lot of food. Xander is skinny but I think he has a hollow stomach. That boy, he is sweet and very nice. Is he still dating that nice ex-demon?"

"Yes, you should have seen them last night. He took her to a movie and she got so mad at the leading man. She started to yell at the screen and threatened him..The man in the movie not Xander...They both got kicked out of the theater. It was so funny."

"John, do you really love me?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course, I love you. I loved you when I was alive and I love you even now in death."

"Really? Then, why don't you want to be with me?"

"My sweet love.."

"All you have to do to be with me is one good deed. Just one! You've had close to 30 years. I've been without you, wanting you to be with me..Waiting. But no! You got mad when they told you that you couldn't come in for you needed to do something good."

"But that is so stupid. Some big nose guy at the pearly gate telling me I couldn't come in 'cause, I wasn't good enough. I couldn't even go in with *my* wife!"

"John, you can be a mule at times! Just one good thing...When you were alive you were not good but you weren't evil. They told you that you weren't bad enough for hell. Please, John...Don't you love me enough to do *one* good deed? Just one deed! You really don't love me, do you?"

"My love, when we were alive we promised each other no guilt trips."

"When we were alive *you* promised we would be together *always*. Always, my love. That is what you said and I believed you."

"I didn't lie."

"Oh, really? Where is that good deed?"

"Love, I am a ghost, it's kind of hard to do a good deed."

"Don't use that excuse with me, John! What about the ghosts out there that do a lot of bad deeds. And there are a lot of ghosts that do good. What about that nice ghost in L.A., who's own mother killed him. He does good."

"Yes, he is a nice fellow....Mary, can we talk about this later? I am missing the conversation between Giles and Willow. I really wish those two would get together. Just think..."

"John! This world is for the living!"

"But the living is so interesting! Look over here. See Buffy, the vampire slayer. Giles, the watcher. Willow, the witch. And many others. My love, if this was a TV show, I'd watch it very week!"

Mary slowly turned to stare at the group of people...

"Yes, they are interesting...And if they were on TV, I'd watch it, too. Especially, if they had a man as sexy looking as Giles on the show."

"Mary!"

"What, John? I maybe died, but I am still a woman...John, lets not fight...I came to tell you that I will not be visiting this world or you again."

"WHAT!?!"

"I have tried reasoning with you...But...John, I'm lonely...I want my husband beside me in heaven...And..And I love you..But I think you love this world more then you have ever loved me...And...I do love you, John...But...Goodbye.."

Mary started sobbing. A bright light came and took John's Mary away forever.

"Wait! Mary! No, don't leave me! My sweet love..."

John stood in shock and in silence. This amazing group of people that he found so interesting suddenly lost all interest to him. For his ghost heart that hadn't beat in years, was shattered into small pieces.

His attention came back to them when he heard Willow laugh at something Giles had said...

"One good deed...Just one." Mary's words echoed in his ears...

The ghost stared at Willow and Giles. A smile formed across his lips....

"I can do that."

Part 4

Thanksgiving Day...

"Buffy, how can I make cookies, if you are hogging the oven?"

"You will find a way...What if you used your magic?"

"Buffy, it wouldn't be the same."

"I agree..." Giles told Buffy.

"Giles, I believe you are wrong. Now, go back to doing what you were doing."

Giles rolled his eyes as he was washing and peeling some vegetables. Willow gave him a smile. Giles smiled right back.

Xander opened Giles' front door and came right in.

"I thought I locked it.."

"Hi, everyone..."

Buffy looked at Xander, then asked..

"Where's Anya?"

"She is...um...Sort of, not coming...We got in a little fight...But, lets not talk about that so what do you girls want me to do?"

Buffy quickly gave Xander something to help with. Giles looked over to Willow. He couldn't help but think she looked, as always, very beautiful today. But then she always looked beautiful.

Giles gave a soft sigh...

A couple of boxes fell off the counter. Giles didn't know what made them fall, but he knew he needed to pick them up from the floor. He bent down to get them and his eyes saw something. All he could do was stare...

Willow's long skirt must have had static cling or some kind of breeze around her. For her skirt seemed to keep inching up little by little. He was getting a wonderful view of her legs. And what beautiful legs they were...

He found himself wondering what those legs would be like around...

Giles quickly jumped up and scattered the boxes onto the floor.

The gang turned to look at him....

"I-I must be getting clumsy today..."

"Then maybe you shouldn't be cutting up any of the vegetables." Buffy gave Giles a very pointed look.

"I'm not *that* clumsy!"

"You dropped those boxes twice..."

"I only dropped them once."

Buffy turned back to what she was doing...

"Whatever..."

Giles looked back towards Willow. Her long skirt was now covering her legs. Giles felt some regret. Those legs of Willow's should never be covered. But then again, those legs could easily start wars...

Willow was busy measuring ingredients. She looked over to Giles. He looked so handsome...So sexy...She happily stopped what she was doing and stared...

A couple of buttons on his shirt had come undone...Giving her a very interesting view of his chest...And what a yummy chest it was...

She heard a noise close by her. Willow turned her head and looked at her recipe book. She stared in shock. For on top of her recipe book was another book. Opened..

It looked like a journal...With Giles' handwriting...What was Giles' journal doing on her cookbook?...How did it get there?

"Hmmm...Gi..." The rest of the words never left her mouth as she read his words in disbelief...

Part 5

Willow's mouth was open and her eyes were wide with shock...

She kept rereading Rupert's loving words over and over again. He wrote about a woman who had captured his heart. Who he loved with every breath in his body. Who was beautiful inside and out. When he sees her, his day is so much better. This woman he wrote so lovingly about was her...Willow Rosenburg!...She read how he knew nothing could ever come of it, for she saw him as 'my old friend, Giles' and how he was too old for her...And a lot of other nonsense...

Willow closed the book and tenderly held it against her chest...She looked at Giles...

A soft glow came upon her face. Her green eyes sparkled. Her checks were blushed. A look of love flowed over face.

Willow moved towards Giles, but stopped when her feet hit something.

What on earth? How did her purse go from being by the door to being by her feet? Then, Willow saw it..Her diary...She didn't remember putting it in her purse...She reached down and picked up her diary....

Willow quickly opened it to a certain page...She thought about it for a second or two...She quickly went to Giles and set it in front of him...

"Willow? What are you doing?" Giles looked at Willow and then at her diary...His face was filled with puzzlement when he looked back at her...That's when he noticed it...His journal...He turned pale and looked like he was going to say something.

Willow brought up two fingers and placed them against his lips.

She looked deeply into his eyes then looked at her diary in front of him. Willow gave him a beautiful smile and she nodded toward her diary.

She removed her fingers as Giles carefully picked up her diary. He read in shock at what she said..Giles had to reread it..He couldn't believe it...

Willow wrote about how she loved him. Loved who he was. Loved his character and his sexy bod..How she longed for him to take her in his strong arms and kiss her...Love her...She wrote how he would never see her in that way...He could never love her, but oh, how she loved him...

Giles closed Willow's dairy. Together they both set their books on the counter.

Giles lovingly caressed her cheek. Willow willingly leaned into his touch...

He looked at Willow...Allowing the love he felt for her to shine in his eyes.

Willow was still smiling...

They placed their arms around each other and their lips meet for the first time...

The kiss was full of passion..Full of magic..Full of love...

Buffy stared at them in shock...

"Finally." She whispered to herself and went back to looking for a pan she needed.

Xander heard Buffy's whisper and turned to look...His jaw dropped open...

"Buff, do you see that?"

"Xan, at least we know *he* will do everything in his power not to hurt her."

"You have a point...Go G-man!"

Willow and Giles' beautiful and loving kiss ended...

"Xander, don't call me that..."

The door was opened and in walked Anya. She quickly walked up to Xander and kissed him...

When they both ended their kiss...

"Anya.."

"You are forgiven...I've never gotten flowers before. They were so beautiful!"

"Flowers? What flowers?"

"The flowers I got a few minutes ago with your name on them to me."

"Oh..Those flowers...Um, yeah, hope you love 'em."

"I do...But I love you more..."

They kissed again...Though Xander was still wondering about the flowers...

The ghost looked around at his work...

"I hope *that* is a good enough deed!"

A bright light appeared...And John saw his Mary...

"Love is always a good deed, John."

"Mary.."

"John, you can come home now."

"Mary, I will miss this world...These people...They surprisingly mean a lot to me...And I haven't even done a good deed for Buffy, yet.."

"Don't worry...Angel will be showing up in a little bit..They are going to talk...Just talk..Hopefully, they will leave as friends and grow closer....With time something deeper might happen...And don't worry...You can watch them from heaven's window...There are rumors that everyone just might have mansions next to ours one day.."

"Really?"

"Yes...I can't wait to show you our mansion.."

"You know, Mary, every time that I've seen you...You keep talking about that mansion....You didn't want one when you were alive, did you?"

Mary smiled, her face full of love...

"No, my silly husband...John, why are there mansions in heaven if spirits never sleep?"

"What?"

"Mansions have so many rooms...So many bedrooms...So many beds...there is even a large bare skin rug in front of the fire place..." She said with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Bedrooms? Beds?" John said with wide eyed wonder. " You mean...Damn it to hell, woman!!!"

Mary started too laugh...

"I-I tried to tell you but you kept telling me to hush up about it..So I did..Is it my fault that you are a stubborn man?"

John started to laugh with his wife...He picked her up in his arms and said...

"Let's go home, my love."

A bright light surrounded them and when the light disappeared so did John and Mary.

The scooby's, of course, never noticed it...As the years would come and go....Willow and Giles would never know about the wonderful deed that John had done...He had given them a great adventure...The adventure known as love....

Also, over the years, the group would have many interesting Thanksgivings together...But this Thanksgiving was one everyone would always remember...

(end)

 

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