Title: Tyme
 
Author: Elixie
Contact: Elixie@bronzeshelter.com
Rating: PG (Character death, but don't worry, it doesn't really happen)
Spoilers:  After Tabula Rasa. Tara is gone, but sorta AU cause Giles decided to stay a little
           longer.
Disclaimer: Joss owns it. I just borrowed them.  I promise I'll put them back.
Note: This is for Joanna. Hope it answers your challenge. Not the best I've done, but then 
      that's not saying much. That RL thing kept interfering.
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"It's a perfectly reasonable adult request." Anya was saying as she and Xander walked into the 
Magic Box.
Xander got a frustrated look on his face. "But An, that's not the place to ask and definitely 
not the person to ask. And you didn't have to shout either"
"But he's old, so I wanted to make sure he heard me."
"They heard you in the GAP at the other end, sweetie.  Hi guys." Xander said to Giles and 
Buffy as he sat down at the table that was piled high with books. "I was just trying to explain 
to my lovely, but hormonally overloaded, wife-to-be that you do not ask a mall Santa for lots of 
sex for Christmas. Especially when the place is full munchkinland mode.  We have now been 
officially banned from every place that children might be." Just then he noticed the stacks of 
books. "Whoa! Research. I take it the Christmas spirit doesn't extend to the demony type."
"Oh we had Christmas." Anya said "It's just that our idea of the perfect holiday involved 
roasting a fat man, not getting gifts from him."
Giles rubbed his eyes "Wesley called. It seems Cordelia had a vision involving Buffy and we're 
trying to figure out what it means."
Buff slammed down her book. "I'm not finding anything. Are you sure you got all the details?"
"Wesley was very insistent that he told me everything Cordelia said she saw." Giles picked up 
another book and started to leaf through it. "We can check again when they get here later. I 
must say though, something about the chimes he mentioned ring a bell." 
"Chimes?" Xander was getting more puzzled by the minute.
"Yeah. Seems this vision I guest starred in involved time travel. And she said she kept hearing 
chimes, like on that clock my grandmother gave my mom." 
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"You're sure there were three of them?" Giles asked. 
Cordelia sipped at her water as she thought for a minute. "Yeah. There were three of them. The 
first one seemed like it was made of light, the second was almost human, and the third was very 
dark. And with the chimes there were numbers." She scrunched up her eyes for a moment. "One, 
two, and three."
"Great. Sounds almost like they want to dance. Why me?" Buffy said.
" They're supposed to get you to do something.  Oh, and it's supposed to happen tonight."
Giles cleared his throat. "Perhaps you should skip patrol tonight. Since we don't know what 
we're dealing with, I don't think it would be safe."
"You're right we don't know what we're dealing with, and I don't want it coming here and 
putting you all in danger. But" she added when Giles started to protest, "I'll keep it short 
and be back here before midnight. Sorry Will," she said as she went for the door. "Looks like 
I'm gonna miss your Hanukah thing tonight.  You can fill me in on the details tomorrow."
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"Baruch ata Adonai, Elohenu melech ha-olam she-hecheyanu, ve-kiyemanu, ve-higiyanu la-zeman 
ha-zeh." Willow recited as she lit the first candle on the menorah. She had convinced the 
Scoobies to celebrate Hanukah this year by reminding them that she was 'still Jewish guys.' 
After doing Christmas with them for a few years now, she had wanted them to know what she did 
for the holidays as a child. And even though she was Wiccan, she still felt that the blessings 
her parents had taught her were very appropriate for their lives. "Blessed are you, Lord our 
G-d, King of the Universe, who has kept us alive, and has preserved us, and enabled us to reach 
this season." 
As she served dinner, she explained what each food meant and told them some of the history 
behind the holiday.  Giles, surprisingly, knew some of it as well. "The reason it was a miracle 
was because after the Greeks attacked the temple, there was only one days worth of oil left for 
the menorah, but it lasted the entire week needed to make more." He blushed slightly when all 
eyes looked at him in surprise. "Well, we never know what religion the Slayer is going to be, 
so Watchers have to learn the history of several." After dinner, Willow taught them how to play 
dreidel.
"Hey!" Dawn yelled as Anya took all of the chocolate coins from the center of the table.
"Actually that's gimmel, so I get all of them. It's a shame that this doesn't work in business 
as well."
Just then, Buffy came through the front door.  "Hi guys."
Giles was immediatly on his feet. "Are you alright? Did anything happen?"
"Chill Giles. It was as normal as patrol usually is."  She stopped for a second. "Did I just 
say patrol was normal? I have been doing this too long."
"I saved you some dinner. If you want I can heat it up for you, although latkes don't microwave 
well. They get all mushy. But I could make you some more." Willow offered as she started to 
head for the kitchen.
"Thanks Will. Don't worry about making more. I can stand reheated potatoes." 
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Buffy was just about to fall asleep when she heard the clock downstairs chime one.  Remembering 
Cordy's vision, she suddenly realized why it seemed familiar and sat up, waiting.  Nothing 
happened. After a long while, she started to relax and fall asleep again, when the clock struck 
two. Again she waited, wondering if they'd changed their minds and weren't coming. She had 
decided to try and sleep one more time when the clock struck three.  Suddenly a cold wind blew 
through the room. Looking up, Buffy saw a dark figure standing before her. 'Must be those 
reheated latkes' she thought. Out loud she said, "I thought there were supposed to be three of 
you." A deep voice answered her.
"We thought it would save time if we skipped right to the point. Come on." With that he grabbed 
her hand.
Buffy suddenly found herself standing in someone's living room.   Voices were coming from the 
kitchen, so Buffy followed them. Cordelia was talking to a man Buffy had never seen before. 
"It really makes me wonder why neither of them ever said anything to each other.  Since she 
died this time he's taking much harder than before." Cordelia sat down at the table. " I think 
because he knows she won't come back this time. Thanks Dennis,' she added as a bottle of water 
slid towards her.
"They were probably too scared to tell each other. That's why he planned to take off for Jolly 
Old when she came back the last time. He was afraid she didn't feel the same and didn't want to 
go through that torment again. Besides from what you told me she was being a selfish bink and 
dumping every nasty job on him. Even love can only put up with so much."
Buffy had been pretty sure they were talking about her and Giles until this stranger had 
mentioned love.  Giles loved her? As she thought about it, she realized he was right. She 
never wanted to see it because of the fear it brought. Fear that something would happen to 
him, like it did everyone else who loved her.
"So what are you doing for Christmas?" Cordelia's voice brought Buffy out of her reverie.
"The wife and I are going to Tahoe.  Maybe do some skiing if we ever make it out of the lodge."
"My parents used to go to Aspen every year. Except one year they decided to stay home with me 
for a change. One of the best Christmases I ever had."
The scene changed and Buffy was standing in the middle of a cemetery.  It was one of the ones 
she patrolled, but the name escaped her.  Giles was in front of her, sitting against the 
headstone of one of the graves. She couldn't read it because of how he was sitting, but she 
was fairly sure it was hers. He had his guitar and was playing a song. From the sound of his 
voice he had been drinking.
"Are you going to Scarborough Fair? 
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and tyme.
  
Remember me to one who lives there.
 
She once was a truelove of mine." He stopped as a sob escaped him. "Do you know what the herbs 
in the song mean, luv? Parsley is supposed to take away bitterness. Too late for me. Sage is for 
strength. You had it in abundance.  Rosemary is love and memory. Brides wear it in their hair 
for their wedding sometimes. Tyme is courage. Something I seem to be in short supply of lately. 
Oh Buffy!"  His body shook as he wept.  After a few moments, he picked up his guitar again and 
continued the song "When thou has finished thy task, 
Parsley, sage, rosemary. and tyme,
 
Come to me my had for to ask,
 
For then thou art a true love of mine."
Buffy noticed his words becoming more slurred as he sang. Moving closer she saw, along with the 
bottle he had been drinking from, an empty bottle of pills. Realizing that rather than face his 
life without her again, he had decided to end it, Buffy leapt forward with a cry of pain.  She 
stopped when she heard him whisper "couldn't tell you how I felt when you were here. Didn't want 
you to laugh. At least now I don't have to worry that you don't love me, as well." With that he 
was gone.
"Why are you showing me this?" Buffy demanded of her guide as she knelt over Giles body. "How 
can I do anything to stop it?"
"You're a smart girl. You can figure it out." The dark spirit answered as he, along with Giles 
body, faded away, leaving her there alone.  Buffy stood up and stared blankly into space for a 
moment. Suddenly, her anger got the best of her and she kicked at the closest stone.  Instead 
of connecting with it, however, she kept going, falling what seemed a great distance to land on 
her bed. She sat up silent tears flowing as what she had seen turned over in her mind. Then as 
if struck by lightning, she knew what she had to do. 
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The next morning Giles went to the house from his hotel room, answering a mysterious summons 
from Buffy. All she would tell him on the phone was that, Cordelia's vision had come true and 
she needed to give him something.  
As he walked through the door, he heard music in the background. Simon and Garfunkle it sounded 
like.  Buffy came down the stairs to him, and before he could say a word, pressed a small bundle 
of herbs into his hand. Seeing which herbs they were, his eyes widened and he looked at her 
"Buffy...I...I...do you know what they stand for?"
"Someone explained it to me. So Watcher mine, I think I've completed the tasks. Or at least ones 
just as hard.  Is this where I ask for your hand?"
End