Slayer's Daughter

Tea with lemon

   "I have to go to the grocery store, Willow, do you want anything?" Sarah asks.
    Willow looks up at her, laying on the couch with her head in Giles' lap, "No, I'm alright."
    "Okay," Sarah smiles, kissing Giles before leaving.
    Giles sighs, running a hand through his hair.
    "What's wrong?" Willow asks.
    "I screwed up, Willow."
    Willow sits up, facing him, "what happened?"
    "I don't want to bore you with the details."
    "Bore away, I need a distraction."
    "I'm taking you back to England with me, we can of course return to Sunnydale, but I believe you need to get away in order to move on and be happy."
    "Where's the mistake part?"
    "I haven't told Sarah I'm leaving and I told her we could try and have a baby."
    "Yeah, that would be classified as a major screw-up. When are you going to tell her?"
    "Tonight."
    "Do you want to have a baby?"
    "With Sarah, of course."
    "Then stay here. I can go to England."
    "No, you need someone right now."
    Willow shakes her head, "this is important."
    "My relationship with Sarah is nowhere near as important as your mental health right now."
    "It is, just in a different way. I don't want you to lose something so special because I'm going through something. I need a happy Giles, not a sad puppy eyes Giles."
    Giles chuckles, "yes, I suppose you're right. But I'm still taking you there whether things work out with Sarah or not."
    "I hope they do."

**

    "Well, you haven't spoken in twenty minutes, a new record. What's wrong?" Sarah asks.
   "Would you like a tea, with lemon?"
   "You only make me a tea with lemon when I'm sad. What are you going to do? Break up with me?" She jokes, smiling.
    Giles sighs, jamming his hands in his pockets, "Sarah, I think we need to talk."
    "Oh my God," Giles feels his heart break, watching her eyes well up with tears.
    "I don't want to break up, I just...please stop crying."
    "I'm sorry, this is my usual reaction to people suddenly disappearing from my life. Would you like me to smile about it?"
    "I'm not breaking up with you, necessarily."
    "Oh yeah, that's comforting," she rolls her eyes, crossing her arms.
    "I'm going back to England with Willow."
    "You're what?" She breathes.
    "I'm not staying there permanently, I just need to help her get back on track and she can't do that here."
    "How long?"
    "I don't-"
    "How long have you known you were going to leave?"
    "Since she got here."
    Sarah looks at him through damp eyelashes and shakes her head, walking out of the room.
    "Sarah, I wanted to tell you."
    "But you didn't. You could have just told me. But you lied. You lied to my face, Rupert. You told me..." Her voice cracks. "You said."
    "I know what I said, I'm sorry for...leading you on like that. But I was being truthful. I want to have a child with you. I want to be with you forever."
    "All you've been doing for months is lie to me. How can I trust you? What about Buffy?"
    "I'm not her watcher. She doesn't need me."
    "You're like a father to these kids and you're just leaving without a second thought."
    "I have given it thought. I thought about how much I'm going to miss you, how much I'm going to miss everyone. But I'm not leaving forever. I'll only be gone for a year, at most."
    Sarah bites her lip, looking away from him. She shakes her head, walking away from him.
    "Sarah, talk to me," he says, following her to the kitchen where Xander and Willow are talking.
    "You want to talk now, Rupert? Really? Now? You lied. You just piled on lie after lie to make me happy, well guess what. I'm not happy."
    "I understand, but I will be back."
    "No, you can stay there for all I care," Sarah hisses, leaving the house.
    "Um, did you and Sarah just break up?" Xander asks.
    "Yes, so it seems."
    "Giles, I'm so sorry," Willow says, hugging him.
    "No, this was my fault."
    Willow shakes her head, "I know a spell, I can just go back and you can-"
    "No, no magic. It only makes things worse," Giles says.
    Willow cries quietly into her hand and Giles hugs her, "what's wrong?" He asks.
    "This is all my fault. If I had just stayed away from the magics."
    "No, Willow, if I had just been honest...none of this is your doing."
    "I wish I believed you."