TITLE: "A Not So Blind Date"
AUTHOR: ASH Watcher/Slayer Watcher
PAIRING: Giles/OC,, Louise/OC,, eventually Giles/Louise
RATING: PG-Rish, for language. Just to be safe.
SUMMARY: Giles is in love with Louise...but didn't know how much until he
catches her on a date with a rival of his.
SPOILERS: Season Six, and my fic, "Starting Over". That one's not posted yet,
because it's barely started. This will be an vignette or interlude, I guess.
FEEDBACK: Yes, Please!!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but Louise, Lenee, and Elliott. Oh and the name of
Lenee's bookstore, "Island Review".
DEDICATIONS: To Giles Wench, for the challenge. She motivated me into writing
something for my fic, "Starting Over".
DISTRIBUTION: GilesRulesBaby, ash_watcherfanfiction, and anywhere else I
stick it. Ask and ye shall recieve.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: ** denotes thoughts
AUTHOR'S NOTES 2: Lenee is pronounced like "Renee", only with an "L" instead
of an "R". And I squeezed as much of Wenchy's requirements into this fic as I
could. I didn't have the confession of feelings at the end of the date...but I
hope Wenchy won't mind *too* much. ;)
THANK YOUs: To Rainne for the quicky beta job, Jen for the name of the Inland
Review, and my Musey, for help in writing the ending of the fic. They all
helped me *big* time! :)
****************************
He couldn't believe it. She was here with another man! And it was that
pillock, Elliott, too! **It's not as if I didn't warn her about him**, Giles
thought. Louise had set him up with Lenee two weeks ago. But he'd had no idea
that Louise would be here on a date too. Just as he was ready to leave his table, to
confront Louise, Lenee cleared her throat and re-gained his attention. He
blushed as he realized his rudeness in ignoring her.
"I'm sorry, Lenee. I thought I saw someone I knew, but I was mistaken
apparently," Giles apologized.
"That's alright, Rupert. But I trust I have your undivided attention now?"
Lenee asked.
"Yes, you most certainly do. Shall we attract the waiter's attention, so we
can place our orders now?"
"Certainly, Rupert. I am quite famished as I haven't eaten since around one
o'clock this afternoon."
He smiled pleasantly, then signalled to the waiter, who rushed over to the
table.
"Good evening, Sir. Good Evening, Madam. Are you ready to order? Perhaps an
apertif to begin with?"
Giles looked at Lenee to see if she was agreeable.
"That would be lovely, yes please," she told the waiter.
"Yes, I'd like one as well."
"Splendid, I'll go fetch them while you make your final decisions on your
entrees for dinner," the waiter replied.
A few minutes later, Lenee and Giles ordered dinner. And then they made the
time pass with small talk, although, Lenee was getting a bit frustrated. Giles
wasn't following their conversation very well. It seemed as if he were still
distracted by something or someone. The entrees arrived, and Giles and Lenee
dug right into them. Lenee had almost given up on her date, but he managed to
keep her entertained during the meal. He talked about his work in the museum,
and what his life had been like, while living in California. When Lenee tried to
ask him more in depth questions about California, he mumbled something and
then quickly changed the topic.
"So tell me, Lenee. What is it that you do for a living? I believe Louise
mentioned that you were in the Inland Review?"
"Excuse me? Did you say 'Inland Review'?!" , she irately spat out.
Uh oh, that look on her face certainly couldn't be mistaken for lust.
"Urm, yes? That's what Louise said, I swear it!", he hastily replied.
"You bloody berk! I own a *bookstore*! I do *not* work for the Inland Review!
And further more, you half-wit, I have *HAD* it with this....date! I thought
I was meeting an incredible catch, the way Louise went on about you. She
failed to mention what a wanker you are! Hope the next date you go on will be
better than this! But not bloody likely!", she snarled.
Then before Giles could defend himself, she stood up from her chair, and
threw the rest of her dinner at him. As she left the restaurant, she was
muttering obscenities about men in general. Giles hunched down in his chair and tried
to crawl under the table. Too many people were staring at him, so he settled
for hiding his face with a napkin. His suit was most likely ruined now. Oh well,
small price to pay, he supposed. She could have thrown her chair or something
heavier at him. After a few seconds, he decided to see what kind of cleaning
job he could do on the suit. So he left the table and headed for the washroom.
It was ten or fifteen minutes before he gave up and slinked back into the
dining room. He noted that the dishes had been cleared from the table and his
seat was wiped clean. He also noted that Louise was sitting in Lenee's vacated
spot. He gulped and then realized his palms were sweating. Lord, he felt like a
lad on his first date with the woman he loved.
"Oh, hello Louise."
"Hey, Rupert. I guess Lenee didn't like the food?" she questioned, grinning
at him.
"No...I dare say she didn't. Or perhaps she didn't like the company, I'm not
quite certain. H-how's, Elliott?"
"He's fine...but he's in the bathroom, so I came over to see what the fuss
was all about. I didn't realize Lenee could be so...prickly or psycho. She
didn't hurt you, did she?"
"No, I'm fine, thank you. Louise, may I ask you something?"
"Sure ya can. What's up?"
"Why...why did you set me up with Lenee?"
"Cuz she's nice and she seemed your type. But apparently I was a bad judge of
character in this case. I'm really sorry about that, too."
"It's all right, no real harm done. I trust your date is going better than
mine?"
"I guess so...but something's missing. If that makes sense?"
"Yes, it does make sense. I believe I could have been more attentive of
Lenee, but I was too distracted."
"You were distracted? How come?"
He grinned at her misuse of proper English, then sort of sighed and a
saddened look appeared on his face. It was a look that Louise had seen often
since meeting him. Although, she had to admit, that his sad look hadn't been seen too
much lately. So she wondered why it was here now. Just as she was about to ask
him what was wrong, Elliott found her. He smiled genteelly at Giles, then
escorted Louise back to their table. Giles sighed again, then asked himself why
he was still sitting in the restaurant.
**Louise, you cad. You're in love with her...and are too cowardly to tell
her. So instead, you sit here, without a date, while she's with *him*! Bloody
tosser, anyway. He's a lout and a git and he'll never deserve someone like
Louise.**
After a few more minutes, Giles decided he might as well call it a night. His
evening was ruined anyway. He left the restaurant and went home.
********************
Two hours later, he was in his pajamas and sipping on a cup of tea, while
staring at a roaring fire. He wondered how Louise's date with that ponce,
Elliott was going. Were they back at his place by now? Were they kissing? Lord, Giles
hoped not. He hoped Louise was safe in her own home, alone, and asleep in
bed.
He also wondered if he'd ever be able to tell Louise that he was in love
with her. Just as he was thinking about turning in, there was a knock at the
door. Giles wondered who could be visiting him so late...but looking at the
clock told him it was just past nine o'clock. **Pathetic, Old Man...your date was
barely an hour and you've been sitting here for the last two hours.**
He got up and went to the door. Louise was standing there...and apparently it
was raining outside, for she was soaked.
"Come in, quickly!", he urged.
She smiled her thanks, and rushed inside. He ventured to the bathroom and
returned with two big, fluffy towels. He handed her one and then took the other
one to begin drying her hair with. Louise grinned to herself and began drying
her clothes off. Giles was almost done drying her hair, when he suddenly
realized what he was doing. He froze and the towel fell off her head. Louise
turned around and couldn't hold back a giggle at the look of horror and embarrassment
on his face.
"Ya know, it's okay that you were drying off my hair. In fact, I should have
asked you to dry the rest of me off, too."
Giles gulped...then figured, "What the hell?" and grinned lustfully at her.
Now it was her turn to gulp as he suddenly pulled her into his arms. Where was
the blushing and shy Rupert Giles she'd come to know? He gazed into her deep,
brown eyes and felt himself falling even deeper in love with her. Now if he
could only find the words to tell her.
"Louise...", he began.
"Y-yes, Rupert?"
"When I saw you at the restaurant earlier, with Elliott. Do you know what the
first thing I wanted to do was?"
"No, what?"
"Go over to your table, knock the stuffing out of Elliott, then sweep you
into my arms and run away with you to the nearest romantic spot I could find."
"E-excuse me? Why would you want to do that?"
"Because I'm in love with you, you daft woman!"
"You're *what*?!? And I am *not* DAFT!"
"I said, I'm in love with you! No, you're right...you're not daft, I am. I'm
also a bloody coward."
"You're...in love...with me?! Since when? How did I miss that?? Gawd, maybe I
*am* daft! I mean, you've been coming into my coffee shop for what, the last
six months? And I never once noticed you had those kinds of feelings for me!"
She pulled away from him and was currently pacing, while ranting on and on.
"You're in love with me...I'm a freakin' moron cuz I didn't know you felt
anything towards me! I could smack myself...no, wait. I could smack *you*! Or
kiss you...<gasp> no, no, no!! No kissing you...that would be bad!! Bad, bad,
BAD! Ugh...not kissing you, I meant kissing in general. <sigh> I think I did,
anyway. I don't know anything anymore, apparently."
Giles watched her pacing and grinned while she mumbled under her breath about
him and...Good Lord...*kissing*?! Louise wanted to kiss him?? Wait, she
didn't want to kiss him? Oh, she wanted to kiss him...but didn't want to kiss
anyone in general? Lord this was confusing and her pacing was making him dizzy.
"Louise."
She didn't hear him and kept pacing and rambling.
"Louise!"
Again, she didn't hear him. He sighed, then went over and grabbed her by the
arm. She gasped, and then barely had time to get her bearings, before his
mouth swooped down onto hers in a show-stopping kiss. The rest of the world
faded away, as they kissed. Louise could honestly say that she'd never been kissed
like this before. Giles was in Heaven...he was *finally* kissing her...after
months of wanting to. He'd often wondered if her lips were as soft as they
looked. And boy, were they! He briefly pulled away, grinning when she whimpered
at the loss, then dove back down for another kiss. Or twelve.
As they continued to kiss, he vowed to never let her go...and sincerely hoped
that she wanted to be with him for a long, long time to come.
THE END(???)
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