Title: Calls and Closure
Author: Tonya
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Yes, I own them both!! *lawyer whispers into ear* On second thought—no, no I don’t…
Distribution: SU, Precious Moments, Acts of Fate. Just tell me where and we’re kosher!
Feedback: Don’t you hate it when you write something but then you don’t get any feedback so you’re left wondering if your story truly sucks? Yeah, me too… :D
Summary: Anya makes a phone call. (set post “Tabula Rasa”)
A/N: For Topaz who pretty much challenged my muse, and for Rach whose muse also felt inspired.

**********

Anya wiped down the counter again, looking around the empty Magic Box.

She had been eagerly awaiting this day for months, ever since Giles had told her that he would be leaving her in charge. But now as she stood alone in the shop, she felt less eager and more… well, *alone*. It was weird, to say the least, being here by herself. Apparently, when she hadn’t been paying attention, she had grown accustomed to him being there. The way he would sit at his desk and sip his tea while doing the paperwork she refused to do. The way he would smile at her when she shared her joy of making a big sale. She even found herself missing the very annoying way he said her name when he was frustrated. The silly British man had gotten under her skin, and she had never even realized it until now.…

“Little late to think about it now, Anya,” she fussed at herself. She folded her rag neatly and placed it next to the register.

She made her way to the table in the center of the shop, which held books that needed to be reshelved. She picked up four of the books and proceeded up the staircase to the library shelving.

“This is all his fault,” she continued to mutter to herself.

And it was. It was his fault that she was thinking about him. If he hadn’t boarded that silly plane without saying at least good bye. If he hadn’t kissed her…. Well, maybe that was more *Willow’s* fault than his since she was the one who went all wacky with the magicks, but still…. He could have at least made the aftermath a little less awkward. Maybe acknowledged what had happened between them in some form or another—a simple look, an “I’m sorry”. Hell, she would have even settled for a, “Let’s never discuss this event again.” But no, he had to be all British with a stiff upper lip and act as if nothing had even happened. And then he had to be all male and jump on a plane, fleeing into the night without saying good bye to anyone.

See? That was why she had always been so busy as a vengeance demon. Because men were such… *men* sometimes.

Not that she wished vengeance upon him because that was farthest from the truth. She just wanted things to be back to normal. Back to when he was just Giles and she was just Anya, and there was not even a sliver of awkwardness between them….

Anya reshelved the last book and sighed.

**********

Giles slid out of his jacket as he checked the messages on his answering machine. He listened as the robotic female voice announced that he had one new message.

“Hi Giles!”

He smiled softly at Dawn’s voice.

“Um, I didn’t know what time it was there so I took a chance. Just so ya know—Buffy’s still pretty mad at you for leaving, but…. But we hadn’t heard from you since you left so I was just calling to make sure your flight was okay. Guess that’s it. Bye Giles.”

After the beep, the female voice returned, “You have no more new messages.”

Giles sat down on his sofa, sighing heavily. He felt horribly about the way he had left—disappearing onto some redeye flight without saying a thing to any of them. At the time, he thought it had been for the best, for all of them. The quicker he left, the less time they had to convince him to stay. The less time they had to feel betrayed and wounded. And the quicker he left, the less he would have to say to Anya.

It had been a surreal situation. To have all his memories rush back to him in an instant, to open his eyes and find himself lip to lip with Anya. He didn’t know what to do afterwards, nonetheless what to say. So he hadn’t said anything. He had helped clean up the mess in the Magic Box and had left while Anya had been in another part of the shop.

Cowardly, yes. But what else was he to do in the situation?

The phone began to ring, pulling him from his thoughts. He stood and grabbed it with a sigh, almost expecting to her Dawn, or even Buffy's voice….

“Hello.”

“Hi, Giles!”

But it was neither.

“Anya?”

“Hi,” she repeated, and Giles could almost hear the wide smile in her voice.

“How…. How are you?” he asked.

“Okay….” She paused. “And you?”

“Good….”

“So, how’s the weather there?”

“It’s a bit chilly, but…. Anya, what are you doing?”

“I’m making small talk,” she replied without hesitation. “Breaking the ice as they say.”

“Oh, and *why* are doing that exactly?”

“So, there won’t be any uncomfortable pauses.”

Giles did not respond.

“Like that one,” she added in response to his silence.

“Anya, about what happened between us….”

“It was the magic,” she intervened.

“Yes….”

“And we had no control over our actions because we had no clue who we were.”

“Yes, exactly….”

“And as two mature adults we should be able to get past some little hot and heavy kiss.”

Giles smiled softly in response. “It’s as if you’re taking the words right from my mouth.”

“So are you going to ask about your money?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Your money,” she replied. “It’s doing well. I’m keeping a very good record of it.”

“I’m sure you are.”

“I told you I’d take good care of your money.”

“And I didn’t doubt you for a moment, Anya.”

There was a moment of silence between them before Anya called out to him. “Giles?”

“Yes?”

“I know you’ve only been gone for a few days, but… we miss you.”

“Does this collective *we* include the money?” he smiled.

“No, all of us. We miss you.” She paused. “I miss you.” She added quickly, “And I’m not just saying that because I’m stuck with the paperwork now.”

Giles chuckled quietly before his smile fell slightly. “I miss you too, Anya.”

“I should probably be going. These calls aren’t cheap, and the shop will be opening soon so….”

“Well, I won’t keep you. You do have a business to run now.”

“Giles, I’m glad we talked. It felt weird *feeling* weird around you.”

“I’m glad we had the chance to talk as well.”

“Bye, Giles.”

“Goodbye, Anya.”

End.