Giles smiled as he looked into his eldest son’s bedroom.  Braden was stretched out on his bed reading a comic book.  Sensing company, Braden lowered the comic and smiled back at his father.

“Hey, Dad – what’s up?”

“Your mother is at Willow and Oz’s with Haddie and Declan…”

Braden furrowed his brow.  “Evan didn’t go?”

Giles chuckled and shook his head.  “Evan was decidedly not in the mood…”

“He’s been pretty grumpy lately.”

“He’s eight.  You were pretty grumpy a fair bit when you were eight, as well.”  He leaned against the doorframe, his right hand in his pocket.  “I was wondering if you’d like to come with us to see if we can find a Christmas tree.”

“Hell yeah.”  Braden said excitedly, dropping the comic onto his mattress as he jumped up.  “Is it weird that Mum never wants to go look at Christmas trees?”

Giles smiled softly.  “That goes back quite a few years when we lived in Sunnydale – well before you were born.  There was an experience with a Christmas tree lot that sullied your Mum’s enjoyment of picking out a perfect tree.”

“Oh, well…I guess that makes sense then.”  Braden replied, quickly tying his shoes before grabbing his jacket. “So, just me, you, Lucas, and Evan?”

“Mm-hm – you good with that?”

Braden grinned, the amber spot in his right eye catching the light.  “But, we have to wait until they get home to decorate it.  You know how much Haddie loves going through all of the ornaments.”

“Just like your Mum.”

Braden’s grin morphed into a warm smile, causing Giles to look at him curiously.  Braden shrugged a shoulder and slipped his jacket on.

“The way you say things sometimes.  It’s like…what you say isn’t what stands out.  It’s…how you say it.”

Giles arched an eyebrow at him.  “And, how do I say it?”

“In that lovey-dovey way that embarrasses teenagers.”

“Even you?”

Braden laughed, nodding as he brushed past his father.  “Especially me.”

Giles shook his head in amusement, backing out of the doorway as Braden called out to Lucas.

* * *

Willow smiled as she placed a tray holding four mugs of hot chocolate onto the table where four children were busy drawing and coloring.  Buffy blew over the top of her mug of coffee before taking a sip.

“Haddie didn’t want to go?”  Willow asked, making her way over to the sofa and sitting down next to Buffy.

Buffy shook her head, smiling adoringly at her daughter.  “No, she and Evan have been butting heads a bit lately.  And I figured some time with Maria might do her some good.”

“Oh, is everything okay?”  Willow asked, suddenly quite concerned.

Buffy laughed softly.  “She’s a headstrong nine year old girl…he’s a headstrong eight year old boy.  There’s a lot of love there…there’s also a little frustration.”

“Trust me, I get it.”  Willow laughed, gesturing towards the table.  “Those two…they definitely test each other’s patience at times.  Definitely makes me glad I was an only child.”

“God, I hear you!” 

“Says the woman with five kids…”

Buffy shrugged a shoulder, grinning as she took another sip of coffee.  “Look, I always knew I wanted more than one…because I was an only child.”

“Would you have had more?  I mean, if you could’ve?”

“I’d like to say no, but…who knows?” 

Willow laughed, curling her legs underneath her.  “Well, you do make pretty cute kids.  How did my Braden Bear do on that exam?”

“Aced it, just like you thought he would.”  She arched an eyebrow at Willow.  “But, you know…he hears you call him Braden Bear, he’s gonna lose it.”

“While he’ll always be my Braden Bear, I’d never call him that to anyone but you.”  She sighed heavily and leaned back into the cushions.  “How can he be fourteen years old?”

“Time…it kinda gets away from us, doesn’t it?”  Buffy smiled, glancing over at her youngest child – who was currently giggling as Willow’s son, Jake, helped him with his drawing.  “I mean, look at that little guy over there.”

“Little tiny Rupert Giles?” 

Buffy snorted and nodded.  “Yeah…just the other day he was born – now he’s three and drawing pictures with your son.”

“You should get him a little tweed suit for Christmas.”  She laughed when Buffy spluttered her coffee.  “How cute would he be?  Super mini-Giles.”

“I’m having a hard enough time trying to come up with something for Giles for Christmas…and you throw that at me?”  She joined in the laughter, sighing happily when Haddie reached over and ruffled Declan’s hair.  “Think you can help me with that?”

“What?  Christmas present for Giles?”  She thought about it and then shrugged a shoulder.  “We can definitely brainstorm it, if it’ll help.”

“What are you getting Oz?”

Willow smiled, then lifted her mug to her lips.

* * *

“Hey, Daddy?  What about this one?”  Evan asked, standing in front of a very large tree.

Lucas smiled and walked over to him, resting his hand on his brother’s shoulder as he looked up at the tree.  “I don’t think that’ll fit in our house, Ev.”

“Well…what if we put it outside?”

Braden furrowed his brow.  “You want to put our Christmas tree outside?”

Evan shook his head quickly.  “No – we get two.  One for inside, one for outside.”  He looked up at his father with hopeful eyes.  “What do you think, Daddy?”

“I think that’s pretty extravagant – and we’d have to buy more decorations for it.”

Evan thought about it and then sighed heavily.  Then he looked up at Braden.  “Which one did you like, Bay?”

“Come on, Evan…there are some really nice ones just over there.  I think there was even one that looked a lot like this one, just a little smaller.  It’d probably fit in the house.”

Evan nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets.  Then he looked at his father.  “We’re just gonna go look over there, okay?”

“Don’t run off…we’d never find you in here.”

“You can hone, can’t you?”  Evan asked seriously.

Braden snorted a laugh, gently nudging Evan’s shoulder.  “Let’s go, mate…stay close.  Don’t want Dad to have to hone.”

Giles rolled his eyes.  “Ah, you are your mother’s son.”

Lucas watched his brothers walk to a different section, then looked at his father – who was standing there, hands in his pockets and gazing at the tree Evan had brought to their attention. 

“You’re totally gonna buy this one too, aren’t you?”

Giles didn’t answer…but, a smile did appear on his lips.

Lucas kicked a stray pebble off the path, then looked up at the tree. 

“It is a really cool tree.  Evan definitely can pick them…”

Giles nodded, glancing down at Lucas.  “And you can read me like a book, can’t you?”

Lucas shrugged a shoulder.  “You’d do anything to make any of us happy…if you could.  Buying a tree isn’t all that hard, buying more decorations isn’t either.  It’s a nice tree, Dad.  I’ll keep your secret.”

“You’d better.”  Giles laughed, shaking his head in amusement. 

* * *

Giles was sitting on the sofa, a cup of tea resting on his thigh as he looked at the bare Christmas tree set up near the fireplace.  He looked towards the door when Declan ran in, waving a piece of paper.

“Daddy!  Look!”

Giles moved the tea to the side table quickly as Declan launched himself onto the sofa.  He smiled lovingly at the young boy as he climbed onto his lap. 

“What’s that, Dec?”

“Is a picture!”  Declan replied, shoving the paper into his father’s hand.  “Look!”

Giles grinned as he looked at the picture – bright colors in swirls and zigzags.  “This is absolutely beautiful, Declan.  Where shall we put it?”

“Um…fridge?”  Declan said happily, snuggling against Giles’ chest. 

“Sounds like the perfect place to me.”  Giles curled his arm around Declan, holding him as he placed a soft kiss on top of his head. 

“Hey, you got a tree!”  Haddie giggled as she walked into the room.  “And…you didn’t decorate it!”

“As if we would, love.”  Giles grinned, shaking his head.  “That’s a family tradition.  Do you like it?”

Haddie nodded, smiling brightly.  “It’s beautiful.  Can we decorate it tonight?”

“Mm-hm…after dinner.”  Buffy replied as she walked into the room, tilting her head as she looked at the tree.  “It is beautiful.”

“Braden helped Evan pick it out.”  Giles said, gazing at her and then smiling when she turned her eyes to him.  “Lucas picked the color scheme this year.”

Haddie’s eyes lit up.  “Evvie picked the tree?  I have to go find him.  It’s perfect!”

As she took off down the hall, Buffy looked at the boxes of brand new baubles.  “Rose gold and black?  You bought new decorations?  We have plenty enough for that tree.”

“I was surprised at the colors, but they actually look really quite nice together.”  Giles said, kissing Declan’s head again before he slid off of his lap and took off after Haddie.  “And I kind of needed to buy more decorations.”

She furrowed her brow and sat down next to him on the sofa.  “Why?”

“Well, that tree was not Evan’s first choice.”

She looked at him for a moment and shook her head in slight amusement.  “What did you do?”

“Bought the first choice and arranged to have it delivered tomorrow – for the backyard.”  He reached up and gently ran his fingers through her hair.  “A surprise for the kids.  Well, Lucas knows – but, he’s promised to keep the surprise a secret.”

“What am I going to do with you?”  She whispered, placing her hand on his chest.

“I can think of a few things…”

She snorted a soft laugh and leaned into him.  “You…are an amazing father.”

“I missed you.”  He whispered, his breath hitching in his chest. 

“I love you.”  She whispered in return. 

And then she kissed him, a soft brush of her lips against his.  His left hand slipped through her hair, cradling the back of her head as he quickly deepened the kiss.  She moaned softly as his tongue nudged between her lips.  Hearing, feeling, her moan spurred him on and he pushed forward a bit.  Her hand tightened on his chest, holding him still.  He pulled back slightly, smiling when she trembled and licked her lips. 

“What is it?”  He asked quietly, his question a breath against her lips.

“Middle of the day, all of the kids are home…”  She shook her head quickly.  “We definitely can’t do this now…and especially not here.”

“Naptime?”

She barked out a laugh.  “We can not enforce a naptime for the kids so we can have sex.”

“No…but, Declan will need a nap…and we can go, um…take one.”  He said, shifting slightly as her hand slid down his chest. 

“A nap is not what you want.”  She chuckled, then sighed as his hand moved from the back of her head…the backs of his fingers gliding over her breast. 

“I want…you.”  He murmured, then closed his eyes.  “But, I can wait…”

“Dinner, Christmas tree, bed…yeah?”

“Mm-hm…”  He smiled, nodding as he opened his eyes and glanced at his watch.  “But, it’s nearly 3pm now…what do we do until dinner?”

“Mum!  Dad!  Declan found the flour again!”  Evan called from the kitchen.

Buffy grinned and gestured towards the hall with a tilt of her head.  “Pretty sure our kids can keep us busy until then…”

Giles sighed as she pushed herself up from the sofa.  She looked at him and gave him a wink.

“I missed you too.”  She extended her hand to him and wiggled her fingers.  “Come on…”

He took her hand and allowed her to pull him up.  Then he pulled her to him and cradled her face between his hands.  He looked deeply into her eyes for a moment and then licked his lips.

“Fuck, I love you, Buffy.”  He whispered emotionally.

“I love you too…”  She whispered back.  “Tonight…you and me…”

“Looking forward to it.”  He nearly purred, smiling when she sighed.  “But for now…we have a flour emergency.”

“That we do…”  She chuckled, taking a step back from him. 

She turned and walked towards the hall…and then turned towards the kitchen…he sighed heavily and carefully adjusted himself.

“Until tonight then…”  He mumbled to himself before taking a deep breath and heading to the kitchen.

* * *

Buffy smiled, then took a sip of her wine as she watched her husband hand a box of baubles to their daughter.  Haddie’s face lit up with happiness as she took the box.  Haddie had always loved Christmas – not for the gifts, not for Santa, but for this…the decorations, the lights, the colors, the time spent with her brothers as they all decorated the tree together.  She was meticulous about where she placed her baubles – hanging one, then taking a step back to study the tree to find the perfect spot for the next one. 

Braden watched her, chuckling softly before taking a drink of egg nog.  Lucas glanced over at him and shuddered involuntarily – he had never liked the taste of egg nog.  But Braden would drink an entire carton on his own, if allowed.  As Haddie hung her last bauble, Giles handed a box to Evan. 

Evan grinned and quickly went through his box, not nearly as precise as Haddie had been.  But, that’s what they all loved about this particular tradition – it’s what made their tree their tree.  Braden and Lucas exchanged a smile – and when they both turned down their boxes and asked for one to go to Haddie and the other to go to Evan, Buffy sighed happily. 

They may argue at times – and there had been a few instances of things being thrown at one another.  But, at the end of the day…they very obviously loved each other very much.  Buffy met Giles’ eyes and smiled warmly, lovingly – and he returned in kind, picking Declan up as he walked over to her. 

“What do you think?”

“I think I never would have chosen rose gold and black, but damn…it does look nice.”

“Damn…” Declan repeated, nodding sagely as he stared at the tree.  “Looks nice.”

Giles coughed as he laughed, then took the wine glass from Buffy’s hand and took a sip.  “It does, indeed.”

Hearing the tone of his voice, Buffy’s eyes darted up to his.  “Stop…”

He smirked, then took another sip before handing the glass back to her.  Then he turned his attention to their four older children, who were busy chatting and taking turns moving ornaments around until they deemed the tree done. 

“Is it time for the star, then?”  Giles asked, walking back over to them.

“Yeah, I think so.”  Braden replied, looking at his siblings.  “What do you think, guys?”

They all agreed and Haddie smiled brightly as she handed the rose gold star to the youngest Giles. 

“Here you go, Deccie – you get to put the star on for the very first time.”

Declan grinned happily and Giles carefully lifted him.  It took him a couple of tries, but Declan eventually got the star to sit on the tree.  Giles reached up and straightened it, then kissed Declan’s cheek. 

“Good show, Dec.” 

Declan’s eyes widened as he looked at the finished tree.  “Wow…”

Evan laughed, nodding as he stood in front of Buffy and leaned back against her.  “Yep…it’s pretty wow this year.”

Braden nudged Lucas and grinned.  “Great color choice, Luke.  Sorry I gave you such a hard time about it at first. But, it looks really good.”

“Thanks, Bay.”  Lucas said with a smile.

Haddie walked over and made one final, minor adjustment and then grinned. 

* * *

Buffy walked into the living room and sat down next to Giles on the sofa, a glass of wine in her hand.  She chuckled softly when she glanced at the fireplace – Callie and Zephyr had piled together in one dog bed in front of the fire, even though there were two to use. 

Then she looked at the Christmas tree and sighed.  “It really is beautiful, isn’t it?”    

“It certainly is.”  He replied softly, looking at her.

She shifted her gaze to him and smiled.  “Stop it.”

He shook his head, gently taking her wine glass from her and placing it on the side table.  “I’ve stopped so many times today.”

“Rupert…the kids – ”

“Are in their rooms.”  He interrupted, leaning into her and placing a soft kiss near her ear.  “Most of them probably asleep by now.  Possibly all of them asleep now…”

“We’re not doing this here…”

“I’m just kissing you.”  He whispered, moving his mouth to the side of her neck. 

“You never just kiss me there…”  She countered, even as her hand slid over his shoulder.

He chuckled, moving to her throat before kissing her chin.  “Fourteen years ago, I would have thrown a few cushions and blankets on the floor in front of the fire…”

“Fourteen years ago, Braden couldn’t walk in on us…”  She said with a laugh.  “Maybe we should think about going away for a weekend.  Just the two of us.”

“A weekend away…so we can make love whenever, wherever we want?”

“Well, I was thinking that it could be so we could just spend time together alone – because it’s been a while since we’ve done that.”  She grinned, moving her hand back to his chest.  “But...that’s definitely a pro…”

“I think you should kiss me, Buffy.”  He whispered, tracing the neckline of her blouse with his fingertip. 

“If I kiss you here and now…I’ll be on top of you in seconds.”

His eyes darkened a shade as he smirked.  “You’ll get no complaints from me.”

She shook her head in slight amusement, glancing at the tree.  “Get the lights – I’ll check on the kids.  Meet you in the bedroom…”

He grinned as he watched her hurry out of the room.  Zephyr lifted his head, yawned, and looked at Giles.   Giles picked up Buffy’s forgotten glass of wine and finished it, then stood up and smiled at Zephyr.

“You need to go outside before bed?”

Zephyr stood up and stretched, nudging Callie as he did.  Callie sighed heavily and looked at him, then she looked at Giles and stood up as well.

“Okay, come on you two…outside, then bed.”

The two dogs bounded over to him, then rushed outside.  Giles stepped out onto the back porch and watched them run. 

And then he furrowed his brow in thought – the furrow gave way to a warm smile when a thought slipped into his head.  He’d been trying to come up with the perfect Christmas gift for Buffy, but had been struggling.  But, now he had an idea…or a piece of a thought of an idea. 

He nodded to himself as the dogs had a bit of a play in the yard. 

It was definitely something he could work with.

* * *

Buffy was just coming out of their ensuite when Giles walked into the bedroom.  He closed the door, his eyes taking her in – the soft cotton robe that stopped just short of her knees, the belt tied in the loosest knot he’d ever seen…

He kicked off his shoes as he gestured towards her robe.  “Anything under that?”

She grinned, walking over to him as he pulled his socks off.  “There’s a way you can find out…”

He lightly chewed on his bottom lip before removing his shirt.  “I hate that everything has been so bloody busy the last few weeks.”

She stared at him, standing there – wearing a pair of button-fly jeans and nothing else.  “Jesus…”

He looked down quickly, wondering if something was wrong.  “What is it?”

She shook her head as she walked over to him, lifting her hand to rest just below the years old thorned circle scar on his chest.  “There’s nothing wrong, Giles…”

“No?”

“Uh-uh…everything is absolutely right.”   She let her hand slide down his torso to the top button on his jeans.  “You just really turn me on…”

He smiled as she pulled the button free.  “Well, that’s very good to know.  Especially after all of this time.”

“Pretty sure I’ve said something in the past about loving you forever…”

“There’s a difference between love and desire, though…”  He whispered, fingering the belt of her robe. 

“Okay, I’m pretty sure I’ve said something in the past about wanting you forever, too.”  She’d pulled all of the buttons free and was quickly pushing his jeans down to his thighs.  “I want you…like now.”

He inhaled sharply as she moved closer, pressing a soft kiss to his chest – before tracing the raised flesh of his scar with her tongue.  His eyes closed when she kissed her way across his chest – and then his fingers tightened on the belt of her robe and he pulled it free.  As the material parted, he opened his eyes and gently nudged her away from his chest.  Her right hand moved to the waistband of his boxers and carefully slipped them over his erection. 

He groaned softly when her hand curled around the warm shaft.  Then he smiled as she walked backwards towards the bed, gently leading him.

“As if you need to guide me?”

She laughed, shaking her head as she sat down on the edge of the mattress.  “Maybe I just didn’t want to let go.”

He lifted his hand, gently stroking her cheek as he looked into her eyes.  “I hope you never do.”

She looked at him curiously.  “You…have concerns?”

“No.”  He answered without hesitation.  “I just don’t want you to ever let go…”

“Jesus, you’re sappy tonight…”  She chuckled, pushing his jeans and boxers down.  She licked her lips as he stepped out of the puddle of denim and cotton, standing bare in front of her.  “But, I can deal with sappy…”

He knelt suddenly, his right hand on her upper thigh…his left sliding into her hair as he covered her mouth with his.  He kissed her wantonly, his tongue thrusting into her mouth as she quickly removed the robe and let it fall behind her onto the bed.  And then her arms were around his neck, holding him tightly as she returned his fevered kisses.

She gasped as he broke the kiss, then licked and nibbled his way to her collarbone.  “Jesus…”

He grinned, allowing his mouth to continue on the path it had mapped out hours earlier.  Over the swell of her breast, pausing momentarily at her nipple…flicking his tongue against the hardened flesh before placing a sucking kiss on her sternum.

“Giles…”  She moaned softly, her fingers in his hair.

And then he moved forward, gently pushing her upper body down to the mattress as he dragged his tongue down her torso.  He looked up at her when he kissed the soft flesh just below her navel. 

“I’ve wanted my tongue inside of you all day…”

“Fuck…”  She murmured, her left hand curling in the duvet underneath her. 

“Oh…I have plans for that too.”  He chuckled, placing a kiss on her inner thigh before inhaling deeply.  “I’ve never known an aroma to smell so mesmeric…until I encountered yours…”

She lifted her head slightly to look down at him.  “Really?  All the words?  Now?”

“Is there something you’d rather me say?”

“No…I’d actually rather you use your tongue for what you’re there for…instead of fucking teasing me.”

He gave her a wink, a softly whispered ‘sorry, love’…and then, before she could say anything else, his lips were curled around her clitoris.  She fell back against the mattress, inhaling sharply as she closed her eyes. 

He felt the muscles in her thighs tighten as she started to lift her legs.  He mumbled incoherently against her and placed a large hand on either thigh, holding them down.  And then he gently spread them further apart, and he watched her face as his mouth moved…his tongue tracing her folds before dipping inside of her. 

He smiled inwardly as she bit her lip, and then he closed his eyes and allowed himself to become fully carried away in giving her the pleasure she so desperately wanted.  Within moments, she was doing everything she could to control the moans that were threatening to become much louder.

He slid his hand up her torso, then lightly tapped on her sternum with two fingers.  She looked down at him, eyes dark with passion.

“What?”

His eyes sparkled, but he kept going – thrusting, lapping, licking, flicking…

She grabbed hold of his hand, pulling it to her mouth.  She kissed his palm, then bit the heel of his hand as her orgasm began to crest.  He grunted against her, his eyes locked on her eyes as he waited…and waited…as he continued to push her higher…and higher.

And then her eyes fluttered and he moved quickly, replacing his tongue with two fingers as his mouth covered her clitoris.  She bit his hand harder to muffle her scream as he sucked and licked…his fingers thrusting within her.  He felt her tighten around his fingers, her inner walls beginning to quiver, then ripple…

And he moved quickly – his fingers still thrusting, twisting within her, as he pushed himself up from the floor and leaned over her.  She released his hand instantly, then grabbed his shoulder to pull him down to her mouth.  She kissed him as wantonly as he had kissed her earlier, her fingers curling in his hair as he swallowed her moans when she finally came hard against his hand. 

He eased his ministrations, bringing her down slowly – and when he moved his mouth to the soft, sensitive skin at the juncture of her neck and shoulder, she wrapped her arms around him and shifted beneath him.  Before he knew what was happening, he was on his back in the middle of the bed and her mouth felt very warm and soft against his stomach. 

“Buffy…”

She raised her eyes as she moved lower.  “Hm?”

“Love, I’m not going to be able to – ”

“Just a little.”  She whispered, placing an open-mouthed kiss on his hipbone.  “I’ll stop when you say…”

She smiled, dragging her tongue over his skin towards his navel.  “I promise, Giles.  I just…want a taste…”

His eyes glazed and he inhaled sharply, gazing down at her as she curled her fingers around the shaft of his erection.  “Just…a taste?”

“Mm-hm…”  She held his gaze as she pressed a soft kiss to the side of his cock.  “I’ve been thinking about this all day, too.”

“Oh…have you?”  He whispered, smiling as he reached down and brushed the hair back from her face with his fingertips.  “Fuck, you’re beautiful…”

“How do you do that?  After all of these years?”  She asked softly before she kissed the head of his erection. 

He exhaled shakily and swallowed hard.  “Do..um, what?”

“Say something that makes me want to change my mind completely.”  She replied, closing her lips just below the glans for a brief moment.

“Huh?”  He mumbled, focusing very hard on keeping his hips as still as possible.

She hollowed her cheeks, sucking the head lightly.  As she started to take him further into her mouth, he suddenly understood what she had meant.  She may have honestly meant ‘just a taste’ initially, but she going all in now.  He thought of asking her to stop…asking her to slide up his body, straddle his hips…the thought was there, briefly.  And then the fingers of her right hand gently massaged his scrotum.

“Ah, fuck…”  He groaned, his head falling back against the mattress. 

He couldn’t stop her…he didn’t want to stop her.  And she obviously had no intention of stopping now.

He bit his lip in an effort to stifle his moan as she suddenly pulled back, her mouth pulling off of his cock with an audible pop.  And then he felt her warm tongue underneath his scrotum, gently coaxing a testicle into her mouth.  She suckled lightly, her left hand beginning to stroke his cock…her right holding his hip to the mattress. 

He wasn’t going to last long…not like this.  He knew it, she knew it.  She didn’t care…and he was quickly following her down that path of not caring. 

“Buffy…”

She gave one last deep suck, grinning as his right hand curled into a fist.  And then she lifted her head slightly, looking up at him.

“Yeah?”

“Do what you will, love.”  He whispered emotionally, his eyes dark with desire.

She gave him a subtle nod, then moved up onto her knees next to him.  Her hair brushed against his thigh, tickling his skin, as she leaned over.  And then her mouth was sliding down his erection, her tongue moving to glide along the underside.  She felt his fingers in her hair, trembling slightly as he brushed it away from her face so he could watch her.  He breathed heavily as she pulled back up, clamping her lips tight around the glans before sliding back down.  His flesh glistened more with each pass she made, his shaft thickened as she sucked him.

“Jesus, Buffy…” He groaned, tightening his fingers in her hair.  “I’m going to come…”

She shifted enough that she could look into his eyes, holding his gaze as she held the head between her lips and sucked hard.  Her fingers gripped his hip – hard enough that she might leave bruises…not that he’d care if she did.  And then he cursed – probably not as quietly as he had intended – as he came, his eyes closing as she swallowed all he had to offer her. 

She eased her movements, her sucking becoming gentle kisses along his slowly softening shaft.  She placed one last lingering kiss on the head and then moved up to lay next to him.  His arm immediately curled around her, holding her tightly against him. 

They’d need to get dressed before long – the days of being able to fall asleep naked after sex were long gone.  But, they had a few minutes before they’d need to move.  And they’d spend those minutes they way they always had – whispering soft words of love and devotion and promises of whatever they were feeling at the moment.  Soft giggles and loving kisses…

They had a bit of time.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Hey, Daddy?”  Haddie called out from the living room.

“Yes?”  Giles called back, smiling as he stirred the milk into his tea.  He had to admit that he loved that she still called him ‘Daddy’.

“There’s a big truck coming up the drive.”

Giles glanced at the clock, then took a sip of his tea.  He walked into the living room and smiled, his three middle children standing at the large window watching the truck.  Braden walked in, carrying Declan. 

“What’s going on?”  He asked, kissing his youngest sibling’s head before putting him on the ground.

Buffy grinned, but said nothing – just flipped the page in the book she was reading.

Declan ran over to Haddie, nudging her.  “Addie, up!”

Haddie grinned, picking him up so he could stand on the windowsill and lean back against her.  Evan’s eyes widened when he saw what was tied down on the back of the truck.

“No way!  NO!”  He said excitedly, pointing to the large tree.  “Daddy!  It’s MY TREE!”

Lucas grinned at Giles and gave him a thumbs up as all of the kids took off outside.  “Good job, Dad.”

Giles chuckled as Lucas took off after his siblings, then glanced at Buffy – who was gazing at him with a look of adoration that nearly took his breath away.  He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck.  She sighed softly, placing the book on the sofa cushion before standing up.

“I always knew you’d be an amazing father.  Then you go and do things like this and I realise that you’re more than amazing.  I’m not sure there’s a word strong enough to describe it, actually.”  She leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his jaw.  “But, I do know that I’m very glad that you are my children’s father.”

He smiled in a way that she rarely saw these days – a shyness that made his eyes sparkle.  “I, uh…should go sign for that and show them where we want it set up.  Um…do you have a preference?”

“How about I come with you?”  She asked, giving him a wink.

“I’d…like that.”  He said with a nod. 

He grinned brightly as he followed her out of the room.

* * *

Giles smiled as the kids decorated the large tree.  Buffy shook her head in amusement, keeping a close eye on the ladders that were in use. 

“This reminds me of Dr Seuss.” 

He looked at her and laughed.  “Haddie-Lou Who?”

Buffy snorted, hooking her arm around his.  “Don’t let her hear you say that.”

“I think it’s going to take all of the spare decorations to dress that tree.”  He said, smiling happily.

“When you said it was huge, I didn’t realise it was that huge…”  She rolled her eyes when he smirked.  “Really?”

He cleared his throat and shrugged a shoulder.  Before he could say anything else, Declan ran over to him – a star in each hand. 

“Which one, Daddy?”

Giles smiled and knelt in front of his youngest, reaching out to pull the zipper up further on Declan’s coat.  “Well, since Evan picked this tree – what do you think about asking him to pick which star to use?”

Declan thought for a minute and then looked over at Evan.  “Evvie – which star?”

Evan jogged over and considered both options.  “Which one do you like?”

“Daddy says your tree, your star.”  Declan answered with a grin.

“How about you pick the star and I’ll put it on?”

Declan grinned broadly, instantly dropping the star in his right hand.  “This one!”

Evan laughed and took hold of Declan’s hand.  “Come on then, you’ll need to hand it up to me.”

“Um…”  Buffy started, shaking her head as Evan looked at her.  “He’s not going up the ladder.”

Braden ran over, picking Declan up.  “Nope – I’ll help him!”

“Good thing you get your height from your father.”  Buffy said with a laugh. 

Braden laughed in response and followed Evan back to the tree. 

Buffy’s hand slipped into Giles’ as they watched their eldest hoist their youngest onto his shoulders – their bookends, as they’d been called when Declan was just a baby.  Declan giggled happily, stretching up to place the chosen star into Evan’s hand.  Lucas and Haddie held the legs of the ladder as Evan climbed to the very top, then carefully reached over to put the star on top of the tree. 

Evan looked over at his parents, gesturing towards the star.  “How does it look?”

“Perfect!”  Buffy and Giles answered in unison, much to the amusement of their children. 

He lightly squeezed her hand, then leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Anya stood at the window, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at the huge Christmas tree in the backyard.  “Okay, I don’t get it.”

Xander smiled, pulling his eyes away from River and Declan – who were busy taking turns building towers and knocking them down.  “What’s to get, An?  It’s a Christmas tree.”

Anya turned and stared at him.  “Outside.  There’s a Christmas tree outside.  And one inside.  How many trees are you supposed to have?”

Rayna and Jake ran through the room, Zephyr on their heels.  Oz grinned, quickly sidestepping to avoid being run over.  He handed Willow a glass of egg nog.  She sniffed it and then smiled at her husband before answering Anya’s question.

“You can have as many – or as few – as you want, I guess.  Nothing says there’s a correct number to have.”  She placed her glass on the windowsill as she gestured towards Evan, who was playing some card game with Maria and Haddie.  “Evvie loved it – Giles couldn’t say no.”

Anya rolled her eyes and looked at Xander.  “That’s why you’re not allowed to take the girls shopping for trees!”

Xander laughed, giving Willow a subtle wink as he switched their glasses.  Willow picked up the new glass of nog and took a sip, murmuring appreciatively.  Anya furrowed her brow, but kept her mouth shut when she saw Xander quickly shake his head in a silent request for her to keep quiet. 

Instead, she exhaled a deep breath and looked around the room.  “Where are Buffy and Giles anyway?  This is their house…they invited us over here for Christmas lunch and presents for the kids…”

“Buffy’s finishing wrapping gifts.”  Oz said, sipping his drink.  “Five kids…takes a bit longer.  I’m not sure where Giles is though.”

The back door opened and Giles walked in, his boots covered in fresh snow.  He grinned at them all before quickly kicking his boots off and putting on a dry pair of shoes. 

“I’m here…just needed to check on something.”

Willow arched an eyebrow.  “Out there?”

“There were a few lights on the tree that were twinkling a bit too much.  All sorted now though.”  He rubbed his hands together and then moved over to the fire in the fireplace to warm them.  “Are we nearly ready?”

“We are.”  Anya stated pointedly. 

Giles looked at her curiously, then glanced at Xander.  Xander took a sip of his egg nog, then pointed towards the hall.

“Buffy’s still finishing up.”

“Ah…”  He looked around the room, doing a mental headcount of children.  Then he grinned as Braden and Lucas walked in and plopped down onto the sofa.  “Eight and nine…”

Lucas furrowed his brow.  “Shouldn’t we be one and two?”

“If you had been in the room, possibly.  But, you weren’t…so, you’re the last and second to last.”

“Penultimate and ultimate…”  Braden said with a bright grin.  “Sounds better.”

Giles shook his head in amusement, then looked towards the other side of the room as Buffy walked in from the hallway.  He tilted his head slightly as he watched her walk over to them.

Anya smiled as she leaned against Xander.  “Will you still look at me like that when we’ve been together for as long as they have?”

The adults are looked at Anya.  Xander cleared his throat softly. 

“Um, An…technically, we’ve been together longer than them.”

“Oh…right.”  She turned her head slightly and looked into his eyes.  “How come you don’t still look at me like that?”

“I do…just not when you’re watching.”  He answered with a chuckle before giving her a loving kiss. 

Oz smirked, slipping his arm around Willow. 

* * *

It was quite late when Giles carried an exhausted Evan into his room.  Evan yawned as he curled up onto his side, sighing happily as Giles pulled the covers up over him. 

“Merry Christmas, Ev.”  He whispered, leaning down and pressing a kiss into his son’s hair.

“Mm…Merry Christmas, Dad.”  He replied sleepily, closing his eyes.

Giles smiled and walked to the door, turning back to look at him before leaving the room.  He was fairly certain that Evan was already asleep before he pulled the door closed.  He paused in the hallway, tilting his head as he listened for any evidence that any other child was awake.  Hearing none, he quickly made his way back to the living room to find Buffy sitting on the floor in front of the fire – a decently-sized box next to her, wrapped in colorful Christmas paper. 

“What’s that then, love?”  He asked softly, reaching behind the tree for the last remaining wrapped package. 

“For you.”  She replied with a smile as he sat down next to her.  “I actually wasn’t expecting it to be nearly Boxing Day before I was able to give you your gift…and it’s not even a naughty one.”

He gave her a playful pout as his fingers touched the golden bow.  “No?”

“Mm-mm…but, you have a birthday coming up fairly soon…”  She grinned, then gestured towards the package. “But, I think you’ll like it anyway.”

“I’m sure I will.”  He murmured.  “Who’s turn to go first this year?”

“Yours.”  She carefully pushed the box closer to him.  “Merry Christmas, Ru.”

He smiled softly and then gently pulled the ribbon free.  “Thank you, Buffy.”

She laughed as he slid his finger under the fold in the paper.  “You haven’t even opened it yet.  You might hate it.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that.”  He replied, delicately unwrapping the gift. 

He chuckled softly when he saw the words she had written on the box.  One of the many traditions they had adopted over the years was writing a short message on the boxes of gifts before wrapping them.  He had found that he enjoyed reading her messages as much, if not more, than the actual gifts themselves. 

He met her eyes and gave her a wink as he carefully pulled the tape free from the box. 

And then he looked into the box…and his eyes widened and his smile grew.  “Oh…oh my…”

Buffy bit her lip nervously, watching as he pulled the book out of the box.  “Willow helped me track it down.  You like it?”

“Buffy…”  He breathed, lovingly opening the cover.  “This is a first edition.”

She nodded slowly.  “Yeah.”

“It’s in immaculate condition…”  He said, in awe of what he was holding in his hands. 

“The owner of the collection passed away a couple of months ago.  His son decided that it would be best for the collection to go to someone who would appreciate it.”

Giles lifted his eyes to hers.  “I’m sorry?  Collection?”

She smiled softly, gesturing towards the bookcase behind him.  She had obviously replaced a few of his books with the collection of books while he was busy doing other things.  He stood up quickly, his fingers trembling lightly as he gently touched the spines of the books. 

“These are…beautiful.”  He whispered emotionally.

Hearing her exhale slowly, he turned around and grinned brightly at her.  “Thank you, love.  They’re amazing!”

“You’re welcome.  You’ll read them to me, right?”

He chuckled as he sat back down next to her and leaned over to give her a kiss.  “Absolutely.”

“Good…because, you know…that could lead to naughty stuff.”  She grinned as he laughed heartily.

And then he pushed a box over to her and cleared his throat.  “Merry Christmas, Buffy.”

She pulled the green ribbon free and smiled at him.  “Thank you, Giles.”

He laughed, echoing her earlier response.  “You haven’t even opened it.  You might hate it.”

She laughed with him, pausing to read his message before opening the box.  And then she furrowed her brow, pulling out a winter coat.

It was a very lovely winter coat, but not at all what she would have expected for a Christmas gift from him.  She ran her fingers over the soft wool and looked up at him curiously. 

“Thank you.”

He shook his head in amusement.  “Put it on and follow me.”

“Huh?”

He stood up, reaching down to pull her up next to him.  Then he tapped the coat with his index finger. 

“Put it on.”

“Um…okay…”  She slipped the coat on and smiled as he buttoned it for her.  “It’s…very warm and comfy.”

“Good.”  He murmured, before grabbing her boots and kneeling in front of her.  “Left…”

She rolled her eyes, but lifted her left foot for him to slide her boot on.  Then repeated the action for the right one.

“Giles…what are you doing?”

He stood up and slipped his feet into his boots and grabbed his coat.  He smiled excitedly at her as he took hold of her hand and led her to the back door. 

“It’s been snowing, love.  You can’t go out there without boots and a coat.”

“Why do I want to go out there at all at this time of night?”  She asked as he opened the door.  “Shit, it’s cold!”

He laughed, tightening his hand around hers as he gently tugged her down the steps behind him.  “Of course it’s cold.  It’s Christmas.”

She narrowed her eyes as he made his way towards the other side of Evan’s tree.  “Giles, what the hell is – ”

She halted her complaint abruptly as he smiled.  “Oh…”

“I, uh…was somewhat at a loss as to what to get you this year.”  He admitted, walking over to the low stone wall.  “But, then I remembered you mentioning one a few months back.”

“It…was more of a hint and less of a mentioning of…”  She said with warm smile, following him over.  “But…when did you do this?  It wasn’t here when you had the tree delivered last week…”

“No…no, it wasn’t.  While the main reason I got the tree was because of Evan…turns out it gave me the cover I needed to get this done.”

She sat down on the low wall surrounding the firepit.  And then she looked up at him suddenly.

“Oh my god…you built this, didn’t you?”

He nodded, sitting down next to her.  “I…like making things for you.”

“You built a firepit for me…”

“Mm…”  He reached over and ran his finger along the lapel of the winter coat she was wearing.  “But, I couldn’t wrap it – hence, the coat.”

She shook her head lightly, the lights from the Christmas tree casting red and gold hues over her face.  “Thank you, Ru.  It’s amazing.  And perfect.”

“Pretty much like you.”  He said, kissing her softly.

Then he pulled back and whispered a word in a language that was definitely not English.  The firepit lit up with flames of orange and yellow, contrasting beautifully with the lights from the tree. 

“Wow…”  She breathed, snuggling into his side – her hand resting on his inner thigh as curled his arm around her.  “I could stay here all night.”

He smiled, pulling her tighter against him and dropping a kiss into her hair.  “We can, if you want.”

Her fingers stroked along the inner seam of his jeans.  “Or…we can stay out here for a while…and then go to bed.”

“Mm-hm…we could do that too.”  He lifted his hand to her chin and gently tilted her face up towards his.  “Whatever you want, Buffy.”

And then he kissed her.

She allowed the kiss to deepen for a few moments, but when she felt his fingers lightly pull at the top button of her coat, she covered his hand with hers.  She slowly ended the kiss and smiled adoringly at him. 

“I’m not having sex in the snow, Rupert.”

He laughed – probably louder than he had intended.  And then she laughed with him. 

“Merry Christmas, Watcher.”

He snorted, rolling his eyes playfully.  “Merry Christmas, Slayer.”

She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed.  “Giles?”

“Hm?”

“What are we going to do with this tree?”

He was quiet for a long moment and then sighed heavily.  “I…didn’t take that into consideration of the matter.”

“God, I love you.”  She said with a loving smile.

“I think we should think about maybe going inside…”  He replied on a desire-laden whisper.

“You’re full of amazing ideas.”  She said, standing and pulling him up.

“Remember that when I suggest you teach a training session next time.”

She laughed and gestured towards the firepit.  “Magic fire – easy to put out.”

He waved a hand, licking his lips as the fire extinguished itself.

“The fire within me…not so easy to put out.”

“Is that a challenge?”  She asked, pulling him back towards the house.

He smiled, following her up the stairs to the back door.  “Well, you do enjoy a challenge…”

She grinned, tugging him inside.  He licked his lips and closed the door behind him.  As the lights went off inside the house, the snow began to fall again.

With any luck, there would be enough for snowman building on Boxing Day. 

Buffy, Lucas, and Haddie absolutely loved building snowmen.  He and Declan enjoyed building snowkids.  Evan and Braden would spend their time building a snowGodzilla – complete with a snow city for him to destroy.

Snow on Boxing Day was always a fun time in the Giles Family.