Title: The Fifth
of Five
Author: Froxyn
Rating: FRAO
(overall)
Pairing:
Buffy/Giles
Timeline: Four
weeks after A Week in the
Life…
Synopsis: Declan
makes his arrival.
Buffy groaned as she
stared at the ceiling. Giles looked over
from the wardrobe and smiled, a light blue button-up shirt in his hand.
“You alright, love?”
She stared at him and
sighed dramatically. “Oh yeah…I’m as big
as a house, my back is killing me, and all I hear are the sounds of drills and
hammers. I’m great.”
“You’re beautiful,
Buffy.” He whispered sincerely as he
moved back to the bed and sat down next to her.
“And…I can give you a back rub if you’d like.”
“No.” She pouted as he stroked her abdomen with his
fingers. “If you give me a back rub,
then I’ll be horny on top of everything else…”
He grinned at
her. “I could take care of that as
well…”
She rolled her eyes
and carefully pushed herself up. “You
have to go to work.”
He shook his head and
readjusted the pillows behind her back.
“I’m working from home today.”
Her brow furrowed as
she leaned back against the pillows. “Then
why are you getting dressed?”
“Because I have phone
calls to make. And I’d prefer to not
discuss the current status of Marijana and her Watcher with the Board
while…unclothed.”
Buffy chuckled and
ran her fingers down his chest. “Fair
enough, I guess. Do you think they’re
having sex yet?”
“Mm…I’m rather sure
that particular detail is none of my business.”
He replied, smiling as Declan kicked against his hand.
She returned his
smile, covering his hand with hers. “He
does love her, you know.”
“I know.” He whispered, leaning into her and brushing
his lips across hers.
Before he could
deepen the kiss, she lightly pushed him back and shook her head. When he tilted his head in a silent question,
his eyes showing his concern, she offered him a smile.
“If we start this,
we’re both going to end up frustrated.”
She groaned again as she heard the unmistakeable sound of a power
drill. “Come on, help me up. There’s no point in me staying in bed…it’s
not like I’ll be able to get any sleep anyway.”
“They’re almost
finished.” He replied, slipping into his
shirt but not bothering with the buttons yet.
“Xander’s wanting to have the construction completed by the time
Declan’s born. He said something about
painting being quieter than building…makes it easier on babies.”
“And pregnant
women.” Buffy added as she carefully
manuevered herself to the other side of the bed.
Giles chuckled as he
stood, his fingers deftly buttoning his shirt as he watched her. “Need any help?”
“With getting out of
– oh God!”
Giles ran around the
bed in a sudden panic, stopping when he followed her gaze to the floor. The carpet between her feet was darker than
the rest of the room…it only took him a second to realize that it was because it
was wet.
“Right…don’t worry about
getting dressed, let’s go!”
“The kids…”
“Xander’s here, he
can drop them off at school for us.” He
answered quickly, moving to her side and slipping his arm around her back. “Do you need me to carry you?”
She shook her head
and then bit her lip. “We’re not going
to make it to the hospital, Giles.”
Giles cursed softly
and without a second thought, led her back to the bed. She had just lowered herself to the mattress
when the first contraction hit. And it
hit hard.
“Fuck!” She screamed as she clutched her stomach.
Giles scrambled for
the phone and quickly dialled Xander’s mobile number. After two rings, Xander picked up…Giles could
hear the banging of hammers clearly over the line.
“Hey Giles, what’s
up?”
Giles was in no
position to mince words as he moved quickly, gathering as many clean towels as
he could from the laundry basket in the corner of the room. “Buffy’s in labour and I need you to take the
children to school.”
Xander narrowed his
eyes as he looked towards the driveway, only to find both Giles’ and Buffy’s
cars parked in front of the house.
“Um…where are you?”
“Xander, I don’t have
time for this…I’m getting ready to deliver my son.”
Xander’s mouth
dropped open. “Deliver your son?”
“Xander!” Giles snapped as he rummaged through his
bedside table for something sharp.
“Sorry…do you need
any help? I mean, can you do this?”
Giles groaned in
exasperation as he pulled a Babylonian dagger with an ebony handle out of the
drawer. “I delivered your firstborn, I’m
confident that I can deliver my own child.
Please, can you take the others to school?”
“Yeah, sure…um…should
I…do you want me to call anyone or tell the kids anything or…um…anything?”
“No, not…” Giles trailed off as he glanced between
Buffy’s legs as she cried out. “Bloody
hell!”
Xander stared at the
phone when he realized that Giles had disconnected the line. After barking a few orders to his builders,
he took off…dialling
* * *
“I should get
Giles flinched,
glancing up at her as he carefully bent her knees. “Hopefully, you’ll feel differently about
that later.”
Buffy glared at
him. “Why aren’t you all panicky?”
He offered her a
gentle smile and placed his right hand on her abdomen. “I’ve delivered a child before…and this isn’t
our first baby. I wouldn’t say that I’m
calm, but I’m not –”
“Stop…being…wordy
guy!” She ground out through her next
contraction.
He gave her a quick
nod and took a deep breath. “Almost
there, Buffy.”
“Flay.” Buffy repeated as she gripped the sheets
tightly, her knuckles turning white as the pain ripped through her.
* * *
“Hey, Willow.”
Braden waited as
Lucas led Haddie and Evan to their father’s car and then gestured inside with a
jerk of his thumb. “Mum’s having the
baby, you know.”
“You’re not supposed
to know that!” Xander stated quickly,
his eyes wide.
Braden rolled his
eyes. “I’m eleven, Xander. I’m not an idiot. I even know where babies come from…”
Predictably, Xander’s
mouth dropped open causing both
“Go.”
Braden chuckled and
gave
“So…is everything
okay in there?”
“I guess.” Xander said, running his hand through his
hair. “I mean, Giles didn’t say much
other than he needed me to drop the kids off to school. Apparently, this one’s coming pretty fast.”
“You okay to get them
to school?”
Xander nodded and
pulled the keys from his pocket.
“Yeah…what are you going to do?”
Xander checked his
watch and nodded again. “Okay, I’ll be
back soon. If they need anything, call
my cell, okay?”
* * *
Buffy’s dark eyes
glared at her best friend as she pointed to her husband, who was kneeling on
the floor with his hands between her thighs.
“Flay his cock!”
Giles’ eyes widened
as he stared at his wife.
“No, I think you’d
probably kill me later if I agreed to that.”
“Get ready to push,
Buffy.” Giles stated gently.
“Fuck you! Push this, you…oh, fucking hell!”
“Giles?”
Giles swallowed, but
didn’t take his eyes away from what he could see of the top of his son’s
head. “We don’t have much time here,
“What do you need?”
“Pain…he needs
pain!” Buffy grumbled as she pushed her
upper body from the mattress and glared at Giles.
“Take her hand, give
her something to anchor to. Please
beware of her strength…” Giles responded
to
“Are you okay?”
He gave her a quick
nod and then met Buffy’s eyes. “I can
see his head, darling.”
“Already?”
Buffy sniffled and
shook her head. “I can’t do this,
Rupert.”
“You can, love. Just a few pushes, on my go.”
Buffy grabbed
Buffy’s hand
tightened around
“Three…two…one…push,
Buffy!”
Giles chuckled softly
and shook his head. He moved onto the
bed and sat next to Buffy, lovingly stroking the baby’s forehead as Buffy
cuddled him.
“He’s so
beautiful.” Buffy sighed softly.
Giles nodded in
agreement, pressing a soft kiss to her temple.
“I love you, Buffy.”
She looked up at him
and smiled. “Love you too. You delivered our last baby…”
“Mm-hm. Didn’t have much of a choice, did I?” He asked with a smile.
“What’s his
name?”
“Declan.” Giles answered proudly.
Buffy beamed as she
met
“Declan. Deccie…”
Giles narrowed his
eyes at
“Thank you.” Giles stated softly, carefully transferring
the sleeping baby into his arms. “Dr.
Moran should be here soon, Declan.”
“Hm?” Buffy murmured, watching her husband examine
their youngest child’s fingers and toes.
“What do you mean?”
Buffy laughed softly
and then looked up as the door slowly opened.
Her smile grew as Xander peeked around the door.
“Come on in, Xand…”
Xander moved into the
room, his eyes fixed on the baby in Giles’ arms. “Wow…that was quick. I thought Rayna and River were fast
arrivers.”
Giles looked up,
arching an eyebrow. “Fast arrivers?”
Xander waved a hand
in a playfully dismissive motion. “You
know what I mean…now hand him over, I’m sure Will has already had a turn.”
Giles chuckled and
handed the baby over to Xander once he’d gotten comfortable on the edge of the
bed. Xander carefully rested the little
boy on his thighs and studied him.
“Wow, he’s a little
Giles!”
Giles smiled
proudly. “I’ll not have him being called
‘Little King’…”
Xander met Giles’
eyes and tilted his head in a confused manner.
“Huh?”
“Everyone insisted on
calling Braden ‘Little Ru’ when he was younger…”
“Well, yeah. That’s ‘cause his name has Rupert in
it.” Xander paused for just a second
before grinning. “Is he a little
Kingsley?”
“Declan.” Buffy answered, leaning her head against
Giles’ shoulder as she gazed at the newborn.
“His middle name is Kingsley, though.”
“Declan.” Xander said softly, looking back down at the
baby. “Ethan’s going to be really pissed
off.”
It was Giles’ turn to
look confused. “Because we named our son
Declan? Why would that piss him off?”
“He already knows
anyway…” Buffy added, earning her the
glares of
“Oh…”
Xander shook his head
and then handed the baby back to Giles when he started to fuss. “Ethan and Michael leave for a ten day
trip…and the day after they leave, Buffy has the baby? He’s going to be pissed.”
Giles chuckled in
understanding. “It’s not as if it was
planned.”
“Well, yeah, but
still…” Xander started and then smiled
at Giles. “He would’ve wanted to be
here.”
Giles nodded
agreeably and glanced at his sleeping son.
“
Buffy took Declan and
smiled as he automatically quietened.
“You know he’s probably having sex…”
Giles laughed as
Xander shuddered lightly. “Yes…and
that’s why I’m merely sending him a text message.”
Declan’s face
scrunched up, turning a dark shade of red as he prepared to let out a loud
cry. Xander grinned as the doorbell
sounded over the baby’s wails.
“That’s probably the
doctor, I’ll get it.” He stated quickly,
standing and running towards the door before Giles or Buffy had the chance to
thank him.
Giles sent the
message to Ethan and then dropped his phone onto the bed next to him. And then he focussed his attention on his
newborn son.
“Oh, Declan…it’s
okay.” He cooed softly, slipping his
pinky into Declan’s tiny fist. “Come on,
now…”
Giles’ phone began to
ring at the same time as the doctor appeared in the doorway. The doctor grinned at the Gileses as Giles
handed his phone to
“Well, his lungs
appear to be normal.” Dr. Moran joked as
he walked into the room.
“Not a bad job at
all, Rupert.”
Giles grinned
proudly. Buffy rolled her eyes and
nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.
“He’s talking about
the delivery, not about Declan personally.”
“I know.” Giles answered, giving her a wink. “But, considering the fact that I delivered
him…I feel that I have the right to be proud about it.”
Dr. Moran chuckled
and reached down, carefully lifting the baby as he looked at Buffy. “Declan, is it? Do you know the exact time of birth? For the birth certificate, of course…”
“Um…no? But, I’d bet that Giles does.”
“Nine
thirty-seven.” Giles responded with no
hesitation.
“See?” Buffy laughed as she watched the doctor
examine the baby. “How is he?”
“Perfectly healthy,
seemingly. Of course, we’ll want to take
him to the hospital for the usual tests.”
He regarded Buffy, tilting his head slightly. “How are you feeling?”
“Considering I just
had a baby? Great.”
Dr. Moran smiled and
went back to his examination of the child.
Giles leaned over and
whispered his love for Buffy into her ear before pressing a soft kiss to her
cheek. Buffy turned towards him, lifting
her hand to the side of his face and returning his declaration of love before
kissing his lips.
* * *
Giles leaned back in
the chair at Dr. Moran’s clinic, laughing softly as
Giles and
“Don’t know that I’ve
ever actually seen you in a wheelchair, Buffy.”
“Well, it was either
me walk and someone else carry Declan or…”
She gestured at the chair with her left hand. “…this. I wasn’t ready to let anyone else have him.”
“What about me?” Giles asked softly, his green eyes focused on
the baby.
“Well, you’re
different, aren’t you?” Buffy whispered,
lifting Declan up to him. “You’re
Daddy…”
“What’s the sigh
about, Will?”
“Yeah…”
“There’s just
something about the way he looks at them…the way he holds them…”
Buffy nodded in understanding. “Oz was the same with Maria and Jake.”
Buffy’s eyes widened
slightly. “Do you want another baby?”
“God, no.”
“You shouldn’t
discount it right now,
Giles chuckled and
slipped his right arm around Buffy’s shoulders.
“Since both of you have checked out healthy and sound…what would you say
to going home?”
“I’d say that sounds
like a wonderful idea…as long as there’s no construction going on.”
“No…Oz would kill
me.” She mumbled to herself as she
followed them to the parking lot.
Her smile returned as
she waited until Giles had gotten both Declan and Buffy settled in the car
before climbing into the front passenger seat.
She looked back at Buffy and grinned.
“You sure you don’t
want to sit up here? I don’t mind, you
know…” She laughed loudly as Buffy gave
her a playful glare.
* * *
Buffy had gotten
Declan settled into his crib quickly…the same crib that each of their four
children had used before him. She looked
up at Giles and smiled.
“Lucky we kept this
after all, huh?”
Giles returned her
smile and leaned down to brush his lips across hers. “I’ll never call you a ‘packrat’ again,
love.”
“Yeah, you
will…eventually.” She chuckled, returning
her gaze to their youngest son. “Giles,
he’s so beautiful.”
Giles nodded slowly,
smiling warmly as Declan pursed his lips in sleep. “Will you be alright here while I go pick the
children up from school?”
“Mm-hm.” She murmured, sliding her arms around him and
resting her cheek against his chest.
“Xander’s still out back in case there’s a problem…and I think you
should be the one to tell them about their new brother.”
Giles lovingly rubbed
her back. “And I think you should get
some rest while I’m gone.”
“Giles…”
He shook his head,
softly clucking his tongue at her.
“No…you gave birth less than seven hours ago, Buffy…”
“Yeah, and I have
super Slayer healing, remember?”
“Mm-hm, I remember
all too well. And I’m well aware of the
fact that you’re feeling just fine. But,
it would make me feel better if you had a rest while I pick the children
up.”
Buffy sighed softly
and leaned up to place a tender kiss on his chin. “Okay, but if you’re gone more than an
hour…I’m getting up.”
He smiled widely and
ran his fingers through her hair, lowering his mouth to hers once again.
“Where’s Mummy?” Evan asked as he climbed into his seat.
Haddie narrowed her
eyes as she looked at the baby capsule buckled in beside of her. “And…why is the baby seat out?”
Lucas looked at his
father with wide, excited eyes. “Is
Declan here?”
Giles chuckled and
then made a big show of looking into the baby capsule before shaking his
head. “No…he doesn’t seem to be here.”
Lucas rolled his
eyes. “You know what I mean, Dad!”
Giles looked back
towards the school, grinning as he watched his oldest son run towards the
car. “Sorry I’m late!”
“You’re not exactly
‘late’, Braden.” Giles responded softly,
glancing at a passing car as Braden smiled and waved at the occupant. “Who was that?”
Lucas grinned
mischievously, slipping into a sing-song voice.
“Amanda Evans, his girlfriend!”
Braden glared at his
brother. “Shut up, Luke!”
“He wants to kiss
her!” Lucas shot back, giggling madly.
“Luke!”
Evan tilted his head
to the left and looked at his oldest brother.
“She has my name!”
Braden furrowed his
brow. “Huh?”
“Her name’s Evans…my
name’s Evan. We have the same. I like her!”
Braden rolled his eyes,
causing Giles to laugh. Haddie caught
Braden’s eyes and smiled warmly.
“She’s pretty, Bay.”
Braden couldn’t help
but smile back at his sister. He exhaled
deeply and then nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, she is.”
“See? She’s his girlfriend…Braden has a
girlfriend!” Lucas giggled, quickly
ducking out of Braden’s way as Braden threw a punch at him.
Giles reached out
quickly, blocking the punch as Lucas ducked out of the way. “Braden Rupert Giles!”
Braden sighed heavily
and slowly met his father’s dark eyes, knowing that he was in trouble if his
father was using his full name. “He’s
teasing me…”
“He’s eight. That happens.
You’re eleven…you need to learn to control your temper.” Giles turned his eyes to Lucas and shook his
head. “And that’s enough of the teasing,
Lucas.”
“But, he has a
girlfriend…”
“Mm-hm…and so will
you one day, and then Haddie and Evan will tease you mercilessly about it. Because that’s what siblings do. But, for now…we have more important things to
discuss.”
Braden’s frown turned
into a smile as his eyes brightened.
“Mum had the baby?”
“Yes.” Giles answered, smiling at each of the four
children. “So, what do you say we stop
off and buy Mummy some flowers and then go home to see your new brother?”
Giles chuckled as
Lucas and Braden both scrambled into their seats in the back of the SUV. He climbed into the driver’s seat and glanced
in the rearview mirror, watching his children excitedly discuss the arrival of
Declan for a moment before starting the car.
* * *
The house was quiet
when Giles opened the front door. With a
smile, he turned and whispered to the children.
“Quietly, like a
mouse, yes?”
Braden and Lucas
grinned, whereas Haddie and Evan nodded emphatically. Giles gave a quick nod of acknowledgement and
gestured towards the hall.
“Okay, if you promise
to be really quiet and not wake him…you can go into Declan’s room while I go
wake Mum up.” He held out an arm,
blocking the path of the two youngest children as he looked at Braden and
Lucas. “Make sure they don’t wake him
up.”
Braden nodded and
Lucas stood up straight, obviously proud of the fact that he had been given the
same level of authority as his older brother in this situation. Braden took Haddie’s hand as Lucas took
Evan’s. With another gentle nod, Giles
took a step back and allowed them access to the hallway.
He watched the older
boys lead their siblings down the hall and then he followed, turning into the
bedroom. He smiled lovingly as he took
in her form…lying on her side and sound asleep, her left arm curled under her
head and her right arm holding Giles’ pillow tightly against her chest.
He glanced at the
baby monitor on the bedside table, smiling when he heard Haddie whisper, ever
so softly, how cute their baby brother was.
He sat down behind Buffy, gently stroking her hair as he whispered her
name.
She shifted slightly,
her brow furrowing in sleep as she tightened her hold on the pillow. Giles chuckled and leaned down, brushing his
lips across her cheek.
“Love?”
“Mm…”
“Wake up,
darling. The children are home.”
She opened her eyes
slowly, sighing heavily as she looked at the pillow. “You’re not my husband…”
“No, but I am.” Giles answered, amusement in his voice.
She looked up quickly,
alarm in her eyes for just a brief second.
“Okay, that was embarrassing.”
He chuckled and
trailed his fingertips along her cheekbone.
“Have a nice sleep?”
“Mm-hm…” She yawned and then sat up, looking around
the room. “Thought you said the kids
were home?”
“They are.” He gestured at the baby monitor as another
soft whisper was heard. “See?”
She heard Declan
whimper and then Evan whisper in an urgent tone. “I didn’t do anything!”
Buffy snorted a laugh
and allowed Giles to help her out of bed.
She looked up at him and then wrapped her right hand around the back of
his neck, gently drawing him to her lips.
He kissed her warmly, pulling away when her tongue flicked against his
bottom lip.
She sighed heavily
and then brushed her fingers through her hair.
“Later?”
“Mm-hm.” He murmured, darting his eyes to her
lips. “Later. Now…we have five children in one room. We should go make the formal introductions.”
She leaned up and
placed another soft, quick kiss on his lips before whispering ‘I love you’ and
walking towards the bedroom door. His
eyes drifted to her ass, licking his lips as she walked out of the room.
“I love you
too.” He whispered, carefully adjusting
himself before following her out of the room.
* * *
“Carefully…support his
head with your arm…” Buffy gently
positioned Evan’s arm correctly and smiled.
“See? You can hold a
baby.”
Evan swallowed and
then looked at his mother, slight panic in his eyes. “What if he moves?”
Giles chuckled and
gently stroked Evan’s hair. “You’ll be
fine, Ev. Mummy and I are both
here…nothing’s going to happen.”
Evan nodded slowly
and looked down at his baby brother’s face.
“Hi, Dec…I’m your brother. You
can call me Ev…everyone else does.”
Hearing Giles sigh,
Buffy looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”
He met her eyes,
smiling brightly and shaking his head quickly.
“Nothing at all, love. I’m
just…somewhat overwhelmed at the moment.”
Buffy returned his
smile and nodded in agreement. “I know
what you mean.”
“So…you delivered
him, Dad?”
Giles looked at
Braden, who was obviously very impressed with his father, and nodded
slowly. “I did. We didn’t have enough time to get to the
hospital. Declan decided that it was
time to come…”
Lucas looked up,
worry in his eyes. Giles noticed his distress
quickly.
“What’s wrong,
Lucas?”
“Is he okay?” Lucas asked softly, his fingertips stroking
the top of the baby’s head. “I mean…I
read a story once where a baby was born at home and it got really sick and – ”
Buffy interrupted
him, gently threading her fingers through his soft brown hair. “He’s fine, Luke. Where did you read a story like that?”
“In the paper.” He answered quietly, gazing down at the baby
in Evan’s arms. “You promise he’s okay?”
Buffy nodded and
placed a tender kiss on his cheek. “I
promise. Dr. Moran said he’s in perfect
health.”
“He looks like
Daddy.” Haddie stated with a smile. “Will he have green eyes too, you think?”
“I hope so.” Buffy answered. “I would guess yes…because all of you have
your father’s green eyes.”
“Bay’s the only one
with a brown spot like Daddy’s.” Evan
said as Lucas carefully lifted Declan into his arms, with Giles’ help.
Haddie was quiet, in
deep thought as she played with Declan’s toes.
Buffy and Giles exchanged a quick glance, somehow both knowing what
their daughter was thinking. Braden
wasn’t the only child of Rupert Giles to have a brown spot in a green
iris.
Katie also had
one. Less pronounced than Braden’s or
her father’s, but it was there…a small brown spot in the lower part of her
right eye.
Hadley had already
made a comment about Katie’s eyes being the same color as her father’s…and her
brothers’. It wouldn’t be long before
she put the pieces together.
If she hadn’t already.
“Haddie?” Giles asked softly, smiling as she looked up
at him. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
Haddie nodded slowly,
glancing at her baby brother when he whimpered.
“I was just thinking, Daddy.”
“Do you want to talk
about it?”
Haddie thought for a second
and then looked at her brothers. Braden
was watching her carefully. She gave a
slight shake of her head and smiled at her father.
“No, not right
now. Can I hold Declan?”
Giles smiled warmly,
caressing a soft curl of her hair. “As
soon as Lucas’ turn is finished, Princess.”
Haddie grinned, her
green eyes shining brightly. “I’m still
your Princess?”
Giles nodded and
lightly tapped the tip of her nose with his finger. “You’ll always be my Princess,
darling. When I’m old and you’re a
mother yourself, you’ll still be my Princess.”
“Always?” She asked, giggling as her father playfully
poked her stomach.
“Always and
forever. Princess Hadley Summer
Giles.”
Braden chuckled and
nudged his sister. “What if Declan had
been a girl?”
“Well, I’d still be
Princess Hadley Summer Giles…she would’ve had a different name. ‘Cause you can’t have two Haddie
Gileses. That’d just be silly!”
Giles and Buffy
laughed, followed quickly in laughter by their four oldest children. Declan opened his eyes for a nanosecond and
then pursed his lips. When he gave a
soft cry, Buffy reached for him…promising Haddie that she’d have her turn as
soon as Declan had been fed.
Giles sat on the
couch and pulled Haddie onto his lap as he watched Buffy carry Declan down the
hall towards the bedroom. As the three
boys moved to the floor…turning on the PlayStation and playfully arguing over
which game to play, Haddie met her father’s eyes.
“Katie has a brown
spot too.” She whispered, staring at the
amber patch in her father’s left eye.
“Not as big as your’s or Bay’s, but…she has one.”
Giles took a deep
breath and then successfully changed the subject by asking Haddie about her day
at school. He tried not to think about
how perceptive his young daughter truly was.
Buffy watched her
husband as he methodically changed Declan’s nappy. Even though he was chatting lovingly to the
baby, Buffy knew something was bothering Giles.
Something had been bothering him for a few days, but they hadn’t had a
chance to sit down and talk. Not with
getting Declan settled into his routine and four other children to take care
of…not to mention her exhaustion from recovering from childbirth.
She was feeling
better tonight. In fact, she was feeling
better now than she had in months. She
tilted her head slightly as she watched Giles redress their son.
“Giles?”
“Mm?” He murmured, snapping the button of Declan’s
green onesie closed.
“What’s wrong?”
Giles picked Declan up
and looked over at Buffy, fully prepared to deny that anything at all was
wrong. The concern in her eyes made him
think twice.
“How long have you
been worried that something’s wrong?” He
asked softly, cradling the baby in his left arm.
Buffy shrugged a
shoulder, smiling softly as Declan clenched a fist and yawned. “Since Tuesday.”
Giles sighed and
gently placed Declan in his crib, whispering his love for the boy as he covered
him with the blanket. Buffy leaned over
the railing and kissed the baby’s forehead before gently rubbing his
chest.
They waited until
Declan had settled down and then Giles led Buffy to their bedroom, pausing long
enough to make sure the baby monitor was turned on before he closed the
door. As Giles looked into her eyes, he
was suddenly very glad that Joyce had offered to take care of the other four
over the weekend.
“What’s wrong?” Buffy whispered emotionally, her bottom lip
quivering.
“Oh, love…” Giles breathed as he pulled her into his
arms.
He carefully
manuevered them across the room, sitting down on the bed just as her tears
started to fall. The tears caught him
off-guard and he pulled back just enough to look at her.
“Buffy?”
“You…you’ve been
so…preoccupied. We…we get up, take care
of the kids…you make your phone calls…I’ve been sleeping when Declan’s been
sleeping…”
His brow furrowed
slightly as his confusion grew. “Buffy,
what’s – ”
“You haven’t even
joked about making love…and…is it me? Do
you not want to be with me right now?”
“What? No, Buffy…I…I do want you. And I think about making love with you…”
“But, you haven’t
said anything…” She sniffled,
lowering her eyes as she wiped the tears from her face. “And you haven’t really been talking about
anything else at all…except the kids…”
He sighed heavily and
placed two fingers under her chin, gently lifting her face towards him. “I love you.”
“But, you don’t want
me…” Buffy whispered brokenly.
“I do.” He leaned forward and kissed her
tenderly. “I do want you, Buffy.”
“But…you haven’t…why
haven’t you…” She shook her head in
frustration. “What’s wrong?”
Giles gazed into her
eyes for a few moments. And then he
swallowed thickly, brushing his thumb along her jaw.
“I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be sorry, just
tell me what’s wrong.” She cried softly,
lifting her hand to the side of his face.
“Please, Rupert…just talk to me.”
“We’re going to have
to tell Haddie about Katie.” He replied
hurriedly. “She…she’s noticed Katie’s
eyes…she’s making the connections, Buffy.”
Buffy narrowed her
eyes slightly. “We’ve already talked
about this. I agreed with you…months
ago…”
“Monday night…when
you went to feed Declan…Haddie was talking about Katie’s nevus.”
“Her nevus?”
“The brown spot in
her eye…she said it isn’t as large as mine, or as Braden’s, but…but, she’s
noticed that it’s there. Buffy, she’s
putting it together…and we need to tell her before she asks us…”
Buffy moved her hand
to his chest, not surprised to feel his heart racing. “Shh…calm down.”
Giles swallowed hard,
lowering his voice as he spoke. “I never
meant for you to think that my distance had to do with you. I…want you as much as I’ve always wanted
you. I lay in bed and watch you sleep
each night…and I ache for you…but, you’ve been so tired and I’ve been so
worried about Haddie, and…”
She quietened him
with a kiss, relishing the sensation of his stifled groan as she nudged her
tongue into his mouth. When he felt her
hand press against his quickly growing erection, he pulled away.
“Buffy…”
Buffy gently pushed his
shoulder until he laid down on the bed, smiling as she climbed on top of him
and straddled his hips. “It’s been a
while…”
“You…you just went
through childbirth – ” He groaned as she
rocked against him.
“Uh-huh…and I still
have Slayer healing. I’m feeling fine,
Giles.” She grinned, leaning over him
and kissing his lips. “And I really want
you.”
Giles responded to
the kiss for a moment before sliding his arms around her and rolling them onto
their sides. Breathing heavily as he
ended the kiss, he shook his head and brushed her hair back from her face with
his fingertips.
“No, Buffy. I…I wouldn’t feel right…”
Buffy’s eyes narrowed
slightly. “Giles…Declan’s five days old,
we haven’t had sex in over three weeks, you’re hard and I’m horny…”
“Well, that’s a
compelling argument. I’m horny, let’s
fuck.” Giles grumbled as he rolled onto
his back.
“That’s not
what I meant and you know it.” She
replied quickly, rubbing his chest as she looked into his eyes.
“What did you
mean, Buffy? Because… ‘you’re hard and
I’m horny’ doesn’t really scream passion to me.”
Buffy’s eyes darkened
slightly, her fingers stopping their motion.
“Would pushing me up against a hallway wall in the back of a pub scream
passion to you?”
Giles darted his eyes
to hers, immediate hurt and disbelief showing in his green depths. Buffy’s eyes widened as she gasped.
“Oh, God! Giles, I didn’t…I didn’t mean that!”
Giles averted his
eyes from hers and cleared his throat.
“Perhaps you should tell me exactly what you did mean. Because…there’s only one scenario that that
statement brings to mind and I thought we had burned that bridge long ago.”
Buffy’s mouth opened
and then closed, her hand increasing its pressure on his chest when he started
to move. “Please, don’t go.”
“You…need to let me
up, Buffy.” Giles stated with a slight
edge to his tone.
“Giles, listen to
me…I – ”
A spark of anger
flashed in his eyes, only to be immediately replaced by sadness. “How long, Buffy? How long am I going to have to apologize for
what I did?”
“You don’t! You did…years ago and I forgave
everything!” She answered, panic in her
voice.
“And yet, here we
are…over six years later…” He glanced at
the monitor when he heard Declan’s soft cry.
Buffy’s eyes filled
with tears as they waited to see if he would settle back down. She closed her eyes briefly when another cry
followed. He wasn’t going to settle…not
right now. Feeling the bed shift, her
eyes snapped open and she reached out, grabbing his hand.
“Giles…”
“Our son needs…something. I’ll go check on him.”
“I’m sorry.” She whispered emotionally, her tears finally
breaking free. “I really didn’t mean
it. I…I don’t know where it came from…”
He gave her a quick
glance and swallowed hard. He could
never stand to see her cry.
“We’ll talk about it
in a little while.” He whispered, gently
pulling his hand free and walking towards the bedroom door.
“I love you.” She sniffled.
He paused with his
hand on the knob, lowering his head slightly.
A few long seconds later, he answered her on another whisper.
“And I you.”
With that, he opened
the door and stepped out of the room.
Buffy’s tears turned to sobs as the door closed behind him.
* * *
Giles picked the baby
up, cooing softly to him as he laid him down on the change table. “It’s alright, Declan. I’ll get you changed and fed and back to
sleep before you know it.”
Declan’s face
scrunched up as he let out a loud cry, apparently protesting the fact that his
father had undressed him. Giles smiled
adoringly, his fingers working quickly to change the baby’s nappy.
“Ssh…almost done,
son.” His smile grew as Declan’s tiny
brow furrowed. “You have the patience of
your sister…a trait that both of you inherited from your mother.”
Giles’ smile faltered
for a moment. He cleared his throat
softly and tossed the used nappy into the bin.
“I must admit that I
was hoping that you would look more like your mother.” He sighed softly as he examined the baby’s
fingers. “Maybe you’ll have her
eyes. Everything else of outward
appearance seems to have come from me.”
Giles tilted his head
slightly as Declan calmed down and smacked his lips. “Not hungry, then? Well…what if I sat here and told you a story
to help you go back to sleep?”
He carefully picked
his son up and sat down in the rocking chair.
He rocked slowly, lowering the timbre of his voice as he spoke.
“Once upon a
time…many years ago…there was a town
called Sunnydale.”
* * *
Buffy had finally
gotten herself under control by the time she overheard Giles tell their son
that he had inherited her patience. She
wasn’t sure why she had said what she had said earlier. She knew that she hadn’t even thought of that
night in years…not since the night that they had talked everything out.
Her emotions always
ran a little high for the first few weeks after giving birth, but…she had never
said anything to deliberately hurt him.
Of course, she hadn’t attempted to seduce him less than a week after
having a baby. Not that it was an
excuse. There was no excuse for what she
had said.
But, she had wanted
him…desperately. And he had turned her
down. Not because he didn’t want her,
but because he was worried about hurting her.
She understood that now, but in the heat of the moment all she heard him
say was ‘No, Buffy…’ and that had hurt her.
She glanced at the
monitor when she heard his voice soothing their newest child back to sleep.
“Once upon a
time…many years ago…there was a town called Sunnydale. An older Englishman moved to that town in
hopes of…” Giles’ sigh could be heard
clearly over the monitor. “You’re five
days old…you’ll never remember what I’m going to tell you.”
Buffy swallowed,
turning her complete attention to his voice.
“I am a Watcher. Your mother is the Slayer. I was sent to
Fresh tears welled in
her eyes as he continued.
“I’m not a perfect
man, and I’ve made mistakes throughout our marriage, but…Christ, I love
her. And we’ve had five beautiful,
wonderful children together…and…” Giles
paused for a few moments, the soft squeak of the rocking chair sounding very
loud through the speaker.
“Sometimes I wonder
if my past mistakes will be my eventual downfall.”
Buffy didn’t think
twice as she climbed out of the bed and ran for the door.
Giles looked up as
the nursery door opened. Declan had just
closed his eyes and sighed heavily as he fell back asleep. Buffy stepped inside, wiping the tears from
her cheeks.
“Giles…”
He looked concerned
for a moment and then sighed as he glanced at the monitor. He had meant to turn it off while he was in
the room, but under the circumstances, he had forgotten.
“I – ”
“Put him to bed and
come with me, please.” She whispered,
biting her bottom lip. “Please,
Giles…please come with me.”
Giles swallowed and regarded
her carefully before standing and placing the sleeping baby into the crib. After brushing a kiss over Declan’s forehead
and whispering his love for the boy, Giles straightened and gave Buffy a nod.
He moved past her and
stepped into the hallway, running his hand through his hair in a nervous
gesture as she followed him and closed the door. “Buffy…”
“I love you,
Giles. It’s as simple as that.” She licked her lips and continued before he
had a chance to speak. “What I said
earlier…it wasn’t fair and I swear I hadn’t even thought about it in
years. I…I’m an emotional wreck at the
moment and – ”
He furrowed his brow
in concern and lifted his hand to her cheek.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, just the
normal post-partum blues that I get every time.” She answered as she leaned into his
touch.
“But…this hasn’t
happened before.”
Buffy met his eyes
and covered his hand with hers, kissing his palm softly. “None of this has happened before.”
Seeing the question
in his eyes, she sighed. “I’ve never
tried to coerce you into sex this soon after having a baby. Because of that, you’ve never told me no
because you were worried about it being too soon. And…because you’ve never told me no, my
feelings have never been hurt…and this was the first time that I thought you
didn’t want me for – ”
“God…I do want
you, Buffy.” He interrupted on a heavy
whisper.
“I thought you did,
but…” She bit her bottom lip and lowered
her eyes from his gaze. “I…I didn’t mean
for it to sound so passionless. It wasn’t
just because you were hard and I was horny.”
She looked back up at
him when he gently rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “And I swear…I didn’t mean what I said about
the hall in the pub.”
She tightened her
fingers on his hand when he started to pull away, tears welling in her eyes as
she lowered her voice to a whisper.
“Please, don’t.”
“That…wasn’t passion,
Buffy. That was desperation and
self-destruction…” He whispered sadly.
“I know.” She swallowed as she moved her hand to the
side of his neck. “I’m so sorry, Giles.”
Giles exhaled deeply
and tenderly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re exhausted. As am I.”
Buffy’s bottom lip
quivered. “I’m sorry.”
Giles felt his heart
break just a little. “It’s alright,
love.”
She shook her head,
her eyes taking on a liquid sheen. “No,
no it’s not alright. I…I hurt you…and –
”
He lowered his mouth
to hers, tasting the evidence of her earlier tears as his lips moved over
hers. He paused just long enough to pick
her up, sliding his arms under her knees as he reignited the kiss and walked
into their bedroom.
She pulled away from
his lips as he lowered their bodies to the bed.
“Giles?”
He smiled softly and
shook his head. “We’re not making love,
Buffy. Not right now.”
“You still love me,
right?” She whispered nervously.
He remembered how
unsure she used to become in the days after childbirth. It had always been his least favourite part
of the process of having children.
“Never question my
love for you, Buffy.” He stated softly,
resting his head on the pillow and pulling her against his chest. “I’ll always be in love with you.”
“But…you don’t want
to…”
“I do, love.
But, your body isn’t physically ready…and as much as I want you and want to be inside
of you, I can’t put you in that position.”
She was quiet for a
moment, nuzzling his chest. “What
position can you put me in?”
He chuckled softly,
all tension from Buffy’s earlier faux pas leaving his body. “Sleep, Buffy.”
“We’re still
dressed.” Buffy murmured even as she
closed her eyes.
Giles held her as she
drifted off into slumber. Only when he
was sure that she was asleep did he allow himself to follow her.
* * *
A soft gurgle
interrupted Giles’ dream. He was mildly annoyed,
considering the dream was something he definitely didn’t want interrupted. As his mind surfaced from sleep, he realized
that the gurgle was from Declan…and all annoyance left him.
He smiled as he
opened his eyes to find Buffy sitting next to him, Declan latched onto her
right breast as she flipped through a magazine.
Feeling her husband’s gaze on her, she looked at him and smiled.
“Good morning.”
“Mm…” He reached up and lovingly ran his thumb over
the sole of Declan’s foot. “Morning,
love. You should’ve woken me.”
Buffy shook her head
gently and closed the magazine. “He was
hungry…you were sound asleep. That’s why
I brought him in here…I knew you’d wake up soon.”
When he furrowed his
brow and silently questioned her, she sighed.
“I didn’t want you to wake up alone this morning.”
Giles pushed himself
up and ran a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. “Buffy…”
“I mean, I know you
forgave me and everything last night, but…I still feel so horrible about what I
said.”
“Don’t.” He whispered, brushing his lips across her
cheek. “It’s over and done with…and we
emerged relatively unscathed. I’m
fine…and more than that, I understand.”
“Promise?”
“I promise,
Buffy. I’m fine, we’re fine.”
She shifted and
carefully pulled her nipple from Declan’s mouth. Giles grinned as Declan’s brow furrowed. Buffy rolled her eyes and turned him in her
arms, offering her left nipple to him.
“God, he is
just like you.”
Giles paused in the
stroking of his son’s head and met Buffy’s eyes. “That…was a disturbing image, darling.”
Buffy looked confused
for just a second and then shook her head.
“I so wasn’t talking about me feeding him.”
“No?” He asked with a grin on his lips.
“No…I was talking
about the fact that…” She hesitated and
then chuckled. “No, that’ll just sound
bad too. Which reminds me…what were you
dreaming about?”
He glanced at her
lips and swallowed. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I was pretty
sure I heard a moan…just making sure it was a good moan and not a bad one.”
“Definitely a good
one.” He murmured, causing her to grin.
“I’m…feeling pretty
good this morning. In case you were
wondering. And the others won’t be back
until this afternoon…” She continued
quickly when she recognized the signs of an impending protest. “I just meant…well, we could…there’s always
oral sex, Giles.”
His eyes darkened a
shade. After a few moments of silence,
he slid his hand to her thigh and moistened his lips with the tip of his
tongue.
“Yes there is.”
She grinned at the
veiled acceptance of her offer and looked down at Declan, who was looking to be
extremely drowsy. Hopefully, it wouldn’t
take him long to go to sleep after he finished feeding.
* * *
Giles groaned as she
knelt beside of him and firmly stroked his erection. “Buffy, please…”
She smiled and gently
ran her nails along his inner thigh.
“This isn’t about me, Giles. It
was never about me. It was me
wanting to taste you, to make you come.
Let me do this for you.”
“I…want to taste you.” He whimpered softly as she rubbed her thumb
over the head of his cock.
She watched his eyes
darken as she moved her left hand between her legs, sliding her fingers through
her wet folds. She felt her heartrate
quicken when he moaned lustfully as she sucked her fingers into her mouth.
Before he could say
anything, she leaned over him and plunged her tongue into his mouth. He sucked her tongue hungrily, thrusting his
hips against her hand. She smiled as she
tore her mouth from his, his growl voicing his protest.
“You wanted to taste
me. You’ve tasted me…”
“Bloody..hell…” He groaned, moving his hand to her bare
hip.
She shook her head,
tightening her grip on his cock. “Hands
off, Rupert…this is all about you.”
“Buffy…” He whimpered, allowing his hand to fall back
to the mattress.
She stopped her hard
strokes and simply held his thick shaft in her hand as she looked into his
desire-darkened eyes. “You were right,
I’m not physically ready. But,
emotionally…I’m right here with you.”
She glanced down at her hand when she felt him throb. “Maybe I’m not as close as you are, but…”
“Please don’t
stop.” Giles whispered hoarsely.
She smiled and rubbed
her thumb in a small circle. “I’m not
stopping, I’m contemplating.”
The muscle in his jaw
twitched as his fingers curled in the sheet beneath him. “Con…contemplating?”
“Mm-hm.” She murmured, licking her lips as she resumed
her strokes, albeit much slower and gentler this time. “I don’t know if I want you to come in my
mouth…or if I want you to come all over yourself and then I’ll clean your skin
with my tongue.”
He groaned and bucked
his hips in an unspoken request for her to move harder and faster. She resisted for another moment.
“Do you have a
preference?”
He stared at her,
lifting a trembling hand to her face and gliding his thumb over her bottom
lip. “I…just want to come.”
“You’re very close
either way…” Her eyes sparkled as he
nodded in agreement.
She made her decision
quickly, grinning as Giles shuddered beneath her when she lowered her mouth to
his aching cock. He slipped his fingers
into her hair, guiding her mouth down his length. His back arched as she swallowed him into her
throat, his eyes clenched shut as he let out a loud groan.
She looked up at him
when she felt his short nails scratch against her scalp. She hummed appreciatively against his hard
flesh, relishing the vision of him fighting to maintain some semblance of
control. That control was lost when she
gently squeezed his heavy sac and sucked as hard as she could as she slid her
mouth up to the head of his cock.
“Fuck!” He cried, reflexively pushing her back
down. “Oh fuck, Buffy!”
Buffy smiled inwardly
as she kept up the hard pace, the tip of his erection slipping into her throat
on each plunge downwards. She felt him
thicken in her mouth quickly, his fingers flexing against her scalp as he urged
her to suck harder.
She could feel her
own orgasm building rapidly, much faster than she was expecting. When she heard him gasp and felt him tense,
she pulled back and clamped her lips closed behind the glans. She came as he cried out her name and filled
her mouth with his come.
She swallowed quickly
and only released him when she heard his softly whispered ‘please, Buffy’. She felt the tremble in his hand when he
wrapped his fingers around her arm and pulled her up to him.
He covered her mouth
with his, easily coaxing her lips apart with his tongue. He kissed her slowly, relishing the taste of
himself in her mouth. When breathing
became an issue, he ended the kiss and inhaled shakily.
“My…my God…”
“Okay?” She asked, feeling as shaky as he sounded.
He met her eyes and
smiled as he nodded. “You came as well.”
“Am I that
transparent?” She chuckled as she
settled next to him, draping her arm over his chest.
“No, but…after this
many years, should I not know the post-orgasmic haze that shows in your eyes?”
“Haze? I’m not hazy…” She protested lightly, grinning as he laughed
softly. “Okay, maybe a little hazy…”
“I love you,
Buffy.” He whispered, gently kissing her
lips.
“I love you just as
much, Rupert.”
They needed to talk
about their daughter. More importantly
they needed to talk about their daughter’s relationship with his
daughter. Just as she was going to
suggest that very thing, his mouth found the scar on her neck.
The talk could wait
just a few minutes longer.
~ End