They sat
around the table listening to Giles quietly explain what had happened. It didn’t go unnoticed that he had refused to
let go of Buffy’s hand since they had sat down.
“It was the
Guardian of Ristos.
I should have followed up on the aftermath of the ritual earlier.”
“Well, you
have been kind of busy lately.” Anya
stated quietly. When she realized that
everyone was staring at her, she continued.
“I’m not saying that’s a bad thing.
It happens. And…I’m sorry, I said the wrong thing at the wrong time again.”
Giles
exhaled softly as Anya dropped her gaze.
“It’s alright, Anya.” He offered
her an understanding smile when she looked up before he continued. “If the ritual has not been completed in a
set period of time, the Guardian is sent to destroy the person or persons who
interrupted the process.”
Buffy
squeezed his hand. “Who are us.”
He nodded
slowly. “The demon emits an acid-like
substance in battle. It doesn’t burn,
but it eats through the dermis and fatally poisons the blood. Death…”
He closed his eyes briefly, willing his stomach to stop its
churning. “Death is not instantaneous. It is long, excruciating, and…”
Unable to
finish his words, he stood and simply walked out the back door. Buffy watched him, sadness filling her
heart. She looked at her friends and
hoped they would understand.
“Guys…”
The three
of them nodded silently and stood.
She walked
outside to find him standing there, staring at the sky, his glasses held
lightly in his left hand. She gently
placed her hand on the small of his back.
“Hey…”
His head
dropped and he shuddered violently. It
was then that she definitely knew that he was crying. She walked around him until she was facing
him. She wrapped her arms around his
waist and laid her head against his chest.
“I’m okay,
Giles.”
He moved
his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him. “You…almost weren’t.”
“Almost.” She agreed softly. “But, you saved me.”
“If I were
a second later getting there…”
She looked
up quickly. “Don’t think like that. No ‘what ifs’, okay?”
He met her
eyes. “I can’t handle the thought of
losing you, Buffy. And that terrifies me
more than you could possibly imagine.”
She lifted
her hand and gently wiped the tears from his face. “Probably as much as the
thought of losing you terrifies me.
So, let’s do each other a favour here.
Let’s go upstairs, I’ll call Mom and explain why I’m staying with you
tonight, we lay down and hold each other, and not
think about losing one of us.”
He allowed
her to lead him back inside before he halted their movement. When she turned around to question him, he
nodded slowly.
“When did
you become so logical?”
She smiled
softly. “When I really
started listening to you.”
He returned
her gentle smile and followed her as she led him up the stairs.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
His eyes
held her gaze as she slipped under the covers beside of him. “What did you tell her?”
She
snuggled up to him, placing a warm kiss on his bare chest. “The truth. Big nasty demon, you saved my life, you’re
upset, I’m okay, and I’m not leaving you tonight.”
His arm
rested over her hip, his fingers toying with the hem of his shirt that she was
wearing. “And…she was alright with
that?”
She moved
her hand to his hip. “As alright as she
can be, I guess. I didn’t really give
her much choice in the matter.”
He nodded
silently, his fingers dancing under the shirt to touch her skin. His eyes closed briefly as her fingers edged
under the waistband of his pajama bottoms.
He opened his eyes, staring into hers.
Seeing the absolute need in his green depths, she gently rolled onto her
back.
“Giles…”
He kissed
her suddenly, slowly and passionately.
He moved over her, moaning softly as her hands pushed his pajamas down
over his hips. He took his time,
allowing his mouth to move to her neck as she spread her thighs to more easily
accommodate him. Her fingers caressed
the back of his head as her free hand reached down, encircling his erection and
guiding it to her.
He raised
his head, his eyes wordlessly searching hers.
She gave him a smile full of love and understanding, her eyes fluttering
softly as he gently entered her. He
kissed her again, his tongue seeking hers as he began to slowly move within
her. Her hands gripped his back as she
matched his pace, her hips arching to meet his.
He kept his
pace slow, relishing the sensation of her warm body moving slowly beneath
him. His mouth moved along her throat
until her buried his face in the crook of her neck. He fought back his tears as his mind relived
the details of the night’s events.
Despite his slow thrusts and his intentions of making it last as long as
possible, his orgasm quickly overtook him as his tears broke free.
She held
his shuddering body close as she kissed his head tenderly. He lifted his head slightly, a heavy sigh
escaping his lips.
“Buffy,
I…I’m sorry.”
Her hands
gently rubbed his back in an effort to soothe him. “For what?”
He kissed
her shoulder softly. “I…wasn’t expecting
to…I wanted to take it…slow. And…you
didn’t…”
She cut him
off quickly, using her hand to turn his head so he’d look at her. “Giles, this wasn’t about me getting
off.” She saw the apology still holding
firm in his eyes and decided to take another tactic. “Kiss me.”
He took a
shaky breath, and then met her lips, responding quickly as she deepened the
kiss. His tongue caressed hers as he
poured his passion into the union. He
groaned into her mouth when he felt her inner muscles quiver around him. He pulled back, questioning her silently.
She smiled,
resting her hand on the side of his neck.
“Did you feel that?” Her smile
widened slightly as he gave her a nod.
“That’s what I feel every time you kiss me.” She inhaled softly. “I honestly think you could make me come with
a kiss.”
A smile
touched his lips. “I think I’d like to
test that theory.” He kissed her again,
feeling the same reaction. As he began
to harden inside of her, he broke the kiss, his smile finally reaching his
eyes. “But…not right now.”
Her nails
scratched his neck as she involuntarily clenched her fingers when he began to
rock his hips against her. His name fell
from her lips on a guttural moan. His
right hand slid down her body, lifting her hip slightly as he drove deeper into
her. His lips and teeth nipped at her
neck as he listened to her sounds of pleasure, which grew louder with each
thrust.
Her nails
raked across his shoulders, his fingers threatened to leave bruises on her hip
as he quickened his pace. Her inner
walls began to convulse around him.
Knowing she was close, he moved his mouth to her ear and whispered
huskily.
“Scream for
me.”
She
complied as her body shuddered violently, her intense orgasm flooding over
her. He was sure that his neighbours
would have heard her. He was also sure
that he didn’t care if they had as he came for a second time, her name leaving
his lips on a loud groan.
Her hands
trembled as she held his body to her.
“My God…”
“Mm-hm.” He agreed tiredly as he kissed her neck
tenderly.
“Giles?”
“Hm?”
Her fingers
toyed with his sweat-dampened hair. “No
more blame. No more bad thoughts. Okay?”
He
carefully moved to her side and met her eyes.
He offered her a smile and nodded.
“I’m rather sure that we’ll have many more close calls in the future.”
She
chuckled as she moved into his embrace.
“That’s the spirit, Giles.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
At Joyce’s
request, the Scooby meeting for the next day took place at the Summers’ residence.
Mainly because she wanted the details of the life-threatening event that
had taken place the previous night. Though she knew that it was also to watch the interaction between
her daughter and the Watcher.
At the
moment, only
He sat on
the couch, seemingly comfortable with the book resting on his right thigh.
“Wouldn’t
you rather sit up here?”
She looked
up at him and smiled, shaking her head. “Nope, perfectly comfy here.”
This was
the scene that greeted Joyce as she walked into the room with a tray of
steaming mugs. What struck her most was
the complete comfort shared by Buffy and Giles.
They were both reading intently, obviously some sort of research. And then she noticed how his fingers were
lovingly caressing the skin of Buffy’s neck.
It was almost as if it were an automatic reaction that he was unaware
of.
She had been
filled in on what had happened last night.
She could easily hear the pain and fear in Giles’ voice as well as see
the emotions in the tears that threatened to spill onto his face as the details
were relayed. As much as she didn’t want
to admit it, she knew without a doubt that he was in love with Buffy and that
he had told her the truth that night she went to his apartment to talk.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Buffy felt
Giles shift on the couch and looked up at him.
“You okay?”
“Hm?” He met her eyes and smiled softly. “Oh, yes.
I was just…I was a little uncomfortable.”
She grinned
knowingly at him and Willow successfully held in her giggle. Joyce re-entered the room and announced that
she was going to go pick up the pizzas that had been ordered.
“Would you
mind if I went with you?” When Joyce
looked at her, she continued quickly.
“It’s just that you have to go by my house and there’s a book that I
need to pick up that might be helpful…”
Joyce
shrugged her shoulders when she glanced at Giles and noticed that he had not
looked up from his book. In fact, it was
obvious that he hadn’t even heard the conversation, as he was so absorbed in
the reading. “Sure, come on.”
Buffy grinned
when the front door closed. She waited
until she heard her mother’s car leave the driveway before she set her book
aside and turned to face him. He looked
at her in confusion as she took the book from his hands and placed it on the
cushion next to him.
She knelt
between his legs with her hands on his thighs.
“We’re alone for a few minutes.”
Giles
looked around, more than slightly confused.
“What?”
She rose up
and kissed him softly. “Mom and Will
went to get pizza. Xander and Anya
aren’t here yet.” She glanced down at
his groin quickly. “Are you still
uncomfortable?”
He hissed
lightly as her hand slid forward on his thigh until it brushed across his
groin. “I wasn’t. But, that seems to be changing quickly.”
She licked
her lips, staring into his eyes as her fingers quickly unbuckled his belt and
unbuttoned his jeans. “Let me see if I
can make you more comfy?”
His eyes
darkened as her fingers unzipped his jeans and pulled out his hardening
manhood. “Buffy…”
“Shh.” She bent her head and placed a kiss on the
head. “Can’t have you uncomfortable, can
we?”
Any
response he was going to give was forgotten as her mouth quickly engulfed
him. He groaned, his left hand gripping
her shoulder and his head falling back to rest on the back of the couch. She sucked gently, her tongue pressing
against his flesh. She looked up at him
and smiled inwardly. Her hand wrapped
around the shaft, pumping slowly as she let him slide out of her mouth.
“Giles?”
“Hm?” His breathing was already erratic.
Her hand
squeezed him and increased its pace.
“Look at me.”
He opened
his eyes with effort and looked down at her smiling face. Another groan escaped him as she spoke her
next words.
“Watch me
make you come.”
She
maintained eye contact as she took him back into her mouth. His fingers gripped her shoulder with more
force as he watched her slide her mouth up and down his length. He bit his lip as she sucked a bit harder.
“Oh dear Lord.” He fought to keep his eyes
open. He groaned loudly when her hand
began to stroke his shaft faster as she held the glans between her lips. “So close…”
“Mm-hm.” She murmured against his flesh, feeling him
expand in her grip.
The
vibration her murmur caused was just enough to make him lose control. His hips bucked against her, his fingers
clenched almost painfully on her shoulder.
“Buffy.”
“Hm?” Her smile danced in her eyes as she gazed at
him.
“Oh, God! Buffy!
I’m…oh my…” He lost his words as
he exploded in her mouth. His body
convulsed as she drank from him.
His shaking
fingers lightly touched her face and she slowly released him. She used her tongue to clean him thoroughly
before leaning up to kiss him passionately.
His tongue swept into her mouth as he pulled her into his trembling
arms.
After a few
moments, she slowly broke the kiss and smiled lovingly at him. “Feel better now?”
He returned
her smile and nodded. “Much.” He watched in fascination as she carefully
tucked him back in and got him zipped, buttoned, and buckled back up. “Your turn.”
She shook
her head and grinned. “Not necessary
right now.” She laughed softly when he
tilted his head in a silent question. “I
came when you came.”
His eyes widened, his smile showing clearly in his green irises. “Oh?”
“Mm-hm.” Her hands soothingly rubbed his thighs. “And, besides that…we really don’t have
time. Xander and Anya will be here any
minute.”
As if on
cue, they heard the back door open and the distinct sound of bickering. She gave him a wink and then quickly returned
to her prior position on the floor, between his legs with her back resting
against the couch.
With a
satisfied sigh, he picked up his book and placed it on his right thigh.
Buffy sat
next to Giles on the couch, systematically plucking the olives off of her pizza
and dropping them onto his plate. He
picked up an olive slice and popped it into his mouth, shaking his head in
answer to Xander’s question.
“No, this
isn’t like the Order of Taraka. There is only one Guardian and when or if it
has been defeated that’s the end of it. Until the ritual can begin again.”
Anya pulled
a mushroom off of her slice and grimaced.
“Why would they put these on here?”
“Because, some people like mushrooms, An.”
Xander patted her knee before looking back at Giles. “So, when can the ritual begin again?”
Buffy took
a drink of her Coke and answered quickly.
“When another log matures.”
Giles
chuckled softly when the other three narrowed their eyes and stared at
Buffy. Buffy sighed, shrugged her
shoulders and gestured to Giles. “Ask
him then.”
Giles spent
the next twenty minutes going through the details of the ritual, ending with
“it could be possibly hundreds of years before another log has matured enough
to be used in the ritual.”
They all
nodded and Buffy reached for another slice of pizza. “See?
When another log matures…”
Joyce
leaned against the doorway, smiling as she listened to the conversation going
on. She shifted nervously and took a
deep breath.
“Rupert?”
Giles
looked up from his task of using his thumb to wipe away a dab of pizza sauce
from the corner of Buffy’s mouth. He
jerked his hand back quickly as if he had been burned. Truth was, he hadn’t
any idea that Joyce was standing there or else he would have been more careful
about touching Buffy in any way.
He cleared
his throat, feeling his face flush slightly.
“Yes?”
“Can I talk
to you for a minute?”
He licked
the sauce off of his thumb and pushed himself up from the couch. “Yes, of course.”
Buffy smiled
adoringly at him as he followed her mother into the kitchen.
“Buffy? What’s going on?”
Buffy
grinned at her friend and settled back against the cushions on the couch. “I’m not sure, but…I think we’re getting
ready to get blessed.”
Xander
swallowed a mouthful of pizza and stared at Buffy. “Since when are you
religious?”
Buffy
rolled her eyes at him as she and
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles
leaned nervously against the breakfast bar in the kitchen as Joyce poured a cup
of tea. She handed it to him, smiling
warmly.
“I wanted
to thank you for being there for Buffy last night.”
“Oh,
uh…” He dropped a spoonful of sugar into
the cup and stirred slowly. “I’m just
happy that I was able to arrive in time.”
She took a
sip of her coffee before she looked at him.
“In all seriousness, Rupert…how close was it?”
He looked
away briefly and took a deep breath before answering softly. “Far too close, Joyce.” He turned his eyes back to her and swallowed
the lump forming in his throat. “Two
seconds, maybe?”
Joyce paled
and placed her coffee onto the bar. “If
it had touched her, would…is there anything that…”
He stared
into his cup and shook his head slowly.
“There may have been a spell to help the symptoms, but…” His hand trembled as he reached up to remove
his glasses. “No, no antidote for the
poison.”
She watched
him carefully. “Are you okay?”
He nodded
as he polished his glasses and slid them back on. “The important thing is that…”
“You saved
her.” She tilted her head thoughtfully
as she regarded him. “You put your own
life in danger to save her.”
“I don’t
see it in those terms. I see it as doing
everything I possibly can to keep her alive.”
He stood up a bit straighter and looked into her eyes. “She’s always in danger, Joyce. There will always be close calls. It’s the nature of her calling. I can’t keep her out of danger, and there’s
really no way for me to always keep her safe.
But, I will give everything I have to keep her alive.”
Her eyes
glistened. “You have so many times
before, haven’t you? I mean, putting yourself in danger to help her.” She smiled softly. “And it’s not all about your role as her
Watcher.”
He cleared
his throat and inhaled deeply. “I am in
love with her, Joyce. Maybe in the
beginning it was about me being her Watcher, but not now. It hasn’t been about her being my Slayer for
quite some time.” His fingers idly
turned the ring on his left pinky. “I’m a good man. I know sometimes it’s hard for you to see
that. You see me as the man who puts
your daughter in peril. You want to
protect her, and I do understand that.
But, I will never intentionally hurt her and I will give my life to
protect her.”
“You really
would, wouldn’t you?”
“In a heartbeat.”
The words
were softly spoken and she saw the truth in his eyes.
“You know
I’d never ask you to do that.”
Giles and
Joyce turned towards the voice, finding Buffy leaning against the doorframe
with a small smile on her face. Giles
nodded and took a deep breath.
“I do know
that, Buffy. But, I wasn’t exactly
talking about asking your permission.”
He smiled at a memory that drifted through his mind. “We both know how far I’d get.”
Buffy
grinned as she walked into the kitchen and stood in front of him. “As far as the floor would let you fall.”
“Well, I’m
confused. Care to let me in on what
you’re talking about?”
They both
looked at Joyce and Giles spoke. “I
attempted to take Buffy’s place in facing the Master a few years ago.”
Joyce
narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “That
was when you drowned, right?” When Buffy
nodded, Joyce continued. “If you took
her place, how did she drown?”
Giles
laughed softly. “I stated that I attempted
to take her place.”
Buffy
looked up at him and joined in with his laughter before turning back to her
mother. “He had this bright idea that
he’d save my life and go off on his own to face the Master. I didn’t agree with that. Not only was it my prophecy to go against the
Master, but…I knew that if he went down there, I’d never see him again.” She took hold of his hand, lacing their
fingers together. “So, I hit him and
knocked him out cold.”
He squeezed
her fingers gently. “I was so angry when
I came to.” He looked into her eyes and
sighed softly. “And so
very scared that I would lose you to him.”
“Almost
did.” She offered him and her mother a
bright smile. “But
almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” She looked puzzled for a moment before musing
out loud. “That’s such an odd
saying…horseshoes and hand grenades.”
Giles
chuckled and leaned down, kissing the top of her head. He looked back up and saw that Joyce was
smiling at them. He inconspicuously
squeezed Buffy’s hand to get her attention.
When her daughter looked up at her, Joyce began to speak.
“Rupert,
you were right. You are a good
man.” She glanced at Buffy, gesturing
towards Giles with a tilt of her head.
“He loves you so much, Buffy.”
Buffy
nodded in agreement. “I know he does.”
Joyce
turned her gaze back to Giles’ hopeful eyes.
“If you ever hurt her, or cheat on her, or…” She sighed heavily. “Don’t hurt her, Rupert. Because, if you do…you’ll find out that Buffy
isn’t the only Slayer in the Summers family.”
“Mom?” Buffy’s voice was tentative. “What are you saying?”
Joyce
smiled at her daughter. “I’m saying that
I’d have to be blind to not see that your relationship is real.” She looked back at Giles. “And, I’m also saying that I’m sorry for
jumping to the wrong conclusions in the beginning.”
Giles
smiled shyly. “It was perfectly
understandable, Joyce.”
Buffy
gripped Giles’ hand a bit tighter. “Are
you giving us your blessing, Mom?”
Joyce took
a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, I think
I am.”
Giles
grimaced and pulled his hand from Buffy’s grip.
She looked up at him sheepishly.
He smiled down at her and slid his arm around her. Giles turned his shining eyes to Joyce and
spoke softly.
“Thank
you.”
Joyce
grinned as she turned and walked towards the doorway leading back to the living
room. “Just remember what I said,
Rupert.”
As she
reached the door, she glanced back to see him lean down and kiss her daughter
tenderly as Buffy’s fingers toyed with a curl of his hair. With her heart feeling a bit lighter, she
made her way to the living room.
Buffy
slowly pulled away from the kiss and looked into his eyes. “You know she was being serious, right? I mean, about the killing you part if you
ever hurt me or cheat on me…”
He nodded
slowly, his smile showing in his eyes.
“I do. But, I also know that if I
were to stray from you there wouldn’t be much left for her to slay after you
were done with me.”
Buffy
laughed softly. “So,
no straying?”
“I don’t
think it would ever cross my mind.” His
lips touched hers again. “I couldn’t
stray from you when we weren’t in a romantic relationship.”
“But you
loved me then, didn’t you?”
“You know
exactly how long I’ve loved you.” His
fingers lightly combed through her hair.
“I tried to move on. I never
thought you would love me in this way. And...I’ve never felt this...” He sighed softly. “Not even with Jenny. I loved her very much, but…I never felt for
her what I feel for you.”
She leaned
forward, placing her head against his chest.
“You never talk about her.”
His hands
caressed her back. “There’s not much to
say.” He felt her take a deep
breath. “I never blamed you for Jenny’s
death, Buffy.”
“And you’ve
never forgiven Angel for her death, have you?”
He held her
tighter against him. “I haven’t forgiven
Angel for numerous things. To be quite
honest, there are some events I doubt I’ll ever forgive him for.” He pulled back and looked down at her. “And some of those took place when he was
Angel and not Angelus.”
He took a
deep breath and allowed a smile to tug at his lips. “And, right now I think that our conversation
has moved into deeper territory than we should have allowed. We have plenty of time to discuss this.”
Buffy
nodded in agreement. “I say we go
celebrate the fact that Mom is okay with us.
Maybe take the guys out for a coffee and then…go back to your place?”
Giles
grinned as she pulled out of his arms.
“That sounds acceptable.”
Three
months later...
He followed
Buffy into her backyard, a sword in his left hand and two wooden staffs in his
right. He squinted
his eyes as they walked into the bright sun.
“Are you sure about this, Buffy?”
She
stretched her muscles, looking at him with a smile on her face. “The yard is fenced. Pretty much no one can see in here. I just thought it’d be nice to take advantage
of a beautiful day while we train.”
He dropped
the staffs to the ground and pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his
pocket. He glanced around the yard and,
realizing she was right about their privacy, he nodded. “Okay.”
Her eyes
drifted to the sword that he was effortlessly twirling with his left hand. “You gonna attack me with a sword today?”
He grinned
at her. “I haven’t decided yet. I would like to work on your staff work
first.”
She stared
at him. “We’ve been over this,
Giles. How many vamps or demons have you
seen lately carrying a big stick around with them?”
He chuckled
as he tossed a staff to her. “Solid
staff work is the basis of good swordsmanship.”
She sighed
heavily, easily catching the staff.
“But...it’s boring.”
Before she
knew what was happening, he had taken his own staff and quickly swept her legs
out from under her. She landed on her
back and opened her eyes to see him smiling above her.
“Still
boring, is it?”
She pushed
herself up, brushing the dirt from her pants.
She glared at him and took her stance in front of him. “Alright then, Watcher. Let’s go.”
They spent
the next forty minutes knocking each other down. He was quite impressed with her
progress. He circled her slowly,
suddenly swinging out with his staff. He
grinned at her as she successfully blocked the blow.
“Good. Very good, Buffy.”
She slid
the end of the staff behind his right ankle and with a quick movement flipped
him onto his back. He quickly rolled as
she brought the staff down. He was up on
his feet in a flash and offered her a smile.
“Nice move.”
She relaxed
her stance as he did the same, instinctively knowing that this session was
over. “Okay, so it wasn’t as boring as I
thought it would be.”
He
chuckled, taking the staff from her. “It
is a rather enjoyable sport.” He glanced
at the sword before meeting her eyes again.
“Would you like to go to a movie tonight?”
“That
sounds nice. What’s playing?” She walked over to the sword and picked it
up.
He gripped
the staff in his hand as she turned to him.
“I have no idea. I’m sure we can
agree on something to watch though.” He
swung the staff defensively, blocking the sword as she slashed through the air
with it.
She pulled
back and began her offense again, bringing the sword down across to his left
side. “As long as it’s
not a horror movie. I have enough
horror in my life. Maybe
a nice romantic comedy?”
His staff
caught the blade, deflecting it from his body.
She quickly slipped the blade under the staff, flicking her wrist and
knocking the weapon from his hand. He
grinned at her as she carefully slid the point of the sword to his neck. “We can see whatever you want, Buffy.” He took a step back and nodded
appreciatively. “And that was a very
well executed attack.”
She grinned
back at him, dropping the sword to her side.
“Is this normal? I mean, having a
discussion about a date while you’re in the middle of a sword fight?”
He laughed
as he bent down and retrieved the staff.
“I would imagine not. But, then
again, it could quite possibly be normal for us.”
She grabbed
her towel and wiped the sweat from her face as she tossed a bottle of water to
her Watcher. “It’s all about
perspective, huh?”
He took a
long drink and nodded. “Yes, I suppose
it is.”
She watched
a bead of sweat roll down the side of his neck.
“Anything else you want to work on here?”
He waited
until she looked back at his eyes and shook his head. “No, I think that’s enough training for
now.”
She offered
him a sly smile and sauntered over to him.
Her hands ran up his chest slowly.
“Anything else you want to work on here?”
He groaned
softly when she leaned up and allowed her tongue to slide up his neck. “I...uh...I’m not sure we should do
this...here.”
Her teeth
nibbled at his earlobe as her hands slid under his shirt. “We could go inside.” She sensed his hesitation and pulled back to
look at his flushed face. “Mom won’t be
home for a few hours, you know.”
He inhaled
sharply as her nails lightly raked across his nipple. He looked into her eyes, clearly seeing her
need and desire. He pushed her damp hair
from her face and gave her a quick nod.
He grabbed her hand as it trailed down his torso towards his groin. “Not here, Buffy.” He glanced at the house quickly. “Come on.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He slammed
her bedroom door shut as he backed her towards the bed. He pulled his shirt off, dropping it to the
floor as she did the same. She licked
her lips seductively at him as she slid her pants down her legs. His eyes darkened with desire, his hands
quickly unbuttoning his jeans. He
carefully pulled the zipper down over his straining erection and kicked his
jeans to the side.
They stood
there for a moment, both of them completely bare in front of each other. When her fingers lightly touched her left
nipple, he growled and grabbed her, pulling her against him. His mouth devoured hers and he groaned into
her mouth when she took hold of his erection with her hand.
He broke
the kiss and pushed her onto the bed, his body immediately covering hers as he
moved on top of her. His tongue tasted
her salty skin, his fingers burning her flesh with his touch. His tongue flicked against her earlobe as he
gently nudged her legs open further with his knee.
“How do you
want this?”
Her mouth
latched onto his collarbone, sucking hungrily for a moment before she let him
go and looked into his eyes. “I want you
to fuck me. Right
now.”
His fingers
gripped her hip tightly. “Are you quite
sure about that?”
She shifted
her lower body, rubbing her wet core against his thigh. “Don’t make me beg you, Giles.”
He moved
his leg away from her and wiped his finger through the moisture left on his
skin. He lifted his finger to his mouth,
smiling at her loud moan of desire as he licked his digit clean. His voice was gravelled with lust when he
spoke.
“Roll over,
love.”
She rolled
onto her stomach obediently, gasping as he grasped her hips and moved her lower
body so that she was on her knees. He
moved behind her, allowing his hands to lovingly caress her back.
“Are you
comfortable?”
He smiled
as he heard her muffled response telling him to hurry up. Her lust-laden scream filled the room as he
plunged into her. He held still for a moment as her muscles relaxed slightly
around him. His fingers gripped her hips
and he began to move against her with hard and long thrusts. He watched as her fingers grasped the
railings in the headboard with enough force to turn her knuckles white.
“Feel
good?”
He received
a groan in response and quickened his pace, biting his lip as she forced her
hips back into him, increasing the pressure.
He slammed his body into her, watching the light sheen of perspiration
coat her back.
“Do you
like it when I fuck you?”
“Oh,
God...yes, Giles...harder...”
He complied
eagerly, angling her hips differently to facilitate the increase in speed and
depth. “Better?”
Her scream
was muffled as she buried her face into the pillow. He slid his right arm under her and pulled
her up until her back rested against his chest.
His teeth nipped along her shoulder as he continued to thrust into her.
“Close...Giles...”
He smiled
against her skin. “Know what makes it
better, love?”
She shook
her head, unable to form words. He moved
his lips to her ear and his fingers to her throbbing clitoris. Her head fell back against his shoulder as
she let out a deep moan. Her moan turned
to a frustrated whimper when he moved his fingers away from her. He took her hand and moved it so that her
fingers brushed across the aching nub.
“Touch
yourself while I’m fucking you. Let me
feel you come all over me.”
His hand
moved to her breast, kneading the firm flesh as his thumb flicked across her
nipple. He felt her inner muscles clench
tightly around him as he continued to move inside of her. He nipped at her earlobe before hungrily
whispering in her ear.
“That’s
it. You’re almost there.” He allowed his fingers to brush against hers
as she continued rubbing herself. “Can I
help you? Can we both touch you while
I’m inside of you?”
She groaned
loudly, the sensation of him helping her being too much to absorb. He grinned as her muscles began to quiver.
“Do you
like it when I talk to you?”
“Mm...”
“Do you
want me to come inside of you?”
“Giles...”
He
increased his pressure on her clitoris and drove harder into her. “Come for me.”
Her muscles
began to convulse as she let out a scream, her juices flowing over him in a
flood. He held her tightly, riding the
waves. When he felt her muscles begin to
give way, he pulled out of her, laid her down onto the mattress, and rolled her
onto her back. He moved between her
thighs, gripping her hips as he plunged into her again.
“Oh, God!” She cried out in ecstasy as another orgasm
overtook her.
He held on
as long as he could and then, with a loud scream of his own, he thrust one more
time and emptied himself into her. He
fought for his breath as he fell onto the mattress beside of her.
“Buffy?”
Her body
quivered as she turned her head to look at him.
Her skin was flushed and damp with sweat. “Mm?”
“Are...are
you...okay?”
She giggled
softly and tried to catch her breath.
“Incredible...you are...incredible.”
He smiled
lovingly and pulled her into his arms. “It’s...uh...been
a long time...since...”
She
snuggled against his chest. “Really? I couldn’t
tell.” She looked up at him and smiled
shyly. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure if
you would...”
He chuckled
and kissed her lips softly. “I think I
wanted it as much as you did.
Just...don’t expect that all of the time.” He smiled as she silently questioned
him. “As erotic and wonderful as that was,
I much prefer to make love to you.”
She
returned his kiss and nodded in understanding.
She glanced at the clock and sighed.
He caressed her abdomen as he nuzzled her neck.
“What’s
wrong, Buffy?”
“We have an
hour before Mom gets home. And...I really have no desire, or
strength even, to get up.”
He pushed
himself up slightly and looked down at her.
“You rest for a few minutes and I’ll take a quick shower and get
dressed. And then you can take a long,
hot shower and I’ll wait downstairs for you, okay?”
She nodded,
another heavy sigh leaving her lips as he climbed out of her bed. “I love you, Giles.”
He looked
back at her and smiled in adoration of her.
“I love you too, Buffy.”
As he
closed the door behind him, she closed her eyes and pulled the sheet up over
her.
They walked
out of the cinema and into the night air.
Buffy shivered as a breeze swept by them. Giles shrugged his jacket off, smiling as he
slipped it over her shoulders. “What did
you think of the movie?”
She slid
her arms into the sleeves and grinned.
“What I actually saw of it I liked.”
She stared at the sleeves of the jacket before looking up at him. “And...how long are
your arms?”
He chuckled
softly. “I’m six foot one. It would stand to reason that I have fairly
long arms.”
“Yeah, but
how ridiculous does this look?” She
waved her arms in front of her, causing the sleeves to flap about wildly.
Giles
laughed loudly as he watched her.
“Buffy, that would look ridiculous if you weren’t wearing my jacket.”
She stopped
her flapping and attempted to glare at him.
Seeing the tears of laughter in his eyes, she couldn’t help but join
in. “Yeah, good point there.”
He wiped
his eyes as they continued to walk.
“Besides, it really wasn’t meant to be a fashion statement. It was meant to keep you a bit warmer.”
She leaned
into him as they turned the corner.
“And, I’m definitely toasty.” She
linked her arm through his and rested her head against his upper arm. “I like date nights. I feel almost normal.”
“Hm. Because most normal twenty year old girls are
hanging all over forty-four year old men.”
He smiled wryly at her. “Not that
I’m complaining at all. Because, I’m...not.”
She slid
her hand down to his and laced their fingers.
“Good. As long as it’s just one
twenty year old woman that you’re not complaining about hanging all over
you.”
He laughed
softly, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. “Just one.” They crossed the street and he looked down at
her. “So, we’ve had dinner, seen a
movie...”
“Went to
see a movie, didn’t see much of it.” She
interjected.
He blushed
lightly. “Yes, well. That was your fault.”
“How was it
my fault?”
He grinned
at her and lifted his hand, combing his fingers through her hair. “You’re the one who wanted to sit in the back
row. And...you
kissed me first.”
She
returned his grin. “Well, you didn’t
stop me.”
He tilted
his head slightly. “Have you ever tried
to stop you?”
She
laughed, shaking her head. “No. And the phrasing of your question sounded
like mine.”
“Hm, yes. You do seem to be rubbing off on me
somewhat. My point was, once you get
your mind set on something, there’s not much I, or
anyone else for that matter, can do to stop you.” He smiled lovingly. “I find it rather endearing, actually.”
“You say
the sweetest things sometimes.”
“Now, as I
was saying. We’ve had dinner, been
to a movie...would you like to do anything else?”
She glanced
down the road and smiled. “We could go
to the Bronze and spend some time with our friends.”
He snorted, the amusement showing in his eyes. “You can go to the Bronze and spend
time with our friends. The music there
isn’t much to my liking. And then there
are the hordes of hormone-fuelled teenagers increasing the din.”
He looked
into her eyes, seeing her disappointment.
“Buffy, the Bronze isn’t a place for people like me. I’d much rather go home and read.”
She sighed
heavily. “Okay, then. Let’s go.”
He remained
standing still, pulling her to a stop as she attempted to walk away. “Buffy, that’s not to say that you can’t go.”
“Are you
sure?”
He smiled
and nodded his head. “I am not going to
change who you are. I am also not going
to dictate what you can or can’t do.
It’s important for you to remain who you are. And you are a beautiful woman who, among many
other things, enjoys going to a club filled with noise with your friends. I’m not going to stop you from going.” He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze before
pulling her back to him and kissing her lips soundly. “I’ll walk you there before I go home, okay?”
“Like I said...the sweetest things.” She smiled
brightly as they walked to the club.
“You sure you don’t want to come in?”
He chuckled
as he shook his head. “I, uh...think
I’ll go home and read. But, I’ll wait up
for you if you want to come by afterwards.”
She leaned
up and kissed him softly. “I’ll be by
later. What are you going to read?”
He shrugged
his shoulders lightly. “Demon anthologies.”
She laughed
as she reluctantly let go of his hand and walked towards the door to the
Bronze. “And who says my man doesn’t
know how to have fun?”
He grinned
as he watched her walk into the club. And then turned to make his way home.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Buffy slid
onto the stool and smiled at her friend.
“He went home. Some demon book
was summoning him.” She looked around,
spotting Xander and Anya on the dancefloor and Oz
coming back to the table with two drinks in his hands. “Busy night here, tonight.”
Oz smirked
as he sat down beside of his girlfriend.
“Well, Anya’s here.” He looked
across the table at Buffy. “How’s your
night, Buffy?”
Buffy
grinned brightly. “No patrol
tonight. It’s date night.”
Oz looked
around, puzzled. “And
your date?”
“Went home to read.”
Oz gave a
quick nod. “Fun date.”
Buffy
chuckled. “Well, there was dinner and a
movie before he went home. One of these
days, I’m going to get him in here.”
Buffy
supported her head with her hand and nodded.
“Yeah, to drag me out of here because of various
crises.” She sighed lightly. “I want him to come here to be here with
me. You know, to dance and cuddle...”
Oz gave
another smirk.
“Oh yeah, I
know.” She smiled at the two sitting
across from her. “I can dream though,
can’t I?”
Oz’s eyes
darted up quickly before returning to Buffy’s.
“Sometimes dreams come true.”
Feeling a
warm hand on her shoulder, she turned slightly and looked up. “Hey there. Vampires?” She started to stand up, narrowing her eyes
when he applied a bit of pressure to her shoulder and then sat down beside of
her. “Giles?”
He smiled
softly as he shook his head. “No
vampires. No demons. Nothing evil.” His hand moved from her shoulder and slowly
slid down her back. “Just
me not wanting the evening to end just yet. If that’s okay?”
She nodded
quickly, moving her hand to his thigh.
“It’s very okay.” She leaned over
and kissed his lips lightly. “Thank
you.”
He smiled
at her and then narrowed his eyes, surveying the room. “Yes, it’s much like I remembered it.”
Buffy
chuckled. “Yeah, din and hordes.”
“Whores? Where’s whores?” Xander asked breathlessly.
Buffy shook
her head in amusement.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles
watched Buffy move across the floor as she danced with Xander. Anya’s voice brought his mind back to the
three people sitting around the table with him.
“What?”
Anya smiled
brightly. “I just said that I’m okay
with Xander dancing with Buffy because I know she doesn’t want him to give her
orgasms.”
Giles shook
his head slowly, not sure why he was shocked by anything Anya said
anymore. “No, I dare say she doesn’t.”
“I mean,
that’s your job, right?”
He closed
his eyes briefly and sighed. He realized
that there was no point in attempting to reply to her question. Instead, he opened his eyes and found Buffy’s
form once more. The current song was
ending and he watched carefully as a young man approached her. She smiled politely and shook her head. Giles’ eyes narrowed as the man tried again
to obviously coax Buffy into a dance.
Giles
quietly stood up, muttering “excuse me” to his friends still sitting at the
table.
Giles
reached Buffy fairly easily and stepped between her and the young man. His eyes were dark, but his voice was cool as
he spoke softly.
“Excuse me, I think this dance is mine.”
The boy
snorted and looked around him to Buffy.
“You have a bodyguard?”
Giles shook
his head slowly, a dangerous smile tugging at his lips. “She doesn’t need a bodyguard. She’s more than capable of taking care of
herself.”
The boy
shrugged his shoulders in annoyance.
“And you’re here, why?”
Giles stood
tall and glared at him, his voice eerily calm.
“I’m rather sure I’ve already stated my reason for being here.”
Seeing
something in the older man’s eyes, the boy took a step back and waved his
hand. “Whatever, man. Have at it.”
He turned
to Buffy as the young man stomped off.
Buffy’s smile threatened to blind him.
He smiled back at her and took her hand.
“So, this dance...may I have it?”
She nodded
wordlessly and stepped into his embrace.
The two
other couples smiled brightly and backed away from the couple to give them some
space. She rested her head against his
chest as he held her, their bodies moving rhythmically with the music. Hearing her deep sigh, he pulled back a
fraction and looked at her.
“You okay?”
She met his
gaze, her happiness showing in her eyes.
“Better than.” Her fingers toyed
with a button on his shirt. “I love
dancing with you.”
He raised
an eyebrow as he moved with the music.
“Oh?”
She grinned
seductively as she heard the music begin to change. “Mm-hm. We should…definitely dance more.”
He blushed
lightly, glancing around as the music took on a fairly erotic sound. “I, uh...I think our dance is over.”
She draped
her hands over his shoulders and shook her head slowly. “Just beginning.”
Her body
began to move suggestively against him.
He instinctively tightened his hold on her hips as she brushed against
his groin. Feeling him beginning to
respond to her moves, she grinned up at him.
“Dance with
me, Giles.”
He groaned
softly as her hips gyrated against him.
“Stop that.”
She licked
her lips and allowed her hands to slide slowly down his chest. She smiled as his body began to match hers,
moving with hers in a seductive dance.
“Do you really want me to stop?”
He closed
his eyes briefly and tried to control his breathing. “Buffy, we’re...mm...we’re
in a very, uh...public place...”
She nodded
and slid her hands back up his chest, allowing her nails to graze his nipples
through his shirt. “Yeah, we are. And...if you look
around, you’ll see that everyone else in this very public place is dancing just
like us.”
He took a
chance and allowed his eyes to sweep the room.
She was right and as far as he could tell, no one was taking notice of
them and the way she was pressing up against his body in all the right places
and in all the right ways.
He allowed
her to take the lead and his body followed hers willingly.
“They’re
going to have lots of sex tonight.”
Giles
didn’t bother breaking the kiss, blindly fumbling with his keys as he unlocked
the front door of his apartment. By the
time he had gotten them inside and closed the door behind them, his shirt had
been untucked and halfway unbuttoned. He
tossed his keys in the general direction of the table and quickly slid his
hands under her shirt.
He pulled
back from the kiss long enough to pull the shirt over her head, claiming her
mouth again as he dropped the garment to the floor. His hands moved around her, deftly unclasping
her bra as her fingers pulled his belt free.
He moved
his lips to her neck, his tongue teasing her skin. She pushed his shirt off of his shoulders and
moaned softly as his teeth lightly nipped her flesh.
“Giles...bed.”
Without
another word, he picked her up quickly and climbed the stairs. He gently laid her on the mattress and smiled
at her as he climbed in beside of her and kicked his shoes off. He lightly
brushed her hand away as she reached for his trousers.
“Not right
now, Buffy.” He chuckled softly as she
whimpered. His fingers worked on her
pants and easily slid them down her legs and onto the floor. “Right now is about me tasting you for a
while.”
He moved up
her nude body and kissed her passionately.
When her hands again reached for his pants, he moved over her and
grabbed both of her hands in one of his.
He gently raised them above her head and shook his head. “I said not right now.”
He then
lowered his mouth to her body and began his slow assault. Her back arched to him when he reached her
breasts. His hand released her hands and
he continued his journey. He stopped at
her stomach, his tongue gently probing into her navel. He glanced up at her, smiling inwardly as he
moved his mouth to her side. He allowed
his tongue to trace her ribcage before moving down and placing an open-mouthed
kiss to her hipbone.
She moaned
his name softly as he continued to her thigh.
He gently nudged her legs further apart, his lips sliding to nip at the
tender flesh of her inner thigh. Her
body trembled as he progressed down her leg and teased his tongue around her
anklebone.
He grinned
against her skin as her fingers gripped the sheets when he moved to her other
leg and resumed his tortuous assault as he moved back up her body. She groaned loudly when she finally felt his
warm breath blow across her aching core.
Her body
quivered as he pressed his tongue into her warm folds and slowly licked his way
to her clitoris. He pulled the hardened
nub into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it. Her hands reached for his head, her fingers
running through his hair as she held his mouth tighter against him.
He mumbled
her name, his eyes smiling as the vibration caused her to scream. He gently eased two fingers into her slick
channel, curling them slightly to brush against that special spot that took her
breath away. He found it quickly and
stroked the slightly rough patch of flesh repeatedly as his tongue made love to
her clitoris.
Her hands
left his head and gripped the sheets again.
Her fingers twisted in the linen as her hips arched against his mouth.
He increased his strokes as he felt her walls tighten around his fingers. She came loudly, his name resonating in the
room as her juices flooded his hand and the nub throbbed against his tongue.
He slowed
his ministrations until he was lightly petting her, moving up her body only
once she had drifted back down from her orgasm.
He pushed himself off the bed long enough to rid himself of his
remaining clothes.
He crawled
back onto the mattress and moved between her thighs. His erection pressed
against her quivering clitoris as he leaned down and claimed her mouth. She groaned as her tongue swept into his
mouth, tasting her essence on his tongue.
She raised her lower body slightly and slid her legs over his hips.
He pulled
from the kiss, looking into her eyes as he slowly entered her. “I love you, Buffy.”
She moaned
in response as he slowly began to move within her. Her trembling hands wrapped around his
shoulders, holding him to her body. He
made love to her slowly, his lips placing tender kisses along her shoulder and
up her neck.
She felt
his warm breath in her ear as he continued his slow pace, taking his time in
building her next orgasm. She could feel
his heart pound in his chest as she pulled him tighter against her.
“Marry
me.”
It was
barely whispered on his breath, but she heard it. She halted her movements and loosened her
hold on him. He lifted his head to look
into her eyes in confusion.
“What?” She asked breathlessly.
His brow
furrowed for a split second, then panic raced into his
eyes when he realized he had spoken the words aloud. “Buffy, I...I didn’t mean...”
Sadness
flooded her hazel irises. “What?”
“That’s...that’s
not what I meant...” His voice trailed
off as she pushed him off of her and moved her body away from him.
“So,
it’s...just something to say?”
“No, Buffy.” He put his arm over her in an
attempt to pull her into an embrace. She
forcefully pushed his arm away. “I
didn’t mean to say it...”
She glared
at him. “You’re not helping your case
any, Rupert.”
He took a
deep breath, his panic rising as he tried to maintain control of his
emotions. “That’s not how I meant for it
to happen.” He looked into her eyes as
she turned her head to him. “That isn’t
how I imagined proposing to you.”
“What?” Her voice was a mere whisper, barely audible.
He sighed
in defeat. “We were supposed to have
dinner at that horribly expensive restaurant that you love so much. And then a quiet walk along the beach.” He shifted his body until he was lying on his
back and staring at the ceiling. “I...I
had this long declaration of love and promises for our future...”
He took
another deep breath. “It was supposed to
be perfect. And...I
screw it up by just blurting out ‘marry me’.
Christ, I’m an idiot.”
“Giles?” She turned onto her side, propping herself up
on her elbow as she looked down at him.
“Are...are you being serious?”
He glanced
at her eyes before reaching over to the bedside table. He slowly opened the drawer, reaching in and
pulling out a small box.
“Oh my God.”
He pushed
himself up to a sitting position, resting his back against the headboard. He swallowed nervously and opened the box,
turning it so that she could see the contents.
“It,
uh...it’s not a conventional engagement ring, but there are diamonds. I...I thought that a normal solitaire would
be...rather impractical for you.” He
licked his dry lips and cleared his throat softly. “It’s a diamond band...” He looked up from the ring to find tears
rolling down her face. “Buffy?”
“You
just...proposed to me.”
“Yes, I
did.” They were quiet for a few seconds
before Giles tilted his head and took a deep breath. “Now is the part where you say yes or no.”
“Oh.” A wide smile broke out on her face and she
threw her arms around him, knocking the ring box from his hand as she kissed
him.
He returned
her kiss as his hand fumbled around the tangled sheets looking for the
box. He pulled away slightly and
grinned. “Is that a yes?”
She nodded
emphatically. “Yes, yes, yes. It’s definitely a yes!”
His eyes
misted and he inhaled deeply. His
fingers closed around the box and pulled it between them. With a slight tremor, he carefully plucked
the ring out and held it up. Her eyes
gleamed as he gently slid the ring onto her finger.
“I love
you, Buffy Summers.”
She wiped a
tear from her face and smiled. “I love
you too, Rupert Giles.”
He tilted
his head thoughtfully. “That sounds
strange.”
“What?”
“You calling me Rupert when you’re not angry.” He chuckled softly. “Of course, I think it probably sounds
strange for anyone to say it. I’ve been
just ‘Giles’ for so long now...”
She shook
her head slowly. “You’ve never been
‘just Giles’.”
He pulled
her into his arms and kissed her slowly.
He felt a rumble in her chest and pulled back to see that she was
laughing.
“What’s so
funny?”
“It’s
just...” She laughed again before
continuing. “You, the master of using
too many words to say anything and everything...and how do you ask a girl to
marry you? ‘Marry me.’ I just find it...funny.”
He laughed
along with her, peppering her lips with kisses.
“Would you like to hear my declaration that I had prepared?”
She slid to
the mattress and pulled him over her as she kissed him deeply. “Mm-hm. Declare to me while we finish what we started
earlier.”
His eyes
shone with love as he moved back between her thighs.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He woke up
slowly, his eyes squinting against the sunlight filling the room. “I must remember to find some heavy
drapes.” He reached out only to find
Buffy’s side of the bed empty and cool.
He opened his eyes and then sniffed as the smell of bacon and eggs
wafted up the stairs.
He glanced
at the empty ring box on his bedside table, smiling as he slipped into his
robe. “She said yes.” He whispered to himself as he ran his hand
through his hair. He heard the tea
kettle begin to whistle as he made his way down the stairs.
He watched
her silently for a few seconds. She was
dressed, her hair still damp from a shower that she had obviously taken, and
she was in his kitchen cooking breakfast.
He grinned and walked closer, leaning against the breakfast bar.
“Good
morning.”
She jumped
slightly at the sound of his voice, turning and giving him a bright smile. “Hi, you’re awake. I thought I was going to have to come up and
wake you up.”
He chuckled
softly. “Would that have been such a bad
thing?”
She shook
her head as she pulled the bacon strips from the pan and placed them on a paper
towel. “No, not at
all.”
He
stretched his back, wincing lightly at the loud crack that sounded. “How long have you been up?”
“A couple of hours.” She turned to look at him. “Was that your back?”
He nodded
as his eyes took in the food that she was preparing. “And you’re cooking us breakfast...”
She pulled a plate out of the cupboard, shaking her head as she loaded it with
eggs, bacon, and toast. “I’m cooking you breakfast.”
He narrowed
his eyes slightly. “You’re not having
breakfast with me?”
She gave
him a sheepish look as she walked over to the table, placing his plate and a
glass of juice on the surface. “I was
hungry when I woke up. So, I had some
cereal and toast.” She walked back into
the kitchen and grabbed the cup of tea she had made for him as well.
“Oh,
okay.” He picked up his fork and gently
stabbed a piece of scrambled egg. He
smiled at her as she sat down next to him.
He swallowed the bite and picked up another. “Thank you, Buffy.”
She
shrugged her shoulders lightly and smiled at him. “It was something I wanted to do. I’m not usually up before you...”
He took a
sip of his tea and looked into her eyes.
“Would you like to tell me the real reason that you were up so early
this morning?”
She sighed
heavily. “You always know, don’t you?”
He chuckled
softly, holding his fork out to her to feed her a mouthful of eggs. “Not always, but most of
the time, yes. What took you from
our bed?”
She
swallowed the food and glanced down at her ring. “I want Mom to be the first to know. She was the last to know that we were dating
and it wasn’t really fair to her. I know
that she gave us her blessing and all, but...I’m really nervous about telling
her. I mean, it’s
one thing to be dating someone, but something completely different when...”
She trailed
off as she looked at him and saw the wide smile on his face. He nodded in agreement, taking her hand in
his. “When do you want to tell her?”
“I don’t
know. I don’t think this is something
that will be a secret for long.
“I’ll
finish breakfast and then get ready.” He
gave her a warm smile and popped a piece of bacon into his mouth.
Buffy sat
down beside of Giles on the couch and offered her mother a smile. Joyce took a seat on the chair, her eyes
darting between the two.
“To what do
I owe the pleasure of a Saturday morning visit?”
Buffy
glanced at Giles, relaxing at the reassurance she found in his eyes. She took a deep breath and took hold of his
hand. “Mom, Giles and I have something
to tell you.”
Joyce
leaned forward quickly. “Are you
pregnant?”
“What? No!”
Buffy answered quickly, not seeing the amusement in Giles’ eyes. “I...we...he...”
Sensing her
daughter begin to panic, Joyce looked at Giles and tilted her head
slightly. “What happened to ‘in a couple
of weeks’?”
Buffy
narrowed her eyes. “What?”
Giles
cleared his throat softly and smiled at Joyce.
“It was somewhat of an accident.”
Joyce
chuckled. “You accidentally took her to
a restaurant and asked her to marry you?”
Giles
blushed lightly. “It wasn’t exactly that
scenario, but...yes, the question came out in a
completely accidental manner.”
Buffy
stared back and forth between her mother and her fiancé. “Clue me in, someone?”
Giles
lightly squeezed her hand as he looked into her eyes. “I...well, I spoke
to your mother about my plans a few days ago.”
He smiled softly. “I wanted to
make sure she would be alright with my proposing to you.”
Buffy
turned her head to her mother. “You
already knew?”
Joyce
smiled as she nodded her head. “I hope
you’re not upset. Rupert wanted to do
this in the most traditional way that he possibly could.”
Buffy
returned her smile and squeezed Giles’ hand.
“And...you’re okay with this?”
Joyce
chuckled. “Well, I think that a normal
twenty year old would be too young. But,
you’re not exactly normal.”
Buffy
laughed as she relaxed next to Giles.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Oh, you
know what I mean. And, besides...you two
make each other happy. That’s all I’ve
ever wanted for you, Buffy. For you to be happy.”
She wiped a joyful tear away and grinned at her daughter. “Now, let me see the ring!”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She hung up
the phone and smiled as Giles handed her a bottle of water. “Scooby meeting scheduled. They’ll be here in an hour or so. What’s the gist of the meeting, anyway?”
He shrugged
his shoulders as he sank onto the couch beside of her. “A simple announcement
pertaining to the fact that sometime in the future you’ll be my wife?”
She took a
swallow of the water then looked up at him.
“Again, so many words.”
He grinned
as he reached for the book resting on the coffee table.
“Giles?”
“Hm?” His hand stopped flipping through the pages
as he looked into her eyes.
“When do
you want to get married?” She searched
his eyes for any signs of second guessing.
Seeing none, she continued. “I
mean, is this something you want to do now, or within
a few months, or...years.”
He offered
her a gentle smile as he closed the book.
“I would marry you tomorrow if I thought you were ready. And, I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to
be ready. Whether that be weeks, months, or years.
My proposal wasn’t given with the expectation of immediate spousal
status.”
She
narrowed her eyes at him. “Was that
British for ‘you pick the date’?”
He laughed,
his hand reaching up to caress her face.
“Yes, I suppose it was.”
She smiled
brightly at him. “So we have time then?”
He leaned
into her, his lips easily finding hers. “All the time in the world.”
She groaned
into his mouth as he deepened the kiss.
He turned his body slightly, pulling her onto his lap so that she was
straddling him. She pulled from the kiss
and eyed the clock, sighing heavily.
“But, not all the time in the world for this.”
He smiled
understandingly at her. “There is a
theory that I’ve been told about that I would like to prove or disprove.”
Her eyes
brightened. “Oh?” She let her fingers brush through the hair
covering his temple. “Are you hoping to
prove it or disprove it?”
He licked
his lips, his eyes darting from her lips to her eyes. “I definitely want it proven.” His hands moved to rest on her hips as he
gazed into her eyes. “But, you need to
give me the rules for procedure.”
Her brow
furrowed. “Huh?”
“Well...is
the theory that it’s just kissing? Or
are there other factors involved as well?”
He slid his hands gently up her sides, his thumbs brushing against the
sides of her breasts.
“Oh...” She took a shaky breath before she
continued. “Technically,
just kissing.”
He nodded
slowly as he moved his hands away from her body. “Then, I suppose you should sit beside of me,
instead of on me.”
She pouted,
bringing a smile to his lips. “But, I’m
comfy here.”
He chuckled
as he carefully eased her off of his lap.
“Your rules, not mine.” He waited
until she sat down beside of him and turned sideways to face her. “Now, am I allowed to touch your face or put
my arms around you?”
She stared
into his eyes. “Giles, when have you
ever kissed me without touching or holding me?”
He grinned
as his hand lifted up to touch her face lightly. “Never.”
Her eyes
closed at the light contact and she inhaled deeply. “Please kiss me, Giles.”
He leaned
forward, sliding his hand to the back of her head. “Your wish...” He whispered softly a split second before his
lips captured hers.
Her lips
parted immediately when his tongue gently nudged them. She moaned as his tongue swept into her mouth
and lovingly caressed hers. Her nails
lightly scratched the back of his neck as his tongue coaxed hers into his
mouth. His groan was muffled as she
allowed her tongue to tenderly explore his mouth.
He fought
the urge to push her body onto the cushions.
It took all of his self-control, but he maintained his position of
sitting up and facing her. His hands
caressed her back as she devoured his mouth.
Suddenly,
he pulled back and sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. His teeth nibbled lightly on it before his
tongue slipped across the sensitive flesh.
He felt a tremor in her body as he repeated the action.
He wanted
nothing more than to tear the clothes from her body and make love to her. But, he reminded himself that this was her
theory. And he couldn’t deny to himself
that he wanted to know whether or not it was possible. He shifted his body slightly in an attempt to
give more room for his raging erection.
He felt her
chest rumble with a groan as he released her lip and plunged his tongue back
into her mouth. Her body trembled in his
arms, much to his amazement. His
erection was straining against its confines, begging for relief. He tried to put it out of his mind, knowing
that Buffy was close.
He felt her
breath hitch and then her body shuddered violently. Her head flew back, effectively breaking the
kiss as she let out a loud groan of ecstasy.
His lips automatically latched onto her throat as she rode out her
orgasm.
As she came
back down, he pulled his lips from her skin and smiled lovingly at her. Her heart was racing and her breath was heavy
as she opened her eyes and looked at him.
“I...think
the theory...has been proven.”
His
trembling fingers brushed her hair away from her face. “Mm-hm...for both of
us.”
He saw the
puzzlement in her eyes. “Huh?”
A slightly
embarrassed smile tugged at his lips.
“I, uh...need to change...”
She glanced
down at his groin, grinning when she saw the moisture-darkened patch of
denim. She gazed back into his eyes, her
fingers lightly touching the side of his face.
“Is it wrong that I feel very flattered by that?”
“No.” He leaned forward, kissing her lips lightly
before pushing himself up from the couch and offering her a sly grin. “I’m feeling more than flattery over your
reaction...”
She
laughed, standing up and gently pushing him towards the stairs. “Feeling all manly and macho, are you?”
“Maybe slightly.” He turned towards the door as a
tentative knock sounded. He glanced down
at his jeans and then took off up the stairs.
Buffy
laughed softly as she went to the door.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“So, what’s
the oogly-boogly of the week?” Xander asked cheerfully as he grabbed a
cookie from the plate that Giles had placed on the table.
“Hm?” He looked at the young man, finding his
expectant eyes staring at him. “Oh...no ‘oogly-boogly’ at the moment.”
“Okay, so
what’s with the emergency meeting?”
Giles
glanced at Buffy, clearing his throat as she gave him a nod. “Uh...Buffy and I...well, we’d like to tell
you...”
Anya
interrupted him quickly. “Did you get
her pregnant?”
Everyone
stared at her as Giles shook his head.
“No, she’s not pregnant, Anya.”
Oz looked
at Buffy’s left hand, a small smile tugging at his lips.
“Well, we
already know that you’re together and having lots of orgasms with each other.”
Giles
stared at the ex-demon as Buffy snorted.
“Yes, do degrade our relationship to ‘hot monkey sex’ status, please.”
“Giles
asked me to marry him last night.” She
watched their eyes widen and noticed that Oz merely grinned. She gently squeezed the hand held in
hers. “And, I said yes.”
He grunted
as she squeezed him tightly. “I need to
breathe,
She let go
quickly and looked up at him. “Sorry, Giles. I’m
just...you guys are getting married! Oh my God!”
Giles
laughed softly as
“Yes, Xander?”
He sat in
thought for a second, the leaned forward.
“Is this...you know...legal?”
Buffy
laughed. “I’m an adult, Xander.”
Xander
shook his head quickly. “No, I
mean...Council-wise. Is it legal?”
“Oh.” She looked at her fiancé. “Giles?”
The corner of his mouth quirked in a smile.
“Perfectly.
The council neither approves nor disapproves. In areas such as this, they tend to remain
neutral.”
Anya stared
at him and shook her head. “But you were
fired for...what did that guy say?” She
thought briefly. “Yeah...you had a
father’s love for her. And...this is a lot more than a father’s love.”
Giles
grinned. “I was suspended, not
fired. And that was Travers attempting
to make me feel worse than I already did.
In actuality, the disciplinary action I received was in response to
telling Buffy the truth about the Cruciamentum. I didn’t follow procedure. It had nothing at all to do with any
relationship I had with my Slayer.”
Xander
listened carefully. “Oh...okay.” He stood up, his smile creeping onto his
face. “Then I say congrats, guys.”
Buffy
shrugged her shoulders, leaning into Giles when she felt his arm slip around
her. “No date set yet. But, we’ll let
you know when we decide.”
Anya
finally gave them a smile and then a quick hug for each of them. “Well, I vote for sooner rather than
later. You never know when something bad
will happen.”
The other
five people in the room said nothing, only shaking their heads in mild
amusement.
He rested
his back against the edge of the bar, a cup of tea held gingerly in his hand,
as he watched the five of them prepare for patrol. He took a sip, his eyes meeting Buffy’s over
the rim of the teacup.
He placed
the cup on the bar as she walked over to him.
She glanced quickly at their friends before she gestured towards the
hall. He pushed himself up and followed
her.
“What is
it, Buffy?” He asked quietly.
She took a
deep breath and looked into his eyes. “I
want you to come with us tonight.” She
continued quickly before he had a chance to respond. “I promise I’ll focus and I know you can take
care of yourself. It’s just...I miss
having you there. And I’ve always felt
safer when you patrol with me.”
“Buffy...”
She shook
her head quickly. “Please, Giles. Just let me prove it to you. If I fail, then I won’t ask again.”
She could
see the war raging inside of him. After
what felt like hours, he took a deep breath.
“Okay. We’ll try it.” He lifted his hand in a gesture that clearly
said ‘let me finish’. “But, if you lose focus, I’m coming home.”
She smiled
happily. “Deal.” Leaning up, she placed a soft kiss on his
lips. “Thank you.”
He merely
nodded and followed her back into the living room.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles
walked beside of Buffy as they made their way down the street. The other four followed them. To anyone who should see them, it looked as
though they were just a group of friends on their way to somewhere. Giles chuckled softly at something Buffy had
said.
Suddenly
Buffy stopped, her body stiffening as her head turned towards the
cemetery. Giles followed her gaze and
took a step back. His voice was quiet
when he spoke.
“Normal formation. Follow Buffy and I’ll take the
rear. And, be careful.”
Buffy
looked at Oz, gesturing to Giles quickly with her eyes. Oz answered with an almost imperceptible nod
and took a step to his left.
“What’s
up?”
He glanced
at Giles to find the Watcher scanning their surroundings carefully. “She wants me to watch out for him.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Stick with Xander.”
She nodded
as he held back and fell into step beside of Giles. The Watcher looked down at the boy curiously.
“Oz?”
Oz pulled a
stake out of his pocket. “Yeah?”
Giles
gripped his own weapon as Buffy reached a clearing. “What are you doing back here?”
Oz looked
up at him and smirked. Giles rolled his
eyes. “You’re my watcher for this
evening.”
“Pretty much.” Hearing a twig snap, he
stopped. “Also pretty sure you can take
care of yourself.”
Giles followed
the boy’s line of vision and exhaled slowly as four vampires stepped forward.
“Here we
go.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
To her
credit, Buffy kept focused and easily staked the first vampire before spinning
around to kick a second. She smiled to
herself as she heard Giles grunt with exertion followed by a vampire’s scream
as it exploded to dust.
She stared
at the vampire standing in front of her.
“You know, I normally pun. I’m
actually known for my punning abilities.
But, I think it’s time for me to plunge and move on.”
“Huh?” The vampire looked confused as Buffy jammed
the stake into his heart.
Buffy
looked around to find Giles pulling Oz off of the ground. She smiled as Xander,
“Everyone okay?”
Oz brushed
dust from the front of his shirt. “All good.” He smiled
at Giles. “Thanks.”
Giles gave
him a quick nod, then turned his head towards
Buffy. “Well done, Buffy.”
She walked
over to him, smiling brightly. “I even
plunged and moved on.”
Giles
chuckled as they led the way out of the cemetery. “Yes.
However, I think in order for that to be effective, you just...do it and
not take the time to explain to your foe what you’re doing. You’re still giving them enough time to keep
their bearings. Taking time to throw
puns can lead to dire circumstances.”
Xander
shook his head. “It’s nice to have the
master of verbiage back with us.”
A dark
figure stepped out of the shadows, watching the group of people walk away. He sneered as he heard them laughing softly
in the distance.
“Soon the
fun will begin.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Her hand
rested on his thigh as he drove the familiar route to her house. He stopped for a red light and turned his
head to look at her.
“You’re
very quiet.”
She nodded
slowly, meeting his eyes. “Yeah. I...don’t want
to go home, Giles. I have trouble
sleeping when I’m not in your arms.”
He placed
his hand over hers. “I know. I find myself in a similar predicament. However, your mother is expecting you home tonight.”
She sighed
heavily. “Doesn’t mean
I have to like it.”
He smiled
understandingly as the light turned green.
Five minutes later, he pulled into her driveway and killed the
engine. He squeezed her hand gently and
licked his suddenly dry lips.
“I’ll,
uh...I’ll walk you inside.”
She nodded
sadly and climbed out of the car. They
walked hand in hand to the front door.
She looked up at him as she opened the door.
“Come
inside and give me a goodnight kiss?”
She grinned and gently pulled him over the threshold. “I really don’t want an audience tonight.”
His eyes
sparkled as he allowed her to pull him inside.
They were barely inside before she coaxed him into a passionate
kiss. His hands grasped her hips as he
hungrily returned the kiss. Their
tongues duelled as she backed him against the door, effectively closing it as
she pushed the kiss towards a place that left Giles with no doubt as to what
she wanted. She swallowed his groan when
she pressed her body tightly against him.
“Buffy? You’re home earl...oh.”
Hearing
Joyce’s voice, he broke the kiss and gently, but quickly, pushed Buffy away
from him. Joyce tried to hide her smile
at his reaction. His face reddened
immediately and he attempted to take a step back, but was blocked by the closed
door.
“I, uh...we
were...” He exhaled heavily and met
Joyce’s eyes. “Good evening, Joyce.”
She grinned
at him. “Hello, Rupert. I didn’t mean to interrupt,
I just thought Buffy would be home later.
After giving you the patrol report.”
Giles cleared
his throat and willed the redness in his face to go away, along with the
physical evidence of his arousal. “Oh,
well...it wasn’t necessary tonight.”
“Oh? No patrol?”
Buffy shook
her head quickly. “We patrolled. Giles came with tonight.” Seeing her mother shift nervously, she
smiled. “It’s not going to be an every
night thing. I just wanted to show him
that I could patrol with him and be okay.”
Joyce
crossed her arms and sighed. “And did
you?”
Giles
smiled proudly. “She did indeed. It was a very successful venture.” He glanced at Buffy and grinned. “I was...am very proud of you.”
Buffy
beamed at him. “Thanks.”
He reached
up and lightly touched her face.
“I...should go home now. I’ll see
you tomorrow?”
She nodded
and leaned up to kiss him. Out of the
corner of her eye, she saw her mother move further into the living room. Taking her opportunity, she brushed her hand
across his groin causing him to hiss softly.
She kissed
him tenderly and whispered. “I wish I
could take care of it for you.”
He kissed
her again before stepping forward and pulling the door open. “That’s what cold showers are
for, love.” He gave her a wink before
looking towards the living room.
“Goodnight, Joyce.”
Joyce
called out a ‘goodnight’ and Giles met Buffy’s gaze. “Goodnight, Buffy.”
“Goodnight. I love you.”
He smiled
brightly as he backed out of the doorway.
“You too.”
She watched
him until he pulled out of the driveway and then, with a sad sigh, closed the
front door. She walked into the living
room and smiled at her mother.
“Cup of
tea, Mom?”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He fell
into the bed, his hair still damp from his shower. He sighed as he pulled the blanket over him
and gazed at the empty side of the bed.
He smiled to himself, thinking about the fact
that it wasn’t so long ago that there weren’t sides to his bed. The bed was his alone. He rolled onto his back and stared at the
ceiling until his exhaustion finally claimed him.
A few hours
later, his eyes opened and he looked at the clock on his bedside table.
“Bloody hell. Why am I awake at five
a.m.?” He rolled over, reaching for a
warm body that wasn’t there.
“Oh...that’s why I’m awake.”
Knowing
that sleep wasn’t going to return, he grumbled to himself and climbed out of
bed. He looked down and shook his
head. “A cold shower on a cold morning
is such a perfect way to start the day.”
He made his
way to the bathroom and shed his pajama bottoms as he started the shower. A chill raced through him and with a second
thought, he turned the hot water up and climbed in under the spray. “Too cold for a cold
shower.”
He rested
his forehead against the tiles and let the hot water run down his back. With a deep sigh he allowed his hand to encircle
his erection. He moaned softly as his
hand began to stroke the hardened flesh slowly.
“Christ,
the things you do to me when you aren’t even here.”
He braced
himself against the wall with his right hand as his left tightened its grip and
quickened in its pace. He closed his
eyes in bittersweet pleasure. It felt
good. Very good. But, not nearly as good as
when she touched him. Not nearly as good as when she took him into her mouth. Not nearly as good as when he was buried deep
within her, feeling her walls tighten and convulse around him as she milked him
dry.
He groaned
again and his body began to tremble. A
few more hard strokes and he found his release.
He let go of himself, his left hand rising to the wall. He leaned against the wall until his
breathing began to calm.
With a
deep, shuddering breath he reached for the soap.
It was a
little after seven in the morning when he looked up from his book as the front
door opened. He smiled lovingly as she
walked in and closed the door behind her.
“Good
morning.”
She smiled
back at him and dropped her bag to the floor.
“Hey. You’re up early. Dressed and everything.”
He raised
an eyebrow as she walked over to him, leaning down to drop a kiss to his
lips. “Yes. You too. Which is more unusual for you than it is for
me.”
She
shrugged her shoulders and fell onto the couch beside of him. “I was up at five this morning. I just couldn’t sleep.” She leaned against him, sighing happily as he
wrapped his arm around her. “Took care
of a few things, had some coffee, decided I couldn’t wait any longer to see
you. So...here I am.”
“What
things did you have to take care of?”
“Huh?” She blushed lightly. “Oh, you know...things.”
He chuckled
softly, allowing his fingers to caress her arm.
“Sounds familiar.”
She looked
up at him. “What?”
“I had a
few things to take care of this morning as well. Probably around the same
time as you.”
She snorted
lightly. “Too bad I didn’t know that at
the time. I would’ve come over and we
could’ve taken care of things together.”
He nodded
in agreement as he closed his book.
“Yes.” He glanced at the window
before he stood up and placed the book back on the shelf. “It’s a nice morning. Would you like to go for a run with me?”
“Really?” Her question showed her surprise. Morning runs were something he enjoyed on his
own, and he had never asked her to join him before.
He smiled
at her as he sat down to put on his running shoes. “Yes, really. If you don’t feel like it, it’s okay. I’ll be back in an hour or so and we could do
some...”
She cut him
off quickly as she stood. “I’d like to
come with you.”
He grinned
at her and then followed her out the door.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She stood
at the edge of the cliff and stared into the canyon below. “This is...beautiful.”
“It
is.” He stood beside of her, wiping
sweat from his forehead. “I especially
love the gradient colors of the rock.”
“What
caused the different colors?”
“Erosion. The deeper the erosion, the
deeper the color. And when you
have so many different levels of erosion in such a small area, this is what you
find.”
She smiled
up at him in adoration. “Is this where
you come to every morning?”
“Not every
morning. But, on nice sunny mornings
such as this...the colors are even more
magnificent. I thought you’d might appreciate the beauty as much as I do.”
She took
his hand, lacing her fingers with his.
“How did you find it?”
He stared
at the red rock on the opposing cliff side.
“One morning after a particularly difficult night, I went for a
run. I was too caught up in my thoughts
and made a wrong turn. Even though I
didn’t recognize anything, I kept running...and eventually I ended up
here.”
He looked
over at a large boulder. “I sat on that
rock for about three hours and just analysed the canyon until I felt I could go
home.” He took a deep breath and looked
down at her. “It’s been a very special
place for me since that morning. I
thought it was time to share it with you.”
She looked
up at him as he led her to the boulder.
“Do I want to know what morning this was?”
He climbed
up the boulder and sat down, reaching down and helping her up. He offered her a small smile as she sat down
beside of him. “Do you really want me to
tell you?”
She looked
out at the rocks and nodded slowly. “Only if you’re comfortable with me knowing.”
He took a
deep breath and was quiet for a few minutes.
She was beginning to think he wasn’t going to tell her. And then he spoke, his voice soft and quiet.
“The morning after the Cruciamentum.”
She turned
her eyes to him to find him staring at the canyon. “When you almost lost your
job.”
He shook
his head slowly, his eyes still not meeting hers. “When I lost your trust.”
She reached
out and placed her hand over his, her thumb rubbing soothingly against his
skin. “It was never lost. It was just momentarily misplaced.”
His jaw
clenched and then released as he turned to look at her through watery
eyes. “At the time, I was certain you
would never trust me again. And, I can’t
say that I blamed you at all. I wasn’t
sure I would trust me again.”
She offered
him a smile and squeezed his hand lightly.
“And look at us now.”
He smiled
as a tear fell onto his cheek. “Yes,
look at us now.”
She reached
up and brushed his tear away with her gentle touch. “I forgave you a very long time ago,
Giles. It’s time for you to forgive
yourself, okay?”
He nodded
and leaned down to kiss her. Their lips
met tenderly, just a soft expression of the love and trust that they
shared. He pulled back, his eyes
clearing of his earlier tears. He
offered her a genuine smile and then slid down the side of the boulder. He stood at the bottom, chuckling softly as
she jumped down to easily land beside of him.
“Are you
hungry?”
She smiled
up at him, giving him a wink. “I’ll race
you home.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She flopped
onto the couch, her annoyance clearly showing on her face. Giles looked up from his book and tilted his
head.
“What’s
wrong?”
She ran her
fingers through her towel-dried hair and grumbled. “I forgot to bring a fresh pair of socks.”
He smiled
and leaned back in his chair. “There are
a couple of pairs in my sock drawer. I
found them the other day tangled up in my clothes.”
She relaxed
slightly. “Maybe I should bring a few
changes of clothes over.”
He nodded
silently and then took a deep breath.
“Yes, you could. Or...you could
just move in altogether.”
She looked
at him, her mouth opening slightly. “I’m
sorry, what did you just say?”
He stared
into her eyes, his fingers nervously toying with a leather bookmark. “I said you could just move in.”
She shook
her head in confusion. “Did you just ask
me to move in with you?”
A smile
tugged at his lips. “Technically, it was
stated not asked. And it was stated
twice. Would you like me to ask you
properly?”
Seeing she
was at a loss for words, his smile grew.
His fingers let go of the bookmark and he pushed his chair back
slightly. “It’s not much and we’ll have
to get a bigger place when we do get married, but it should be okay for two
people for the time being.”
He stood
and slowly walked over to her, sitting down on the coffee table in front of
her.
“This place
isn’t the same without you in it now. The nights are long and cold. The days are long and, quite frankly,
slightly depressing. Neither of us rest
properly when you’re not here. And, if
you want to look at the Hellmouth aspect of the situation, you not resting is never a good thing.”
“Are you
using me being the Slayer as an excuse for us to live together?”
He heard
the teasing tone in her voice and smiled.
“Not an excuse, it’s a reason. One of many reasons.”
She smiled
and leaned forward slightly. “Give me
another.”
“I love you
and I want to fall asleep with you every night.
I want to wake up with you every morning.” He leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to
her lips. “I want this place to be ours
in every way. Not just mine with a few
of your belongings here.”
He waited
until she was fully smiling and leaned back with a gleam in his eye. “Plus, I really want a good night’s sleep.”
She laughed
and smacked his arm. “You were doing so
well!”
He laughed
with her for a few seconds before tilting his head and smiling at her. “Will you move in with me, Buffy?”
“Only if you’re sure. I know how you need your space
sometimes, and I don’t want to get in your way.”
“I’m sure
about this.” He shrugged his shoulders
lightly. “And if you get on my nerves
too much, I can always send you to your mother’s for a while.”
They
laughed again and Buffy wrapped her arms around him, pulling him to her and
kissing him soundly. She pulled back
from the kiss and gazed into his eyes.
“Okay. Now that we have that
settled, what were you reading?”
He glanced
at the book still resting on the table.
“I was doing some research on celestial activities in correlation with
demon behaviour.”
She
narrowed her eyes slightly. “Something
coming up that I need to know about?”
“I’m not
sure, I haven’t finished researching yet.”
He offered her a smile. “Would
you like to help?”
“It sounds
interesting.” Her brow furrowed. “And I’m scared that I actually said
that.” She looked up when he chuckled. “Hand me a book, Watcher-mine.”
His heart
warmed when she used her old term of endearment for him. He stood up and plucked an old volume from
the bookshelf. He handed it to her, then
turned and walked back to the table. She
looked at him curiously as he sat down.
“Aren’t you
going to sit over here with me?”
He shook
his head as he looked down at his book.
“If I sit over there, we’ll accomplish nothing.” He raised his head and met her eyes. “And, this could be important.”
She gave
him a mock-pout and made herself comfortable on the couch before opening her
book. He smiled to himself as he turned
the page and began to read again.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A movement
caught his attention. He raised his eyes
from the book to find her shifting herself on the couch. He watched her silently as she turned
sideways, resting her back against the arm of the couch and bending her knees
to rest the book on her thighs.
His eyes
travelled down her bare legs, from the hem of her shorts down to her feet. He smiled to himself as he watched her toes curl
on the afghan that was underneath her.
He felt his pulse quicken and the familiar heaviness of his
breathing. He bit his lip and lowered
his eyes back to the book open in front of him.
She glanced
up at him as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair and turned the page. She watched him for a few seconds, smiling as
his fingers began to absently toy with the bookmark again.
“Hey, Giles?”
“Hm?” He turned another page, his fingers
momentarily tightening on the bookmark before releasing it.
She silently
closed her book. “So, these ‘things’
that you had to take care of this morning...”
He lifted
his head slowly to look at her. His
heart raced as she placed her book on the coffee table and stared into his
eyes. “Yes?”
“I was just
thinking. I’ve never actually watched
you. I mean...I’ve seen you touch
yourself, but I’ve never seen you make yourself come.”
He cleared
his throat with difficulty, inhaling sharply as her fingers roamed dangerously
over the waistband of her shorts. “I
could say the same about you.”
She raised
an eyebrow at him. “True.” She licked her lips, her fingers edging under
the waistband. “Does the thought of it
turn you on?”
A small
smile played on his lips. “Do I honestly
have to dignify that with an answer?”
She pushed
her shorts down low on her hips and slid her hand inside. He groaned softly as he watched the slow
movements under the material. “Take them
off?”
She
chuckled softly. “Was that a question or
statement?”
He met her
eyes, causing her to gasp when she saw the intense desire swirling in the green
depths. She lifted her hips slightly and
pushed her shorts and underwear down her legs.
His eyes followed the clothing until it landed on the floor beside of
the couch. He bit his lip as he watched
her spread her legs further and allow her fingers stroke the soft curls.
She smiled
at him, her middle finger teasing lazily around her clitoris. “Come here, Giles.”
Without
another word, he pushed his chair back and stood. Her eyes flicked to his groin, causing her
smile to grow. “Your jeans are looking
uncomfortably tight in certain areas.”
“Mm-hm.” He walked over and sat down on the coffee
table, pulling his shirt over his head and dropping it to the floor.
She heard a
soft pop and then the sound of his zipper sliding down as she dipped her finger
lower, teasing her entrance. She looked
up to find him staring lustfully at her hand, his left hand slowly moving over
his velvety hardened flesh.
She slipped
another finger inside and pressed her thumb against her clitoris, groaning as
she watched his thumb glide over the head of his erection, spreading his slowly
leaking fluid over the sensitive skin.
His heart pounded almost painfully in his chest as he fought for
control. The smell of her arousal was
almost too much for him to take and he tightened his grip, moaning softly as
her juices began to seep out from around her fingers.
“Too
intense...won’t take...long.”
She nodded
in agreement, biting her lip to hold back her orgasm as his hand quickened its
pace. She listened to his breath heave
and could see his abdominal muscles quiver lightly.
“So close,
Giles...” She panted heavily. “I’m so close.”
Her hips
bucked wildly against her hand, her thumb rolling her aching clitoris in rhythm
with her thrusting fingers. He glanced
at her chest, groaning loudly at the sight of her hardened nipples showing
clearly through her thin top.
He stroked
himself harder and faster, silently urging her to do the same. She complied, fighting the instinct to close
her eyes as her orgasm built quickly. He
watched her body shudder as she groaned and came loudly. He reached for her hand, pulling her
trembling fingers into his mouth and hungrily sucking the juices from her skin.
His head suddenly flew back, a cry of ecstasy escaping from his lips as his hot
semen landed on her thigh.
Feeling her
pull her hand from his grasp, he looked at her.
He moaned softly as she collected his seed on her fingers and licked
them clean. He released his softening
member and fell to his knees next to the couch.
He leaned over her and covered her mouth with his, kissing her
passionately.
She smiled
up at him as he broke the kiss slowly.
Her hand lightly caressed his chest as he leaned back and returned her
smile.
“Why did
you take your shirt off?”
“Too hot.” He replied simply.
She shifted
her lower body and grimaced. “Um, I
think your afghan is going to need a wash.”
He chuckled
softly as he tucked himself back into his jeans.
The next
two weeks progressed quickly. Giles
patrolled with the group several times and had even patrolled once with just
Buffy. They had made some headway in the research concerning celestial
activities, but Giles knew that there was something missing. However, today was not about research, he
reminded himself with a smile as Xander walked through the front door carrying
a large box.
“So, your
Mom was cool with you moving?”
Buffy
grinned as she glanced at Giles. “She
was hesitant. But, I don’t think it came
as a big shock. And, I’ve promised that
I’ll visit and have at least one dinner a week with her. Besides, it’s not like I’m moving out of the
state. And, she can come over here any
time she wants.”
Anya
dropped a small box onto the table.
“Hopefully, she’ll call first.
Because I know from experience that knocking before you enter isn’t
always a failsafe.”
Giles
rolled his eyes and moved past her, walking out the door to retrieve the last
of Buffy’s things. Buffy laughed as she
helped
Oz smirked
as he looked around. “Maybe you should
ask Xander to build you an armory to store these in.”
Xander took
a drink from his Coke bottle. “It’s been
suggested. Giles didn’t see the humour.”
Buffy
smiled at Giles as he re-entered the apartment and gently set the bag
down. “Is that all?”
Giles
nodded and pulled his other hand from behind him. “Except for this.”
Buffy ran
over to him, giggling as she took the item from his hand. “You remembered Mr. Gordo!”
Giles
grinned in amusement. “How could I
forget?” He looked around at the others
standing in the living room. “I really
appreciate your assistance in this move.”
Buffy
nudged him in the ribs playfully. “You
couldn’t just say ‘thank you’?”
“Yes,
well. Thank you all, very much.” He glanced at the clock. “Would you care to stay for dinner? We could order pizza.”
Xander
grinned. “Can we get some movies
too? You know, make it into a
pizza-movie-housewarming party-type thing?”
Giles laced
his fingers with Buffy’s as he nodded, much to Xander’s
enjoyment.
Oz picked
up the phone to order the pizzas as the bickering continued between
A figure
standing in the shadows of the trees outside took a step back from the
window. “We’re so close to
playtime.” He grinned and turned,
disappearing quickly.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A tentative
knock on the front door roused him from his sleep. He glanced at the clock, groaning softly when
his eyes focused and saw that the time was 4:46 am.
“Bloody hell.” He muttered quietly as he
carefully slid out of the bed without waking Buffy. He smiled at her sleeping form as he slipped
on his robe.
“This had
better be important.” He grumbled as
another knock sounded.
He made his
way downstairs, running a hand through his sleep-tousled hair as he opened the
door. His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Angel.”
Angel’s
dark eyes offered a silent apology.
“Cordelia had a vision.”
Giles
stared at him for a moment. “I’m well
Angel, and how are you?”
The vampire
tilted his head, hearing a soft whimper.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s late, but
it is urgent.”
Giles
sighed heavily and stepped back enough for Angel to enter. “Come in, then.”
Angel
glanced at the stairs, hearing another whimper as Giles closed the door. He sensed something and then shook it off as
he met Giles’ eyes.
“You’re in
danger, Giles.”
“Oh?” He flipped on the lamp and stared at his
visitor. “What kind of danger?”
“According
to Cordelia...”
He was
interrupted by a scream of terror. The
scream consisted on one word – “GILES!” – and it came
from upstairs.
“Buffy?” He whispered softly as he watched Giles race
up the stairs.
He followed
the Watcher quickly, stopping at the top of the staircase to find Buffy wrapped
in Giles’ arms and crying uncontrollably.
Giles kissed the top of her head, holding her body protectively against
him.
“Shh,
Buffy, it’s okay. I’m here.”
Angel
wanted to look away, but found he was unable to do so as he watched her snuggle
against the Watcher’s chest. Instead, he
stood still and tried to make sense of the situation.
Buffy
looked up at Giles and wiped the back of her hand across her face. “You’re okay?”
He nodded,
his hand gently stroking her hair. “I’m
fine, darling. What happened?”
Her lip
trembled as the tears began flowing again.
“Vampire.”
He stared
at her, his brow knitting in confusion.
“What?”
“You...you
were a vampire. I...I had to...”
Giles
pulled her tighter, closing his eyes as her pain and terror ripped through
him. “It’s
okay, Buffy. It was just a dream.”
A soft
voice came from across the room. “It was
also Cordelia’s vision.”
Buffy’s
head snapped up, her eyes focusing on the figure standing in the shadows. “Angel?”
He offered
her a small smile and a nod. “We...the
three of us...need to talk.” His eyes
took in the fact that she was wearing a man’s shirt and then noticed Mr. Gordo resting on the chest of drawers. “I’ll be downstairs.”
Buffy
turned to Giles, her tears ebbing for the moment. “Why is Angel here?”
He sighed
heavily as he stood up and gently lifted her from the bed. “Apparently, Cordelia had a vision. Angel came to warn me that I’m in
danger.”
His heart
ached as the tears welled in her eyes again.
“Buffy, we’ll figure everything out.”
He pulled
her into his arms and kissed her softly.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Buffy sat
next to Giles on the couch as Angel slumped down into a chair opposite
them. The vampire met her eyes. “You look well, Buffy.”
Buffy
nodded slowly. “Yeah, I am...with the
exception of having night terrors about my fiancé becoming a vampire and having
to kill him.”
Angel’s
eyes widened briefly and he glanced at Giles.
“You two are...”
Buffy cut
him off quickly, with no malice in her voice.
“Angel, you didn’t come here to discuss my love life. What danger is Giles in?”
Angel
tilted his head, regarding her carefully before continuing. “You’re right. Cordelia’s visions normally aren’t very
detailed. But, apparently The Powers
That Be feel that this is a special case and gave us a bit more to work with.”
Buffy
narrowed her eyes. “The
Powers That Be. Ominous much?”
Giles smirked
in mild amusement.
Angel
shrugged his shoulders and leaned forward.
“Okay, here’s what I know.” He
turned his eyes to Giles. “Someone from
your past is coming. There was no
vengeance. It seemed more like he was in
awe of you. There’s a struggle and
you’re turned.”
There were
a few brief seconds of silence before Buffy spoke. “That’s it?”
Angel
nodded sadly. “That’s what they gave
us.”
“You call
those details? Someone
from his past, a struggle, and then he’s dead?”
Giles took
hold of Buffy’s hand as her anger rose.
“Buffy...”
She turned
her head, her anger sparking in her eyes as she stared at Giles. “This is supposed to help? This is a warning?”
His hand
lifted and touched her face gently.
“We’ll work it out. Angel’s used
to interpreting Cordelia’s visions.” He
wiped away a tear that had fallen onto her cheek. “He’s here to help.” He turned his eyes towards the vampire. “Correct?”
Angel
nodded. “Yes.” He waited until Buffy looked at him. “Buffy, I won’t leave until we know that
Giles is safe. I know it doesn’t sound
like much, but we do have a bit to work with here. Maybe we can get everyone together for some
research tomorrow?” He looked back at
Giles, his apology reading clear in his eyes.
“Unfortunately, that may mean researching into your past.”
Giles gave
him a quick nod. “Buffy knows
everything.”
Angel stood
and put his hands into the pockets of his leather duster. “We don’t have long. We should start researching tomorrow.” He smiled softly as Buffy looked up at
him. “I only ever wanted you to be
happy, Buffy. It’s obvious that you
are. Congratulations.” He met Giles’ eyes and offered him the same
smile. “To both of
you.”
With that,
he walked to the door and let himself out.
Buffy curled into Giles’ embrace, vowing softly that she would let
nothing happen to him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He kissed
her tenderly as he slowly moved within her.
It didn’t go unnoticed that she was holding on to him tighter than she
normally did. He wondered briefly if it
was right to be consoling her fears by making love to her. But, he knew this was what she needed. She needed to feel his warmth inside of her
as well as the heat of his touch.
There was
nothing rushed this time. There were no
frenzied movements spurred on by lust.
There was a brief twinge of pain as her nails dug into his back, but he
said nothing. He continued his slow
pace, feeling her fear race into his heart.
He pulled
back slightly and looked at her face, illuminated by the soft morning light
seeping into the room. Their eyes met
and he leaned down to kiss away the tear that slipped out of her eye.
“Don’t cry,
darling.”
Her hand
moved from his back and rested lightly against his cheek. “I can’t lose you.”
He leaned
into her touch, sighing at the sadness in her voice. “You won’t.”
“But...”
“Shh.” His voice was soothing and he bent down to
kiss her again. “We’re going to figure
it out.” He tilted his head back and
gazed into her eyes. “I love you so much.”
“I love you
too.” She whispered softly, allowing her
hand to move from his face and slide down his ribcage.
He felt her
inner muscles ripple as her fingers tightened on his waist. He pressed harder into her and kissed her
lips. She whimpered against his lips,
feeling her orgasm build. He answered
with a soft moan, his body beginning to tremble.
There were
no screams of ecstasy as they came together, only quiet moans. She allowed him to roll onto his side, moving
with him in order to keep him inside of her as long as possible. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her
tight against his sweat-dampened chest.
“Giles?”
He stroked
her hair gently. “Yes?”
“Aren’t you
scared?”
He took a
deep breath and then nodded slowly.
“Yes, I am. But, I have to have
faith in the belief that we’ll divert this just as we have every other
traumatic event.”
“It’s
different.”
He pulled
back slightly, sighing as his softened flesh slipped from her. “Buffy?”
She lifted
her watery eyes to him. “Do you remember
how you felt when I went to face the Master?”
“Yes, I
do.”
“This is
worse. Not only are you supposed to die,
but you’re supposed to become one of them.”
Her lip trembled and the tears returned.
“How am I supposed to destroy a demon that looks and sounds like you?”
Hearing the
pain and desperation in her voice, his own tears
started. “We won’t let it get that
far. Trust in this.”
“I’m
scared, Giles.”
He took a
deep breath and then reached over her to pick up the phone from her beside
table.
“What are
you doing?”
He pushed
himself up to a sitting position. “All
we are accomplishing right now is working ourselves into a panic. I’m calling an emergency meeting and we’ll
start figuring this out now. The sooner
we figure it out, the sooner it’s over with...and the sooner I’ll see your
beautiful smile again.”
She pushed
herself up beside of him and reached for her mobile phone. “I’ll call Mom and
He nodded
and dialled a number. The phone rang
twice before it was answered. He took a
deep breath.
“Angel, can
you find a safe way to get here? We’re
going to start researching now.”
The room
was filled with silence as everyone stared in disbelief. Xander’s eyes
darted between Buffy, Giles, and Angel.
“This is a
joke, right?”
Giles ran
his fingers through his hair nervously.
“I rather wish it were.”
Anya
shifted uncomfortably. “What happens if
we can’t stop it?”
Buffy
stared at her. “We’ll stop it.”
“But,
there’s a chance...”
Buffy
interrupted her quickly, anger in her voice.
“I said we’ll stop it.”
Giles laid
his hand on Buffy’s arm in an effort to calm her. She turned to look at him and nodded
slowly. She shifted her eyes back to
Anya.
“I’m sorry,
Anya.”
Anya
offered her an understanding smile in acceptance of her apology. Giles cleared his throat and removed his
glasses.
“In the
event that this is unable to be diverted, there is only one thing that can be
done.”
Buffy stood
up and walked to the mantle. She stared
at a picture of her and Giles that had been taken by Cordelia in the Sunnydale
High Library. Giles had been so fond of
the picture that he requested a copy, which he then framed. It had been placed on the mantle and that’s
where it had stayed. Joyce moved to
stand behind her, wrapping her arms around her daughter. Buffy leaned into her mother’s embrace,
whispering softly.
“I can’t do
it, Mom. If it happens, I won’t be able
to kill him.”
Joyce had
no words of wisdom for her daughter.
Instead, she held her as she cried softly.
Giles
turned his gaze from Buffy and Joyce and faced their friends again. He caught
“Well, we
still have the curse that restored Angel’s soul. We could...”
Angel
interrupted her quickly. “That’s not an
option.”
Buffy
turned and stared at him. “Why? Are you the only vampire allowed to have a
soul?”
Angel
recoiled from her anger and shook his head.
“No, that’s not what I meant, Buffy.
It’s just...it’s not a life. Just
because you have a soul doesn’t mean everything is all candy and roses. I merely have an existence, there’s no
life. He would be miserable for the rest
of his existence. Do you really want
that?”
Giles
sighed heavily. “I’m still in the room.”
Giles stood
up quickly, knocking his chair over in the process. “If I’m turned, there will be no soul
restoration. Someone will have to stake
me.”
Silence
fell over the room again as the implications of Giles’ outburst settled
in. He reached down and picked the chair
up. His voice was somewhat softer when
he spoke again.
“Someone
will have to stake me, and I need to know now who that person will be.”
Everyone
looked at each other. No one was able to
agree to actually be the person to destroy Giles’ body. Angel caught Buffy’s eyes and gave her a
slight nod. Buffy
looked away briefly before turning back to him and answering with a slight nod
of her own.
Angel
stepped forward. “If it happens, I’ll do
it.”
Giles
looked at him and smiled sadly. “Thank
you.”
Oz had
listened quietly and then took a deep breath.
“So that’s settled. Now let’s
find out everything we can to make sure it doesn’t come to that.”
Giles
offered the boy a grateful smile and walked to a wooden chest in the
corner. He exhaled deeply as he unlocked
it and pushed the lid up. His fingers
trembled slightly as he pulled out a series of rather large binders. He took them over to the table and met
everyone’s eyes.
“There is
only one person in this room who knows everything in these. The rest of you may be somewhat shocked at
the contents. Just remember, this isn’t
the person I am now.”
They all
nodded nervously and circled around the table.
Buffy stood behind Giles as he sat down, her hand resting lightly on his
shoulder.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The sun was
beginning to set as he sighed and closed the binder. Every detail of his life up until he became a
Watcher had been analysed and discussed by the group. They had found a few possibilities, but
nothing concrete. It had been a long day
and it was nearly seven in the evening when he ended the meeting.
Joyce
offered to drive
After
almost an hour of discussion, Giles finally relented. Buffy kissed him passionately, requesting
that he stay inside. He nodded in
agreement before looking at Angel.
“Please
take care of her.” He smiled softly at
Buffy and kissed her again. “Don’t be
too late. I’ll start looking through
Council paperwork.”
Buffy
hugged him tightly and with one last kiss, she and Angel walked into the night.
Giles took
a shaky breath and made his way back to the bookshelf.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hearing a
quick rap on the door, Giles took a deep breath and set his cup of tea on the
table. As he swung the door open, his
heart dropped at the sight before him. A
large vampire was standing a few feet away restraining Buffy. Hearing a menacing chuckle, his eyes darted
towards the dark figure stepping from the shadows.
Giles’ eyes
sparked with rage and confusion. “Cavendale.”
The man
laughed again. “Come out and play,
Rupert.”
Giles tore
his eyes away and looked at Buffy, helpless in the grip of the vampire. Sensing his hesitation, Cavendale took
another step forward.
“You can
either come out, or...” He grinned as his face contorted into a
vampire’s visage. “You can watch as he
snaps her neck and rapes her broken corpse right here in front of you.”
His eyes
filled with tears as he looked at Buffy.
She tried to shake her head, but was unable to move.
“Buffy, I
swore an oath to protect you.” He turned
his raging eyes to the vampire. “You’ll
let her go?”
Cavendale
grinned. “That’s part of the fun,
Rupert.”
His gaze
found Buffy’s terror-stricken face.
“I’ve always said that I would give my life to protect you. I love you so very much, Buffy. I always have.” He took a deep breath. “Please forgive me.”
He stood
just inside the doorway for a few more seconds, taking a moment to stare into
her eyes. A tear rolled down his cheek
as he stepped over the threshold. He
heard her strangled cry as Cavendale grabbed him roughly.
He stared
into her eyes, tears streaming down his face as Cavendale pushed his head to
the side, exposing his neck. “I love
you.” He offered her a sad smile. “Leave until Angel has done what he
promised.”
Cavendale
bared his fangs and sneered at Buffy.
“It shall be enjoyable to watch him kill you, Slayer.”
Buffy
screamed as he lowered his mouth to Giles’ neck. Giles gasped, the
pain showing clearly on his face as the vampire punctured his neck and began to
drink.
Buffy’s
muscles gave way, her vision blurred by her tears. She sobbed his name repeatedly as his eyes
began to close. The vampire holding her
laughed maniacally. Neither of them saw
the dark shadow fall from the roof to land behind Cavendale.
The vampire
dropped Buffy to the ground as Cavendale exploded in a rain of ash. Giles’ body crumpled to the concrete. Buffy looked up, screaming Giles’ name as she
hurried to his side. She ripped his shirt
and pressed the cloth to his wound in an attempt to stem the flow.
The vampire
stared into Angel’s eyes as Angel threw the stake. His aim was perfect and the vampire screamed
as he turned to dust.
Angel knelt
on the other side of Giles and put his hand over Buffy’s to increase the
pressure on the wound.
“Don’t
leave me now, Giles.” She whispered
urgently.
His eyes
fluttered. “Not...planning...on it.”
She smiled, sniffling as she gently touched his head. His eyes shifted, focusing on the vampire helping
tend to his wound.
“Did you
get...separated?”
Angel
nodded slowly. “They jumped us from
behind. I’m sorry...I tried to...”
His eyes
met Buffy’s. “Are you okay?”
She nodded
quickly, her face wet with tears as she leaned down to kiss his lips gently. “We need to get you to the hospital.”
“I’m
tired...very tired.”
Angel slid
his hands underneath Giles and looked at Buffy.
“Keep the pressure as tight as you can.
I’ll carry him to the car.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The doctor
standing at the nurse’s station looked up in alarm as they rushed through the
door. He dropped his clipboard and ran
towards them.
Buffy spoke
quickly, yet efficiently. “He’s lost a
lot of blood. His blood type is B
positive, so is mine. Take what you can
from me and give it to him.”
The doctor
gestured for Angel to put the man’s body on the gurney. “What’s his name?”
“Rupert
Giles. He’s forty-four, allergic to
penicillin and prednisone.”
“Okay, and you are?”
He looked down at her sympathetically.
Her
trembling hand brushed through Giles’ hair.
“His fiancée, Buffy Summers.” She
looked up at the doctor with tears in her eyes.
“Where do I go to donate blood for him?”
The doctor
motioned for the nurse as he looked into Buffy’s eyes. “You’ll only be able to donate a pint, but we
should have B pos in the blood bank.”
She nodded
quickly and followed the nurse. She
turned back before she rounded the corner.
“Just make sure that he definitely gets my pint.”
The doctor
looked at Angel. “Are you family?”
Angel
nodded and looked down at Giles. “Nephew.”
“Okay, I
think you’ve gotten him here in time, but...I need to get him into the OR for
immediate transfusion.”
Angel
backed away from the gurney and watched as they wheeled Giles through the
swinging doors. He turned to the nurse
standing at the desk. “Is there a phone
I can use? I need to call the rest of
our family.”
The nurse
picked up the phone resting on the desk and placed it on the counter. “He’s in good hands, sir.”
Angel gave
the nurse a small smile and proceeded to make the appropriate phone calls.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
His eyes
blinked open slowly, his confusion setting in as he took in his
surroundings. He turned his head to find
Buffy sitting beside the bed staring at the hand she held in hers.
“Hello.”
Her eyes
snapped up and a smile graced her features.
“You’re awake. How are you
feeling?”
He squeezed
her hand lightly. “Surprisingly
well. I feel a
little...high. Like there is a humming
underneath my skin. Have they given me
something for pain?”
Buffy shook
her head and leaned forward, kissing him gently. “No.
That would be the Slayer healing doing its job.”
He narrowed
his eyes. “What?”
“I gave you
some of my blood. I was hoping that it
would help you heal faster.” She smiled
softly. “It sounds like it’s working.”
She looked
into his eyes, waiting for him to admonish her.
Instead, he surprised her by returning her smile.
“Thank
you.”
“You’re
welcome.” She whispered softly, her eyes
flicking towards the bandage on the left side of his neck. “Looks like we’re going to
have matching scars.”
He chuckled
gently, raising his hand to lightly run his fingers down the right side of her
neck. His fingers slid from the scar to
behind her neck, gently pulling her towards him. His kiss was intended to be soft, but quickly
spiralled into the passion he felt for her.
“Someone’s
feeling better.”
They
reluctantly pulled from the kiss at the sound of Xander’s
voice.
Anya sighed
heavily. “Do we have to knock on the
door here too?”
Giles
laughed softly, turning his eyes to his visitors. “Hello.
I trust all is well?”
He smiled
warmly at her. “It wasn’t my intention
to scare you like that at all.” His eyes
darted to Angel standing quietly in the corner of the room. “Thank you, Angel...for...” He sighed softly. “Thank you.”
Angel
nodded in understanding as he stepped forward.
“I’m just glad that I didn’t have to follow through on my promise.”
A nurse
walked into the room and smiled at the group of visitors. “Just a few more minutes,
guys. Mr. Giles needs his rest.”
Giles
pushed himself up and shook his head.
“No, I need to go home.”
Buffy
placed her hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. “You are going to stay here for at least one
night.” She looked up at the smiling
nurse. “It’s okay that I stay with him
tonight, right?”
The nurse
chuckled. “I have a feeling it wouldn’t
matter if the doctor said no.”
Buffy
grinned. “No, it wouldn’t. I was just being polite.”