Chapter Fifty-One
Buffy smiled shyly at
Willow. Willow grinned back at her.
“Got your note.”
“Uh, yeah. There were some things we needed to
discuss.”
“Uh-huh.” Willow chuckled softly. “You look...”
“Happy?” Buffy interjected hopefully.
Willow took a sip of her
coffee. “I was actually going to say
‘sated’.”
Buffy blushed profusely. “Oh...um...”
Willow laughed and sat back in
her chair. After a few seconds, Buffy
joined in and relaxed into the cushions, stifling a yawn.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles cleared his throat and
placed the phone on the table. “I,
uh...was going outside for a cigarette while I was talking to her...”
Oz’s grin grew as he tilted his
head towards the coffee table where a pack of cigarettes rested. “But, you forgot to take them with you?”
Giles’ eyes darted to the
table. “Yes.”
Wanting to help Giles out of an
embarrassing situation, Angel leaned forward and picked up the pack. “You’re smoking these days?”
“Hm?” He met the vampire’s eyes and shrugged his shoulders. “Oh, I always have...occasionally. But, over the past few days it’s
been...well, more of a habit.”
Angel gave him a lop-sided
grin. “And Buffy’s okay with that?”
Giles chuckled and dropped into
a chair, easily catching the pack when Angel tossed it to him. “I wouldn’t exactly say she’s okay with
it. But, she does understand the
reasons behind it. And she also knows
that it’s a temporary habit.”
“How is Buffy?”
Giles smiled at Oz. “She’s well. I think she’s a little tired, but she’s having trouble
sleeping. Willow’s keeping her
company.”
Oz grinned. “That’s my Will.”
Giles looked back at Angel, his
fingers restlessly turning the pack of cigarettes over and over in his
hand. “Patrol went well?”
“Yeah, just the normal. Nothing out of the ordinary tonight.”
“Good.” Giles nodded and then glanced towards the
balcony as he stood. “I, uh...I think
I’ll just step outside for a couple of minutes.” He turned his wrist and read the time. “And, then...I should probably try to get some sleep.”
Oz smirked, knowing what cause
him to become relaxed enough to even think about sleep. Angel caught the smirk and chuckled softly.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Two hours later, Oz had finally
decided it was time to head off to bed.
He quietly opened the bedroom door, smiling as his eyes caught sight of
the Watcher sleeping. Giles had fallen
asleep after almost an hour of reading.
In his sleep, his arms had pulled one of the spare pillows against his
chest.
Oz yawned and dropped onto the
air mattress beside of the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Buffy opened her eyes, squinting
against the bright sunlight filtering in through the living room window. Her mother was kneeling beside the sofa, a
smile on her face.
“Honey, why didn’t you go to
bed?”
“Would’ve been lonely.” She replied sleepily and pushed herself
up. “And, I don’t remember even laying
down to begin with.”
Willow grinned at her. “You must’ve been a little more relaxed
after you spoke with Giles last night.”
“Giles was here?” Anya stood in the doorway with her hands on
her hips.
Buffy chuckled softly as she
shook her head. “No. I called him last night...you know, to say
goodnight.” She glanced around the room
and noticed that everyone was wide awake and not wearing pajamas. “Uh, what time is it?”
Joyce smiled and reached over to
smooth her daughter’s hair down. “A
little after eleven. Are you hungry?”
“Mm, yeah...I could definitely
eat.” She narrowed her eyes as she
stood and stretched. “Has Giles called
this morning?”
Willow shook her head. “No, but I talked to Oz a little while
ago. He said that Giles was still
asleep.”
“Okay, I’ll go take a shower and
get dressed and then give him a wake-up call.”
She picked up her cell phone and tossed it to Willow. “If he calls, answer it?”
“Of course.” She smiled as Buffy climbed the stairs.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles tightened his arms around
the pillow, his eyes snapping open when he realized that what he was holding
was not the warm body of Buffy. He
groaned against the sunlight that was flooding the room. He released the pillow with a deep sigh and
sat up in the bed, running his hand through his hair.
He picked up his watch,
surprised to see that it was nearly eleven-thirty. He climbed out of bed and made his way to the living room. Oz looked up as Giles walked into the room.
“Morning. Sleep well?”
Giles yawned and nodded. “Once I went to sleep, yes. Good morning to you.”
“Or nearly afternoon.” Xander chuckled.
Giles snorted in amusement and turned
his eyes towards Wesley. “And how are
you this morning, Wesley?”
He groaned and lifted his head
from the table, gazing in Giles’ general direction through severely bloodshot
eyes. “Never better.”
Giles chuckled and moved into
the kitchen. “Xander, do you have any
tabasco sauce?”
“Huh?” He stared at Giles in confusion for a few seconds. “Oh, yeah...shelf in the door in the
fridge.”
With a quick nod, Giles began
preparing a hangover cure for the ex-Watcher.
“Aspirin? Excedrin, if you have
it. If not, just normal aspirin will be
sufficient.”
Oz reached into his duffel bag
and pulled a bottle out, tossing it to Giles.
“Excedrin is the only thing that works for me.”
Giles grinned and shook three
tablets out onto the table and quickly crushed them into a powder. After depositing the powder in the glass
with the tabasco, orange juice, and a spoonful of instant coffee, he thoroughly
stirred the mixture and set the glass in front of Wesley.
Wesley stared at the
concoction. “You’re not expecting me to
ingest that, are you?”
Giles rolled his eyes. “What I’m not expecting is for you to be
sick all day and vomiting during my wedding.
Drink it, Wesley.”
“But...it’s orange.” He took a sniff and grimaced. “And it smells horrible.”
“I’ve used this for years, it
works. Trust me on this.”
Wesley sighed heavily and picked
up the glass. As he began to drink,
Giles glanced at his phone before looking at the two younger men, who were
grinning wildly.
“Has Buffy called this morning?”
Wesley slammed the glass back on
the table and groaned.
Xander shook his head. “I haven’t heard your phone ring.”
Oz chuckled. “Oh, you’d definitely notice it.” He smiled at Giles. “No, she hasn’t called yet.”
Giles returned the smile and
picked up his phone before tapping Wesley on his shoulder. “Go lay down for thirty minutes. No longer or you’ll feel even worse.”
Wesley nodded in the way a
severely hungover man would and shuffled back to the bedroom where Angel had
taken Xander’s place in the bed. Giles
shook his head in amusement and quickly dialled Buffy’s number.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Willow smiled as Buffy’s phone
began to ring. She picked it up and
used her cheeriest voice.
“Good morning, Giles!”
Giles narrowed his eyes. “Willow?
Good morning. Is, uh...is Buffy
awake?”
“She is. She’s in the shower though. She was going to call you when she got
out. How are you?”
He smiled softly. “I’m very well, thank you. Would you tell her that I rang?”
“Yep, sure will.” She glanced towards the ceiling when she
heard the shower stop running. “Hold
on, I think she’s finished. I’ll just
run the phone upstairs, okay?”
Giles poured himself a glass of
orange juice and nodded. “Okay.”
Through the phone, he heard
Willow literally run up the stairs and bang on the bathroom door. He smiled brightly when he heard Buffy’s
muffled voice and then Willow’s announcement that he was on the phone for her.
“Hey!”
Giles leaned against the
countertop and swallowed his mouthful of juice. “Hello. Did you sleep well?”
She held her towel around her,
grinning at Willow as she walked down the hall and into her room. “I slept.
On the couch.”
He chuckled and swirled the
juice in the glass. “Did your mother
dispose of your bed?”
Buffy laughed and quickly pulled
a pair of jeans and a shirt out of her closet.
“No, but I would’ve been too lonely in the bed. How about you?”
“I, uh...” He looked up to find Xander and Oz talking
and not paying a bit of attention to him.
He still lowered his voice. “I
awoke with a pillow in my arms this morning.
Obviously, I missed you as well.”
“Oh, that’s sweet, Giles.” She sat down on the bed. “Unless you woke up because you were trying
to entice the pillow into having sex with you.”
Giles choked on the sip of juice
he had just taken. “Um, no...”
She laughed loudly as she pulled
on her jeans. Her laughter died down
and she took a deep breath.
“Are you nervous?”
He shook his head, placing his
empty glass in the sink after rinsing it out.
“Nervous? No, not in the least. I’m fairly anxious, though. Are...are you nervous?”
She smiled lovingly at the tone
in his voice. “Not a nervous bone in my
body. I’m excited. In about eight hours, you’ll be my husband. There’s nothing about that that makes me
nervous.”
He walked towards the balcony,
picking up his cigarettes on the way.
He closed the door behind him and leaned against the railing. He shook a cigarette out of the pack and lit
it, inhaling deeply before blowing the smoke back out.
“There’s something I want to ask
you. I’m not really sure why I haven’t
asked before.”
“Okay, hold on just a sec. I need to put my shirt on.”
He raised an eyebrow, smiling at
the image that popped into his head.
“Okay, I’m ready. What’s on your mind, honey?”
“Oh.” He took another drag and looked down at a few kids playing along
the sidewalk. “Um...are you going to be
taking my name?”
“What?”
“It’s just that...well, I know
in this day and age, it’s somewhat...um...”
“Do you not want me to be Buffy
Giles?” She asked quietly.
“Of course I do. I want that very much. I just wasn’t sure what side of the fence
you fell on in that debate.”
“I’ve never thought
otherwise.” She looked down at her
engagement ring and sighed happily. “I
want to be Buffy Giles more than anything.”
He smiled and inhaled
deeply. “It has a nice sound to
it. A...very nice sound.”
They were quiet for a few
moments.
“What are you doing?” She asked quietly as she ran the brush
through her hair.
“Thinking about tonight.”
She grinned. “The wedding part, the reception part, or
the after part?”
He chuckled softly. “All of the above.”
Buffy rolled her eyes when she
heard her name being called. “I think
I’m being summoned.”
“I...should probably take a
shower and get dressed.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you naked?”
He laughed loudly and dropped
his cigarette butt into a can resting in the corner of the balcony. “No, I’m not.”
“Oh.”
He grinned at the disappointment
in her voice. “Plenty of time for that
tonight, love.”
She exhaled slowly and slipped
her shoes on. “I can’t tempt you now?”
“Oh, you probably could. But...you’re being summoned, remember?”
“Yeah, okay. Tonight, then?”
The timbre of his voice lowered
suddenly, causing her to shiver. “Most
definitely.”
“Giles...”
“I love you, Buffy.”
“Tease.” She huffed.
She smiled when he chuckled. “I
love you too. Promise you’re not going
to stand me up?”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. Promise to try to be on time?”
She laughed as she opened her bedroom
door and began to make her way back downstairs. “This will probably be the one and only time in my entire life
that I’ll be on time.”
He stepped back inside, causing
Oz and Xander to look up at him as he laughed.
“I’ll hold you to that, my dear.”
“Well, that’s fair. I’m holding you to...uh...other
things.”
“And I’m reasonably sure that
you aren’t going to need to twist my arm too much.” He smiled when she giggled adorably. “Goodbye, darling.”
“Bye, Giles.”
His grin was still evident as he
disconnected the call. He glanced at
the clock and suddenly remembered the ex-Watcher. “Could one of you rouse Wesley from his sleep? I’ll just grab a quick shower...”
Xander jumped up quickly. “I’ll do it!” When Oz stared at him in bewilderment, Xander shrugged his
shoulders. “It should be fun, that’s
all.”
Oz smirked and motioned towards
the door. “Have at it, man.”
Giles shook his head in
amusement as he made his way to the bathroom.
Six and a half hours later there
was a knock on Xander’s door. Oz
answered it, smiling brightly at his girlfriend.
“You look beautiful.”
Willow blushed lightly and
ducked her head. “So do you. Handsome, I mean. Guys don’t do beautiful.”
He chuckled at her rambling and
stepped to the side, allowing her to enter the apartment. Xander walked out of the bedroom, fumbling
with his tie.
“I hate ties. They should be cursed for the evil they
are.” He looked up and noticed his
friend. “Hey, Will…what are you doing
here?”
She walked over to him and
quickly tied the material around his neck.
“Buffy forgot to give something to Giles. She was panicking a bit, so I told her I’d bring it.”
Giles walked into the living
room, completely dressed in his tuxedo with the exception of the jacket, which
was folded over his arm.
“Hello, Willow.”
Willow turned towards the voice,
her mouth dropping open. “Wow.”
He grinned at her, his fingers
nervously brushing down the front of his vest.
He placed his jacket over the back of a chair and raised an eyebrow at
her.
“To what do we owe the pleasure
of your visit?”
“Huh?”
Oz chuckled and leaned over to
kiss her on the cheek. She shook her
head and took a deep breath.
“Oh, Buffy wanted me to give
this to you.” She handed him an envelope
and smiled. “You look very…uh…yeah,
wow.”
“Thank you, Willow.” He took the envelope from her, his face
reddening a bit. “Um, what is this?”
“From Buffy.” Willow shrugged her shoulders. “She said it was important you have it
before you left.”
His fingers toyed with the
sealed flap. Seeing his edginess,
Willow tilted her head.
“I’m pretty sure it’s not a
letter saying she’s changed her mind, if that helps.”
He chuckled and gave her a quick
nod. “Rather a lot.”
He opened the envelope and pulled
out a single sheet of paper with what seemed to be a small charm of some sort
taped to the bottom. His smile returned
and grew as he read her words.
Dear Giles,
This may be something a silly
teenager would do, but it’s also something I would do. I was going through my jewellery box the
other day and came across this. It’s a
friendship, loyalty, and love charm. As
you can see, it’s half of a heart.
What’s supposed to happen is that one person keeps half and gives the
other half to someone else. It can be a
friend or a lover or…someone who you want in your life forever in whatever
capacity.
That’s you. You’re my friend, my lover, my Watcher…and I
want you in my life forever. You don’t
have to wear it, but if you could just put it in your pocket…it’s kinda like
good luck. You’re the person I wanted
to have the other half, because…you already have half of me.
That probably doesn’t make
sense, because I’m not really good at explaining things. But, I hope you understand on some level
what I’m trying to say.
I love you, Giles. You’re everything to me…my heart, my soul,
my breath…my love.
I’ll see you soon.
Semper tui,
He carefully peeled the charm
away from the paper and held it tightly in his hand before slipping it into his
pocket. He cleared his throat as he
looked up and met three pairs of expectant eyes.
“Willow, can you give me just a
minute before you leave?”
She nodded, casting a glance at
Oz as Giles grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. Oz shrugged his shoulders and slipped his arm around her waist.
Giles smiled as he finished
writing and folded the paper and placed it in an envelope. He handed the envelope to Willow and inhaled
softly.
“Would you care to give this to
Buffy when you get back?”
“Sure thing, Giles.” Willow grinned brightly and glanced at the
clock. “I’d better go, they’ll be ready
to leave soon.”
She gave Giles a tight hug and
leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.
“I’m really happy for you both.”
“Thank you, Willow.”
She gave him a quick nod and turned
to Oz. “Wanna walk me back to the car?”
Oz grinned and opened the door
for her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Buffy was pacing back and forth
across the living room. Cordelia was
looking in the mirror, putting a hair back into place. Anya was sitting in the chair, rolling her
eyes. Joyce was leaning against the
doorframe, a smile on her face.
“Honey, you’re making me dizzy.”
“She should be back by now. And, Giles…he probably thinks I’m some silly
kid.” She stopped pacing, wrapped her
arms around herself and sighed heavily.
“Why didn’t someone stop me?”
Anya and Cordelia snorted
simultaneously. Buffy turned in their
direction and glared.
“What?”
Cordelia crossed her arms in
front of her. “You’re Buffy, that’s why
no one stopped you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I like you.” Anya grinned at Cordelia. “But, you can’t have Xander back.”
Cordelia rolled her eyes. “As if.
I’m so over Xander Harris.”
Joyce walked up to her daughter
and brushed a lock of hair away from her forehead.
“Honey, Rupert loves you. I’m sure he doesn’t think you’re a silly
kid. If he did, he wouldn’t be marrying
you.”
“But, it is silly. Someone should’ve stopped me.”
She snapped her head towards the
front door as it opened. She ran over
to Willow as she walked into the house.
“Did he say anything? Like, how silly it was or anything?”
Willow shook her head
quickly. “Nope, he smiled like a man in
love. And…he looks really hot.”
“Yeah?”
“Yep. Full tuxedo. Very flash.”
“Is he wearing a cucumber?”
Everyone stared at Anya.
Anya looked around, unsure of
the reason for the perplexed stares.
“What? I don’t think he’d look
good in a cucumber.”
The soft laughter began and
Willow shook her head. “I think you
mean cummerbund, Anya. Not cucumber.”
Anya flushed lightly. “Oh.
Well, is he wearing one of those?”
“No, he’s wearing a vest.”
Buffy smiled dreamily as she
pictured him. “And the tie?”
“Dark green. Very dashing.” She suddenly remembered the envelope. She pulled it out of her purse and handed it to Buffy. “He wanted you to have this.”
Buffy carefully took the
envelope and pulled the letter out. She
felt the tears begin to well in her eyes as she read the first line.
My Dearest Buffy,
I need to make this quick
because Willow needs to return to you.
For this reason, I’m unable to take my time with my normal exceedingly
long declarations of love and devotion.
However, I do have the time
to tell you this.
I understand what you were
trying to say in your letter. The charm
that you sent to me is now in my pocket, as you requested. It is something that I shall treasure, not
only for tonight, but for the length of my life.
You are in possession of half
of me as well. I love you completely,
my dear.
You are my sun, my moon, my
stars.
Semper tui,
R Giles
Buffy gingerly folded the letter
and slid it back into the envelope. She
took a deep breath and willed her tears away as she looked around at her mother
and friends. With a bright smile, she motioned
towards the door.
“Are we ready to go?”
Anya glanced out the
window. “Well, the sun’s going
down. I’m guessing it’s time. You definitely don’t want to be late
tonight.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He rocked back and forth on his
heels impatiently in front of the gazebo in the small park. The minister stood on the third step and
smiled down at him.
“Nervous, Mr. Giles?”
Giles grinned up at him. “Not at all.”
He turned back to the small
crowd of friends and family and took a deep breath. He met Joyce’s eyes and gave her a small nod and a smile. She returned his smile and lifted her hand
to wipe a tear from her eye.
A movement near the back caught
his eye. His smile was filled with love
as she came into his view. Their
friends turned and watched her slowly approach the gazebo with Angel as her
guide. Giles shifted slightly and held
her gaze with his own.
They came to a stop with Angel
standing between her and Giles. He
offered the Watcher a smile and, as he placed Buffy’s hand in Giles’, spoke
softly.
“Take care of her, Giles.”
Giles returned his smile,
sighing at the sensation of Buffy’s warm hand in his. “I will.”
Angel stepped back and stood
between Wesley and Cordelia.
Giles leaned down with the
intent of kissing her. Buffy grinned at
him and placed her hand on his chest, stopping his movement.
“Not yet, Giles.”
He blushed lightly as their
friends laughed, along with the minister.
He cleared his throat and straightened, giving the minister a sheepish
smile.
The minister spoke for a few
minutes and if either Giles or Buffy had been asked what the gentleman had
said, neither would have been able to give a clear answer. They were trying to pay attention to the
man’s words, but all Giles could think about was how beautiful Buffy looked in
her ivory dress. And all Buffy could
think about was how handsome Giles looked in his black tuxedo with the emerald
green tie that brought out the color of his eyes.
What brought their minds back to
the moment was the fact that the minister announced that the couple had
prepared their own vows. Giles smiled
and removed her wedding ring from his pinky before taking her hand in his.
He took a deep breath and gazed
into Buffy’s eyes.
“People seem to think that I’m
mildly verbose.” He paused as soft
laughter ensued. He smiled lovingly at
Buffy and continued.
“However, I found that when I
sat down to write into words how I feel about you, I was lost. Words can never express the depth of my
feelings for you, Buffy. But, words do give
me the ability to let you know my promises for our future together.”
He licked his dry lips and
squeezed her hand lightly.
“I will share in your dreams and
support you as you strive to achieve your goals. I will give you my compassion, encouragement, and understanding
in all things. I will comfort you in
times of sorrow and laugh with you in times of joy. I will help you when you need it and step aside when you don’t. I will remain faithful to you for you are my
best friend and I will love and respect you always.”
He tilted his head slightly and
the smile twinkled in his eyes.
“I know there will be times that
you’ll break my heart. But, I also
know, without a doubt, that you will help mend it. I trust you…completely…with my life, my heart, my soul…my love.”
He carefully slid the ring onto
her left ring finger and exhaled slowly.
“I’m in love with you,
Buffy. And, I look forward to finding
what our futures hold for one another.”
She looked at him through watery
eyes and smiled. “How am I supposed to
follow that?”
He chuckled softly, his thumb
caressing the back of her hand. She
closed her eyes briefly to steady herself, opening them when she was ready to
begin.
“I used to be afraid of
love. I was afraid of falling in love,
of giving my heart away. And then I
realized that love isn’t an instant reaction to someone. True love…pure love…takes time to nurture.”
She inhaled slowly, keeping her
tears at bay.
“When I first met you, I didn’t
realize that I would fall in love with you.
You took care of me, you Watched over me, you helped me survive in this
world…and, most importantly, you were my friend.”
A tear spilled onto her
cheek. He ached to wipe it away.
“We’ve had our rough times, but
they’ve been out measured by the good.
I promise you, here and now, in front of our friends and family, that I
will spend the rest of my life by your side.
I will love you and protect you.
I’ll hold you when you cry, I’ll laugh with you when you laugh.”
Her hand barely trembled as she lifted
his left hand and slipped his ring onto his finger.
“I love you, Giles. I loved you then, I love you now, and I’ll
love you for the rest of my life.”
They shared a mutual smile of
adoration. If they had looked towards
their friends, they would’ve noticed that there wasn’t a dry eye among
them. The minister smiled down at the
couple.
“With the power vested in me, I
now pronounce you husband and wife.” He
didn’t bother to hide the amusement in his voice for his next statement. “Rupert, you may now kiss your
bride.”
He leaned in slowly, whispering
‘I love you’ just a half of a second before their lips touched. Her hand rested on the side of his neck as
his hand cradled her cheek. He allowed
the kiss to linger, but was able to stop himself from deepening it. When he pulled back, his eyes were shining
brightly with his love for her.
The minister lightly placed his
hand on Giles’ shoulder and smiled at the group of people standing before them.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, may I
present to you Mr. Rupert Kingsley and Mrs. Buffy Anne Giles.”
Xander and Willow exchanged a
glance, with Xander mouthing ‘Kingsley?’ to her. She answered with a grin as she began to clap loudly for the
newly married couple.
* * *
Giles struggled to keep his
emotions in check as he and Buffy were lead across the park. His eyes widened as their friends parted to
either side, leaving them a clear view of the car that was to take them to the
Espresso Pump for the reception.
“A 1953 Rolls Royce?”
Peter Watts smiled brightly. “Consider it a gift from the Council.”
Giles grinned at the young man
and warmly shook his hand. “Thank you,
Peter.”
After a few minutes of hugs and
kisses from everyone, the chauffeur opened the back door for the couple. Giles smiled at his wife and ushered her
in. After closing the door, the
chauffeur climbed into the driver’s seat and turned to them.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Giles. My name is James Clayton. I’m not a chauffeur by trade, but I’ve been
employed by the Council to take you on a short drive. So, we’ll be taking somewhat of a detour on the way to your
destination.”
Giles narrowed his eyes. “Okay.
I’m sorry, did you say Clayton?”
The man smiled as he
nodded. “Amelia is my wife. You can trust me to get you to your reception
in one piece.”
Giles cleared his throat and
settled back in the seat, pulling Buffy close against his body. “Drive on then, sir.”
James chuckled and slowly pulled
away from the curb.
Within five minutes of driving
off, Buffy was kissing her husband with the passion that gave him a taste of
what to expect later that night. He
groaned into her mouth as her hand slid up his thigh. He moved his mouth to the side of her neck and nibbled lightly,
causing her to shiver in his arms. He
pulled back suddenly as her hand covered the growing bulge in his trousers.
“Buffy, we…”
“I missed you so much, Giles.”
His eyes closed as she gently
caressed him. “I missed you too. But, we…we can’t…not here…”
James cleared his throat softly
and reached over, pushing a button on the dashboard. Giles met his eyes in the rearview mirror. As the black glass partition rose between
the front and back seats, James flashed him a knowing smile.
Giles returned his attention to
his wife when she leaned over and slowly ran her tongue down his neck. He gasped softly when she repositioned
herself and carefully straddled his thighs.
“Buffy…”
She ran her hand through his
hair and smiled down at him. “We’ve
never made love in a car before…”
His hands held her hips, halting
her movement as she began to rock against him.
“We’re…we’re not alone, darling…”
She leaned forward and kissed
him lightly. “He can’t see us.”
His hands loosened their grip momentarily,
giving her just enough time to grind against his erection. He groaned and gripped her tighter.
“But…he can hear us…”
She licked her lips and grinned
at him. “Maybe. Maybe not.
Maybe it’s soundproof glass.
Either way…we can be quiet…”
He chuckled as he shook his
head. “I can’t remember a time when
either one of us have been quiet.”
She reached down between them
and quickly undid his belt and trousers.
“So, it’ll be a night of firsts.”
As her hand curled around his
erection and pulled it out, he closed his eyes. “What?”
“First time making love in a
car. First time being quiet.” She began to stroke him slowly. “First time touching each other as a married
couple.”
He bit his moan back, sliding
his hands underneath her dress. His fingers
pushed her flimsy silk underwear to the side as she lifted her hips and guided
him to her centre. She moaned softly as
she sank onto him.
Once he had entered her fully,
he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to his chest.
“Be still, love.” He smiled at her muffled whimper. “I just want to be inside of you. I want to feel your warmth surrounding me.”
His lips found her neck and he
kissed her lightly. “If we make love
like this, we’re going to make a mess out of our clothing.”
She struggled to keep from
moving, her breath becoming heavy against his neck. “I want you, Giles.”
His erection twitched inside of
her as her inner muscles quivered against him.
“I want you too, darling. You must know how much I want you.”
The car hit a slight bump,
causing them to groan together as their bodies rocked gently. Her nails raked across his scalp as his
tongue traced the scar on her neck.
“Make me come. Let me make you come.”
He pulled back and covered her
mouth with his, kissing her deeply for a few moments before breaking the kiss
and gazing into her eyes.
“Sit beside of me.”
“What?” She asked breathlessly.
He gently lifted her off of him,
sighing at the loss of contact as he slipped out of her. She glanced down at his raging erection as
he positioned her beside of him.
“Giles...” She sighed in disappointment, her skin
flushed with desire. “We both need
to...”
He cut her off with a gentle
kiss before moving his lips to her ear and whispering in a lust-gravelled voice. “I’m not disputing that fact. I want to make you come and God knows I want
you to make me come.”
His hand slid under her dress,
slowly moving up her thigh. “I have
absolutely no intention of leaving you in this condition, Buffy.”
He stopped her hand as she
reached out to grasp his erection. He
pulled back and smiled at her look of confusion.
“If you touch me, I’m going to
come.”
She closed her eyes as his
fingers edged under the soft silk and brushed against her curls. “I...thought that was the point...”
He chuckled softly, his fingers
slowly stroking her. “Mm. However, the problem would be the same as
before. Semen shows up very well on
black. And...” He groaned as he slipped a finger inside of
her. “My God, you’re so wet.”
She arched her hips towards him
as he pushed a second finger in.
“Giles...”
He leaned into her, kissing her
neck passionately before whispering in her ear again. “I wish I was agile enough to make love to you with my mouth in
here.”
He smiled against her ear when
he felt her inner walls clench around his thrusting fingers. “Are you going to come for me, darling?”
Her hands tightened on his
shoulders. “God, yes...”
“Did I tell you how much I
enjoyed listening to you come over the phone last night?”
She groaned in response, unable
to form anything other than sounds.
“That’s what took me over the
edge. Hearing you come. But...do you know what I like even more?”
Her breath was hot against his
neck.
“Feeling you come.” He kissed her ear as he curled his fingers
inside of her. “It’s taking everything
in me right now not to push you down on the seat and push my cock into you.”
“Giles...”
Knowing she was close and also
knowing that there was no way she was going to be able to remain quiet, he
pulled back slightly and covered her mouth with his. As his tongue swept into her mouth, he felt her body begin to
shudder under his ministrations. He
swallowed her loud groan as her orgasm washed over her.
He continued to lightly stroke
her for a few seconds, slowly bringing her down. He leaned back and smiled lovingly at her as he removed his hand
from between her thighs and lifted it to his mouth. She held his gaze as he licked her juices from his skin. She gasped lightly at the sight and, with no
further warning, quickly pushed him back against the seat.
“Buffy...”
She moved her body and quickly
leaned over him, sliding her mouth over his erection. She sucked him hard, bobbing her head up and down. He hissed in pleasure, his hips rising
involuntarily to thrust further into her mouth.
“Oh God...Buffy...”
She allowed her teeth to lightly
scrape across his sensitive flesh in the way she knew he liked. He bit his lip to hold back his groan, his
fingers flexed against the back of her neck.
She felt him begin to thicken in her mouth and throat. Knowing how close he was, she hummed
lightly.
His head fell back against the
back of the seat, a drop of blood appeared on his lip as he bit just a little
too hard to keep from screaming her name.
She hummed again and smiled inwardly as he came forcefully. She swallowed all he had to offer, releasing
him only when she was sure she had captured every drop.
She pushed herself up, smiling
brightly at him as she carefully tucked him back into his trousers and
refastened them. He took a shaky breath
and pulled her in for a kiss. He kissed
her slowly and passionately, pouring his love for her into it.
As she pulled from the kiss, she
reached up and straightened his tie.
“You okay?”
He nodded and licked his
lips. “Mm-hm. I think we’ll be able to attend our party without...well, the
sexual tension has been lessened for now.”
She grinned at him. “I love you.”
He opened his mouth to reply as
a knock sounded on the glass partition.
A few seconds later, the glass lowered just a crack.
“Mr. and Mrs. Giles? We’re due to arrive at your destination in
five minutes. Would you care for a
little more time?”
Giles chuckled softly. “Please, it’s Rupert and Buffy. And...no, I think we’re fine to arrive.”
James lowered the partition
completely and glanced at the couple through the mirror with a smile. Giles returned his smile and placed his hand
on Buffy’s leg.
“So, James...what is your role
within the Council Walls?”
“I, uh...I’m a professor at the
Academy.”
Buffy grinned. “Ooh, you teach little Gileses!”
Giles and James both
chuckled.
“What is your subject?”
“Demonology, with emphasis on
possession. I teach the students the basics
of demon behaviour, but I focus mainly on the demon possession of humans and
the affect of the human body and mind from said possession.”
“Interesting. Have you been studying possession long?”
James smiled softly. “My entire career. I, uh...I was three years behind you in the Academy.”
“Oh?” Giles arched an eyebrow.
“So, you entered as I left for my...sabbatical?”
James chuckled again. “Yes.”
“May I ask how you and Amelia
met?”
James cleared his throat
softly. “Amelia sought me out five and
a half years later. She, uh...she had a
lot of questions about possession. She
was told that I was the person to see.”
“Oh...”
Buffy looked up at Giles and
nudged him. “What’s the ‘oh...’ about?”
Giles gave her a soft smile and
took a deep breath before looking back to James. “I suspect that I was the subject of your early discussions with
Amelia.”
James gave him a slight
nod. “She was very concerned for
you. She knew the basics from her
training, but after you were sent to rehabilitation, she knew she needed more
information if she was going to help you.”
Giles cleared his throat. “So, you know about our past?”
“I do.” James smiled at him. “It took Amelia years to let you go after
you came back. I’m rather sure that
part of her never has. But, we do have
a wonderful marriage and three beautiful children. I know that she’s extremely happy that you’ve found love again.”
Giles and Buffy were both at a
loss for words when James pulled to the curb in front of the Espresso
Pump. He quickly climbed out and opened
the back door for the couple. After
Giles had assisted his wife out of the car, he smiled at James.
“Would you care to join us?”
James returned the smile and
looked towards the door. “If I wouldn’t
be intruding, I think I’d rather enjoy it.”
Giles led Buffy to the door,
pausing to place a tender kiss on her lips before they entered behind Amelia’s
husband.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
They had just finished their
group dinner when Xander walked over and knelt down between Giles and Buffy’s
chairs. Giles looked down and smiled at
him.
Xander returned the smile and
gestured towards Buffy with a tilt of his head.
“Was wondering if I might be
able to have a dance with the bride.”
Giles gave the boy a nod and
leaned over to kiss Buffy. Xander stood
back up and grinned as Buffy took his hand.
He glanced back down at Giles and took a step back.
“So...Kingsley, huh?”
Giles gave him a mock-glare
before looking at Buffy. “Let me know
if you need rescuing.”
Buffy and Xander laughed as he
led her out onto the small dancefloor that had been erected especially for this
event. He watched them, smiling as they
laughed as friends do. He jumped
slightly when a pair of arms draped themselves over his shoulders from behind. Turning his head, he smiled into the brown
eyes.
“Willow.”
She giggled lightly. “I came over here to ask you for a dance.”
“Me?”
“Yep, you. It’s somewhat appropriate, don’t you
think? I mean...you, Buffy, Xander, and
me...we’re the originals. It’s kinda
fitting...you know?”
Giles chuckled and stood up,
offering his hand to Willow. “As long
as I’m not required to dance with Xander as well.”
Willow laughed and pulled him
onto the dancefloor. He held her comfortably
in his arms, smiling at Buffy as he began to dance. He looked down to find her smiling up at him.
“What?”
“I’ve never seen you this happy,
Giles.”
His eyes sparkled. “I’ve never married Buffy before.”
They fell easily into rhythm
with the music as they chatted quietly to each other.
“How come you never told us your
middle name is Kingsley?”
He laughed softly. “You never asked.”
“I always thought it would be
something like...I don’t know...Alastair or Thomas or Philip. You know, something really stereotypically
English.”
“Kingsley was my mother’s maiden
name. Giving me that name was one of
the best things my father ever accomplished.”
When Willow looked up at him
quizzically, he smiled. “My mother
wanted to name me Rupert Ewan Aloysius Giles.
My father convinced her that Rupert Kingsley Giles was more appropriate
for me.”
He grinned as she laughed before
he continued. “My mother relented, but
vowed that her next son would be named Ewan Aloysius. And, so...when my brother was born two years later, my father
knew it would be a losing battle and agreed.”
Willow narrowed her eyes. “I thought...you said you are an only
child.”
Giles nodded slowly. “I am...now.” He took a deep breath.
“Ewan died fairly early in life.
I was nine years old when he...”
Willow stopped dancing as he
trailed off. “Was it a vampire?”
“Hm?” Noticing that the song had ended, he led her back towards the
table. “Oh, no. When Ewan was five, he became quite ill. He held on for almost two years before his
body gave out.”
“Oh...I, uh...um...”
He smiled in understanding. “It’s quite alright, Willow. It was a long time ago.”
She took a deep breath and
looked up at him. “How is it that I
learned more about you in less than ten minutes than I have in the past four
years?”
He smiled and gave her a
wink. “You asked. Sometimes, that’s all you need to do to get
the answers you need.”
She relaxed at his comforting
tone. He closed his eyes when he felt
arms slide around his waist from behind.
“Hello, Buffy.”
“Aw, you knew it was me?”
He chuckled and turned in her
arms. “Who else would be hugging me in
an intimate manner?”
“Better be no one but me.” She sent him a playful glare.
He laughed and bent his head to
kiss her. “Hence the reason I knew it
was you.”
She sighed as his lips pulled
from hers. “So, what were you guys
talkin’ about?”
“Oh, the origins of my name and
Ewan.”
She smiled and leaned her head
against his chest. “Willow got the
whole story. Xander’ll be jealous. I just stuck with ‘Kingsley is Giles’ Mom’s
maiden name’.”
He chuckled softly and backed up
out of her embrace. “I, uh...I’ll be
right back.”
She looked into his eyes and
when he tilted his head towards the back of the room, she nodded. “Oh, okay.
Don’t be gone long.”
She sat down at the table,
Willow on one side and Xander on the other.
“May I have everyone’s attention
for a moment, please?”
Buffy turned towards her
husband’s voice to find him on the small stage. He was sitting on a stool with his guitar resting on his
leg. He had removed his jacket, but the
vest remained. She gasped as she
processed what her eyes had seen. He
was sitting on a stool...on the stage...with his guitar.
“The night that Buffy and I
realized that there was more to our relationship than me being her Watcher and
her being my Slayer, she requested me to sing for her. The song I chose to sing was one I had
written concerning my feelings for her.”
He cleared his throat and met her eyes.
“I, uh...I’d like to start this
new phase of our relationship in the same manner. Me singing her a song that I’ve written concerning my feelings
for her.” He smiled as she grinned at him. “Just with more witnesses this time.”
Chuckles and laughter from their
friends and family sounded in the room.
The soft noise died down as Giles began to play. He glanced amongst the small group before
settling his eyes on Buffy’s.
And I’m holding on to you
Nothing can separate this little
twist of fate
You’re the one my heart
belongs to
He smiled as his foot tapped
against the rung of the stool.
So let’s go around the world
Taking in everything, no
matter what life brings
We’re going to be chasing
forever
All the way to the end
All my life and back again
Every day I’ll be here
Loving you all through the
years
And it’s true
There’s so much freedom in
knowing
How sure we are that we’re
going
All the way
Buffy raised her hand and wiped away
a tear. She smiled brightly at him as
he moved into the next verse.
And I tell them honestly
This is no fleeting thing,
we’re not imagining
This is it, we know it’s
meant to be
He closed his eyes briefly in
emotion, opening them as he continued.
I’ve never felt like this
I don’t want anything but
something that’s passionate
Because the only way I know
how to love is
All the way to the end
All my life and back again
Every day I’ll be here
Loving you all through the
years
And it’s true
There’s so much freedom in
knowing
How sure we are that we’re
going
All the way
He was unable to stop the tear
from rolling down his cheek as he played out the end of the song. The last notes resonated in the silent room
as he stared into his wife’s eyes and spoke softly.
“I love you, Buffy.”
She stood and made her way to
him. As she stopped in front of him,
she reached out and brushed the tear away from his skin. He shifted the guitar to the side as she
moved in between his legs. She leaned
into him, whispering ‘I love you’ back to him before brushing her lips across
his.
He wrapped his free arm around
her, holding her tightly against him as he deepened their kiss. Her fingers combed through the soft hair on
the back of his head as she returned his kiss with passion.
They ended the kiss, with both
of them blushing lightly, as applause and whistles sounded within the
room. He chuckled softly and, after
placing his guitar in a safe place, led her back to the table.
As he pulled her chair out for
her, he felt someone walk up to him. He
looked to the side and smiled.
“Hello, Joyce.”
Her eyes were wet with tears
and, instead of saying anything, she pulled him into a hug. He took a moment to return the hug,
surprised by her actions. When she
released him, he smiled shyly at her.
“What was that for?”
“For loving my daughter.”
He smiled and then placed a soft
kiss on her cheek. He squeezed her
shoulder lightly.
“Joyce, that is the easiest
thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.”
“Why don’t you ever write songs
for me?”
Giles turned towards Anya’s
voice. Seeing Xander’s helpless
expression, he chuckled.
“An, honey...I don’t write songs
for anyone. I’m musically challenged. You’ve heard me sing.”
“You don’t have to sing
them. Write them and give them to Giles
to sing.”
When Buffy squeezed his hand, he
looked into her eyes. He recognized the
desire immediately and inhaled sharply.
He gave her a quick nod and smiled at everyone else.
“I, uh...I think I may take my
wife home now. But, if you’re not busy
on Sunday evening, we’d like to invite you to our home for dinner.” He glanced
over at the Council members and smiled warmly.
“And that invitation extends to everyone in this room.”
Everyone quickly accepted the
invitation and after making their way to the door while giving out handshakes,
hugs, and kisses, Buffy turned around with a grin on her face.
“Unless there’s a huge emergency
of apocalyptic nature, please don’t call or anything until Sunday.”
Giles blushed as their friends
laughed good-naturedly. With a quick
and final wave, Giles took Buffy’s hand and led her to their car, which Xander
had driven over for them.
The group followed them outside
cheering them as they drove off. As the
group began to disperse, Amelia walked over to Joyce.
“Are you alright?”
Joyce sniffled, raising her hand
to wipe away her tears. “My baby got
married.”
Amelia smiled and placed her arm
around the other woman. “Rupert will
take wonderful care of her, Joyce. He
takes care of everyone he loves.”
Joyce nodded and took a deep
breath before looking at Amelia. “Would
you like to come to my house for a few drinks?
And...maybe to talk?”
Amelia looked back at her husband
and smiled. James gave her a nod and
returned the smile. He walked over and
kissed her softly.
“I’m rather tired, love. Would you mind terribly if I went back to
the hotel?”
Amelia kissed him back. “Thank you, darling.”
Joyce smiled as she watched
Amelia watching James leave. As he
drove off in the vintage Rolls, Amelia turned to Joyce.
“Shall we?”
“We shall.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He held her hand as he slipped
the key into the lock. He smiled down
at her as he pushed the door open, his hand pulling her back as she took a step
forward.
“There’s one more
tradition.” He whispered softly as he
swept her into his arms.
She giggled as he carried her
into the house. “Giles!”
“What?” He grinned at her, placing her down and
closing the door behind them. “The
husband traditionally carries his new bride over the threshold.”
Her eyes sparkled as she stepped
closer to him. “And what happens then?”
“Ah, well that depends.”
“On?”
“Whether one, or both, of the
newly married couple is inebriated or not.
And...if one is, how debilitating the inebriation is.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh.”
“If the level of intoxication is
severe, then it’s normal for the couple to merely go to bed and...pass
out. If intoxication occurs, but is
mild to severe, then the couple tend to have drunken sex...sometimes to
completion before passing out.” His
eyes darkened slightly. “However, if
neither party are intoxicated in the least...the newly married couple make love
all night long. With a few breaks here
and there, of course.”
She unbuttoned his jacket and
pushed it off of his shoulders. “And
which of those categories do you fall into?”
“I’ve had two glasses of
champagne.” He lifted his hand and
tilted her head slightly as he leaned down.
“I wanted to make sure that I fell into the third category.”
He brushed his lips against hers
as he gently backed her towards the stairs.
She smiled up at him when he halted their movement.
“Taking me to bed, Mr. Giles?”
He nodded slowly. “Indeed, that was my plan, Mrs. Giles. Are you agreeable to that?”
“Mm-hm.” She glanced around quickly. “Did you want to look through the house
first?”
He shook his head. “Everything will still be here in the
morning. I’d much rather prefer to make
sure our bedroom is in order.”
She took hold of his hand and
let him up the stairs and then down to the end of the hall. She backed into their bedroom and pulled him
in with her. As he closed the door, she
let go of his hand and reached for the zipper on the back of her dress. He shook his head quickly.
“No, leave it.”
She gave him a lop-sided
grin. “Giles...”
He picked up a remote control
that was resting on the dresser and punched a button. Soft music began playing from the stereo in the corner.
“Dance with me, Buffy.”
She sighed happily and stepped
into his arms. She followed his lead,
easily finding a perfect rhythm together as she laid her head against his
chest.
“You look beautiful tonight,
darling.” He held her against him,
allowing his hands to caress her back.
“Your dress is absolutely stunning.”
“Thank you. It took me forever to pick it out. Willow and Mom kept throwing white dresses
at me, but...I’m not really a white kinda girl, you know?”
She grinned as he chuckled
softly. “Willow told me what you were
wearing.”
“Oh, did she?”
“Mm-hm.” Her fingers caressed the green silk
tie. “I have to say, though...what my
imagination showed me was nothing compared to the real you.” She unbuttoned his vest before wrapping her
arms back around him. “I love it when
you wear green.”
“That would be the reason I
chose green.” He whispered softly as
his fingers unclasped her hair, letting it fall onto her shoulders. “It was a beautiful night.”
“Yep. No vampires, no demons...”
She removed his vest, tossing it onto the chair. “But, with a slightly impatient Watcher.”
He chuckled, still swaying to
the music with his arms around her.
“I’m not sure anyone would be able to blame me.”
She grinned at him as she
removed his belt and then untucked his shirt.
“Do you remember anything that the minister was saying?”
He shook his head as he reached
up and loosened his tie, pulling it off and dropping it onto the floor. “No, I was too mesmerized by you to pay
attention to him. Is that a bad thing?”
She laughed gently, her fingers
nimbly unbuttoning his shirt. “I hope
not, because I’m in the same boat. It’s
a good thing Oz was taping it for us.”
He pulled back just long enough
for her to push his shirt to the floor and for him to kick his shoes off. “I do remember our vows. I remember the exchanging of rings. And...I remember the kiss.”
She leaned forward and kissed
his bare chest as she started to unbutton his trousers. “You remember the important stuff
then.”
She looked up when he moved
slightly, covering her hands with his and preventing her from completing her
task of undressing him. “Hey!”
He smiled and turned her in his
arms. He bent his head and placed soft
kisses along her shoulder towards her neck.
“I’d like to have a turn at
undressing you before you have me completely nude.”
She shivered as he slowly
lowered the zipper, his mouth following along and pressing warm kisses to her
exposed flesh. He knelt behind her, carefully
lifting first one foot then the other and removing her shoes. She could feel the coolness of his ring
against her skin as he placed his hand flat against her back.
“Giles...”
“Hm?” He stood back up slowly, running his tongue along her spine. He wrapped his left arm around her abdomen as
he used his right to finish unfastening his trousers.
She leaned back against his
chest, placing her left hand over his.
She looked down and smiled as the soft light glinted off of their
matching rings. Finally able to
unfasten and unzip his trousers, he slid his right hand along her back and
underneath the opened back of her dress.
She laced the fingers of their
left hands together as he gently pushed the strapless dress down her body. The bodice had been tight enough that she
hadn’t needed to wear a bra underneath.
As the ivory material pooled at her feet, she was left standing in only
her silk underwear and with her back against his bare chest.
She felt the groan rumble
against her back as his hands began to caress her soft skin. She started to turn towards him, but his
hands stopped her movement.
“Careful, love. Wouldn’t want you to trip over your dress.”
Before she could say anything,
he bent slightly and easily lifted her into his arms. As he moved towards the
bed, he smiled down at her.
“My God, you’re beautiful.”
He sat down on the edge of the
bed and lovingly laid her down beside of him.
He gazed into her eyes as he removed her last article of clothing and
dropped it to the floor.
“So beautiful.” The words were whispered as he leaned over
her and kissed her lips.
Her hands moved down his back
and edged under the waistband of his opened trousers and boxers. He groaned softly as her nails lightly
scraped across the flesh she found there. She smiled up at him, giving his ass a light pat.
“You still have clothes on.”
“Mm. I was somewhat preoccupied.”
Her eyes closed as his mouth
covered her nipple. “They...mm...need
to come off...”
“Busy...” He mumbled against her flesh.
“Giles...”
He smiled inwardly and moved his
mouth to her other nipple as his hand glided down to her hip. She moved her hand until it cradled the back
of his head, effectively holding his mouth to her breast. He shifted slightly, allowing his groin to
brush against her leg.
“Please...”
Hearing her whispered plea, he
raised his head and met her eyes.
“Buffy?”
“I need you to get them
off...please, Giles...”
He gave her another soft kiss
and slid off the side of the bed, quickly removing his remaining clothing. She stared at him through glazed eyes as he
moved back to her and covered her body with his. His mouth hungrily attached itself to the sensitive juncture of
her neck and shoulder. His teeth nipped
at the skin and she moaned his name.
He pushed himself up to look
down at her as she wrapped her legs around him. “Buffy...what...”
His question ended as her eyes
opened and stared into his. She
tightened her legs around him and moved her hips against him.
“Enough foreplay.” She pulled him back down and kissed him
deeply before finishing her statement.
“I need you now, Giles.”
He groaned loudly as she pressed
against him again. “Buffy...”
She shook her head before
flicking her tongue against his earlobe.
“No. Major foreplay in the
car. Not to mention the reception and
the dance we just shared...I need you inside of me.”
He placed his hand on her thigh
and squeezed gently. “I’m not debating
that, darling. I agree with the enough
foreplay statement. But...” He lifted his head, a smile dancing in his
eyes. “You need to loosen your grip on
me. I can’t move...”
“Oh.” She grinned at him, releasing her legs and sliding them back to
the bed. “Sorry.”
He relaxed his hand on her thigh
and rubbed his palm sensually across the smooth skin. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly.
“Nothing to be sorry for,
love. Although, I do hope you
understand that I plan to take this slowly.”
She nodded, lifting her hand to
run through his hair. “Mm-hm...and I’m
totally okay with that. I just...you
need to be inside of me right now.
Please, Giles...”
Understanding her desire and
near frustration, he captured her lips once more and gently slid his erection
into her warm core. He broke the kiss
with a gasp once he had entered her fully.
Their gazes locked, both sets of eyes widening at the sensation.
“Giles?”
He shook his head slowly. “I...I’m not sure what it is...”
Her hands cupped his face and
pulled him down for another kiss. “It’s
not bad though. Anything that feels
this...God, what’s the word I’m looking for?”
“Exquisite?” He supplied softly as his fingertips trailed
down her cheek. “Magnificent? Unbelievably perfect?”
She sighed and nodded. “Unbelievably perfect...it can’t be bad if
it feels like this.”
He began to move slowly, feeling
the air around them heat up with each gentle thrust. He smiled down at her as she raised her knees against his sides.
“What?”
“It’s us.”
She moaned softly as he began
building her orgasm. “Huh?”
“It’s nothing mystical...or
magical...it’s simply us.”
He continued his slow pace, his
lips peppering her face and neck with light kisses.
“Feels...different...”
He moved his lips to her ear and
whispered softly. “I prefer the word
perfect to different.”
“Giles...” His name came out on a gasp as he pulled out
briefly before thrusting deeply.
“I love you. I love everything about you.” He whispered before nibbling along her
neck.
Her skin was slightly salty from
the light sheen of perspiration coating her body. His tongue relished the taste of her passion on her flesh. Her hands slid across his back, unable to
find purchase on his sweat-slicked skin.
Her hips pushed upwards to meet his, slamming against him as he
maintained his leisurely pace.
He attempted to chuckle, however
it was mangled by his groan. “I
thought...we agreed to, uh...take it slowly...”
She leaned up, dragging her
tongue from the base of his throat to his chin. “We did...and...we are. I
just...oh, God Giles...I love the way you make love to me.”
“But you need more?” He whispered against her lips.
Her nails dug into his
shoulders. Normally, it would have
caused intense pain. At the moment, his
arousal was so strong that he didn’t even feel the skin separate. One of the few things he did feel, however,
was her body writhing beneath him.
Sensing that she was unable to
answer his whispered question, but knowing that she did indeed need more, he
moved his lips to her neck. She bucked
her hips against him as his teeth scraped along the pale scar tissue. He covered the marred skin with his mouth,
laving the tender flesh with his tongue before sucking hard and increasing the
speed of his strokes somewhat.
He felt her scream vibrate
against his mouth a split second before he heard it. Her hands slid across his back, smearing light trails of blood
within the sweat. He growled lustfully
against her throat as her inner walls convulsed violently throughout her
orgasm.
He lifted his head, closing his
eyes as he kept thrusting into her. Her
nails raked down his back, stopping and digging in just under his ribcage. He groaned loudly as her orgasm was almost
immediately followed by another. Small
drops of blood trickled down his sides from underneath her fingers.
He doubled his efforts, his pace
picking up speed as he continued to push her over the edge. Hearing his name on a strangled cry, he
opened his eyes and gazed down at her.
“Buffy?”
She forced her eyes open, her
vision blurry as she tried to focus on him.
She was able to watch a bead of sweat roll down his chest and drop onto
her breast before another orgasm washed over her. She gasped for breath, unable to scream or even speak, for that
matter.
Unable to hold on any longer, he
cried out her name, burying his head against her neck as he came deeply within
her. Her body continued to tremble and
shudder beneath him as she came one last time.
Her quivering arms held him in place when she felt him begin to shift to
lie beside of her.
His voice was scratchy, almost
raw sounding, when he lifted his head and whispered her name.
“Don’t move. I love the feeling of you lying like
this. It’s so…” She rubbed her hands up his back and lifted
them to cradle his face. Her eyes
registered the red stains on her palms.
“Oh my God!”
Hearing the panicked tone in her
voice, he pushed himself up. “Are you
okay?”
“Giles…I…” She held out her hand for him to see, tears
pricking at her eyes. “Oh, God…you’re
bleeding.”
“I’m sure I’m…”
She used what little strength she
had left to push him up. They both
groaned as his softening flesh slipped from her. He gingerly sat up and she clambered around the bed to move
behind him.
He heard her sobbing gasp and
turned his head to look at her.
“Buffy?”
“I…I hurt you…”
He gave her a soft smile and
turned his body towards her. “I assure
you, I’m not in pain.”
“There are scratches…deep
ones…they could even be considered fairly non-shallow cuts.” She looked back down at her hands, the tears
falling freely as she saw the blood underneath her fingernails. “Oh God…”
He pulled her into his arms
quickly. “Buffy, I’m fine. I promise.
It doesn’t hurt and…I didn’t feel it when it happened. I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think it
looks.”
She allowed him to hold her for
a few minutes before she wriggled out of his embrace and slid from the
bed. “Antiseptic…I need to clean them…”
“Buffy…”
“They need to be cleaned,
Giles!”
He smiled gently. “They do, I agree. Mainly due to the fact that I don’t want to ruin the brand new sheets
on our first night here.”
She stared at him for a minute
as his smile turned into a full-blown grin. She exhaled deeply, relaxing
somewhat when she realized that he was attempting humour.
“If you’re making a funny,
you’re not in pain…right? You’re really
okay?”
He nodded slowly as he stood and
walked over to her. He leaned down and
kissed her lovingly. “I’m really okay.”
“So much blood…” She whispered softly.
He kissed her again, backing her
towards the bathroom attached to their bedroom. “It’s probably not as much as it looks. Blood mixed with sweat…always looks worse than it really is.”
He was still kissing her as they
entered the bathroom. He broke the kiss
only to reach into the shower stall and turn on the water. His hand tenderly caressed her face,
brushing away her tears as he smiled down at her.
“We’ll take a shower and then
you’ll be able to see that it’s not that bad, okay?”
She nodded slowly and took a
deep breath. “I love you so much,
Giles.”
“And I you.” He gave her another kiss before helping her
into the shower.
She smiled when she watched the
hot spray hit his back and he didn’t grimace in pain.
“You’re really okay.”
He pulled her into his arms, kissing
her deeply as the water rinsed their bodies of sweat, blood, and bodily fluids.
Five figures walked through the
cemetery after changing into clothing that was appropriate for patrol. Angel rolled his eyes at the banter of the four
younger people following him.
“I wonder what they’re doing
now?”
Everyone stopped, turned, and
stared in disbelief at Xander.
“What?” He rolled his eyes and huffed
dramatically. “Okay, that’s so not what
I meant. I mean, I’m sure they’re
doing...uh...that...” He slapped his
hand over his eyes. “And, I really
didn’t need that mental image!”
Anya shrugged a shoulder in a
nonchalant manner. “It’s not really a
bad image. Yes, it was somewhat
surprising walking in on them while they were...”
“Anya!” Xander lowered his hand and glared at his
girlfriend.
“Well, it was. But, not as surprising as hearing what he
was saying...”
“Please, God...stop her.” Xander moaned softly.
Willow’s eyes widened as she
looked over at Anya. “He’s a talker
during...you know...like, not on the phone sex?”
Oz smirked. Angel sighed deeply. Xander stared at the two young women in
mortification.
“I’m not sure I need to hear
this.” Angel stated softly. “I, uh...I think I’ll do another perimeter
check.”
Xander took a step towards the
vampire. “Can I come with? Please?”
Angel gave a light chuckle and
nodded at the boy before casting a glance towards Oz. Oz shook his head and smiled.
“Oddly I’m not so disturbed by
this conversation. Besides...where Will
is, I am.”
Xander groaned as Anya began
giving explicit details of what she had seen and overheard. Angel grabbed his arm and tugged him in the
opposite direction.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Buffy smiled as she walked into
the living room to find Giles sitting on the couch, wearing his robe and
reading the paper. A steaming mug of
tea rested on the coffee table in front of him. He looked up and returned her smile, folding the paper and tossing
it onto the table.
“Hello.”
“Hi.” She ran her hand through her towel-dried hair and sat down beside
of him. “Any reason why you didn’t want
to shower with me?”
He laughed gently and leaned
over to kiss her. “You know exactly
why.”
She grinned and lifted his arm
around her. “Needed a little recovery
time?”
“Well, it has been a rather long
time since I’ve, uh...well...”
“Had sex all night with a
woman?” She chuckled.
He cleared his throat. “Well, never with a woman.”
“Huh?”
“When I was in the habit of
having sex all night, it was never with just one woman. I’d tire of them easily and not one of them
was able to keep me interested for a full night.” He looked at her and smiled.
“And that was a rather long time ago.”
He combed his fingers through
her hair and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.
“And...what I technically meant was that it has been a long time since
I’ve...ejaculated that many times in a relatively short period of time.”
“Oh.” She tilted her head as she thought over what he had said. “Did you tire of me last night?”
He shook his head slowly. “I’m not sure that is even possible.”
She smiled shyly and was quiet
for a few moments. “How’s your back?”
“Hm? Oh, it’s fine.”
She glanced down at her hands
and sighed. “I should cut my nails.”
“Don’t you dare!”
She looked back up at him,
surprised to see such determination in his eyes. “Giles, I can’t...”
“Do you have any idea how much I
love feeling your fingernails scratch across my back when I’m making love with
you?”
She shifted slightly, her
heartbeat quickening as his voice lowered.
“No.”
“The fact that I am able to make
you unconsciously claw at me, trying to pull me further into you, not wanting
to let me go. Christ, Buffy...it’s the
most sublime sensation. When your nails
rake across my skin, it...” He sighed
softly, the words surprisingly not coming to him.
She smiled at his slight
frustration. “Does it make you hotter?”
His eyes darkened as he stared
at her. “Yes.”
She reached out and pushed the
robe from his shoulders. “Let me see
them?”
He silently turned his body so
that his back was facing her. He closed
his eyes as her fingers gingerly circled the shallow cuts along his
shoulders.
“They don’t look as bad now.”
He inhaled deeply as she leaned
forward and kissed each of the marks.
“Buffy...”
She knelt behind him, her hands
soothing the skin on his back as she placed a soft kiss behind his ear. “Do you need more recovery time?”
He tilted his head, giving her
complete access to his neck. His heart
began to race as she took advantage of the access given.
“No, I think I’m recovered
enough.”
She lifted her mouth from his
neck and whispered huskily into his ear.
“Take me back to bed.”
“What’s wrong with right here?”
“Nothing, but...we need
to be in a bed.”
He turned his head, a
questioning look in his eyes. She
smiled and traced his bottom lip with her finger.
“Trust me?”
He nodded slowly. “Completely.”
She leant in and kissed his lips
softly. “Then take me to bed.”
Without another word, he stood
and grabbed her hand.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Oz smiled at Willow as he leaned
against the doorframe. “What are you
doing?”
She dropped the cordless phone
back onto the bedside table. “Not
calling Buffy.”
“It’s only a day, Will.”
She nodded. “I know.
I do. But, Buffy and I talk every
single day.”
He sat down beside of her and
took hold of her hand. “And, after
today it’ll go back to the way it was.
They need this, you know?”
“I do, really I do. And it’s really not that much for them to
ask for, is it? I mean...one day when they
don’t have to think about anything other than themselves. They never get that.”
He kissed her temple and
stood. “Come on, I’ll take you out for
breakfast.”
“Can we ask Xander and Anya to
come too? And...Wesley and Cordelia?”
Oz grinned and gestured towards
the phone. “Maybe even Peter and
Julian?”
Willow smiled brightly and
picked up the phone.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
By the time she pushed him onto
the bed, she had removed his robe as well as her own. His tongue darted out and licked his lips as she straddled
him. She leaned down and dragged her
tongue up his chest, smiling as he groaned softly.
When his hands reached for her,
she grabbed them quickly and shook her head.
He raised an eyebrow and she grinned before plunging her tongue into his
mouth. He returned her kiss with hunger
and lust. She felt his chest rumble
with a low growl as she moved her hips against him.
She broke the kiss and sat up
abruptly. They merely watched one
another for a few moments before she leaned over and pulled the belt from her
robe. His eyes darted to the material
before returning to her gaze.
“Buffy?”
She took a deep breath as she
attempted not to second-guess herself.
She reached down and tenderly caressed the side of his face before she
whispered to him.
“Do you still want me to tie you
up?”
His eyes widened and his breath
became heavier. He swallowed the sudden
lump in his throat and nodded wordlessly.
“Are you sure? Because...”
“I trust you.”
She thought for another
moment. “If it gets to be too much,
you’ll tell me?”
“Yes.”
She smiled as his eyes glazed
over lightly and lifted his arms above his head. She quickly bound his hands to the headboard, tight enough that
it secured him but loose enough to not cause him discomfort.
“Is that okay?”
He gave the bindings a quick and
sharp tug. He closed his eyes briefly
and inhaled slowly. When he opened his
eyes, he smiled up at her.
“Yes.”
Her hands rubbed along his
chest. “Is there anything in particular
that you want me to do?”
His eyes darkened. “Use your imagination, love.”
She grinned and settled on his
thighs. “I know what I want to do.”
His eyes wandered over her
breasts as he choked out one word.
“What?”
She licked her lips and pushed
herself up to a kneeling position over him.
He gasped softly as her hand slid down her stomach.
“I want to touch myself for
you. And when I’m ready to
come...” She closed her eyes as her
fingers moved through her wet folds. “I
want to come in your mouth.”
“Oh, Buffy...yes...please...”
His erection twitched as he
watched her finger slide into her core.
She moved at a leisurely pace, slowly building her orgasm. She opened her eyes, smiling to find him
staring at her hand.
“Giles?”
He licked his lips as his chest
heaved. “Don’t stop, Buffy.”
Her free hand reached out and
curled around his erection. He groaned
at the contact and tugged against the restraints without thinking.
“Do you want me to untie you?”
He shook his head quickly.
She gave him a gentle squeeze
and then released him. He inhaled
shakily and looked into her eyes.
“What is it, honey?”
He looked back down at her hand,
growling softly as she dipped another finger inside.
“Come here.”
Her thumb circled her clitoris
as she continued to thrust her fingers.
“Where?”
He swallowed and slowly moved
his eyes up her body. “I want to taste
you.”
She closed her eyes for a
moment, feeling her orgasm building rapidly.
“You will.”
Hearing the tone of her voice,
his eyes snapped to her face. “You’re
close.”
“Uh-huh.”
He pulled at the restraints
again and groaned. “Buffy,
please...come here.”
She carefully made her way up
his body and positioned herself over his mouth. “Is this where you want me?”
He inhaled deeply, breathing in
her scent. “Lower...”
She hovered above him, just out
of his reach. “Not yet. I’m almost there...”
He moaned and lifted his upper
body in a failed attempt to cover her with his mouth. “Buffy...”
She grabbed hold of the top of
the headboard with her free hand as she pumped her fingers furiously. He groaned loudly as a drop of her juice hit
his lip. He licked it hungrily,
savouring the taste.
“Oh, God...Giles...”
He could smell how close she was
to the edge. “Now, Buffy...now...”
She bit her lip and removed her
fingers, quickly lowering herself to his mouth. His tongue lapped at her greedily, thrusting into her
sharply. She screamed his name and
flooded his mouth as she came. His moan
was muffled against her flesh.
With a bit of effort, she moved
back until she could lean down to kiss him.
“Do you want me to untie you
now?”
“No.” He licked his lips repeatedly as she moved down his body. “I want you to fuck me.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.”
“You want me to ride you until
you come deep inside of me?”
“God, yes.”
She grinned at him as she
stroked him slowly. “You’re so hard,
honey.”
He closed his eyes, forcing
himself to calm before he came all over her hand. Seeing his dilemma, she quickly lowered herself onto him. He moaned in pleasure as she began to move
against him. Her hands found his
nipples and pinched them lightly.
“Faster, Buffy.” He thrust his hips against her, increasing
the depth. “Make me come hard and
fast.”
She glanced at his hands and
noticed his fingers gripping the spindles of the headboard. She moved faster against him, slamming her
hips down against his.
“Like that?”
“Oh, God...yes, Buffy. Just like that...so good...”
“You like it when I fuck
you...don’t you?”
“Yes...don’t...oh, Buffy...don’t
stop...so...close...”
She felt him expand within her
walls. She also felt the familiar
sensation of an impending orgasm on her part.
“Giles...oh...gonna come...”
As he felt her contract around
him, he screamed her name and came deeply within her. As soon as she felt his semen splash her walls, she flooded over
him again.
She collapsed onto his chest,
panting heavily.
He jerked on the belt holding
his hands in place. “Untie...me...”
She reached up with a shaky hand
and pulled the belt loose. He wrapped
his arms around her, holding her tightly to him. He smiled as she mumbled his name against his chest.
“Mm?”
She turned her head, placing her
ear over his heart. She listened
carefully as his heartbeat slowly began to return to normal.
“Was that…okay?”
He chuckled softly, rubbing his
hands up and down her back. “More than
okay, darling.” He placed a soft kiss
on the top of her head. “Thank you.”
She lifted her head and looked
into his eyes. “For what?”
He smiled at her innocently
asked question. “You do remember the
conversation we had concerning this subject?”
She gave him a nod, her eyes
silently requesting him to continue.
“I was being extremely honest
with you. I have never trusted anyone
enough to allow them to restrain me.
I’ve trusted people to keep me alive, to train me, to become my friends
or…lovers. But, to completely give
myself to another…I’ve never been able to do that.”
“So, this was a really big thing
for you then, huh?”
He smiled and ran his fingers
through her hair. “The, uh…the biggest
thing, yes. And you made me feel safe
and secure enough to go through with it.”
He carefully rolled them onto
their sides and kissed her softly.
“That was the reasoning behind me saying ‘thank you’.”
She smiled at him, curling up
against him. “I’ll always do anything
and everything I can to make you feel safe.”
He allowed his eyes to close as
she relaxed in his arms. “I know.”
She woke up in a tangle of arms
and legs and glanced at the clock. She
did a double take at the time and then smiled at the image of her sleeping
husband. She leaned over and kissed his
cheek softly before setting to the task of untangling herself from him.
He shifted in his sleep as she
pulled her leg out from under his thigh.
“Buffy…” He mumbled softly.
She looked at his face, her
smile growing as she realized he was still sound asleep. She pulled the sheet up over his hips and
reached for her robe. She watched him
for a few seconds before quietly slipping out of the room and closing the door
behind her.
* * *
She was mildly surprised that he
hadn’t moved at all in the thirty minutes she had been gone. She placed the tray carrying a bowl of
sliced fruit, toast, and a pot of tea with two mugs on her bedside table and
climbed up beside of him.
She shook his shoulder
gently. “Giles?”
“Mm…”
She grinned and ruffled his hair
lightly. “Giles? Wake up…”
He inhaled sharply, clearly
protesting the fact that she wanted him to wake up. She found the act slightly childish, which also meant that she
found it completely adorable.
“Wake up, Giles.”
“M’why?” He asked groggily.
She sat down on the bed behind
him, running her fingers over the marks on his back.
“Because it’s almost two and we haven’t
eaten today.”
“Two what?”
She narrowed her eyes at his
confusing question. “What do you mean
‘two what’?”
“Huh?”
She rolled her eyes and shook
him once more. “Giles!”
He opened his eyes slowly and
rolled onto his back. “Huh?”
She smiled down at him as she
ran her fingers through his hair.
“There you are.”
He narrowed his eyes in
confusion and pushed himself up slowly.
“Did I go somewhere?”
“Just had a bit of trouble
getting you to wake up.” She leaned
over and kissed him softly. “We should
eat. So, I have fruit, toast, and tea.”
She lifted a slice of banana to
his lips, smiling as he took it without question. He chewed quickly and reached for his cup of tea.
“What time is it?”
“After two.” She handed him a piece of toast as she took
a bite out of her own piece.
He glanced towards the
window. “Oh. I, uh…I didn’t actually mean to sleep that long.”
“Neither did I.” She swallowed the bite of toast and smiled
at him. “But, then again…we didn’t get
much sleep last night.”
He grinned, giving her a slight
nod as he reached for a handful of grapes.
“This is true.”
“Did you have anything planned
for today?”
He raised an eyebrow. “No, you told me not to make plans for
Saturday. And, unless I’ve slept longer
than I realized…today is Saturday.
Therefore, no plans have been made.”
She laughed softly. “Well, I guess I wasn’t really expecting you
to actually…um…I thought you were exaggerating when you said ‘all night long’.”
He blushed lightly. “Yes, I rather surprised myself as
well. What would you like to do today?”
“Well, a shower would be my
first thought.”
He chuckled and nodded in
agreement. “We could…go through the
house…”
“We did that last night.”
He sputtered on a mouthful of
tea. “Well, not exactly. We were in almost every room, but…”
“Did we miss a room last night?”
He grinned. “Two.
The library and the basement.”
“We’ll have to hit those at some
point today then, won’t we?”
He grabbed the last strawberry
and smiled. “But, first…a shower.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He quickly made his way down the
stairs, smiling as he watched her dancing to the music playing on the
stereo. He leaned against the wall and
chuckled as she started singing along to the song. She turned around to find him grinning at her, wearing only a
pair of jeans. She gasped lightly,
unsure of whether she had ever seen him look quite that sexy. He pushed himself off the wall and walked
over to her.
“What are we listening to?”
“Huh? Oh…Everclear.” She looked
towards the stereo. “I can turn it off,
though.”
“No, I don’t mind it.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Your brain isn’t dribbling out of your
ears?”
He laughed and gave her a quick
kiss before grabbing the pack of cigarettes resting on the table. “No.
That only happens with that techno-dance-pop shit that you used to
insist on listening to. This…” He gestured towards the stereo with a tilt
of his head. “I find this rather
enjoyable.”
“Huh.”
He smiled at her and then looked
towards the back door. “I, uh…I was
going to go outside for a cigarette.
Would you care to join me?”
“Outside? Yes.
For a cigarette? No.”
He chuckled and held the door
open for her. He followed her out,
digging his hand into his pocket for a lighter. She turned around to face him as she leaned back against the
railing on the deck.
“It’s become more of a habit
than you were anticipating, hasn’t it?”
He slid the lighter back into
his pocket as he took a drag of the cigarette.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Will you stop eventually?”
“I will.”
She nodded, satisfied with his
answer for the time being. “In that
case, let’s move onto something else I wanted to say to you.”
He flicked the ashes into the
ashtray. “And what would that be, my
dear?”
“You look incredibly sexy right
at this very moment.”
He coughed as the smoke tickled
his throat.
She grinned at him. “Even with the cigarette…you’re so
deliciously…sexy.”
“I am?”
She took a step forward. “Mm-hm.
You and a pair of jeans…should become best friends. Especially with no shirt, no shoes, no
socks.” She sighed dreamily and glanced
at his hand. “And I’m not sure I’ve
told you how much it turns me on to see that ring on your finger. Even more
than the earring.”
He swallowed and dropped the
half-smoked cigarette into the ashtray.
“Are you trying to seduce me?”
She sauntered over to him and
wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Maybe. Is it working?”
He grasped her hips and pulled
her against him. “You tell me.”
She purred softly. “I think we have the beginnings of a
successful seduction.”
“Mm-hm. But, I think I’d like to just hold you for a
while.” He glanced towards the open
door as the cd changed. “I’d ask you to
dance, but we both know how that would end up.”
She snorted softly. “We’ve finished a dance before.”
He laughed and slid his hands up
her back. “One. We’ve finished one dance. And that was at our reception.”
“But, we finished it. So, that proves it is possible.”
“Yes, just not very probable.”
She smiled up at him, her
fingers playing with his hair. “Okay, so
no dancing. We could go inside and
cuddle for a while.”
He inhaled sharply as her nails
lightly scraped against his nape.
“Or…we could just acknowledge the pretense of our actions and skip right
to the part where I take you inside and make love to you again.”
She gasped at the intensity in
his eyes. Her eyes darkened as he held
her hips tightly against his groin.
“Basement or…library?”
He grinned at her, leaning down
to brush his lips across hers. “We’ve
never actually made love in a library.
That is a shame…considering.”
She dropped her arms and smiled
when he took hold of her hand, leading her back into the house. “Considering what?”
He chuckled and pulled her down
the hall and into the library.
“Considering that our lives revolve around books…and…the fact that we
actually met in a library.”
He closed the door behind them
and kissed her passionately. He broke
the kiss and quickly pulled her shirt over her head.
“And, I have to admit…there is
this fantasy that I’ve had for a while now.”
She pulled at the buttons on his
jeans as he unclasped her bra and dropped it to the floor. “Oh?”
“Mm-hm.” He backed her towards the sofa that had been
placed in the room. “I find something
highly erotic about the idea of making love to you in a room full of books.”
She laughed gently as he pushed
her onto the sofa and quickly removed her jeans. “You’re such a geek sometimes.”
He grinned at her and shucked
his own jeans. “A geek? Because I have fantasies involving books?”
She purred softly as he took his
place on the sofa with her, pushing her down onto the cushions and moving his
body to rest between her thighs.
“Yeah…but, you’re a loveable geek.”
He leaned over her, whispering
softly before he took her mouth with his.
“That’s good to know.”
* * *
Their names echoed in the room
as they came together. Her legs and
arms were wrapped around him tightly, holding him in place as she fought for
her breath. His lips were placing
tender kisses along her shoulder between his panting gasps.
“Giles…”
She relaxed her grip on him and
he shifted slightly, pushing himself up with his hands on the cushions to look
down at her. Her skin was flushed and
it warmed his heart to know he was the cause of it.
“Buffy, I…”
Whatever he was going to say
ended abruptly and was instantly forgotten as they both gasped in surprise.
“Oh my God.”
The words were uttered by both
of them simultaneously. He sat up
quickly, kneeling between her thighs.
He stared at her in bewilderment, his eyes drifting down her torso.
His heart began to race as he
gingerly placed his hand on her abdomen.
“Buffy…”
Her hand covered his, causing
him to meet her gaze. The tears welled
quickly in her eyes.
“You felt it?”
He nodded wordlessly and he
fought to take a deep breath, his eyes staring at their hands.
“Giles?” She sat up, his hand still on her belly, and
wiped the tears that had spilled onto her cheeks. When he didn’t respond, she felt the panic set in. “Giles!
Please say something!”
He shook his head lightly as if
to clear it and looked up at her. His
eyes were wet with unshed tears and a smile slowly formed on his lips.
“We…oh dear Lord, Buffy…we…”
Her panic began to ease as he
smiled. She reached over and pulled him
into a loving hug. Her voice was a mere
whisper in his ear when she spoke.
“We made a baby…”
His tears finally fell and he
wrapped his arms around her. “I…can’t
believe it…”
“You’re going to be a
father.” She kissed his neck softly.
He pulled back, his smile showing
brightly in his eyes. “And you a
mother.”
Her hand caressed his
cheek. “Giles…are you okay with
this? I mean…really okay with it?”
“Pardon?”
She licked her dry lips and took
a deep breath. “It’s just…I wasn’t
expecting it to happen this soon. And…I
know you weren’t either…”
“No, I wasn’t. But…it’s not as if we weren’t planning to
have children. And…yes. I’m very okay with this.” He leaned in and kissed her tenderly. “Are…are you?”
She nodded quickly, her smile
wide. “I’m definitely okay with this.”
They held each other for a few
moments before Buffy started laughing.
He pulled from the embrace, smiling as he looked at her.
“What is it?”
“Aren’t you glad we didn’t wait
longer than five weeks to get married?”
He chuckled and shrugged his
shoulders. “I can’t imagine that I
would’ve been any less happy if we weren’t married.”
They laughed together and then,
as the laughter eased off, she looked at him.
“Giles?”
“Yes?”
“Um…you felt it happen.”
He nodded slowly. “I did.
I knew as soon as you did.”
“But…you didn’t mention that
when we discussed having children. You
said that the Slayer would know immediately, but you didn’t say anything about
the father knowing too.”
“I…didn’t know that part. Of everything I read, that was never
mentioned.” He looked around the room,
his eyes searching for a particular book.
She grinned and placed her hand
on the side of his face, turning it back towards her. “This isn’t the time for ‘Research Giles’.”
“But…this could be important.”
She nodded in agreement. “It could be. But…can you hold off on the research for just a little
while? I’m not ready to release
‘Husband Giles’ and ‘Soon-to-be-Father Giles’ to the books just yet.”
He smiled shyly and ducked his
head. He stood up and gathered their
clothing. After handing her clothes to
her and slipping his jeans back on, he took her hand and pulled her from the
sofa.
“Come on, I’ll get dinner
started.”
She nodded and quickly
dressed. As they stepped into the hall,
she stopped and looked back into the room.
When he saw her broad smile, he lightly squeezed her hand.
“Buffy?”
She grinned at him and gestured
towards the room. “How appropriate is
it that our child was conceived in a library?”
He laughed and led her back down
the hall.
Dinner was unremarkable that
evening. The food that he had prepared
had been nice, but neither of them felt like eating. They pushed the food around on their plates as they talked, but
little had actually made it into their mouths.
Giles had cleared the table and taken care of the dishes with Buffy’s
help. If leaning against the counter
and chatting happily while he washed the dishes was considered help. He found that he didn’t mind in the least.
They took their third shower of
the day, this time together. Giles
found that his hand kept rubbing gently over her stomach as she leaned back
against him. Buffy found the simple act
absolutely precious. She smiled at the
knowledge that he was, indeed, as happy about this turn of events as she was.
And here they were, stretched
out on their bed with the lights dimmed.
She was lying on her back and he was on his side facing her. His head propped up with his right hand as
his left hand rested lovingly on her abdomen.
She wondered silently if his hand was going to become permanently
attached to her belly now.
She sighed in contentment and
covered his hand with hers. “When do we
have to tell people?”
“As much as I would love to keep
this between us for a while, we should tell them soon. Maybe at dinner tomorrow night?”
She nodded, twining her fingers
with his. “I want to tell Mom first
though.”
“We could ask her to come over
earlier and tell her before the others arrive.” He thought for a second and sighed. “We should ask Amelia to come over early as well.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Technically, I should have
already notified her of this.”
She turned her head and met his
eyes. “Why?”
He took a deep breath. “Protocol.
If the Slayer becomes impregnated, the Watcher is the first to
know. As soon as the Watcher is
informed, he should report to his supervisor immediately.”
“Oh. So, are you gonna get in trouble for waiting?”
He shrugged his shoulder and
smiled. “If my supervisor was still
Travers, I’d say probably. Amelia might
be a little more understanding.
However, she does like to follow the rules. She’ll mention something about the lapse in information, but
she’s not likely to berate me over it.”
He leaned down and kissed her gently.
“Nevertheless, I don’t care. I’d
prefer a dressing down from my superior than to give up one second of this.”
She smiled happily at him and
glanced down at their hands. “Do you
want a boy or a girl?”
“I want a healthy, happy baby.” He answered quickly, yet softly.
Her lips quirked into a
grin. “So, no preference?”
“No. What about you?”
“Oh, I’ve had dreams about
both.” She laughed gently when she saw
the panicked look in his eyes. “Not at
the same time.”
“Oh…” He breathed a sigh of relief.
“Are there any family names that
I need to know about?”
He looked puzzled at her
question. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you know…any names that
would be expected to be handed down.”
“Oh…no. Not on my part, in any case.”
She grinned at him. “So, nothing strange like Archibald or
Daralis or Creighton or…”
He laughed heartily and shook
his head. “No, nothing strange such as
those.”
“Good, because as much as I love
you, I refuse to name our son Creighton Giles or our daughter Daralis Giles.”
He shuddered dramatically. “Wherever did you hear the name ‘Daralis’?”
“It was in a baby name book I
was going through one time.”
He raised an eyebrow, suddenly
intrigued. “Oh? And did you find any that you liked?”
She thought for a moment. “I don’t know. I really like the name Jason for a boy.”
“It’s a nice name, however…if
you don’t mind…I’d like to steer clear of names beginning with J or G.”
“Huh?” She thought about the name and smiled. “Oh… ‘Jason Giles’…doesn’t really sound good, does it?”
“Not exactly, no.”
“What about Leanne? Or…Kevin?”
He chuckled softly. “I gather you’re referring to Leanne as a
girl’s name and Kevin as a boy’s?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, I was thinking Kevin Leanne Giles.”
He laughed again and kissed her
temple. “There’s nothing that says we
have to name our child tonight.”
“I know…but…” She pushed herself up and leaned against the
headboard. “I don’t want to just call
it ‘the baby’ or some silly nickname like ‘Casey’ or…”
“Casey?”
“Yeah, you know…non-descript
unisex names. I don’t want that.”
He sat up beside of her and
grinned at her. “Do you really want to
decide on names for our child tonight?”
She nodded, but didn’t look at
him. “Is it silly?”
“Completely.” He placed his fingers under her chin and
tilted her face towards him. “But,
completely beautiful as well. If you
want to name our child tonight, we will.”
She smiled brightly at him and
opened her bedside table to retrieve the hidden baby name book. He returned her smile before he kissed her.
“I do have one request,
however.”
“What?”
He ran his fingers through her
hair and took a deep breath. “If we
have a girl, I’d like the middle name to be ‘Summer’.”
Her eyes glistened. “Okay, because…if we have a boy, I want his
middle name to be ‘Rupert’.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I thought you didn’t like ‘Rupert’.”
“I’ve never said that. I think it’s a good, strong name. And…it’s your’s.”
“Oh. With all of the teasing that you lot gave me over it, I assumed
you didn’t like it.”
“You know what you get when you
assume?”
He chuckled and pulled her
closer to him as she opened the book.
* * *
Two hours later, the only decision
that they had been able to make was the one concerning the middle names. Each had made suggestions that the other had
thrown out for one reason or another.
Buffy grumbled lightly.
“What’s wrong with ‘Spencer’?”
He rolled his eyes. “Nothing, except for the fact it sounds like
a dog’s name.”
She huffed loudly and then a
thought occurred to her. “Okay, what if
we narrow it down to names beginning with b-r?”
“B-r?”
She nodded. “Yeah, you know…for Buffy and Rupert. There are plenty of names starting with
b-r…”
“Bradley.”
“Bracken.”
He narrowed his eyes at
her. “No. Uh, Brandon.”
“Brett.”
“Bromley.”
She grimaced. “Braden.”
They were quiet for a moment,
each of them turning the name over in their minds. With a smile, Giles nodded.
“I like it.”
“Braden Rupert Giles. It sounds…right. Doesn’t it?”
“That it does.” He grinned at her and flipped through the
book towards the girl’s names. “One
down, one to go.”
* * *
After twenty more minutes, she took
the book from his hands and slid it back inside the drawer. She snuggled up against him and sighed.
“Okay, so we either have Braden
Rupert or Branwen Summer. You’re happy
with those, right?”
“Mm-hm. And it only took us nearly three
hours.” He wrapped his arms around her,
bending his head to kiss her shoulder.
“Though, we still may have a problem.”
“Hm?”
“We don’t know the sex. So…we can’t really call him or her by name.”
She licked her lips and took a
deep breath. “Do you want to know?”
He sat up quickly, leaning over
her. “You know?”
She reached up and caressed his
face lovingly. “If the very vivid dream
I had the other night was true, then yes I do.”
“Vivid?”
She smiled, her fingers lightly
tracing his lips. “Some Watcher types
might even call it prophetic.” She
pulled him down gently and kissed him.
“Do you want me to tell you?”
He swallowed nervously and gave
her a quick nod. She grinned, pulling
his body until he rested between her legs.
She lifted slightly, cradling his hips with her thighs as she kissed him
again. He groaned softly at the
contact, his reaction immediate.
She licked her lips and stared
into his quickly darkening eyes. “Make
love to me, Giles.”
He inhaled sharply as she wrapped
her legs around him, drawing him into her.
“Buffy…”
She closed her eyes briefly as
his erection slid into her depths. When
she opened them, she smiled in adoration at him.
“I want to make love with you
while I’m telling you about my dream.”
He moved slowly within her,
leaning down to kiss her neck tenderly.
“Tell me…”
Her hands moved along his back
as he continued to thrust slowly. She
moved her lips to his ear and whispered softly.
“What do you want to know about
our son?”
“Everything.” He gasped suddenly and lifted his head
quickly to find her eyes smiling at him.
“Son?”
“Mm-hm…” She arched her hips against him when his
movement paused. “Don’t stop, Giles…”
“Sorry…” He smiled shyly and moved his hand to her
hip as he resumed his slow pace.
“What…what do you…know?”
Her eyes closed as his fingers
tightened on her hip. “I know…emotions
concerning…him. I…felt him. I saw his…eyes.”
She opened her eyes and stared
at him. “He has your eyes. And…I know this was my idea. Telling you about him now…but…it’s just a
bit…”
“Odd?” He supplied with a knowing smile.
She nodded slowly. “Like it’s not right to talk about him while
we’re…you know…”
He chuckled softly. “Then we save the talk for later?”
“Mm. My man has a plan.”
He kissed her passionately as he
continued to push her towards ecstasy.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Buffy turned around when she
heard him walk into the kitchen. She
smiled brightly as he walked over to her.
“Do I look alright?”
She chuckled as she nodded. “You look very nice. It’s not an interview or anything, you
know.”
He leaned down and kissed her
lips lightly. “I know. It’s just us telling your mother that’s
she’s going to become a grandmother in five months.”
She tilted her head and regarded
him carefully. “You seem more nervous
about this than you did about our wedding.”
He moved around her and picked
up the cup of tea she had prepared for him.
“I was completely sure about marrying you.”
“You’re not sure about the
baby?”
He looked up quickly. “I’m very sure about the baby. I’m just not sure how your mother will
react.” He set the cup down and pulled
her into his arms. “And...I thought we
named our son because you didn’t want to call him ‘the baby’.”
She laughed softly. “Well, yeah...I guess...” She sighed softly and pulled back to look up
at him. “Do you want to tell them that
it’s a boy?”
“Not particularly.” He picked up his cup again and took another
sip. “I’d like to keep some things to
ourselves.”
She breathed a sigh of
relief. “Good, ‘cause I was thinking
it’s bad enough we can’t keep the pregnancy to ourselves for a while
longer. We could tell them in a couple
of months, but for now...I want Braden to ourselves for as long as possible.”
He glanced at the clock and
sighed heavily. She lifted an eyebrow
in a silent question. He shrugged his
shoulders and gave her a soft smile.
“Joyce and Amelia should be here
soon.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, this might come across as
being somewhat selfish on my part, but...I’d much prefer to take you back to
bed at the moment.”
“You tired?” She asked with a smile in her eyes.
“Not particularly.” His eyes darkened momentarily, lightening
almost as quickly as the doorbell sounded.
“But, I see that it’s going to have to wait for a few hours.”
She smiled in adoration, leaning
up to kiss him soundly. “I’ll make it
worth the wait.”
He licked his lips and took a
step back from her. “You always do.”
She laughed and turned, exiting
the kitchen with him following her into the living room.
She squeezed her husband’s hand
almost painfully as she watched her mother.
He grunted softly in pain and she loosened her grip.
“Mom?”
Joyce shook her head in
disbelief before a small smile crept onto her face. “Sorry, honey. I
just...well, I wasn’t expecting this to happen so soon.”
Giles chuckled softly. “We weren’t either, but...we’re happy about
this.” He looked towards his supervisor
and smiled. “Amelia?”
She took a deep breath and then
smiled gently. “I’m not really sure
what to say, Rupert. I mean, besides
congratulations, obviously. I wasn’t
expecting to hear this news this quickly.”
Giles nodded in
understanding. “I know. You could, maybe...say that you’re happy for
us. I know it’s soon, but it isn’t as
if we weren’t trying.”
Amelia stood and quickly made
her way to Giles and pulled him into a hug.
“Of course I’m happy for you, Rupert.”
She pulled away and smiled at Buffy before hugging her as well. “How far along are you?”
Buffy glanced at the clock and
smiled. “About twenty-one hours.”
Amelia’s eyes widened and she
stared at Giles. “You should have
informed me immediately.”
He sat down on the couch and
pulled Buffy down beside of him. “I
know. We just wanted some time to
ourselves.”
Amelia shook her head in
displeasure. “We only have three
hours.”
Giles narrowed his eyes. “Three hours for what exactly?”
“The transfer has to take place
within twenty-four hours from conception.”
“Transfer?” He glanced quickly at Buffy before returning
his stare to Amelia. “Transfer of what
to whom?”
“The Slayer’s powers are
transferred to her Watcher for a period of thirty days.”
“Excuse me?” He laid his hand on Buffy’s thigh.
Amelia sighed and sat down in
the chair. Joyce’s eyes darted between
the newlyweds and Amelia.
“To aid the Watcher in his
duties for the first month, the powers are temporarily transferred rendering
the Slayer vulnerable to demonic attacks.”
Buffy finally looked at her
husband and spoke softly. “You didn’t
tell me that part.”
“I didn’t know, Buffy.” He stared at his supervisor. “I was under the assumption, from all that I
had read from the Watcher’s Diaries and the Handbook, that Buffy’s powers
would...” He sighed heavily and
swallowed. “Nothing was mentioned
anywhere about a transfer of powers.
All that was said was that the Slayer would be vulnerable for the first
month...and then invulnerable for the remainder of her pregnancy.”
“The transfer is not common
knowledge, Rupert. The Council worried that
some Watchers might take advantage of the situation for their own personal
reasons. The Watchers who have gone
through with this in the past were under strict orders not to write about it,
nor discuss it with anyone else.”
He thought for a few minutes,
silently counting to himself to remain calm.
When he finally spoke, his voice was steady but had a slight edge to it.
“I’m not doing this.”
“Rupert...”
Anger flashed in his eyes
briefly. “No, Amelia.”
“It’s your duty to take over
patrols. And...”
“And I will. That was never a question. I’ve lived, and fought, on a Hellmouth for
four years without the Slayer’s powers and have survived.”
“But, you’ve always had the
Slayer to protect you.” Amelia
protested.
“If I’ll still have my powers, I
can still patrol. I mean, we thought my
powers were just gonna disappear for a month.”
Amelia shook her head. “That would be unwise. Harm could still come to you and the baby
within the first month.”
Giles inhaled slowly. “Then we stick with the original plan. I’ll patrol...with Angel...without the
transference of Buffy’s powers.” When
he saw that Amelia was getting ready to continue the argument, he raised his
hand. “If I were to allow the transfer,
I’d be unable to patrol.”
He felt three pairs of eyes
staring at him. He took a breath and
continued slowly.
“There is no way that I’d be
able to leave her alone. At least if I
know she has her abilities, I know that she’ll be able to protect herself
should anything happen while I’m on patrol.
If I have her powers, she will be completely vulnerable. I’m not leaving her alone in that
state. Not again.”
Amelia understood
immediately. “Rupert, this isn’t like
the Cruciamentum.”
“I’m not taking her powers away
from her again, Amelia.”
Amelia sighed in
exasperation. “No Watcher has ever
refused this.”
Giles stood and stared directly
into the eyes of his supervisor. “Then
I shall be the first. I refuse
this. And, I swear...” He took a deep breath. “If you try to complete this...ritual...without
my approval, I shall never forgive you.
I’ll walk away from the Council as fast as I can.”
Buffy stood and lightly placed
her hand on her husband’s back.
“Giles?”
He turned his glare to his wife
and shook his head. “Don’t you dare ask
me to do this, Buffy. I am not going to
argue with you over this. You and
our...child are the most important things in the world to me.” He lifted his trembling hand and placed it
on her cheek. “I refuse to leave you
completely vulnerable again.”
She leaned into his touch and
sighed. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” He turned his eyes back to Amelia, his anger
clearly showing. “Are we in
understanding here?”
Amelia spoke softly. “You have three hours to change your mind.”
Giles clenched his jaw. “It isn’t going to happen, Amelia.”
He walked out of the living room
and out the back door, slamming the door behind him. Amelia closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. Buffy stared in the direction that her husband
had just walked, a tear rolling down her cheek. Joyce took a deep breath and cleared her throat.
“I think I have a new-found
respect for my son-in-law.”
Buffy nodded slowly. “I think I just fell even more in love with
him.”
Amelia looked up at the two
women and sighed. “It wasn’t my intention
to anger him. And...there will be no
transference without his permission.”
“Thank you.” Buffy smiled softly at her. “I, uh...I think I’ll go check on him.”
As she walked out the back door,
Joyce looked over at Amelia.
“Are you okay?”
Amelia nodded and wiped her
eye. “Yes, I...I was just thinking
about something that happened long ago, that’s all.”
Joyce tilted her head and smiled
at the woman she had bonded with on her daughter’s wedding night. “Would you like to talk about it?”
“I haven’t spoken of it since it
happened twenty-seven years ago.”
Joyce laid a comforting hand on
Amelia’s arm. “Then, maybe it’s time to
talk about it?”
Amelia glanced towards the back
door and nodded absently. “Perhaps so.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He exhaled a lungful of smoke
when he heard her walk onto the deck.
He tapped the ashes into the ashtray and spoke softly, but not looking
at her.
“As much as I loathe arguing
with you…if you’ve come out here with the intent of asking me to reconsider, we
shall have one hell of an argument.”
She stepped over to him, resting
her hand lightly on the side of his neck.
“I came out here to tell you how
much I love you.”
He took a deep breath and lifted
his eyes to meet her gaze. Seeing her
gentle smile, he relaxed somewhat and sighed.
“I think I was, perhaps, a bit
too harsh in there.”
“Maybe. But you stood firm in your opinion.” She lifted her hand and ran her fingers
through his hair. “And I think Mom
kinda loves you.”
He tilted his head
slightly. “I rather hope you mean as a
son-in-law…”
Buffy chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I do. It meant a lot to her that you refused this.” She leaned down and kissed him softly. “It meant a lot to me too.”
“I shouldn’t have gotten so
angry with Amelia. She’s just doing her
job.”
“Mm-hm. So…what was with all the anger?”
He shrugged his shoulders and
took another drag of his cigarette.
“Travers wouldn’t have discussed it with me. He would’ve just performed the ritual.”
“But, Amelia isn’t Travers.”
“I know. I suppose it’s merely residual anger in
general.” He glanced towards the door
before looking into her eyes. “Is she
alright?”
“Yeah, she is. She said that she didn’t mean to make you
angry…and that the transfer wouldn’t take place without your okay.”
“I, uh…I should talk to
her.” He dropped his finished cigarette
into the ashtray and stood. “I’m sorry
that I snapped at you in there as well.”
She smiled and pulled him down
for a kiss.
* * *
Joyce and Amelia looked up as
Giles and Buffy made their way back into the living room. Buffy took her seat on the couch and Giles
cleared his throat before meeting Amelia’s eyes.
“I owe you an apology, Amelia.”
Amelia smiled in understanding
as she shook her head. “No, you
don’t. However, I do appreciate the
gesture.”
“You do realize that I shall not
give my approval?”
“I think you made that
abundantly clear, Rupert.”
Amelia stood and pulled him into
a hug. He returned the embrace before
kissing her cheek.
Buffy smiled in mild
amusement. “So, did you and Quentin
used to hug and kiss after an argument?”
Giles snorted as he ended the
hug and sat down next to his wife. “Of
course. And then it was normally
followed by…” He looked up quickly,
blushing as Amelia and Joyce both laughed.
“Uh…actually, I don’t ever recall apologizing to Quentin for anything.”
Buffy grinned up at him, her
love for him shining brightly in her eyes as he reached over and tenderly
caressed her abdomen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles glanced at his wife and
smiled, giving her a quick nod when he read the question in her eyes. He had promised her that they could tell
their friends after dinner. He walked
over to stand behind her and she leaned back against his chest.
“Are you ready?” He whispered softly in her ear.
She let her eyes roam across
their friends chatting amongst themselves in the living room. She took a deep breath and smiled up at him
with a nod. He grinned back at her, the
twinkle in his eye telling her to go ahead.
He moved his left hand to her hip, his fingers resting on her belly.
With a reassuring smile from her
mother, Buffy cleared her throat softly.
“Hey, guys?”
The chattering tapered off as
everyone looked towards the couple. She
took another breath once the attention was focused on her.
“We have something to tell you.”
She glanced at Anya, waiting for
her to ask the same question she always asked in these situations. She was more than mildly surprised when Anya
merely leaned against Xander, patiently waiting for Buffy to continue.
Willow glanced at Giles’ left
hand and noticed where his fingers were resting. She saw the gentle, yet possessive, caress and gasped.
“Oh my God!”
Buffy and Giles smiled at the
redhead. Willow let go of Oz’s hand and
stood up quickly.
“You’re pregnant?”
Anya snorted and waited for
Buffy to roll her eyes. Anya’s eyes
widened when Buffy smiled brightly at Willow instead.
Giles caught Anya’s expression
as Willow grabbed Buffy in a tight hug.
Anya sighed heavily.
“The one time I don’t ask.” She smiled as Giles chuckled. “So…is it a boy or a girl?”
Xander patted her knee and
laughed. “An, they can’t tell the sex
of the baby right away.”
Anya rolled her eyes and looked
back at Giles expectantly.
Giles smiled and pulled Buffy
back against him after Willow had released her. “We’d like to keep that bit of information to ourselves for a
while longer.”
Eyes widened around the
room. Willow beamed in excitement.
“You know what it is?”
Buffy nodded and wrapped her
husband’s arms around her. “One of the
few perks of having prophetic dreams.”
Anya smacked Xander on the arm
and grinned. “See?”
Giles cleared his throat and
caught Angel’s eyes. “I know it’s
sooner than you would have expected, but…”
Angel smiled softly. “I’ll stay.
It’s not a problem.”
Buffy inhaled slowly as she
looked at Angel. “Thank you.”
The vampire gave her a brief
nod, his smile showing in his eyes.
Buffy walked into the bedroom, a
towel wrapped around her freshly showered body. She smiled at the sight of her sleeping husband. She dropped her towel to the floor and
reached for his discarded shirt, pulling it on before she slipped under the
covers beside of him.
She placed her head on his
chest, grinning as he curled his arms around her in his sleep. She listened to his calm heartbeat and
yawned as she snuggled closer to him.
It wasn’t long before the sound of his heart lulled her into a peaceful
sleep.
* * *
He awoke slowly, confused as to
why he was unable to move. His first
thought was that he was under a spell of some sort. He opened his eyes and realized that he was unable to move not
because he was under a spell but because he was under his wife’s sleeping
form. He chuckled softly, thinking not
for the first time that he had been living on a Hellmouth for too long.
Buffy opened her eyes when she
felt his chest vibrate softly underneath her.
She turned her head to meet his smiling eyes.
“Morning.”
“Good morning. Is the mattress not to your liking?”
She lifted her head and narrowed
her eyes slightly. “Huh?”
He brushed the hair back from
her face. “Not that I don’t enjoy
waking up with you draped over my body…”
“Oh.” She smiled, as she understood what he was saying. “The mattress is fine…but, you’re comfier.”
He grinned at her and pulled her
face down towards his for a gentle kiss.
“I, uh…I’m sorry about last night.”
The confusion shone in her eyes
for the second time in less than three minutes. “Did we have a fight or something?”
“No. What would make you ask that?”
“Couldn’t think of any other
reason you’d be apologizing.”
“Oh.” He smiled gently.
“No. I’m sorry that I fell
asleep before you came to bed.”
She moved off of his torso and
positioned herself beside of him, resting her head on his outstretched
arm. “Oh, that. Yeah, I was a little miffed about
that.” She turned her head and grinned
when she saw the concern in his eyes.
“I’m joking, Giles. It was a
long day…with a lot of different emotions.
Exhausting emotions. I wasn’t
awake for very long after I came to bed.”
“No?”
She shook her head slowly. “Like I said, you’re very comfy.”
He cleared his throat and rolled
onto his side facing her. “How are you
feeling this morning?”
“Hungry.”
His eyes darted towards her
stomach as his hand tenderly caressed her abdomen. “And Braden?”
“The reason I’m hungry.”
He laughed and leaned in for
another kiss. “Then I suppose I should
start breakfast.”
“Mm-hm.” She returned his kiss lovingly, sighing
softly when he pulled away. “Suppose
so.”
He climbed out of bed,
stretching his well-rested muscles.
“Would you like breakfast in bed this morning?”
“Sweet. Very sweet.” She smiled up at him as she pushed the covers down and slid out
of bed. “But, no…I think I’d like to
talk while you’re getting food stuff ready.”
He tilted his head slightly and
handed her robe to her. “Talk?”
“Yeah, you know it’s one of
those things that people do to communicate with each other.”
He rolled his eyes and pulled a
t-shirt over his head. “Funny. What I meant was…is there something on your
mind?”
“Nothing Hellmouthy, if that’s
what you mean.”
His eyes followed her as she
walked out of the bedroom. “That’s
always a relief.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She swivelled left and right on
the barstool, her elbows resting on the countertop and her chin resting on her
hands. “I think Peter’s got a crush on
you.”
He broke an egg into the pan and
lifted his eyes, staring at her.
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, I know he’s happy with
Julian and he loves him, but…I’ve seen the way he looks at you when he thinks
no one is watching.” She picked up her
glass of juice and took a sip. “Major
crushage there.”
“Buffy…”
“Really, though…who could blame
him? You are very crushable.” She tilted her head in thought. “Crushable as in easy to crush on…not
crushable as in…” She made a motion
with her hands like she were crushing a can.
“Breakable.”
He shook his head in amusement
and cracked another egg. “Be that as it
may, I highly doubt that Peter is…has…”
She laughed softly. “I’m not saying that he’s gonna try to do
anything about it. But, trust me…he
does. I have a lot of experience in
this matter.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
She rolled her eyes
dramatically. “I was a teenage girl at
one time, Giles. Of course I crushed…on
a few people.”
He reached for a couple of
plates and gestured towards the pan with the spatula. “Sunny-side-up?” At her
nod, he placed the plates next to the stove and leaned back against the
counter. “And now?”
“And now, what?”
“We were discussing your
expertise in crushes. You stated that
you ‘crushed’ on a few people during your teenage years. And now?”
“Oh.” She leaned forward and picked a piece of bacon up and broke it in
half. “I’m crushing all over the
place.” She popped one half of the bacon
strip into her mouth and handed the other half to him. “What about you?”
“I’ve never been a teenage
girl.”
She laughed brightly and
swivelled again on her stool. “Good to
know. But, any crushes I should know
about?”
“Oh, yes.” He pushed himself up from the counter and
slid the spatula under the first egg.
“Just call me the King of Crushland.”
She snorted as he slid the egg
onto a plate and placed it in front of her.
He grinned in amusement as he handed her a fork.
“Did you just…snort at me?”
She took the fork from him and
grinned happily. “You have as many
crushes as I do, don’t you?”
He shrugged his shoulders
lightly and slid his egg onto his plate.
“You didn’t tell me how many you have.”
He sat down beside of her and
split the remaining strips of bacon between them. He turned his head and looked at her pointedly.
“Only one at the moment. Really sexy English guy…I think you’d like
him.”
“Oh? And what makes you think I’d care for this Englishman?”
She swallowed a mouthful of egg and
stabbed at a piece of bacon. “He’s
bookwormy…really smart…and he has these beautiful eyes that make me melt.”
“Hm. Is he a demon? Eyes that
have melting power…should be researched.”
She laughed as she watched him
carefully cut his egg into sections.
“And what about your crush?”
“Who said there’s only
one?” He grinned at her and stuck a
forkful of egg into his mouth.
“Giles!” She smacked his arm lightly causing his grin
to turn into a full-fledged laugh.
“I’ve found that I actually
don’t crush much.” He dipped a piece of
bacon into the yolk of his egg and popped it into his mouth. “I tend to admire from afar for a while and
then…fall hopelessly in love. I think I
bypass the crush stage of things.”
She reached over and plucked a
strip of bacon from his plate. “How did
we get on this topic anyway?”
He shook his head slowly as he
chuckled. “Your fault. Something about someone having a crush on
me.”
She crunched the bacon and
swallowed as she nodded emphatically.
“Right! Peter.” She met his eyes and grinned. “He so has a crush on you!”
He rolled his eyes and sighed
deeply. “Amelia’s flight leaves
tomorrow morning.”
“You are like the King of
Subject Changing!” She pushed her empty
plate away and gulped down the rest of her juice. “When’s Peter leaving?”
“Apparently I’m not good enough
at it…” He muttered softly.
“What?”
“Nothing…” He slid his plate in front of her so that
she could finish his remaining bacon.
“I believe that Peter and Julian are on the same flight. That would be the sensible thing to do.”
“Unless Peter’s wanting to hang
around for a while longer to…”
“Buffy…” He interrupted softly, his tone warning her
not to finish her statement.
“I’m just playing, Giles. I’m sorry if I let it get out of hand a
little.” When he gave her a slight
smile, her eyes brightened. “I just
think it’s kinda cute…that’s all.”
“You’re a strange woman.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m married to a strange man, so…it’s all
good.” She finished off his bacon and
leaned against his shoulder. “Can we go
shopping today?”
“What kind of shopping?” It didn’t really matter to him what kind of
shopping she meant, so long as the question successfully changed the subject.
“Window shopping.” At his questioning look, she clarified. “For baby stuff. Furniture, clothes, toys…stuff we’ll need for Braden.”
“We can do that.” He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the
top of her head. “Just window shopping
though?”
“Mm-hm. It’s bad luck to buy anything for a baby
before the first trimester’s up.”
Giles did a quick
calculation. “So, we buy nothing until
you’re 6.7 weeks along?”
Buffy laughed softly. “Yeah, something like that. But, I’d like to look around and get some
ideas, if that’s okay with you.”
He reached over and tilted her face
up slightly. Leaning down, he brushed
his lips against hers. He groaned
softly as she deepened the kiss briefly.
When she pulled away, she smiled up at him. He took a deep breath and returned her smile.
“Do you want to go now? Or…later?”
She licked her lips as she slid
off of the stool and pulled him along with her. “I was thinking…later.
You okay with that?”
His eyes darkened slightly as he
nodded and willingly followed her towards the stairs. “Oh, yes. I think I’m
fairly alright with that.”
She giggled and suddenly took
off in a run up the stairs. He grinned
and raced up behind her, taking the stairs two at a time. When she reached the bedroom door, he was on
her heels. Her giggles became laughter as
he picked her up and gently tossed her onto the bed.
He pulled off his shirt as he
climbed onto the bed beside of her. His
fingers deftly untied and opened her robe.
He gazed into her eyes and smiled.
“Tell me…what are you wearing
underneath that shirt of mine?”
“Do you have to ask?” She questioned in a teasing manner.
He shook his head slowly as he
fingered the buttons holding the shirt closed.
“No, but I enjoy you telling me.”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” She reached up and placed her palm on his
chest, relishing the feel of his skin.
“I love the way your shirts feel against my nipples.”
“Do you?”
“Mm, yeah.” She closed her eyes as his hand closed over
her breast, gently rubbing the soft material of his shirt across her hardened
nipple.
“And how does that feel?” His voice was deep with lust, causing her
eyes to snap open.
She moved her hand slightly and
curled her fingers so that her nails scraped across his nipple. His groan rumbled in his chest.
“Pretty much like that…”
He knelt between her thighs, his
right hand unbuttoning the shirt as his left continued its ministrations. He watched her eyes close in pleasure as he
pushed the shirt open, uncovering her left breast.
“Tell me what feels
better.” He whispered softly.
“Wha – oh, God!” She gasped as his mouth covered her exposed
nipple.
His tongue circled the hardened
flesh as his palm pressed the shirt harder against her other nipple. He suckled lightly, smiling inwardly as she
arched her back and moaned his name. Her hands moved to his back, holding him closer to her. He groaned against her breast as her nails
raked over the still-healing gouges on his skin left from their wedding night.
He stopped as suddenly as he had
begun, lifting his head and hand at the same time, much to her dismay.
“Giles!”
He smiled down at her, moving
his left hand up to touch her face.
“So, which felt better?”
She stared at him for a moment
before catching him off guard and pushing him onto his back. She straddled his hips quickly and pulled
the shirt off, leaving her completely naked atop him.
His eyes changed to a slightly
darker shade of green as he rested his hands on her hips. “Buffy…”
She rocked her hips against his
pajama-covered groin. “That could very
well be considered cruel, Giles.”
He tightened his grip on her,
increasing the pressure against his erection.
“Punish me.”
She stopped her movement and
stared into his eyes. “What punishment
do you think you deserve?”
He inhaled sharply. “Tease me, Buffy.”
“Tease you?”
He nodded slowly. “Make me beg you to let me come.”
She leaned forward, brushing her
breasts against his chest as she flicked her tongue against his bottom
lip. “Are you sure that’s what you
want?”
He stared into her eyes. “Yes.”
Her finger ran along his jaw
slowly. “You beg so rarely.”
“Do you not like it? When I beg you?” He asked softly.
“Oh, it turns me on.” She kissed his lips tenderly and smiled in
adoration. “But only because it doesn’t
happen very often.”
He lifted his hand from her hip
and threaded his fingers through her hair.
“I love you, so very much.”
“I love you too.” She reached up and covered his hand with
hers, gently pulling it from her head.
“Now…no touching. That’s the
only rule here at the moment. If you
break the rule, I’ll have to tie you up.”
His eyes flashed hotly with
passion. “Pure torture.”
She chuckled softly and shook
her head in mild amusement. She lifted
his other hand from her hip and leaned forward again, placing both of his hands
above his head. He groaned softly as
her breasts swayed above him, tantalizingly close to his mouth.
She glanced down and
smiled. “Go ahead if you want.”
Her grip tightened on his hands
as his warm mouth covered her nipple.
Her eyes closed in pleasure when his tongue gently circled the sensitive
flesh.
“Oh God…Giles…”
His fingers curled around hers,
matching her intense grip, as he continued his oral ministrations. He grumbled softly when she pulled
away. She grinned as she knelt over his
torso and shook her head slowly.
“That’s enough for now.”
His eyes darkened another
shade. “I can never get enough of you.”
She shifted slightly and rubbed
her wet core over his abdomen. “I said
‘for now’…”
His fingers gripped the spindles
in the headboard tightly. “Buffy…”
She placed her hands on his
chest to steady herself as she rotated her hips, coating his stomach with her
fluid. “Hm?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he
swallowed. “Feels good. So…warm…”
She moved further down his body,
rubbing herself against his straining erection. He groaned loudly as her moisture dampened his pajama pants. When his hips bucked slightly against her,
she grinned and pressed harder against him.
His fingers twitched around the
spindles, fighting against the urge to grab her hips as she continued her
loving assault. His eyes snapped open
when her movements abruptly stopped.
“Buffy?”
“Shh.” She smiled up at him as she eased his pants over his hips and
down his thighs. “You’re just
overdressed for this.”
He maintained eye contact as she
rid him of the offending garment and tossed the pants to the floor. His muscles quivered lightly under her touch
as she slid her hands up his legs until she reached his knees. She licked her lips and gently nudged him,
prompting him to spread his legs so that she could comfortably kneel between
them.
“I can’t wait to taste
you.” She licked her lips again,
lightly scratching her nails along his inner thighs. She lifted her gaze from his cock and smiled. “Would you mind if I tasted you now?”
“Christ, Buffy…”
She took his softly spoken words
as an affirmative and leaned forward, slowly moving her tongue up the length of
his shaft towards the glistening head.
Seeing a movement out of the corner of her eye, she shook her head.
“No touching, Giles.”
He growled, reluctantly
returning his hand back to the headboard.
She grinned at him and then allowed her mouth to continue its slow
path. Hearing his sharp intake of air
when her tongue gently removed the small drop of pre-cum, she quickly engulfed
him. His hips bucked involuntarily when
her tongue wrapped around his erection.
“Fuck!” He hissed as she quickly began sucking.
“Mm?” She mumbled against him, her hands holding his hips down.
His right hand released the
spindle and curled into a fist before slamming down on the mattress. “So good…your mouth…so fucking…oh God,
Buffy…”
She pulled off of him suddenly,
eyes blazing as he whimpered loudly.
She watched his hand twist the bedclothes in his grip as his other
threatened to snap the spindle he still clutched.
“Want me to keep teasing you?”
He stared at her, his eyes
almost dangerously dark. His chest
heaved as he swallowed hard. “Please
don’t stop.”
She straddled his thigh and curled
her hand around his cock. She pumped
him slowly as she rocked her hips against him, seeking release against his
flesh. Leaning forward slightly, her
mouth latched onto his nipple.
He called out her name, his mind
on the verge of going into sensory overload.
She continued to undulate against him, her body trembling as her orgasm
quickly approached. She tightened her
grip on his erection and bit down on his nipple. His call of her name turned into an urgent cry.
“Please…Buffy, please…”
Hearing his pleading tone, she
lifted her head. “I’m close,
Giles…touch me…”
Without hesitation, his hands
flew to her hips. Expecting him to pull
her up and enter her, her eyes widened in surprise when he held her tighter
against his thigh without hindering her own movement.
“I want to feel you come like
this.” His hands moved with her,
effectively dragging her across his skin.
“And…please…remove your hand, lest I come all over you.”
They groaned simultaneously when
she did as he requested. He bent his
knee, changing the angle of contact.
She placed her hands on his chest and stared into his eyes.
“Giles…”
“Oh, God…come for me,
Buffy. Let me feel you come all over me
before I roll you over and push my cock into you…”
“Giles!”
“That’s it…keep going. Almost there…come for me.”
His fingers tightened on her
hips, her body shuddered almost violently as she screamed his name. He bit his lip, watching her orgasm wash
over her. Her name left his lips on a
moan when he felt the warm fluid coat his thigh.
She had barely begun to come
down before he rolled her onto her back and positioned himself between her
still-trembling thighs. He whispered
her name softly, giving her a smile as she forced her eyes open. As their gazes locked, he gently entered
her.
“Christ…” He groaned as her quivering inner muscles
contracted around him.
He stilled himself, enjoying the
sensation of her aftershocks against his hardened flesh. The fingertips of her left hand ran across
his ribs slowly and she shifted underneath him.
“Giles…”
He leaned down, capturing her
lips in a kiss as he began to move his hips against her. Her right hand pressed flat against his
back, holding him to her as she returned his kiss. Her tongue slid along side of his, probing his mouth as she
lifted her hips to meet his thrusts.
He moved with long, deep strokes
– slowly building her next orgasm. He
lifted his head, panting heavily as he looked into her darkened eyes.
“Buffy, I…”
It was that moment that the
phone rang shrilly. He growled in
frustration, causing her to smile. When
her hand moved from his side, his eyes narrowed.
“You’re not…”
She reached for the phone and
grinned up at him. “You wanted me to
make you beg, didn’t you?”
He supported himself above her
with his left arm while his right hand reached out and quickly grabbed her
wrist. “As I recall, I already have.”
“Could be important.”
He shook his head and quickened
his strokes. “This is…why we have…a
bloody…answering machine…”
He let go of her wrist and grasped
her hips, quickly rolling to his left until he was on his back and effectively
moving her further away from the phone.
“Giles!”
The phone stopped its incessant
ringing, more than likely because the answering machine had clicked on. His hands moved to her back and pulled her
down to his chest as he stilled his thrusts once more.
“You want me to beg again,
Buffy?” He asked hoarsely. “Because, I will...if that’s what you want,
I’ll beg you right now.”
She lifted her head and saw the
truth of his words in his eyes. “I just
wanted to see your reaction. I honestly
had no intention of answering it.”
His hand cradled her face as his
thumb brushed along her cheekbone.
“Please, Buffy. Please make me
come.”
She touched her lips to his
before she pushed herself up. She began
to rock against him, lightly running her nails along his abdomen.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered softly.
When he narrowed his eyes in a
silent question, she picked up her pace.
“For making you...oh, Giles...”
Feeling her inner muscles begin
to quiver once more, he moved his hands to her hips encouraging her to move
faster. “Don’t be...just...Buffy...love
me...”
“I do...God, I do...” She lifted her hips and slammed back down
against him. “I’m...you’re gonna...”
He thrust his hips in time with
hers, groaning as she brought him closer to release. “Buffy...”
Her hands pressed against his
chest, supporting herself as she continued to ride him. Her nails threatened to dig into his
pectoral muscles when the quivers turned into spasms as her orgasm crashed over
her.
She was in the middle of her
climax when he quickly rolled them over so that she was on her back with her
legs wrapped tightly around his hips.
He quickened his strokes, groaning lustfully as her hands slid across
his sweat-drenched chest.
He bent his head, his lips
nipping at her ear before he whispered huskily. “I love fucking you while you come.”
She screamed his name again as
his words sent her into another immediate orgasm. Her body bucked against him and after four more hard thrusts, he
called out her name as he emptied himself into her.
For a few moments, they held one
another tightly, panting heavily as they each tried to catch their breath. Her hand found its way to his damp hair and
stroked the soft tendrils.
“My God, Giles...that was...”
He smiled against her skin,
nodding as her words trailed off.
“Mm-hm.”
He carefully shifted off of her
and moved to her side. She sighed
softly as he pulled her into his arms. His
hands lovingly caressed her skin and he placed a tender kiss on the top of her
head.
After a few silent minutes, and
after his breathing had returned to something that was closer to normal, he
cleared his throat. “No one has ever
made me feel this way, Buffy.”
She looked up at him and smiled
lazily. “And what way is that?”
He moistened his lips and
swallowed. “You make me feel...as
though I’m...” He shook his head
slowly. “I rather think that if I say
it, it shall sound...wrong in some manner.”
Her fingers grazed his cheek and
she leaned up, kissing his lips lightly.
“Let me be the judge?”
He exhaled slowly. “You make me feel as though I’m the most
important thing in your life.” He
rolled his eyes and chuckled. “And that
sounded rather...”
“True.” Her eyes sparkled as he met her gaze. “It sounded rather true. You are the most important thing in my life. I’d go even as far as ‘in my world’.”
“I...Buffy...I’m so in love with
you. So much so that sometimes
it...well, it frightens me at times.”
She pushed herself up and tilted
her head in confusion. “I frighten
you?”
He sat up and leaned against the
headboard, smiling adoringly at her.
“No, you don’t frighten me. I’ve
never been this much in love with anyone before. And...that frightens me.
Sometimes. Because...there are
times when I’m not sure where I end and you begin.”
She pulled the sheet around her
and pushed the hair back from her face.
“Is that...I mean...”
He reached out and gently
touched her face as he shook his head. “It’s
not a bad thing, Buffy. It’s just not
something I’d experienced before you.”
He glanced at the sheet before meeting her eyes again. “Why did you cover yourself?”
She shrugged her shoulders
lightly. “I thought...well, I thought
that...”
“You thought I was going
somewhere else with this conversation?
I was doubting our relationship?”
He sighed softly when she nodded.
He reached down and tugged the sheet away from her body. “I have never doubted my love for you after
we became a couple, Buffy. You are so
very wonderful...in so many ways.”
She looked down at his hand as
he placed it over her stomach. “Will
you still feel that way when I’m as big as a whale?”
He chuckled softly. “I’ll feel this way for the rest of my
life.” He leaned forward and captured
her lips in a soft kiss. “It doesn’t
matter how big you get or...anything else.
My feelings for you won’t change.”
“You can’t say that, Giles.”
His fingers rubbed against her
abdomen. “I can think of nothing that
would make them change.”
She shook her head and covered
his hand with hers. “Nothing?”
“Absolutely nothing. Even if you tire of me and leave me behind,
my feelings for you would remain.”
Her eyes widened. “Giles, do you still worry about that? About me...leaving you for someone else?”
“No. I’m just saying that if it were to happen, my heart would
shatter...but, I’d still be in love with you.”
She was silent for a moment and
then shifted until she was kneeling beside of him. “I’m not sure how we got into such a serious conversation,
but...do you know how much I love you?
I mean, really know?”
He nodded slowly. “As much as I love you?”
She kissed him gently. “You and our son mean everything to me. I would do anything for you, Giles. I’d give my...”
He stopped her with two fingers
over her lips. “Please, don’t finish
that statement.” He swallowed hard and
pulled her into a crushing embrace. “I
think that would be the one thing that would destroy me. If you willingly gave your...” He clenched his jaw briefly. “I...I can’t even say it.”
“You almost did the same for
me.” She whispered softly against his
chest.
He nodded and exhaled
deeply. “Fortunately, that plan was
thwarted.”
She pulled back and stared into
his eyes. “Okay, new promise. We don’t intentionally give our lives
up. Unless, it’s part of a plan that
we’re pretty damn sure’s gonna work.
Which means...you don’t give yourself to a vampire unless you know that
someone is there to dust it before it kills you.” She narrowed her eyes as he chuckled. “I’m serious, Giles. And
the same goes for me. Promise me. We have Braden to consider in all of this
now.”
His chuckle ended abruptly. “I promise, Buffy. I won’t leave you willingly.
And...I won’t leave our son without a fight.”
She took a deep breath and
offered him a smile. “I promise
too. I love you, Giles.”
He returned her smile and pulled
her back into his arms. “I love you
too, Buffy.”