Buffy walked through their
second cemetery of the night, flanked by Xander and Willow. She twirled the stake in her hand and
glanced to her left and sighed.
“Okay Will…spill. What’s wrong?”
Willow’s eyes widened
slightly. “Wrong? Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s fine. More
than fine.”
Xander looked over Buffy’s head
at Willow and shook his head. “And who
are you expecting to fool with your rambling Willow-speak? ‘Cause…I’ve known you my entire life and I’m
not buying it.”
Willow huffed and glanced at
Xander. “Where’s Anya tonight?”
“Home. Apparently there’s a Little House on the Prairie marathon
tonight.” He shook his head lightly as
the two women walking beside of him stopped and stared at him. “Don’t ask, I don’t get it either.”
Buffy shrugged and started
walking again. “I guess it could be
worse. Not sure how though.”
Xander merely grinned and then
met Willow’s eyes again. “You’re not so
good with the whole subject change thing, Will. What’s wrong?”
Willow sighed heavily and
averted her eyes. “Oz.”
Buffy arched an eyebrow in
concern. “Oz? Something’s wrong with Oz?”
Willow kicked a rock out of her
way. “I don’t know. He’s not exactly being share-guy at the
moment.”
“Is he ever?” Xander asked, shoving his hand in his
pocket.
Buffy smacked the back of her
hand against his arm. Xander rubbed his
arm with his hand, staring at Buffy.
“Ow. What was that for?”
Buffy rolled her eyes and turned
back to Willow. “So, he’s quieter than
usual?”
Willow nodded slowly. “Yeah.
And…” She hesitated before
taking a deep breath. “We haven’t had s-e-x
in over two weeks.”
Xander chuckled softly. “Will, if you’re doing it…you don’t have to
spell it.”
Willow narrowed her eyes. “I was spelling for your benefit, doofus.”
Buffy snorted in amusement
before concern filled her again. “So,
okay…he’s quiet and you’re not having sex?”
Xander shuddered. “How many times do I have to tell you not to
talk about your sex lives?”
Willow rolled her eyes. “Hence the reason I spelled it, Xander.”
“Oh.” He replied in a soft voice.
“Go ahead then…”
Willow looked at Buffy and
nodded. “Yeah. I guess I’m just worried…you know…maybe he’s
found someone else. Or…he just doesn’t
want to be with me anymore.”
“Have you tried to talk to him
about it?” Buffy slowed her pace, not
taking her eyes off of her best friend.
“Yeah. But every time I try, he just changes the subject or says he’s just
tired.”
Xander shrugged his shoulders
and looked over at Willow. “Maybe he is
just tired. I mean…he’s been pretty
busy lately.”
Buffy sighed. “Yeah, it’s possible…but…that excuse doesn’t
work for Giles. Even if it is
true. I just badger him until he tells
me what’s wrong. If it is just because
he’s tired, he finally gives in because he just wants to go to sleep.”
Xander chuckled softly and
Willow grinned. Buffy offered Willow an
understanding smile.
“When you guys get back home…his
or yours, doesn’t matter…don’t let up until he tells you what’s wrong. Tell him you’re worried about him… ‘cause
you are. And…maybe let him know that
you’re worried about him…you know…”
“Getting over me?” Willow asked quietly. “I think maybe I’m afraid he’ll say that he
is.”
Xander rolled his eyes. Willow caught the motion and stopped walking
as she stared at him.
“What was that?”
“What?” He asked innocently.
Willow gestured towards
him. “The whole rolling your eyes
thing. What was that?”
Xander exhaled slowly. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you,
Will. Other girls don’t even catch his
eye. He loves you. And…guys do this sometimes. We just get quiet…most of the time, it’s for
no reason at all.”
“Yeah, but…” Willow started to protest.
Xander offered her a gentle
smile. “I agree with Buffy though. This is really bothering you and he should
tell you what’s going on in his head.
Ask him…and don’t let up until he talks to you.”
He walked over to her and pulled
her into a hug. “I’m sure you’ll find
it’s nothing to worry about.”
Willow sighed sadly and returned
the hug. “I hope not.”
Buffy smiled softly. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, she
heard a snap of a twig behind a crypt.
She took a deep breath and twirled the stake in her hand.
“Hate to break this up,
but…fun’s about to start.”
Xander and Willow stepped apart
and stood behind Buffy, each pulling a stake from their respective jacket
pockets.
“Yay…” Xander muttered as four vampires made their way into view.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles pulled a book down from
one of the many bookcases in the library and began flipping through the pages
quickly. Oz regarded him curiously.
“Have an idea?”
Giles looked up and smiled
softly. “Actually, yes. I have a friend who is a Shaman. He, uh…he might be able to assist us in
this. If I can persuade him.”
Oz raised an eyebrow, but said
nothing.
Finding the page he was looking
for, Giles sat down at the table and looked through Oz’s research once
more. He pointed at a particular item
and looked at the young man.
“This…this is rather
interesting. Where did you come across
this?”
Oz could see the excitement in
Giles’ eyes and leaned forward to get a better view. “The talisman? A friend
in Tibet sent that information to me.
I’ve been looking for it, or something similar, for months. Haven’t found anything though.”
Giles smiled and stood, quickly
walking to a small chest in the corner.
He opened the lid and stared at the contents for a moment. Suddenly he reached in and pulled an item out,
dropping the lid with a soft thud.
“A few months ago, Buffy was on
patrol and came across this charm. I
had meant to research it, but it got lost within the wedding, the pregnancy,
and…well, everything that is the Hellmouth.”
When Oz chuckled, he looked up with a small smile on his face. “I’m not exactly fluent in ancient
Phoenician…it may take some time to properly translate the markings.”
He slid the charm onto Oz’s
palm. Oz’s eyes widened slightly. “Pretty close to the picture I have.”
“Yes.” Giles replied simply.
“The next full moon is in two
weeks.” He looked into Giles’ eyes and
sighed. “Do you think we might be able
to come up with something before then?”
Giles took a deep breath. “Possibly.
But, I make no promises. I’ll –
”
Oz and Giles both looked towards
the library door. Giles cleared his
throat softly.
“Buffy’s home.”
Oz smiled and inhaled
deeply. “So is Willow.”
“Giles?” Buffy called down the hall. “Are you home?”
“Be right there.” He called back as he stood.
“Um…can you bring the first aid
kit with you?”
Giles and Oz exchanged a worried
glance. Giles gestured towards the door
with a tilt of his head. “Go.”
Oz needed no further instruction
and took off down the hall. Giles
grabbed the first aid kit and ran out of the library and headed towards the
living room.
He took in the scene as he ran
into the room. Willow was wrapped in
Oz’s embrace. Buffy was on the couch
next to Xander, holding a towel tightly against his forearm. Xander had his head tilted back, resting on
the back of the couch, his eyes closed and obvious pain etched on his face.
Giles knelt on the floor in
front of Xander and opened the kit as he looked up at Buffy. “What happened?”
Xander licked his dry lips. “Arms aren’t good for blocking swords.”
Giles narrowed his eyes. “What?”
Buffy sighed softly, glancing at
Xander before meeting her husband’s eyes.
“Four vamps, one with a sword.”
Giles nodded as he carefully
removed the towel from Xander’s arm.
“What kind of sword?”
Xander hissed as Giles
repositioned his arm for closer inspection.
“Sharp.”
“About yay-long…” Buffy held her hands about two feet
apart. “Blue hilt, green blade. A picture of something gross etched on the
hilt.”
Giles did his best to hide his
smile as he pulled the antiseptic and a sterile pack of sutures from the
kit. “Can you describe the picture in
more detail other than ‘gross’?”
Oz sat down in the chair and
pulled Willow onto his lap. Buffy
shrugged and pulled Xander down until he was lying on the couch with his head
on her lap.
“It was horny.”
Xander’s eyes snapped open and
met Buffy’s. Buffy shook her head and
chuckled.
“As in…it had horns. Three of ‘em, I think.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that
Giles was ready to begin stitching up the wound. “Close your eyes, Xand.”
Giles nodded absently, carefully
sliding the needle through the skin.
“Anything else?”
Xander gritted his teeth as
Giles made the second stitch. “No
mouth.”
Giles looked up quickly, his
hands halting their motion. “No mouth?”
“No. And, let me tell you how freaky it is to see something that
doesn’t have a mouth.” He opened his
eyes, looking up at Buffy. “All done?”
“Huh? Oh. No, a few more to
go. Close ‘em.” She looked back at Giles and sighed. “Anyway…I got rid of three of the vamps
pretty quickly. The one with the sword
was pretty…wily. For a vampire.”
“Yes?” Giles asked in concern as he looked up, nearing the end of the
wound. “What happened?”
“Well, Xander here caught wily
vamp’s attention. Wily took a swing…”
“And I blocked it with my arm
like a stupid idiot.” Xander finished
for her.
Giles smiled again as he began
bandaging the wound. “Better your arm
than your head. Ten stitches in your
arm I can do. I’m not as good with
decapitation.”
Xander opened his eyes and
rolled his head to the side, meeting Giles’ eyes. “You’re a funny man. I’m
sure I would’ve laughed if you had this conversation with someone else.”
Giles chuckled and pulled a bottle
of painkillers out of the first aid kit.
He shook two out and handed them to Xander as he sat back up. “I’ll get you some water.”
“Nah, I’m good.” Xander popped the pills into his mouth and
swallowed them down.
Giles turned his eyes to
Buffy. “And the sword?”
“Gone.”
He narrowed his eyes. “The vampire escaped?”
“No.” Buffy sighed heavily. “I
killed him, but…the sword went poof with him.
Weird, huh?”
“To say the least.” Giles agreed. “But, the description gives me a starting point.”
“You’re not coming to bed
tonight, are you?” Buffy pouted.
Xander snorted, the painkillers
obviously beginning to work.
Giles glanced at Xander and then
back at Buffy. “Of course I am. Why would you assume otherwise?”
Buffy shrugged and leaned back against
the cushions. “I gave you something to
research.”
Giles closed the first aid kit
and moved until he was kneeling in front of her. He placed his hand on her knee, squeezing gently.
“There’s always something to
research, Buffy.” He stated quietly.
Her pout turned into a smile as
she understood his meaning.
“God, can someone take me home
before they have sex right here?”
Xander moaned.
Oz and Willow laughed
lightly. Buffy rolled her eyes. Giles turned his head and stared at Xander.
“We’re perfectly able to control
ourselves, Xander.” He paused for a
moment before continuing. “While you’re
here, at any rate.”
Oz gently nudged Willow off his
lap and smiled as he stood, taking her hand.
“There’s something I need to talk to you about.” He gestured towards Xander. “After we take him home.”
Willow returned his smile,
squeezing his hand. “Good, ‘cause…I
have some questions for you.”
He gave her a slight nod. “Help me get him in the van?”
Giles moved to sit on the coffee
table and looked at Xander. Reaching
for the first aid kit again, he opened it and rummaged through the bottles of
medication. He found the one he was
looking for and handed it to Willow.
“What’s this for?”
“Antibiotics. To stave off any infection that should
occur.” He looked back and Xander and
tapped his knee. “Xander?”
“Yeah?” He answered sleepily.
“Do you have painkillers at
home?”
He lifted his head and gave
Giles a drugged grin. “Oh, yeah…we’re
good.”
Giles chuckled and stood up, turning
his eyes towards Oz. “I’ll help you get
him to the car. Will you be alright to
get him into his apartment?”
“Sure. We’ll get Anya to help if we need it.”
Xander laughed. “Only if Little House is over. If it’s not, you’ll have to drag me inside
yourselves.”
Giles’ brow furrowed in
confusion. “Little House?”
“On the Prairie.” Buffy supplied. “Television show.
Seventies…and bad. About
pioneers or something. Boring, even for
you.”
“Ha ha.” Giles rolled his eyes and hauled Xander from
the couch.
Buffy grinned and followed the
men in her life out the front door with Willow by her side.
Giles smiled as Buffy slid into
the bed beside of him. “And you were
worried about me coming to bed?”
Buffy chuckled and snuggled against
him, draping her arm over his stomach.
“Sorry. Our son is making things
difficult sometimes.”
He wrapped his arm around her,
his fingers tracing indistinct shapes along her side. “Everything alright?”
“Mm, yeah. Just continuous trips to the bathroom.” She sighed happily and kissed his chest
before resting her head on his shoulder.
“What do you think about the sword just…disappearing?”
He narrowed his eyes slightly as
he thought. “Odd, but not unheard
of. Normally it occurs when the weapon is
magically bound to the owner. However,
the owner’s visage is normally etched on the hilt. The last I checked, a vampire was not a three-horned demon
without a mouth.”
“I’ll help you research it in
the morning, if you want.”
He smiled and turned his head
towards her. “That would be most
appreciative.”
When she looked into his eyes,
he saw questions floating in her hazel irises.
“What’s on your mind, Buffy?”
“Willow’s worried about Oz.”
He sighed softly. “Yes, I had a feeling about that.”
“Did he say anything to
you? I mean, about…maybe being
interested in someone else or something?”
She asked carefully.
“Good heavens, no. In fact, it was quite the opposite.”
Her eyes narrowed. “So…why is he pushing her away?”
Giles took a deep breath, debating
on whether or not to discuss the issue with his wife. Realizing that Oz hadn’t requested that he keep it to himself,
and probably assumed that Giles would discuss it with Buffy, he rested his hand
on her hip and spoke softly.
“Oz has been doing research on a
cure for lycanthropy.”
“Huh?”
“Werewolfism.” He clarified softly. “He…didn’t wish to raise Willow’s hopes, so
he’s kept it to himself. Until
tonight.”
Buffy pushed herself up and
looked down at him. “But…you’ve always
said there is no cure.”
He nodded slowly, reaching up to
lightly touch the side of her swollen breast.
“Technically, there isn’t.
However, he may have uncovered a way to suppress the beast.”
“What? How?” She whispered.
“Spells, a few charms.” He shifted slightly. “It very well could work. I’m going to contact a few friends
tomorrow. I…have in my possession a
talisman that could possibly work.”
“You have a talisman that cures
werewolves?”
“Not exactly.” He pulled her over his body until she was
straddling his left thigh. His eyes
darkened a shade when he felt her heat on his skin. “You found the talisman one night on patrol. The one with Phoenician markings?”
She rotated her hips gently,
closing her eyes as his skin rubbed against her clitoris. “Mm…I, uh…I think I remember…God, that feels
nice.”
His hand moved to circle his
quickly hardening cock, gently stroking the flesh as she pressed harder against
him. “Mm-hm. Yes, it does.” He
swallowed, his eyes lowering to watch her grind against his leg. “The, uh…the talisman you found…is, uh…quite
similar to…”
When he trailed off, she opened
her eyes to find him staring at her, desire heavy in his eyes.
“Giles?” She whispered, her lust for him deepening
her voice.
His cock twitched in his
hand. “Come here.”
She smiled and rotated her hips
in the opposite direction. “You
were…telling me about the talisman?”
He raised his thigh slightly,
increasing the pressure. “It can
wait.” He licked his lips and stroked
his erection harder. “Please come here
now.”
She moved slowly up his body,
dragging her core along his torso. When
she had positioned herself with her knees resting on either side of his head,
she looked down at him.
“Is this where you want me?”
He released his cock and ran his
hands up the backs of her thighs, nodding slowly. “God, yes.”
As she leaned forward and
gripped the headboard, he gently grasped her hips and pulled her down to his
mouth. He inhaled her scent deeply
before slipping his tongue into her folds.
Buffy moaned softly as he used
the tip of his tongue to trace each individual fold before circling her
clit. She reached down with one hand,
winding her fingers in his hair.
“Giles…”
He looked up at her flushed
face, smiling inwardly as he suddenly covered her hardened nub with his
mouth. Her hips bucked against him and
he tightened his grip on her, holding her steady against his mouth. His tongue moved quickly, flicking against
her clit before flattening and pressing hard against it.
“Oh God…suck it,
Giles…please…” She groaned loudly.
He growled against her sensitive
flesh, moving his right hand from her hip as he complied with her request. He gently held her clit between his teeth,
suckling on the flesh, as his middle finger carefully pushed into her warm
channel.
Her fingers tightened in his
hair as she threw her head back, growling his name with her lust-laden
voice. He removed his finger,
immediately replacing it with his thumb and sliding his moisture-coated finger
to her anus. As he gently circled the
puckered opening, his eyes met hers…his asking a silent question.
“God, yes…yes, Giles…” She whimpered as she struggled to keep as
still as possible.
He flicked his tongue against
her clit again as he eased his finger into her anus. He held still for a moment, lightly caressing her swollen flesh
with his tongue as he waited for her to give him the go ahead.
She swallowed thickly as her
muscles relaxed against the intrusion.
She looked down at him, smiling lazily.
“Now…”
A groan rumbled in his chest as
he slowly thrust both digits into her.
He picked a slow rhythm, gently building her orgasm as his tongue bathed
her clit. She gripped the headboard
with both hands, holding herself steady as she moaned his name.
“Please, Giles…make me come…”
He paused briefly before
suddenly increasing the speed of his thrusting fingers. His thumb stroked her inner walls as he
sucked hard at her clitoris. As she
began moving her hips in time with his hand and mouth, he felt the familiar
sensation of his own impending orgasm.
He groaned against her flesh, causing her to shudder in pleasure.
“God, Giles…love you…” Her knuckles whitened as she tightened her
grip on the headboard.
His tongue moved at a frenzied pace,
licking and flicking the hardened nub in his mouth. His thumb and finger twisted inside of her, stroking the
sensitive areas he had learned existed in the previous explorations of her
body.
Her climax crested suddenly,
screaming his name as her fluids flooded over his thumb, running down to his
wrist before dripping onto his throat.
He suckled harder at the pulsing bundle of nerves as a second orgasm
washed over her. At her loud whimper of
ecstasy, he groaned against her flesh and came violently, his semen landing on
his torso.
She reached down with a
trembling hand, shaking fingers brushing through his damp hair in a silent
request for him to stop. He gradually
slowed his ministrations until he was placing tender kisses along her heated flesh.
She moved slowly, dragging her
spent body down his torso until she had enough room to lean down for a
kiss. He brushed his moisture-coated
thumb across her bottom lip, groaning softly as she pulled it into his mouth
and licked it clean.
“Buffy…”
She looked into his eyes as his
thumb slipped from her mouth. She held
his trembling hand in hers as she lovingly ran her tongue along the path of
fluids to his wrist. She carefully
eased her body from his, kneeling beside of him. She smiled as she looked down at his body.
“You’re a mess…” She whispered softly. “I should probably clean you up.”
He moaned as she proceeded to do
just that, starting with his lips and chin before collecting the stray droplets
from his throat. His Adam’s apple
bobbed under her lips as he swallowed thickly.
She grinned against his skin as she moved lower, using her tongue to
clean his seed from his own skin.
His chest heaved as she finished
cleaning his body and laid down beside of him.
She rubbed his chest soothingly and draped one leg over him.
“You okay, honey?”
He chuckled softly. “Oh, yes.”
He turned his head and pulled
her to him, covering her mouth with his.
They groaned simultaneously as his tongue swept into her mouth, mingling
their essences with one another.
He broke the kiss slowly,
pulling back only far enough to look into her eyes. “You…never cease to amaze me.”
She furrowed her brow lightly in
confusion. “I didn’t do anything…”
He smiled and lifted his hand,
caressing her cheek with his fingers.
“Oh, but you did, darling.”
“What did I do?” She whispered, leaning into his touch.
“You fell in love with me.” He whispered back, smiling as her eyes
glistened.
“Oh…that?” When he nodded slowly, she returned his
smile. “Not such a hard thing to do, Giles.”
He sighed sleepily as she placed
her head on his shoulder and draped her arm over his torso once more. “I love you, Buffy.”
“Mm…love you too.”
She closed her eyes, contenting
herself by listening to his breathing even out as sleep took him quickly. She nestled into his embrace, smiling as she
followed him into slumber.
The next morning Buffy sighed as
she woke slowly. Reaching out to cuddle
with her husband, her eyes opened to find only cool sheets under her
touch.
“Well, that’s a
disappointment.” She muttered
softly.
She climbed out of bed and
glanced down at her stomach as she padded into the bathroom. “What did you do, grow overnight?” She sighed heavily. “Your father is definitely going to have to
take me shopping today.”
Taking care of her business
quickly, she brushed her teeth and slipped on a pair of sweatpants and a
t-shirt. She looked at herself in the
mirror and groaned.
“Not the most glamorous choice
of outfits. But…can’t really be picky
right now.” She smiled when she felt a
gentle kick. “Let’s go find your
daddy.”
* * *
Giles shook his head in
exasperation as he held the phone in his left hand while turning the talisman
over in his right. “No, I will not be
put on hold yet again. Tell him it’s
Rupert Giles and that I need to…” He
pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it as the hold music began
playing. “Blast it!”
Buffy walked into the room, a
small smile playing on her lips.
“Everything okay?”
“No. I’ve just been put on hold for the third time.” He looked up and his angry features
softened. “Good morning.”
“Hi.” She made her way to him, leaning down to drop a kiss on his lips
before hopping onto the table. “Who are
you trying to call?”
He leaned forward, kissing her
stomach before looking up at her. “Tom
Jarvis. He’s the Council’s expert in
Ancient Phoenician.” He glanced down at
the item in his hand. “I need to know
if this will be acceptable for Oz.”
“Oh.” She reached down and plucked the talisman out of his hand,
studying it carefully. “And you’re just
gonna ask your Council guy if this’ll help cure werewolfism?”
“Well, no. I was actually going to ask for a
translation of the markings. I should
be able to tell from an accurate translation if it’s suitable.”
“Okay.” She dropped the charm back into his hand and
held her hand out. “Give me the phone.”
When he complied with her
request, she hit the ‘end’ button, much to Giles’ dismay.
“Buffy! I’ve been waiting for nearly an hour!”
Buffy merely offered him a smile
and hit the redial button. She gave him
a wink as she listened to the call being connected.
“Who am I asking for?”
“Tom Jarvis.”
She nodded and waited as the
phone began to ring. A rich, cultivated
English accent spoke to her.
“How may I direct your call?”
Buffy raised an eyebrow. “What?
No, ‘Hi, Council Headquarters’
or anything?”
The voice coughed lightly. “How may I help you?”
She grinned, swinging her legs as
she picked up a pen and twirled it in her fingers. “May I speak with Mr. Tom Jarvis please?”
There was a slight hesitation on
the line.
“May I ask who’s calling?”
“Buffy Giles.” She responded quickly. “Buffy Summers Giles. I need to speak with Mr. Jarvis urgently
about a matter that has arisen on the Hellmouth in Sunnydale.”
Giles chuckled in amusement.
The unidentified man on the line
sputtered softly. “Yes, of course. Please hold.”
As she listened to the hold
music, she met her husband’s eyes. “I’m
on hold. I think they need to update
their music.”
When Giles began to respond,
Buffy held up her hand in a gentle request for him to be quiet.
A man picked up the line, his
accent different than her husband’s.
Still English, but thicker.
“Miss Summers.”
“Actually, it’s Giles now. Has been for over three months, you’d think
you would’ve gotten the memo on that by now.” She said brightly, holding no
malice in her tone.
“Yes, I’m terribly sorry about
that. Um, what can I do for you Mrs.
Giles?”
“Actually, nothing. My husband is needing your assistance. Apparently, he kept getting put on hold.”
“Oh. I’ll, uh…I’ll speak to my secretary about that. I apologize for any inconvenience.”
Buffy smiled at the nervous tone
in the man’s voice. “It’s okay. But, we do have an issue on the Hellmouth
that Giles needs to discuss with you.
Hold on.”
She covered the mouthpiece with
her hand and held the phone out towards Giles.
“I wish we had some hold music for him to listen to.”
Giles laughed softly, taking the
phone from her hand and whispering ‘thank you’ before lifting the receiver to
his ear.
“Mr. Jarvis, you seem to be a
difficult man to get hold of.”
“Ah, yes. I do apologize, Mr. Giles. I wasn’t told that it was you on the line
for me.”
Giles raised an eyebrow. “Oh?
Interesting.”
“I, uh…I shall endeavour to get
to the bottom of that issue. For the
time being, what may I help you with?”
As Giles began his explanation
of what he needed, Buffy slid off the table and gently ruffled his hair. He looked up at her, reaching his free hand
out to caress her swollen abdomen. He
grinned brightly when he felt his child move under his touch.
His eyes suddenly darted to the
talisman resting on the table. “I can
fax an image to you right away. It’s
quite imperative that I receive an accurate translation as soon as possible.”
Buffy chuckled softly, realizing
that ‘Husband Giles’ was being temporarily replaced with ‘Research Giles’. She quietly walked out of the room and
headed to the kitchen.
It was nearly ten in the morning
and she was hungry. She was also pretty
sure that Giles had been too busy with his research to have actually eaten
anything yet.
* * *
Half an hour later, Giles walked
into the kitchen. Buffy looked up from
a bowl of cereal and smiled.
“How’d it go?”
He sat down at the table and ran
his hand through his hair. “He seems
rather excited about it. He’s promised
to have the translation completed within a few hours.”
Hearing the tea kettle begin to
whistle, he turned and looked at the stove.
Buffy stood and quickly made her way through the kitchen, lifting the
kettle from the eye.
“Good timing, Giles.” She poured the water into the teapot,
allowing the leaves to steep as she opened the oven door. “I was going to bring this in to you when
your tea was ready.”
Giles narrowed his eyes as she
slipped on an oven mitt and pulled a plate full of steaming food out of the
oven. “What did you do?”
“Made you breakfast…or early
lunch…or, you could call it brunch.”
She smiled as she placed the plate on the table in front of him. “Careful with the plate, it’s hot.”
He looked down at the plate,
heaped with diced potatoes that had been perfectly browned, a couple of
sausages, baked beans, and some pan-fried mushrooms. He smiled brightly as she placed the teapot in front of him and
handed him a fork.
“I was going to do baked beans
on toast, but I didn’t know how long you’d be.
I was afraid the toast would get soggy.”
“So, instead…you decided to cook
a full English breakfast? A slightly
Americanized version, but still…”
A flicker of worry shone in her
eyes. “Is it okay? I mean, I’m not really good with the whole
cooking thing…especially cooking English things…but…”
He smiled softly, placing his
hand over hers. “It’s wonderful,
Buffy. Thank you.” He glanced back down at the plate and
chuckled.
“What?”
“I think you might have to help
me finish it though.”
She laughed softly as she poured
him a cup of tea. She took a sip before
handing it to him. “So, how long is a
few hours?”
“Hm?” He took a sip and then placed the cup on the table.
“Well, you said it would take
him a few hours to get the translation back to you. How long is a few?”
“Oh.” He cut a piece of sausage and popped it into his mouth, chewing
quickly as he cut another piece and held the fork to Buffy’s lips. “Three or four, I suppose. Why?”
She chewed the morsel carefully
and swallowed. “I need clothes. I think my pregnancy progressed another five
weeks last night.”
He grinned and swallowed a
mushroom.
* * *
The phone was ringing as he
struggled through the front door, his arms laden with bags of clothes. Buffy rushed past him, dropping her bags
onto the floor as she grabbed the phone.
“Hello?”
“Ah, Mrs. Giles?”
“Yep, that’s me.” She smiled as Giles carefully placed the
bags on the coffee table and sat down.
“This is Tom Jarvis. I was wondering if Mr. Giles would be
available?”
She chuckled softly. “He is, but he’d probably prefer to be
called Rupert. Hold on a sec, I’ll get
him for you.”
She walked over to the couch and
plopped down beside of Giles. “Tom
Jarvis for you.”
“Oh. Thank you.” He took the
phone quickly and held it to his ear.
“Tom? This is Rupert.”
“Hello. I, uh…I’ve finished the translation for
you. Interesting little talisman you
have there. Where did you come across
it?”
“Buffy found it on one of her
patrols.” His eyes narrowed
slightly. “Interesting, how?”
“Well, you were correct in that
the markings are ancient Phoenician. However…this
talisman is connected to a Kitsune…which, as you know, is Japanese.”
“Kitsune? Are you sure?” Giles leaned forward, a small smile on his lips.
Buffy glanced at him, smiling as
she saw the excitement in his eyes.
“I’m quite positive, Rupert. Specifically, this deals with a Nogitsune.
I’ll fax the complete translation to you immediately. I hope this helps your issue on the Hellmouth. If you require any further assistance,
please do not hesitate to ring.”
“Thank you, Tom. Thank you very much. I’m positive that this will be of great use
to us.”
Buffy began sorting her
purchases as Giles finished the phone call.
She wasn’t sure what a Kitsune was, but, judging by the gleam in Giles’
eye, he did. When he ended the call and
dropped the phone onto the lamp table, she looked at him.
“Good news?”
“I do believe so.” He grinned brightly and turned to meet her
eyes. “The talisman is for a Kitsune.”
“A…who?”
“Kitsune. It’s a Japanese fox spirit. Specifically, this talisman is for a
classification of Kitsune called the Nogitsune.”
“Uh-huh.” Buffy nodded slowly, knowing that he’d
eventually explain. “And the
nogit-whattie is a ghost fox?”
Giles shook his head
quickly. “No, not a ghost. That is a common misconception. In this instance ‘spirit’ refers to the
supernatural abilities of a fox with eternal life.”
Buffy narrowed her eyes in
confusion. “Like…a vampire fox?”
“No. Not like a vampire fox in the least. The Kitsune possess superior intelligence and magical
powers. It’s been rumoured that they
can possess humans, typically women.
They’ve also been known to take on human form after completing a
specific ritual.”
“Okay, so this fox is like a
super fox…super smart, super magicky…are they evil?”
“For the most part, no. The classification of Myobu are benevolent,
simply content to just exist.”
Buffy raised an eyebrow as he
paused. “And the noggy one?”
“Nogitsune.” He corrected gently. “The Nogitsune are the wilder foxes. Sometimes malicious, but not necessarily
always so. They’re more into
mischief. The tricksters of the spirit
world, if you will.”
“Bottom line…this is good for
Oz, yeah?”
Giles grinned brightly. “I think it’s very good for Oz. Tom is faxing the complete translation
now. As soon as I go over it, with the
research that Oz provided me, I’ll call him.”
“Cool.” She thought for a moment. “So, what’s gonna happen?”
At his puzzled expression, she
continued. “I mean, does he just wear
this talisman and Wolf Oz is gone? Or – ”
“Not exactly. But, then again, I’m not sure. There’s still a fair bit of research to be
done. But, from what Oz and I
discovered last night…there are spells, charms…a few herbs. And I would imagine a great deal of
meditation. I think it will be a
mixture of many things and not just one magic medallion.”
“Oh, well if you need help, I’ll
be glad to do what I can.”
He chuckled softly and she
nudged his shoulder with hers. “I do
know how to research, you know. I just
choose not to. ‘Cause, you know…you’re
like the King of Research.”
He snorted in amusement and
stood up. “I’ll just go check this
fax. I trust you’re alright to unpack
these bags?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She waved her hand at him, a smile showing
in her eyes. “You go do the research
thing, I’ll do the putting away clothes thing.”
She laughed softly as he
grinned, turned and rushed down the hall towards the library.
Three days later, Buffy and
Willow returned to the Giles’ residence from a day of window shopping and
coffee drinking. They had left Giles
and Oz at home, papers and books strewn around them haphazardly as they
continued to research the possibility of lycanthropy suppression.
“Do you think they’ll actually
be able to find anything?” Willow asked
softly as she followed Buffy into the living room.
Buffy smiled at her best
friend. “I think so. Giles has been working on this pretty much
non-stop for the past three days.
And…Oz had been able to get a bit of information together on his
own. I think they’ll find
something. It may not be a permanent
cure or anything, but they’ll come up with something.”
Willow smiled, somewhat
reassured by Buffy. She glanced down
the hall and dropped her purse onto the table.
“Wanna go see what they’re
doing?”
Buffy grinned and gestured towards
the library. “Come on then.”
As they got closer to the
library, Buffy tilted her head as she listened to the voices. Three distinct voices. Giles, Oz…and another that she couldn’t
really place. She pushed the door open
slowly and stepped inside, motioning for Willow to follow her.
Oz held up a thin leather
strap. “And this?”
The figure in the dark blue
hooded robe nodded, his voice deep.
“Yes. To be wrapped around your
left wrist in conjunction with the blood beads resting against your pulse.”
Giles rifled through a stack of
papers, his glasses held between his teeth.
“And the significance?”
The dark figure turned to
Giles. “Leather is binding. Crossed over the blood beads, it should bind
the essence of the beast.”
Oz carefully wrapped the leather
strap around his wrist. “Well, it looks
cool.”
The dark figure gave a deep
chuckle. “Rupert, have you the
talisman?”
Giles looked up from the
papers. “Hm? Oh. Oh, yes.” As he stood, his eyes landed on the two young
women standing just inside the doorway.
“Hello.”
Buffy cast a wary glance towards
the hooded figure before meeting her husband’s eyes. “Hey…uh…what’s going on?”
Willow was staring at the
mysterious man. “I know you…”
Buffy turned her head and
narrowed her eyes. “How do you know
him?”
“Oh…he helped Giles one time
with…well, when Faith tried to turn Angel into Angelus.”
“Oh.” Buffy responded in a small voice before turning her eyes to
Giles. “Um, yeah…what’s going on?”
Giles offered her a warm
smile. “Buffy, this is Balamugunthan.
Bala, this is my wife, Buffy.”
The hooded man nodded in
greeting. “Good afternoon, Buffy.”
“Hi.” She gave him a small wave and then stared at Giles. “Again…what’s going on?”
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry. Bala is assisting us with the needed spells
and charms for Oz’s…uh…”
Oz grinned and stood up,
finishing Giles’ sentence. “Non-cure
for lycanthropy.” He pulled Willow into
a tight hug. “Hey, baby. Have fun?”
Willow nodded and gestured
towards his left arm. “Yeah. Do you think this is gonna work?”
“Well, if it doesn’t, I have
some pretty cool jewelry.”
Bala’s eyes glowed lightly. “Rupert?
The talisman?”
“Oh, yes.” He turned quickly and made his way to the
small chest across the room. He pulled
the talisman out and handed it to the Shaman.
Bala gingerly held the talisman
in his palm and examined it.
“Interesting. Kitsune.”
Giles tilted his head
slightly. “Yes, I was hoping that it
would be acceptable. I had the markings
translated by an expert in Ancient Phoenician.
I, uh…I’ve been working on an alternate version of the required spell…”
He hurried to his desk and
flipped through the loose papers littering the desktop. He smiled as he found the page he was
looking for and handed it to the Shaman.
Bala read through the spell,
nodding slowly. “Yes, I do believe this
might work.” He looked up and motioned
at Oz. “Come here.”
Oz walked over to stand in front
of the Shaman as Bala handed the paper back to Giles. Bala produced another strip of leather, this one a bit thicker
than the one wrapped around the young man’s wrist. Bala placed his right hand on Oz’s chest and held still for a
moment. He shifted his hand slightly to
the left and gave a quick nod.
“Perfect.”
Oz said nothing, merely raising
an eyebrow.
Bala kept his hand on Oz’s chest
as he used his left hand to examine the leather strap he held. He pinched his finger and thumb together on
a specific area on the strap and looked at Giles. “Cut it here, please.”
As Giles picked up the scissors,
Bala spoke a few words in a language that Buffy had never heard. At Bala’s nod, Giles snipped the
leather. A purple light flashed around
the Shaman’s hand and he took a step back from Oz.
Bala quickly threaded the
leather through the talisman and twirled his finger in a silent request for Oz
to turn around. Oz complied, allowing
the Shaman to tie the strap around his neck.
The talisman rested lightly against the spot Bala had rested his hand
earlier.
The Shaman tapped Oz on the
shoulder and spoke softly. “As with the
blood beads and the leather on your wrist, this must stay on at all times.”
Oz nodded slowly. “Yes, sir.”
“Go through the list of herbs I
gave to Rupert. Every day, you must
take what is listed and in the quantities they are listed.” The Shaman turned towards Giles. “You can acquire the herbs today?”
Giles glanced down at the list
and nodded. “It shouldn’t be an issue.”
Bala nodded and returned his
mysterious gaze to Oz. “Start the herbs
tomorrow morning. Incantation of
Rupert’s spell should commence tomorrow night.”
“And how often do we need to
perform the spell?” Giles asked softly.
“Weekly for the first
month. Fortnightly for the second. Beginning with the third month, perform the
spell on the fourth night each month for three months. When those three months are up, the young
man here should be able to tell when it is needed again.”
Giles nodded in
understanding. Oz took a deep breath,
exhaling slowly. The Shaman put his
hand on Oz’s shoulder and squeezed lightly.
“Remember, meditation is
imperative. Do not be afraid to tell
people what you’re feeling.” At Oz’s
gentle nod, Bala bowed his head slightly.
“Good luck, my son.”
“Thank you.” Oz whispered softly.
The Shaman turned towards Giles and
extended his hand. Giles shook it
firmly and offered him a smile.
“Rupert, do not call on me
again.”
Giles’ smile grew. “I shan’t.”
With that, Bala took a step back
and shimmered lightly before completely fading.
Buffy raised an eyebrow. “Well, that was definitely a hell of a way
to leave a room.”
Willow narrowed her eyes and
looked at Giles. Giles saw the
confusion in her eyes and smiled warmly.
“What is it, Willow?”
She was quiet for a second and
tilted her head. “Isn’t that what you
guys said to each other the last time he was here?”
“Yes, it’s our standard
farewell.” Giles chuckled as he made
his way to Buffy’s side.
Buffy leaned up and gave her
husband a soft kiss. “So…that’s
it? Oz is wolf-free now?”
Giles shook his head slowly. “This was the easy part. Oz still has a lot of work to do himself.”
“And, I think I’d prefer to be
cagebound for the next couple of months.
At least, until I’m sure.”
Giles smiled, wrapping his arm
around Buffy. “I think that’s a very
wise idea.”
Willow grinned brightly. “Who wants to go out and celebrate?”
Oz smirked softly. “It may be early to celebrate, but I
wouldn’t say no to a date.” When Willow
beamed at him, his eyes sparkled. “Double?”
Buffy smiled when she felt
Giles’ fingers skim along her spine. “I
think we might pass tonight. I’m in
need of some quality ‘Giles time’.”
Giles coughed lightly, his face
reddening. Willow grinned and took Oz’s
hand.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“See? This is quality ‘Giles time’.”
Buffy sighed as she smiled up at Giles.
Giles chuckled and brushed a
lock of hair from her forehead. “And
here I was assuming you meant other activities.”
Buffy’s smile turned to a grin,
her head resting on Giles’ thigh.
“Nope. Those would be under ‘Super
Quality Giles Time’.”
He shook his head in amusement,
shifting slightly on the couch to reach the book on the lamp table. He flipped the book open to the bookmark and
began to read. Buffy closed her eyes,
rubbing her protruding abdomen as she listened to the words.
When he paused for a moment, she
smiled. “I still think you should do
books on tape.”
He snorted softly, moving his
hand to touch her stomach. “Yes, we
would be millionaires by now if I had agreed with your plan.”
She opened her eyes and looked
up at him. “Don’t snort at me,
mister. It’s true. You have the best voice…”
He raised an eyebrow at
her. “I do believe you may be biased in
that thought, darling.”
“Romance books on tape! That’s what you should do.”
He rolled his eyes
playfully. “Yes, Miles & Boon is
definitely what I would choose to read for women to listen to.”
Buffy narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, okay…that’s not such a great
idea. We’d have strange women knocking
down our door…all hot and bothered and wanting to do things to you while you
read.”
Giles laughed loudly. “I’m sure.”
She offered him a sly
smile. “I do.”
His laughter stopped abruptly as
he stared down at her. She rolled onto
her side facing him and lightly ran her fingers over the fly of his jeans. When she popped the button free and began to
work his zipper down, he took a deep breath.
When she pulled his quickly hardening flesh out and placed a soft kiss
on the head, he groaned.
She met his eyes as she flicked
her tongue against the glans. “Read…”
He choked back a laugh. “You don’t really expect me to be able to
read while you’re doing that, do you?”
She slid her tongue along his
length and smiled. “Mm-hm. Read to me.”
Realizing that she was being
serious, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He licked his lips and began to read.
“I asked him who had put into
the crowd’s head the idea of…” He
inhaled shakily as she slipped the head of his erection into her mouth. “…the
idea of attacking the jews. Salvatore
could not remember.”
She sucked him gently, smiling inwardly
as he tried to continue.
“I believe that when such…crowds
collect, uh…lured by a promise and immed…”
He bit his lip, stifling his moan, and swallowed. “…and immediately demanding something, there
is never any…Buffy…”
She pulled back slowly, placing
a wet open-mouthed kiss on the glans.
“Keep going…”
He took a deep breath and looked
back at the words on the page. “There
is never any knowing who among them speaks.
I…” He groaned as she took the
head back into her mouth and sucked hard at the flesh. His fingers tightened on the book as his
eyes clenched closed. “Buffy, I…I
can’t…the words…”
She hummed softly against his
flesh, her eyes sparkling as he swore under his breath. She took more of his length into her mouth,
pressing her tongue against the pulsing vein that ran along the underside. He snapped the book shut and forced his eyes
open.
She gently tugged the book from
his grip and tossed it behind her. He
dropped his left hand to her head, combing his fingers through her hair as she increased
her speed. Her lips and tongue glided
over his hardened flesh, her soft hum causing an intense vibration against his
skin.
The muscles in his stomach
quivered as his cock thickened in her mouth.
Her eyes shone brightly with her smile as she sucked even harder,
coaxing him towards orgasm.
“Buffy…oh, Christ!”
She reached up, scratching her
nails across his shirt-covered nipple.
His head fell back against the couch as his right hand gripped the
armrest. She felt the throb of his impending
orgasm under her tongue and groaned against his flesh. His fingers tightened momentarily in her
hair, holding her head still as he lifted his hips in small thrusts.
When she lightly pinched his
nipple, a loud groan escaped from his lips as he came forcefully in her
mouth. She drank greedily, swallowing
as he groaned her name and loosened his fingers in her hair.
She pulled back, using her
tongue to clean his flesh before pushing herself up to place a kiss on his
throat. His chest heaved as he
swallowed, his arms moving to hold her as she trailed her tongue over his chin
and to his lips.
He kissed her passionately,
moaning softly as her tongue slipped into his mouth, allowing him to taste
himself on her tongue. She broke the
kiss slowly, licking her lips as his eyes opened and met her gaze.
She offered him a loving smile
and brushed the backs of her fingers across his cheek. “I like it when you read to me.”
He smiled lazily, his blurred
vision clearing slowly.
Two weeks later…
Giles woke up and glanced at the
clock when he realized that Buffy wasn’t in bed. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, sighing when he determined
that his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him and that it really was two-thirteen
in the morning.
He slid out of bed and slipped
on a pair of barely used pajama pants.
He ran his hand through his sleep-tousled hair, yawning as he made his
way downstairs. His eyes narrowed
slightly when he didn’t find her in the living room or the kitchen. On his way to the training room, he noticed
the light was on in the library.
He stuck his head in the doorway
and smiled when he saw her at the table with three books lying open in front of
her. She had her head propped up with
her left hand as she used her right to flip the pages. He moved into the room and leaned against
the doorframe.
“Is there an apocalypse
brewing? Because this is quite
unusual.”
She looked up from the book to
see him smiling at her. She returned the
smile and sat back in the chair, resting her hand on her abdomen. “Not that I can tell, but…you’re the
apocalypse finder.”
He chuckled softly and walked
over to the table, pushing a couple of books out of the way before sitting on
the tabletop. “Should I be jealous that
books took you from our bed?”
“I never get jealous when you
leave our bed to come down here.”
He reached out and touched her
hair. “Yes, but that was a common
occurrence before we were married.
This…well, this is unprecedented.”
She laughed softly as she shook
her head. “True, but…no. No jealousy over books needed here. It’s your son’s fault that I’m up at this
hour.”
“My son?” He dropped his hand to her stomach and
rubbed gently. “What’s happening?”
“He’s just really active
tonight. Flipping and flopping around.”
He grinned as he felt a kick
under his palm. “Well, that would come
from his mother.” When she glared at
him he smiled warmly. “It shouldn’t be
much longer, love.”
“God, I hope not.” She shifted uncomfortably in the chair and
glanced down at the book in front of her.
“So, I found the demon that was on the sword that went poof.”
He raised an eyebrow and looked
down at the open book. “Oh? What is it?”
She scoffed lightly. “As if I can pronounce it.” She pointed at the picture instead. “That’s him.”
He narrowed his eyes as he
picked up the book. “Vhrashnin.”
Buffy nodded and shifted
again. “Yeah, that’s him. It says it’s a soul sucker.”
Giles lifted his eyes and stared
at her. “Actually, it states that
Vhrashnin is a Purveyor of Souls.”
“Same thing, isn’t it? Steals souls and sells them to the highest
bidder or whatever. That’s a soul
sucker in my eyes.”
He rolled his eyes and looked
back down at the book in his hands. Buffy
stood up and stretched her back.
“So, if this guy is the
purveyor…why did a vampire have his sword?”
Giles paused in thought before
meeting her eyes. “Perhaps this vampire
was in the purveyor’s employment. Sent
to retrieve a particular soul for the purveyor. That would explain why the sword disappeared.”
Buffy crossed her arms over the
top of her abdomen. “Well, that’s just
a creepy thought. Wonder whose soul it
was after?”
“It’s hard to say. But, we should probably keep an eye
out. Vhrashnin might very well send
another minion to do its bidding.”
“Well, that’s cheery.” She pouted.
He looked into her eyes and
smiled. “Perhaps not. But, honest nonetheless.”
“So…it’s a week until the next
full moon.”
He raised an eyebrow at
her. “Well, that was certainly an
interesting change of subject.”
She chuckled and shrugged a
shoulder. “Apparently that’s how my
mind works at the moment. Subject to
subject, no logical paths getting there.”
He smiled and closed the book,
placing it on the table before taking her hand and pulling her between his
legs. “I assume you mentioned the full
moon in reference to Oz?”
She nodded slowly and rested her
head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “Yeah. You think it’s
going to work?”
He nodded and wrapped his arms
around her. “I do. He’s fairly nervous, as you can
imagine. But…yes, I do think it has a
very good chance of working.”
“Good.” She sighed softly. “And about three weeks until Braden’s here.”
Giles smiled brightly and kissed
the top of her head. “Mm-hm.”
“How are you doing with that?”
He pulled back slightly and
looked down at her, confusion showing in his eyes. “How am I doing with what?”
“Becoming a father. I mean…are you nervous? Or scared?
Or…” She shrugged and offered
him a small smile. “How are you doing?”
“I’m excited.” He stated softly and then continued. “And nervous. And…terrified beyond belief.
But, I’m ready to be a father. I
can’t wait to hold him, to look into his eyes, to show him how much I love
him. I’m ready, Buffy.” He lifted his hand and cradled her
cheek. “And how are you doing?”
She took a deep breath and
exhaled slowly. “I love him so much,
Giles. I can’t wait to see him. And…I’m scared out of my mind. What if he cries and I can’t get him to
stop? What if I don’t know what to do
when…”
She trailed off when she looked
up to find him smiling. “Why are you
smiling like that?”
“You’re beautiful.” He stated simply.
She arched an eyebrow. “And you make fun of my subject changing abilities?”
“You are going to be a wonderful
mother, Buffy. You already are. And we’ll learn what quietens our son when
he cries. We’ll learn everything we
need to learn in order to keep Braden happy.
That’s what parents do.”
“And when he gets into trouble? Because you know he will, I mean look at his
parents! Who’s gonna take care of that?”
Giles chuckled softly. “You.
Because if he inherits your pouting abilities, there’ll be no possible
way I can properly discipline him.”
She rolled her eyes and lightly
smacked his arm. “Yay, I get to be the
evil parent.”
He smiled and placed his hand on
her stomach. “We’re in this together,
Buffy. The easy things, the difficult
things…we’ll deal with them all together.
Just like we have with everything else in our lives for the past few
years.”
She gazed at him for a few
moments before taking a deep breath.
“God, I love you.”
“I love you, Buffy.” He whispered softly.
“And…if I weren’t so huge and
uncomfortable at the moment…”
“Yes?” He asked when she trailed off.
“Well, if I weren’t…I’d push you
down on that table and make you scream my name.” She smiled sweetly when his eyes darkened a shade. “But, I am…so you’ll just have to settle for
this…”
She leaned up and captured his
lips, sliding her tongue into his mouth.
She ran her fingers through his hair as she massaged his tongue with
hers. She felt his groan rumble in his
chest and moved her hand to his quickly hardening cock.
When her hand slipped inside of
his pajama pants, he reached up with both hands and cradled her face. She groaned into his mouth as he took
control of the kiss, plundering her mouth with his tongue.
When her hand circled his
erection, he shifted and slid off the table.
She stroked him slowly as he backed her towards the couch, his tongue
rhythmically stroking hers. When the
backs of her legs hit the couch, she sat down pulling him with her. He thrust his hips against her hand and
slowly broke the kiss.
“Buffy?” He whispered breathlessly.
She used her free hand to tug
his pajamas down to his knees. “Let me
do this for you, Giles.”
She shifted her body and leaned
into him, running her tongue along the pale scarred flesh on his neck before
nipping at his earlobe and whispering huskily into his ear.
“Let me feel you come all over
my hand.”
He groaned one word as she went
back to sucking his earlobe. “Harder.”
She tightened her grip on him
and ran her thumb across the fluid beading at the tip. “Like that?”
“Yes…fuck, yes…”
“Do you want to come now? Or…do you want to wait a little while?”
He swallowed thickly, his Adam’s
apple bobbing as he groaned again.
“Now…please…make me come…”
“Okay…” She whispered in a throaty voice before
licking her way back to the scar on his neck.
He thrust his hips in time with
her hand, fighting the urge to cover her hand with his. Her tongue traced along the scar before she
lightly nipped the raised flesh with her teeth. His hand gripped the armrest of the couch tightly.
“Please…” He pled loudly.
She smiled and then complied,
covering the scar with her mouth and sucking at the sensitive flesh. His free hand moved to the back of her head,
holding her mouth against his neck as she increased the pressure. His cock thickened in her hand as her teeth
closed around a ridge of scar tissue.
She bit down hard and he moaned
her name, his voice thick with lust as he shuddered violently and came on her
next stroke. She slowed her movements,
but continued to manipulate him, coating his flesh with his semen.
He swallowed as she pulled away
from his neck, his chest heaving as he opened his eyes. “My God, Buffy…”
She smiled lovingly at him and
then glanced at his neck. Her smile
faded immediately, replaced with fear in her eyes.
“Shit! You’re bleeding!”
He grabbed her wrist as she
released his softening flesh. His
glazed eyes met hers as he lifted his other hand to touch the side of his neck
and then examined his fingers. He
smiled lazily at her as he lifted her hand to his lips.
“I’m fine, Buffy. You barely broke the skin…and…there’s really
not much blood…” Her eyes darkened as
he ran his tongue along her palm.
“How wrong is it that I get
really turned on when I watch you do that?”
He smiled at her husky tone and
licked along her index finger. “Watch
me do what?”
She trembled as he sucked her
finger into his mouth. “That…licking
your come from my skin…”
“Mm.” He grinned as he let her finger slide from his lips. “You know what’s even more erotic?”
“What?” She whispered breathlessly.
He swallowed and lifted her hand
to her lips. “Watching you do it.”
He groaned softly as she sucked
the fluid from her digits, dropping his hand to his lap and wrapping his long
fingers around his cock, stroking himself.
By the time she had finished cleaning her hand, his flesh was hard and
throbbing again.
He licked his lips and stared
into her eyes. “Let me taste you.”
She nodded slowly, pulling the
belt free from her robe. She glanced
down at his hand moving slowly over his erection and moaned. “Will you keep doing that?”
He grinned and slid onto the
floor, kneeling between her legs as she leaned back against the cushions. “If you want me to…”
“I really do.” She whispered lustfully as she felt his warm
breath against her core. “Giles…”
He inhaled deeply and placed a
soft kiss on her inner thigh. He looked
up at her and smiled lovingly. Just as
he lowered his head, the phone rang.
“You’re fucking kidding
me!” Buffy growled.
Giles bit his lip and took a
deep breath, offering her an apologetic smile as he stood and walked over to
the desk, grabbing the offending object.
“H’lo?”
As he turned to face her,
Buffy’s eyes darted to his erection.
“Willow? What is it?”
Buffy noticed his erection sag
and sighed sadly. She met his eyes as he
continued talking to Willow. She
grinned and licked her lips, quickly moving from the couch and kneeling in
front of him.
His eyes widened as she suddenly
engulfed him, tilting her head back slightly and allowing him to slip into her
throat. He successfully stifled his
moan, his free hand quickly moving to her head, following her motions as she
grasped his hips.
“How, uh…um…how many?”
He closed his eyes, tightening
his fingers in her hair as she urged him to thrust against her.
“Mm-hm. And…where…where are you?”
He thrust his hips slowly, his
jaw clenching as she moaned against his flesh.
“We’ll be there…soon.”
She pulled back and sucked the
glans hard, smiling inwardly as he gasped.
She heard him mutter a farewell and then heard the phone drop to the
desk. She looked up at him to find his
eyes locked on hers.
“That…was…oh, dear God…Buffy…”
She swallowed his length again,
using her grip on his hips to quicken his thrusts. He groaned loudly, holding her head with both hands as he
complied with her unspoken request. He
fucked her mouth with long strokes, calling her name as he came quickly when
she moaned again, her own orgasm crashing over her.
She pulled back, placing a warm
kiss on the glans before completely releasing him. He leaned heavily against the desk and licked his dry lips. Grinning brightly, she stood in front of him
and kissed him deeply.
His arms moved around her,
holding her against his chest as he fought to catch his breath. She looked up at him and smiled warmly.
“What did Willow want?”
“Hm?” He took a deep breath and nodded. “Oh, yes. Two demons…down
at the end of Jackson Street…”
She stepped back and narrowed
her eyes. “What is she doing down there
at…” She lifted Giles’ wrist and read
his watch. “Three-fifteen in the
morning?”
Giles chuckled softly and
brushed his fingertips across her cheek.
“I imagine the same thing we were doing. Or…something similar.”
“Oh, yeah…” She shook her head and took a deep
breath. “We should go…”
“Yes.” He stood up and pulled his pajama pants up. “She was going to call Xander as well.”
“Anya will be thrilled.” She stated sarcastically.
Giles shook his head in
amusement and followed Buffy back upstairs to get dressed.
Giles and Buffy carefully made
their way to the four people standing behind Oz’s van. Oz turned and smiled at the two as the
approached.
“Hey. Sorry to call so early…or…late.”
Giles returned the young man’s
smile. “Quite alright. Demons tend to not worry about the time.” He leaned around the edge of the van and
narrowed his eyes. “What are they
doing?”
Xander shrugged a shoulder,
still watching the two demons. “As far
as I can tell, playing hide and seek or something.” Xander turned his head towards Giles and did a double-take when
his eyes noticed the fresh teeth marks on the older man’s neck. “Jesus!
Are there vampires tonight too?”
Giles coughed lightly. “No.
Well, not that we’ve seen at any rate.”
Xander stared at him in
confusion as Anya snorted softly. “You
know, there’s something really weird about Slayers who like to bite and
Watchers who like to get bitten. I
think there are some underlying issues there that need to be discussed. Anyway, can we just get rid of these guys so
I can go back home. Willow woke us up
for this.”
“Yes, well…” Giles glanced at Willow, blushing as she
grinned at him. “When you noticed the,
uh…the demons…what were they doing?”
Willow gestured towards the
clearing. “That. Just running around and hiding behind trees…it’s
weird, huh?”
Buffy nodded. “You know what’s weirder?” She looked up at Giles and raised an
eyebrow. “My spidey-sense isn’t going
off.”
Giles stared at her. “Humans?”
As Buffy nodded, he shook his head in confusion. “Why on earth would humans dress up as
demons and…”
“Teenagers do strange things,
Giles. You should remember…it hasn’t
been that long since you were surrounded by them.”
Giles shook his head in
disbelief. “But, this is just…”
“Stupid?” Buffy smiled and nodded in agreement. “Yeah.
I’ll be right back.”
She gave his chest a light pat
and walked around the van towards the clearing. Xander looked up at Giles and sighed.
“Good thing she has her
instincts. Especially in Sunnydale.”
“Yes, quite.” Giles replied absently as he watched his
wife approach the two ‘demons’.
“Is it just me or has she gotten
bigger in the last couple of days?”
Anya asked in her not-so-tactful manner.
Giles turned his head slowly and
met Anya’s eyes. “The baby’s due in
three weeks. Her pregnancy is the
equivalent of a nearly nine month pregnancy.
Please do me a favour and not mention it to Buffy.”
Willow smiled softly. “She’s pretty sensitive about it, isn’t
she?”
Giles returned the smile and
then looked towards Buffy again. “You
could say that.”
“Sex would have to be
uncomfortable when you’re that far along.”
Anya mused.
Giles rolled his eyes as Xander
hushed Anya.
* * *
Buffy approached the two figures
and sighed heavily. “What are you
doing?”
The one closest to her jumped, clearly
startled, and quickly ripped off his mask.
“Um…nothing?”
Buffy shook her head
slowly. “You know…it’s really not safe
to be out here at this time of…morning.
Especially dressed like that.
Bad things happen.”
The second boy took off his mask
and laughed. “Like a pregnant woman
asking what we’re doing? Yeah, that’s
bad.”
Buffy’s eyes darted towards the
other edge of the clearing and shook her head.
“No, like two vampires walking up on you while you’re playing your
stupid games. That’s bad.”
The two boys followed Buffy’s
eyes and started backing away. “What
the hell?”
“Run. Get out of here now.
And…for God’s sake, lose the costumes!”
As the two unmasked ‘demons’
took off in a run, Giles straightened and pulled a stake out of his jacket pocket. Oz pushed himself from his leaning position
against his van and looked around.
“Will…stay here.” He requested softly.
Without saying a word, Giles
cautiously made his way towards Buffy.
Oz followed him and Xander stayed back, in case more vampires showed
up.
Buffy reached into her back
pocket and pulled out a stake, twirling it in her hand as the vampires closed
in on her. “Hi there.”
The larger of the two glanced
down at her stomach and grinned. “Looks
like we get two for the price of one tonight, Clyde.”
“Clyde? Your name is Clyde?” Buffy stared at the shorter vampire.
“What’s wrong with Clyde? Mama said it was a good name.” Clyde narrowed his yellow eyes.
The larger one glanced over at
his friend. “It is a good name. She’s just trying to distract you.” He looked back at Buffy and smiled. “Isn’t that right, darlin’? What’s your name anyway?”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Not darlin’.”
He ran his tongue over a fang
and grinned. “Come on, sweetheart. Tell me your name.”
Buffy twirled the stake again,
taking another step towards him.
Giles caught Oz’s eye and
motioned for him to stop. Oz gave him a
nod and complied, but kept his guard up.
“My name is Buffy…”
Clyde snorted. “And you made fun of my name?”
“The Vampire Slayer.” Buffy finished with a grin.
“A Slayer. Excellent.”
The larger one cracked his knuckles.
“This’ll be fun.”
“Yeah.” Buffy nodded and, without taking her eyes
off the vampire in front of her, she hurled the stake towards Clyde with frightening
accuracy.
Clyde screamed as he was reduced
to a small pile of dust. Buffy shrugged
her shoulders when the larger one stared into her eyes.
“Figured he’d be the easier of
you two. Might as well get him out of
the way.”
“I’ll kill you for that. He was my brother!” The vampire snarled.
“God, can’t you guys come up
with some new lines? ‘He’s my brother’,
‘She’s my girl’, blah, blah, blah. When
it all boils down, you’re still evil and kill people. And…I’m still the Slayer.
So, basically…I don’t care if he was your brother.”
“Bitch!”
“Yeah, I get that one too.” She sidestepped him easily as he lunged for
her. “Come on, be original.”
The vampire’s eyes blazed with
rage. “I’m going to rip your heart out
and show it to you.”
Buffy sighed. “I said ‘be original’.” She caught sight of her husband out of the
corner of her eye. “Stake?”
The vampire’s eyes clearly
showed his confusion. “Steak?”
Buffy raised her hand, easily
catching the stake thrown to her by Giles.
She held the sharpened piece of wood up for the vampire to see. “Stake.
Not steak.”
With a quick lunge, Buffy
slammed the stake through the vampire’s heart.
“See, I’m original.”
The vampire swore loudly as he
exploded into dust.
Buffy met Giles’ eyes and smiled
brightly. Giles returned her smile as
Oz chuckled.
Anya stepped out from behind the
van, her voice loud as she called out.
“Can we go home now?”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles knelt next to the tub,
gently rubbing the soapy washcloth over Buffy’s back. Buffy moaned softly.
“That feels so nice.”
He smiled, dropping the cloth
into the water, and running his hand down to her lower back. As his fingers gently kneaded the tense
muscles, he leaned over and placed a kiss on her shoulder.
“The boys…did you know them?”
“Hm?” She arched her back as his fingers found a particularly tight
knot in her back. “Yeah, right there.”
He rubbed a bit harder and
opened his mouth again. “The boys
dressing up as demons. Did you know
them?”
“Oh.” She shook her head slowly.
“No, I think they’re new to Sunnydale.
But…I don’t think they’ll be playing dress-up anytime soon.”
“Good.” As the knot worked free, he picked up the
cloth again and slowly washed her abdomen.
When she noticed how his hand
was lingering on her stomach, she raised her head and smiled. “What are you thinking about?”
Giles took a deep breath. “The Hellmouth isn’t a good place to raise
children.”
“Xander and Willow turned out
okay.”
Giles nodded slowly. “Yes, but have nearly been killed several
times over the years.”
She placed her hand over his and
sighed softly. “Braden is going to be
surrounded by people who will do everything in the power to protect him.”
“Yes.”
Registering the sad tone of his
voice, she looked into his eyes. “What
do you want, Giles?”
“I…” He exhaled slowly. “I
want to close the Hellmouth, move away from here, raise my family, love my
wife, have dinner with our friends…”
He trailed off and lowered his
head slightly. She reached up and ran
her finger down the side of his face.
“Where would you want to move?”
“First thought? England.
I’d love to raise our children in England. But…I’d be happy anywhere.
As long as I have my family.”
“At least I wouldn’t have to
learn a new language.” Buffy
sighed. “I’ve always wanted to go to
Greece.”
“Beautiful country. Difficult language to master.” He smiled as he touched her hair. “I’m sure you’d have little trouble picking
it up.”
“Would you teach me?” She asked softly, her fingers lightly
touching his earlobe.
“Yes.” He whispered, leaning into her touch.
“Teach me something now?”
He gazed into her eyes, his
thumb gently rubbing her cheek.
“S’agapo.”
She smiled warmly. “I love you.”
He returned her smile. “See?
You’re a natural.”
“I read it in your eyes. Not hard to figure out…” She chuckled softly.
“Se letrevo.” He whispered, leaning forward to kiss her
lips. As he pulled away, he cleared his
throat. “I adore you.”
“Se letrevo.” She repeated, smiling when he nodded his
approval of her pronunciation.
His eyes darted to her
lips. “Filise me.”
Buffy tilted her head and looked
at him. He met her eyes and gently
rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip.
“Filise me.”
She recognized the tone and
smiled, sliding her hand to the back of his head and pulling him towards
her. She kissed him soundly, nibbling
his bottom lip before sliding her tongue into his mouth. He groaned softly and pulled away
slowly.
“Was that right?” She asked, slightly breathless from the
kiss.
He nodded and licked his
lips. “Se thelo.”
Her eyes narrowed in
thought. She shook her head slowly, not
able to work it out. He offered her a
gentle smile and took her hand. Placing
it over his heart, he repeated the earlier phrase.
“S’agapo.” She nodded in understanding as he rose to
sit on the edge of the tub. He allowed
her hand to slide down his torso to rest on the hardened bulge in his
trousers. “Se thelo.”
She looked up at him and smiled
as she caressed his erection. “You want
me?”
He nodded slowly, his eyes
darkening. “Ne.”
“I guess that’s ‘yes’?” When he nodded again, she grinned and
removed her hand. “I think that’s
enough of a language lesson today. Help
me out of the tub, Giles.”
He stood and took her hand,
keeping her steady as she stepped onto the bathmat. When he turned to grab her towel, she stepped forward and pressed
her palm against his erection, massaging it gently.
He groaned and turned back
towards her. “Buffy?”
“Se thelo, Giles.”
He grinned and lowered his head,
covering her mouth with his.
The following few days had been
an anxious time for Oz. He had prepared
himself as much as he possibly could for the impending full moon. On the night before the full moon, he closed
the cage door and locked it.
He met Giles’ eyes and sighed
heavily. “Almost time to see if this is
going to work.”
Giles offered him a reassuring
smile as Willow stepped forward and slipped her hand through the bars. He laced his fingers with hers and smiled
nervously.
“I have a good feeling about
this Oz.” She whispered as she gently
squeezed his hand.
He gave her a brief nod and
glanced out the window. “Stand back
from the cage…just in case.”
As she stepped back, Giles
tilted his head towards the door. “You
don’t need an audience for this. Buffy
and I will be right outside.”
Oz took a deep breath. “Thanks.”
Buffy offered Oz a smile and
after wishing him good luck, followed Giles out the door. Willow sat down on a chair and clasped her
hands on her lap.
“Do you…want to talk or
anything?”
“Yeah, I think I do.”
Willow smiled warmly.
* * *
Buffy paced back and forth as
Giles leaned against the wall. “God, I
hope this works.”
“If it doesn’t, we’ll do more
research. Add more herbs, adjust the
spell…”
Buffy stopped in front of him
and sighed deeply. “It’ll devastate him
if it doesn’t work.”
Giles raised his hand, threading
his fingers through her hair. “This is
only the first attempt. I understand
that he’d be disappointed…”
Buffy interrupted him
softly. “He wants Will to have a normal
life, a normal boyfriend.”
He chuckled quietly. “I’m afraid that Willow, nor any of us, will
ever have a ‘normal’ life. We do live
on a Hellmouth.”
Buffy nodded. “Well, as normal as possible…”
Willow’s voice calling Giles’
name interrupted their conversation. He
quickly ran into the room, followed closely by Buffy. He looked at the cage, stopping suddenly and causing Buffy to
bump into his back.
She grunted his name in the
collision and stepped around him. She
looked at the cage and exhaled deeply.
Oz stood there, looking very much human, a bright smile on his face.
“Wow.” Buffy whispered softly.
“Wow, indeed.” Giles smiled.
Willow beamed happily. “The sun’s down, the moon’s out…and Oz is
still Oz.”
“So I see.” Giles approached the cage door and tilted
his head in thought. “How are you
feeling?”
“A little shaky. There was a little pain when the sun went
down and a burning sensation here.” He
pointed to his chest where the talisman rested.
“Yes, that’s to be
expected. It should lessen with
time.”
“I feel restless though. Like I have all this energy and don’t know
what to do with it.” Oz spoke softly.
Giles nodded in
understanding. “Yes, that’s the wolf
trying to break through. The barriers
that have been put in place are strong and unyielding. Wolves tend to be fairly stubborn, so he’ll
continue to butt his head against them for a while.”
“Do you feel like coming
out?” Willow asked quietly.
Oz shook his head quickly. “No.
It’s the first night…and…if it breaks through the barriers…”
Giles placed his hand on
Willow’s shoulder and gently squeezed.
“He’s right, Willow. For the
time being, it’s better that he stays where he is.”
Oz reached through the bars and lovingly
took Willow’s hand. “But, if you want
to stay and talk…I wouldn’t say no.”
Willow smiled brightly and
squeezed his hand.
Giles smiled proudly and, after
giving Willow instructions to call him with any changes, quietly ushered Buffy
out of the room.
* * *
Giles grinned as Buffy reached
over and plucked the cherry from his sundae.
On the way home, she had a massive craving for ice cream so they had
stopped at her favourite parlor for a sundae.
“What if I wanted that?”
She rolled her eyes in amusement
and popped the cherry into her mouth.
“First of all, you never eat the cherry. Second of all, would you really deny me one extra cherry?”
“Not at all.” He responded, reaching over with his spoon
and scooping some of the whipped cream from her sundae.
“Hey!” She pouted as he slid the spoon into his mouth.
“Cream for the cherry.” He grinned and took a bite of ice
cream. “That’s always been the deal.”
“I think we need to rework the
deal.”
He chuckled and held his whipped
cream-covered spoon to her. “Here, have
some of mine.”
She waved her hand and shook her
head. “Nah, it’s okay. But, if we come back here before I have the
baby…I’m renegotiating the terms of our sundae sharing contract.”
He laughed and cleaned his spoon
himself. “Fair enough.”
She was quiet for a few moments,
busily working her way through her sundae.
She looked up suddenly and watched him as he ate.
“Giles?”
“Hm?” He looked up as he swallowed.
“Do you think Braden will have
an English accent?”
He chuckled softly, shaking his
head. “I think it’s possible that he’ll
pick up some of my sayings and that there may be a slight English lilt to his
voice. But, the majority of the people
around him are American. With me as his
only English influence, I tend to think that he’ll sound more American than
English.”
“Oh.”
At her tone of disappointment,
he lowered his spoon and reached over to take her hand. “What is it, Buffy?”
She shrugged a shoulder and
sighed. “I don’t know. It’s just…you have this beautiful voice
and…it’s like it’s not going to be handed down to our children and…”
Giles smiled warmly as he rubbed
his thumb over the back of her hand.
“Buffy…”
“Maybe we should move to
England.” She blurted quickly.
His smile faded, confusion showing
in his eyes. “I’m sorry?”
“Our son deserves to know where
he comes from, you know?”
“And he will, Buffy.” Giles spoke softly in a reassuring
tone. “We don’t necessarily have to
live in England for him to know that.
Besides, our friends…our family…they’re here.”
Her eyes misted lightly. “Promise me that you’ll teach him everything
about England. Everything about your
childhood.”
He pushed his unfinished sundae
out of the way, his eyes filling with concern.
“Where’s this coming from, Buffy?”
“One day…something will get the
better of me. You know it as well as I
do.”
He shook his head quickly. “No…we don’t know that.”
“I’m the Slayer, Giles. We both know that I don’t have a
Cheetoh-like expiry date.”
His eyes glistened. “I…I don’t want to talk about this right
now.”
She took his hand in both of
hers and brought it to her lips, tenderly kissing each finger. “Promise me that when my time comes…you’ll
take him home. Your home.”
“You’re my home, Buffy.” He whispered as a tear threatened to spill
down his cheek.
“Promise me.” She whispered back, lifting one hand to
caress his cheek. “This is
important. Please…promise me.”
He looked into her eyes and
leaned into her touch. “Have you…have
you had…a, uh…dream?”
Her eyes widened, realizing he
was worried that she had dreamed of her own death. “No, Giles. No. I just…I was thinking about it earlier. I do that sometimes. But, no…no dreams.”
“Promise me?” His voice trembled as his tear fell. “Promise me you’d tell me?”
She looked into his eyes and
nodded. “I promise you.”
He took a shaky breath and
swallowed. “Thank you.”
She lightly squeezed his hand
and gestured towards their unfinished sundaes.
“Finished?”
“Yes. I do think so.”
“Ready to go home?”
He nodded and slid out of the
booth, reaching down and pulling her up.
“I think I need some alone time with you.”
She laughed lightly and glanced
down at her stomach. “I’m not sure how
much fun I’ll be tonight.”
“We’ll see how we go, yes?”
She smiled as he led her out of
the ice cream parlor and to the car.
“Yes…we’ll see how we go.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He had taken her home and to
bed. There had been kisses and
caresses, full of love for one another.
When she had shifted uncomfortably, he slowed his touches and looked
into her eyes, giving her an understanding smile. With another tender kiss, he reached over to his bedside table
and plucked the book from the top drawer.
He read to her until she fell
asleep, curled up next to him. He felt
a gentle kick against his side and smiled softly, closing the book and placing
it on top of the bedside table before turning off the lamp.
And now, here he was, wide awake
and staring at the ceiling as his wife slept peacefully beside of him. He thought of their conversation over ice
cream, her words echoing in his mind.
“Promise me that when my time
comes…you’ll take him home. Your home.”
He had promised her. But he had also vowed to do everything in
his power to make sure that it would be a very long time before moving anywhere
without Buffy was an issue.
He took a deep breath and closed
his eyes.
* * *
Giles made his way through
the house, sighing sadly as the real estate agent raved on and on about the
dwelling. He looked down when a small
hand tugged the leg of his jeans.
“Daddy, there’s a pond out
back…with ducks!”
Giles smiled and ruffled the
boy’s hair before meeting the agent’s eyes again. “He, uh…he likes ducks.”
“Mummy likes ducks too!” The little boy smiled at his father.
Giles’ eyes flashed with
sadness and then he swallowed. “Yes,
that’s right, Braden.”
The agent glanced at Giles’
hand and noticed the wedding band gleaming in the light. “Will your wife be joining you for the
inspection of the house?”
Giles looked up quickly and
Braden wrapped his arms around his father’s legs. As Giles opened his mouth to speak, Braden answered the lady’s
question quietly.
“Mummy’s in Heaven.”
A hand shaking his shoulder and
Buffy’s voice urgently speaking his name caused Giles to open his eyes. He met her eyes and inhaled sharply.
“Buffy?”
“Are you okay?” Buffy’s eyes were wide with concern as she
gently ran her fingers through his damp hair.
“You…you screamed…”
He reached up and touched her
face with trembling fingers. “Um…bad
dream…”
She moved her hand to his chest
and shook her head. “Your heart’s
racing, Giles.”
“I’d be surprised if it
weren’t.” He pushed himself up and
leaned back against the headboard. “I’m
alright, Buffy.”
“What did you dream?” She asked softly.
He glanced down at her stomach
and took a deep breath as he pulled her into his arms. “I, uh…I was looking at a house. I had a feeling of annoyance…I suppose the
estate agent was prattling on.
And…Braden was excited because there was a pond…with ducks.”
Buffy smiled and kissed his
cheek. “I like ducks. Doesn’t sound like too bad of a dream. At least…not the kind of bad that makes you
scream in your sleep.”
Giles swallowed, his eyes
misting. “You weren’t there. And…the estate agent had…an English accent.”
“Oh.” She replied softly.
“Giles…you’ve had prophetic dreams before – ”
He cleared his throat as he
shook his head. “This wasn’t one of
them. This was just what I fear. It was probably brought on by the conversation
we had earlier.”
“I’m sorry.” Buffy whispered.
He offered her a gentle smile,
his eyes clearing as he exhaled slowly.
“You’ve nothing to be sorry for, Buffy.
It was a valid conversation and…while I might not enjoy the subject
matter, it is something that needs to be discussed.”
“I just…I didn’t mean to make
you have that kind of dream…”
Giles tilted his head
slightly. “Our conversation is not a
prerequisite for that dream or any similar dream. It isn’t the first time I’ve had a nightmare such as this. I’m sure it won’t be the last.”
Buffy thought for a minute and
then gently nudged him. “Come on.”
Giles raised an eyebrow as she
threw the blankets off of their bodies.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to have some tea
and then have a happy conversation.”
He glanced at the clock as she
climbed out of bed. “Buffy, it’s four
in the morning.”
She regarded him closely for a
moment and then gave him a small smile.
“I’m not going back to sleep.
Are you?”
“Well…” He shook his head slowly. “No.”
“Come on, then. Tea, light conversation, snuggling…we may
even find a good infomercial on the t.v.”
Giles smiled, chuckling softly
as he slid from the bed. “As long as we
don’t have to watch the one with the magic blender that can make homemade
mayonnaise in ten seconds. I’m rather
bored with that one.”
Buffy laughed and led him down
the stairs.
Oz successfully made it through
all three nights without morphing into the wolf. In celebration, Willow decided to throw him a ‘congratulations on
suppressing the wolf’ party. Oz smirked
as Buffy and Giles walked into the living room of Willow’s house.
“Well, this is
rather…festive.” Giles commented.
Willow grinned, holding on to
Oz’s hand tightly. “Yeah. I had to make the decorations myself
because…hey, no banners to be found about not being a werewolf anymore.”
Giles smiled as Buffy
laughed. “Yes, well…I imagine it took a
while to put everything together. It’s
very…” He winced as someone turned up
the stereo. “Um…loud.”
Buffy laughed again and caught
Willow’s eyes. “Hey, I’ll help you
clean up after the party before your parents come home.”
Willow grinned and waved her
hand. “Don’t worry about it. I made the decorations with magic…they’ll
all go ‘poof’ in the morning.
And…cleaning up is a snap these days.”
She demonstrated as Xander
knocked over a plastic cup of something purple onto the carpet. A literal snap of her fingers as she chanted
one word and the stain disappeared.
Buffy smiled brightly. “Cool!”
Giles narrowed his eyes,
glancing at Oz before looking at Willow.
“You, um…you should be careful with that. Magicks are not to be played with.”
Willow gave him a quick
nod. “I’m as careful as…well, something
that’s really careful. It’s just a
little harmless party. And…if I can get
away with it without causing massive damage to Mom’s white carpet…it’s all
good.”
“Yes, it’s just…” Giles started, trailing off when a song came
on that Willow announced as one of her favourites.
He stared after her as she
dragged Oz off into the other room.
Buffy slipped her hand into his and entwined their fingers.
“You okay?”
“Hm?” He looked down and shrugged a shoulder. “Yes, I’m just…well, I’m worried about her.”
“Well, she said it was
harmless.” Buffy offered.
Giles nodded and sighed
heavily. “It always starts out that
way. A harmless spell here or there.”
“And the next thing you know,
you’re creating demons and having massive orgies?” She smiled softly at him.
Giles stared at her. “For some of us, yes. This isn’t exactly a laughing matter,
Buffy.”
She nodded in agreement. “I know, Giles. But…really, she hasn’t done anything bad. Sure, a few spells have gone haywire in the
past, but…what’s wrong with a few really cool biodegradable decorations?”
“I’d still feel better if I
talked to her. The last thing she needs
is to delve too far into it.”
“Says the Poster Boy for ‘Drugs
not enough for you? Give Magicks a
go!’”
Giles took a deep breath,
feeling his anger rise. “I’m not
exactly sure why you’re trying to make me angry.”
“I’m not.” Buffy looked into his eyes, conveying her
sincerity. “But, I am…making you angry,
aren’t I?”
“Buffy, I’ve told you everything. You know what happened to me…and why it
happened. To hear you make light of
that time of my life…yes, it makes me angry.”
“Hey…” She reached up and tenderly caressed his cheek. “I’m really sorry. I promise, that’s not what I was trying to do.”
Giles gave her a quick nod. “Willow’s heading down a path that can only
lead to disaster. I’m worried about her
because I don’t want her to have to go through what I did.”
“Okay…so, we hold an
intervention before it gets too bad?”
Giles chuckled softly, his anger
dissipating as quickly as it had appeared.
Hearing a soft song come through the speakers, he gently tugged her
hand.
“Dance with me.”
Buffy grinned, shaking her head
even as she walked into his arms and began swaying to the music. “You know what happens when we dance.”
His eyes darkened slightly and
he returned her grin. “Mm-hm. Though I doubt that’ll be an issue
tonight.” At her raised eyebrow, he reached
between them and gently rubbed her very swollen belly.
Buffy shrugged a shoulder and
moved as close to him as her stomach would allow. “You never know. Stranger
things have happened before.”
He smiled lovingly and leaned
down to kiss her.
* * *
Xander watched Buffy dance with
Giles. He glanced over at Anya and
smiled as she made her way to him.
“Having fun?”
Anya shrugged her
shoulders. “I’m glad Oz isn’t going to
kill people.”
Xander chuckled and as the song
ended, he tilted his head towards Buffy and Giles. “I’ll be right back, An.”
“Okay.”
Xander took a deep breath and
carefully made his way through the maze of people he didn’t know. Buffy looked up, meeting his eyes and
smiling.
“Hey, Xand.”
“Hey.” He returned her smile and then looked at Giles. “I was wondering if I could talk to you for a
minute.”
“Yes, of course.” Giles looked into Xander’s eyes and
recognized the young man’s apprehension.
“Um, Buffy…”
Buffy smiled and patted her
husband’s chest. “I’ll just go keep
Anya company. Should be interesting.”
Giles watched Buffy walk across
the room before returning his eyes to Xander.
“Is everything alright?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah…it’s just…” He
glanced towards the back door and motioned to it with his hand. “It might be easier to talk outside.”
Giles raised an eyebrow, but
followed Xander outside. Once they were
outside and the door closed behind them, Xander took a deep breath and faced
Giles.
“I need advice.”
Giles nodded and waited for
Xander to continue. When he hesitated,
Giles smiled warmly. “Xander?”
Xander shoved his hand into his
pocket and bit his lip nervously. “I’m
in love with Anya.”
“Yes. This isn’t a new revelation for you.”
“No.” Xander shook his head slowly.
“But…wanting to marry her is.”
Giles’ eyes widened in
surprise. “Marry?”
“Yeah.” Xander began to pace back and forth across
the small porch. “Problem is…I don’t
know how to ask her.”
Giles smiled and leaned against
the railing. “I’m not sure I’m
qualified to help you with that. As I’m
sure you remember, my proposal to Buffy didn’t go according to plan.”
“Yeah, but…you had a plan.” Xander stopped for a minute, his eyes
pleading with Giles. “I don’t even have
a plan.”
“Well, there’s always a romantic
dinner…a nice walk…in a safe area, of course.”
Xander nodded and resumed his
pacing. “I’m just worried that would be
too conventional for Anya. I need to
come up with something completely different.
But…special. I want it to be
special.”
Giles looked through the window,
easily spotting Buffy talking with Anya.
“Have you purchased a ring?”
“Yeah.” Xander smiled and ran his hand through his
hair. “Two weeks ago.”
“In my opinion, it’s not the
where and how you do it. It’s the words
you use…the tone of your voice…the sincerity in your eyes.”
“Yeah, but…what do I say? I mean…what did you say?”
“Me?” Giles chuckled softly and smiled at the memory. “I said ‘marry me’.”
Xander stared at him. “That’s it?
That’s all you said?”
“Well, at first, yes. Until Buffy assumed that I had said it as a
joke or that I didn’t mean it at all. I
followed it up with some hastily spoken words in order to diffuse the
situation.”
Giles took a deep breath and
placed his hand on Xander’s shoulder.
“The point is, I told Buffy what I was feeling in my heart. And she trusted my sincerity.”
“And she said yes and it’s all
happily ever after.”
Giles grinned as he gently
laughed. “I’m not sure there is such a
thing as ‘happily ever after’. But, I
do know that I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Xander swallowed and glanced
through the window. “And what if she
says no?”
“I would imagine that would mean
she needs more time. She loves you,
Xander. That much is obvious.”
“Is marriage easier than
dating?”
Giles exhaled slowly. “That is a hard question. In many ways, yes. In a lot of other ways, no.
Marriage is hard work and not to be taken lightly.”
“Especially when your wife is
pregnant?” Xander smiled at him.
Giles nodded, his smile
growing. “Yes. But, I find that even if we argue…I have
never felt more loved than I do with her.”
“So…marriage gets your
recommendation?”
“A glowing one, at that. Only you know whether or not you’re ready to
take this step, Xander. But, if you
are…take it with confidence.”
Xander nodded slowly, thinking
through Giles’ words. As Xander opened
his mouth to speak, the back door slammed open. Willow rushed outside, her eyes frantic as she looked at Giles.
Giles pushed himself from the
railing quickly. “Willow…”
“Buffy. Now!”
Giles quickly pushed past Xander
and ran inside, dodging people as he made his way to his wife. He reached her quickly, finding her kneeling
on the floor with her arms around her stomach.
He slid onto the floor next to her, placing one hand on her abdomen and
the other on the nape of her neck.
“Buffy! What is it?” He asked anxiously, his eyes filled with panic.
Buffy groaned and raised her
head enough to meet his eyes. “I
think…oh, God…”
He followed her eyes as she
looked back down, his widening in shock.
“Oh dear Lord…”
Xander finally made his way
through the mass of people and looked down at the couple on the floor. “What’s going on?”
Anya smiled softly. “Buffy’s having the baby.”
“What?” Xander’s voice cracked as he stared at
Anya. “Oh, Jesus…”
Giles grabbed Buffy’s purse and
tossed it to Anya. “Her keys are in
there. Go to our house and grab the
overnight bag. It’s…dammit, I haven’t
finished packing it.”
“Giles…” Buffy moaned as another contraction hit.
“It’s alright, love. I’ll get you to the hospital.” He looked up and found Willow staring down
at them, wide-eyed. “Call the
doctor…the card is in Buffy’s wallet.
Tell him we’re on our way now.”
He stood up and carefully pulled
Buffy up with him. He fished his keys
out of his pocket and picked her up, rushing out the door and to the car. He got her settled in quickly and ran around
to the driver’s side.
Willow had the phone in her
hand, waiting for the doctor to pick up the line, as she stood on the front
porch with Oz, Xander, and Anya. She
smiled brightly as Giles raced out of the driveway and down the street.
“Well, that definitely wasn’t in
my plans for tonight.” Xander mused
quietly. He smiled at Anya, taking her
hand and leading her to his car as he called out to Willow and Oz over his
shoulder. “We’ll just go get the
bag…after we’ve finished packing it.
Meet you at the hospital!”
Willow nodded and, after
relaying Giles’ message to the doctor, dialled Buffy’s mother’s number. Oz pulled the keys out of his pocket and ran
back inside, quickly putting an end to the party and ushering everyone out of
the house.
“Hello?” Joyce answered the phone on the third ring.
Willow smiled. “Hi, Mrs. Summers.”
“Willow. How are you?”
“Good. Yeah, uh…listen…we’re on the way to the hospital and…”
Joyce interrupted her quickly,
panic in her voice. “Is Buffy alright? Rupert?”
“They’re both fine, Mrs.
Summers. Except for the fact that Buffy
just went into labour.”
“What? She still has two weeks to go!”
Willow chuckled as Oz took her
elbow and led her to the van. “Apparently,
baby boy Giles doesn’t want to wait another two weeks. Xander and Anya are getting the overnight
bag…Giles is on his way to the hospital with Buffy…and we’re heading over now.”
“Okay…” She cursed softly when she couldn’t find her
other shoe. Finding it, she exhaled
deeply. “Okay…I’m on my way. I’ll, uh…I’ll call Hank when I get there.”
Willow held the phone out and
stared at it as Joyce abruptly disconnected the phone. Oz smiled and pulled out of the driveway,
turning towards the hospital.
* * *
Amazingly, everyone arrived at
the hospital at the same time. They
rushed to the reception desk, causing the nurse on duty to stare at them.
“Can I help you?”
“Our friend…” Willow started.
“My daughter…” Joyce spoke.
“Well, she’s…you know…” Xander began, but didn’t know how to finish.
Anya rolled her eyes as the
other three continued to speak over one another, completely confusing the
nurse. “Buffy Giles. Pregnant.
Having the baby now. Where is
she?”
Oz smirked and held Willow’s hand
tighter.
The nurse nodded and punched a
few numbers on the computer before shaking her head. “I guess the admission paperwork hasn’t been received yet. When did they come in?”
Anya shrugged her
shoulders. “Ten minutes, tops.”
The nurse nodded again and
picked up the phone. After a quick
conversation, including confirmation of the name, the nurse hung up the phone
and smiled.
“Fourth floor. Just turn – ” She chuckled as the five people turned as one and sprinted
towards the elevator. “I’m sure you’ll
find her.”
Five people rushed into the
room, after obtaining the correct room number from the nurse’s station, and
skidded to a stop to find Buffy sitting on the hospital bed. Giles had placed himself in the chair next
to the bed and held her hand loosely in his.
Buffy looked up at the visitors and smiled.
“Hey, guys.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be
screaming in pain or something?” Anya
asked as she handed the overnight bag to Giles. “I finished packing this for you.”
Giles smiled appreciatively and
took the bag, placing it on the floor next to his chair. “Thank you.
And…she’s still in the early stages of labour. It could be…a while.”
“Or it could be within the next
hour.” Buffy added with a shrug. “It’s been a long time since a Slayer has had
a baby…so, we’re not really sure what to expect here.”
Joyce walked over to the bed and
brushed Buffy’s hair back from her face.
“And the doctor isn’t worried about the baby coming two weeks early?”
“Didn’t seem to be, but he’s
like most members of the Council. He
doesn’t really say much and what he does say, Giles has to translate for me.”
A smile tugged at Giles’
lips. “That may have something to do
with the fact that he speaks little English and not so much to do with the fact
that he’s a Council member.”
Willow sat down on the edge of
the bed, smiling brightly. “How far are
you dilated?”
Xander shuddered and lifted his
hand. “Okay, squeamish guy here. I’m all about being here to support you guys
and welcome the newest Giles into the world, but…yeah…I’ll be in the waiting
room if you need me.”
Anya rolled her eyes as Xander
quickly left the room. “I guess I’ll go
sit with him. Maybe if I tell him about
the dream I had last night, it’ll make him feel better.”
Buffy shook her head in mild
amusement as Anya walked out the door.
When Giles gently squeezed her hand, Buffy looked at him.
He offered her a gentle
smile. “Can I get you anything?”
“I’d love a cup of tea.”
When she heard a snort of laughter,
she looked up at her mother. Joyce
merely shook her head and laughed again.
Willow grinned and shrugged a
shoulder. “Not really used to hearing
you say you’d love a cup of tea.”
Buffy glanced at Giles and
smiled. “I guess he’s rubbed off on me.”
Giles blushed lightly and stood,
leaning over to give her a soft kiss.
“I’ll, uh…I’ll just go get your tea.”
He met Joyce’s eyes and cleared his throat. “Would you care for anything?”
“No, no thank you.” She smiled as he gave her a quick nod and
left the room.
As the door closed, Buffy sighed
and leaned back on the pillows. “God,
this is so uncomfortable.”
Joyce grinned and sat down in
the chair vacated by Giles.
“Uncomfortable. I wish that was
the word I used when I was in labour with you.”
Willow looked up at Oz when he
squeezed her hand. He smiled down at
her and tilted his head towards the door.
“Want some coffee? I thought I’d give Giles a hand.”
Willow shook her head, but gave
him an understanding smile. As he left,
Buffy chuckled causing Joyce to look at her with a puzzled expression.
“Oz’s way of saying ‘too much
girl talk’.”
“Oh.” Joyce nodded, her smile showing in her eyes. “What did the doctor say?”
Buffy rubbed her stomach. “I was three centimetres.”
“Oh, you’ve got a while to go
yet.” Joyce stated quietly.
Buffy nodded and then sucked in
a sharp breath. “Jesus!”
Joyce leaned forward, grabbing
Buffy’s hand. “Breathe through it,
sweetheart.”
“Easier said than…” Buffy groaned, gripping her mother’s hand
hard.
Joyce grimaced in pain and tried
to pull her hand back. Buffy caught
Willow’s wide eyes. “Giles.”
Willow nodded in understanding
and jumped off the bed, running to the door she opened it just as Giles reached
out to grab the doorknob. He jumped,
clearly startled.
Willow grabbed his arm and
pulled him into the room. He pushed the
cardboard holder carrying two cups of tea into her hands and ran to the
bedside.
“Buffy…”
She looked up at him, releasing
her mother’s hand and grabbing his tie.
She jerked him down quickly, leaving him just enough time to brace his
hands on the mattress to keep from falling on top of her.
“Don’t…leave…again…” She ground the words out slowly.
He nodded quickly and glanced at
Joyce, who was cradling her hand. “Are
you alright?”
Joyce flexed her hand, Giles’
eyes widening as the colour drained from her face. “Willow, take Joyce down the hall and ask for a doctor to look at
her hand.”
Giles coughed as Buffy tightened
her hold on his tie. “Buffy, love…please…”
Buffy’s eyes focused through the
pain just enough to realize she was actually tightening the tie around his
neck. She let go of the material and
grabbed the lapel of his jacket.
“Sorry…” She clenched her eyes and took a deep breath
as the contraction faded slowly. “Shit,
that…hurt…”
Giles nodded slowly and wiped
the beads of sweat from her brow.
“You’re alright, darling.” Out
of the corner of his eye, he saw Joyce still sitting in the chair. Keeping his eyes locked on Buffy’s, he spoke
softly yet urgently. “Willow. Joyce needs to see a doctor.”
Buffy’s eyes widened in panic
and she turned her head towards her mother, her hand dropping from Giles’
jacket. “Mom?”
Joyce offered her a wan
smile. “I’ll be okay.”
Tears welled in Buffy’s eyes as
Willow helped Joyce out of the chair.
Joyce leaned over the edge of the bed and kissed her daughter’s
forehead. “I’ll be back soon.”
Buffy’s eyes followed her mother
and Willow as they hurried from the room.
His soft voice whispering her name brought her gaze to him.
“Giles, I…”
“Shh.” He shrugged his jacket off and draped it over the back of the
chair before quickly removing his tie.
“It was completely unintentional and your mother knows that.”
As he sat down on the edge of
the bed, she lifted her hand and gently touched his neck. “Did I hurt you too?”
He gave her a gentle smile and
shook his head. “I’m fine, Buffy.”
As her bottom lip began to
quiver, he leaned down and placed a tender kiss on her cheek. “Buffy…”
“Hold me.” She whispered as her tears began to fall.
He nodded and then moved to the
other side of the bed, climbing in behind her and pulling her back against his
chest. He slid his arm under her neck
and kissed the top of her head.
“Rest for now, love.”
She sniffled and reached behind
her, pulling his other arm over her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Three hours later, Hank Summers
rushed into the waiting room. Xander
rubbed his eyes and yawned, Anya had fallen asleep and was leaning on his
shoulder. Willow was laughing softly at
a picture Oz was drawing. Joyce stood
and made her way to her ex-husband, her left hand bandaged and a splint
cocooning her pinky.
“Is she…the baby?”
Joyce smiled softly. “Not here yet. But, well on the way. I
know she’ll be glad that you were able to come.”
“She’s my daughter, this is my
first grandchild. There’s no place I’d
rather be.” He smiled warmly and
glanced at her hand. His smile faded
quickly. “What happened?”
Joyce chuckled. “I made the mistake of holding her hand during
a contraction.”
Hank’s eyes widened. “Is she going to kill her husband through
this?”
Willow looked up, hearing the
exchange, and smiled in slight amusement.
* * *
The doctor said something that
Buffy couldn’t understand. She looked
at Giles, her face wet with sweat and red with exertion. “What?”
“You’re nearly ten
centimetres. He’s rather surprised that
it’s moving this quickly.”
Buffy opened her mouth to speak,
but screamed instead as another violent contraction began. Giles grabbed the cool cloth from the basin
on the bedside table, quickly wringing it out and wiping her face.
As he began to whisper soft
words of encouragement and love, she gripped the front of his shirt and glared
into his eyes.
“Rupert Kingsley Giles, if you
come near me again with that…”, she growled as she gestured towards his
groin, “I will rip your fucking heart out.
I swear to God.”
“Buffy – ”
She interrupted him quickly, her
nails digging into his skin through his shirt.
“Shut…” She clenched her eyes against
the pain. “Bloody hell!”
The doctor chuckled softly as
Giles glanced at the nurse. The nurse
offered him a small smile.
“It’s normal, Mr. Giles. I doubt she’d really rip your heart out.”
“I don’t!” Buffy glared at the nurse before tightening
her grip on Giles’ chest, her nails ripping through his shirt. “Fuck!”
The doctor glanced up from his
position between Buffy’s legs and smiled.
“Push.”
* * *
Hearing Buffy scream her warning
to Giles, Joyce worriedly looked down the hall. Hank smiled nervously and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“She’s in good hands, Joyce.”
Joyce nodded absently. “It’s Rupert I’m worried about right now.”
Hank grinned, giving her
shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I remember
you saying things very similar to that to me.”
“She wouldn’t rip his heart
out.” Anya stated sleepily as she
yawned. “He might want to keep an eye
on a certain appendage for a while though.”
Everyone turned and stared at
her, but she merely closed her eyes and leaned against Xander. Xander gave a half-grin and shrugged a
shoulder.
“That’s my girl. Just says what she’s thinking with
absolutely no thought.”
“Mom said that she didn’t
remember the things she said to Dad when she was having me.” Willow offered.
Joyce smiled at her and shook
her head. “Oh, I’m sure she
remembered…she just didn’t mean the things she said.”
Xander shivered as Buffy let
loose with another scream. “Sounded
like she meant it.”
Anya sighed heavily. “You squeeze a watermelon out of your ass
and see how pleasurable that is. That’s
probably pretty much what she’s feeling right now. Of course she’s going to say things that she doesn’t mean. It may sound like she means it, but
she doesn’t.” She sat up and yawned
again. “But, he still needs to keep an
eye on things.”
Xander’s face reddened and then
paled at the mental image Anya instilled with her description. “Yay.”
* * *
Four hours from the onset of
labour, the doctor placed the crying baby on Buffy’s stomach and quickly
clamped the umbilical cord. He smiled
as he handed Giles a pair of surgical scissors. Giles took them with a trembling hand and snipped the cord as he
looked down at his son.
Buffy gazed at the boy, her eyes
full of tears. “He’s…beautiful.”
Giles carefully moved onto the
bed beside of her, reaching out and running his long fingers across the baby’s
head. “That he is.”
“Ten fingers, ten toes…” She trailed off as she gazed at him in
wonder. “He looks just like you. Your nose, your chin, the shape of your eyes…”
Giles smiled and touched the
baby’s ear. “He has your ears though.”
Buffy looked up at her husband
and smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“He’s perfect.”
The nurse walked over to the bed
and spoke softly. “We just need to
clean him and check his vitals.” She
grinned as the baby screamed loudly.
“Though, I think his lungs are just fine.”
Giles watched the nurse as she
took their son across the room. He felt
his heart swell with more love than he thought was possible. His eyes misted with joyful tears and he
inhaled deeply.
“Giles?” Buffy laid her hand on his arm, sliding her
hand down to his and entwining their fingers.
Giles looked down at her and
smiled softly. “Yes?”
“I really love you.” She whispered as she looked into his eyes.
He lifted his hand and brushed
her damp hair back from her face. “I
really love you too.”
He leaned down and kissed her
lips tenderly, only breaking the kiss when he heard a small gurgle from across
the room. He slipped his arm around her
as they watched the nurse carefully wrap the baby in a blanket.
When she brought him back over
to the new parents, she smiled and handed the bundle to Buffy. “Have you decided on a name?”
Buffy cuddled the bundle to her
chest as Giles stroked the baby’s cheek.
She smiled up at the nurse and nodded.
“Braden Rupert Giles.” She sighed happily as she leaned down and
kissed the baby’s forehead. “But, after
seeing him…I think he’s gonna be my Little Ru.”
She looked up at Giles, who was
gazing lovingly at his son, and smiled.
“Giles?”
“Hm?” He mumbled, his fingers finding the tiny hand.
“Wanna hold your son?”
He nodded as he looked into
Buffy’s eyes, his smile widening. “Yes,
I do.”
The nurse smiled and backed out
of the room. There was an extended
family in the waiting room that needed to know that Braden Rupert Giles had
arrived safely.
“What are you doing?”
Giles looked up at the soft
voice and smiled. Slayer healing kicked
in quickly, even through childbirth, and less than three days after Braden’s
birth, she was back to normal. And now
three weeks later, here she stood in the doorway of the library, their son held
in her arms.
He pushed his chair back and
gestured towards the desk. “Looking at pictures.”
Buffy walked over to him and
placed the baby in his arms. She smiled
as she watched the tiny hand curl around his father’s finger. Giles spoke softly to the boy, grinning when
Braden’s eyes opened at the sound of his father’s voice.
“Ooh, his eyes are open! Quick, look at his right eye! I just noticed it this morning…” Buffy spoke excitedly and stood behind the
chair, looking over Giles’ shoulder.
Giles chuckled softly as Buffy
continued.
“See? The same speck as yours…only in the opposite eye. I think his eyes might be just a shade
darker than yours when they finally settle.”
“Your mother makes me smile,
Braden. Hear how she rambles? I find it rather adorable.”
Braden gurgled and closed his
eyes, his fingers wrapped tightly around Giles’ pinky. Buffy laughed softly and sat on the
couch.
“What pictures are you looking
at?”
He swivelled the chair around
and looked at her. He carefully
balanced his son on his arm, holding him close to his body when he realized
that Braden wasn’t going to let go of his finger. With his free hand, he gathered the pictures and made his way
over to the couch. As he sat down
beside of her, he handed the small stack of photographs to her.
She grinned when she saw the
first sonogram of their baby son. “You
know…I still can’t see anything here. I
mean, I know that they pointed everything out, but…I can’t see it.”
“Neither can I. At least, not until the ones where he was a
little more developed.”
She flipped through the pictures
and sighed when she came to the one her mother had taken five minutes after
walking into the hospital room. Buffy
sitting on the bed, her arms cradling the baby, and Giles next to her…his right
arm holding her against him as his left hand cradled the tiny head. The elation could be plainly seen in their
eyes.
Giles looked over and
smiled. “I think that’s my favourite
one.”
“I look horrible in it.”
He raised his eyes from the
photo and looked at her, his voice soft and low. “I think you look absolutely breathtaking.”
A smile pulled at her lips as
she met his eyes. “You think my
rambling is adorable?”
“Mm-hm. Much like your ability to change
subjects.” He leaned into her and
kissed her tenderly.
As her lips parted, he gently
eased his tongue into her mouth. When she
moaned softly, he pulled back and looked into her darkened eyes.
“Giles?” She whispered, lifting her hand to touch his
face.
“Hm?”
She licked her lips and rubbed
her thumb along his cheek. “Take me to
bed.”
He placed his hand on her thigh
and swallowed as he stared into her eyes.
“It’s only been three weeks.”
“Yeah…” She placed her hand over his and moved it
further up her leg. “Slayer healing,
remember? And…three weeks is like a
year for us.”
When she removed her hand from
his and slid it up his inner thigh, he inhaled sharply. When her fingers brushed against the quickly
hardening flesh under his jeans, he groaned.
She leaned over and licked a
slow path up his neck to his ear. “Se
thelo, Giles.”
He looked down at the sleeping
baby in his arms and exhaled slowly.
“Are you sure?”
She pressed her hand against the
hard bulge and gently squeezed.
“Yeah…I’m way sure.”
He gave her a quick nod and
stood. “I’ll, uh…I’ll put him to bed.”
“I’ll be waiting in ours.” She licked her lips and followed him out of
the library and up the stairs.
* * *
After whispering a soft
goodnight to Braden, making sure he was covered and warm, and turning on the
baby monitor, Giles turned off the light and closed the door. He ran his hand through his hair and opened
the door to their bedroom.
He stopped just inside the
doorway, muttering ‘oh dear Lord’ as he closed the door behind him. Buffy had wasted no time, quickly shedding
her clothes and climbing on the bed.
She gazed at him through passion-blurred eyes, her legs spread and the
fingers of her right hand slowly massaging her clitoris.
Giles tugged his shirt over his
head and dropped it to the floor. He
stared at her hand as his kicked his shoes off and removed his socks before
pulling the button free on his jeans.
Buffy shook her head as he started to pull the zipper down, raising her
free hand and motioning for him to join her on the bed.
“Giles in jeans and nothing else
is still incredibly sexy.” She purred
as he climbed onto the bed next to her.
He lifted her hand from between
her thighs and smiled. “However, it
makes it incredibly difficult to make love to you.”
“Oh, they’ll come off…” She grinned, her eyes glazing as he took her
fingers into his mouth.
He teasingly licked the fluid
from her digits, playing particular attention to her index finger. She groaned softly and reached out to unzip
his jeans. He allowed her finger to
slip from his mouth as she reached in and gently caressed his erection.
When he reached down to push his
jeans over his hips, she shook her head.
“No…I want to taste you right now.”
His eyes darkened and he
swallowed thickly. He knelt on the bed,
breathing heavily as she slowly pulled the hardened flesh from the confines of
the denim. She looked up at him and
smiled as she ran her tongue along the length of his shaft.
His fingers combed through her
hair as she took the head into her mouth.
He spoke hoarsely as she swirled her tongue over the velvety skin.
“God, I love you, Buffy.”
“Mm…” She moaned softly in response as she worked her mouth down the
shaft.
He reached down and caressed her
full breast, silently marvelling at the weight of it. She groaned against his skin as his thumb brushed across her
nipple. He thrust his hips gently in
response to the vibration.
As she sucked harder, he groaned
loudly and pulled back, sliding his cock from her lips as she protested. He breathed heavily as he met her eyes.
“I’m too close.” He offered simply, his voice thick with passion.
“So am I.” She whispered as she wrapped her fingers
around the shaft and began to stroke him slowly. “God, I’m so close to coming, Giles.”
He gave a strangled moan and
covered her hand with his, stilling her movements. Seeing the desperation in his eyes, she smiled and allowed him to
remove her hand. He quickly shed his
jeans and moved between her spread thighs.
He leaned over her, rubbing the
head of his cock over her clit. She
moaned loudly and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, pulling him
down to her lips. He continued the
gentle pressure against the throbbing bundle of nerves as her tongue plunged
into his mouth.
He sucked the lithe muscle
greedily as he felt her begin to tremble.
Suddenly, she pulled her tongue from his mouth and threw her head back
against the pillows. He smiled as her
body writhed beneath him.
“That’s it, love. Let go.”
“Giles…oh, God…”
“Yes…” He pressed harder against her as she lifted her legs over his
hips. “Yes…come for me…”
“You…” She moaned as she tried to hold her orgasm back.
He licked his lips and felt his
cock thicken. “As soon as you come…I’ll
be inside…of you. It won’t…God,
Buffy…not long…”
She opened her eyes and locked
with his gaze. The intensity she saw in
his dark green eyes was enough to send her over the edge. As she called out his name, he shifted his
hips and quickly pushed his erection into her.
He groaned a deep, throaty groan and thrust his hips against her.
Knowing he wouldn’t last long,
he quickened his pace. She tightened
her legs around him and met each of his hard thrusts with her own. Her nails scratched down his chest and over
his nipple.
“Fuck…” He hissed as she repeated the action. “Buffy…”
She stared into his eyes and
bucked her hips against him. “Come…with
me…Giles…”
He groaned loudly when he felt
her inner walls quiver against his flesh.
She lifted her head and latched her mouth onto his left nipple. She suckled at the hardened nub and he
thrust harder against her. Her quivers became
ripples and she bit down on the nipple in her mouth. He cried out in ecstasy, erupting deep within her as she flooded
his cock with her fluids.
He slowed his thrusts gradually
and she released his nipple, allowing her head to fall back onto the pillows. The muscles in his arms trembled and he
collapsed beside of her, his chest heaving as he fought for breath.
“Christ…”
She smiled lazily at him, her
eyelids heavy. “Three weeks is too
long…”
He chuckled weakly and pulled
her into his arms. “Mm-hm. Give me a little time to recover and we’ll
make up for lost time.”
Buffy raised an eyebrow and
glanced at the baby monitor. “Providing
Braden doesn’t demand a feeding.”
Giles licked his dry lips and
looked into her eyes. “How long has it
been since the last one?”
“About an hour and a half.”
He gently rubbed her hip and
pulled her against his sweat-dampened body.
“Can I take the next feeding?”
She smiled in adoration. “I love watching you feed him. In fact…I love watching everything you do
with him.”
He swallowed and took a deep
breath. “I never thought anything could
rival the love I feel for you. But…when
I look into his eyes…I…there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him. And knowing that he was born from the love
you and I share…I want to give him everything, Buffy.”
Buffy lifted her hand and rested
it on the side of his neck. “You are
such a wonderful father, Giles. And he
already adores you. The way his eyes
light up when he hears your voice…” She
sighed and rubbed her thumb over his heated skin. “It makes me love you even more.
And…I really didn’t think that was possible.”
He leaned into her and placed a
soft kiss on her lips. “We should
probably try to get some rest before…”
A cry coming through the speaker
on the baby monitor interrupted him. He
smiled softly and inhaled slowly.
“Before he wakes up?” Buffy finished for him.
Giles chuckled and slid from the
bed, grabbing his robe and slipping into it before tossing hers to her.
“I’ll get the bottle ready.”
Buffy smiled brightly as she put
on her robe. Sure there would be
interruptions, that was a given when children are added to a family. But, she knew without a doubt that she wouldn’t
change a thing. She had a husband who
adored her, and she adored him right back, and a son who she had no doubt was
destined for great things. How could he
not be with Rupert Giles as his father?
The thought of her family warmed
her as she walked into Braden’s room and picked him up. His cries quietened for a moment and he
cooed softly.
“Daddy will be here in a minute
with your bottle.”
She sat down and looked into his
eyes, feeling her heart swell with love for the child.
Yes, he was definitely his
father’s son.