Title: From the Hellmouth to
Author: Froxyn
Rating: FRAO
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Timeline: About eight months after the end of my
previous story Life on a Hellmouth.
Therefore, it’s pretty much AU.
Synopsis: Buffy and Giles have moved to
Buffy was two months pregnant with their second son
when they moved to
Anya had decided to give her relationship with Xander
another go and they had gone on an extended around the world trip. They just went wherever they want and stayed
for however long they wanted. No one
asked where the money for their trip came from.
That wasn’t important. What was
important was the fact that the couple seemed truly happy for the first time in
years.
After debating their options,
However, many books and resources were lost in the
attack.
In the later stages of pregnancy, Buffy had broken
down in Giles’ arms, sobbing uncontrollably as she tried to explain her
concerns. Giles held her, kissing her
tenderly, and assuring her that she did have enough love to share with
Lucas. And when Lucas was placed in her
arms for the first time, she took a deep breath, feeling her heart swell with
unconditional love for the baby.
When Lucas was a month old, Oz and
Giles smiled as he leaned against the headboard,
lowering the book he was reading. They
had been in
Giles glanced at the two baby monitors resting on the
bedside table. Though Braden was nearly
three years old, they kept a monitor in his room. Not long after the destruction of Sunnydale,
he began having nightmares. Giles found
it comforting to be able to hear his older son sleeping. And should the child wake with a nightmare,
Buffy and Giles could be there quickly for him.
Now he heard his wife’s soft voice come through the
monitors…first Braden’s and then Lucas’.
He smiled as she whispered soft words of love to each of the sleeping
boys. He looked up when the bedroom door
opened and she slipped in, closing it softly behind her.
“Why are you still awake?” She asked with a smile on her face as she
quickly changed into her pajamas.
He closed the book and placed it on his nightstand,
before removing his glasses and laying them on top of the book. “You know I can’t sleep while you’re on
patrol.”
Buffy chuckled softly and slipped under the blankets,
leaning over to give her husband a soft kiss.
“Well, luckily…patrols in Richmond aren’t like the ones in Sunnydale.”
Giles grinned and pulled her against his chest. “Yes, no Hellmouth here.”
“Mm. More
demons than vampires.” She placed a kiss
just above his right nipple and smiled as he inhaled sharply. “And…suddenly, I find myself not wanting to
talk about demons or vampires or Hellmouths…”
“No?” He
inquired as she moved her body until she was straddling his thigh. His eyes followed her hands, her fingers
busily working on the buttons of the pajama top she had just put on.
She shook her head slowly and shrugged the top
off. “Not in the least.”
He licked his lips, his eyes darting to her bare
chest. “What, uh…what would you like to
discuss?”
She leaned forward, pressing her chest against his as
she flicked her tongue against his earlobe before whispering huskily. “I think I’d like to discuss you tying me to
the bed and fucking me.”
He raised his leg, pressing his thigh harder against
her warm core as he stared into her eyes.
Her hand slowly trailed down his chest, over his abdomen, and came to
rest on the hard bulge under the soft cotton pajama pants.
He groaned softly as she massaged his erection with
the palm of her hand. “Buffy…”
She smiled, lowering her head and covering his nipple
with her mouth. He reached between them
and gently rolled her erect nipple between his fingers. She moaned against his chest, he responded by
thrusting his hips against her hand.
When she lifted her head, he quickly rolled her over
onto her back and leaned over to the bedside table, opening the top drawer and
pulling out a black silk scarf. She slid
her hands down her torso, hooking in her fingers in the waistband of her pajama
bottoms. He lightly batted her hands and
shook his head.
“Let me.”
Her eyes sparkled as she nodded and lifted her hands
above her head. He knelt between her
thighs, leaning over her and quickly, but carefully, bound her wrists to the
headboard with the scarf. She wriggled
her hips against him as his erection pressed against her warmth.
He smiled and reached down, holding her hip
tightly. “None of that, love.”
She licked her lips and stared into his eyes. “Then you’d better do something about it.”
He grinned and moved back slightly. “All in good time.”
He slowly removed the rest of her clothing and dropped
the items to the floor. He rested on his
heels, his hand gently rubbing his cloth-covered erection as he gazed at her
nude body.
“My God, you’re beautiful.”
She moaned his name and he smiled warmly. He ran his hand up her leg to her thigh,
gently squeezing the firm flesh.
“I’m going to taste you now.” His eyes darkened as hers widened. “Do you think you can be quiet and not wake the
children?”
Her eyes darted to his groin before meeting his gaze
once more. “If I have something in my
mouth, I can’t scream…”
He nodded in agreement, quickly shedding his pants and
tossing them to the floor. “Very true.”
He gave his erection a firm stroke and then leaned
over her, kissing her deeply before moving his mouth to her ear and whispering
thickly.
“I’m going to make you come with my mouth. And…then I’m going to fuck you until you come
again. Is this alright with you?”
“Yes…” She moaned
breathlessly. “God, yes…”
He kissed her again and then repositioned his body
until he was kneeling over her body, facing her feet. He groaned as her lips captured a testicle
and pulled it into her mouth, suckling gently.
He lightly squeezed her inner thigh and she released him with a soft
gasp. He lifted his hips, sighing as the
head of his erection nudged her lips.
“Don’t make me come…”
He cautioned in a lust-laden voice.
She mumbled incoherently as he slowly pushed his cock
into her mouth. With a smile on his
face, he lowered his upper body until his mouth hovered above her wet
core. His tongue traced the outer lips
as hers flattened against the topside of his glans. As he worked his tongue through her folds, he
gently thrust his hips, slowly working his cock further into her mouth.
When her tongue began to caress the shaft of his
erection, he quickly pulled her clitoris into his mouth. She groaned against his flesh and he sucked
harder, intent on bringing her to orgasm quickly. Her hips bucked, her groans reverberating
against him. When he felt her begin to
tremble beneath him, he held the hardened nub between his teeth, sucking and
laving the bundle of nerves with his tongue.
She shuddered violently, her scream muffled by the
hard flesh in her mouth. Giles groaned
and quickly lifted his hips, pulling his cock from her mouth. He turned around and knelt between her
thighs, lifting her legs over his hips as he leaned over and plunged his tongue
into her mouth.
She sucked his tongue greedily as he thrust forward,
quickly embedding his erection in her warm and wet channel. She tightened her legs around him, slamming
her hips up against his. He picked up a
hard and fast rhythm and she matched him, thrust for thrust.
When he felt her inner walls begin to spasm around
him, he broke the kiss and looked down at her.
“Are you going to come for me again, Buffy?”
She forced her eyes open and tried to nod. “So…close…”
He placed his hands on the mattress on either side of
her torso as he shortened his strokes.
His voice was gravelled with desire as he spoke.
“You look…amazing.
Writhing beneath…me…wrists…bound.
Your breasts…moving with…each thrust.”
She groaned in response, bucking against him harder,
urging him towards completion. He
lowered his mouth to her ear, his breath hot against her skin as he panted
heavily.
“Dear Lord, I…I love you…”
Her inner walls convulsed around him instantly, her
juices flooding his cock as he continued to pump furiously into her. As she opened her mouth to scream, he covered
her mouth with his, swallowing her loud moans and screams. When her third orgasm crested, he allowed
himself release. She felt his deep groan
rumble in his chest as came forcefully within her.
He dropped his head to the crook of her neck as his
thrusts gradually slowed until he was softening inside of her. She licked her dry lips and whispered
hoarsely.
“Untie me.”
He lifted a trembling hand and pulled the scarf
free. Her hands moved to his sweat-covered
back and held him as he moved to her side, fighting to catch his breath.
She smiled and snuggled into his chest. “I love you, Giles.”
He gave a tired chuckle and moved his hand to her hip,
rubbing her skin lovingly. “I should
hope so.”
They held one another for a while, soft whispers
spoken as gentle caresses were given and received. She felt her eyes begin to droop and heaved a
heavy sigh.
“We should get dressed.”
“Mm-hm.” He
responded sleepily. “I miss this…holding
you in my arms…your bare skin against mine.”
“Me too.
But…you never know when an almost three year old little boy is gonna
climb into bed with you.” She gave him a
tender kiss and slid out of bed, in search of her pajamas.
He rolled onto his back and watched her redress
herself. “You really are lovely.”
She smiled lovingly and tossed him his pajama
pants.
Buffy glanced at the clock as she finished changing
Lucas’ nappy. She shook her head in
amusement…nappy. It sounded so strange
in her head, but the word ‘diaper’ was beginning to sound even stranger. She looked over at her older son and smiled.
“Hey, Ru?”
The boy looked up from the book he was holding in his
small hands and grinned brightly.
Buffy’s smile grew as she reached for Lucas’ tiny pair of jeans.
“Wanna go wake Daddy up and tell him it’s time to get
in the shower?”
Braden dropped his book beside of him and climbed off
the couch, quickly running towards his parents’ bedroom. Buffy laughed softly as Lucas giggled. She tickled his stomach, delighting in the
way his face lit up when he laughed. She
picked him up and gave him a kiss before she pulled the shirt over his
head.
“Peek-a-boo, I see you!” She said in a sing-song voice as his head
popped through the collar.
Lucas giggled again and she stood with him in his
arms.
* * *
Braden climbed onto the bed and sat down beside of his
father’s sleeping body. He reached out
and lightly patted his bare shoulder.
“Daddy?”
“Hm?” Giles
replied sleepily.
“Mummy says time ta get up.”
Giles opened one eye and looked up at his son. “She does, does she?”
Braden nodded, a smile showing in his dark green eyes,
the brown fleck in his right eye more pronounced than his father’s. “Yep.”
Giles chuckled softly and rolled onto his back,
reaching out and pulling his son on top of him.
Braden sat on his father’s stomach and giggled.
“And what’s so funny, young man?” He asked playfully.
“Hair looks funny.”
Giles chuckled and poked Braden’s belly. “Your hair looks funny.”
“Nuh-uh.”
Braden shook his head quickly, giggling harder.
Giles yawned and ran his hand through his
sleep-tousled hair. “I suppose I should
get in the shower then, yes?”
“Yep! Mummy
said!”
Giles reached out and picked his son up, holding him
at arm’s length above him. Braden
laughed and held his arms out.
“Imma plane!”
Giles grinned at him, lowering him and kissing his
cheek before standing him up on the bed next to him. “A silly plane.”
“I not silly plane.
Imma Ru plane!”
Giles shook his head in amusement and climbed out of
bed. He stretched his back and looked at
the boy still standing on the bed.
“Well, come on then, Ru plane.
Let’s go find your mother.”
Braden leapt from the bed and into his father’s
arms. “Mummy’s with Lukie. Yucky nappy!”
Giles ruffled the boy’s hair as he walked out of the
bedroom. “Thank you for waking me up
after she changed him then.”
He walked into the living room, a wriggling Braden in
his arms, and smiled when Buffy looked up at him. “Good morning.”
He leaned down and kissed her lips lightly. She sighed happily and smiled. “Mm-hm.
Morning to you too.”
He gave her a wink and then looked at the bubbly face
of the little boy in her arms before kissing his soft cheek. “And good morning to you, Lucas.”
Lucas giggled, bouncing in Buffy’s arms. Braden laughed and slid down his father’s
body.
“Lukie’s funny.”
Buffy handed Lucas to Giles and then knelt in front of
Braden and tickled his side. “You’re
funny!”
“I funny Ru plane!”
Giles laughed as he watched Braden run around the room
making airplane sounds. He glanced at
the clock and his laugh slowly faded, replaced with a sigh. “I suppose I should grab a shower.”
Buffy nodded as her eyes raked over his body. “Mm-hm.”
Giles swallowed and reached out, tilting her head up
until she met his eyes. “Stop that.”
Her fingers brushed against his stomach and she
smiled. “Can’t help it.”
He inhaled deeply and then looked at the baby in his
arms. “Keep Mummy busy while I’m in the
shower, Lucas.”
Lucas babbled and bounced. Giles grinned and blew a raspberry against
Lucas’ neck. The boy giggled madly and
bounced even more. Giles chuckled and
handed him back to Buffy and then placed a tender kiss on her lips.
“I shan’t be long.”
Buffy smiled as she watched him turn and walk down the
hall. “Come on, Ru…let’s get Daddy’s
breakfast ready.”
He stopped running abruptly and looked up at her. “And mine?”
Buffy laughed as she nodded. “And yours.”
* * *
Giles walked into the kitchen, straightening his
tie. Buffy was just placing a plate of
food on the table for him. Braden was
sitting in his chair happily eating a bowl of cereal. Lucas was strapped securely in a high chair
playing with a ring of plastic keys.
As he sat down at the table, he met Buffy’s eyes. “I…forgot to tell you. Amelia called last night.”
“Oh?” She sat
down opposite him and picked up her fork.
“Good news or bad?”
Giles stuffed a forkful of egg in his mouth and tilted
his head slightly. “I’d like to think
good. Seems that the excavation crew on
the old Council site found a chamber of books.
No one knew the chamber even existed, so we’re not sure to whom it
belonged. She’s having the books sent to
my office.”
Buffy grinned.
“Sounds like it’ll be a fun day at the office for you.”
Giles returned her grin and took a sip of tea. “Quite.”
They finished breakfast quickly and as Giles leaned
down to kiss Lucas goodbye, Braden slid from his chair and ran into the next
room. Giles raised an eyebrow to which Buffy
merely shrugged a shoulder.
“Braden?” Giles
called softly. “Come and tell me
goodbye. I need to leave for work now.”
Braden ran back into the room carrying his
backpack. “I come, Daddy?”
Giles knelt in front of the boy and ran his fingers
through Braden’s hair. “I have quite a
lot of work to do today, Braden.”
Braden nodded quickly.
“I work too.” He held his bag up
and looked up with hopeful eyes. “See?”
Giles took the bag and unzipped it, smiling as he
looked inside. The bag contained three
books and an assortment of toys. He
looked back at his son, who was now using the pout he had perfected very early
in life.
“I come?” He
asked again.
Buffy held back her laughter, knowing that there was
no way Giles could resist the pout.
Giles exhaled slowly and gave the boy a gentle nod.
“But, you must be good because I’ll need to
concentrate today.”
Braden smiled brightly. “I connetate too!”
Giles chuckled and handed the bag back to his
son. “Yes, you concentrate too.”
He stood back up and looked at Buffy, her smile
threatening to blind him. Giles shrugged
his shoulder and grinned. “I told you
before he was born that I’d be powerless if he inherited your pout.”
Buffy walked over to him and leaned up, kissing him
softly before running her tongue over his bottom lip. Giles stifled his groan and took a deep
breath, lifting his hand to touch her cheek.
“I love you.”
She smiled and kissed him again before adjusting his
tie. “I love you too. Have a good day.”
He cleared his throat softly and looked down at his
son. “Ready to go, Braden?”
“Yep!” He ran
over to Buffy and reached up for a hug.
Buffy picked him up and gave him a tight hug before
kissing his cheek. “Be good for Daddy,
okay?”
Braden nodded quickly.
“Yep. Love you, Mummy.”
“I love you too, Ru.”
Braden leaned over towards the highchair and touched
the top of Lucas’ head. “Bye Lukie. Love you.”
Lucas grinned at his brother and went back to playing
with his set of keys.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles was sitting at his desk, in the middle of a
translation, when Amelia walked into his office. He looked up and offered her a smile. She glanced at the couch and chuckled when
she saw Braden curled up with a blanket over him as he slept.
“Someone asked to come to work today?”
He looked over at the sleeping boy and smiled. “You’ve seen his pout.”
“Yes, I have.”
She walked over and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the
desk. “I’ve also noticed that you seem
to be unable to resist it.”
Giles chuckled softly.
“A trait he inherited from his mother, I assure you.”
Amelia glanced at the open book in front of him. “Is that one of those found in the chamber?”
“Yes, I’m in the midst of translating the text now.”
She tilted her head slightly, staring at the
manuscript in confusion. “What language
am I looking at?”
Giles ran his hand through his hair. “Seemingly a mixture. Sumerian, Sanskrit, Zapotec, and…Greek.”
Amelia arched an eyebrow. “Interesting.”
He nodded absently, his eyes resting on Braden’s
sleeping form when he heard a soft whimper.
When the child settled back down, Giles met Amelia’s questioning eyes.
“He has nightmares sometimes.” He offered softly.
Amelia nodded in understanding as she stood. “Most of us do. If you come across anything, let me know.”
Giles gave her a quick nod and watched her leave. He turned his head, his gaze lingering on his
son for a few minutes. When Braden
rolled over and snuggled deeper under the blanket, Giles smiled and lowered his
eyes back to the text in front of him.
* * *
Buffy unzipped the bag and checked it again…for the
third time. She looked at the sleeping
three-month-old and smiled. When the
doorbell rang, she zipped the bag shut and made her way to the door.
Willow smiled brightly as the door opened. “Hey, Buffy.”
Buffy stepped to the side in a silent invitation of
entry. “Hi, Will. What brings you out this way?”
“Just thought I’d come by to see my best friend and my
two favourite boys.”
Buffy closed the door and ushered her into the living
room. “Well, one is here…Ru went to work
with Giles this morning. I was just
getting ready to take Lucas into the city for a visit. You’re more than welcome to come along.”
“Sure. I’d love
to see my Braden Bear.” She reached into
the playpen and picked the baby up.
“And, uh…well, Giles too.” Lucas
opened his eyes and yawned. Willow
placed a soft kiss on his forehead. “Hey
there, little man.”
Willow narrowed her eyes as she watched Buffy get the
pram ready. “Aren’t you driving?”
Buffy scoffed as she shook her head. “No, I don’t drive in London. The streets are too narrow, too many
people…and roundabouts are confusing.”
Willow laughed softly, nodding in agreement as she
bent down to put Lucas in the pram.
“Train it is.”
As they walked outside, Willow looked down at the
sleepy baby. “Oz and I have been talking
about kids…and, well…having them.”
“Yeah?” Buffy
grinned and closed the door, locking it securely. “I say go for it. I think it’s one of the best things I’ve done.”
Willow nodded and took a deep breath. “Is it hard though? Not the childbirth part, I know that’s
hard. I mean…maintaining a certain level
of intimacy when you have children?”
“At first, yeah.”
She looked into Willow’s eyes and smiled. “But you learn when the best times are…and
take full advantage of them.”
Willow laughed and fell into step beside Buffy.
Giles stared at the papers in front of him, going over
the translation for the third time. He
swallowed and glanced back at the text, hoping he had made an error in the
translation. He looked back up and
watched his son playing happily with his toys on the floor.
Amelia walked through the doorway, immediately
recognizing the look of concern on Giles’ face.
“Rupert?”
Braden turned his head towards the door and
smiled. “Hi Mealie!”
Amelia smiled warmly, walking over and kneeling next
to him. “Hello, Braden. You were asleep when I came in last time.”
“I waked up.”
“Woke.” Giles
corrected automatically, his tone soft.
“Yep. I woke
up.” Braden amended, smiling brightly at
his father.
Giles returned the smile as he rolled the pen between
his fingers. Amelia gently ruffled
Braden’s hair and stood back up, quickly making her way to the chair in front
of Giles’ desk.
“He looks more like you every day.”
Giles chuckled softly.
“Buffy says the same.”
When Braden lost interest in the adults’ conversation
and went back to his toys, Giles’ smile faded and he met Amelia’s eyes.
“I need to speak with you.” He cast a quick glance at his son and cleared
his throat. “Later.”
Amelia nodded in understanding. “Something in the text?”
Giles nodded silently.
Amelia took a deep breath and spoke quietly. “We’ve discovered whose books were in the
chamber.”
Giles sat up straight.
“Oh? Whose?”
“Quentin Travers.”
His eyes darkened as he looked back down at the papers
on his desk. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, rather.”
Giles took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “In that case…I think you should read this
now.”
Amelia took the papers he held out to her, her eyes
widening as she began reading. “Rupert?”
Giles stood and walked across the room, sitting on the
floor in front of his son. As he picked
up a toy, he met Amelia’s gaze.
“Keep reading.”
* * *
Buffy and Willow chatted quietly on the train, their
conversation ranging from children to the latest demon Buffy had come
across. At Embankment, a man entered the
carriage and quickly glanced at the two women before he sat down. Buffy looked up, her sentence trailing off
midway through.
Willow nudged her gently. “You okay?”
“Uh-huh.” She
hesitated, but then continued on with her conversation.
The man stood and smiled cryptically at Buffy two
stops later. Buffy swore under her
breath, cursing her Slayer instincts as she leaned over to whisper in Willow’s
ear.
“Take Lucas to Giles.
I’ll be there shortly.”
“Buffy…”
The man stepped onto the platform and Buffy quickly
leaned over, kissing her son’s head.
“I’ll meet you at the Council.”
Willow stared after her, pulling the pram closer to
her, as she watched Buffy jump onto the platform just as the doors were
closing. Lucas whimpered softly and
Willow rocked the pram gently.
“It’s okay, Lucas.
We’re going to go see your Daddy…and Mommy will be there soon.”
* * *
Buffy followed the man at a safe distance, grumbling
as he turned down an alleyway. “Of
course he’d go down an alley…did you expect anything less?”
She sighed heavily and cautiously made her way down
the alley. She wasn’t exactly surprised
to find that the man had stopped and was simply waiting for her.
“Okay, what’s the deal? It’s the middle of the day, you know?”
The man merely grinned, the skin peeling from his body
as he morphed in front of her. Buffy dropped
into a defensive stance and shook her head.
“God, that’s gross.”
The demon attacked and Buffy easily defended
herself. He circled her slowly, his pale
green skin rippling as if something was crawling underneath it.
“Where is it?” He
growled, clicking his nails together.
“It?” Buffy
shrugged. “Depends on what ‘it’ you’re
talking about.”
The demons eyes blazed with a purple glow. “I’ll kill you to get to it.”
“Uh-huh. Still
not knowing what ‘it’ is, but…not impressed that you’re going to try to kill me
to get to ‘it’.”
The demon clucked its tongue, clicking his nails once
more. “It shouldn’t be here. It needs to be destroyed.”
“That’s always the way it is with you guys. Destruction, death, mayhem…” She paused as he raised his hand and uttered
a word that she didn’t understand.
Her eyes widened as a sword appeared in his hand. A green blade, blue hilt…visage of a
three-horned demon with no mouth etched plainly on the hilt.
“You will die now.
And I will find it and destroy it.”
The demon snarled right before he lunged towards her.
She moved at the last second, narrowly avoiding the
blade. The demon growled and she quickly
jumped on his back, grasping his head and neatly snapping his neck with an
audible crack. She followed the demon’s
corpse to the ground, narrowing her eyes in disbelief as the body simply
vanished upon impact.
Along with the sword.
* * *
Willow pushed the pram into Giles’ office. He looked up and narrowed his eyes.
“Willow?” He
jumped up and ran around the desk, kneeling next to the pram. “Where’s Buffy? Is she alright?”
Willow nodded slowly, easily recognizing the panic in
his voice. She watched as he hastily
unbuckled Lucas and picked him up, cuddling him against his chest.
“She’s fine. There was a…”
She glanced around the room, not seeing Braden. “Where’s Braden?”
“Peter took him downstairs.” He kissed Lucas’ head and stared at
Willow. “Buffy?”
“Oh…yeah, there was a demon on the train. We were on our way here, she told me to bring
Lucas and she’d be here soon.”
Giles glanced at Amelia before speaking in a rushed
tone. “Where was the demon? And what did it look like?”
“He got on at Embankment, they got off at
Blackfriars. And…he looked human to
me. But, something about him really set
off Buffy’s spidey-sense.”
“Damn!”
“Giles? What’s
going on?” Willow asked cautiously.
“I…” He trailed
off as Buffy suddenly walked through the door.
“Buffy! Are you alright?”
“Yeah.” She
walked over to him and gave him a soft kiss.
“Just a pale green demon in a human suit.” She looked up into his eyes as she
continued. “With a sword…with a green
blade and a blue hilt. With a demon’s
picture engraved on it.”
“Vhrashnin.”
Giles whispered.
“Yeah…” She
glanced at Amelia and Willow. “And…why
does everyone here look really worried about something?”
Willow moved the pram out of the way and took a deep
breath. “I look worried because Giles
was all in ‘panic mode’ when I got here.”
“Panic mode?
What’s going on, Giles?” Buffy narrowed her eyes as she looked around
the room. “And…where’s Ru?”
Giles licked his lips and took a shaky breath as he
reached for the translation. “He’s with
Peter…downstairs. Um…I was going through
a text…which was found in the chamber…which belonged to, uh…Quentin.”
Buffy’s eyes widened and she sat down on the
couch. “Quentin? Travers?
Is he back? ‘Cause Ethan said – ”
Giles shook his head quickly, sitting next to her and
repositioning a sleeping Lucas in his arms.
“No, he’s not back. I, uh…well,
I…”
“Hey.” Buffy
spoke softly, placing her hand on his arm.
“Tell me.”
He took a deep breath and nodded as he handed the
papers to her. “I…translated this from
one of the texts found. I’ve, uh…I’ve
been over it too many times to count now.”
She took the papers and read his handwriting aloud.
“The day will come, a child from the one who
sees. A child with eyes of green and
amber. He is the Chosen. He will rise and his army will follow
him. And he will be victorious in his
battles. As his ancestors before him, he
will fight the evils of darkness. And he
will prevail. He will succeed in what
others have failed. In twenty-two days
of the Devas, he will come to power and in five days of the Devas, he will
eradicate the demons from this world.
And we shall shine our lights upon him and bask in his love.”
Willow’s eyes widened.
Amelia quietly flipped through the pages of a demonology text found in
the chamber, searching for anything dealing with Vhrashnin. Buffy stared into Giles’ eyes, confusion and
fear showing in hers.
“What the hell is this, Giles?” As he searched for the right words, Buffy
shook her head impatiently. “Just tell
me what this is.”
He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “I…I think this is…I think this was written
about…Braden.”
“What?” She
whispered in disbelief.
“I…” He licked
his dry lips and continued. “I think
he’s destined to save the world from demonic activity.”
Buffy’s eyes darkened as she shook her head. “You promised, Giles. You promised it would be his choice.” She glanced at the baby in his arms. “Their choices to make…whether they want to
become Watchers or be involved with the Council at all.”
“And it is, Buffy.”
He spoke quickly. “It will be
their choices to make. I have no plans
of telling Braden any of this. If this
is his destiny, then he will know when the time comes.”
“Giles…”
He lifted his hand and caressed her face. “But, if this is his
destiny…people…demons…are going to come after him. They will try to stop him if they know about
this prophecy.”
“Demons such as Vhrashnin.” Amelia spoke softly.
Everyone stared at Amelia. Giles was the first to speak.
“Excuse me?”
Amelia pulled out a ragged piece of paper out of the
book she was looking through. “It seems
as though Vhrashnin had a contract with Travers.”
Buffy jumped up quickly, running over and grabbing the
paper from Amelia’s hand. She looked at
the page, shaking her head in frustration.
It was written in a language that wasn’t English…however, Quentin’s
signature stood out on the bottom. A
signature written in blood.
“What does this say?”
Buffy demanded, near tears.
Giles stood and gently passed Lucas to Willow as he
made his way to Buffy. He took a deep
breath and read the document in question.
“It’s…it’s a contract.
Um…Quentin was to deliver the soul of the child to Vhrashnin. If he were to fail, his death would be long
and tortuous. If he succeeded, he would
be granted eternal life.” He threw the
paper onto the desk, his anger filling him quickly. “Fucking pillock!”
“That’s why he tried to take him from us?” Buffy whispered, her voice trembling with
shock and anger. “He wanted to give our
son to a monster…so he could have eternal life?”
Amelia cleared her throat, her eyes reading through
some information on the demon.
“Rupert? Buffy? You might want to read this.”
Giles turned the book towards him. “Vhrashnin is an Ordoctlyn.”
“A what?” Buffy
stared at her husband, willing him to provide her with an explanation.
“An Ordoctlyn is a type of contract demon. He makes contracts with humans and should the
humans fail to fulfil the contract, he hires mercenaries to perform the task.”
“We already know that!” She cried in exasperation.
He turned to her, a soothing tone in his voice. “Yes, but…the Ordoctlyn is…once a contract is
made between an Ordoctlyn and a human, no other demon is permitted to make a
similar contract.”
“You’re confusing me, Giles!”
Willow stepped forward and smiled softly. “I think I get it.” When Giles and Buffy looked at her, she
looked into Giles’ eyes. “Tell me if I’m
wrong.”
Giles gave her a nod, silently requesting her to
continue.
“Vhrashnin made a contract with Travers concerning the
soul of the child who would rid the world of demonic activity. Because he is an…” She looked at Giles for assistance.
“An Ordoctlyn.”
He provided quickly.
“Yeah, because he’s an Ordoctlyn…no other demon can
take out a contract on the child’s soul.”
She again looked at Giles, who was nodding furiously. Willow smiled at Buffy. “Which means…I think…if we get rid of
Vhrashnin, no other demon can stop this.”
Buffy looked up at Giles, tears shining in her
eyes. “Is that right?”
He nodded slowly and brushed the backs of his fingers
across her cheek. “Yes.”
A tear spilled down her cheek. “But, if we can’t stop him…he’ll keep sending
things after Ru? Until one of them
finally succeeds?”
He brushed the tear away with his thumb, a sad tone in
his voice. “Yes.”
“What if we kept him protected, hidden in a safe
place, until the twenty-two days are up?”
“Twenty-two days of the Devas is an equivalent to
twenty-two human years.” He explained
softly. “We can’t do that to him,
Buffy.”
Buffy nodded in agreement. “Then I kill Vhrashnin. If I can even find him.”
Willow smiled and handed Lucas to Giles. “I can summon him.”
Giles shook his head quickly. “Willow…”
Willow looked at him, her ‘resolve face’ firmly in
place. “Once we have a plan, I’ll summon
him. Buffy kills him. Braden’s soul is free from evil monsters
trying to steal it. He grows up to be
the fine young man we’ve always known he’ll be.
And he’ll follow his destiny…the prophecy will be fulfilled and demons
will no longer be on Earth. I’m doing
this Giles. Not only for Braden, but
also for you and Buffy. And…Oz and
me…and our children…and everyone else.
Please don’t stop me this time.”
Giles thought about for a few minutes before giving
her a subtle nod. He thought over her
words, his eyes widening as he met hers.
“Your children?”
Willow chuckled softly. “Not yet, but we’re talking about it.”
Peter knocked on the door and stuck his head
inside. “Master Braden became bored and
requested to see his father.”
Giles smiled and motioned him in. As Braden ran across the room and wrapped his
arms around Giles’ legs, he looked at Willow.
“There’s really nothing quite like having children. I highly recommend the experience.”
Braden looked up and smiled brightly. “You have Lukie!”
Giles gently ushered his wife and older son back to
the couch. Braden climbed up between his
parents and, after getting settled, he looked up at his father.
“I hold Lukie?”
Giles smiled and gave him a nod. He gingerly placed Lucas in his older
brother’s arms, suddenly remembering a time that his own mother had placed his
younger brother in his arms. Giles
inhaled sharply, causing Buffy to look up at him.
She gently reached up and turned his head towards her,
only mildly surprised to see tears in his eyes.
After years of telling her about his brother, she instinctively knew
that he had been thinking of Ewan. She
offered him a loving smile and gently ran her thumb along his bottom lip.
He swallowed and leaned over Braden, kissing Buffy’s
lips tenderly. Braden held his brother
protectively and looked up, smiling at Willow and Amelia.
“Daddy loves Mummy.”
Giles ended the kiss slowly, his eyes locked on
Buffy’s. “Yes…Daddy loves Mummy very
much.”
Buffy blushed lightly, reading the desire in her
husband’s green eyes.
The boys had been put to bed and Giles was stretched
out on the sofa when Buffy came out of the kitchen. She held a large bowl of popcorn in her hand
and smiled as she met his eyes.
“Comfortable?”
“Mm-hm.” He
mumbled softly as she placed the bowl on the coffee table.
“I thought we were going to watch a movie once the
boys were asleep.”
He nodded slowly and pulled her down towards him. He reached over to the lamp table and grabbed
the remote for the dvd player.
“We are. But,
I’d like to just lie here…and hold you while we watch it. Is that alright?”
She offered him a smile and leaned down to give him a
soft kiss before she stretched out in front of him, her back pressed against
his chest. She looked over her shoulder
at him.
“Do you have enough room?”
He chuckled softly.
“You hardly take up much room, Buffy.
I’m fine.”
As he started to hit the ‘play’ button, she grabbed
the remote from his hand and rolled over to face him. He arched an eyebrow and dropped his hand to
her hip.
“Can we talk for a minute?” She asked softly.
“Of course.”
She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. “What are we going to do?”
He rubbed her hip in a soothing manner and sighed
softly. “Well…Willow will summon
Vhrashnin, I’ll perform the binding spell to keep him in one spot…which I
should speak to Ethan about. I’m not
sure I’m magically strong enough to hold him by myself, he’s a fairly powerful
demon. And…once he’s bound, you’ll slay
him.”
Buffy nodded, then quickly shook her head. “Yeah, I know that part. Well, the part that didn’t include Ethan, but
I understand what you mean. I mean…what
are we going to do after?”
Giles looked at her with a puzzled expression. “After?”
“Yeah…I mean…our son has a destiny. A prophecy written about him. And it’s a good prophecy, not like the ones I
get written about me. He’s going to
change the world one day.”
“Yes.” He
whispered softly.
“And…we’re not going to tell him about it.” She stated quietly.
He moved his hand to rest on her side. “No, we’re not. It is a prophecy, Buffy. It will come to pass whether he knows about
it or not. And I worry that if we tell
him about it…it will change him.”
“Yeah, I get that.
And I agree with it. But…” She exhaled slowly. “We know about it. How do we raise a child who’s going to change
the world?”
A light of understanding flickered in his eyes. “Do you mean…do we treat him differently
because of this?” When she nodded
slowly, he offered her a gentle smile. “No. We treat him as we always have. With love and support…he’s our son,
Buffy. We’ll treat him as such.”
“But, how do we – ”
He cut her off quickly with a kiss. As he slipped his leg between hers, he pulled
back and smiled softly. “You’re thinking
too much about this, Buffy.”
She looked into his eyes, her hand resting on his
chest. She felt his heart rate increase
and noticed his eyes darken a shade. She
slid her hand to his neck and pulled his mouth back to her lips.
“Take my mind off of it.” She whispered just before she kissed him.
She slipped her tongue into his mouth, moaning softly
as he gripped her hip and pulled her tightly against his quickly emerging
erection. He returned her kiss as
passionately as she was giving it. His
tongue slid along hers before he gently held her tongue between his teeth. He sucked the muscle for a moment before
releasing it and plunging his tongue into her mouth.
He carefully repositioned their bodies so that she was
on her back with her legs cradling her hips.
His mouth moved to her neck, nipping and sucking at her skin, as he
gently rocked his hips against her. Her
fingers twisted in his hair, holding his head in place as she bucked her hips,
pressing her denim-clad core against the hard bulge in his jeans.
“God…Giles…”
His hand slid under her shirt, his fingers teasingly
grazing her skin as they made their way to her bra. He pushed his hips harder against her,
smiling inwardly when she moaned pleasurably.
As his hand covered her left breast, he felt her chuckle softly.
He lifted his head and looked down at her, a smile
playing at his lips. “Something funny,
love?”
She shook her head, but then burst into giggles. His smile grew, mainly because her giggles
were infectious, and his thumb brushed over her satin-covered nipple.
“What is it?”
He asked softly.
She got herself under control and slid her hands back
to his chest, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.
“I was just thinking…about the time we made love on the couch and you
fell on the floor.”
He chuckled and pressed his hips suggestively against
her. “Ah…and here I was thinking about
the time I became the first person to make you come through… ‘dry humping’, I
believe you called it.”
She moaned and slipped her hand under the open
material of his shirt, her fingers easily finding his nipple. “The only…”
He inhaled sharply as she gently pinched the hard
nub. “Hm?”
“Not the first…the only.” She moved her hand under his shirt, around to
his lower back and lightly scratched the skin above the waistband of his
jeans. “And…you’re really close to doing
it again…”
He smiled and pulled her breast free from its satin
confines. He kneaded the firm flesh
gently as he increased his thrusts against her.
“I want you to come for me, Buffy…like this…”
She lifted her legs over his hips and tilted her head
to the side, exposing the pale scar on her neck. “I’m so close…make me come…”
He lowered his head, covering the scar with his
mouth. He moved his hand from her
breast, teasing her skin with his fingertips as his hand moved back to her
hip. When his fingers tightened on her
hip, he pulled the tender flesh of her neck into his mouth, sucking hard as he
thrust harder against her.
Her nails dug into his lower back as her body
shuddered violently. She bit her lip to
keep from screaming in ecstasy as her orgasm crashed over her. He groaned loudly as he lifted his head,
slowing his thrusts as her body trembled underneath him. Her legs fell from his hips and she looked
into his passion-glazed eyes.
She moved her hands back to his chest and, with a
smile in her eyes, pushed him back. He
fell backwards, his upper back against the armrest on the other end of the
couch, his eyes wide with surprise.
“Buffy!”
She grinned broadly and straddled his hips. “You didn’t come…now, it’s your turn.”
He opened his mouth, possibly to protest but she
wasn’t sure, and moved his hands to her hips.
He groaned as she moved her warm, and now very wet, core over his
erection. He thrust up against her, his
hands gripping her hips and moving her harder against him.
She braced herself with her hands on his chest,
curling the fingers of her right hand and gently scraping across his
nipple. He inhaled sharply and she
repeated the motion as she gyrated her hips, increasing the pressure.
“Christ!
Buffy!”
She licked her lips and scratched his nipple
again. “That’s it. Come, Giles.”
She rode him harder, lifting her left hand from his chest and touching
his lips. “And when you do…I’m going to
rip your jeans open and clean your come from your skin with my tongue.”
His fingers tightened on her hips, tight enough to
leave bruises, and groaned loudly as he came.
Buffy smiled, gently rubbing his chest as he trembled lightly. She quickly moved backwards and knelt between
his legs, holding his gaze as she opened his jeans and tugged them down
slightly.
She glanced down and licked her lips. “Someone made a mess…”
He hissed as she lowered her head, using her tongue to
clean him. He lifted his hand, weaving
his fingers through her hair as she took his cock into her mouth, sucking the
fluid from his skin.
“Dear God, Buffy…”
Hearing his almost pained tone, she looked up
quickly. “Too much?”
He swallowed and nodded slowly. “Just…come here.”
She moved back up his body and kissed him
tenderly. “Sorry.”
He chuckled softly and pulled her onto his chest. “Oh, Buffy…there’s nothing to apologize
for. I just…I need to hold you for a
while.”
She smiled and, after another soft kiss on his lips,
laid her head on his chest. He sighed in
satisfaction and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch, covering their
bodies.
“I love you, Buffy.”
She smiled and nuzzled his chest. “I love you too.”
She listened to his heartbeat, content to have him
holding her against him. One last
thought entered her mind as sleep claimed her.
‘Maybe we’ll watch the movie tomorrow night.’
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The next day found the entire Giles family at the
Council building. With a demon hiring
mercenaries to track down his son, Giles was not at all comfortable having
Braden out of his sight. Knowing Buffy
would be able to physically protect Braden better than he, Giles softly
requested the presence of his wife and younger son.
They had spread a blanket out on the floor of Giles’
office for the boys. Lucas was lying on
his stomach, giggling happily as Braden talked to him. Willow and Oz sat on the couch and smiled as
they watched the two boys, Oz’s arm around her and her hand resting on his
thigh.
Buffy kept her eyes on Giles as he picked up the phone
and dialled a number. Giles reached
over, placing his hand over hers and squeezing gently as the call was
connected.
“H’lo?”
Giles chuckled softly.
“Did I wake you, Ethan?”
“Ah, Rupert…uh, no…”
Giles raised an eyebrow. “Am I interrupting?” When Ethan hesitated, Giles smiled. “When you’re available, could you ring me
back? Or…better yet, come by my office?”
“Um, yeah…everything okay?”
“I just need your assistance with something.” He glanced over at his sons playing on the
blanket. “Something rather important and
somewhat time sensitive.”
“Give me ninety minutes. I’ll be there.”
Giles was getting ready to thank Ethan. Instead, he chuckled softly as Ethan hung up
the phone. Buffy arched an eyebrow at
her husband.
“Well?”
“He’ll be here in ninety minutes, give or take. He was, uh…somewhat preoccupied.”
Buffy smiled knowingly and took a deep breath. “Okay, so what do we do now?”
“Now…we go over our roles.” He looked towards the couch and caught
Willow’s eye. He tilted his head in a
silent request for her and Oz to come over.
Willow gave Oz’s leg a gentle pat as she stood and
made her way over to Giles’ desk. She
sat down in the chair next to Buffy’s and Oz stood behind her, his hand resting
on her shoulder.
Giles regarded Willow carefully. “You’re sure that you can summon Vhrashnin?”
Willow nodded quickly.
“No problem, I’ve got everything all mapped out. Just waiting for you to give the go-ahead.”
Giles gave her a small smile. “There is the matter of Braden and
Lucas. They…especially Braden…they can’t
be here. The problem is Buffy and I both
need to be here and chances are, Vhrashnin has already hired another
mercenary.”
“We could call Angel.”
Oz offered softly.
Giles and Buffy both shook their heads quickly. When Oz merely arched an eyebrow, Giles
started to explain.
“I’m not one hundred percent sure that Angel can be
trusted at the moment.”
“Is this because of the Wolfram & Hart
thing?” Willow asked. “Because, I think he’s trying to do good with
that. I mean – ”
Buffy spoke softly, lowering her eyes. “According to Wesley, Angel is involved with
the Circle of the Black Thorn. I…I can’t
have him near my family.”
Willow’s eyes widened in surprise. “The Black Thorn? Maybe…it’s like an infiltration thing or
something. ‘Involved’ can mean a few
different things. Not necessarily that
he’s turned – ”
Buffy raised her eyes and sighed sadly. “I don’t trust him, Willow. These are our children. If we can’t be absolutely sure about his
agenda, I can’t put their lives in his hands.”
Giles gave her hand another reassuring squeeze and
looked up, meeting Oz’s eyes. “Will you
protect our children?”
Oz’s gentle smile returned to his lips. “I will.”
Giles, Buffy, and most of all Willow knew that even
though he only spoke two words, the true meaning was that he would give his
life to protect Braden and Lucas. Willow
looked up at him as she covered his hand with hers.
“Be careful?”
He gave her a slight nod and leaned down, placing a
loving kiss on her lips. “Always.”
Two hours later, Ethan stood in the middle of Giles’
office and stared at him in disbelief.
He had arrived precisely ninety minutes after the phone call and Giles
had told him everything.
“Have you completely lost your bloody mind?”
Giles stood straight, staring back at him as he shook
his head slowly. “Not as of yet, no.”
Ethan gestured towards Willow. “You’re going to let her summon an
Ordoctlyn. An Ordoctlyn who has an
active contract out. Not only
that…” He lifted the book in the air,
pointing at a picture of the demon.
“It’s this! A big tri-horn who’ll
probably rip your intestines through your nose as soon as it sees you.”
“Yes.” Giles
nodded. “Hence the reason I need your
help. I can’t bind him on my own,
Ethan.”
Ethan sighed heavily.
“I’m not even sure both of us can bind him.”
“This is the only option we have, Ethan. And there’s no one else who has the ability
to help me.”
“But…” Ethan
started to protest.
Giles took a step forward, allowing Ethan to see the
fear in his eyes. “This is my son we’re
talking about. Vhrashnin is actively
sending mercenaries to capture Braden’s soul.
We can’t just stand here and hope that we’ll be able to protect him from
Vhrashnin for the next nineteen years.”
Ethan turned his eyes to Buffy. “So, she summons, we bind, you kill?”
Buffy nodded, moving next to Giles and taking his
hand. “That’s pretty much the plan.”
“And your son has adequate protection at the moment?”
Buffy almost smiled at the tenderly asked
question. “Ru and Lucas are both with
Oz.”
Ethan exhaled in relief. He knew, without a doubt, that Oz would do
anything to protect the boys…even if it cost him his life. He ran his hand through his hair and gestured
at the desk.
“Show me the spell.”
Giles and Buffy both smiled, Willow relaxed and put
the finishing touches on her summoning spell.
As Ethan leaned over the desk and read over the spell, he shook his head
and met Giles’ eyes.
“If this works, you’d better bloody well make me your
next child’s godfather.”
Giles smiled affectionately and picked up a pen,
making one final adjustment. Buffy took
a deep breath and walked over to the weapons cabinet, pulling out Giles’
favourite sword.
She sat down on the couch and began to polish the
blade. A simple routine that she had
learned helped calm her before a battle.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles finished drawing the pentagram on the floor and
stood, stepping back from it. He looked
over at his wife, who was sitting on the couch with her eyes closed as she
meditated. Taking a deep breath, he
walked over and knelt in front of her.
Her eyes opened when she felt his fingertips touch her
cheek. “Hey.”
“Hello.” He
offered her a smile that didn’t hide the concern in his eyes. “Are you ready?”
She exhaled heavily and nodded. “How bad do you think this is gonna be?”
“He’s, uh…he’s not going to be happy to be here.”
She gave him a small smile. “Giles-speak for ‘really, really bad’.”
He combed his fingers through her hair and
sighed. “Watch his claws. And the spines on his torso. They…contain highly venomous toxins which
cause immediate paralysis as it liquefies your organs.”
“Fun.” She
placed her hand on his chest and gently rubbed.
“Good news, no mouth…so, no teeth.”
He smiled weakly.
“Strike quickly, don’t linger.
Watch his eyes, he’s apt to telegraph his moves. You’ll be the only one of us able to attack
him. The, uh…the binding field will
prevent us from assisting you. Waste no
time and remember that the only thing that will kill him is decapitation.”
Buffy nodded slowly.
“Anything else you wanna cram into my head before I go stand on your
pretty pentagram?”
“Yes.” He
whispered and leaned into her, capturing her lips in a deep kiss.
She moved her hands over his shoulders, slipping her
fingers into the hair covering the back of his head. She returned his kiss hungrily, sliding her
tongue into his mouth briefly before he slowly ended the kiss and looked into
her eyes.
“Come back to us.”
He whispered, his eyes glistening.
She didn’t have to ask to know that ‘us’ meant him and
their children. She caressed the side of
his face and leaned forward, kissing him again.
When she pulled back, she smiled softly.
“You know…I always know it’s gonna be bad when you
demand that I come back.”
“Not necessarily.”
He lowered his eyes momentarily and swallowed the lump in his
throat. “I whisper it each time you
leave for patrol.”
When he looked back up, he saw the tears in her
eyes. He cleared his throat and shook
his head lightly. “None of that,
now. It wouldn’t do for you to go into a
fight with blurred vision.”
She chuckled softly and pulled him into a hug. “I love you with everything I have, Giles.”
He held her tightly and pressed a tender kiss into her
hair.
Ethan cleared his throat softly. “So…time to start this, then?”
Giles swallowed and released Buffy from his
embrace. He took a deep breath and
nodded as he stood, pulling Buffy up with him.
“Yes, it is.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow as Buffy walked to the centre
of the pentagram, the sword in her hand.
“Should you have another weapon in there with you? Just in case?”
Giles glanced at Ethan and shook his head. “We can’t afford the risk of Vhrashnin using
the second weapon for himself.”
Buffy smiled softly and held the sword up. “Besides…this will be enough for me.”
Ethan nodded nervously. “Okay then.”
Giles met Willow’s eyes. “We’ll start the binding spell when you’re
nearing the end of the summons. We
should be able to have it in full effect by the time Vhrashnin appears.”
Willow gave him a nod and closed her eyes, the words
of her summoning spell floating from her lips.
Giles looked into Buffy’s eyes and took a deep breath.
“Remember…attack as soon as he appears. Take advantage of his disorientation.”
Buffy gave him a quick nod. “Got it.
You guys just keep the barrier up.”
Giles swallowed again and glanced at Ethan. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
Ethan replied before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. “Let’s roll.”
* * *
The atmosphere shimmered in front of Buffy and she
took a step back, twirling the heavy sword in her right hand. She wanted to look at Giles again, but knew
she couldn’t take her eyes from the shimmer.
Vhrashnin would appear soon.
No sooner had she finished that thought, his image
began to take form in front of her. The
demon looked around at his surroundings, obviously confused. His confusion was short-lived, nearly immediately
replaced with rage.
He struck out with his arm, snarling when his clawed
hand bounced back from the barrier.
Giles took a deep breath, concentrating hard as he watched the demon
turn to face Buffy.
Buffy launched her attack quickly, slicing through the
air with the sword. Vhrashnin raised an
arm in defense, losing a claw from his right hand for his efforts. Enraged, the demon unleashed a full attack,
swiping through the air with his uninjured arm.
Buffy ducked and rolled to the demon’s side, quickly
finding her footing and lunging forward with the sword. Vhrashnin blocked the blade and kicked
Buffy’s feet out from under her. As
Buffy scrambled to get up, the demon approached her and kicked her again.
Ethan opened his eyes, turning his head sharply
towards Giles when he sensed a lapse in concentration. “Don’t you fucking dare let up now, Ripper.”
When the demon reached down and grabbed the front of
Buffy’s shirt, Giles took a step forward.
Ethan reached out and grabbed his arm, turning Giles to face him.
“You stop now, we all die.”
Knowing the truth of his friend’s words, Giles gave a
quick nod and moved back to Ethan’s side.
With fear racing in his heart, he returned his eyes to the battle going
on within the pentagram.
Vhrashnin held Buffy at arm’s length, lifting her a
few feet into the air. Buffy glanced
down at his torso, her eyes widening when she saw the thick fluid seep from the
spines on his chest. Fear setting in,
she gripped the sword tighter in her hand.
She lifted her arm and brought the hilt down on the demon’s forearm with
all of her strength.
The demon growled with pain, his hand releasing his
grip on her shirt. She fell to the floor
and swung out with the blade, neatly slicing through his leg right below the
knee. Vhrashnin toppled to the ground
and immediately began pushing himself up.
With his head lowered to the ground, Buffy raised her
sword. She swore loudly when she noticed
the thick armour covering the back of his neck.
Knowing the blade wouldn’t penetrate the armour, her thoughts
raced.
A thin smile played on her lips and she changed her
grip on the hilt.
“Hey!”
Vhrashnin looked up at her as he tried to stand. Buffy took the opportunity given, swinging
upwards with the blade with all of her might.
The demon’s eyes widened as the blade sliced through his throat before
stopping when it reached the armour plate covering the back of his neck.
Vhrashnin crumpled to the ground, his head rolling
harmlessly away from the body. Buffy’s
jaw clenched as she stared down at the now very dead demon.
“That’s for fucking with my family.”
She fell to her knees as Giles rushed forward. The binding spell was released and Giles slid
onto the floor next to her, pulling her into his arms.
“Buffy?”
She wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him as
she began to sob. He held her tightly,
whispering softly to her in an attempt to soothe her.
Ethan wiped the sweat from his brow and inhaled
deeply. “I’m glad that didn’t take any
longer. I…I’m not sure how much longer I
could’ve kept it up.”
Willow moved until she was standing next to
Ethan. “You know…you have changed so
much since the first time I met you.”
Ethan chuckled softly.
“Not really. I still enjoy
chaos.”
Willow looked up at him and smiled tenderly. “You still love him.”
Ethan lowered his eyes quickly and glanced at the two
still wrapped in a tender embrace. “I
rather think I always will.” He looked
back at Willow and smiled shyly. “But, I
learned a few years ago that it was time to move on.”
“And…what’s his name?”
Ethan grinned and shook his head.
“Uh, guys?”
At the sound of Oz’s voice, Buffy and Giles released
one another, quickly standing and running towards him. Buffy’s watery eyes widened.
“Braden? Lucas?”
Oz smiled softly and moved to the side as Braden
pushed the pram into the office.
“They’re fine.”
Buffy rushed to Braden and picked him up. Her tears, now of joy, spilling down her
cheeks.
“Figured it was safe to come back. I was…well, there was a demon. And he just kinda disappeared…”
Willow pulled him into a hug and held him
tightly. “Are you okay?”
Oz smirked and gave her a gentle kiss. “Not a scratch on any of us.”
Braden sneezed four times in quick succession and
looked into his mother’s eyes. “Oss
makes me sneeze.”
Oz chuckled softly, wrapping his arm around his
wife. “Oh, yeah…um…I think Little Ru
here might be allergic to werewolf fur.”
Giles smiled, reaching out to run his fingers through
Braden’s hair. He looked down at the
pram and saw Lucas’ bright green eyes shining at him. As he picked the baby up, Braden sneezed
again and pointed at his younger brother.
“Lukie thinks Oss is funny.”
Giles arched an eyebrow. “Oh, does he?”
Braden nodded quickly.
“Oss makes me sneeze. Oss makes
Lukie laugh. Funny wolf.”
Ethan snorted, shaking his head in amusement. When he noticed everyone was looking at him,
he shrugged a shoulder.
“You have one son who’s allergic to werewolves. You have another who finds werewolves
funny. I find that highly amusing.”
Lucas bounced in his father’s arms and giggled. Braden reached over, gently patting Lucas’
head. Lucas turned his head and looked
at his older brother. He giggled again,
bouncing harder.
Ethan watched Giles watch his elder son play with
Buffy, Willow, and Oz as Lucas slept peacefully after his latest feeding. Ethan could easily see Giles’ desire to keep
his family, and extended family, safe and happy. When Braden tripped and Giles flinched, Ethan
took a deep breath and gently nudged Giles with his elbow.
Giles turned his head and looked at Ethan. “Hm?”
Ethan gestured towards the door with a tilt of his
head. “I need a cigarette. We need to talk. Come on.”
Giles narrowed his eyes. “About what do we need to talk?”
Ethan cast a quick glance at the others across the
room. “Humour me, Rupert.”
Giles sighed softly and caught Buffy’s eye. Buffy smiled and gave him a gentle nod as
Giles stood and walked towards the door with Ethan. As they walked out of the office, Oz arched
an eyebrow in a silent question.
Buffy smiled.
“Ethan wants to talk.”
“Oh.” Oz gave
her a half-smile and rolled the ball across the floor to Braden.
* * *
Once they reached the courtyard, Ethan lit a cigarette
and took a deep drag. As he exhaled the
smoke, he furrowed his brow. Giles
smiled softly and leaned against the brick retaining wall.
“What’s on your mind, Ethan?”
Ethan turned towards him, looking directly into Giles’
eyes. “You’re not going to be able to do
this.”
Giles narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Do…what?”
Ethan gestured towards the building as he took another
puff. “Raise him as a normal child.”
When Giles started to protest, Ethan shook his
head. “You won’t, Rupert. You’re going to want to protect him from
every little thing in this world. And,
it’ll end up screwing his head up. I
watched you up there. The child tripped…tripped…as
a child normally does and it took everything in you not to run to him.”
Giles pushed himself from the wall and walked towards
a park bench. Ethan easily fell into
step next to him.
“Is it all that wrong to want to protect your
children?”
Ethan shook his head as Giles sat down on the
bench. Ethan took the seat next to him
and sighed.
“No. That’s the
mark of a good parent.” He glanced at
Giles and smiled. “And you are. A very good parent. But, you’ll stop him from having experiences
in his life. Not intentionally, of
course…but you’ll always fear that something will happen to him. And you’ll end up smothering him with
protection.”
Giles sat quietly for a few moments and then reached
over, pulling the pack of cigarettes out of Ethan’s shirt pocket. He shook one out and pulled the ever-present
lighter out of his pocket. He watched a
bird hop around on the grass in front of him as he took a long drag.
“And what do you suggest I do? I can’t not protect my children.”
“I’m not asking you to not protect them. But…maybe forget the fact that a prophecy was
written about Braden.”
Giles turned his head and stared at Ethan. “I’m rather sure that’s impossible.”
Ethan shook his head and tapped his ashes onto the
ground. “I can do it. All I need is some Lethe’s Bramble and a
crystal.”
Giles’ eyes widened as he stood up quickly. “No.
The last time someone used that…we all lost our memories. We didn’t know anything about who we were or
what we were doing. We – ”
Ethan looked up at him, his voice soft as he
spoke. “And that was due to the fact
that Willow was careless. I’ve performed
this spell many times over the years and have never caused anyone ill
effects…not even you.”
Giles’ mouth dropped open and he stared at his
friend. Ethan closed his eyes, realizing
he had spoken that last part out loud.
“Bugger.” He
swore softly and took another drag.
“Even me? You
used Lethe’s Bramble on me?” When Ethan
didn’t answer, Giles shook his head in disbelief. “When?
What was so important that you needed me to forget?”
Ethan crushed his cigarette under the heel of his boot
and stood. “If I told you that, it would
defeat the purpose of me making you forget.”
When he turned to walk away, Giles grabbed Ethan’s
shoulder and turned him back around roughly.
Giles’ eyes were dark with anger and confusion.
“You tell me.
And you tell me right now, Ethan.”
Giles growled as his eyes narrowed.
Ethan shook his head slowly. “It was a long time ago, Rupert.”
Giles’ hand gripped Ethan’s shoulder tightly as his
eyes blazed. “Fucking tell me!”
Ethan felt his own anger rise as he stared at
Giles. “Fine, you fucking want to
know? I confessed to you that I loved
you. Was in love with you. And I fucking begged you to make love
to me…and not fuck me again.”
Giles’ hand dropped from Ethan’s shoulder. Ethan shook his head and took a step back.
“A lot of good it did me.” He spoke in a soft whisper.
Giles’ eyes softened and he took a deep breath. “What did I do?”
Ethan swallowed and lowered his eyes to the
ground. Giles suddenly felt very
frightened.
“Ethan…what did I do to you?”
Ethan exhaled a shaky breath. “You…made love to me. It was very tender, very…sweet. And then you told me that you could never
love me that way. You could never be in
love with me.”
Ethan coughed softly and reached for another
cigarette. Giles found himself utterly
speechless. Ethan slipped the lighter
back into his pocket and shrugged a shoulder.
“I was fairly humiliated. So…I did the spell and you forgot the entire
conversation and the sex afterwards.
That was the last sexual encounter we shared…and I left two days
later. I…I couldn’t stay.”
Giles swallowed thickly as he nodded. “I remember you leaving. You said that you were heading
north…something about tracking down a Chaos demon.”
Ethan chuckled sadly.
“Yes. And I found Chaos himself,
instead. I left because I couldn’t
handle watching you bring home girl after girl…and taking them to your
bed. And listening to them cry in
pleasure, calling your name. Knowing I
would never have that. It was easier to
leave.”
“Ethan, I…”
Ethan looked into Giles’ green eyes and smiled. “It was a very long time ago, Rupert. You were never to know.” He cleared his throat and again gestured to
the building. “But, the point is…I can
perform this spell…properly and successfully.
And your son can have a normal life.
Well, as normal as he’d ever have anyway.”
Giles was still staring at him in shock, unable to
form any words as he processed the information that Ethan had given him. Ethan smiled and placed his hand on Giles’
shoulder.
“Just…think about it.
And what would be best for Braden.”
He dropped his hand and started walking across the courtyard. He was almost at the exit when he turned and
smiled. “Probably best to discuss this
with Buffy. After all, he’s her son as
well. Let me know when you’ve made your
decision.”
Giles merely nodded and stared after Ethan as he
disappeared from sight.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dinner had been prepared and eaten. Giles had read Braden a bedtime story and, as
usual, the boy was asleep before the story was finished. Giles checked on Lucas, who was sleeping
peacefully, before making his way back to the living room.
Buffy looked up at him as he walked in, sighing when
she saw the weariness in his eyes. “You
look exhausted.”
Giles nodded in agreement. “I am.
Difficult day.”
Buffy glanced at the clock and, though it was only
7:30, realized that she was pretty tired herself. She stated that fact to her husband and then
gently suggested they go to bed. Giles nodded
slowly before turning and heading back down the hall.
Buffy sighed softly, wondering what was going on in
his mind. She had asked him earlier what
Ethan had spoken to him about. He merely
changed the subject. She stood and,
after making sure the doors were locked and turning off the lights, she made
her way to the bedroom.
By the time she got there, he had already changed and
gotten into bed. She paused for a brief
moment, watching him as he stared at the ceiling. She quickly changed into her pajamas and
climbed into bed, snuggling up next to him and resting her head on his arm.
“Giles?”
“Hm?”
“Are you okay?”
She asked softly.
He turned his head towards her and smiled gently. “I’m fine.
Are you?”
She nodded and then looked into his eyes. “What did Ethan want to talk to you about?”
She saw a flicker of sadness in his eyes. He opened his mouth, and then closed it as
his eyes darted to her lips. Instead of
answering her question, he rolled onto his side and leaned over her.
She looked into his eyes, raising her hand to touch
his face. “Giles?”
He lowered his head, kissing her soft lips as he
slipped his knee between her thighs. He
lifted his head and whispered softly.
“Make love with me, Buffy.”
And now, here they were. Buffy lying on her back, her knees resting
against Giles’ side, cradling him as he slowly moved within her. The part of Buffy’s brain that was still able
to process logic told her that something was bothering him. She saw the uncertainty in his eyes, now
darkened with passion.
His touch was gentle, caressing her body as he lowered
his mouth to her ear. “I love you,
Buffy. God, I love you so much.”
She ran her fingers through his damp hair, her
whispered reply strangled in a soft moan as he pushed her closer to
orgasm. He trailed warm, soft kisses
down her neck and across her shoulder, his hand moving to cover her breast. She pushed her hips against him, urging him
to quicken his teasingly slow pace.
He pushed himself up slightly and looked down at
her. As much as he wanted to draw this
out, he saw the mild frustration on her face.
He gave her a slight nod and complied with her unspoken request, hooking
his arm under her knee as he quickened his thrusts.
She groaned at the slight change and wrapped her hand
around his neck, pulling him back down.
“More, Giles…please…more…”
He kissed her gently, slowing his pace and looking
into her eyes. “Tell me what you want.”
She groaned in frustration and arched her hips towards
him. “You. All of you.
Stop holding back…”
He smiled lovingly and pushed himself up, kneeling
between her thighs. He slowly lifted her
legs, resting them against his chest.
His hands held her thighs as he continued his gentle thrusts.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
She nodded, moaning softly at the change of
position. He smiled, sliding his right
hand up her leg until his fingers were resting on the top of her foot. As his thumb gently rubbed her sole, he
turned his head and covered her ankle bone with his mouth.
She whispered his name with passion as his teeth
lightly scraped over her skin. He
responded with a quick, hard thrust of his hips.
Buffy bit her lip to stifle her moan and reached out,
covering his hand still holding her thigh with hers. Giving her ankle a final teasing lick with
his tongue, he looked down at her. She
gazed back at him through desire-glazed eyes.
He leaned forward slightly and pulled her hand to his
lips. He continued his steady strokes as
he sucked her fingers into his mouth, using his tongue to bathe her skin. She whimpered when he suddenly released the
digits and lowered her hand.
Her eyes widened when he placed her fingers on the
soft curls covering her mound. He looked
down at their hands and grunted softly as he slid her fingers to her clitoris.
“Touch yourself for me, Buffy…”
He moved his hands back to her thighs, gripping the
firm flesh tightly as he quickened his thrusts.
He groaned as he watched her fingers circle the hardened nub and pushed
harder against her.
“God…Giles…”
She panted as she spread her legs wider, her fingers quickly circling
her clit as she neared orgasm.
He allowed her legs to wrap around his hips and he
fell forward, trapping her hand between their bodies as he began to thrust at a
frenzied pace. His mouth latched onto
her neck, sucking the flesh hard as she bucked her hips against him. He moved his right hand under her ass,
supporting the weight of his upper body with his left hand pressed against the
mattress.
He groaned against her skin when he felt that the
sheet underneath her wasn’t the only thing that was wet. Her fluid had also found its way into the
crevice between her cheeks. His finger
slipped through the copious moisture before nudging at the puckered orifice.
Lifting his head from her neck, Giles smiled down at
her as he gently eased his finger inside.
When her mouth opened to scream in pleasure, he slammed his hips against
her as he simultaneously covered her mouth with his, swallowing her scream.
He felt her inner walls pulse around him, her muscles
rippling against his thickening shaft.
He plunged his tongue into her mouth, thrusting with the same rhythm as
his cock and finger. Buffy’s body
shuddered violently beneath him and he groaned into her mouth as he felt her
fluids wash over him.
A bead of sweat rolled down his jaw, dripping from his
chin onto her throat as he broke the kiss and cried her name. As his cock erupted within her, she came for
a second time, her inner muscles milking him as he began to tremble.
He dropped his head to the crook of her neck, his
tongue tasting her sweat as he slipped his finger from her anus and continued
thrusting his hips. The muscles in his
back quivered as he came for a second time, though not as forceful as his first
orgasm.
“Jesus!” Buffy
gasped as his arms finally gave out and he fell to her side.
He said nothing, unable to form words, as his
trembling hand rested on her side. She
turned her head towards him and lifted her shaking hand to wipe the sweat from
his brow.
“What…was that?”
She whispered as she fought for her breath.
He breathed heavily, a smile showing in his eyes. “Me…not holding…back.”
“My God…Giles…”
She rolled towards him and kissed him softly.
He tightened his hold on her and held her against his
body. “Love you…so much.”
She smiled sleepily, exhaustion showing clearly in her
eyes. “You too.”
They didn’t bother putting their pajamas back on. Even if they wanted to, neither were able to
move…much less get dressed. Buffy fell
asleep quickly in Giles’ arms. Giles
closed his eyes…but sleep wouldn’t come.
Buffy rolled over and reached for her husband. Her eyes opened quickly when she only
encountered the cool sheets. She rubbed
her eyes and yawned, glancing at the clock.
She narrowed her eyes and stared at the red numbers shining at her.
She rubbed her eyes again and threw the blankets off
of her. She slipped into the pajamas
that she had discarded earlier in the night and brushed the hair back from her
face.
He was in the first place she looked. She stood in the doorway of Braden’s room and
sighed at the sight before her. He was
sitting in the chair, his feet propped up on Braden’s toy box. Lucas was lying across his thighs, sleeping
peacefully as Giles’ fingers gently stroked his hair. His eyes were trained on his older son,
snoring softly as he slept.
Buffy quietly walked into the room and placed her hand
on his shoulder. He didn’t flinch at her
touch. He also didn’t look up. She leaned down and kissed the top of his
head before she whispered.
“What are you doing?”
“Watching him sleep.”
He stated softly. “And realizing
that Ethan was right.”
“About?” She
questioned as she ran her fingers through his soft hair.
Giles took a deep breath and finally looked up and
into her eyes. “I, uh…I need to discuss
something with you.”
Buffy nodded slowly and glanced down at the sleeping
baby in his lap. “You put Lucas to bed
and I’ll make the tea?”
He offered her a small smile and carefully
repositioned Lucas before standing. “I
shan’t be long.”
She returned his smile and bent her head, kissing her
son’s head. She lifted her gaze and
gestured towards the door with a tilt of her head. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”
* * *
Giles had explained the conversation he had with Ethan
concerning their son and Buffy nodded slowly in agreement.
“He has a point.”
She raised her mug and blew across the top. “What does he suggest?”
Giles took a deep breath, his fingers idly turning his
mug on the table. “Lethe’s Bramble.”
Buffy stared at him across her mug before slowly
lowering it to the table. “Lethe’s
Bramble? The same Lethe’s Bramble that
Willow used to help Xander forget his fear of getting married and caused all of
us to lose our memories? All of
our memories?”
He nodded slowly, looking into her eyes. “Ethan has used it before…more than
once. He knows how to perform the spell
properly.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly. “Giles, I don’t – ”
He lowered his eyes and stared down at his mug, his
voice soft when he spoke. “He’s used it
on me, Buffy.”
“What?” She
asked, completely shocked at his quiet admission. “When?”
“Years ago. I…I
didn’t know about it until he told me yesterday.”
“Why did he tell you about it?”
He ran his finger lightly around the rim of his
mug. “Because I voiced the same concerns
as you just did.”
“Uh-huh.” Buffy
sat back in her chair, her tea forgotten.
“And what did he make you forget?”
He glanced up and saw the determined look in her
eyes. Knowing she wouldn’t let him
sidestep the question, he inhaled deeply.
“He…he confessed to me that he was in love with
me. And…then…he begged me to make love
to him.”
Buffy’s mouth dropped open. “And?”
Giles cleared his throat softly and turned the mug in
his hands again. “I…did. And then I told him that I couldn’t love him
that way.”
“You…made love to Ethan?” She asked in disbelief.
He lifted his hand and rubbed the side of his
neck. “Apparently so.”
“What if…well, what if he was exaggerating the whole
thing?”
Giles removed his glasses and placed them on the table
before meeting her eyes. “If anything, I
think he downplayed it to me.”
Buffy’s brow furrowed.
“What do you mean?”
He coughed softly and swallowed. “This happened when I was in the midst of
sex, drugs, and magic. I…at that time…I
could be quite cruel with my words. I
highly doubt that I merely told him that I couldn’t love him. And…that would explain why he resorted to
using the spell on me…and why he left a few days afterwards.”
She reached over and took his hand. “Giles…”
His eyes misted lightly. “I think I hurt him tremendously. Emotionally, not physically. And, in my state of mind back then, I
wouldn’t have given a toss.”
“But, you’re a different person now, Giles.”
He nodded slowly in agreement. “Which is how I know Ethan’s right. I love our children so much, Buffy. And…I would do anything to protect them.”
She squeezed his hand gently. “I know, honey.”
“I’ll…inadvertently hurt him trying to protect
him. I can’t let that happen.”
When his
voice cracked slightly with emotion, she laced her fingers with his. “I can’t say I’m not wary…because I totally
am. But, I agree with you. We’d both be watching every little thing he
does for the next nineteen years, basically smothering him. How can he grow up normally…well, as normally
as he can…with both of us afraid to let him out of our sight?”
“He can’t.”
Giles replied softly.
Buffy offered him a gentle smile. “Okay…so, we go to bed and get some
rest. Because, you look absolutely
exhausted. Have you slept at all
tonight?”
He shook his head slowly and rubbed his eyes. “I tried.”
She stood up quickly and walked around the table,
grabbing his arm. “That settles it. We’re going to bed, get some rest…and we’ll
talk to Ethan in the morning.”
He allowed her to pull him up and he followed her down
the hall to their bedroom. “We’ll have
to discuss this with everyone who knows.
This isn’t just about us.”
Buffy nodded and pushed him onto the bed before she
climbed onto the mattress next to him.
She kissed his chest before resting her head on it and held his hand in
hers.
“We’ll round everyone up tomorrow and explain
everything to them.” When she felt him
tense, she lifted her head. “Everything
except for the instance of Ethan using the spell on you.”
He relaxed and took a deep breath. He gave her a small nod and wrapped his arm
around her.
It wasn’t long before they both fell asleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ethan had his supplies spread out on Giles’ desk and
looked up at the five people standing in the office. He met Giles’ eyes and raised an eyebrow.
“This is everyone, yes?”
Giles nodded and then glanced at Amelia. “Peter and Julian?”
Amelia shook her head.
“Not unless you’ve told them. I
have said nothing about this to anyone.”
Giles looked back at Ethan. “This is everyone.”
Ethan took a deep breath. “When I do this…I’ll be able to take any
other memories you may want to forget…if you choose.”
He may have been speaking to all five of them, but his
eyes were locked on Giles’. Giles read
the unasked question and stepped forward, lowering his voice to a whisper as he
stood directly in front of Ethan.
“Don’t take it again.
And…I would like to discuss it later.
If…you wouldn’t mind.”
Ethan swallowed and gave him a quick nod. “Of course.”
Giles stepped back and took Buffy’s hand. Ethan cast a quick glance at the other four,
each of whom merely shook their heads.
“Okay, then.”
Ethan picked up a crystal and held it in his palm. “Before we get started, I have a
request. One that, of course, you’re
free to disregard.”
Giles looked at him curiously. “What is it, Ethan?”
“Well…nineteen years is a long time, when you think
about it.”
Buffy nodded slowly.
“Spit it out, Ethan.”
Ethan chuckled softly, closing his fingers around the
crystal. “I think I’d feel better if
someone else knew. Someone…younger. Someone who can keep a secret,
obviously. Problem is…I’m not sure who’d
be qualified for the responsibility.”
Giles looked down at Buffy as his mind worked through
Ethan’s wording of the suggestion. “I’m
not sure it’s a bad suggestion. Someone
should know…”
Buffy glanced around the room before pulling her
husband over to the corner. “Who?”
Giles bit his lip.
“I…don’t know. I’d prefer the
Council not know. Even though I’m second
in charge these days…”
Buffy nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I know what you mean. So…who do we know that we would trust enough
with this? Who wouldn’t accidentally let
one of us or, God forbid, someone else know?”
“Well, that certainly knocks Willow, Xander, and Anya
off the list.”
They looked into one another’s eyes and smiled
simultaneously. Giles bent his head and
placed a soft kiss on her lips before moving back to the others.
Giles cleared his throat and met Oz’s eyes. A small smile tugged at the corner of Oz’s
mouth. Buffy chuckled softly, realizing
that the offer had already been given and accepted.
“So…can you keep a secret, Oz?”
Oz’s smile grew slightly. “You can count on it.”
Ethan exhaled slowly.
“It’s a little more than keeping a secret. Would you be willing to protect him, but have
the capability to allow him the freedom to be himself?”
Oz looked into Ethan’s eyes and spoke softly. “Absolutely.”
Ethan read the sincerity in the young man’s eyes and
gave a quick nod. “I’ll need you to
leave the room.”
Oz gave Willow a soft kiss and then moved to stand in
front of Buffy and Giles. He offered
them both a gentle smile.
“He’ll be fine, you know?”
Giles nodded as he returned the smile. “I’ve no doubt.”
Buffy opened her mouth, but found she had no
words. Instead, she pulled Oz into a
hug. He rubbed her back soothingly and,
once she loosened her hold, stepped back.
She whispered a soft ‘thank you’, to which Oz merely
nodded before he turned and kissed his wife tenderly. After a few softly spoken words, Oz left
Giles’ office and closed the door behind him.
Ethan looked at the four remaining people and gestured
towards the chairs. “Okay…have a seat,
please.”
Buffy sat down next to Giles and took his hand. Ethan smiled softly, easily sensing her
worry. Ethan leaned against the desk and
looked into Buffy’s eyes.
“I promise I know what I’m doing.”
Buffy exhaled slowly and nodded. Giles gently squeezed her hand and offered
her a gentle smile. “It’ll be alright,
Buffy.”
“If you say so.”
She replied with a voice that was anything but sure.
He lifted her hand and kissed her palm softly. “I do.”
Buffy met Ethan’s eyes. “Okay, let’s do this before I change my
mind.”
Ethan picked up the crystal and held it in his
palm. After glancing at Amelia and
Willow, and seeing that they were ready and somewhat calm, he began speaking
the words of the spell.
When Giles felt a tug in his mind, he looked sharply
at Ethan and shook his head. “No.”
Buffy looked up at her husband and then to Ethan. Ethan exhaled softly and gave Giles a
nod. The tug subsided and Giles relaxed,
allowing the memories of his son’s prophecy to be drawn from his mind.
Ethan lit the sprig of Lethe’s Bramble and uttered
another soft chant, sighing softly as the crystal turned black in his
hand. The office door swung open and
Ethan quickly closed his hand around the crystal. The four who were sitting turned towards the
door, Willow’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh my God!”
“Hey.” Xander
smiled shyly and gave a small wave.
Ethan stood and quickly gathered his supplies before
any of them had a chance to ask him what was going on. He turned back to find Anya staring at him.
“Hello, Anya.”
Anya narrowed her eyes and glanced at the table. “What are you doing?”
“Locator spell.
Strange demon on the horizon.”
Ethan smirked softly. “Of course,
it could’ve just been you.”
Anya rolled her eyes.
“You’re not as funny as you think you are.”
Buffy and Willow ran over to Xander and Anya, each of
them excitedly demanding them to tell all about their trip. Amelia glanced at Giles and shook her head in
a confused manner.
“This demon…what exactly does it do?”
Giles stood and took a deep breath. “I’m not entirely sure.”
He glanced at Ethan and tilted his head slightly. “You and I need to talk.”
Ethan sighed heavily and nodded. “Yes, I suppose we do.”
Xander laughed as the two young women questioned him
relentlessly. “I promise we’ll tell you
all about our trip later. Right now…I
think there’s a new little Giles that we need to see.”
Giles smiled as he turned to face the small
group.
Anya nudged Xander in the ribs. “And the older one too. It’s not like we came back just to see the
baby.”
Xander blushed lightly. “Well, yeah…I mean…they know what I mean,
An.”
Anya snorted softly.
“I’m glad they do. Sometimes I
barely know what you mean.”
Xander looked around the room and furrowed his
brow. “So…where are they? I mean, I’m guessing that since both of you
are here…” He gestured vaguely towards
Buffy and Giles. “…they’re around here somewhere.”
Buffy chuckled as Giles moved next to her and placed
his hand lightly on her lower back. “No,
they’re at home. Ru’s quite the
responsible babysitter these days.”
Xander laughed softly and shook his head. “Seriously though…where are they?”
Willow smiled brightly. “With my husband.” Her smile faded and she glared at
Xander. “Which reminds me…I’m still mad
at you for not being here for my wedding.”
Xander simply pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry, Will. I wanted to be here…”
Willow shook her head slowly. “No…if you really wanted to be here, you
would’ve been.”
“No, he really did.
But, we didn’t get the message until the day before and we couldn’t get
a flight out of Osaka on such short notice.”
Anya smiled sweetly. “We did send
flowers though.”
“Yeah, got those.”
Willow replied softly as she stepped back. “It just…would’ve been better to have you
here, that’s all.”
Xander looked into Willow’s eyes and lowered his voice
to a gentle whisper. “I really am sorry,
Will.”
Willow rolled her eyes and slapped his upper arm. “Stop with the big puppy dog eyes. You know I could never stay mad at you. I’ll just give Oz a call and see where he is
with the boys.”
Xander’s smile returned and he reached for Anya’s
hand. He looked up at Giles and
gestured vaguely around the office.
“Looks like things are going well here.”
Giles nodded slowly and looked around. “Yes.
We’ve been able to locate some Watchers who went into hiding after the
explosion. Faith and Robin are in
Cleveland with several Slayers. We’ve
dispatched Slayers in several countries…after pairing them with suitable
Watchers, of course.”
Xander met Buffy’s eyes and raised an eyebrow. “And you?”
“Still active.
Though it is easier now that I’m not the Only.” She shrugged her shoulders and leaned against
her husband. “I take care of London and
the surrounding suburbs. And I still
have the best Watcher ever.”
Anya smiled when she noticed Giles wrap his arm
protectively around Buffy.
“Sander!”
Xander grinned and knelt as Braden ran towards
him. “I was wondering if you’d remember
me.”
Braden launched himself into Xander’s arms and
giggled. “You went on a plane. But, not a Ru plane.”
Xander narrowed his eyes in confusion. “What’s a Ru plane?”
“Me! Imma Ru
plane!”
Xander laughed as Braden giggled uncontrollably. “Hey, Ru…I hear you have a little brother.”
“Lukie!”
Braden’s eyes lit up as he nodded vigorously. He pointed towards Oz, who was handing Lucas
to Giles. “That’s Lukie.”
Giles sat down on the couch, smiling as Lucas grinned
up at him. Anya leaned over and regarded
the baby carefully.
“He’s actually really cute.”
Giles raised an eyebrow at her. “Were you expecting him not to be?”
Anya shrugged.
“Never know with human babies.
Sometimes they’re cute…sometimes they’re really not.”
Giles chuckled softly.
“Would you like to hold him?”
The look that crossed Anya’s features was near
panic. “Uh…no. No, he’s fine where he is. I’ll hold the bigger one.”
Xander stood up and laughed, carefully passing Braden
to Anya and then reaching down to pick up Lucas. The baby looked at him curiously and Xander
smiled.
“So, you’re Lucas…”
He spoke softly as he sat down on the blanket that was spread out on the
floor. “My name is Xander and…” He gestured towards Anya as she sat down with
Braden beside of him. “This is my
girlfriend, Anya.”
“He not talk yet.”
Braden supplied quickly.
Giles smiled as Buffy walked over and sat down on the
blanket with them. Out of the corner of
his eye, he saw Ethan pick up his bag and sling it over his shoulder. He turned his head and met Ethan’s eyes.
Ethan sighed softly at the unspoken question he read
in Giles’ eyes. Giving his friend a nod,
he gestured towards the door with a tilt of his head.
Giles nodded in response and got up from the couch,
pausing to lean down and give Buffy a tender kiss. She smiled and then glanced at Ethan before
turning her eyes back to her husband.
“Do you want me to come with you?” She whispered softly.
He shook his head and ran the backs of his fingers across
her cheek. “I think this is something I
need to speak with him alone.”
She nodded in understanding and pulled him down for
another kiss. When her hand slipped
around to the back of his neck, Braden giggled madly and looked up at Anya.
“Mummy kissin’ Daddy!”
Anya snorted.
“Yes…and if they’re not careful, you’re going to have another – ”
“Anya!” Xander
interrupted her quickly as Giles broke the kiss and glared at Anya.
Braden’s eyes filled with confusion. “Huh?”
Buffy reached out and ruffled her son’s hair. “Nothing, Ru.
Anya was just being silly.”
Braden smiled.
“Silly girl!”
Giles cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes, quite.”
Braden looked at Xander and grinned. “I made a whole city from blocks, Sander!”
“Did you?”
Xander chuckled as the boy nodded excitedly. “I have a feeling you’re destined for
greatness, Ru. Maybe a master carpenter
or an engineer.”
Giles noticed the quick glance that Ethan cast towards
Oz. He saw a small flicker in Oz’s eyes,
but nothing more than that. Giles raised
an eyebrow and made a mental note to ask Ethan about it. After the other matter they needed to
discuss.
Ethan coughed lightly to get Giles’ attention. Giles nodded and stood, alerting Braden.
“I come, Daddy?”
Giles shook his head slowly and smiled down at his
son. “Not this time, Braden. I need to talk to Ethan before he goes home.”
“Oh. You come
back?”
Giles felt his heart warm at the gentle question. “Yes, I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” He
looked up at Ethan and smiled brightly.
“Bye Essan!”
Ethan winked at the child. “I’ll see you soon, Braden.”
Ethan bid quiet goodbyes to the other occupants of the
office before following Giles into the hall.
As they walked towards the stairs, Ethan smiled.
“He’s more like you every day.”
Giles chuckled and opened the door to the
staircase. “Yes. I’m just not sure if that would be a good
thing or not.”
Ethan shrugged and followed Giles down the
stairs. “I think it is.”
Giles stopped when he reached the landing and sat down
on the third step from the bottom. When
he motioned for Ethan to sit down, Ethan raised an eyebrow.
“We’re going to talk in a stairwell?”
Giles took a deep breath. “No eyes or ears here.”
“Ah.” Ethan
swallowed nervously and sat down next to Giles.
“What’s on your mind, Rupert?”
Giles exhaled slowly and turned to look into Ethan’s
eyes. “What did I really say to you?”
“When?”
Giles merely stared at him. “You know what I’m talking about, Ethan.”
Ethan sighed and looked down at his hands. “I’ve told you. You said you’d never be able to love me like
that.”
“I think there’s more to it than that.” Giles answered in a soft voice. “I wasn’t exactly the most tactful person at
that time.”
“Does it really matter? I mean…now, does it really matter? It was years ago, Rupert.”
“I hurt you, didn’t I?” When Ethan didn’t respond, Giles sighed. “Ethan, please…”
“You made love to me.”
Ethan began quietly. “Still
didn’t kiss me, but…we made love. I was
so happy…”
When he trailed off, Giles gently urged him to
continue. Ethan closed his eyes, the
memories of that day flooding over him.
* * *
Ethan sighed happily and rolled onto his side, resting
his head against Ripper’s sweaty chest.
Ethan’s lips brushed a soft kiss against his skin.
“Thank you.”
Ethan whispered softly.
Ripper reached over to the bedside table and grabbed
the open pack of cigarettes. He shook
one out and lit it, blowing a thick cloud of smoke into the air.
“For what?”
Ethan smiled and rubbed his hand in a gentle circle on
Ripper’s stomach. “For being with me.”
Ripper choked on a lungful of smoke as he barked out a
laugh. “With you? I gave you what you wanted, Ethan. I showed you what it’s like to be made love
to. I’m not…with you.”
Ethan lifted his head, the smile fading from his face
quickly. “What?”
Ripper shook his head as he sat up, his back resting
against the headboard and his smile dancing in his dilated eyes. “Bloody hell, man…did you honestly think I
was going to declare my undying love for you or something?”
When Ethan’s eyes widened, Ripper laughed and took
another drag of the cigarette. “You did,
didn’t you? Thought I was going to be
all ‘Oh, I love you too, Ethan. Stay
here with me forever.’, didn’t you?”
“I…”
Ripper shook his head and flicked his ashes in the
general direction of the ashtray. “Let’s
get something straight right now. I
don’t love you, I’ll never love you.
That’s not to say you’re not good at giving me what I need…a nice, tight
place to shoot my come…but, that’s it.
You’ll never be anything more than a good fuck to me when it comes to
the bedroom. You’re a good friend,
but…I’m not exactly in the market for a boyfriend.”
“But…you made love to me.” Ethan whispered in disbelief.
Ripper grinned and blew a ring of smoke in Ethan’s
direction. “And I was thinking of your
sister the entire time. Now, her…oh, I
could fuck her for hours all nice and slow…”
Ethan slid out of the bed and threw his clothes on as
quickly as he could with his trembling hands.
As he ran out of the bedroom, he heard Ripper’s voice call out to him.
“Ask Janie to give me a call, yeah?”
* * *
Ethan stared at the floor as he finished recounting
the details of that last encounter. “I
thought…well, I thought it would be easier for me if you just forgot it
happened.” He shook his head sadly. “Of course, all it did was make everything
worse. But at least with you not
remembering, you didn’t humiliate me in front of the others over it.”
“Ethan, I…”
Ethan looked up, not surprised to see tears in Giles’
eyes. He offered his friend a gentle
smile. “You’re not the same person now,
Rupert. And, I have to admit something.”
Giles swallowed, giving him a soft nod in a silent
request for him to continue. Ethan’s
eyes twinkled as a small smirk appeared on his face.
“There was a time…after I came to Sunnydale for
Halloween and before Eyghon’s return…I almost broke the crystal to release the
memories back to you. I saw how much you
had changed…how much love you had in your heart for your Slayer and her
friends. I knew that if you remembered
what you said to me, it would hurt you.”
His smirk faded slowly. “And as
much as I hate to admit it, I wanted to hurt you.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Giles asked softly, his mind still reeling.
Ethan shrugged his shoulder and looked back down at
his hands. “Because I still loved you.”
Giles reached out and placed his hand on Ethan’s
arm. “I am so very sorry, Ethan.”
“It was over twenty years ago, Rupert. And…as I’ve said…you were a very different
person then.” He looked up in time to
see a single tear roll down Giles’ cheek.
With a deep sigh, he reached up and brushed the moisture away as he
shook his head. “Don’t beat yourself up
over this.”
When Ethan’s palm lingered on Giles’ cheek, he looked
into Ethan’s eyes. Reading the intention
in Giles’ eyes, Ethan smiled sadly and shook his head as he lowered his
hand.
“Don’t.” Ethan
stood up and grabbed his bag, clearing his throat softly. “Kissing me right now would be bad. Very bad…for both of us.”
Before Giles could say anything, Ethan continued
quickly.
“I know you, Rupert.
The thought crossed your mind…I read it in your eyes. And…I refuse to accept a pity kiss from you.”
“Ethan…”
Ethan shook his head and held up his hand. “No.
That’s exactly what it would’ve been.
At one time, yeah…I would have taken it gladly. But, not now.
I’ve never seen you as in love with anyone as you are with Buffy. If you kiss me, you’re going to eat yourself
up with guilt. And…I may not have the
best track record when it comes to relationships, but…”
When he trailed off, Giles tilted his head slightly
and smiled softly. “What’s her name?”
Ethan chuckled suddenly and, seeing the question in
Giles’ eyes, he grinned. “I just find it
funny that Willow automatically assumed it was a ‘he’. Her name is Anna.”
Giles smiled.
“Is it, dare I say…love?”
Ethan shifted his weight nervously. “Could be…if I don’t fuck it up.” He glanced down at his watch and sighed. “I, uh…I should go.”
Giles stood up and placed his hand on Ethan’s
shoulder. “I should very much like to
meet her one day.”
Ethan scoffed as a smile danced in his eyes. “You used to say things like that back in the
day. I’d introduce you and the next
thing I’d know, she’d be in your bed calling your name.”
Giles blushed lightly.
“As you stated earlier, I’m very much in love with my wife. I feel confident in saying that Anna would be
safe from any advances.”
“Maybe we could do dinner one night.”
Giles smiled, lowering his hand to his side. “That would be rather nice.”
Ethan gestured towards the stairs leading down. “I really do need to go…”
“Oh, of course.”
Ethan regarded him closely. “I forgave you a long time ago, Rupert. Promise me you’ll take my advice and not beat
yourself up over it?”
Giles smiled and gave him a quick nod. “Have a nice afternoon, Ethan.”
Ethan returned the smile and made his way down the
stairs. When Giles heard the door at the
bottom of the stairs open and close, he sank back down on the step and thought
about the pain he had put Ethan through so long ago.
He lowered his head as his tears fell.
Xander and Anya had checked into a hotel in the middle
of London while they decided what to do next.
Anya had been offered a job with the Council as a demonology
expert. Her role, should she decide to
accept it, would be to assist the Director of Demonology with analyses of
demons and their attributes. When her
first question of ‘how much does it pay?’ was answered, she grinned happily and
stated that she’d have to discuss it with Xander.
Giles was quiet as he navigated the roads out of the
city of London. Buffy looked over at him
in concern. She had noticed the redness
of his eyes when he had returned to his office.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Giles
nodded as he glanced in the rearview mirror, smiling when he saw that both boys
were asleep. He glanced at Buffy and
sighed. “I’ll discuss the details with
you later tonight.”
“Okay.” She
answered softly.
She quietened back down, content to listen to Giles
sing along with the song on the radio. A
thought crossed her mind and her brow furrowed.
“Giles?”
“Hm?” He
replied absently as he changed lanes, heading towards Richmond.
“How did you find out that Ethan had used Lethe’s
Bramble on you?”
He glanced at her and then quickly turned his eyes
back to the road. “He told me.”
“Yeah, but…why?”
He chuckled softly, remembering the ‘conversation’
that Ethan had implanted in his mind earlier that day. “We were discussing instances of spells going
wrong. I brought up the time that Willow
used Lethe’s Bramble in order to help Xander with his fear of commitment.”
Buffy narrowed her eyes. “And he just offered up that he used it on
you one time?”
“Not exactly.”
He reached over and placed his hand on her knee. “He stated that he had used the spell
numerous times in the past and not once had it caused ill effects on anyone…not
even me.”
“Oh…” She
covered his hand with hers. “So, he
kinda let it slip?”
“Yes.”
“And…he told you everything today?” She asked slowly.
He raised an eyebrow and gave her knee a gentle
squeeze. “He did. And…I promise I’ll tell you about it
tonight. But…not right now.”
Wanting to ask more questions, but knowing he wouldn’t
answer them until later, she nodded slowly and relaxed in the seat.
* * *
Giles closed the story book and adjusted the volume on
Braden’s monitor, smiling as he looked down at his son. The Glo-Worm that Hank had given him was
cuddled tightly in the boy’s arms and he was snoring softly. Feeling an almost overwhelming rush of love
for the child, he leaned down and whispered softly.
“I love you, Braden.
Sleep well.”
Braden snuggled deeper under his blanket and sighed in
his sleep. Giles smiled adoringly at him
and quietly left the room. He opened
Lucas’ door and peeked in. He chuckled
softly, seeing that he had somehow kicked the covers from his small body.
He carefully tucked Lucas in and ran his fingers over
the soft brown hair covering the baby’s head.
Lucas shifted slightly and smacked his lips as he slept. Giles smiled as he stood next to the crib and
watched his younger son.
Braden looked just like his father, with the exception
of the ears he had inherited from his mother.
However, he had Buffy’s restlessness and nervous energy…not to mention
her rambunctiousness.
Lucas had more of Buffy’s physical traits, though he
had inherited Giles’ green eyes and brown hair.
However, his temperament seemed to be more like his father’s. He was a quiet child, seemingly content to
play with his toys.
Lucas was much different than Braden was at three
months of age. He had demanded his
parents’ attention whenever he was awake.
Though their differences were measurable, it was
obvious that the brothers adored one another.
Much like the relationship that Giles had cultivated with his younger
brother, Ewan. Giles took a deep breath
and then bent down and placed a soft kiss on Lucas’ cheek.
He smiled as he thought about a question that Anya had
asked him with her normal lack of tact.
“Which one do you love more?”
She had scoffed when he replied that he loved them
both equally, stating that parents always felt more of a connection with one
child over the other. Giles shook his
head slowly and placed the plush puppy next to Lucas.
Though Anya would never believe him, it was true. He loved both of his children equally, just
as Buffy did. And it was obvious to
anyone who watched the parents interact with their children that both of the
boys adored their parents.
He stepped away from the crib and quietly exited the
room, pulling the door shut behind him.
He exhaled deeply and glanced down the hall. His wife had questions for him. He had the answers.
He rubbed the back of his neck and made his way down
the hall.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He couldn’t look at her as he finished the story. He sat on the couch, with her next to him,
and stared at his folded hands.
“Giles?” She
whispered softly, reaching out to lightly touch his arm.
He shook his head slowly. “God, I hurt him so deeply.”
“Look at me.”
She requested. When he didn’t
raise his head, she moved onto the floor and knelt in front of him. “Giles, please look at me.”
He took a deep breath and lifted his head, meeting her
eyes. She raised her hand and gently
cradled the side of his face.
“You are such a wonderful man.” When he started to interrupt, she shook her
head. “No, let me finish.”
At his nearly imperceptible nod, she continued. “You are…a wonderful man, Giles. And part of what makes you the man I love is
your past. If those things hadn’t
happened, you wouldn’t be the way you are now.”
“But…what I said to him – ”
“Is one of the lesser bad things you did in your
youth.” She finished for him. “You created a demon…allowed the demon to
possess you and your friends. For the
high of it, no less. And I still fell in
love with you. How much of your life did
you spend stoned on magicks and drugs when you were younger?”
“Five years.” He
swallowed the lump in his throat.
Buffy nodded slowly.
“And don’t even get me started on the orgies.” She added with a soft smile. “And…I still fell in love with you. My point is…yeah, you participated in some
seedy activities…and yeah, you kinda did some not so nice things…but everything
you’ve done, good and bad, contributed to the man you became.”
“Buffy…”
“Do you plan on creating another demon?”
“No.” He
answered softly.
“Do you plan on holding an orgy because the demon
thrives on sex?”
“Um…no.”
“Do you plan on making love to Ethan and then
humiliating him for it?”
“No.” He
whispered as he shook his head. “No, I’m
not that person anymore.”
Buffy smiled and leaned up, kissing his lips
tenderly. “I know. But, I wasn’t the one who needed convincing
on this subject. You have two sons who
think the sun rises and sets in you. You
have friends who have forgiven you for your past indiscretions…and your
friendships with them have strengthened.
You have people who met you when they were teenagers who see you as a
hero…”
Giles cleared his throat. “You are the hero.”
She ran her fingers through his hair and shook her
head. “Not to Xander. You were the father to him that he always
wanted. There’s big hero-worship there,
honey. And Willow? It was because of you that she sought help
for her addiction. If it weren’t for
you, I don’t know what would have happened to her.”
Buffy exhaled slowly, her eyes sparkling as she looked
deeply into his. “And then there’s
me. I’m so in love with you, Giles. Do you remember my vows?”
He nodded slowly, his eyes glistening as he fought to
hold back his tears. She leaned forward
and kissed him again before pulling back slightly, her whispered words touching
his lips.
“You taught me how to not be afraid of love.”
“Buffy…” His
voice was strained with emotion, a tear spilled down his cheek.
“A man who can teach me that love is not something to
fear is a good man.”
“I love you, Buffy.”
He lifted his hand, combing his fingers through her hair. “I love you so much.”
She smiled warmly and moved her hand to his
chest. She tapped her fingers lightly
against his sternum.
“Forgive yourself in here.” She bent her head and placed a soft kiss on
his chest before climbing onto his lap and running her fingers over his
temple. “And let it go from here.”
His eyes closed as her lips brushed against his
temple. He wrapped his arms around her
and held her tightly against him.
She knew she was right. More importantly, he knew she was
right. She wrapped her arms around his
shoulders and allowed him to hold her as his tears fell once more.
But, it would be the last time he would cry over the
pain he had caused his friend over twenty years earlier. It was time for forgiveness.
If Ethan Rayne could forgive him…then he could forgive
himself.
Buffy had just exited the elevator when she saw Peter
Watts come out of Giles’ office. She
smiled brightly at him and gave him a wave.
He grinned back at her and as they met halfway down the hall, he gave
her a small nod.
“Hello, Buffy.”
“Hi, Peter.
How’s things?”
He chuckled and held up the portfolio he was
carrying. “Interestingly busy.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Interestingly as in apocalypse-y?”
His chuckle turned into a laugh. “No, not that interesting. Rupert has asked me to take a trip to Madrid
and get in touch with Diadema’s Watcher.
There’s been some unusual activity in the area that Rupert would like
more detailed reports on. I’m being sent
to teach Constaneda the proper procedure in writing reports.”
Buffy wrinkled her nose. “Yay, fun for you.”
Peter smiled.
“Yes, rather.”
“Julian going with you?”
Peter sighed softly and shook his head. “No, he has a class to teach at the Academy. So, he’s staying home. Hopefully, I won’t be gone long.”
Buffy grinned and glanced down the hall. “Um…was there anyone else in with him?”
“Hm?” He turned
and looked in the direction of Giles’ office and chuckled again. “Oh, no.
Just me. He’s alone for the
moment.”
“Good, I need to have a chat with him and really
didn’t feel like making an appointment to see my husband.” She smiled as Peter laughed. “Have a wonderful trip.”
“Thank you.
Hopefully, I’ll be back in a few days.
Depending on how bull-headed Constaneda is.”
Buffy shook her head in amusement and they bid one
another farewell. She took a deep breath
and made her way down the hall to Giles’ office.
He looked up from his paperwork and smiled when she
walked in and closed the door behind her.
“Hello.”
She smiled, quietly locking the door without him
noticing. “Hi, there.”
He raised an eyebrow as she walked towards him. “Where are the boys?”
She sat down on the corner of his desk and crossed her
legs. “They are at the zoo with Xander
and Oz. I made sure to remind them not
to go near the hyena pen.”
Giles laughed and removed his glasses, placing them to
the side. “And are you here on
business?”
Buffy shook her head and grinned. “Nope.
Xander told me that Anya accepted the job. I came to offer my condolences.”
Giles smiled and tilted his head. “I rather think she’ll do a good job. She’s quite capable.”
“Mm-hm.” She
shifted on his desk, uncrossing her legs and placing one foot on his
thigh. “I have to admit that I didn’t
really come here to talk about Anya.”
He glanced down at her foot and inhaled deeply. “No?”
“Nuh-uh.”
He met her eyes and smiled as she pushed his paperwork
to the side and moved until she was sitting directly in front of him. “May I ask why you’re here then?”
She leaned forward and wrapped her fingers around his
tie, pulling him towards her. “We’ve
never made love on your desk…”
When he glanced at the door, she grinned. “It’s locked.”
He raised an eyebrow and moved his hand under the skirt
she was wearing to rest on her thigh.
“If I recall correctly, we haven’t made love in my office at all.”
She licked her lips as she quickly loosened his tie
and slipped it from around his neck.
“You recall correctly.”
He slid his hands underneath her skirt until his
fingers brushed against her silk underwear.
“Why the desk and not somewhere more…comfortable?” He tilted his head towards the couch.
She worked on the buttons of his shirt quickly before
tugging the material from its tucked position.
“I like your desk…”
He grinned as he slid the silk down her legs, dropping
them to the floor as he stood up. “Do
you?”
She nodded as she unbuckled his belt and unfastened
his trousers. “Oh yeah…”
She quickly unzipped his trousers and pushed them,
along with his boxers, down his thighs.
When she curled her hand around his erection, he hissed.
“In a hurry, love?”
She smiled, stroking his hardened flesh as she leaned
forward and licked his nipple. “You’re a
busy man…”
He groaned and lowered his hand to cover hers,
stilling her movements. “I’m not so busy
at the moment. And…if you keep that up,
I’m going to come very soon.”
Her eyes sparkled as she scooted forward on the
desk. “How soon?”
He gently pried her hand off of him and raised an
eyebrow. “Far too soon.”
As his hands slid underneath her shirt, she
shivered. “Is your office soundproof?”
He chuckled and then shook his head slowly, lifting
her shirt over her head and tossing it onto the chair behind him. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“That’s too bad.”
She grinned and reached behind her back to unclasp her bra.
As she removed the undergarment, he unzipped her skirt
and slid it down her legs. She dropped
her bra onto the desk and smiled warmly at him.
He sighed heavily and raked his eyes over her naked form, her skin
contrasting beautifully with his mahogany desk.
“You okay?” She
whispered softly as he sank onto his chair.
He nodded slowly.
“You’re so…”
“Naked?” She
supplied playfully.
He looked into her eyes and swallowed the sudden lump
in his throat. “Magnificent, I was going
to say.”
She blushed lightly, a response that Giles found
completely adorable. “You kinda amaze
me, Giles.”
He removed the rest of his clothing and tilted his
head thoughtfully. “I’m rather sure I
don’t know why.”
She exhaled slowly and licked her lips. “That’s part of why you amaze me.” At his confused look, she smiled. “The fact that you don’t know why.”
“Oh.”
She noticed his breathing change as his eyes darkened
a shade. “Come here, Giles.”
He stood and reached out, lightly touching her hair
with his fingertips. He looked into her
eyes and whispered softly. “Sometimes I
look at you…and I’m completely lost for words.
Your beauty stuns me.”
Her eyes misted lightly and she placed her hand on his
chest. “And…how am I supposed to follow
that?”
He smiled warmly, brushing the backs of his fingers
across her cheek. “The look in your eyes
is enough.”
“My God, I love you…”
His heart lurched at the conviction in her tone. He gently pushed her down until her back was
flat against the desk. He placed his
hand between her breasts, relishing the sensation of her heart pounding under
his palm.
As his hand slowly moved down her body to rest on her
abdomen, he exhaled deeply. “This
sight…you lying across my desk…the love in your eyes…I swear it’s one that will
be burned into my memory.”
A single tear escaped and rolled from the corner of
her eye to disappear within her golden hair.
He smiled softly and leaned over her, covering her mouth with his.
She curled her legs around him, rubbing her heel
against the back of his thigh. Her hand
ran along his ribcage as he eased his tongue into her mouth. He took his time with the kiss, slowly
massaging her tongue with his as his hand gently rubbed her thigh.
When he felt her left hand slide around to his back
and her nails scrape against his skin, he smiled inwardly. He slowly pulled from the kiss and moved his
lips to her neck, wanting to hear her soft moans. As he nipped and licked at her skin, her body
began to move restlessly underneath him.
“Quit teasing me…”
She whimpered softly.
He lifted his head and looked into her darkened
eyes. “Teasing you?”
She nodded slowly and raised her right hand to the
side of his face. “I want you, Giles.”
“You have me.”
He smiled warmly and turned his head, pressing a kiss into her palm. He
inhaled deeply, picking up the scent of the handsoap they kept in their
bathroom. Underneath that, he recognized
the faint scent of her essence.
He grinned as he met her eyes. “Have you been having fun without me?”
“It’s not really all that fun without you…” She whispered as he gently suckled her middle
finger.
He raised an eyebrow in a silent question, releasing
her finger so that he could drag his tongue across her palm. She groaned softly and squirmed lightly.
“I’ve been so…God, I’ve been so…”
He grinned again and ran his fingertip over the firm
flesh of her breast. “You’ve been
so…what?”
She stared into his eyes, her breathing heavy. Her voice was a mere whisper when she
spoke. “Horny.”
“And…” He
licked his lips and brushed his thumb over her nipple. “You weren’t able to make yourself come?”
“Oh, I came…a few times. It just wasn’t…” She inhaled shakily as he gently rocked his
hips against her. “I need you to
make me come, Giles.”
“And, that would be the real reason for your
visit?” His fingers lightly pinched her
nipple, causing her to gasp sharply.
“You came so that you could…well…come?”
Her back arched, pressing her breast against his
fingers. “I came…because I love you…”
His eyes took in her flushed skin, his fingers felt
the heat radiating from her body. He
gently pushed her back down onto the desk.
“Tell me how you want this.”
“Giles…” She
groaned in near-frustration.
He took a step back and smiled, sliding his fingers
over her wet core. “Do you want me to
make you come with my touch?”
Before she could answer, he bent down and dragged his
tongue over her clitoris. “Or…with my
mouth?”
“Giles!”
He chuckled softly and stood back up between her
thighs, grasping his erection in his left hand and slowly entering her. “Or do you want my cock inside of you?”
She tightened her legs around him and grabbed his
forearms as he placed his hands on the desk, either side of her torso. “God, yes!”
“Ah…choice has been…made, then?” He groaned as she gripped his erection with
her inner muscles.
Her nails dug into his arms as he thrust slowly. “Giles, please…”
“Please what, love?”
He pulled back and thrust again, as slowly as he possibly could. “Tell me.”
She met his eyes and pushed her hips against him. “Please…make me come.”
He took a deep breath and gave her a quick nod. “You’ll need to let go of my arms…”
Her darkened hazel eyes conveyed her confusion, but
she complied. He smiled warmly and slid
his hands under her back, pulling her upper body off of the desk. She groaned loudly and he brushed his lips
across her cheek.
“Alright?” He
whispered into her ear.
She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck,
crushing her chest against his as he continued his thrusts at a slightly
quicker pace. “Oh, God…Giles…”
“I’m…not sure how long I can…this position isn’t
ideal…”
She groaned an incoherent response and latched her
mouth onto his collarbone. She sucked
hard at his flesh and his hands splayed across her back, pressing her tightly
against him.
“Christ!”
He glanced towards the couch and slid his hands down
her back, cupping her ass as he picked her up from the desk. She lifted her head quickly and followed his
gaze.
“No…” When he
looked into her eyes, she smiled.
“Here…on the floor…”
He glanced at the floor and shook his head
slowly. “Buffy…the carpet – ”
She placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Put me down…”
He sat her back down on the desk and slowly stepped
back, grunting softly as his erection slipped from her warmth. She moved quickly to the floor, bending her
knees and placing the soles of her feet on the carpet. She spread her legs widely and beckoned him
to her with one finger. His eyes darted
to her other hand, her fingers quickly sliding through her wet folds.
“Dear Lord…” He
whispered as he sank to his knees between her legs.
“Giles, please…I’m so close…” She looked at him through pleading eyes.
He gently brushed her hand away and leaned over her,
plunging his tongue into her mouth as he sank his cock back into her. His chest rumbled with his groan as he felt
his control slipping.
Her hips bucked against him, urging him to thrust
harder and faster. He complied eagerly,
fucking her mouth with his tongue as he slammed his hips against her. She lifted her knees to rest against his
sides and wrapped her legs around him.
The change of angle caused them both to groan, muffled
by their duelling tongues. His orgasm
caught him by surprise and he tore his mouth away from hers, crying out as he
came deep within her.
He looked down at her and, realizing that she was
still hanging on the precipice, whispered a soft apology before moving his body
down. She whimpered in frustration. Her whimper turned into a cry of ecstasy as
he lowered his head, covering her clitoris with his mouth as he slid two
fingers into her slick channel.
Her right hand held his head as he sucked hungrily at
the throbbing bundle of nerves. Her left
clawed at the midnight blue carpet as her back arched.
“Giles…God…Giles!”
He raised his eyes to find hers tightly clenched
closed. He groaned against her flesh as
he felt her inner muscles tighten around his fingers. He curled his fingers just enough that his
fingertips brushed against her g-spot.
Her body began to tremble as he continued thrusting, his teeth holding
her hardened clit as he sucked harder.
As her trembling increased, he used his free hand to
hold her hips down and on his next stroke added a third finger. She screamed loudly as her orgasm crashed
over her, her juices flooding his hand.
He slowed his movements gradually until his lips were
gently kissing her quivering clit. She
shuddered as he removed his hand and used his tongue to tenderly clean their
mingling fluids from her swollen flesh.
He lifted his head when he heard his name whimpered softly.
“Are you alright?”
She smiled at the concern in his voice and nodded tiredly. “More than.
Come here.”
He moved to her side and leaned over her, brushing his
lips across hers. She shifted her body
and grimaced when she felt the cooling wet patch underneath her.
“God, you made me come so hard…” She licked her lips and glanced at the
carpet. “I, uh…I hope it doesn’t stain
your carpet. Dark blue probably wasn’t
the best choice…”
He chuckled and pushed himself up until he was sitting
beside of her. “Yes, well…in all
honesty, I didn’t think about that when I chose the color.”
She grinned as he pulled her up. “Maybe you should have.”
His eyes raked over her body as he nodded slowly. “Perhaps.”
She jumped slightly as the phone on his desk began to
ring. He sighed heavily and stood up,
grabbing it on the fourth ring.
“Rupert Giles.”
He listened for a moment and then glanced at his watch. “Ah, yes…um…I’ll be there shortly, Amelia.”
Buffy sighed and began to get dressed. She looked up and noticed his reddening
face. She arched an eyebrow, grabbing
her discarded skirt and standing.
“Ah…yes, I’ll, uh…I’ll be sure to tell her. Goodbye.”
He hung up the phone and offered her a shy smile as he
bent down to retrieve his boxers.
“I…have a meeting in fifteen minutes that I had forgotten about.”
“Oh.” She
leaned against the desk and watched him get dressed. “Sorry…”
“Don’t be.” He
grinned and slipped his shoes on. “Oh,
and…Amelia sends her warmest regards.”
Buffy blushed heavily and glanced at the still locked
door. “We so have to get your office soundproofed.”
He laughed and pulled her into a hug, making a mental
note to talk to Xander about that very fact.
Soon.
~ End