Title: Thirty
Author: Froxyn
Rating: FRAO overall
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Timeline: Four months after Shimmering.
Synopsis: Slayers rarely make it out of their
teens. Buffy is an exception to
that. Part XII of the Giles Family
Series.
It was three days before
Buffy’s birthday and Giles found himself sitting in a chair in his office,
looking at
Xander groaned. “Come on, Giles. A Slayer only turns thirty once, you know.”
Giles raised an
eyebrow at him. “And how many times do
you intend to turn thirty?”
“You know, the older
you get, the funnier you get. Ha
ha. Funny Giles.”
Giles chuckled
softly, smiling warmly as Rayna climbed onto her father’s lap. “You know how Buffy feels about surprise
parties.”
“Isn’t it kinda weird
to have a phobia about parties?”
Xander grinned at his
daughter and kissed her cheek. Then he
looked at
“Not the boring ones
anyway.” Xander added cheerfully.
Giles shook his head
again. “No surprise party.”
“Be that as it may, I
much prefer the comfort of the bed to that of the living room couch. No surprise party.”
Giles smiled at her
and then looked at Xander questioningly.
Xander tickled Rayna’s ribs, grinning as she laughed.
“No problem,
Giles. What’s the go, then?”
Giles thought for a
moment and then took a deep breath. “I’m
rather sure I don’t know. It’s quite
hard to celebrate a birthday when there are issues to work around.”
Giles furrowed his
brow. “You want to throw a party in my
office?”
Xander grinned at
* * *
That night, after
having put Haddie and Evan to bed, Buffy and Giles took the two older boys into
the training room. Lucas had noticed his
parents working with Braden and had asked to join in. After much discussion, Buffy and Giles both
agreed.
Giles leaned against
the wooden dummy and smiled as Buffy showed Lucas some of the more basic moves
in hand-to-hand combat. When he had
copied the moves to her satisfaction, she smiled brightly.
“Very good,
Lucas. You’re a quick learner, just like
your brother.”
Lucas beamed at her
and then looked at Braden. “Wanna have a
go, Bay?”
Braden snorted a
laugh. “I could take you down in two
seconds.”
Lucas narrowed his
eyes. “Yeah?”
Giles chuckled and pushed
himself off the dummy. “Boys...”
“But, Dad...” Lucas started.
Giles smiled and
shook his head. “You’re just starting,
Lucas. Braden’s correct...at this point
in time, he would win quite convincingly.”
Lucas sighed
heavily. “I want to see how it works.”
Braden grinned. “Mum and Dad can show you how it works.”
Lucas met his older
brother’s eyes. “You fight with Mummy.”
“Spar.” Braden corrected him gently. “But, she holds back with me. If you want to see how it works...how it really
works...you should watch Mum and Dad.”
Buffy and Giles
exchanged a quick glance as Lucas looked up at them with hopeful eyes. Giles shook his head and reached down,
tousling Lucas’ hair.
“Not tonight, son.”
Lucas’ eyes widened
slightly. “Why not?”
“Two reasons. One, tonight was your first training exercise
and you have much more to learn.
Two...” He smiled softly at his
son. “You both have school tomorrow and
it’s time for bed.”
“But – ”
“Lucas.”
Lucas scowled at the
tone in his father’s voice. The tone
that told him the discussion was over for the time being.
“Fine. Goodnight, then.”
Braden bit his bottom
lip as Lucas turned and ran from the room.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t really know
he’d get that upset about it.”
Giles sighed and gently
squeezed Braden’s shoulder. “It’s
alright. Why don’t you go on and get
ready for bed, okay?”
When Braden nodded
and left the room, Giles met Buffy’s eyes.
“I’ll go talk with Lucas.”
Buffy smiled softly
and rubbed his chest. “Would you like me
to come with you?”
“Thank you.” He covered her hand with his, stilling her
movement. “But, no. I was the one to upset him. Besides, you need to do another round...”
Buffy arched an
eyebrow at him. “Turning all Watchery on
me?”
A grin tugged at his lips. “I may be your husband, but I’m also still
your Watcher, Buffy. How can I expect
other Watchers to maintain a high level of training with their Slayers if I let
mine slack off a bit?”
She laughed and gave
him a gentle shove towards the door.
“Come back and we’ll have a sparring session if you want.”
He gave her a wink
and gestured at the dummy. “Three full
rounds of bokator, green level. Start
with tor style.”
Buffy rolled her eyes
as she made her way to the dummy.
* * *
Giles opened Lucas’ bedroom
door and poked his head inside. He
wanted to smile at the sight of Lucas lying on his back, hands laced behind his
head as he stared at the ceiling.
However, he knew that if he smiled, Lucas could very well take it the
wrong way. Instead, he took a deep
breath and pushed the door open further.
“Lucas?”
“Yeah?”
“Mind if I come in?”
Lucas rolled his head
towards his father. “No.”
Giles gave him a
quick nod and entered the room, closing the door behind him. “I understand that you’re upset...”
Lucas pushed himself
up and leaned against the headboard.
“You let Braden watch you and Mummy.”
Giles sighed and sat
on the edge of the bed. “Braden was a
year into his training before we allowed him to watch. It can be a little scary if you don’t
understand exactly what’s going on.
You’re only six years old, Lucas...you have plenty of time.”
“How old was Bay when
he started training?”
“He was a little
younger than you. Not by much.” Giles thought for a second before
continuing. “Do you understand the
purpose of the training?”
Lucas nodded
eagerly. “We train so that we can teach
a girl how to protect the world from monsters.”
Giles chuckled
softly, finding it charming how a six-year-old mind interprets information. “Yes, that’s right. Now, I want to ask you something and I want
you to be perfectly honest with me, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Why do you want to
train with your brother?”
Lucas narrowed his
eyes in confusion. “Because he wants to
be like you when he grows up.”
Giles nodded
absently. “Yes, but that’s why he trains. Why do you want to train?”
Lucas stared at his
father and then spoke with a tone that stated that his reasoning should’ve been
perfectly obvious. “Because I want to be
like you too.”
Giles reached out and
gently rubbed his son’s leg. “You know
you can be anything you want to be, Lucas.
You can do anything. You could be
an accountant, or a musician, or a veterinarian...it doesn’t matter what you
decide to do as long as you’re happy.”
Lucas tilted his head
slightly and looked into Giles’ eyes.
“Don’t you want me to be like you?”
Giles smiled
warmly. “I want you to be whatever makes
you happy. You have plenty of time to
decide what you want to be when you grow up.”
“Bay said he knew
what he wanted to be when he was my age.”
“But that doesn’t
mean that you have to know what you want to be.” Giles responded softly. “If you want to train with Braden and Mummy,
you can. I won’t deny you that. And I won’t force you to do something you
don’t want to do. If you decide at any
time that you want to do something else, all you have to do is say so.”
“I can still train
though?” Lucas asked quietly.
“If it makes you
happy and if it’s something you want to do, yes.”
Lucas chewed on his bottom
lip and lowered his eyes. “Is it really
scary?”
Giles found himself
wishing, not for the first time, that he could protect his children from this
life. He wished that they could be
blissfully unaware of what went on in the world after night fell. Of course, he knew better than to speak his
wishes aloud.
He cleared his throat
and nodded. “Sometimes.”
Lucas raised his
eyes, his lip trembling slightly. “I
don’t like scary things, Daddy.”
Giles quickly pulled
him into his arms and held him tightly.
“I don’t either, son.”
Lucas felt safe in
his father’s arms. He always had, even
when the nightmares had caused him to wake up screaming. Each time it had happened, his Daddy would
run into the room and hold him until he had fallen back asleep. And now, as his father kissed the top of his
head, he felt himself relax.
“I love you, Daddy.”
Giles smiled at the
tired whisper. “I love you too,
Lucas. Come on, lie down. We can talk about this later, if you’d like.”
Lucas nodded sleepily
and placed his head on the pillow. “I
like animals, they’re not scary.”
Giles looked up as he
pulled the blanket up over Lucas’ body.
“Hm?”
“I can be an animal
doctor, yeah?”
Giles smiled and ran
his fingers through his son’s wavy hair.
“If you so choose.”
Lucas smiled back and
yawned as he closed his eyes. “Night.”
Giles leaned forward
and kissed Lucas’ forehead before whispering a soft ‘goodnight’. Lucas fell asleep quickly. Giles stayed where he was for a while,
content to watch him sleep.
Giles left Lucas’
room and furrowed his brow when he heard the shower running. He briefly wondered exactly how long he had
watched Lucas sleep. He quickly checked
on the other three children to find all of them sound asleep. He sighed softly, realizing he must’ve been
in with Lucas for quite a while if Braden was already asleep. He opened the bathroom door and smiled when
Buffy began talking to him.
“Is everything okay?”
“I think so.” He responded, pulling his shirt over his head
and dropping it to the floor. “How did
you know I came in?”
“I have ‘Giles-dar’.”
He chuckled softly
and removed the rest of his clothing quickly.
As he stepped into the shower behind her, she turned to face him.
“How’s Lucas?”
“Better.” He took the washcloth from her hand and
gently rubbed it over her shoulder towards her neck. “He wants to train with you, but he doesn’t
like scary things. He likes animals
though, because they’re not very scary.”
“Animals?” She sighed softly as he ran the cloth down her
neck to her chest.
“Veterinarian.” Giles explained, glancing down at her hand
when she placed it on his chest. “What
happened to your hand?”
She smiled as she
held it up. “Three rounds, Buffy
one...dummy zero. It needs a new arm
‘cause I kinda broke it.”
He held her hand
gingerly, kissing the grazes as he looked into her eyes. “Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore.” She whispered. “Lucas isn’t going to be a Watcher, is he?”
“I don’t know. A lot could change in four years.” He stated softly as he moved the cloth over
her breasts.
“You okay with
that?”
He nodded, smiling as
he felt her nipple harden. “I just want
him to be happy. And that’s what I told
him.”
She reached behind
her and grabbed the body wash, pouring a generous amount in her hand before
replacing the bottle. “He idolizes you,
you know.”
“I think he was
worried about upsetting me.” He sighed
as she began to rub the liquid soap over his chest with her hands. “We do have another washcloth...”
“Mm-hm. But, I like doing it this way better.” She grinned up at him. “Is that okay with you?”
He slid his hands
down her sides, allowing the cloth to drop onto the shower floor as he held her
hips. “I think we should finish washing
quickly...”
“Why’s that?” She asked teasingly, rubbing her hands over
his stomach.
He swallowed and
pushed her further under the warm spray of water to rinse the suds from her
skin. “Because making love in a shower
is not a safe practice.”
She trembled lightly
as his hand moved between her legs. “We’ve
done it before. More than once without
any injuries...”
He bent his head and
licked the water from her shoulder.
“What I want to do...we have never done in the shower.”
She groaned softly as
his fingers teased her clitoris.
“What...do you want to do?”
He lightly nibbled
along her collarbone before placing a tender kiss on her lips. “Come to bed with me and I’ll show you.”
“Giles...”
He smiled at her
whimper and increased the pressure of his fingers. “Would you like me to make you come first?”
She stared into his
eyes and nodded as she gasped. He licked
his lips as he slowly pushed two fingers into her. He moved his mouth to her ear, nipping at her
earlobe with his teeth before whispering huskily to her.
“I want you,
Buffy. I want to fuck you until you
come. And then I want to make love to
you until you come again. Or maybe the
other way around. God, I want to be
inside of you right now.”
“Oh...God...”
He smiled when he
felt her inner muscles tighten around his fingers. “Come to bed with me, Buffy.”
“Yes...” She groaned, holding onto his shoulders for
support.
He suddenly stopped
his thrusting fingers and pulled them out, grinning when she whimpered in
protest. He met her darkened eyes as he
reached around her and turned the water off.
“You were too
close.” He offered as an explanation.
“You said...you said
you were going...to make me – ”
He interrupted her
with a shake of his head and helped her out of the shower. “No, I asked if you wanted me to make you
come.”
She stared at him as
he lovingly dried her body. “Not nice,
Giles...”
He chuckled softly
and draped her robe over her shoulders before quickly drying off and grabbing
his own robe. “I’ll make it up to you,
love.”
“You’d
better...because I’m not exactly happy with you at the moment.”
He moved quickly,
cradling her face between his large hands and thrusting his tongue into her
mouth. Her knees buckled and he lowered
his left hand to her hip to steady her as his tongue continued to stroke hers.
He ended the kiss as
suddenly as he had started it and smiled.
“I’ll just have to see if I can make you happy with me again.”
She mumbled a curse,
causing him to laugh softly.
* * *
He looked down at
their union as he slowly thrust his hips against her, smiling as he watched her
fingers seek out her aching clitoris.
“Are you needing
direct stimulation tonight?”
She looked up at him,
wondering briefly how he could continue to sound so calm and clinical. “Don’t need...want.”
He smiled and pulled
out, resting on his knees between her legs.
Her eyes darkened dangerously.
“For fuck’s sake,
Giles!”
His eyes sparkled as
his hand caressed her thigh. “We had an
experience one time...a while ago now...that we both expressed interest in
repeating at some point.”
“What?” She asked breathlessly, her fingers
increasing their speed on her clit.
He glanced down and
watched her for a moment before uttering one word.
“Stop.”
She complied, but
stared at him almost angrily. “Fucking
hell!”
He chuckled and leaned
over to the bedside table. He opened the
middle drawer and pulled out the bottle of lube and the vibrator that he had
placed inside earlier. As he dropped
both items onto the mattress next to him, she raised an eyebrow.
“Those aren’t
supposed to be there...the kids come in here sometimes.”
He leaned down and
kissed her knee as he nodded. “I
know. I put them there earlier tonight.”
His eyes were drawn
back to her wet core, he could easily make out the damp spot on the sheet
underneath her. He licked his lips and
looked into her eyes.
“I’m not going to tie
you...hands above your head.”
She gasped, instantly
moving her hands to the headboard and wrapping her fingers around the spindles.
He picked up the
vibrator and slowly pushed it into her, staring into her eyes as he did. “You...want direct stimulation, yes?”
She nodded quickly,
groaning softly as he removed the toy.
“Then...direct
stimulation you shall have.” He
whispered as he pushed his cock back into her.
He turned the
vibrator on low, holding the tip against her clitoris as he began thrusting
again. She bit her lip to keep from
screaming, her hips bucking against him.
His eyes darted from her face, to her wet curls, and back to her face.
He increased the
vibration and groaned as he felt her inner muscles ripple against him. “That’s it, love...come for me.”
Her knuckles whitened
as she tightened her hold on the spindles.
She came quickly, bathing his cock with her hot fluids. He groaned and pulled back out, but left the
vibrator resting against her clit.
“Buffy...”
She looked at him
through lust-glazed eyes. “Huh?”
“Give me your left
hand.”
She furrowed her
brow, but did as he requested. He placed
her hand on the toy and picked up the bottle of lube.
“Hold it there, don’t
move it.”
“Giles...”
He smiled and popped
the lid open, pouring a generous amount of the viscous fluid into his
hand. “Knees up for me, love.”
Her eyes darkened
another shade. “Oh, yes...”
He coated her anus
with the fluid, before sliding one, then two fingers inside of her. He watched her face carefully as he worked
his way past the sphincter. After a few
moments, he added a third finger and sighed as she moaned in pleasure.
“Tell me what you
want, Buffy.”
She licked her dry
lips as she felt another orgasm quickly approaching. “I want you...in my ass...when I come...”
He grinned and
removed his fingers, replacing them with the head of his cock. He pushed his way in slowly, a low growl
escaping his throat when he was fully embedded within her. His chest heaved as he panted, moving his
hand to brush hers away from the vibrator.
She understood his
unspoken command and moved her hand back to the headboard. He turned the vibrator off and let it roll to
her side. Hooking his arms under her
knees, he leaned over her and kissed her passionately.
She moaned into his
mouth, tempted to let go of the spindles and wrap her arms around him. He flicked his tongue against hers before
pulling from the kiss and looking into her eyes.
“I had grand notions
of...teasing you for...a long while.”
“Oh,
God...Giles...”
“But, Christ, I want
to come.” He whispered thickly.
Buffy let go of the
headboard with her right hand and reached for the toy resting against her
side. He slowed his thrusts and raised
an eyebrow when she held it towards him.
He pulled back
slightly, unhooking his arms from her knees.
“What do you want, Buffy?”
“I want...you
to...make us both...come...”
He tilted his head
slightly, but took the proffered item.
As he turned it on and started to touch it to her clitoris, she shook
her head.
“Inside...”
He stilled his
movement and stared at her. “What?”
“I...want it inside
of me...while you’re fucking me. And,
God...I want you to fuck me.”
“Buffy...”
“Please, Giles...put
it in...and fuck my ass...”
He swallowed hard,
shaking his head lightly. “I...it
could...it might...”
She smiled and
covered his hand with hers, pushing it towards the desired destination. “If it’s too much, I’ll tell you. Please...”
He glanced down and
shook his head again. “There’s not
enough room in this position...”
She thought for a
moment and then nodded in agreement. “Me
on top...it’ll work.”
He inhaled sharply and
carefully eased his erection out of her before rolling onto his back. She followed him quickly, straddling him as
he grasped his cock and guided back to her anus. Just as the head slipped in, he whispered her
name.
She gazed into his
eyes, smiling as she lowered herself until he was deep within her once
again. Placing her hands on his thighs,
she leaned back slightly and gave him a nod.
“Now.”
He took a deep breath
and, with a trembling hand, slowly pushed the vibrator into her wet core. He watched her face for any sign of
discomfort, but found only pleasure in her eyes.
“Turn it on.” She whispered.
He did as she asked
and groaned when he felt the vibration as well.
Her hands gripped his thigh tightly as she requested him to turn it up
higher.
“How...how
high?”
She looked directly
in his eyes and smiled. “All the way,
Giles. All the way...”
He twisted the knob
quickly and moved his hands to her hips as he bit his lip in an effort to keep
his groan to a low roar. Her head tilted
back as she began to move atop him.
“God, yes!”
He followed her
movements, matching her rhythm with perfectly timed thrusts. He knew that it wasn’t going to take long for
either of them to succumb to the intense sensation.
“Fuck!” He muttered, tightening his grip on her
hips. “Jesus...Buffy!”
“So...so...close...” She moaned, her nails digging into his thighs
as his cock pumped furiously into her ass.
Somewhere in the
haziness of his mind, he realized that they were both probably going to
scream. Without a second thought, he
grabbed her and pulled her forward onto his chest before rolling their bodies
until he was on top of her again.
“Giles!”
He looked at her in
concern, stopping his thrusts momentarily.
“Alright?”
Her nails raked down his
chest. “God, don’t fucking stop now!”
If he hadn’t been so
dangerously aroused, he would have laughed.
As it was, he immediately resumed his thrusts.
“God, oh
God...Giles!”
“Shit...” He groaned, realizing that her voice was
getting louder with each thrust.
The last thing he
wanted was to wake the children, so he leaned over her quickly and covered her
mouth with his, swallowing her screams as her orgasm crashed over her. Her nails gouged his back, her body trembling
violently underneath him, as another orgasm hit almost immediately.
She broke from the
kiss, gasping for air.
“Giles...God...oh, God...”
His body stiffened
and he cried out her name as he came deep within her. His fingers shook as he reached between their
sweaty bodies and fumbled for the knob, quickly turning the contraption off.
He collapsed on top
of her, not bothering to remove the vibrator for the moment. He fought to catch his breath as her hands
idly rubbed his back.
“Jesus...” He mumbled against her neck, shifting his
lower body to dislodge himself from her.
She shuddered when he
pulled past her sphincter as his softening cock slipped from her. “Dear Lord...”
He carefully moved to
her side and reached down, gently pulling the vibrator out of her and dropping
it to the side. She immediately rolled
onto her side and into his arms.
“Okay?” He whispered between soft pants.
“Can...a person
die...from numerous intense orgasms?”
She whispered back.
A smile lit up his
eyes as he shook his head. “I’ve come across
no documentation of that happening.”
“Good.” She inhaled shakily, her body still trembling
with aftershocks. “Then...I’m okay.”
He grinned and leaned
into her, placing a loving kiss on her lips.
“I love you.”
She returned his grin
and ran her fingers through his sweat-soaked hair. “I love you too.”
When he had gathered
some of his strength, he found the well-used vibrator and bottle of lube and
tossed them back into the drawer. He’d
put them back in the box in the closet tomorrow...when he could actually get
out of bed.
He smiled and turned
off the light before moving back into Buffy’s arms and pulling her further away
from the very wet patch on her side of the bed.
She smiled at the sweetness of the gesture and cuddled closer to him.
They fell asleep at
some point, their whispered words of love and affection still hanging in the
air around them.
Giles woke when he
reached for Buffy, only to find her side of the bed empty. He pushed himself up, grimacing when he felt
the deep pop in his lower back. In the
dark, he could barely make out an item resting on Buffy’s pillow.
He yawned and turned
the beside lamp on, sighing when he realized that the item was a note. He rubbed his eyes and reached for his
glasses before picking the note up. He
smiled softly at her short, but sweet, note.
Giles,
If you wake up and
I’m not here, don’t worry…I’ve just gone Slaying. Hopefully, I’ll be back before you wake
up. It’s almost 2 a.m. right now.
I love you!
Buffy
PS – You’re still
unbelievably adorable when you’re asleep!
He chuckled softly
and glanced at the clock. She’d been
gone for an hour and a half, give or take five minutes. He took a deep breath and climbed out of the
bed, figuring he’d might as well get up and make some tea. Something must’ve woken her, she rarely went
on patrol in the middle of the night these days.
* * *
An hour later, he
looked up from the book in his hands as she walked into the living room. She smiled at him as she shrugged off her
rain-dampened jacket and hung it up on the coat rack.
“You’re supposed to
be asleep.”
He returned her smile
and closed the book. “I could say the
same to you. Is everything alright?”
She nodded and
plopped down on the couch next to him.
“Yeah, just a few vampires.
Nothing out of the ordinary, really.”
She tilted her head thoughtfully.
“Of course, that in itself is a little out of the ordinary. We don’t get that many vampires in
“Hm.”
She rolled her eyes
and plucked the book out of his hands.
“Researching at four-thirty in the morning?”
He shook his head,
his smile showing in his eyes. “Not
researching, merely reading. Would you
like some tea?”
“No. I think I’d you to hold me instead. That relaxes me more than tea does.”
He raised an eyebrow
as he pulled her into his arms, sighing as she rested her head against his
chest. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yeah, I’m good. I just…well, I don’t like going out in the
middle of the night and leaving my family.”
Giles looked down at
her, picking up a tinge of sadness in her words. “Buffy?”
“Seriously, I’m
okay.” She tilted her head upwards and
smiled softly. “I promise. It’s just a ‘would rather stay in bed with my
husband than go out and fight vampires’ kinda thing.”
She leaned into him and
kissed his warm lips. “Now…tell me about
your talk with Lucas. If you’re not too
tired, I mean.”
He smiled and then
told her everything. She listened
intently, watching his eyes for any sign of disappointment. She exhaled slowly when she realized that all
she saw in his eyes was love for their son.
When he finished, she gently rubbed his chest.
“You’re such a
wonderful father.”
His brow furrowed
slightly. “All I want is for them to be
happy, Buffy. Braden seems to be pulled
towards this life. Lucas, as much as he
wants to be like his brother and me, is a very different child. He wants to learn, and I’ll teach him all I
can, but there’s a level of fear in his heart that Braden has never had.”
Buffy nodded and
kissed him again. “And that’s what makes
you a wonderful father. What do you
think Haddie and Evan will be?”
Giles rubbed her back
lovingly and smiled. “Haddie is
extremely attuned to the spirits drifting in and out of her life. She could very well be a liaison to the
spirit world.”
“Like a Medium?”
Giles snorted as he
shook his head. “No, not like a
Medium. Nearly ninety percent of
so-called ‘mediums’ are fraudulent. And
those that are not tend to use their abilities to make money. I was thinking more of Hadley working with
the Council as a liaison.”
“You’re such a
cynic.”
He grinned and leaned
down, brushing his lips across her cheek.
“I’m not a cynic. I’m British.”
She laughed softly
and looked into his eyes. “And Evan?”
Giles thought for a
minute and then grinned again. “Evan
will probably be in trouble more often than not. Not the type of trouble that will land him in
prison, but the type of trouble that will keep us on our toes.”
“A little Ripper in
him, is there?”
He nodded as he
chuckled. “You can see it in his
eyes. He’s a very charming boy. And he’ll learn to use his charm to get
exactly what he wants.”
“Were you a charming
boy?”
He laughed and shook
his head. “No. A charming teenager and young adult,
yes. As a child, no.”
Buffy smiled and reached
up, tracing his lips with her index finger.
“You’re a charming man, as well.
I think you could charm your way into anything with me.”
He lightly nipped at
her finger before running his tongue over the tip. “Oh?”
“Mm-hm. And I think you know that.”
He looked into her
eyes and lifted his hand, combing his fingers through her hair. “What I know is that I’m hopelessly in love
with you and I’d do anything to make you happy.”
“Anything?” She whispered, moving her fingers to the scar
on his neck.
“Mm.” He sighed, tilting his head as she traced the
raised flesh.
“You know what would
make me happy, Giles?” She asked as she
climbed onto his lap.
He inhaled deeply,
feeling his body respond to her contact.
“What would make you happy, darling?”
She lowered her mouth
to his neck, flicking her tongue against the scar before moving to his ear and
whispering to him. “No surprise birthday
party.”
“That has already
been discussed.” His hand moved to the
back of her head and gently guided her back to his neck. “Please…do that again.”
She chuckled and
covered the scar with her mouth, her hand moving between them to untie the belt
of his robe. He groaned lowly and she
wasn’t sure if it was due to her teeth nipping along the ridge of scar tissue
or her hand wrapping around his thick erection.
She smiled inwardly when he growled.
That was due to the combination of both actions.
“Dear Lord…Buffy…”
She stroked him
harder, knowing it wouldn’t take him long with the way she was currently attacking
his neck. And, how she wanted to make
him come hard and fast. She tightened
her hand around him, relishing the sound of his gasp and the sensation of his
cock hardening further at her touch.
Giles wanted to rip
her clothes off of her, but knew by the way she was touching him that she was
doing this for him. She wanted to make
him come and she wouldn’t allow him to distract her from her task.
And so, he settled
for holding her head to his neck with his left hand as his right gripped her
hip. He fought the urge to buck his hips
against her, instead concentrating on the feeling of her hand furiously pumping
his cock as she sucked hard against the sensitive flesh of his scar.
“Jesus…Buffy…”
When she felt his
erection thicken, she quickly bit down on the ridge of flesh she was currently
sucking. She felt the rumble in his
chest a split second before she felt the heat of his semen coat her hand. She groaned against his skin, continuing her
hard strokes until she felt the second gush.
She lifted her head
and looked into his darkened eyes, a smile on her face. “How about I clean you up and we go back to
bed for a few hours sleep?”
He swallowed, but
didn’t say anything as she slid from his lap and knelt on the floor between his
legs. As her tongue collected the
cooling fluid from his skin, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand to his
mouth. She looked up at him as he
cleaned each of her fingers, along with her palm, with his tongue.
She shuddered lightly
and he smiled, knowing that the sight of him cleaning his come from her flesh
never failed to arouse her. She shook
her head slowly and pulled her hand from his mouth.
“Stop that. This was about you. About me making you come.”
He licked his lips
and nodded. “And you did, my love.”
“Yeah, but…when you
do that…it makes me want you to make me come.
And that wasn’t what this was about.”
His eyes sparkled as
she ran her tongue along her palm.
“And…you didn’t want to come?”
“No.” She whispered softly. “I just wanted to do this for you.”
He tilted his head
slightly and stroked her cheek with two fingers. “Do you want to come now?”
When she hesitated in
her answer, he smiled and gently pushed her shoulder until she was forced to
lie down on the floor. “Would you like
me to make you come…hard and fast, just as you did for me?”
“Giles…”
He knelt beside of
her and edged his fingers under the hem of her shirt. He looked into her darkening eyes as he
lovingly stroked the smooth skin of her stomach.
“Tell me, Buffy…will you
allow me to make you come?”
She swallowed hard,
shivering under his touch. “Aren’t
you…tired?”
He nodded slowly,
moving his hand under her shirt until his fingers brushed the satin cups of her
bra. “I am. And I’m fairly certain I’m not going to be
able to make love to you again tonight.
However, I’m just as certain that I can bring you to orgasm if you
wish.”
He leaned down and
placed a warm, open-mouthed kiss on her stomach where her shirt had ridden
up. “And I desperately want to give you
pleasure.”
She trembled as his
hand moved back down her torso, resting on the button of her jeans. He waited, watching her chest rise and fall
with her heavy breaths. When he heard
her whispered ‘please’, he quickly pulled the button free and drew the zipper
down.
She lifted her hips,
gasping as he tugged her jeans and underwear down her legs. He dropped the garments to the side and
gently nudged her legs apart. He moved
between her legs and gave her a tender smile before lowering his head.
It was a rare
occasion for him to simply dive in. He
much preferred to take his time, dragging his tongue along her inner thighs
before placing light kisses over her core.
Not tonight. Tonight was about
making her come hard and fast.
She gasped, digging
her fingers into the carpet as he quickly pulled her clitoris into his
mouth. He looked up at her as he pushed
two fingers inside of her, curling them to graze her g-spot as he thrust into
her.
She groaned and
bucked her hips against him. He smiled
inwardly and continued to pump his fingers into her at a fast and steady pace
as he held her hardened nub between his teeth.
He alternated sucking and licking the tender flesh.
He felt her muscles
clench around his fingers and knew it wouldn’t be long. He increased his pace, pushing her closer to
orgasm with each thrust. When he felt
her body begin to shudder under his ministrations, he pulled his mouth from her
core and quickly moved up her body.
He covered her mouth
with his, pushing his tongue into her mouth as his fingers continued twisting
and pushing into her wet core. He felt
her fluids gush around his fingers as her orgasm hit. He swallowed her scream of ecstasy, gradually
slowing the pace of his fingers.
He brought her down
lovingly, easing the kiss into one of love and passion as his fingers slipped
from her and tenderly stroked her quivering clit. He smiled down at her as he lifted his head.
“Alright?”
“Mm…” She mumbled, her body sated for the
moment. “Love you.”
“Oh, I love you too…I
love you so much, Buffy.” He whispered
as he leaned back down to kiss her lips once more. “We…should go back to bed…”
“Mm-hm.”
He chuckled,
gathering her discarded clothing before helping her up from the floor. He closed his robe and tied the belt as he
watched her carefully step back into her jeans, pulling them up but not
bothering to button or zip them.
As he led her to the
bedroom, he remembered the party that
He watched her
quickly undress and slip into one of his t-shirts before falling into bed. He smiled, closing the bedroom door and
grabbing a pair of pajama pants from his dresser as he removed his robe.
He grinned sleepily,
realizing that she was nearly asleep already.
He slipped into bed next to her and pulled her into his arms. He sighed happily when he heard her mumble ‘I
love you’ as she snuggled closer to him.
He glanced at the clock and made the quick decision to work from home the following day.
Giles looked up from
the paperwork covering his desk to find Buffy glaring at him. He sighed softly and sat back in his chair.
“It isn’t a birthday
party, Buffy. It’s a party...which is
coincidentally being held on your birthday.”
She crossed her arms
over her chest. “And the difference is?”
“No streamers, no
birthday cake, no presents, no singing of ‘Happy Birthday’. Just a group of friends, music,
food...probably alcohol consumption.” He
answered patiently.
“You promise me that
this isn’t some surprise thing? ‘Cause
if it is, I’m going to be really pissed off.”
He smiled and motioned
her over with a quick wave of his hand.
When she moved around the desk, he pushed his chair back and pulled her
onto his lap.
“I swear to you,
Buffy...this is not ‘some surprise thing’.
I know how you feel about such things, especially when it concerns your
birthday.” He brushed his lips across
hers. “It’s just a party.”
“Okay.” She answered uncertainly. “But, if it turns out to be something else –
”
“I’m sleeping on the
couch for a week.” He finished for her,
his smile widening. “I have no
intentions of doing anything that would cause you to push me from our bed.”
“Two weeks, not
one.” She corrected him with a
smile. “How busy are you at the moment?”
He arched an eyebrow
at her and chuckled. “Buffy...”
She sighed heavily
and moved from his lap, standing beside of his chair and combing her fingers
through his hair. “I know, I know. Technically, you’re working from home.”
He looked up at her
and grinned. “I could take an extended
lunch, if you wish.”
“Mm...that could be
nice.” She twisted a lock of his hair
around her finger. “You need a haircut.”
He laughed and picked
up his mobile phone when it began to ring.
“I have an appointment tomorrow.”
“Good.” She smiled as he flipped the phone open.
He ran his hip over
her denim-clad hip as he lifted the phone to his ear. “Rupert Giles.”
He listened for a
moment and rolled his eyes. “No,
Mitchell, the nest of Shravkins is not a concern of yours. You’re nearly eight hundred miles away. Gregory and Natasha are infiltrating tomorrow
morning.”
Buffy chuckled,
finding Giles’ use of the word ‘infiltrating’ more amusing than she
should. Her chuckle turned into a laugh
as she walked down the hall and heard his exasperated tone.
“I’m looking at the
paperwork as we speak.”
She shook her head in
amusement and walked into Lucas’ bedroom, sighing at the toys scattered across
the floor. She changed the sheets on the
bed and then began straightening the mess up.
Of all of their children, Lucas had to be the most disorganized.
She had nearly
finished cleaning the room when she heard Giles swear loudly, followed by the
distinct sound of a large book dropping onto his desk. She calmly made her way back to the living
room, leaning against the doorframe as he muttered under his breath.
“Everything okay?”
He looked up from his
furious page turning and ran his hand through his hair. “This is why I want to change the process in
which Watchers in Training are promoted to active duty. Mitchell Stockton is an absolute bloody idiot
who is liable to get Arundi killed in action.”
“What happened?” She asked softly, pushing herself from the
doorframe and walking further into the living room.
“He’s determined to
‘assist’ Gregory Campson and Natasha.
His reasoning is that Arundi has never faced a Shravkin...which is
precisely the reason I’ve instructed Gregory to take Natasha to
Buffy took a deep
breath and sat down on the arm of the couch.
“Okay, I get what you’re saying, but...how is Arundi supposed to learn
about Shravkins if you don’t allow her to face one?”
Giles looked up from
the book and glared at her. “If it were one
Shravkin, I would be more likely to allow the assist. However, this is a nest...of forty, at last
count.” He turned the book towards Buffy
and pointed at the opened page. “Would
you want to face at least forty of these creatures if you’d never seen one?”
She glanced at the
picture even though she didn’t have to.
She’d faced her fair share of the demon in question. “You know I wouldn’t.”
“He’s reckless...and
he should have never been promoted to active duty. But, because he had fulfilled his
requirements and passed his lessons...”
He leaned over the desk, placing his palms on the paperwork and staring
down at the picture. “He’s going to get
her killed.”
She walked over and
placed her hand on his back in a comforting gesture. “What are you going to do?”
He shook his head and
turned to look at her. “This is the
fourth time he’s challenged me. I have
no choice but to put in a request with the Board Members for a suspension,
possible termination pending the outcome of the investigation.”
“Oh.” She lowered her hand as he stood back
up. “Um...what happens when a Watcher is
terminated? Because...they have a lot of
knowledge of a lot of things.”
Giles sighed and
shoved his left hand into his pocket.
“Until thirty years ago, termination meant exactly that. The person was...terminated.”
Buffy’s eyes
widened. “They were killed?”
Giles nodded
slowly. “However, I have no intention of
killing someone because they’re not performing adequately. Thirty years ago, they began wiping the
memories of those who were to be terminated.”
“Wow...harsh.” When he looked at her sharply, she continued
quickly. “But way better than death.”
“It has to be done,
Buffy. To ensure the safety of those
involved in the Council, it has to be done.”
He replied quietly. “And, in
order for me to protect Arundi to the best of my ability, I have no choice.”
She was quiet for a
few minutes and then looked into his eyes.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Would you mind going
through the qualifications of active Watchers who have not had a Slayer
assigned to them? She’ll need a
replacement Watcher ready to go before I submit my request to the Board.”
She nodded as she
studied his posture. “You really hate
this part of the job, don’t you?”
“More than you can
imagine.”
* * *
Giles was nearly
finished with his application for investigation against Mitchell Stockton when
his phone rang.
“Rupert Giles.”
He chuckled
softly. “It’s nice to be in my own home,
however...it is still work. What can I
do for you?”
“Oh, I was just
wondering if you’d had a chance to talk to Buffy about the party.”
“Mm-hm, I have.” He glanced up as Buffy placed a fresh cup of
tea on his desk. “We will attend as long
as I can be assured that there will be no attempts of celebration.”
Giles smiled and
lifted the cup to his lips, taking a small sip.
“You could say that.”
“No celebration of
Buffy’s special day, I promise. But...when
can we do cake and presents?”
He met Buffy’s eyes
and smiled. “
Buffy sighed heavily
and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t
know...tomorrow, maybe? I would say
Sunday, but the party’s on Saturday and if there’s alcohol involved...”
Giles grinned and
gave her a nod before speaking to
“Yeah, that’s
great.”
“Very well. Dinner around seven or so?”
“Yep. Followed by cake and the giving of
presents. I’ll let the others know.”
Giles nodded
absently, glancing back down at the paperwork in front of him. “Thank you.
I apologize for cutting our conversation short, but I’m in the middle of
some fairly daunting paperwork.”
“Okay, will you be in
the office tomorrow?”
“Yes, I see no reason
that I shouldn’t be.” He answered,
ticking a box on the form in front of him.
“Good. See you tomorrow then. Have a good day, Giles.”
He smiled softly. “You too, Willow.”
He closed the phone
and placed it on the desk before looking at Buffy. “Have you found any suitable candidates?”
“Yeah.” Buffy nodded as she opened another file. “A couple look really good, but I’m leaning
towards Paul Welston.”
He held out his hand
in a silent request for Welston’s file.
She handed it to him with no question and he took another sip of his tea
as he opened it. He read through his
marks and lesson evaluations, nodding as he turned a page.
“I have no issues
with recommending him as a replacement.
He’s shown great promise in the past.”
Buffy watched him as
he carefully wrote the name ‘Paul Welston’ in a box on the form. “Do you think Mitchell will take Arundi to
“I sincerely hope
not. I made it abundantly clear that he
is to stay in Camrose.”
Buffy bit her lip and
took a deep breath. “And what happens if
he goes?”
“Should he
survive?” He looked up as she nodded
silently. “Then it will be grounds for
immediate termination with no further investigation. He’d be transported to
Buffy tilted her head
slightly. “It’s Arundi that you’re more
concerned about, isn’t it?”
“Arundi would be
merely doing as she was told if he sends her in. And her chances of survival, even with
Gregory and Natasha, would be slim. The
Shravkins would hone in on her inexperience.
And she would pay dearly for Mitchell’s arrogance.”
Buffy thought for a
moment and then gave him a nod. “If
you’re all finished with that, I’ll fax it for you.”
Giles exhaled slowly
and signed his name to the bottom of the form.
He read back over it one last time before handing it to Buffy. As he watched her fax the documents to the
Board Members, he hoped that he wasn’t too late.
The following
morning, Giles walked into his office and checked his voice mail messages. He sighed in relief when he heard Gregory Campson’s
voice telling him that the nest of Shravkins had been taken care of quickly and
efficiently, with no injuries to either him or Natasha.
The second message
was a scathing one from Mitchell Stockton.
The Board had placed him under immediate suspension and were currently
investigating his effectiveness as a Watcher.
Arundi had been placed under Paul Welston’s care.
He shook his head
slowly, realizing that he had taken the correct course of action. The third and final message was from Alan
Brooks, Head of the Board. Mitchell was
under Council watch for the time being and he would be notified should any
issues arise.
He looked up as Ethan
strolled into his office. He saved the
messages and leaned back in his chair.
“Good morning, Ethan.”
“Hello.” Ethan sighed heavily as he sat down in the
chair in front of Giles’ desk. “So,
dinner tonight, yeah?”
Giles raised an
eyebrow. “Yes, around seven. You seem a little...distressed.”
Ethan shook his head. “No, stressed maybe. But, not distressed.”
“What seems to be the
problem?”
Ethan picked at a
loose thread on his jeans. “Anna came by
last night.”
Giles’ eyes widened
slightly. “Oh?”
“Yeah. Said she missed me...still loved me, blah de
blah blah.”
“And?”
Ethan smirked and
pulled the thread free. “And I was in
the middle of having the best blow job I believe I’ve ever received. Needless to say, I wasn’t exactly thrilled at
being interrupted.”
Giles smiled, but
said nothing as he waited for his friend to continue. His smile faded as Ethan took a deep breath
and looked into his eyes.
“She left me,
Rupert. She left me and I lost control
of everything.”
“I know.” He responded kindly, leaning forward and
resting his arms on his desk.
“And things with
Michael are going really well. I mean...really
well. Not just sexually.”
Giles’ smile
returned. “He’s good for you,
Ethan. And...he does love you. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at
you. And I’m reasonably certain that you
are in love with him.”
Ethan smiled softly
and lowered his eyes. “Yeah, you could
say that. You know, I’ve been doing some
thinking and...I’m beginning to wonder if I am actually bisexual.”
Giles tilted his head
slightly. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, don’t get me
wrong...a woman can turn me on and I do enjoy fucking – ”
“Ethan.” Giles interrupted quickly. “I’m well aware of that, but I don’t need the
details.”
Ethan grinned and
gave him a nod. “If I’m with a woman, I
always have a man...or five...on the side.”
He cleared his throat and twisted the ring on his right ring
finger. “I, uh...I haven’t even thought
about bringing a woman to bed with Michael.”
“You...Ethan
Rayne...you are in a monogamous relationship?”
Ethan rolled his
eyes. “That’s right, go on...have a
laugh, mate.”
Giles smiled warmly
and shook his head. “I’m not having a
laugh, Ethan. If anything, I’m a little
shocked. But, I’m not having a laugh.”
Ethan swallowed and
took a deep breath. “As much as I loved
Anna, I couldn’t be faithful to her. God
knows, I tried. But, Michael...”
Giles furrowed his
brow slightly when Ethan trailed off.
“What is it, Ethan?”
“Michael’s the first
person I’ve ever thought I could spend the rest of my life with.” He answered quietly. “He...God help me, he makes me blissfully
happy.”
“And I take it that
you told Anna all of this?”
“Yeah.” Ethan nodded slowly. “She accused me of using her for sex. I, uh...I didn’t really deny it because I
think maybe she was right in a way.”
“Oh.”
Silence fell over the
both of them for a few minutes, neither knowing exactly what to say. Ethan finally broke the silence and smiled.
“So, I have no idea
what to get your wife for her birthday.
I was wondering if you might be able to go shopping with me.”
Giles stared at
Ethan, confused by the sudden shift in conversation. “Um, of course. I do have a fair amount of work this morning,
but...I have to go out this afternoon for a haircut. We could go around one, if that’s okay with
you.”
Ethan nodded and
stood up. “Yeah, that’s fine.” A slow smile appeared on his face. “I was going to say something about your hair
looking a bit Ripperish, but wasn’t sure how you’d take it.”
Giles chuckled and
gestured towards the door. “Meet me back
here at one.”
Ethan laughed as he
walked out the door.
* * *
Giles laughed as he
watched Michael allow Evan to wrestle him to the floor. Evan sat on Michael’s chest, grinning
triumphantly.
“Gotcha Mital!”
Michael grinned, his
blue eyes shining brightly. “You sure
about that, mate?”
As Evan nodded,
Michael grabbed him and easily lifted him into the air. Evan kicked his legs and waved his arms,
giggling madly.
“Who’s got who now,
Evan?”
“You gots me!”
Buffy shook her head in
amusement and leaned against Giles’ side.
“He’s really good with Evan.”
Giles nodded in
agreement, smiling as Haddie, Maria, and Jacob attacked Michael as well. “He’s really good with all of them.”
Rayna was sitting at
her father’s feet, happily playing with the discarded wrapping paper from the
gifts Buffy had already opened. Lucas
was sitting next to
Anya grinned and
handed Buffy a large box. “This is from
me and Xander. Xander made it, but I
helped with the details because I’m good at that.”
Buffy chuckled and
carefully unwrapped the box, tossing the bow in Rayna’s direction. Rayna grabbed the bow and giggled as she
waved it.
She lifted the lid on
the box and looked inside, gasping softly.
“Oh my God. Thank you!”
Xander blushed
lightly as Giles held the box, allowing Buffy to carefully pull the item
out. Braden turned towards his mother,
narrowing his eyes when he saw the gift.
“What’s that?”
Buffy sniffled
lightly. “Do you remember Sunnydale at
all?”
Braden shook his head
and walked over to her. “Not
really. I remember the swingset in the
backyard.”
Buffy wiped the tears
from her eyes and smiled at her oldest son.
“This is a miniature of the shop that Daddy used to own. And all of us used to spend a lot of time
there.”
“I worked there. I made a lot of money for your Dad.” Anya added brightly.
“I, uh...I’ve been
building a lot of miniatures lately. My
newest hobby.” Xander spoke softly. “Do you like it?”
Buffy grinned and
handed the replica to Giles as she ran over to hug Xander. “I love it.
Thank you so much, Xand!”
Xander smiled
widely. “I’m slowly rebuilding the town
of
“Amazing craftsmanship,
Xander.” Giles stated as he inspected
the glass encased Magic Box. “Quite
remarkable, in fact.”
Xander ducked his
head in an almost shy manner. “Thank
you.”
Ethan cleared his
throat as Buffy sat back down next to Giles.
“I highly doubt that we can top that, but...” He handed Buffy a box wrapped in bright
purple paper. “This is from Michael and
me.”
Michael dug himself
out from under the four children and made his way to Ethan’s side. Ethan smiled at him as Michael rubbed his
hand along Ethan’s back.
Buffy carefully
unwrapped the box and looked at Ethan suspiciously. “Nothing’s going to jump out of here and bite
me or anything?”
Michael laughed and
shook his head. “If it does, then we
brought the wrong box.”
Giles chuckled and pulled
Evan onto his lap as they watched Buffy unwrap her last gift.
“Wow.” Buffy whispered as she pulled the framed
painting out of the box. “This
is...wow!”
Ethan smiled
nervously. “I, uh...well, Rupert gave me
the idea. Michael helped me pick it out. It just seemed to fit. I mean, it reminded us of you.”
Buffy lightly ran her
finger over the painted starburst. “It’s
beautiful, Ethan.”
She looked up and
smiled brightly. “Thank you both so
much, it’s absolutely gorgeous.”
Michael smiled warmly. “That’s one of the reasons it reminded us of
you.”
Anya turned her head
and stared at him. Michael grinned and
shrugged his shoulder as he met Anya’s stare.
“I may be gay, but I
can and do appreciate beauty in women.”
He grunted softly as Ethan nudged him in the ribs. He smiled and kissed Ethan’s cheek. “I said appreciate, which I do. This does not mean that I would attempt to
seduce her.”
Anya snorted. “That’d be kind of funny to see,
actually.” When all of the adults stared
at her, she sighed. “I just meant
that...”
She waved her hand
and shook her head. “Nevermind, the
moment’s gone. But, trust me it was
funny.”
Giles smiled and
gently turned Buffy’s head towards him.
“Happy Birthday a day early, Buffy.”
She sighed happily as
he placed a tender kiss on her lips.
“Thank you.”
Evan tapped his
father’s thigh and grinned. “Cake now?”
Giles laughed and
ruffled the boy’s hair. “Yes, we can cut
the cake now.”
* * *
The evening had been
rather enjoyable. The painting had been
hung in the living room, the miniature that Xander had built was placed safely
in one of the bookcases. Once the
children started becoming restless, they decided to call it a night.
After their friends
had left, Giles did a quick tidying of the living room while Buffy took a
bath. He checked on the children before
walking through the bedroom to the ensuite.
He smiled as he leaned against the doorframe.
“You look
comfortable.”
She opened her eyes
and smiled at him. “Mm...I like soaking
in a tub full of hot water.”
He stepped into the
bathroom and knelt next to the tub. He
pushed his sleeves up and reached into the water, finding the stray
washcloth. She closed her eyes again,
enjoying the sensation of Giles gently running the cloth over her shoulder.
“Did you have a nice
night?” He asked softly.
“Mm-hm. It was nice to have a birthday celebration
that didn’t involve mass murder or demon attacks.”
He chuckled and
dipped the cloth under the water, lightly caressing her breasts. She sighed at the contact, smiling as he
moved the cloth lower.
“What are you doing?”
“Washing you.”
She opened one eye
and looked at him. “Feels a little more
like copping a feel than it does actually washing.”
He grinned as he
rubbed the cloth over her mound.
“Killing two birds with one stone can be a good thing.”
She automatically
spread her legs, giving him more room to manuever. “Wanna come in with me?”
He shook his head
slowly, forgoing the cloth and using his fingers to trace her sensitive
folds. “No, I’m okay where I am.”
She moaned softly as
he pushed his middle finger into her and used his thumb to rub her
clitoris. “That’s...nice...”
He smiled and used
his free hand to push the hair back from her face. He glanced at the clock and leaned over to
kiss her lips.
“Happy birthday,
Buffy.”
The water and bubbles
sloshed against the side of the tub as she rocked her hips against his
hand. Frustrated at the lack of room for
more movement, she grabbed his forearm and looked into his eyes.
“Take me to bed,
Giles.”
He nodded slowly,
giving her core one more firm rub before pulling the stopper out of the
drain. He took her hand and helped her
out of the tub, gasping softly when she gently squeezed his growing erection.
She grinned and released
him, grabbing a towel and rapidly drying her body. He undressed as he watched her, allowing his
clothes to fall to the bathroom floor.
She licked her lips and ran her fingertip down his chest, circling his
nipple before she stepped away from him.
“Why don’t you come
and show me how good my birthday can be?”
He grinned and
followed her into the bathroom, intent on showing her exactly how good her
birthday could be.
Giles nodded as he
swallowed a mouthful of sandwich and Buffy grinned. “It’s great, Will. Great music, great food…” She nudged her husband in the ribs. “Just ask Giles about the food.”
Giles glared at her
and then smiled at
Buffy chuckled. “Well, the open bar might’ve had something to
do with that.”
Giles raised an
eyebrow and searched the floor, smiling when he spotted Ethan and Michael
dancing to the up-tempo song. “Maybe
when a slower song comes on. I’m not
nearly inebriated enough to dance to this.”
Buffy looked up at
him and smiled suggestively. “And how
inebriated are you at the moment?”
He glanced at her
lips and shook his head. “Not that…yet.”
Buffy laughed loudly
as Oz dragged
“So…how many more
drinks before you’ll dance with me to this kind of music?”
She didn’t wait for
an answer. Instead, she took off towards
the bar. Giles shook his head in
amusement and took another bite of his sandwich.
* * *
Two hours and six
drinks later, Giles giggled at something Michael had said. He was sure it was funny, but he wasn’t sure
he could remember what it was. Ethan
grinned and looked at Buffy.
“I think you’ve
succeeded in getting him drunk.”
Giles scowled at
Ethan. “I’m not drunk. I’m…too inebriated to drive, but I’m not
falling on my face drunk.”
Michael laughed,
shooting Ethan a quick glance when he felt Ethan’s hand on his inner
thigh. “Stop that.”
Ethan gave him a
wink, removing his hand when Anya and Xander walked over to the table. Anya looked directly at Giles and spoke
quickly.
“Are you sure the
kids are alright?”
Giles nodded, a smile
appearing on his face. “Linda and Stella
have worked with the Council for years.
If there were any problems, they’d let us know.”
Anya sighed and then
looked at Xander. “I still want to go
check on Rayna.”
Xander smiled
understandingly and took her hand as he looked at the four seated at the
table. “We’ll be back down in a few
minutes.”
Buffy smiled and took
a sip of her drink. “Would you mind
checking in on ours while you’re up there?”
Xander grinned and
shook his head. “Not at all. Come on, An.”
Buffy watched Xander
and Anya make their way to the door before meeting her husband’s eyes. “You should dance with me.”
Ethan nodded in
agreement. “Yeah, Rip…you haven’t danced
with her all night. What’s the go with
that?”
Giles pushed his
chair back and stood, pulling Buffy up with him. “Because I wanted to enjoy the party for as
long as possible.”
Michael tilted his
head as he watched Giles lead Buffy to the dancefloor. “What did he mean by that?”
Ethan chuckled and
took a swig of his beer. “Watch and
see.”
* * *
They had been able to
make it through one full dance before Buffy felt his hands move down to her
hips. She grinned and tilted her face
upwards to look at him.
“How are you
feeling?”
“The way I feel each
time I dance with you.” He smiled and
tightened his hold on her. “Which could be rather dangerous considering how
much I’ve had to drink.”
“What do you
mean?” She questioned, sliding her hand
up his chest and circling his left nipple with her fingertip.
His eyes darkened at
the contact and he pulled her close against him, sighing at the sensation of
her body pressed against his growing erection.
“God, I want to kiss you.”
She lightly pinched
the nipple she’d been circling and licked her lips. “Then maybe you should.”
“Buffy…”
“One kiss,
Giles. That’s all I’m asking for.” She moved her hand from his chest to the side
of his neck. “I like it when you kiss me
while we’re dancing…”
His eyes darted to
her lips, knowing he was lost as his lowered his head. “Will I ever be able to deny you anything?”
“I hope not.” She
whispered a millisecond before his lips touched hers.
* * *
Ethan grinned as
Michael’s eyes widened. “They do realize
they’re in public?”
Ethan shook his head
slowly. “I’m thinking that they don’t
care all that much at the moment.”
Michael slowly raised
his beer bottle to his lips, pausing as he watched the kiss spiral out of
control. “Dear God…”
Ethan laughed and
finished the last third of his beer in one swallow. “Mm-hm.
Soft-core porn on the dancefloor with those two.”
Michael shook his
head as Buffy moved with the music, suggestively rubbing against Giles as he
continued to plunder her mouth with his tongue.
“I’m not sure it’ll be soft-core for long.”
“Nah. Rupert’ll stop himself before he loses
complete control of the situation.”
Michael cast a quick
glance at Ethan. “You don’t really seem
all that surprised.”
Ethan’s eyes
twinkled. “I’ve seen them dance before.”
“Does this happen
each time they dance?”
“Mm-hm.” Ethan glanced back at Buffy and Giles,
smiling as he watched Giles’ fingers edge under the hem of Buffy’s blouse. He took a deep breath and looked at Michael,
who was intently watching the Gileses.
“My God, you’re gorgeous.”
Michael looked at him
quickly, immediately recognizing the arousal showing in Ethan’s eyes. “Are you getting turned on watching them?”
Ethan leaned forward,
sliding his hand up Michael’s thigh.
“I’m getting turned on by you getting turned on watching them.”
Michael inhaled
sharply as Ethan’s hand covered his erection.
“Ethan…”
Ethan gave Michael’s
cock a gentle squeeze as he flicked his tongue against Michael’s neck. “I’m thinking we should find somewhere else
to be for the moment.”
Michael swallowed
hard, resisting the urge to push against Ethan’s hand. “Hm?”
Ethan moved his mouth
to Michael’s ear and whispered hotly. “I
want to make you come, Michael.”
Michael nodded
quickly as Ethan stood up, his erection showing prominently in his
trousers. He allowed Ethan to pull him
out of the chair and drag him towards the door.
He wasn’t exactly sure where Ethan was taking him, but he was sure he
didn’t really care.
Anya laughed softly
as Ethan muttered ‘excuse us’ as he pushed past her and Xander. “Wonder what they’re up to?”
Xander chuckled,
leading Anya across the room to where
Oz smiled at Xander,
leaning forward slightly to allow himself to be heard over the music. “How’s Rayna?”
“Sleeping like the
baby she is.” Xander replied, looking
around the room. “You know where Buffy
and Giles are? Buffy asked us to check
in on their brood for them.”
“You’d think they’d
be over that by now. I mean…they’ve been
married nine years.”
“I think it’s
sweet.” Anya stated brightly before
narrowing her eyes. “Are they gonna have
sex right there?”
Xander groaned softly
as
* * *
Giles broke the kiss
and stared into Buffy’s eyes. His
breathing was ragged, his erection was throbbing. “We should…”
“Stop?” Buffy supplied as she attempted to catch her
breath.
The corner of his
mouth tugged upwards. “Go upstairs, I
was going to say.”
“Yeah?” She smiled as his thumbs rubbed her sides.
He nodded slowly,
stopping himself before taking her mouth with his again. “I don’t fancy sexual encounters in
public…and I’m very close to not caring where we are.”
“There are some dark
corners in this room…”
He raised an eyebrow
and glanced at her breasts. “Not dark
enough for what I want to do.”
“Oh?”
He moved his hand,
inconspicuously brushing his fingers over the button of her denim skirt. “If I wanted just to touch you, I’d take you
to the table where I could slide my hand under your skirt and underwear without
anyone realizing. If I wanted to push
you against the wall and rub against you until I come, I’d take you to the
darkest corner of this room and do just that.”
She licked her lips,
moving her left hand to rest just above his belt buckle. “So…what do you want that we can’t do here?”
He stared into her
eyes, not bothering to hide the lust in his.
“I want you on your knees in front of me with my cock in your throat.”
“Oh, God…” She breathed, a wave of arousal crashing over
her.
His fingers toyed
with the button on her skirt. “And then
I want you on your hands and knees in front of me as I fuck you until you
scream my name time and time again.”
“Giles…”
He could almost smell
her arousal. He could definitely see the
deep flush of her cheeks. “God, I want
you Buffy. Let me fuck you tonight. Right now.
Let me fuck you right now.”
She groaned at the
urgency of his tone. “We…we should go…”
He grinned and popped
the button free. “Are you going to come
for me right now? Just listening to my
words in this room full of people?”
Her eyes darkened
another shade. “Thought you didn’t fancy
sexual encounters in public…”
He smiled and leaned
down, whispering in her ear. “I don’t
fancy getting my cock out in public.
But, the thought of you coming as I talk to you…that turns me on. Shall I tell you how I want to fuck you with
my tongue?”
He felt her tremble
as she moaned his name.
“Or how I want to
suck your clit as I fuck you with the vibrator that’s in my bag upstairs?”
“Oh, God…” She groaned, her fingers tightly grasping his
tie.
“Are you going to
come for me right here on the dancefloor, Buffy?”
She stared at him
through passion-blurred eyes. “Take me
upstairs right now, Giles.”
He grinned and took
her hand.
As Willow, Oz,
Xander, and Anya watched them rush from the room, Anya laughed loudly. Xander looked at her, amusement showing in
his eyes.
“And the funny would
be?”
“They’ll never make
it through more than one dance together, will they?”
Oz chuckled and led
Willow back to the dancefloor. Xander
gave Anya a wink and gently took her hand, following the Osbournes.
No one took notice of
the two figures standing in the corner nearest the exit. Faith looked up at Angel and grinned.
“I reckon we wait until
tomorrow to wish Buffy a happy birthday.”
Angel chuckled as he
leaned down and brushed his lips across hers.
The party had died
down about two hours after Buffy and Giles had disappeared. Oz had gone upstairs to check on their children
before going to their room. Xander and
Anya had procured a room about an hour earlier.
Xander had stated he was tired, but
She chuckled softly
as she gathered Buffy’s belongings that had been left behind. Checking the table once more, she nodded and
turned to find Angel and Faith standing directly in front of her. Startled by their sudden appearance, she took
a step back.
“Um, hi?”
Angel smiled
warmly. “Hi, Willow. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Oh, well people
appearing out of nowhere kinda startle me.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Why are you here?”
“Buffy’s
birthday. Just dropped by to say ‘hi’.”
Faith cleared her
throat. “And I wanted to talk to Giles
about something.”
“Huh? Oh, no...just something kinda personal.” Faith replied softly.
“Oh, well...um,
they’re not here right now.”
Faith barked out a
laugh. “Yeah, we saw them leave. If I had to guess, they’re probably in the
middle of getting down and dirty right about now.”
Angel shook his head
and coughed lightly. “So...who’s
watching the kids?”
“Oh, they’re all
here. Buffy and Giles’ four, our two,
and Xander and Anya’s daughter. They’re upstairs
with the au pairs. We knew that we’d all
end up staying here tonight...”
Angel raised an
eyebrow. “Xander and Anya had a
daughter?”
“Rayna Amelia
Harris. Isn’t she beautiful?”
Faith looked up from
the picture quickly. “Amelia?”
“Yeah.”
Faith quickly averted
her eyes. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t able
to come back.”
Angel put his arm
around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. “I’m sure that they knew we would’ve come
back if we’d been able to.”
Angel cleared his
throat softly. “Yeah, we are.”
“Oh, okay. Well, that’s...um...weird, but...okay.”
Angel chuckled as
Faith leaned against him.
* * *
Buffy thrashed
against the bed, moaning Giles’ name as he pushed her towards her fourth
orgasm. He looked up at her, smiling
inwardly as he continued to thrust the vibrator into her as he sucked hard at
her clitoris.
He had already come once,
kneeling behind her and fucking her hard after she had sucked him into her
throat for several minutes. His cock was
hard again and he had the brief thought that sex was a more challenging
experience when one was intoxicated.
Of course his
intoxication hadn’t been helped by the fact that once he had actually gotten
her into bed, he had poured champagne over her body and licked it off. Logically, he knew that not much alcohol
could be consumed by that act, but the thought of what he had done seemed to
have intensified the effect.
His thoughts were
interrupted by her loud scream as she came again. He quickly pulled the vibrator out and
dropped it to the side, using his tongue to lap up her juices. He groaned at the taste that was uniquely her
mingling with the taste of champagne in his mouth.
“God...” She panted as he moved to her side. “I thought that...being drunk...was supposed
to make...a person less coordinated...”
He smiled and ran his
hand over her sensitive breasts. “I
concentrate more.”
She chuckled and
glanced down, instantly noticing his erection.
He groaned softly as she wrapped her fingers around it.
“You’re hard
again...”
“Mm. Rather certain my concentration has lapsed
too much to fuck you again...” He
mumbled as she began to stroke the hard flesh.
“I know how to
concentrate.” She whispered as she
leaned over him and ran her tongue along his chest. “I bet I can concentrate enough to fuck
you...”
He swallowed and
choked out a hoarse whisper. “What do
you propose?”
She grinned and moved
down his body, picking up the well used vibrator on her way. She dragged her tongue up the underside of
his erection as she held the toy up for him to see.
“This inside
you...turned on. Your cock in my
throat. Yeah?”
His fingers shook
lightly as he reached out and stroked her cheek. “God, yes...”
* * *
Angel and Faith had
just passed the room that Buffy and Giles were occupying when they heard Giles’
groan of ecstasy. Angel cleared his
throat and walked faster down the corridor.
Faith grinned as she looked up at him.
“If you were able to
blush, you’d be bright red right about now, wouldn’t you?”
“They should think
about soundproofing their room.” Angel
responded, not answering her question.
Faith laughed and
shook her head. “There is a
reason that they’re on a different floor than everyone else.”
He quickly ushered
her into the room at the end of the hall and closed the door behind them. “I doubt that the reason would be so that
they could have extremely loud sex.”
She turned to face
him, pulling her shirt over her head and dropping it to the floor. “Wanna see if we can drown them out?”
He chuckled and
pulled her into his arms.
* * *
Buffy licked her lips
and tossed the vibrator to the floor.
She moved up his body and covered his mouth with hers. Their tongues met quickly, twisting and
turning together as they rolled onto their sides.
The kiss ended
slowly, their hands lightly touching each other as they gazed into one
another’s eyes. Buffy smiled as she
soothingly rubbed his back.
“You okay?”
“Mm. Will prob’ly have a hell of a headache in the
morning.” He stated softly, his speech
slurred by a combination of the alcohol and the exhaustion that was quickly
claiming him. “You?”
“Oh yeah, I’m
good. Exhausted, but good.”
He smiled as he
reached down and pulled the blankets over their sweat-slicked bodies. “Perhaps we should rest.”
She snuggled against
him and lightly kissed his chest. “Thank
you.”
He looked down at her
and brushed the hair back from her face. “For what?”
She met his eyes and
sighed in contentment. “For what’s
probably been the best birthday I’ve ever had.”
He offered her a
gentle smile and pulled her tighter against him. “I love you.
I just wanted your day to be what you wanted it to be.”
She worked his words
over in her mind for a second and then chuckled. “That probably would’ve made sense if I
wasn’t drunk.”
He laughed and moved
his hand to her hip. “Go to sleep,
Buffy.”
She closed her eyes,
as did he. The last words he heard before
sleep took him over was her softly whispered ‘I love you too’.
* * *
The morning came too
quickly for the adults. The children
didn’t seem to notice. Anya grinned as
Giles staggered into the common area down the hall from his office.
“Have a good night?”
Giles shot her a
quick glare, but nodded anyway. “It was
a very enjoyable evening.” He looked at
Willow and smiled. “And the party was wonderful.”
Willow returned his
smile and yawned, leaning her head on Oz’s shoulder. “Thanks.
Next time I have this idea though...remind me that between all of us, we
have seven children.”
Xander snorted
softly. “Seven children who think eight
o’clock on a Sunday morning is sleeping in.”
Buffy walked in,
fresh from her shower, but still looking very tired. Giles sighed softly as she started to walk
across the room towards the coffee maker.
“Morning.” She mumbled to the others, pausing to give
Giles a tender kiss. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, love.”
“Where are the
kids?” She asked as she resumed her journey
to the fresh pot of coffee.
“Ethan and Michael
took them outside to play in the courtyard.
Apparently it’s a beautiful day.”
“Apparently?” She chuckled and turned around. She opened her mouth to say something else
but stopped when she noticed two people standing in the doorway.
As her arm dropped
and the coffee spilled from her mug, Giles turned his head towards the
doorway. “Angel...Faith...”
Angel smiled
shyly. “Hi.”
Willow sat back up,
her eyes wide. “Oh yeah...um...Angel and
Faith got here last night.”
Buffy ignored the
obvious statement and stared at Angel.
“What are you doing here?”
Faith grinned as she
walked into the room. “Well, we came by
to talk to Giles and we were gonna wish you a happy birthday. But, it sounded like you were having a pretty
good one without us wishing it to you.”
Buffy furrowed her
brow. “Huh?”
Angel cleared his
throat and ran his hand through his hair.
“Happy birthday, Buffy...a day late.”
“Huh? Oh, thanks.”
She lowered her eyes and noticed that she had spilled her coffee. “Shit!”
Giles looked at her
quickly and Xander pushed himself off the couch. “It’s okay, Buff. I’ll get it.”
She mumbled a ‘thank
you’ and placed the mug on the countertop before moving towards Giles. She darted her eyes between Angel and Faith,
taking a deep breath.
“Is everything okay?”
Angel nodded quickly,
hoping to ease Buffy’s nerves somewhat.
“Everything’s fine, Buffy.”
Buffy slipped her
hand into Giles’ and shook her head.
“You said you came to talk to Giles.
Things are normally not ‘fine’ if you need to talk to him.”
Faith smiled in
understanding. “It’s not a Slayer issue,
B. It’s more of a personal thing. And it’s more ‘me’ than ‘we’.”
“Oh.” Buffy looked into Faith’s eyes, suddenly
concerned for her. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I
just...” Faith sighed and looked up at
Giles. “Can I talk to you?”
Giles nodded and
gestured towards the door. “Of
course. My, uh...my office is just down
the hall.”
Angel gently squeezed
Faith’s shoulder. “Do you want me to
come with you?”
Faith smiled up at
him and shook her head. “I’m good.”
Buffy watched the
exchange curiously and let go of Giles’ hand as five children came rushing
through the door. Ethan and Michael
followed, Ethan carrying Rayna and Jake in Michael’s arms.
Faith’s eyes widened
as Giles picked up Evan and gave him a kiss.
“Is that Evan?”
Giles nodded proudly
and spoke to Evan. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yep. Eban an’ Mital say I good at socca.”
Giles grinned. “You are.
However, we call it football, not soccer.”
Evan narrowed his
eyes as he shook his head. “Mummy says
socca.”
Giles poked his son’s
ribs playfully. “That’s because Mummy is
American. What are we?”
Evan thought for a
second and then smiled. “I Engrish!”
Buffy snorted and
picked Haddie up after she had given both of the older boys a good morning
hug. “You’re half-English,
half-American. You can say ‘soccer’ if
you want.”
Giles shot Buffy a
grin. “And then he’d be half-right.”
Buffy rolled her
eyes. “Go on. I’ll take the kids and Willow to go pick
something up for breakfast.”
Lucas looked up at
Michael and smiled. “Wanna come with us,
Michael?”
Michael thought for a
moment, counting the number of people.
“I’m not sure there’s enough room, Lucas.”
Buffy smiled at
Michael and waved her hand. “We’ll take
the Council van. Plenty of room in
that.”
Giles pulled his
wallet and keys out of his pocket, bending down to lightly kiss Buffy’s lips as
he handed them to her. “Be careful.”
She nodded and looked
at Evan. “Coming, Ev?”
Evan wriggled in his
father’s arms. “Yep!”
Anya nudged Xander in
the ribs. “I want a real coffee.”
Xander grunted softly
and rubbed his side. “Enough room for
two more big people and a little girl?”
As the group began
filing out of the room, Braden turned and looked at his father. “Bacon or sausage, Dad?”
Giles smiled at his
eldest child, slipping his left hand into his pocket. “Surprise me.”
Braden grinned broadly
and ran out of the room to catch up with the others.
Faith chuckled and
met Giles’ eyes. “It’s nice to see a
real family thing going on.”
Giles gave her a slow
nod as a smile tugged at his lips.
“Shall we go to my office?”
“Yeah.” She glanced at Angel and took a deep
breath. “Be back in a few.”
Angel offered her an
encouraging smile, sitting down on the couch as he watched Faith and Giles
leave the room.
Giles closed the door
to his office and gestured towards the couch.
“Would you like to sit down?”
Faith sank onto the
couch and sighed heavily. “Sorry for
just dropping in.”
“That’s what the
Council is for, Faith.” Giles responded,
lowering himself into one of the chairs.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Straight to the
point. That’s good.” She looked down at her hands, idly twisting a
ring on her right middle finger.
“Amelia.”
Giles leaned forward
slightly. “I’m sorry?”
“Amelia’s on my
mind.” She cleared her throat and raised
her eyes. “She was really good to
me. And...I didn’t get a chance to say
goodbye to her.”
Giles smiled in
understanding. “You were rather busy at
the time, as I recall.”
“Yeah, but...I
should’ve been here.”
“There’s nothing you
could’ve done, Faith.” Giles stated
softly. “There was nothing anyone could
do.”
Faith tilted her head
and looked into his eyes. “But, you
would’ve...if you could have.”
“Yes.”
She wanted to ask him
if he still loved her, but she knew that would be too personal of a
question. He had always shied away from
the personal stuff. Besides...she knew
that a person always loves their first love.
Just like part of Buffy would always love Angel.
“I didn’t realize how
long it had been since I’ve actually seen you guys. I mean, I know we talk on the phone or
through email or whatever, but...the last time I’d actually seen you was the
night Evan was born.”
Giles smiled at the
memory and nodded. And then he took a
detour in their conversation.
“You and Angel
are...dating?”
Faith’s eyes
widened. “Um...well...”
Giles leaned forward,
resting his elbows on his knees. “I have
no intention of lecturing you on the dangers of dating a vampire. I’m sure you’re well aware of them. All I ask is...that you’re careful.”
“It’s not like he can
get me pregnant.”
Giles shook his head
lightly. “That’s not exactly what I’m
referring to.”
Faith swallowed and
gave him a nod. “Yeah, I know. Neither one of us planned on it...it just
kinda happened. I’m not really sure how
to tell B, either.”
Giles smiled and
twisted his wedding ring. “I’m rather
sure she’s already figured it out. I’m
also rather sure she’ll merely tell you what I just have.”
“Angel was her first
love. You always love your first love.”
Giles took a deep
breath. “That’s true. However, the type of love changes over the
years. It becomes more of an affection
than attraction or passion. In some
cases, it can even become friendship.”
“Like you and
Amelia?”
Giles lowered his
eyes briefly. “Yes.”
Faith thought for a
second and then sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”
He offered her a
gentle smile. “It was a perfectly valid
question. I had assumed that you knew
more about my past with Amelia than you let on.”
“A lot of it was
rumour that had been spread around. Some
of it...” She bit her lip and sat back
against the cushions. “Some of it,
Amelia told me.”
Giles regarded her
closely. “You know about Katie.”
“Yeah.”
Not really knowing
what else to say, Giles sat back in his chair and stared at his hands.
* * *
Angel cleared his
throat, glancing between Oz and Ethan.
“How is he?”
Oz raised an
eyebrow. Ethan crossed his arms over his
chest.
“By ‘he’, I suppose
you mean Braden?”
“Yeah.”
Ethan shook his head,
not bothering to answer the question for the moment. “What stakes do you have in this, Angel?”
“What?” Angel asked, sincerely surprised.
“You help the boy,
you become human? Come on, we know about
the Shanshu Prophecy.”
Oz glanced at Ethan, intrigued
by the older man’s protectiveness over Braden.
He had known that it existed, but he had never truly witnessed it
before...at least, not to this extreme.
Angel shook his head
quickly. “No, I...that’s not why I want
to help Braden.”
Ethan stood up,
shoving his hands in his pockets as he paced the room. “Then, would you mind telling us why you want
to help him? Because if you cause that
boy any problems, I’ll rip your dead heart out of your chest with my bare
hands.”
“Ethan.” Oz spoke quietly.
Ethan turned his eyes
to Oz, pulling his right hand out of his pocket and pointing towards
Angel. “You tellin’ me that if he does
something, you wouldn’t go after him?”
“Oh, I totally
would.” Oz stated calmly. “I’d rip him apart with no questions asked.”
“That’s
comforting.” Angel muttered.
Ethan turned towards
the vampire. “It wasn’t meant to be
comforting. It was meant to be the
truth. I don’t understand why Novak told
you anything. And I don’t know why you
seem to want to do what you can to protect Braden, but – ”
“He’s Buffy’s
son.” Angel interrupted quickly, pushing
himself up from the chair. “That should
be enough of a reason.”
Ethan narrowed his
eyes slightly. “Are you still in love
with her? Because if you are...and
should you attempt to...” He shook his
head and stared into Angel’s eyes.
“You’ll meet a side of Rupert that you’ve never seen before.”
Angel met Ethan’s
stare with an intense one of his own.
“I’ve met Ripper before...and he nearly killed me then. I have no intentions of trying to rekindle a
very old relationship that I once had with Buffy. I’d protect any of her children. But only one of them is going to rid the
world of demonic activity.”
A slow grin appeared
on Ethan’s face. “You’re fucking Faith.”
Oz cleared his
throat. “Um...not sure what that has to
do with anything.”
Ethan chuckled and
shook his head. “Nothing. It’s just something I realized, is all.”
Angel narrowed his
eyes. “And you’re fucking Michael. My sex life is none of your business...just
like yours is none of mine. So, let’s
just leave that out of this discussion.”
Ethan grinned and
nodded. “Fair enough. But, you still haven’t told me the real
reason you’re so gung-ho about helping Braden.”
Angel took a step
back and looked from Ethan to Oz, and then back to Ethan. “I promised him I would always be there for
him. It’s as simple as that. I’m not asking to be his bodyguard. I’m just asking how he’s doing.”
Oz smiled softly,
hearing the conviction in the vampire’s voice.
“He just received his green belt in bokator. He earned his brown in karate three months
ago. He can hit a target with a throwing
dagger from fifty feet. He’s doing
well.”
Angel smiled and
nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’re
welcome.” Oz replied, before quickly
adding another statement. “But, if you
ever try to harm him...you will not survive.”
Angel’s smile
grew. “I know.”
* * *
Faith ran her hand
through her long dark hair. “I kinda
considered her like a mother-figure, you know?”
She gave a half-chuckle and looked into Giles’ eyes. “Which is kinda weird, considering I never
thought of you as a father-figure.”
Giles tilted his head
slightly. “Do you have anyone that you do
think of as a father-figure?”
Faith snorted and
shook her head. “No, I tend to think of
men in sexual terms. And my father was
not a man I wanted to have sex with.”
“You and
Wesley?” Giles asked, instantly
reddening. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure why
I asked that. I – ”
“Once.” Faith replied softly, the smile fading from
her face. “Years ago, before Robin. Wes wasn’t…well, he wasn’t really in a good
place. Things with Angel and the others
had fallen apart…”
“Connor?” Giles sighed when Faith nodded. He knew the story, and he knew Wesley’s
reasoning for his actions. “Wesley was
only trying to help. He meant no harm to
the child.”
“Yeah, Angel knows
that now.” She looked back down at her
hands. “Not that Wes ever got the chance
to hear Angel say that he understood. He
died a hero, you know. Funny…I never
really thought of Wesley Wyndham-Price as a hero. Until he died.”
Giles smiled
softly. “Not many people were able to
see Wesley’s redeeming qualities.
Including me. Especially in the
beginning.”
Faith raised her eyes
and looked directly into Giles’. “You and
Buffy…”
Giles arched an
eyebrow. “Yes?”
“You really didn’t
have a thing going on back in school?”
Giles cleared his
throat and shook his head. “No, we
didn’t.”
“Huh. You were so protective of her, not like most
Watchers protect their Slayers. Certainly
not any of my Watchers.”
“Buffy and I have
never had the typical Watcher/Slayer relationship.”
Faith smiled. “That’s what makes you unstoppable. And, these changes to the Council that I’ve
been reading about?” She leaned forward
slightly, her smile growing. “They’re
really good, Giles. You care about the
Slayers…maybe a little too much, but you’re not about the glory like Travers
was.”
“Amelia wasn’t
either.”
“No, she
wasn’t.” Faith agreed before giving him
a wink. “But she wasn’t the rebel you
are, either.”
Giles narrowed his
eyes. “You’ve heard about Stockton.”
“God, am I like an
open book or something?” She sighed
heavily and slumped back against the cushions.
“Yeah, I heard. Stockton is the
first Watcher to be under investigation since…”
“Me.” Giles smiled.
“Yeah, but your
situation was totally bogus. It was just
Travers trying to control you. And…the
Board saw that and dropped all charges.
This guy…Giles, he’s dangerous.
Like…the old me kind of dangerous.”
“He’s under surveillance
at the moment.”
Faith nodded
slowly. “So was I. And how well did that turn out?”
Giles regarded her
carefully before leaning forward and looking into her dark eyes. “All things considered…I think you turned out
very well, Faith. You took a few detours
to get where you are now and made a couple of bad decisions along the way,
but…you found your way back.”
“We’re not all that
different really, are we…you and me?”
Giles chuckled and
laced his fingers together. “The
important thing is…we both found our way back to where we were supposed to be.”
“At least I didn’t
raise any demons while I was away.”
Giles grinned
broadly. “No. You just worked for one.”
Faith laughed for a
moment and then met his gaze. “You know,
there was a time…for a very long time…that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to
laugh about that.”
“If you hold onto
your guilt, it will eat at you until there’s nothing left. Eventually, you’ll cease to function as a
human. Guilt will twist your mind
quicker than anything else.”
Faith thought about
his words and then nodded. “Yeah…but,
how did you get rid of yours?”
“I wouldn’t say I’ve
gotten rid of mine. I still feel badly
for certain things that have happened in my past. But, I’ve chosen to not allow them to have
power over me. Your past is part of what
makes you the person you are today. It
doesn’t really matter what happened as long as you learn from your mistakes and
allow yourself to grow.”
Faith arched an
eyebrow at him. “Who drilled that into
your head? ‘Cause that sounded like a
pretty intense testimonial.”
Giles’ eyes
sparkled. “Buffy. She’s been very persuasive.”
Faith laughed
loudly. “Oh, I can imagine.”
Giles looked towards
the door when it opened slowly after a light knock. He smiled brightly when Buffy poked her head
in.
“Hey.”
“Hello.” He replied, standing as she walked into the
room.
“Breakfast is here…if
you’re hungry.” She looked at Faith and
smiled. “We picked up some stuff for you
and Angel as well.”
“Thanks, B.” Faith said as she stood up and
stretched. “I didn’t realize how hungry
I was until you mentioned food.”
As she started to
walk past Giles, he reached out and lightly took hold of her elbow. She looked up at him questioningly.
“Is there anything
else you’d like to discuss, Faith?”
She shook her head
and smiled. “No, I’m good. Thank you.”
He gave her a nod and
returned her smile. “Anytime.”
He released her arm
and she quickly left the room. Buffy
moved until she was standing directly in front of him.
“Everything okay?”
He reached up and
tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Yes. She just needed to talk.”
“Good thing you’re a
good listener.”
He chuckled softly
and bent down, lightly kissing her lips.
When she started to deepen the kiss, he stepped back and shook his head
as he grinned.
“Breakfast…about
twenty aspirins…and then, maybe, I’ll be up to more than a few kisses.”
She barked out a
laugh and took his hand. As she led him
out of the room, she looked up at him.
“Ru couldn’t decide
on bacon or sausage for you. So you got
both…with eggs and mushrooms.”
Giles laughed
heartily. “And I hope a very strong
coffee?”
Buffy winked and
slipped her arm around his waist.
“Triple shot.”
“You, my darling, are
a godsend.”
She smiled as he
leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
“How long are you
staying?” Buffy asked as she sat on the
steps leading to the courtyard, watching her husband play with their children.
Angel smirked from
his position in the doorway. He
carefully stepped out on onto the walkway and sat on the part of the ledge that
was protected from the sunlight.
“We’ll probably head
back tonight. How did you know I was
here?”
She turned slowly and
smiled at him. “I’m a Slayer, you’re a
vampire. I honed in…”
He grinned and
crossed his arms over his chest. “Did
you know I was here last night?”
“No, but I was a
little preoccupied.”
Angel laughed softly and
looked out to the courtyard, smiling as Giles kicked the soccer ball with the
kids. “He’s a good father.”
Buffy nodded quickly
and turned her eyes back to her family when she heard Braden laugh. “He’s the best. You’re a good father too, Angel.”
Angel narrowed his
eyes and stared at her. “I gave my son
up.”
Buffy shook her head
as she pushed herself up from the stair she was sitting on to take a place next
to him on the ledge. “You did what you
had to do to save Connor’s life. That’s
what a good father does.”
“Yeah.” Angel lowered his head and stared at his
swinging feet.
“How long have you
and Faith been…more than friends?”
He looked up quickly,
intending to deny the accusation. Seeing
the smile in her eyes, he chuckled.
There’d be no point in denying it…and if he were honest with himself, he
didn’t want to deny it.
“About eight
months. It definitely wasn’t planned.”
“Heat of battle
thing?”
He nodded slowly and
ran his hand through his hair. “At
first, yeah. Then, after she realized I
wasn’t going to lose my soul, it became more often. It just…kinda developed into what we have
now.”
“Do you love
her?” Buffy asked softly as she glanced
back towards her family.
“As much as I
can.” He followed her gaze and
smiled. “It’ll never be what you and
Giles have, but I care a lot for her.”
Buffy took a deep
breath and looked into his dark eyes.
“Just…don’t get too happy, okay?
I mean, I want you to be happy…but…not the kind of happy that turns you
into a homicidal maniac.”
Angel laughed, glancing
towards the door when Faith walked out.
“She’s under strict orders to dispose of me should that happen.”
Faith grinned and
walked over, sitting on the other side of the vampire. “You talkin’ about us?”
When he nodded, Faith
met Buffy’s eyes and smiled. “You okay
with that, B?”
Buffy returned her
smile. “Yeah, just…be careful.”
Buffy furrowed her
brow when Faith barked out a laugh.
Faith shook her head and slipped her hand into Angel’s.
“Giles said the same
thing. And…he said that you’d say the
same thing. You did…it’s funny. And…we’re both careful. He’s telling you the truth. Something goes wrong, I’ll stake him.”
Buffy darted her eyes
between the two of them. “It’s harder
than it sounds, Faith. Just be careful.”
Buffy slid from the
ledge when Lucas called for her. She
smiled at the couple and then gestured towards the courtyard.
“Duty calls. You’re leaving tonight?”
Angel and Faith
nodded as one, Faith was the one to speak.
“You know I’m not good with the ‘stay and visit’ thing. I wanted to come…see how everyone is doing
and all that. But…”
Buffy nodded
slowly. “I understand, Faith. Just promise that it won’t be over two years
before we see you again?”
Faith grinned. “I’ll see what I can do.”
When Lucas called
again, Buffy laughed. “I’d better get
down there. Dinner tonight before you
leave?”
Angel and Faith
glanced at one another before Angel answered.
“Sounds good.” He looked up at the sun and squinted his
eyes. “I think I might go lay down for a
little while.”
“You know where the
rooms are.” Buffy responded before
turning and running down the stairs.
Angel moved from the
ledge, Faith following him. He wrapped his
arm around her shoulder and watched as Buffy picked Lucas up and swung him
around playfully. When she put the boy
down, Giles moved to stand in front of her.
His vampire hearing
picked up each word they softly spoke.
He smiled when he heard Giles tell her how much he loved her.
Faith looked up at
him in concern. “You okay?”
He nodded slowly and
swallowed. “Yeah. It’s just…sometimes I wish we could have
that.”
Faith smiled and
rubbed his back. “No one has that,
Angel. Except for them.”
He met her eyes and
gently bit his lip. “You know what I
mean.”
Her smile faded and
she reached up to brush her fingers over his brow. “Yeah, I do.”
He gave the young
family another quick glance before gently nudging Faith to the doorway. “Sun’s moving…I need to go in.”
Faith looked out at
the courtyard and smiled brightly as she watched Buffy guide her two older boys
through a familiar kata routine. She
knew what Angel meant. And she had to admit
that sometimes she wished that she and Angel could have more than they did.
But, she was a
Slayer…and he was a cursed vampire.
There was only so much that they could have. Unconditional love, children, playtime in the
sun…those weren’t on their ‘can have’ list.
Angel moved inside
and raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you
coming?”
She crossed her arms
over her chest and looked over her shoulder at him. “I’ll be in soon. I think I want to watch Buffy train her kids
for a bit.”
Angel gave her a
quick nod, watching her for another moment as she returned her gaze to Buffy,
Braden, and Lucas. He felt a sense of
sadness when she laughed as Braden knocked his younger brother to the ground.
He lowered his head
and backed away. As he disappeared into
the building, Buffy looked up and noticed Faith watching them. With a quick wave of her hand, she beckoned
Faith down. Faith didn’t hesitate.
It wasn’t often she
got the chance to train in the sunshine.
* * *
Faith and Angel had
left soon after the children had been put to bed, but not before Giles had gently
taken Faith’s arm and pulled her aside.
She had looked at him questioningly and he had offered her a smile.
“You should train in
the sun more. You’re far too pale for a
woman your age.”
She had smiled up at
him. “A Slayer’s life is in the dark.”
He had shaken his
head, moving his hand to her shoulder.
“It doesn’t have to be. I was
your temporary Watcher once…though, when I think about it, you listened to me
as much as Buffy did.” When she
chuckled, he smiled and continued. “Just
a few hours in the sun, Faith. Your life
doesn’t need to be as dark as it currently is.”
Faith had looked at
him for a moment, respect and affection showing in her dark eyes. She leaned up and kissed his cheek before
giving him a hug.
“Thank you.”
He had given her a
nod and then met Angel’s eyes. “Take
care of each other.”
Angel had smiled
softly and taken Faith’s hand. “We
will.”
And with that, they
had left to return home. And now, Giles
lay in the bed with his arm thrown over his eyes. When he groaned softly, Buffy smiled and
looked over at him.
“Giles?”
He moved his arm and
opened his eyes to find her going through her closet. “Hm?”
“How are you
feeling?” She asked as she pulled out
one of his old and worn dress shirts.
“Fairly
ordinary. I’m rather sure that the time
spent in the sun didn’t help.” He licked
his dry lips and raised an eyebrow as she slipped the shirt on. “Why do you still have that?”
She fastened the
buttons and climbed onto the bed next to him.
“I like it. It’s comfy and you were
wearing it the first time you kissed me.”
“You’re very
sentimental. I find it charming.” He smiled and lightly fingered the
collar. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been hit
by a steamroller.” She sighed as she
laid down beside of him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I don’t know what took more out of me, the
alcohol or the sex.”
He chuckled
softly. “It wasn’t the sex that caused
my head to feel like it’s going to explode.”
She grinned and
lifted her hand, lightly stroking his forehead.
“I think that’s the only downfall to having children that I’ve found.”
“Mm? What’s that?”
He asked, relaxing under her touch.
“No hangover recovery
time. I miss that.” She moved her fingers down the side of his
neck. “I miss getting drunk with you and
then spending the entire day after in bed.”
He arched an eyebrow
at her. “Because we did that so often.”
She shrugged a
shoulder and smiled. “I still miss it.”
He took a deep breath
and brushed his fingers over the buttons on the shirt. Her smile faded when she saw concern in his
eyes.
“What were you
thinking about a few minutes ago?”
He sighed and looked
into her eyes. “Faith.”
“Should I be worried
that my husband is in our bed thinking of another Slayer?”
A smile tugged at his
lips. “You’ve nothing to worry about,
Buffy.”
“What is it?” She whispered softly.
“She spends too much
time in the dark.”
She raised an eyebrow
and rested her hand on his chest. “Are
you worried about her complexion or the fact that she’s sleeping with Angel?”
“I want her to be
happy. And I’m not sure she can be
completely happy being with someone she can’t make happy for fear of him
becoming…”
“A homicidal
maniac? Yeah…I worry about that too.”
“I can only hope that
she’s able to keep her promise should that scenario arise.”
Buffy nodded in
agreement and then lowered her lips to his.
“I know this is something we need to talk about…”
He smiled and lifted
his hand to stroke her cheek. “But?”
“But, I think I’d
like to take your mind off of it for a little while.”
His smile turned to a
grin as she climbed on top of him.
“Well…there is the matter of this headache I have…”
“Mm-hm.” She mumbled as she leaned down and kissed him
again. “You know what helps a headache
better than aspirin or ibuprofen?”
“What?” He whispered as she rubbed her right hand
over his chest.
“A rush of
adrenalin.” She shifted, smiling as she
felt him harden beneath her. “Best thing
in the world for a headache.”
He returned her
smile, slipping his hands underneath the shirt she was wearing. “Show me.”
* * *
Nearly four thousand
miles to the west, a bright flash took out an entire city. The flames reflected in the cold blue eyes
belonging to the man currently sitting on a hill watching the destruction.
He chuckled to himself,
inhaling a lungful of smoke as the screams of the people down below drifted to
his ears.
This was going to
take time and patience. But, it would be
well worth it in the end.
A smile tugged at his
lips as he leaned against the tree trunk.
He had been taught patience all of his life. Now it was time to practice what he had been
taught.
~ End