Buffy sighed, linking her left arm through Giles’ right as they walked through the grass, a sword slung over her right shoulder.  “This…is beautiful.”

“Mm…”  He murmured, reaching up with his left hand to pluck a flower from a tree branch above them.  The sword in the scabbard on his back shifted slightly.  “Rumour has it this was part of the grounds of Camelot.”

“Camelot?  Like King Arthur and the Round Table and all that?”  She asked, an excitement in her tone that caused him to smile.

“Something like that…apparently.”  He gestured towards a rose bush with a tilt of his head.  “Legend says that King Uther had that bush planted in honour of his wife’s death, on the day his son – Arthur - turned one.”

“And your family’s property just happens to join up with freaking Camelot?”

He chuckled, turning to slip the flower into her hair.  “It’s…rumour and legend, Buffy.  No one really knows where Camelot was – or if it truly existed at all.”

“Why have you never told me about this before?”

“Well, it’s terribly pretentious, isn’t it?”  He said, smiling as she laughed loudly. 

“A little.”  She agreed playfully, then slid the sword off of her shoulder.  “Why do you always make dates into training sessions?”

“What?”  He grinned and gave her a wink.  “I prefer to think of our training sessions turning into dates.”

She rolled her eyes, unsheathing her sword and dropping the leather scabbard to the ground.  “But, gotta admit…it’s kinda cool to be having a sword session on the maybe grounds of maybe Camelot.”

He laughed softly, shaking his head in amusement, then narrowed his eyes as something caught his attention –  a shimmer to their left, just near the rose bush.  She followed his gaze, tilting her head as the shimmer seem to grow…waving like a flag in the wind. 

“What the hell is that?”

He shook his head as he took a few steps towards it.  “I’m sure I’ve no idea.”

The shimmer grew even larger, the wave more frantic, a sudden gust of wind rushed through – and then, they were no longer alone.  A large, broad-shouldered man, dressed in dark blue stood before them – though facing away from them. 

“Um…hi?”  Buffy said quietly, angling the tip of her sword towards the ground.

The man turned suddenly, his hand on the hilt of the sword at his hip.  “Who are you?”

Buffy lifted a hand and narrowed her eyes.  “Whoa, settle down there.  We’re just...”

“Who are you to raise your hand to me?!”  The man interrupted, taking a step towards her.  “I could have you thrown in the dungeon for such disrespect!”

Buffy arched an eyebrow at him.  “Um…yeah, okay. So, I don’t know who you are, but…you start talking about dungeons and throwing people in them and we’re going to have a massive problem.”

Giles looked at the man curiously, his eyes taking in every detail of the man’s appearance.  And then he noticed the pommel of the man’s sword – and his eyes widened.

“Buffy…”

“Your tongue is going to land you in great danger, child.”  The man snarled, taking another step towards her.

“Child?  Did you just call me a child?”  She shot back, feeling her anger rise quickly.

“Buffy…”  Giles repeated, a bit more forcefully.

The man turned his eyes to Giles, glaring at him dangerously.  “You should control your ward.  Or I’ll control her myself.”

“Ward?  Who the hell do you think you are?”  Buffy said angrily, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly.  “I’m no one’s ward and I’ll be damned if you – ”

The man suddenly lashed out with a backhanded slap – which Buffy blocked effortlessly as she dropped her sword to the ground.  Before he could attempt another attack, she shoved him backwards into a tree trunk. 

“What the hell?!  You just appear out of nowhere, dressed like that…threatening me and then try to hit me?”  She pushed him again when he shoved away from the tree.  “Seriously, who do you think you are?”

“I am King Uther Pendragon!”  The man bellowed, his eyes darkening in rage.  “And should you touch me once more, it will be your final mistake.”

Giles moved quickly, standing toe to toe with the man proclaiming to be King Uther.  Buffy moved slightly to the side, eyes trained on the stranger. 

“If you are who you say you are, something has happened and you’re not in your own timeline.”  Giles said carefully.

“Have you lost your mind?”  Uther said, his tone low.  “This is my…”

Uther looked around, taking in his surroundings for the first time.  His eyes widened as he realised that things were not as they were just moments earlier.  The roses were overgrown, there was a tree where one did not exist, the low wall to the south of the garden had crumbled, with only a few stones showing – and they were completely covered in moss and ivy.

“I must be dreaming.”  He said to himself, turning to look behind him.  “Where is the path?  The path is no longer…”

He suddenly turned back to Giles, his gloved hand gripping the front of Giles’ throat.  “What sorcery is this?  Who are you?  Who devised such a devious plan?”

Buffy moved quickly, picking up her sword and pressing the tip against the side of Uther’s neck.  Uther hesitated for just a moment and then released Giles from his grasp.  Giles stumbled backwards, gasping for breath.

Buffy lowered her sword and took a step closer to Giles.  Uther pulled his sword from its sheath and held it in front of him, daring either one of them to make a move.  Buffy moved to stand in front of Giles and glared up at Uther. 

“We had nothing to do with this.  But, what kind of King would attack two strangers – one of those a woman?  Is that the kind of King you are?  If it is…then I could see anyone coming up with any number of plans to oust you from your Kingdom.”

Giles coughed and shook his head.  “Buffy, don’t…”

Buffy continued as if Giles hadn’t said anything. 

“You want a fight?  Let’s have at it then.” 

Uther’s grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. 

Buffy glanced at the sword before returning her stare to Uther’s eyes.  “I’d bet you good money that I could take you down in a sword fight.”

“Are you challenging me?”  Uther said after a moment, amusement in his tone as he lowered his sword.  “A young girl challenging me in a battle of swords?  What a preposterous notion!”

“It didn’t seem that preposterous when my blade was against your throat.”  She ground out, swinging her sword in a large arc before holding it in front of her.  “What are your terms?”

“Terms?”  Uther scoffed.  “My dear child, terms are death, as always.”

Buffy shook her head.  “Nope.  I’m not going to kill you.  I’m going to win this, but I won’t kill you.  So, terms are…”

Uther swung his sword in an upward motion in an attempt to disarm her.  She changed her grip and blocked the blow, then narrowed her eyes at him.

“Well, that was rude.  We’re still discussing terms, here.”

“Fine.  State your terms and I’ll decide if they’re agreeable.”  Uther said, taking a small step back, but not lowering his weapon. 

“If I win, you come back to our house and we figure out what the hell is going on…and how to get you back to where you’re from.  Assuming you’re actually who you say you are.”

“You doubt me?”  Uther stared at her, unwavering. 

It was at that moment that Buffy realised that his eyes were the same color as Giles’.  Which was odd…because she’d never seen anyone who had the same color.  In fact, now that she was really noticing, there were quite a few similarities…height, the shoulders…the glare that was more Ripper than King, in her opinion.  He looked like an older version of Giles – which was just…weird.  She shook her head, clearing the thoughts from her mind.

“In our line of work, nothing is impossible.  And we did see you just…appear out of thin air.”  She said quickly.  “But, that doesn’t mean you are who you say you are.  So, if I win…we figure this shit out.”

He thought for a moment and then gave her a nod.  His eyes darted down her body as a smirk played at his lips. 

“And should I win?”

“I’ve set my terms – you set yours.”

Giles instantly recognised the look in Uther’s eyes.  Before Uther could speak, Giles had drawn his own sword and gave him a glare that Buffy hadn’t seen in years. 

“That’s not going to happen, Uther.”  He ground out, his jaw tensing in barely controlled rage.

Uther turned his eyes to Giles.  “You do not call me by my given name.  Have some respect, you vile sorcerer.  I can smell the magick on your skin.”

Giles said nothing, merely stared at him.  Buffy looked from one to the other, suddenly understanding.

“Jesus Christ, seriously?” 

When Giles didn’t look at her, she shook her head in frustration.  “Rupert!”

Uther smirked, his fingers twitching against the hilt of his sword, his eyes boring into Giles’. Giles didn’t respond to her, instead addressing the King.

“Buffy is not a prize to be won.”  He stated, his tone eerily even. 

“This…protectiveness that you’re exhibiting…”  Uther started, gesturing vaguely towards Giles with his sword.  “You’ll not be able to hold on to her – the ward will fly.”

“That’s enough.”  Giles narrowed his eyes, quickly knocking Uther’s blade away with his own.  “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Uther raised an eyebrow. “So, you and the child…”  A slow smile appeared on his face.  “Perhaps I’m negotiating terms with the wrong person.”

“My terms would be the same as hers.”  Giles said coolly. 

Uther chuckled, removing his outer cloak.  “Mine are the same as well.”

“As I previously stated…Buffy is not a prize to be won.”

“But, she is one to lose.”  Uther replied, his eyes gleaming in the afternoon sun. 

Giles made a minor change in the grip he had on his sword, barely perceptible to anyone – though Buffy noticed.  Before she could say anything, Giles attacked with a force that took the King by surprise.  As Giles swung a second time, Uther stumbled back and blocked the blow – then sidestepped to the left with an agility that Giles obviously hadn’t expected. 

Buffy watched intently, moving as they moved…ready to jump in at any given moment. 

The sound of steel against steel sounded loud as they traded blows.  And then Giles noticed a weakness in the King’s shoulder – it was a slight drop, but just enough to give Giles an edge.  An edge that he quickly took advantage of, using a double-handed grip to unleash a fury of blows against the King that he wasn’t prepared for.  The fourth strike caused Uther to lose his balance, falling back against an overturned stone pillar…his sword dropping dangerously low.  His eyes widened as Giles quickly stepped forward and lifted his sword for one final blow.  Giles swung, fully prepared to end this battle once and for all – however, Buffy was not prepared to let that happen. 

She moved quickly, catching his blade with hers just before his was to connect with Uther’s shoulder. 

Both men looked at her, to find her staring at Giles. 

She shook her head, flicking his sword out of his hand with a twist of her wrist.  “This is not happening. Take a step back, take a breather.” 

“I am your Watcher.”  He grumbled, obviously frustrated. 

“Yeah, my Watcher.  Not my protector, not someone who disables an alleged Medieval King over a cockfight.”  She took a step forward, placing her palm over his heart.  “Take a step back…calm down.”

Giles’ jaw tightened for a moment, then he gave her a subtle nod and took a step back.  Uther pushed himself back up, breathing heavily. 

She turned her eyes to Uther, who was staring at her in disbelief.  “I think this means you’re coming back to our place and we’re figuring out what the hell is going on.”

“Watcher?”  He asked, glancing at Giles.  “What is that?”

“We can explain that later.”  She watched as he gingerly rotated his shoulder.  “You alright?”

“I believe I’ve angered an old injury.”  He said quietly, then furrowed his brow – unsure as to why he would have told her that.  He cleared his throat and gestured towards her weapon.  “Where did you learn such swordsmanship?”

Buffy tilted her head towards Giles.  “From him.”

Uther looked back at Giles, a dubious expression on his face.  “What exactly do you…watch?”

Giles tilted his head towards Buffy.  “Her.”

Uther was quiet for a moment, then narrowed his eyes slightly.  “Both of you are very perplexing.”

Buffy shrugged a shoulder.  “We’ve been told that before.”

Uther gave a deep sigh of resignation and looked off into the distance.  “My horse did not come with me.  How are we to travel to your castle?”

“Castle?  No.  No, we don’t live in a castle.” 

Uther’s eyes snapped back to Buffy.  “You both use a sword in the manner you do…yet, you aren’t royalty?”

Giles shook his head slowly, but Buffy thought for only a second and then grinned. 

“Well, there was that time when the Princess screamed and heads exploded.”  Her grin faded as both men stared at her.  “Okay, yeah…still not technically a Princess, but…that was the story, right?”

“You…can explode heads?  With your scream?”  Uther asked, his tone dripping with confusion. 

“Just the once – it was a weird fairy tale thing…”  When she realised she was only confusing him further, she shook her head.  “Nevermind, it’s really not important.  I’m not a princess…or any type of royalty.  Neither is Giles.  I’m the Slayer, he’s my Watcher.”

“Buffy, let’s not get into this here…”  Giles started, only to be interrupted by Uther.

“You’re…an assassin?”

“Assassin?  No…no, the Slayer is – ”  She glanced at Giles, just in time to see him impatiently roll his eyes.  “Look, we’ll explain everything once we get home.  Okay?”

“Where is your home?”  Uther asked, looking around for any evidence of an abode.

“A few miles that way.”  Buffy said, gesturing behind them. 

“And…your horses?”

“In the stables…”  She replied, tilting her head quizzically.  “How did you know we have horses?”

“Transport.”  Uther said absently.  “But, you stated your horses are in their stables.  How do you propose we find our way to your home?”

Buffy’s eyes widened as though she couldn’t really believe he’d asked that question.  “The same way we got here…we’ll walk.”

Uther straightened suddenly, almost comically.  “Walk?  You expect me to walk…a few miles?”

Giles arched an eyebrow at the King.  “I highly doubt it will hurt you.”

Buffy lightly smacked him – she understood where he was going with that dig, Uther obviously took it literally. 

“It isn’t pain I’m concerned about, Watcher.”  Uther retorted with a tone of royal arrogance.

Giles rolled his eyes, returning his sword to the scabbard on his back.  “Let’s go before I decide to just leave you here to deal with this on your own.  You’ll walk, Your Majesty…just like the peasants do.”

With a huff, Giles started walking.  Buffy watched after him for a moment, then glanced at Uther. 

“It’s really not a bad walk – we need to get you back to your time, you need to stick with us.  There’s really no other option right now.”

Uther exhaled a deep breath, sliding his sword into the sheath on his belt.  “Very well.”

Buffy did well to hide her amusement at Uther’s extremely grumpy tone.  A grumpy Uther would most likely be a volatile Uther – which definitely wasn’t needed right now. 

“However, your Watcher seems to have disappeared.” 

Buffy did smile at that…and then shook her head.  “No, he’s just up ahead waiting.”

Uther gave her a sideways glance, allowing his eyes to roam over her.  “Pity…”

“And that’s why he’s waiting just up ahead.” 

* * *

Uther followed Buffy and Giles into their home, his eyes widening as he looked around.  This was nothing like what he was used to.  He gasped softly as Giles flicked a switch – and the lights came on.  There were candles in the room, mostly on the fireplace mantle – but, obviously they weren’t used for lighting.  Uther walked over and ran a gloved finger over the switch, jumping slightly when it moved and the lights went out. 

“Oh…”

Buffy chuckled softly.  Giles stared at her.  She walked over and turned the lights back on and offered Uther a smile. 

“Electricity – it’s how we power things these days.”

Uther nodded, but more out of acknowledgement of Buffy saying something – and very much not because he understood.  Because he didn’t – he didn’t understand any of this…at all.  He turned towards Giles when he heard a thump on the table near the door.  The thump was the sound of Giles’ keys being dropped.  Giles’ eyes flicked over Uther and then he met his eyes.

“You seem to have fared well.”

Uther stared back, obviously perplexed.  “What?”

Buffy shot Giles a look that clearly told him to ‘stop’ before speaking softly to the King.  “He’s teasing you – because of how you didn’t want to walk.”

“Is it commonplace in this age to tease your King?”  Uther asked in annoyance.

“We have the Queen, not a King.”  Giles replied, not answering the actual question. 

Uther gestured towards one of the bookshelves.  “You…have many books.”

Giles rolled his eyes and looked at Buffy.  “Keep an eye on him.  I’ll get some water.”

Buffy watched Giles stalk off to the kitchen, then gestured towards the room with a wave of her hand.  “He does have many books.  Do you like to read?”

“Most of my reading comes in the form of treaties and contracts.”  He walked over to the bookshelf, then turned to look at her.  “You are much of an enigma.”

“Yeah, I get that sometimes.”  She said, sitting down at the table.  “So…what’s with the whole ‘If I win, you go to bed with me’ thing?”

She looked into his eyes as she continued.  “Because, that comes across very much like you have no respect for women.  That the only thing I could possibly offer you is a good time.”

“A…good time?”  He asked in a puzzled tone. 

“She’s talking about sex.”  Giles said as he walked back into the room with three bottles of water and a small platter of fruit.  “And she’s correct – you demanded respect from both of us, yet showed her none.  And this is where my frustration lies.”

Uther looked at the bottle curiously, then watched as Buffy unscrewed the lid on hers.  He copied her actions, a murmured ‘hmm’ sounding as the lid came off.  He took a long drink then looked at Buffy.

“I’m aware that you can offer more than I originally thought.  My assumptions were incorrect, for that I apologise.”

Buffy sat back in her chair, eyebrows raised in surprise.  “Well, I definitely wasn’t expecting that.”

Uther sat down across from her, leaning forward slightly and folding his hands together on the tabletop.  “As King, I am accustomed to certain things.”

“Women throwing themselves at you?  Begging for time with you?”  She retorted, picking up a piece of strawberry.

“From memory, the only time a woman has thrown herself at me was when begging for mercy – not the most enticing scenario.”

Giles smirked, but said nothing.  Instead, he watched…and he listened. 

“So, basically…if there’s a woman you find worthy of your time, you just…take her?”

“Your tone makes it sound as though that is unpleasurable.”   When he saw the annoyance in her eyes, he continued.  “I don’t force myself upon anyone.  I make no demands of a woman.  And certainly I see you as more than a companion for the evening.  Your strength, your speed…I’m sure you would be a worthy opponent for my son.  This is merely unusual.  I’m curious…what is it that you slay?  Dragons, gryphons…”

“Vampires and demons, mostly.”  She said with a shrug of her shoulder.  “Do you even have vampires in your time?”

“I don’t believe so.”  Giles answered, chewing a wedge of apple.  “I’m not sure they’d come this far North at that time.”

“And you – you’re called a Watcher?  What do you watch?”

“My role as Watcher is to guide the Slayer, teach her what she needs to know, train her…as it were.”  Giles responded, lifting his bottle of water to his lips.

“You train her…but, you are not called her Trainer?”

Buffy laughed, earning her a glare from Giles and a soft smile from Uther. 

Giles shrugged a shoulder, taking a drink from the bottle.

“But, you practice magick.”  Uther continued, his tone uneasy.  “Call upon the dark arts to assist you in your battles.”

“Oh, no.  I rarely use the dark arts.  Magick isn’t…”  Giles exhaled a slow breath and ran his finger through the condensation on the bottle.  “Not all magick is dark, Your Majesty.  In fact, very little actually is.  You would find that most people practicing magick are gentle souls using it to help others.  Those using it to harm…well, those are the minority.”

“Magick is magick.”  Uther disagreed, shaking his head.

“Without magick, you’ll not return home.  So, that’s something you should probably consider.  You want to go home, you have to deal with me doing magick – and trust me to do it safely.”  Giles snapped, then looked at Buffy.  “I’m going to get dinner started.”

“I can do that.”  Buffy offered quickly, pushing her chair back. 

Giles shook his head as he stood up.  “No.  I need not be in this room with him right now.  And I don’t trust him to be left alone.  So…”

“Yeah, okay…I’ll King-sit.”  She said softly, reaching out to take hold of his hand.  “Are you okay?”

He squeezed her hand gently, giving her a nod.  “I am.”

She watched him leave the room – Uther watched her watch him.  And then he lightly tapped his finger against the table. 

“He doesn’t care much for me, does he?”

Buffy snorted a laugh, shaking her head as she turned back to look at him.  “You threatened his girlfriend, then wagered sex with her, you’ve said some really dismissive and shitty things to him…and you’ve generally just been an entitled prick about the whole thing.  Why would he care for you?”

“But…he cares for you.”  He said, his tone low.  Seductively low. 

Buffy shook her head quickly, not sure why ‘seductively’ popped into her head.  “He loves me.  I love him.”

Uther sat back in his chair, regarding her closely…a light smirk playing on his lips.  “You remind me much of a maidservant who I’ve seen walk the halls of the castle.”

“Someone who you’ve walked to your room for the night?”

His smirk grew, his eyes remained locked with hers.  “Once or twice.”

“There is definitely something intriguing about you, Uther Pendragon.”

“Oh?”  His eyes sparkled as his tongue wet his lips. 

“We really need to figure out how to get you home…like…asap.”

“Asap?”

Buffy laughed, then rubbed her brow with her fingertips. 

This was going to be a very long night.

* * *

Buffy looked up as Uther fell forward, his head landing heavily on the tabletop.  She jumped up and ran over to him, quickly pressing her fingers to the side of his neck to check for a pulse. 

“Your Majesty?”  She asked, narrowing her eyes as checked his breathing.  “Hey, Uther…”

“He’ll wake up tomorrow.”  Giles said calmly, turning the page in the text he was looking through. 

Buffy straightened, moving her hand from Uther’s neck to the back of his shoulder as she stared at Giles.  “What?”

Giles glanced up, meeting her eyes only for a moment before looking back down at the book.  “He’s fine.  He’ll sleep through the night.”

“You drugged him?”  Buffy asked, astounded that he would do such a thing.

Giles sighed and looked up again.  “I slipped him a Mickey.  He’ll be fine.”

She stared at him, eyes wide…mouth dropped open in disbelief.  “Okay, one…so the answer to that is yes.  And two…what the hell?  A Mickey?  Are you reading mystery novels set in the 20s again?”

Giles gestured to the unconscious King and shook his head.  “He wagered a night with you on the outcome of a swordfight!  And I’m not exactly blind nor deaf – he’s been flirting with you all evening.  You actually expect me to be able to allow him to wander around the house at night while we sleep?”

He very pointedly ignored her second point.

“I really doubt he’d try to fuck me in my sleep, Giles.  Also, as if we’re actually going to get any sleep anyway.  Seriously…we have a freaking medieval King in our living room…who just appeared out of nowhere.”

He glanced at her hand, which was still resting on Uther’s back.   “Would you have accepted his terms?”

“Are you really asking me if I want him to – ”

“I don’t know what I’m asking.”  He interrupted softly, rubbing his hand over his face.  “This is all just so surreal and…”  He paused, then leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily.  “I could have killed him.  The King of Camelot.  Can you imagine the damage that could have caused?”

“You weren’t going to kill him.”  She said, slowly removing her hand from Uther’s back and returning to her chair.  “You had no intention of killing him.”

When he didn’t respond, she continued with a gentle smile. 

“You were going to hit him with the flat of the blade, not the edge.  May have dislocated his shoulder, but it wouldn’t have been a fatal blow.”  She gestured to the King, amusement showing in her eyes.  “He didn’t know that though.”

“Yes, well…”  He mumbled, looking back down at the book. 

Buffy’s eyes were drawn back to Uther – who looked fairly uncomfortable.  “We should put him in the spare room.  He can’t sleep there like that all night.”

“I suppose you want to undress him and put him in a pair of my pajamas as well?”  He asked, his tone teasing.  When she didn’t answer, he lifted his eyes to find her looking at Uther.  “Because…that’s not happening.”

“He can’t sleep in those clothes, Giles.  That’s ridiculous – plus, they’ll need to be cleaned and…”

“Are you bloody serious right now?”

“Oh my god, really?  You’re jealous?  Of him?”

“I’m not…it’s not…”  He exhaled forcefully and glared at her.  “Let’s say Lady Morgana had appeared instead of Uther.  And she had insinuated that she’d like to go to bed with me.  Would you be all that thrilled if I suggested that we undress her and put her in your pajamas for the evening so she’d be comfortable?”

“Who’s Lady Morgana?”

“Not that it really fucking matters, but she’s Uther’s ward.  How would you feel about that?”

Buffy thought about that for a moment and then gave him an understanding nod.  “Yeah, you’re right.  I’m sorry…truly.  Maybe I can give Willow a call.  She knows a spell that can change a person’s clothing…”

Giles chuckled to himself, then gestured towards the bookshelf.  “Yeah, she learned that from the Vilhem Compendium – second shelf fifth from the right.”

Buffy furrowed her brow as she looked at him.  “Why didn’t you suggest that?”

“I guess I was too caught up in my girlfriend wanting to undress another man.”  He replied with a shrug.

She stood up and started to walk over to the bookshelf, pausing to bend down to give him a kiss.  “I wouldn’t do anything with him without you there too, you know…that is, if I wanted to do anything with him.”

His eyes widened in surprise at her words, but her lips were on his before he could respond.

* * *

Buffy studied Uther and then tilted her head slightly, speaking to Giles.  “It’s weird right?  Him wearing modern day pajamas?”

“Only because you know that he’s not from this timeline.”

She nodded slowly, then glanced at Uther’s clothing.  “Is there a spell that can clean those for him?”

Giles turned to look at her, mild frustration in his eyes.  “Of course, there is.  Do you think that I actually spent time doing laundry in between…”  He caught himself and cleared his throat.  “I’ll deal with it in a while.  I’m more concerned about getting him back to the fifth century.”

“We should probably leave a towel out for him…”  She looked up at him and then quickly continued.  “So he can have a shower when he wakes up.”

“I’m sure that will be an interesting experience, considering he’s not going to have any idea of how any of that works.”

His tone confused her and she looked at him curiously.  “We can show him how things work…”

He rolled his eyes, then turned and abruptly left the room.  She looked back at Uther briefly and then followed Giles, closing the door behind her. 

She found him quickly, angrily making a cup of tea in the kitchen.  “Giles, stop…”

“I’m making tea.  Do you want one?”

“You’re making angry tea…and you’ll complain about it not tasting right.”  She said, walking over and touching his arm.  “This anger, I think we need to talk about it.”

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, shaking his head.  “I’m not angry…I’m just…”

He turned his head towards her and gestured towards the hall.  “What are we doing?”

“We’re helping a Medieval King get back to his Kingdom…”  She offered him a tentative smile.  “We’re just trying to do it in the most comfortable way possible.  He has to be confused, Giles – scared, worried…”

“The use of magick is punishable by death in Camelot under Uther’s reign.”  He poured the boiling water into his mug.  “The only way he could have gotten here is by magick – the only way he’s going to be able to get back is with magick.”

“Maybe I can talk to him.  You know…one non-magick person to another.”

Giles thought for a moment and then nodded slowly.  “Perhaps.”

“So, what are you thinking this is?”  She asked, trying to redirect the conversation back to the task at hand – getting Uther back to where he came from.  “A portal?”

“No…portals are doorways.  As in, you see someone enter.  This…he didn’t enter.  He just…appeared.”  He took a sip of his tea and his eyes widened.  “Bloody hell, a fold…”

“What?”

Giles rushed out of the room without answering.  By the time she caught up to him, he was already pulling a book from the shelf. 

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s clear as day…I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me as soon as it happened.”

“Well, there was a huge sea of testosterone to wade through….”

He glanced at her and then gave her a small nod.  “Touché.” 

“But, also…your ‘clear as day’ looks pretty murky to me.  What are you talking about?”

“There’s a theory that time folds in on itself – we used this theory a little back in the day.”

Buffy arched an eyebrow.  “Back in the day?”

“With Ethan.”  He clarified, ripping a piece of paper out of a notebook.  He quickly folded it as though he were making a paper fan.  “Instead of time being linear, there’s a thought that timelines are…vertical, stacked next to each other – like this.”

He held the folded paper up and then expanded it.  “With the right amount of force…technically, it could be possible to push something through a fold.”

“Technically?  You said you used the theory…”

“Well, we created the fold as well.”  He replied, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Okay, I get what you’re saying – and the visual aid helped a lot, thanks for that – but, that would take tons of force to push him from the fifth century to now, right?”

“Not if the timelines were rearranged.  They’re not connected, just…stored.  Pretty easy to move around if needed – if you know what you’re doing.”

“And…you know what you’re doing?”  When he narrowed his eyes at her, she shrugged her shoulders.  “Look, it’s just…you don’t want him ending up somewhere else he shouldn’t be…where there’s no one who could help him.”

“Why are you so invested in this?”  He asked, more intrigued than anything else.  “What I mean is…this is going above – or deeper – than you wanting to help someone.”

“He’s like a lost puppy, Giles…”

“Or a wild jackal…”

She snorted a soft laugh and then took his hand into hers.  “He reminds me of you when you were horribly lost one time.  And…okay, so I have to ask…”

“What?”  He drawled warily. 

“Giles property…Pendragon property…”  She said, waiting for him to connect the dots. She chuckled nervously when he didn’t.  “Same shade of green in your eyes…the chin…the jawline…”

He stared at her, then barked out a laugh.  “Are you asking if I’m related to Uther Pendragon?”

“I’m asking if your lines have crossed somewhere along the way, because…shit’s pinging all over the place right now.”

“Maybe you’re just attracted to him and you’re transferring.”  He said, a smirk hiding in his eyes.  After a beat, he held up the book and waggled it lightly.  “With the help of what’s in here…yes, I think I do know what I’m doing – and I’m fairly confident that we can return him safely to Camelot.”

Buffy nodded slowly, her mind still catching up from the sudden detour that Giles had taken to put them back on task.  “Okay…”

“If I make you a list, would you mind gathering ingredients for me?  It’s going to take a while to work out the parameters of the spell that’s needed for this.”  He thought for a moment and then took a deep breath.  “There’s someone in Camelot with a great deal of powerful magick…”

“Yeah, there is.  So, I’m going to talk to him about it in the morning, okay?”  When he nodded in agreement, she gestured towards a notebook with a tilt of her chin.  “Write me a list…I’ll be errand girl this time.”

He chuckled, then pulled the notebook over to him and started writing. 

* * *

Buffy and Giles both looked up as Uther rushed into the room, pure confusion and more than a little ire in his eyes. 

“What is the meaning of this?”  He yelled, gesturing at his attire.  “Where is my clothing?  How did I end up – ”  He glared at Giles dangerously.  “The last thing that I remember is drinking the wine that you offered me.  What did you do to me?”

Buffy jumped up quickly, drawing Uther’s attention away from Giles.  “Okay – Giles slipped you a Mickey…”  She started, using her fingers to draw air quotes.  “…you fell asleep.  We moved you into the guest room, so you’d be more comfortable. Your clothing needed to be cleaned, so…”

Uther’s right eyebrow arched slightly.  “You…undressed me?”

“What?  NO!”  She shook her head, not really knowing how to explain.  “Okay, don’t freak out – we used a spell to change you out of your clothes…neither of us undressed you.”

“A spell?!”  Uther growled.  “You used magick on me? How dare you!”

“Okay, this…”  She gestured at him with a wave of her hand.  “This is you freaking out.  You need to take a deep breath and calm down.  Because – ”

“I should have you restrained.”  He said, his tone nearing rage. 

“ENOUGH!”  Giles yelled, slamming his hand on the table as he stood up.  “We are doing our level best to help you – and, like it or not, that is going to involve magick.  Magick brought you here, magick will send you home.  I dropped something in your drink last night to render you unconscious – because I don’t fucking trust you right now.  You should be grateful to Buffy for you waking up in a comfortable bed, wearing comfortable nightclothes, with freshly laundered clothing awaiting you – because if it had been left to me, you would slept the night with your head on the table.  Threaten her once more and you’ll see what I’m truly capable of, King Uther Pendragon of Camelot.”

Uther glared at Giles, his eyes darkened.  Then he turned his eyes to Buffy and offered her a small nod.  Without another word, he turned and stormed back down the hall.

Giles exhaled a deep breath and Buffy smiled. 

“Well, I wasn’t really expecting that, but…damn, Giles – that was kinda hot.”

He looked at her and then lowered his eyes.  She noticed the slight tremble in his hand as he picked up his pen.

“I’ve never dealt well with people threatening you.”  He said softly. 

“I’ve always loved you for it.”  She replied, just as softly.  She leaned down and brushed her lips across his cheek.  “Pretty sure he’s not going to cross you now – so, I’m going to go check in on him…show him how the shower works…”

“Just…don’t let your guard down, love.”

She ran her fingers through his hair, smiled…then walked out of the room.  Giles took another deep calming breath and shook his head.

* * *

Buffy leaned against the doorframe and lightly knocked on the open door.  Uther turned to look at her – his hair was severely mussed, he’d obviously been running his fingers through it in frustration.  Giles did that too.

“No harm was meant, Uther.”  She said softly.  “I know you hate magick – I’m not sure why you hate it, but I know you do.  The thing is though…not all magick is bad or dark – and not all people who practice are evil.  If we were in your Kingdom now – and Giles had performed this same spell on you, for the same reason…you would have him executed, right?”

When Uther hesitated in responding, Buffy sighed sadly. 

“I think you should probably think about that.  Because if you’re executing someone who was literally just trying to make your life more comfortable – which one is more likely to be seen as evil?”

Uther lowered his eyes, then glanced towards his clothing – clean and neatly folded on top of the dresser.  “I should dress…”

“Bring your clothes, follow me…”  When Uther narrowed his eyes slightly, even though the wasn’t looking at her, Buffy smiled.  “I’m not your servant.  You can carry your own clothes.  You should shower before you get dressed.”

He looked up to question her, just in time to see her walk further down the hall.  He quickly grabbed the pile of clothing and followed her.  He curiously looked into the room she had walked into – and then he stepped inside, glancing at the shower as she opened the glass door. 

“Okay…this turns the water on.”  She gestured towards the small ledge inside the shower.  “Soap and shampoo are there.  There are fresh towels on the rack and here’s a clean wash cloth.  You can put your clothes on that table there…and just put your pajamas in the basket over there.”

“Shampoo?”  He asked, eyes drifting over the numerous bottles on the ledge. 

“Yeah, for your hair – use the stuff in the black bottle.  It’s more you.”  When his eyes darted to her she chuckled.  “I’m not washing it for you, that’s not in my job description.”

“You’ll not at least heat the water?”  He asked, walking over and carefully placing his pile of clothing on the small table.

“Huh?  OH…sorry…”  She smiled warmly and reached inside the shower to point at the levers.  “Come on, I’ll show you how it works.  If the lever is in the middle, the water is going to be warm.  If you want it hotter, turn it to the left…like this.  Cooler, turn it to the right.  If the water pressure isn’t strong enough pull the lever towards you a little.  See?”

Uther’s eyes widened as he watched her demonstrate how to use the shower.  “What kind of sorcery is that…”

She laughed, turning the water back off.  “It’s not sorcery, Uther.  It’s not even considered a luxury.  It’s just a shower.  Our times are very different, I know – but, some things are pretty similar.  People are still people – and tolerance and patience is required.  We rely on magick quite often – Giles and I, our friends, our work.”

“Slayers, Watchers, Council…demons, vampires, mouths of hell…”  He recited from their discussion of the previous evening.  “A warrior such as yourself would hold a great amount of power in Camelot.”

“Nothing you have to concern yourself about – my home is here, with Giles.”  She replied with a smile, recognising his flirtatious tone…but choosing to ignore it.  “Take your shower, get dressed…we’ll sort out some breakfast and then tell you what we’ve come up with.”

He unbuttoned his pajama top, watching as her eyes darted to his chest.  Then she quickly turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.  Only after the door was closed did he allow his soft smile to surface.  He finished undressing, then stepped into the shower.  He adjusted the lever as she had shown him…and then he sighed in contentment as the warm water hit his skin. 

* * *

Uther re-entered the living room for the second time that morning – this time, dressed as he were the previous day…minus his outer cloak and sword.  He looked refreshed and slightly more relaxed, his hair still damp from the shower. 

He glanced at Giles, then turned his eyes to Buffy – giving her a gentle nod.  “Buffy.”

“Enjoy your shower?”  She asked with a smile. 

“It was rather pleasant.”  He replied, then looked back at Giles.  “Will it be difficult to return me to my home?”

The tone of his voice sounded apologetic, though nothing about what he had said was any sort of apology.  Giles found that to be puzzling…yet extremely fascinating.  An apology without an apology – he decided not to question it and to accept it for what it was.  He wasn’t certain what Buffy had discussed with him, but it was obvious that the King had done a fair amount of thinking while in the shower. 

And so, Giles shrugged a shoulder…rubbed the side of his neck…and gestured towards the book with the pen that was held in his hand.  “I believe it was a fold in time.”

“A…fold in time?”

“Oh, show him your paper fan!”  When Uther looked at her quizzically, she laughed.  “I was having trouble following along, so he made a visual aid to help.”

“You were having trouble?”  Uther asked, genuinely surprised by the admission.

“Yeah…I don’t understand magick.  I just know it can be useful.”

Giles watched their interaction and then picked up the folded piece of paper.  As he explained it to the King in much the same way he had explained it to Buffy, Uther pulled out the chair opposite Buffy and sat down.  He listened intently to Giles, asking questions when clarification was needed.  It was very obvious that he was doing his best to have an open mind – no matter how hard it was. 

Buffy quietly got up from the table and moved to the kitchen to prepare the herbs for the spell.  After long moments, Giles and Uther quietened down – Buffy suspected that Giles had gone back into research mode.  She heard the soft thud of leather boot soles against the floor tile as she tossed a handful of a yellow flower into a bowl. 

“Did you get bored?”

She felt him move closer to her – close enough that she could feel his body heat, but not close enough to actually touch her.  “Not at all.  He explains concepts extremely well.  He said that he needed to – ”

“Consult his books?”  She interjected, smiling as he chuckled softly. 

“He does that often?”

“Mm, yeah…it’s part of what he does.” 

“I was wondering if I might be able to speak with you.”  He said quietly, his breath gently disrupting a few strands of her hair. 

“I believe you are.”  She replied, running her knife through a few leaves of sage.

“I’ve been rather harsh towards the both of you.  This was not warranted.”

She turned slowly and smiled at him.  “Is this an apology?”

His eyes sparkled as he placed his left hand on the counter and leaned into her slightly.  “It is.”

“And you think that an apology is going to get me to allow you to have your way with me?”

He looked slightly offended, his smile fading as he shook his head.  “No, that is not my thinking.”

“I’m in love with Giles.”  She said, looking into his eyes.

“I’m not asking you to love me.”

“What are you asking then?”  Giles’ voice came from the doorway. 

“For a moment.”  Uther replied with a frustrated sigh, glancing at Giles.

Buffy shook her head, placing her hand on Uther’s chest and gently nudging him back.  “My…moments…are for Giles.”

She picked up the bowl of herbs and walked away from Uther.  She looked up at Giles as she walked by him, he gave her a barely perceptible nod and watched her go back to the living room.  Giles looked back to Uther, opened his mouth…then closed it.  He simply stared at him for a moment before turning and making his way to Buffy.

“We need to talk.”  He said softly as he walked into the room.

She sighed heavily and looked at him, her left hand on her hip.  “It’s not what it looked like.”

“Oh, it’s exactly what it looked like.”  Giles replied in a tone that took her by surprise. 

Because there was no anger in it. 

“He wants you…and you like that he wants you.  I’m fairly certain that you’re having some fuckable thoughts.”

“We’ve known him for less than twenty-four hours!”  She countered, eyes wide with disbelief.  “And stop using Buffyisms against me!”

“There was a time in my life when knowing someone for two hours was a record.”  He answered with a casual shrug.  “We’re bonded, remember?  I know you’re attracted to him – I also know that it’s nothing more than simple desire…heat…lust.”

“Are you seriously giving me permission to have sex with him?”  She asked, completely dumbfounded.

“Ah…no.  This isn’t about me allowing you to – ”  He paused, sitting down on the edge of the table and reaching for her hand.  As he pulled her in between his legs, he gazed into her eyes. 

“You said something last night – about not wanting to do anything if I weren’t there too.  You threw it out as an offhand comment, but…I don’t think it was.”

“You may be a Watcher, but that’s not what I was talking about.”  She blurted before she could stop herself. 

She closed her eyes in mortification, cursing under her breath. 

“Neither was I.”  He replied.

Her eyes snapped back open, obviously flabbergasted by his words. 

“What?”

“Is that what you want, Buffy?  The two of us…taking him to our bed?”

“I…”  She hesitated nervously, swallowing hard. 

His thumbs rubbed against the backs of her hands as he continued to gaze at her.  “Is that what you want?”

“This is not happening…”  She muttered under her breath, shaking her head.  “We’ve talked about this before.”

His gaze suddenly held a dubious edge.  “I’m fairly certain we have never discussed the scenario of us having a threesome with Uther Pendragon.”

“You know what I mean!  We’ve talked about this…”

“No…we had a ‘would you’ conversation – and the answer is still emphatically no, in regards to that.  What’s before us at the moment is a one-time only proposal – he’s going back to Camelot tomorrow.  But, it only progresses past this discussion we’re having now if it’s what you want.”

“How can you go from wanting to kill him to saying ‘hey, let’s go fuck the day away’?”

“Enemies can sometimes make strange bedfellows when they both want to please the same lady.  When there are solid parameters and boundaries, along with the understanding of how it will come to an end.”  He reached up and lovingly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  “If it’s what you want…”

“Yes.”  She said quickly before she could stop herself. 

“Then you need to be honest with what you want.”

“I want you…I want him…with me – together.”

Before he could say anything, he looked up to find Uther staring at them from the behind the sofa.

“I do not share my women with other men.”  Uther growled, his earlier calmness seemingly forgotten as he stared into Giles’ eyes.

Giles shook his head, a wry smile on his face.  “See, this is where you’re mistaken.  She’s not yours to share.  She’s choosing to share herself with us.”

“She holds that sort of power over you?  That you would do as she says in order to lay with her?”  Uther smirked, standing tall with his left hand on his hip.  “What does that say of you?”

“Neither of us hold power over one another, in this instance.  I open the conversation because I respect her and love her.”

Uther stared at Giles dubiously.  “You love her?  Yet, you agree to allow her to take another lover?  What sense does this make?”

“You need to understand, Sire…” 

Uther’s eyes darkened, almost dangerously – the tone in which the Watcher had addressed him clearly disrespectful.  His hand clenched into a fist, but he said nothing.  This wasn’t the time.

Giles paused, taking satisfaction in the reaction that Uther gave in response to his tone.  “She is not taking another lover.  She’s allowing you to experience what it is to feel the true strength of the Slayer.  Of course, she could pummel you to the ground – that would also give you that experience.  But, trust me when I say that what you’re being offered is much more enjoyable.”

Giles took a step towards Buffy, but held his mutual glare with Uther. 

“This is a one time offer, Your Majesty.”  He smiled softly.  “You’ll return to Camelot tomorrow.  You have no choice in that.  You do have the choice of returning to Camelot with the knowledge of the power of the Slayer or…not.  It’s up to you.”

Uther didn’t move and he said nothing, though his eyes followed Giles’ movement. 

“We’ll be down the hall, second door on your right…should you change your mind.”

Uther’s eyes narrowed slightly, then his gaze slid to Buffy.  He watched her eyes dart to various points on his body…glancing at the medallions hanging just below his sternum, before pausing on the belt that held his tunic in place.  Then she lifted her eyes to stare into his. 

“Should you change your mind, Uther.”  She said, slipping her hand into Giles’ before walking with him towards the hall.

Uther’s gaze followed them, his jaw clenching slightly as they disappeared from the room. 

* * *

“Do you think he’ll come?”  Buffy asked, tugging at Giles’ tie before making quick work of his buttons.

He laughed softly, slipping his hands underneath her top and pushing it up over her head.  “If he doesn’t…he’s somewhat of an idiot.”

“Are you seriously okay with this?”  She asked suddenly, placing her hand on his chest.  “I mean, this is…different.”

He covered her hand with his, his tongue peeking out to touch his lip.  “Will you be relocating to Camelot with him tomorrow?”

“I’m not even dignifying that with a response.”  She snorted a laugh, using her free hand to unbuckle his belt.  “But, I would like to know your thoughts on this.  Like…how do you feel about him maybe joining?”

“His presence is quite…commanding.”  He replied with a gentle smirk, allowing his gaze to drop to his fingers…which were easing her bra strap off of her shoulder. 

Buffy tilted her head slightly, giving him a knowing grin.  “You think he’s hot…”

“It is rather warm.”  Uther said, his deep tone catching them both by surprise.  “Unseasonably so, it seems.  I’m unsure as to why that is.”

Buffy watched as he removed his gloves, his eyes trained on her.  “Global warming…”

“Global warming?”  He questioned, arching an eyebrow before allowing his eyes to drop to her satin-clad breasts. 

“Yeah…”  She mumbled as he placed his gloves on top of the dresser, then removed his dark blue cloak. “Nothing you’ll need to worry about in your time.”

“For a warrior, your skin is remarkably free of marring.”  Uther murmured, unbuckling the belt and placing it with his gloves. 

Giles watched their interaction with a curiosity that aroused him as much as surprised him. 

Buffy smiled, taking a step towards the King…her hand sliding across Giles’ chest, nails lightly scratching against his nipple. 

“Slayer healing.  It’s a perk.”  She said, teasing her bottom lip between her teeth.  “I’m not sure about the etiquette here.  Am I allowed to help you?”  She asked, gesturing towards his clothes.

Uther lifted the medallions over his head, safely draping them over his discarded cloak.  Then he offered her a smirk, desire and lust showing heavily in his darkened eyes. 

“You want to undress me?”

She nodded, glancing down at the front of his leather trousers.  “Yeah…”

“Come here, Slayer.”  His voice rumbled in his chest.  He took careful notice of how her eyes darkened with arousal. 

She moved to stand in front of him, Uther’s eyes darted to Giles as he followed…standing directly behind Buffy, his hands on her hips…Giles rubbed his thumbs in small circles at the bottom of her ribcage.  She reached up, fingers pulling at the laces of Uther’s tunic.  She smiled as it loosened, Uther’s breath hitching noticeably as her fingertips lightly stroked the soft hair on his chest.

“I should very much like to kiss you.”

She slid her hands down to the bottom of his tunic, curling her fingers in the hem.  “Giles?”

Giles smiled, reaching around to pull the button free on her jeans.  His head lowered, lips pressing against the juncture of her neck and shoulder as his fingers lowered her zipper.  Then he kissed his way up the side of her neck, nipping lightly at her earlobe.

“Do what you feel, love.”  He whispered thickly, slipping his left hand into the front of her underwear. 

“Oh, fuck…”  She said on a strangled moan, reaching up to wrap her hand around the back of Uther’s neck. 

Before the King could say anything else, she was pulling him down as she raised up on her toes.  And then her lips were touching his, parting enough to flick her tongue against his bottom lip.  He inhaled sharply, lifting his hands to cradle her face as he quickly deepened the kiss.  His tongue slid along hers as she pushed his tunic up. 

He growled in displeasure as she broke the kiss suddenly.  She laughed softly, pushing the tunic over his head and dropping it to the ground. 

“So impatient.”  She teased, sliding her hands up his chest before moving them back down to the waistband of his trousers.

And then she trembled as Giles’ finger pressed against her clitoris.  “Oh…oh my god…”

Giles smiled, sliding his mouth along her spine as he lowered himself to his knees behind her.  Uther watched him curiously, furrowing his brow. 

“You dare kneel at her feet?”

Giles slowly pulled her jeans down over her hip, along with her underwear, as he met Uther’s eyes.  “We give ourselves to one another – you’ll understand, Your Highness.”

Uther’s eyes snapped back to Buffy when he felt her press a warm, open-mouthed kiss to his chest.  Their eyes met as she trailed a line of kisses to his left nipple.  He sighed heavily as her tongue circled the hardened nub.  And then he groaned as she sucked lightly.  His hand cupped her breast as he watched her.

“This…needs to be removed.”  He grumbled.

Giles looked up as he slid Buffy’s clothing down her legs, exhaling a slow breath as he watched Buffy reach behind her and unhook her bra.  She lifted her left foot, stepping out of her jeans as Uther pulled the scrap of satiny material from her breasts.

And there she was, standing completely bare between two men who had yet to remove their trousers.  Not just any two men.  One was her Watcher, her lover – the man she hoped to spend the rest of her life with.  The other…was the King of Camelot.  Fucking King Uther Pendragon – a battle-scarred, older man, whose eyes were the same shade of green as Giles’.  Older than Giles, slightly thicker in the middle, but…incredibly seductive, even when she was sure he hadn’t meant to be. 

As Uther bent to pull her distended nipple into his mouth, Giles gently nudged her legs further apart while placing a sucking kiss on the left cheek of her ass.  Her fingers tugged at the waistband of Uther’s trousers and she whimpered as his teeth lightly nipped at her flesh.

“Jesus…how the hell do these come off?” 

Uther pulled his mouth from her breast with an audible pop, chuckling deeply as he directed her hand to the fastening on the side.  “You called me impatient?”

“Shut up, Sire.”  She said, her tone more playful than anything else. 

Giles sat back on his heels, watching as she finally figured the article of clothing out.  He smiled, pressing his hand against his own growing erection. 

“Boots, love.”  Giles said, amusement in his tone. 

She turned her head and looked down at him.  “Huh?”

He gestured towards Uther’s boots.  “Those need to come off next.”

“Come here.”  She whispered, sliding her fingers through his hair. 

Giles stood up quickly, turning her body towards him as he captured her mouth with his.  Uther watched Giles’ hands slide down to Buffy’s backside, squeezing the firm flesh as he pulled her tighter against him. 

This definitely wasn’t something Uther had expected to happen, but as he leaned against the dresser to pull his boots off, he was quickly deciding that there was nothing wrong with unexpected unions.  He moved behind Buffy, reaching out to brush Giles’ hands away. 

Giles grinned inwardly, continuing to thrust his tongue into her mouth.  Then he swallowed her gasp as Uther slipped his left hand between her legs, roughly stroking her folds before pushing his middle finger into her.  When her knees buckled, Uther nipped the side of her neck.

“Bed.  Now.”  He grumbled, thrusting his finger three times before removing it. 

Buffy pulled from Giles’ kiss and rested her forehead against his chest.  “So, you just fuck?  No foreplay or anything?”

Uther’s brow furrowed, taking a step towards the bed.  “Foreplay?”

“Yeah…”  She turned towards him, eyes immediately dropping to his very obvious erection still concealed behind a layer of leather.  “Playing…touching, tasting…building…”

“I…”  He shook his head, glancing at Giles.  “Playing?”

Giles grinned, playfully nudging Buffy towards the bed.  “Alright, love…”

She stared at Uther for a moment, then quickly placed her hand on his chest and pushed him backwards.  He landed on the bed, eyes wide with surprise.  She moved without hesitation, gripping the open waistband of his trousers and tugging them down. 

Giles arched an eyebrow as Uther’s erection was finally freed, but Uther was too focused on the Slayer – who was kneeling on the mattress next to him…with her hand wrapped around his aching flesh.

“Oh…”  The King inhaled sharply, allowing his head to fall back as Buffy stroked his cock a few times.  And then he cursed when he felt warmth surround him, the sensation of her tongue bathing the head as her lips closed around his shaft.  “This…shouldn’t happen.”

Buffy looked up at him, a silent question in her eyes.  Uther swallowed and shook his head.  “To take my flesh into your mouth is…looked down upon.”

Buffy pulled back, carefully releasing him.  “Who’s looking?  It’s just us here.  If you don’t want me to, I won’t.  But, I can guarantee that you’ll like it.”

Uther thought for a brief moment, then gave her a nod.  She smiled and lowered her mouth back to him.

Giles quickly shed his remaining clothing, then climbed onto the bed…kneeling behind Buffy.  She sucked hard at Uther’s cock, her cheeks hollowing as her head bobbed.  She reached behind her with her left hand, gripping Giles’ thigh as he rubbed the head of his cock through her folds. 

Giles placed his hand between her shoulder blades, closing his eyes briefly as he pushed inside of her.  He held still, watching her give another man a blowjob – something he honestly never thought he’d witness.  It wasn’t something that he wanted to become habit, but there was undeniable chemistry between them – not nearly as strong as what was between Buffy and himself.  But, it was there.

And it was literally only this one time.  Tomorrow, Uther would return to his time.  But, for today…possibly tonight…

He gave a gentle thrust as Uther’s hand slipped into Buffy’s hair.  He smiled as Uther gasped, then cursed.  He was very much aware of exactly what Uther was feeling at the moment.  When the fingers of Uther’s other hand curled in the sheets beneath him, Giles spoke softly.

“Buffy, love…”

She gave one last hard suck and pulled back, smiling as Uther groaned.  Uther’s eyes opened, nearly black with lust as he stared at her. 

“Come here.”

She gave him a lopsided grin at his rough command.  “What, no please?”

“I will not beg to taste you, Slayer.”  He rumbled, wrapping his long fingers around her upper arm.  “But, I would very much like to.”

Giles pulled his hips back, sighing softly as his cock slipped from her.  She turned to look at him, reaching out to lovingly stroke his warm erection. 

“You come too…”

Giles grinned as he watched her crawl further up the mattress, shifting to lift her right leg over Uther so that she was straddling his chest.  He moved as well, leaning over to kiss her as she rubbed herself against Uther. 

Uther grunted, gripping her hips and pulling her forward.  He inhaled deeply, her scent intoxicating. 

“Do you taste as lovely as you smell?”  He mused, more to himself.

“Moreso.”  Giles responded, licking his lips as Uther’s eyes darted to his. 

Uther’s eyes narrowed slightly, maintaining Giles’ gaze as he dragged his tongue through Buffy’s warm folds.  When she trembled above him, his hands tightened on her hips and his mouth closed over her clitoris. 

“Jesus…”  She moaned, reaching out to hold on to Giles for support. 

Giles slowly slid his gaze to Buffy as he directed her hand to his aching cock.  Her fingers curled around the warm flesh without hesitation as she rocked her hips against Uther’s mouth. 

“Kiss me.”  He whispered thickly, gently turning her face towards his.  “Kiss me, Buffy.”

She leaned into him quickly, sucking his tongue into her mouth as Uther’s lips and tongue pushed her closer and closer to orgasm.  When her hand tightened almost dangerously on his erection, Giles pulled from the kiss and groaned. 

She loosened her grip instantly, staring into his eyes.  “Giles…”

“Let go, love…”  He whispered, licking his lips as he glanced down at Uther.  “Let him truly taste you.”

Uther moaned against her as she suddenly shuddered above him.  His eyes snapped open as he tasted her warm fluid.  His cock twitched and he pulled his mouth from her quivering flesh, eyes smiling as she panted heavily above him. 

Uther moved underneath her, nudging her off of him.  Giles gave him a nod and gently laid Buffy down on the mattress before leaning down to kiss her.

“Someone…needs to fuck me…soon…”  She mumbled into Giles’ mouth. 

Uther knelt between her thighs, narrowing his eyes at the term he’d just heard. 

“Fuck?”

Giles pulled from the kiss and looked into Buffy’s eyes.  Buffy looked from Giles to Uther, and then back to Giles. 

“What did they say instead of fuck?”

Giles shook his head slowly.  “I’m…actually not sure.”

They both looked at Uther, who was looking at them both in slight confusion.  When Buffy reached down and curled her hand around his erection, gently directing him to her…he smiled. 

“Ah…”  He grinned. 

Giles chuckled for a moment, then stopped abruptly as he watched Uther slowly push his cock into Buffy.  Buffy inhaled sharply, then whispered Giles’ name.  He turned his eyes to hers, surprised to see concern in them. 

“Giles…”

“I love you.”  He responded without pause, capturing her mouth with his once more. 

Within moments, her tongue was stroking his in rhythm with Uther’s hips thrusting against hers.  He swallowed her gasps and moans, his own hips pushing against her hand as she stroked his erection.  When he ended the kiss suddenly and smiled at her, she grinned back at him.  He knelt beside of her, his left hand on the headboard as he guided his cock to her lips with his right. 

He rubbed the head against her bottom lip, licking his own lips as he watched her tongue peek out.  And then her lips parted, and with a soft moan…he gently pushed his hardened flesh into her mouth.  He closed his eyes briefly, allowing the sensation of her mouth and tongue on his erection to wash over him.  And then he opened his eyes and met hers.

“I love you.”  He whispered softly, lovingly stroking her cheek as she sucked his cock. 

Uther watched in fascination.  The lust, the desire…it was heavy between the two.  But, so was the love.  He’d forgotten what it was like to truly love a woman.  Lust was a much easier emotion for him to deal with – as amazing as it felt to be within her, he wanted nothing more than what this was.  He had originally thought he’d need to clarify that for them both.  However, watching them now…eyes locked together as Giles carefully thrust his hips against her mouth…there was no need. 

Buffy heard Uther grunt softly and pulled away from Giles’ cock.  She reached up with her free hand, gripping Uther’s shoulder as he leaned over her, shortening his strokes. 

“Don’t come inside…”

His brow furrowed as he stared at her.  “But, I’m…inside…”

Giles snorted a laugh before he could stop himself.  Uther glared at him for a moment, then looked back at Buffy. 

“Explain your…meaning.”

Buffy thought for a second and then moaned as he hit a particularly sensitive spot.  “Fuck…um…I can’t have your child, Uther.”

Understanding washed over Uther’s face and he gave her a gentle nod.  “Of course, not.”

“And you’re…close…” 

Uther bit his lip, feeling her inner walls quiver around him.  “Oh…oh, that’s…”

Giles looked into Buffy’s eyes.  “Come for him…then come for me.”

She nodded quickly, pressing her head into the pillows as her back arched.  She cried out as her orgasm hit, her nails digging into Uther’s shoulder.  Uther thrusted three more times, then grunted as he pulled out – groaning as his semen landed on her hip. 

Uther collapsed onto the bed next to her, breathing heavily as he placed a trembling hand on her stomach.  Buffy shuddered as she looked at Giles. 

“Giles, please…”

He grinned, sliding between her quivering thighs.  Uther watched with interest as Giles pushed Buffy to another quick orgasm.  Uther’s hand moved up her torso until he cupped her breast, gently squeezing in rhythm to Giles’ thrusts.  Buffy’s eyes, slightly glazed and very dark, looked at Uther. 

“Come here, Sire…”  She whispered, licking her lips. 

Uther kissed her deeply, swallowing her cries as Giles pushed her into another spiralling orgasm.  And then Giles groaned, his fingers gripping her hips hard enough that bruises would have been left if she hadn’t been the Slayer.  And he cried her name as he emptied himself deep within her. 

Giles rested his right hand on Uther’s back, more for support than anything else.  As Uther’s mouth moved to Buffy’s collarbone, she smiled up at Giles.  He returned her smile and then gently pulled out of her.

Giles arched an eyebrow as Uther slid to the floor, kneeling at the side of the bed as he pulled Buffy over to him.  Buffy’s brow furrowed in confusion, but she sat up and looked down at Uther – who didn’t look nearly as imposing as he had earlier in the evening. 

Uther offered her a smile – one that caught her off-guard with its sincerity.  He shook his head, obviously bemused at the entire scenario that had just taken place. 

“I…know not what to say right now.”  He said softly.

Giles leaned over, pressing a kiss to Buffy’s shoulder before looking at Uther. 

“You dare kneel at her feet?”

Uther’s eyes darkened for the briefest of moments, and then he gave a very subtle nod.  “Understanding has been revealed.”

Buffy leaned back against Giles’ chest, as her fingers lightly stroked Uther’s hair.  “I think…we should sleep.”

“Tired, love?”  Giles whispered, curling his arm around her.

“Mm…that was intense – even for the Slayer.”

Uther and Giles shared a brief glance – a truce was called, and accepted.

* * *

Uther had slept only an hour or so, however the Watcher and Slayer were still sleeping soundly three hours after Uther had awoken.  He wasn’t surprised, considering they had been up all night trying to figure out how to send him home. 

He’d watched her sleep for a while, then had gotten up when he started to become restless.  He’d gotten dressed and had explored the house – quietly, as not to wake them.  He had inspected their weaponry…and had been extremely impressed with their collection. 

Then he’d gone into the kitchen and pulled a fresh bottle of water out of the refrigerator.  An odd machine, this was…but, undeniably useful.  He opened the bottle and took a sip as he perused the books in one of the bookshelves – he took one down at random and glanced out the window.  

The sun was bright, the wind was negligible.  And so he had decided to go outside – fresh air had always helped clear his head.  He sat down on the top step and studied the land.  Nothing was recognisable to him – he thought that it was amazing how much land could change in 1,500 years…give or take.  He closed his eyes, listening to the birds sing. 

He remembered when Arthur was an infant, how excited he would get when the birds would sing.  His son…who looked so much like his Igraine. He lowered his head, staring at the toe of his left boot.  He had loved Igraine so deeply.  And yet, it was his fault that she was gone.  It was his fault that he was terrified of magick.  It was his fault that so many practitioners of magick were terrified of him.  No one forced him to go to Nimueh, to ask her for assistance when they realised that Igraine was unable to have children. 

It was his fault that he was alone. 

“Hey, you okay?”

Buffy’s voice startled him and he quickly wiped his eyes as he cleared his throat.  “Good afternoon, Buffy.”

She looked at him curiously, then sat down next to him and handed him a mug.  He took the mug, casting a skeptical glance at the steaming liquid inside.  She chuckled softly, blowing over the top of her own mug. 

“Coffee.  A pretty decent pick-me-up when you’re tired.”

He lifted his eyes to hers and then gave her a nod when she smiled at him.  He blew over the top and then took a tentative sip.  His brow furrowed and he took a deeper sip.  It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t something he’d necessarily go out of his way to request. 

“Would you mind explaining to me the meaning of the word ‘pillock’?”

She spluttered her coffee, causing him to jump slightly.  “Sorry, just…where did you hear that?”

“Rupert…muttering last night.  It’s not a word I know.”

“I’d say not.” She grinned.  “Technically, it means…a dick.”  When he merely stared at her, she tried again.  “An idiot…”

“Ah…”  He nodded in understanding.  “I suppose I was deserving of that yesterday.”

“So…are you okay?”  She asked again after a moment, cradling her mug in both hands. 

He nodded slowly, a brief smile playing at his lips.  “I was just remembering times of old.  Thinking of times of present.  Wondering about times of future.”

“Thinking of making some changes?”  She asked, somewhat hopefully.

He sighed heavily and placed his mug next to him on the step.  “I believe I need to consider it.  Especially under these circumstances.”

Then he turned his head and looked into her eyes.  “And how are you?”

“Surprisingly calm.”  She replied, reaching up to touch her fingertips to the short hair above his ear.  “I think you should allow yourself to let someone into your heart again.”

“Strangely, that would be much easier to do with you, I believe.”  He said softly, his eyes drifting to her lips.  “But I know that is not to be.”

“No…no, it’s not.”  She whispered back.  Then after a brief hesitation, she leaned into him and pressed her lips to his. 

He deepened the kiss quickly, swallowing her soft whimper as his tongue nudged her bottom lip.  And then his fingers were in her hair, gently holding her still as he shifted closer to her…his tongue slowly stroking hers.  He felt her fingers curl into the front of his tunic and he broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers.  His breath was warm against her lips as he breathed heavily.

“Rupert would have my head on a pike…”  He murmured, sliding his right hand to her shoulder.  “I’ve a mind to not care – since I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“We shouldn’t though.”  She said, uncurling her fingers against his chest. 

“I…enjoy kissing you.”  He said, taking a deep breath before slowly pulling away.  “I enjoy it far too much, for what this is.”

“Promise me, Uther.”  When he looked at her curiously, she placed her hand on the side of his face and rubbed her thumb over his cheekbone.  “Let someone see the man you really are.  Don’t hide your heart away.  Unless…you know…it’s a troll.”

His eyes widened, then he chuckled as she grinned.  “How did you know about that?”

“Giles reads a lot.”  She replied with a soft laugh, glancing at his lips again as she pulled her hand away from his face.  “But, seriously – you deserve love, Uther.”

“We shall see.”  He replied, shifting back to where he had been sitting when she first came out.  “But, for now…we should probably find Rupert and put the final touches on this spell that will be needed.”

She nodded in agreement, gesturing towards the back door with her thumb over her shoulder.  “He’s doing that right now.”

“I wonder…will this all be forgotten once I return?  Will the travel back simply remove the memories of our…liaison?”

“Do you want to remember?” 

He nodded slowly, his eyes not leaving hers.  “Very much so.”

“Giles should be able to tie them to you…just to be safe.”

Uther sighed heavily, then picked up the coffee Buffy had brought to him and stood up.  With a soft smile, he extended his hand to her.  Then he curled his fingers around her palm as she slipped her hand into his.

* *

Giles looked up as Buffy walked through the door with Uther.  “Ah, Your Majesty…I was just doing a bit more research.  I think – ”

Uther clasped his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels.  “I think it might be best I go back tonight – if possible.”

Giles arched an eyebrow, then looked at Buffy.  “Is there something I should know?”

She shook her head slowly, but then touched her fingertips to her chest…right above her heart.  He removed his glasses, sliding his gaze to Uther as he tapped the tip of the ear piece against his bottom lip. 

“I’m sure we can adjust it for this evening, if you’re sure that’s what you want.” 

Uther cleared his throat, fighting the urge to look at Buffy.  “I believe, under the circumstances…it would be best.”

“Then, of course, Sire…”

“Uther.”  Uther replied, giving in to the urge to glance at Buffy.  “I think considering what took place this morning…”

Giles stood up and walked over to him.  He looked at him for a long moment, then placed his left hand on Uther’s shoulder. 

“It’s hard not to fall in love with her.”

Uther neither confirmed nor denied Giles’ obvious insinuation – which pretty much confirmed it.  No one discussed it further.  Instead they all sat down and discussed the steps that were going to be needed to get Uther home.

* * *

The sun was going down when they arrived where Uther had appeared the previous day.  As Giles got things set up, Buffy looked at Uther…who was staring intently at her. 

“What is it?”  She asked, tilting her head slightly.

“I’ll not ask – I know what the answer would be.”  He replied quietly.  “But, know that I want to ask.”

Buffy opened her mouth to respond, but Giles spoke first. 

“Alright, I think…we’re all set.  I, uh…well, the herbs will need to be lit…I’ll recite the spell.”  He paused for a moment, then gestured towards a spot to their right.  “The fold should appear somewhere around there.  Once it appears, you’ll have but a few seconds to leave.  And the next thing you’ll see is…Camelot.”

“And my memories?”  He asked, his eyes seemingly softer than Giles had remembered seeing them before. 

“They’ll be safe…and yours for the rest of your days.”  Giles confirmed.  “You’re positive you want to keep them?”

“Yes.”  He answered simply.

Giles gave him a nod, then took a slow breath.  “Alright.  Safe travels, Uther.”

“Thank you, Rupert.” 

Giles’ eyes widened in surprise, obviously having not expected to hear those words from the King.  Giles reached out and took hold of Uther’s hand, shaking it firmly. 

“You’re welcome, Your Majesty.” 

Uther returned the handshake and then took a step back, glancing at the rose bush – the only real evidence that Camelot had once existed.  A smile played on his lips and then he looked at Buffy. 

“After I return to Camelot, you’ll need to prune this rose bush back a fair bit – it’s quite overgrown.”

Buffy furrowed her brow.  “Okay…”

“Once you find the heart of the bush, measure two hands to the left…and dig.”

“Two hands?  How much is two hands?”  She asked, rolling her eyes as he lifted his left hand.  “Great…two of your hands…how much is that?” 

Giles raised his left hand and placed it next to Uther’s.  “I’m guessing two of mine…”

Buffy arched an eyebrow, her eyes darting between the two of them.  “We so need to go through your family tree…”

Giles chuckled, Uther smiled.  Uther lifted his hand and gently brushed a strand of hair back from Buffy’s face. 

“Two hands to the left, remember that.” 

She nodded slowly.  “I will.”

Giles coughed lightly and pulled a lighter out of his pocket.  “We should do this now.”

Uther gave a nod, Buffy sighed.  Giles lit the herbs and began reciting. 

In just a few moments, the air shifted…feeling charged and thick.  Buffy looked at Uther, surprised to see his eyes glistening.  She moved to him quickly, wrapping her arms around him as she leaned up to kiss him softly.  He returned her kiss and then gave her a warm smile.

“Be happy, Buffy.”

“Be good, Uther.”  She returned with a smile of her own.  “Remember what we’ve talked about…what you’re feeling in your heart.  Be the King I know you can be.”

He bent his head and kissed her one last time, then caught Giles’ eye.  He gave him a nod – and then, with a heavy sigh, he stepped into the shimmer.

And then he was gone.

* *

Uther stepped into the sunlit garden, a bright smile on his face as he looked around.  “Camelot!” 

He lifted his hand to his lips…lips that still tingled with the kiss from the Slayer. 

“Buffy.”  He whispered, closing his eyes as he allowed the memories to wash over him. 

And then he opened his eyes and exhaled a deep, shuddering breath. 

He had work to do.

* * *

It had taken them nearly two days to clear the thick, overgrown rose bush back.  Giles wiped the back of his hand through the sweat on his brow as he gratefully accepted the water bottle from Buffy.

“There’s the heart…”

“Yep.”  Buffy said, biting her bottom lip nervously.  “Two hands to the left…”

Giles nodded and measured, marking the spot with a stone before taking a step back and handing her the spade.  She took a deep breath and then dug.  It took longer than she had expected, but eventually the blade of the spade hit something with metallic clink. 

Giles’ eyes widened as she pulled out a small forged box, emblazoned with the Pendragon crest.  Buffy sat down on the grass and patted the ground with her hand for him to join her.  He lowered himself next to her and then gestured to the box in her hand. 

“You do the honours, love.”

She carefully worked the latch free and then opened the box.  Her fingers trembled as she pulled out an ancient piece of parchment.  She read the words, written in a Royal flourish that could only have been Uther Pendragon’s.  And then she smiled…and handed the letter to Giles.

As he read, she pulled out one of the medallions that she had seen hanging just below his sternum only a couple of days ago.  She traced the pattern with her fingers, smiling when Giles chuckled in amusement. 

“Pillock…”

Buffy leaned against him, closing her eyes as he curled his arm around her and pressed a soft kiss in her hair.  “I love you, Giles.”

“I love you too, Buffy.”

She smiled and tilted her head up to look at him.  He returned her smile, then kissed her. 

“You realise that you completely changed history…in one morning.”

She snorted a laugh and shook her head.  “We changed history in one morning…with the help of Uther Pendragon.  God, our lives are so fucking bizarre…”

“Amazing, I was going to say.” 

“Yeah, well…that too.”