Title: Reflecting
Author: Froxyn
Rating: FRAO
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Synopsis: Giles has discussed the benefits of reflecting on a situation. Buffy decides to see if he’s right.
Timeline: AU, S5…ish.
Author’s Note: As always, thank you A.


Buffy sat on Giles’ sofa…curled up in the corner with her back resting against the arm. She was holding a book, but it had been a good twenty minutes since she had even looked at it. She was busy watching other things.

Specifically…she was busy watching Giles.

He was the only person she knew who could research while pacing and drinking tea at the same time. It was interesting to watch – the way he moved effortlessly through the apartment, easily flipping the page with the thumb of his left hand while he lifted the mug to his lips with his right. He paused for a moment, furrowing his brow in thought. She instantly knew that he was translating text in his head.

She smiled as he gave a subtle nod and then continued his pacing…his reading…his drinking.

And as she watched him, she let her thoughts drift…or meander, even…

* * *

Two weeks ago, they were sitting on a riverbank…sharing a blanket in an effort to keep warm after chasing a demon across the river. She had slipped, Giles had stopped to help her. The demon threw a log at him…which miraculously had missed him. However, he had slipped as well when he ducked. This resulted in both of them being drenched.

He stomped his way back to the car, annoyed with himself…annoyed with the river…and Buffy had been sure he was annoyed with her. And so she sat down on the grass and glared across the river in the direction the demon had gone. She bent her legs and curled her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees.

When she heard him come back, she took a deep breath…intending to apologise for her clumsiness. She hesitated when he sat down next to her…surprisingly close…and draped a blanket around her shoulders. She turned to look at him to find him staring at the river. Not across it like she had been, but at the water.

She sighed, watching a drop of water fall from his earlobe. She closed the small gap between them and reached around him, placing the blanket around him too. He looked down at her, obviously startled.

“What are you doing?”

“Sharing…you’re soaked too.”

He smiled at her. One of those sweet smiles that made his eyes sparkle.

And then they fell into easy conversation. It had taken them ages to get to this point. To where they could sit comfortably and talk about absolutely nothing…and be perfectly at ease with it. And then he said something…she couldn’t even remember what he had said, but his sarcastic tone had made her laugh.

And then he looked at her. Really looked at her, his eyes darting to her lips.

She was sure he was going to kiss her. She was even more sure that she wanted him to. She saw the muscle in his jaw twitch, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. He briefly looked into her eyes and then looked away quickly, breaking the moment.

She wasn’t sure she had stifled her sigh of disappointment. She shivered lightly and he looked back at her.

“We should go…” He glanced around and then cleared his throat. “It’s, uh…the sun will be going down soon. We should get some dry clothes…warmth…”

“Do I still have a bag at your place?”

He nodded slowly. “Spare room, yes.”

They sat there for a few more minutes…the silence not nearly as comfortable as it had been just a few moments before. And then he suddenly nudged the blanket off of him and stood up, extending his hand to her as he gestured towards the car with a nod of his head.

She took his hand, allowing him to pull her up. And then she followed him to the car, holding the blanket tightly around her.

The ride back to his place was dotted with stilted conversation. One word answers to softly spoken questions. Questions that held no importance to anything, really. He pulled into his car spot and killed the engine. He glanced at her, wanting to say something…wanting to ask something. But, he didn’t.

Instead, he exhaled a soft breath and opened his door. She followed suit and walked beside him towards the door. The blanket still wrapped around her…but, much damper now than it had been. She shivered again, this time a bit more violently. She made an off-hand remark about the temperature dropping. He nodded and slipped his key into the lock.

He held the door open for her and watched as she took off down the hall…towards the spare room. He waited until he heard the door close and then he closed and locked the front door. And then made his way up to the loft.

He changed quickly and was back downstairs before she was finished. He decided that a cup of tea would probably do them both a world of good.

And that’s where he was when she came back down the hall, rubbing her hair with a dry towel. She stood in the doorway of the kitchen, nearly smiling at the sight of him leaning against the counter while staring at the kettle on the stove.

“You know…a watched kettle never boils.”

He chuckled softly and glanced at her. His eyes dropped to her lips before turning back to the stove. He was sure that he had been able to hide that quick look…he was pretty stealthy at times.

“You thought about kissing me.”

Or…not…

“I’m sorry?”

“At the river. You almost kissed me. Didn't you?” She paused for a second and dropped the towel onto the counter next to him. “And just now…you thought about it again. Tell me you didn’t.”

“I can’t.” He admitted quietly after a brief hesitation.

She nodded slowly and moved to the cupboard, pulling two mugs down. “Why didn’t you?”

He shrugged a shoulder and crossed his arms over his chest. She turned around, surprised to find him staring directly into her eyes.

“Why didn’t you?”

She scoffed lightly. “Because I misread shit all the time. And if this is something I misread, then that could fuck up a lot of shit. For both of us.”

“Is it something you want as well?”

Her eyes darted to his lips, lingering longer than his had on either previous occasion. Instead of answering him, she walked the two steps to stand directly in front of him and placed her hand on his chest. She held it there, over his heart, relishing the sensation of it beating under her touch.

And then, without another word, she pushed herself up and tenderly brushed her lips across his. When she pulled back, he stared at her. He opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, then smiled instead – obviously finding that answer in her eyes.

Lifting his hand, he carefully tucked a strand of damp hair behind her ear…allowing his thumb to gently stroke her cheek. He merely looked at her for a long moment…and then he bent his head, lowering his mouth to hers. His intention was to return her kiss with one of his own that mirrored hers…a tender brush of lips.

And then her lips parted beneath his and the situation escalated much more quickly than either of them had expected. Tongues meeting, teeth lightly nipping, hands gripping tightly to whatever they could find, barely audible moans resonating in their chests.

They kissed for what felt like hours, but in reality was long enough for the kettle to signal that the water was ready for tea. They each reluctantly pulled away – skin flushed, hearts racing, breathing heavy.

“Wow…”

He smiled at her soft whisper, nodding agreeably. “At the very least…”

“Why didn’t you…earlier?”

He lightly ran his thumb along her bottom lip and softly echoed her earlier reason. “If this is something I misread, then that could fuck up a lot of shit. For both of us.”

“No misreading.” She kissed his thumb and then smiled as he licked his lips. “No fucking up.”

“Can you stay for a while?”

She nodded slowly, toying with one of his belt loops. “Yeah…for as long as you want me to. I’ve got nowhere else I’d rather be…”

He breathed a gentle sigh and then cleared his throat, glancing towards the stove. “Tea?”

“Tea.”

The ‘a while’ ended up being all night. It didn’t go any further than kissing, but when she woke up wrapped in his arms and being held tightly against his chest…she hoped it would go further soon.

* * *

A little over a week later found them on his sofa after patrol. His shirt unbuttoned, her fingers stroking the hair on his chest as they both struggled to come back down.

It had started as them sipping tea as she recounted her evening…and him recording those events in his journal. When she mentioned that she’d been thrown against a crypt wall, he requested that she show him her injury.

She turned her back to him and gestured to the back of her left shoulder. He placed his journal on the coffee table and carefully manuevered her top so he could examine the area. He sighed in relief as he lightly ran his fingertips over the discoloured skin – just a bruise, nothing broken. He leaned forward and ghosted his lips over her skin, closing his eyes as she gasped audibly.

What had started out as something completely innocent – or at least, mostly innocent – spiralled quickly. His hands moved to her waist, holding her still as his mouth placed warm kisses along her shoulder, up the side of her neck…his tongue flicking against her earlobe.

He smiled as she whimpered his name, pressing her back against his chest…as if she was trying to crawl inside of him. He wrapped his left arm around her waist and used his right hand to push her hair from the back of her neck, draping it over her right shoulder.

She shuddered when she felt his tongue glide along her nape, tracing a very distinct pattern that had long ago been removed. She gripped his forearm, inhaling sharply as his teeth scraped against her skin. He continued to the other side of her neck, brushing her hair out of his way once again. And this time, when he reached the junction of her neck and shoulder, he lightly bit her before sucking as hard as he could.

Her shudder turned into a full spasm, her nails digging into the flesh of his arm as she cried out his name. And then she came…surprising both of them. And all he wanted to do was to turn her around, push her onto the sofa, and settle himself between her thighs. But, he stopped himself…settling instead for sitting back and pulling her with him…gently turning her so she straddled his thighs.

As she looked down at him, she shook her head in disbelief. He tilted his head in a silent question. She blushed lightly and draped her arms over his shoulders…allowing her fingertips to stroke the back of his neck.

“So…that’s never happened for me before…”

“What?”

“Coming like that…how you made me…”

“It should bother me that no one has ever taken the time to learn what you truly enjoy. And on some level, I’m sure it does.” He smiled, glancing at the red mark on her neck that he was sure would be gone far too soon. “But, mostly…I just feel – ”

“Macho?”

He laughed lightly. “Yes, that’s the exact word I was searching for. Macho.”

He licked his lips and shifted underneath her. “Exhilaration was what I was actually going for there…”

“Exhilaration? Really?”

He nodded slowly. When she glanced down at his groin, he lifted his left hand to her cheek and smiled as she looked at him.

“Kiss me, Buffy. Just…kiss me.”

“But…” She began, pausing when he shook his head.

“Just…kiss…me…”

“Giles…”

“Oh, bloody hell…” He murmured, leaning up slightly and capturing her lips with his.

After a millisecond, she took control of the kiss…and he allowed her that control. As she kissed him, she thought about what he had said…about taking the time to learn what the other person enjoys…and then she remembered something relevant to those words.

She pulled from the kiss and lowered her mouth to his throat. He leaned his head against the back of the sofa, groaning as she licked and nipped along his Adam’s apple. She smiled inwardly, lightly scraping her nails down his chest and over his nipples.

“Ah…fuck…” He groaned, tightening his fingers on her thighs.

With one final, gentle suck to his throat, she moved her mouth to the sensitive spot just below his left ear that she had found during her earlier explorations. He trembled beneath her as she kissed him there…teeth nipping, tongue teasing, lips soothing.

He turned his head slightly, giving her more room. She took full advantage and slid forward, pressing against his erection as she sucked harder at his skin. He groaned loudly, murmuring her name along with a few interesting phrases that she catalogued to ask him about later.

And then he inhaled sharply, gripping her hips with his hands and holding her tightly against him as he shuddered and came.

She smiled against his skin, placing a soft kiss where she had been sucking. Her lips moved to his earlobe and gently nibbled for a moment. And then she sat back…just enough to look into his slightly glazed eyes.

“That’s never happened either…” She whispered, tracing the mark on his forehead with her fingertip.

“Mm?” He murmured, not trusting himself to attempt proper words just yet.

“Making a guy come without actually doing anything…”

“You…you, uh…did plenty…love.” He was able to get out as he tried to catch his breath.

She unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt and slid her hand inside, smiling as she ran her fingers through the hair she found there. He mumbled something about giving him a little time to recover.

She chuckled softly and lowered her head to his shoulder, snuggling against him as he wrapped his arms around her. After a few moments, he cleared his throat and turned his head enough to place a kiss in her hair.

“I’m not sure that’s ever happened to me either. Or if it has, it’s been…years.”

“Huh? You’ve never – ”

“Not like that.” He interrupted quietly. “While having a woman writhe on top of me while we’re still clothed, yes. And I’m sure there were some instances in my youth of dry…” He trailed off and cleared his throat as he smiled shyly at her. “But…what just took place here? I can’t remember that ever happening before. But, then…sometimes I think you could make me come with just a look.”

She snuggled closer, nuzzling his neck and exhaled deeply. “Might have to try that one day.”

He chuckled, closing his eyes as they held each other.

* * *

She smiled as he stopped pacing and looked over at her. He placed his mug on the table and exhaled slowly.

“What are you doing?” He asked, walking over towards her.

“Reflecting…”

He arched an eyebrow as he closed the book in his hands. “What’s on your mind, love?”

“You. Us.”

He dropped the book onto the coffee table as he sat down next to her. “What about me? Us?”

She stared at him for a moment and he shifted nervously under her gaze.

“Buffy?”

“I love you.”

He tilted his head slightly, lifting his hand to the side of her neck. “I love you.”

They were both quiet for a couple of seconds…and then Buffy smiled.

“Well, that was a lot less awkward than I was expecting it to be.”

He leaned into her and placed a soft kiss on her lips before dropping his hand back to his lap. “The simpler such proclamations are kept, the less awkward the situation becomes.”

“But, you do…don’t you? Love me, I mean.”

He nodded slowly. “Much more than my simple proclamation expressed.”

“Me too. Much more…” She sighed and then glanced at the book on the coffee table. “Any impending apocalypses? Apocalypi?”

He chuckled as he shook his head. “Apocalypses. Though ‘apocalypi’ sounds intriguing. But no…I think we’re good for at least two days.”

She looked into his eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair. “Can I make a suggestion?”

“Yes.”

“Can we just lock the door, unplug the phone, and stay in bed for those ‘at least two days’?”

“Do we have to stay in bed?”

She grinned and shook her head. “Not if you have a better idea.”

He shifted back, wrapping his hand around her calf. He gave her a smile as he uncurled her leg out from under her and gently tugged her down until she was lying down with him kneeling between her thighs. He guided her legs around him as he leaned down and kissed her.

He rocked his hips against her, moving his mouth to her ear…his breath hot against her skin as he whispered thickly. “I have many, many ideas…”

“Is one of those many ideas fucking me right here, right now? Because I’m all good with that…” She whispered in return as she wrapped her arms around him, fingers curling in the back of his shirt.

“Not enough room here, love.” He murmured, sucking lightly at her collarbone.

“Is there enough room on the floor for you? Because I’m not going to be able to wait much longer…” She said quickly, arching her hips up to meet his. “Please, Giles…”

He pushed himself up and looked down at her. “Come with me.”

“Yeah, that’s kinda my plan here…”

The corner of his mouth quirked into a grin. “That is the intended end result. However, I meant…come with me as in…follow me.” He gestured towards the stairs with a tilt of his head. “Upstairs, bed, undressed, my tongue inside of you…”

She trembled beneath him and inhaled shakily. “Jesus…”

“Come with me…”

“Lock the door. Unplug the phone.”

He smiled, placing his hand between her breasts and then trailing his fingers down to the button on her jeans. “You know we can’t do that. Unplug the phone, I mean. We can certainly lock the door – though the lock seems to not work at times, as evidenced by Xander, Anya, and Willow traipsing in here at all hours when I know that I’ve locked the door and – ”

“Um…rant and rave later? I’m kinda trying to get something else started here…”

He blushed lightly and lowered his eyes when he felt her fingers working on his belt. “Ah…”

“Ah?” She grinned at him, then pressed her palm against his erection.

“Oh, fucking hell…”

“Mm…that's more like what I was after.”

“Upstairs now.” He swallowed thickly, his eyes darkening with desire. “Go…I’ll lock the door.”

She raised an eyebrow at him as she moved her hands to his chest, tapping her fingers against his shirt. “You…kinda have to get off of me if you want me to go upstairs…”

“Yes, I am aware…”

When he didn’t move, she tapped her fingers again. “Um…Giles?”

“I…don’t really want to move right now. Well, move off of you, that is…” He muttered, popping the button of her jeans free.

“Well, it was your idea, if you recall.” She said playfully as he unzipped her jeans.

“Sometimes my ideas are flawed.” He whispered, pushing her shirt up to just below her breasts. “Not often, but…sometimes.”

“This is one of those times?” She asked, closing her eyes as his fingers circled her navel.

He nodded and then sat up, kneeling between her thighs as he quickly unbuttoned his shirt. “I believe so…”

She opened her eyes just in time to see him shrug his shirt off and drop it to the floor. She lifted her hand, allowing her fingers to trace a small scar on his right side. Then her eyes caught sight of the thin vertical scar over his sternum. She pushed herself up, tracing the scar with the tip of her tongue as he grabbed the hem of her shirt.

He smiled when she grumbled at the loss of contact when he pulled the shirt up over her head. He took the opportunity of her sitting up to quickly undo her bra before cradling her face in his hands.

“I want you.” He whispered gruffly, staring into her eyes.

She licked her lips as she pulled her bra off and tossed it in the general direction of the growing pile of clothes. “Lock the door…”

He kissed her suddenly, pushing his tongue into her mouth as he pushed her back down onto the cushions. When he rocked his hips against her, she broke the kiss and gently pushed him up with her hands on his chest.

“Seriously, Giles…lock the fucking door.”

He grumbled, but eventually got up and walked over to the door. He quickly clicked the lock in place, then the deadbolt. He took two steps back towards the sofa and then stopped, turning to look back at the door. Without another word, he pushed the table against the door and then nodded.

“That should do…” He mumbled to himself.

His eyes widened as he walked around the end of the sofa to find her completely nude…lying there with a smile on her face, her fingers lightly stroking the skin of her abdomen.

“Dear lord…” He whispered, dropping to his knees next to her. “You’re magnificent…”

“You’re on the floor.” She replied quizzically. “Why are you on the floor and not up here with – ”

He interrupted her by placing a warm open-mouthed kiss on her inner thigh.

“Oh…” She murmured, lifting her hand to the back of his head.

He smiled, lovingly nuzzling her soft curls as she shifted…moving her left leg over his shoulder. He looked up at her and furrowed his brow.

“Are you comfortable like that?”

“Mm-hm…”

He kissed her inner thigh again, this time higher up, and she shuddered lightly. “We can move this elsewhere…”

She grinned at him, arousal evident in her eyes, and shook her head. “Only thing I want moving right now is your mouth…but, not so much talking. If you catch my meaning…”

He chuckled softly and licked his lips as he gently stroked her curls with his fingertips. “Oh, I think I get it…”

“Giles…” She whispered huskily, fingers twitching against his scalp.

He gently parted her lips and inhaled deeply, groaning softly before placing a warm kiss just below her clitoris. He heard her gasp sharply and he moved quickly, allowing his tongue to trace her folds before dipping inside of her.

She whimpered his name, her fingers curling in his hair. He watched her closely as he pushed his tongue further inside of her, carefully stroking her inner walls with slow thrusts. Her hips arched, pressing her core tighter against his mouth. When he felt her heel press against the back of his shoulder, he grinned and increased his pace.

He fucked her with his tongue, his hands sliding underneath her to grip the cheeks of her ass. And then he shifted his mouth, dragging his tongue through her folds towards her clit. He stared at her as the tip of his tongue circled the hardened nub, his fingers kneading her flesh as she chanted his name like a mantra.

And then he covered her clit with his mouth, alternating sucks and licks…moving with her arches as she started to pant heavily. Her nails scraped against his scalp and he heard her moan that she was close – felt the muscles in her thighs begin to ripple. And that was when he moved his left hand, easily slipping one…and then two fingers into her.

The tone in which she called out his name was one he’d never heard before. It was one that nearly made him lose control himself. Her inner walls began to quiver around his thrusting fingers and he could feel her fluid gathering quickly around them. He sucked harder at her clit, using his tongue to push her closer to the edge.

And then she screamed his name, her hips bucking wildly against him and her heel pressing so tightly that he was sure he’d have a bruise later. He didn’t care about that. All he cared about was watching her in the throes of an orgasm that he had brought about with his hand and mouth. And he kept going until she gasped a soft request for him to stop…to come to her…to kiss her.

He moved quickly, pausing long enough to remove the rest of his clothing before kneeling on the sofa between her thighs and leaning over her. She sucked hungrily at his tongue, groaning at the taste of herself in his mouth. She vaguely registered the sensation of his wet fingers gripping her hip as he pressed the shaft of his cock against her still-quivering clit.

He broke the kiss, inhaling sharply as she reached between them and ran her hand over his erection. “Fuck, Buffy…”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” She murmured, curling her fingers around the shaft and giving it a long, slow stroke.

He glanced over the back of the sofa, towards the door. She chuckled softly, resting her knees against his sides as she continued stroking him.

“Pretty sure I heard you barricade the door. Didn’t I?”

“I did.” He said with a smile, turning his eyes back to her. “But, you never know…”

“We can go to the bed, if you want…” She offered, releasing his erection and sliding her hands up his chest to his shoulders.

He shook his head and quickly guided his cock to her entrance. “I want…you…now.”

She closed her eyes, pressing her head back against the cushions as he gently pushed himself into her. “Shit…”

He smiled, breathing deeply as he held still…completely embedded within her. “Buffy?”

“Mm?”

“Look at me…”

She forced her eyes open and sighed at the intensity she could easily read in his. “God, I love you.”

“I love you.” He whispered in response, beginning to move his hips slowly. “S’alright?”

She smiled, moving her right hand to the back of his neck…drawing him down towards her. “Very alright.”

He kissed her slowly before resting his forehead against hers, groaning softly as she curled her legs around his hips. “Sorry…not much room here…”

“Don’t need much…” She whispered, sliding her arms underneath his and gripping his back with her hands. “Just need you.”

He pushed himself up, supporting his weight with his hand on the arm of the sofa. He looked down at her, inhaling sharply as her hands slid to his sides…her nails tracing his ribs. He increased his pace, lifting his left hand to her breast. She shuddered, moaning his name as he brushed his fingers over her nipple.

He pushed harder against her, gently squeezing her breast. He closed his eyes briefly as her nails dug into his sides.

“Christ…” He murmured, releasing her breast and moving his hand to the side of her neck…his thumb running along her jaw.

“Okay?” She asked, curling her hips up to meet his thrusts.

“This…isn’t how I, uh…I didn’t imagine this…” He licked his lips. “Our first time…”

“How many times have you imagined? She asked, smiling up at him.

“Ah…too many to count.” He admitted with a grin, his thrusts slowing momentarily before picking back up. “For far too long…”

The sofa squeaked lightly as he pushed himself further up, sliding his hands to her waist. He gripped her tightly, his eyes drifting to her breasts. Her skin glistened and a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his neck.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful…” He whispered huskily. He swallowed, allowing his eyes to glide further down.

She covered his hand with hers, gently tapping her finger against his wrist. “You like watching…”

“Hm?”

“You like watching…” She repeated, licking her lips before continuing. “Your cock sliding in and out…you like watching it.”

He nodded slowly, glancing up at her. “I’m going to come soon.”

She smiled, wrapping her fingers around his wrist. “So am I. You can feel it, can’t you?”

“Buffy…”

“How hot does it feel for you? Inside?” She exhaled deeply. “Because I feel like I’m burning alive…you make me feel like that.”

When he hesitated in a response, she continued. “Can you feel how much wetter I get with each thrust?”

“Yes…”

“Will you come inside of me?”

His eyes widened slightly. “I…we…I shouldn’t…”

“But, you can…you can come inside. We can come together if we time this right. Because I’m fucking close, Giles. I know you have to be able to feel it…”

He nodded again, glancing at her lips. “Keep talking to me…”

“We’re going to come…then we’re going upstairs.” She moved her other hand to his stomach, smiling as his muscles tightened under her touch. “We’ll rest, nap even…and then when we wake up, I’m going to suck you off.”

“Oh, holy fuck…” He moaned loudly, closing his eyes as her inner walls began to quiver around him.

“And I will swallow everything you give me.”

“Buffy…”

“Giles…”

He forced his eyes open, staring into hers. He moved his left hand through her curls, smiling as she shuddered beneath him when his thumb pressed against her clit.

“Are you sure?” He whispered urgently.

She nodded quickly, bucking her hips against him. “Fuck yes…”

He slammed his hips against her and leaned back over her. His breath was hot against her mouth as they both panted with exertion.

And then he felt it…her quivers turning to ripples as she came forcefully, calling out his name. He trembled, groaning her name loudly as he came as well…flooding her inner walls as he covered her mouth with his.

She quickly wrapped her arms around him, holding him to her when she felt him start to roll to her side. She smiled as she broke the kiss and shook her head.

“You roll, you fall onto the floor. Not the best way for this to end right now.”

“I need a bigger sofa.” He murmured, lowering his head to the crook of her neck.

She giggled, which caused him to giggle. And she thought it was the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard.

“I love you.” She whispered, inhaling sharply as he shifted…his softening cock slipping from her.

He looked into her eyes, carefully supporting himself with his right arm as he brushed the damp hair from her face with his left hand. “I love you, Buffy.”

“Bed?”

“Mm-hm…need a second, though.”

“I can’t believe you barricaded the door.”

He laughed and then pressed a warm kiss to her shoulder. Before he could answer, the phone rang. He sighed and pushed himself up…reaching over the back of the sofa to grab the offending object.

“H’lo?” He paused and sat up on his knees, still between her thighs. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Where?”

He listened for a few more seconds and then gave Buffy an apologetic look as he stood up and extended his hand to her.

“Okay…yes, we’ll be there shortly.” He narrowed his eyes as he pulled Buffy up from the sofa and held her against his chest. “Of course she’s here…we’ve been researching the…”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh bloody hell…”

“What’s wrong?” She asked as he hung up the phone and tossed it onto the coffee table.

“Let’s just say…it’s a good thing I barricaded the door.”

Her eyes widened as she processed his words. “They came by, didn’t they?”

He nodded and then laughed as he shrugged a shoulder. “I can’t even be bothered caring that they heard us.”

“Me neither.” She smiled and leaned up, kissing him softly. “You’re amazing, by the way. If that’s what you can do on a couch…what’s it going to be like in a bed?”

He returned her smile and ran his hand down her bare back. “Show you tonight?”

“We have somewhere to be right now, huh?”

“Mm…I’m sorry.” He sighed, letting his hand drop from her warm skin and gesturing towards their clothes. “A couple of demons on Sixteenth…”

“Okay.” She bent down and picked up her clothes, sighing as she felt his hand slide over hip. “But, you’ll show me tonight…”

“Oh yes, love…hopefully for most of the night…”

She grinned and stood back up, turning to look at him. He tilted his head slightly and smiled.

“What were you really thinking about earlier? When I was researching?”

“I really was reflecting on our relationship…how we got here, that day at the river…”

“Reflecting…”

She started getting dressed, happily watching him redress himself. They shared a smile as they each put their shoes on.

“I didn’t think you actually listened to me when I was talking about reflecting…” He said as he grabbed his jacket and slipped his keys into his pocket.

“I listen more than you think I do, Giles.” She chuckled, gesturing towards the table blocking the door. “Come on, I’ll help you move this…”

“You know…I was having a hell of a time actually researching. I thought pacing would help me…it only made it worse.”

“What do you mean?” She asked, as they lifted the table and moved it back to it’s previous position.

“I was reflecting too. The only way I could stop myself from coming to you was to pace.”

“But…you did come to me.”

“I stopped pacing.” He smiled and lifted his hand, gently running his fingers through her hair. “I was worried that we were taking this too far too quickly.”

“And now?”

“Reflecting made me realise that this is where we were heading anyway. So why delay the inevitable?” He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. “Especially when the inevitable is as lovely as you.”

“Jesus…” She breathed, smiling up at him.

“Come on…” He unlocked the door and held it open for her. “Demons on Sixteenth.”

“Sounds like a musical…”

He shook his head quickly. “Please don’t say that…”

“As if a musical would be set in Sunnydale.”

He scoffed lightly. “If I’ve learned anything during my time here, it’s that anything can happen in Sunnydale…”

She laughed heartily and he smiled brightly as he followed her out, closing the door behind them.


~ End

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