Coincidence and Leprechauns

Soul

2021-12-06T04:59:05Z

Title: Soul
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles, Buffy/Uther (ish), Buffy/Uther/Giles (referenced)
Rating: FRM
Synopsis: An old friend finds his way back for a visit, but all is not as it seems.
Timeline: AU… two years after Heart.
Author’s Notes: When an idea gets in your head, it’s best to get it out.

Soul

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/370281.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Page 382

2021-12-06T04:55:12Z

Title: Page 382
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRM
Synopsis: Giles needs to go see the Council. Buffy isn't exactly thrilled about that prospect.
Timeline: AU…S6 – however, there was no death of Buffy – Giles didn’t return to England.
Author’s Notes: As always, thank you, fairygothmum

Page 382

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Heart

2021-12-06T04:50:09Z

Title: Heart
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles/Uther Pendragon
Rating: FRAO
Synopsis: A simple training session, the arrival of an unexpected visitor, magick -- everything leads to something. It's how they manage the something that matters most.
Timeline: AU…post-series.
Author’s Notes: Buffy/Merlin crossover. Buffy and Giles are in an established relationship.

Heart

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/369815.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Sandalwood

2021-12-06T04:45:32Z

Title: Sandalwood
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRAO
Synopsis: Scent is very...scintillating.
Timeline: AU…S5ish. Companion piece to Elderflower.
Author’s Notes: As always, thank you, fairygothmum

Sandalwood

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/369463.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

When a Goodbye is Final

2021-12-06T04:41:30Z

Title: When a Goodbye is Final
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRT
Synopsis: Character Death - a collection of linear/related drabbles written for November 2021.
Timeline: AU…post-series.
Author’s Notes: Tag Roulette: Character Death

When a Goodbye is Final

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/369190.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Buffy/Giles Holiday Fic Exchange

2021-11-10T19:54:30Z

B/G Holiday Fic Exchange on tumblr

The concept is this:

- Submit a short prompt for a fic you wish to receive.
- In return, you will receive a prompt from another writer and gift them a fic!
- Everyone is giving the gift of a fic and receiving a gift of fic!

This is our (mods) first time doing this so please have patience with us ;)

Deadline to submit your prompt: Nov 19
Deadline to post: Dec 28

Rules:
Please submit only once. We hope to have a 1:1 ratio for an even exchange.
Please specify if you are requesting smut and if you write smut
Fics are not required to be holiday themed and creativity is encouraged!
If you cannot complete your fic by the posting date (12/28), please notify this blog at least 7 days prior (12/21) so we can look for a replacement writer.
Please try to stay in the 800 - 2500 word range (obviously we want you to go where the muse takes you, just don’t feel obligated to write more)
Can submit via Ask box or Submit box but try not to send as a private message since we may not see that notification.

Submissions:
Must include at least 1 way to contact you (tumblr, email, other socials are all fine). We will NOT share this information publicly unless given permission to do so.
Must include either your AO3 or Tumblr username (both is fine). This will be shared with your Gift Writer and used to tag you when they post.
Must include whether or not you write smut. We don’t want anyone to feel pressured to write something they are not comfortable writing. All genres are great!
Must include a prompt of no more than 6 words and specify whether smut is ok or not.
Please specify if you are open to being a “back-up writer” for those who opt out

Example:

Contact:
Username:
Prompt:
Smut (Receive): Y / N
Smut (Write): Y / N
Back-up writer: Y / N
(optional) Squicks/Triggers to avoid:

Remember that we are all just here to have fun and share some seasonal love!

B/G Holiday Fic Exchange on tumblr

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/368915.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

22:16 - Chapter 6/6

2021-11-02T10:37:39Z

“Well, that was a long call. I hope it’s because you were able to get some answers.” Xander said, yawning as Buffy and Giles walked back into the room. “Because…we’ve got nuthin’.”

Ethan stood up as a third person followed them in. “Lottie.”

“Ethan.” She responded, giving him a slight glare before smiling brightly at Willow. “Hello, Willow.”

Xander arched an eyebrow at Ethan. “No love lost there, then?”

“I wasn’t joking about spending time with Orla many years ago.” Ethan said softly, sitting back down. “I wasn’t overly gentlemanly to her.”

Lottie snorted a laugh as she shook her head. “That’s putting it mildly.”

“I am genuinely sorry for my behaviour then, Lottie. I’m not that person anymore.”

Lottie sighed heavily. “I know, Ethan. But, it’s not me who deserves your apology. Also, that’s not what I’m here.”

She glanced at Giles, who gave her a nod. Ethan blew out a soft breath.

“So, we can stop researching…” Xander asked quietly.

Lottie nodded and sat down at the table. Buffy and Giles sat next to her. Giles cleared his throat.

“Close the books. I’m confident that we can fill everyone in on what’s happened…and why.”

Ethan regarded Giles carefully, but didn’t say anything.

They all gave Lottie their full attention as she began to speak.

* * *

Xander furrowed his brow. “Okay, I’m confused. If it was foretold that Giles would be a successful Watcher who would be turned – why send him to Sunnydale? You know, with the freaking Hellmouth…and shit loads of vampires?”

Lottie sighed heavily. “That was the Council’s attempt to prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled. He was never meant to be Buffy’s Watcher. His time wasn’t to come until much later.”

Willow’s eyes widened. “They seriously sent you to Sunnydale to die?”

“The Council was not then what it is now.” Giles responded, running his thumb along the band of the ring on his pinky. “Buffy was a surprise – she had fallen through the cracks. When she appeared and Merrick was killed, they thought it the best way to take care of the issue.”

“The issue of you becoming a powerful Watcher-slash-Vampire King?” Xander asked, dumbfounded.

“They did not expect us to bond. They didn’t expect me to survive long enough for that to happen.”

“Seems that the higher powers outrank the Council.” Ethan offered quietly.

“But, they didn’t know about your involvement?” Willow asked Lottie.

Lottie smiled as she shook her head. “Goodness, no. That would have been a death sentence for Rupert.”

“But, it’s permanent?” Willow asked, glancing at Giles.

“His soul is intact and safely contained. It is permanent…though there will be times when the vampire will appear.”

“Don’t make him angry…you won’t like him when he’s angry.” Xander said, nodding in understanding. He smiled when Giles looked at him in confusion. “Like the Incredible Hulk. Only…no green skin.”

“We’ll need to test the sunlight aspect of this when the sun rises.” Lottie said absently.

“You can be in the sun?” Willow gasped. “So, the only way anyone would know anything is if you tell them.”

“That’s the idea.” Lottie grinned.

Ethan tilted his head slightly at Giles. “What is it, Rupe? You don’t seem to be jumping for joy.”

“I’m a fucking vampire, Ethan. I’m Head of the Council, an organisation that is vehemently opposed to vampires – souled or not.”

Ethan looked at Lottie, gesturing to Giles. “Can something be done about that? Maybe tricking the Council spell into overlooking his vampire status?”

Lottie shook her head slowly. “There’s no circumventing that. We’re going to have to have a discussion with the Council board members – and they’ll need to either appoint a new Head or allow an exception to be introduced.”

Ethan nodded, turning his eyes to Buffy when she yawned. His features softened as he offered her a gentle smile.

“You’re welcome to one of the guest rooms. You must be completely exhausted.”

Lottie looked at him in surprise.

Buffy covered her mouth with her hand as she yawned again. “I think I’m about two steps past exhausted.”

Ethan glanced at the clock. “He’s been awake for nearly twenty-four hours and you’ve been here for nearly two full days. How you’re even functioning at all, I have no idea.”

“Some things are more important than sleep.” She said, resting her head on Giles’ shoulder.

Ethan smiled and glanced around the room. “You’re all welcome to stay, though I only have two guest rooms.”

Lottie stood up and smiled at Ethan. “I need to get back to the Coven – portals are handy in that way.”

“Do you need any help?” Willow asked, obviously prepared to go back with Lottie if needed.

Lottie shook her head, casting a subtle glance towards Buffy. “I think it might be best if you stay here tonight.”

Willow nodded in understanding.

“Thank you, Lottie.” Giles said softly, standing up and gently pulling Buffy with him. “For everything.”

“We’ll get everything else sorted, Rupert. Just take some time and settle into this, okay?”

He nodded silently and quietly ushered Buffy out of the room with him.

“Are they going to be okay?” Willow whispered to Lottie.

“Yes. But, it’s a lot to take in. So they’re going to need your support.” She looked at Xander, then Ethan. “Yours too.”

“Buffy seemed really sad.” Xander thought aloud. “Like…more than ‘my boyfriend is a vampire’ kind of sad. Because…she knows what it’s like to have a vampire beau.”

“That’s for her to discuss when she’s ready.” Lottie replied, quickly opening a portal. “Call if you need me.”

Ethan heaved a deep sigh as Lottie slipped into the portal and allowed it to close.

“I need a drink before I even attempt to sleep. Would either of you care to join me?”

Xander and Willow both nodded, following Ethan out of the room.

Willow flicked the light switch, leaving the room in darkness.

* * *

Giles looked a bit apprehensive as Buffy slipped into bed next to him.

“Are, um…are you sure about this?”

Buffy looked into his eyes, stopping herself before lying down. “Would you rather me go to a different room? If it’ll make you more comfortable, I will.”

He shook his head slowly, she could see the glistening in his eyes in the dim light of the room.

“Ru…remember how I said I wasn’t leaving?” She waited for his nod of acknowledgement before continuing. “That wasn’t something said to just be saying something.”

His brow furrowed. “Obviously, vampirism doesn’t translate your more confusing statements.”

She chuckled softly, moving closer to him. “Shut up.”

He smiled…the first smile that was uniquely Giles since this all started. She placed her hand on his chest, gently pushing him onto his back. Before he could protest, she snuggled up next to him and placed her head on his chest before draping her arm over him.

“Um…”

“Every single time we’ve slept together, this is how I’ve fallen asleep – my head on your chest, your arm around me.”

“Yes…because you said my heartbeat lulled you to sleep. I, uh…that’s not possible now.”

She smiled warmly and tenderly stroked his chest. “At first, yeah. But, it pretty quickly just became about you holding me…and you’re a pretty comfy pillow.”

When his expression still held more uncertainty than anything else, she sighed. “Let’s just give it a go, okay?”

He gave a slight nod and bit his lip as she laid down and rested her head on his chest. She draped her arm over him and snuggled harder.

“Arm, Giles.” She whispered.

He tentatively curled his arm around her, gently stroking her shoulder with his fingertips. “I love you, Buffy.”

“I love you, too.” She replied, closing her eyes. “We’re going to work through this, you know.”

He didn’t answer, but continued lightly stroking her skin. Her breathing changed as she quickly slipped into slumber. He listened to her sleep for a long while before closing his eyes.

* * *

Buffy opened her eyes to find it still dark outside…and silent in the house. Not a sound at all – and she had the thought that this would be the hardest thing to get used to. The complete silence as he slept. Though his body temperature was well below normal, he wasn’t as cold as Angel or Spike had been. But the silence was deafening. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table, not surprised to find that it was before 4 am.

She watched him sleep a few minutes longer and then leaned into him, pressing her lips to his. She kissed him a second time, a soft lingering kiss focused on his bottom lip. The tip of her tongue lightly touched it before she pulled away. She gasped when his hand quickly moved to the side of her neck, his fingers curling around to her nape.

And then his mouth was on hers, his tongue nudging between her lips. His tongue stroked hers and he moaned softly as her fingers traced his ribs. And then just when she expected him to roll her onto her back and move to kneel between her thighs, he pulled from the kiss and stared at her through amber eyes.

“So, not just anger or fighting brings out the vampire, huh?” She whispered, gently pulling his bottom lip down slightly with her thumb. “Eyes, fangs, but no ridges…that’s going to spin me out for a bit.”

“Buffy…”

“I need you, Rupert.” She whispered emotionally, returning her eyes to his.

When he swallowed, but didn’t respond, she slipped her hand under his shirt. “We need this. This isn’t about sex, this is about you understanding that we’re still us – regardless of what has happened.”

He looked down as she started to push his shirt up. “And making love with you will help me understand that?”

“Making love with me will help us both understand that we can work through anything together…” She placed a warm kiss on his sternum before meeting his eyes. “You’re worried about what this is going to do to us. But that’s something you don’t need to worry about at all. I’m here, Giles. I’m all in. But, I need to know if you still are too. Because if you’re not, I just – ”

He interrupted her with a sudden kiss. Her lips parted beneath his in an open invitation – an invitation he accepted immediately with no hesitation. He relished the warmth of her tongue against his, groaning into her mouth as her fingers glided over his nipple. When her hand paused briefly over his heart, he pulled back and looked into her eyes.

“I’m all in, Buffy. I have been from day one.” He whispered, pushing the hair back from her face. “My reluctance has nothing to do with any waning desire felt for you. If anything, I want you more. I’m…worried about hurting you.”

She smiled and slid her fingers down his chest to curl in the hem of his shirt. “I’m the Slayer, Giles. Pretty sure I can handle anything you dish out.”

Without saying another word she sat up, pulling him with her. They sat there on the bed, staring at each other hungrily. His eyes darted to her lips before settling on her eyes. She moved to her knees in front of him, carefully pulling his shirt up and off.

His eyes seemed to glow as her fingertips trembled against his skin where Clara had bitten him. The wound had healed, there wasn’t even the faintest scar…but he could feel it when Buffy touched him. And it sent a shock of arousal straight to his groin.

Before he could change his mind, he grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up…smiling as she raised her arms to help him. He captured her lips again, pushing his tongue into her mouth as he slipped his hands into the waistband of her pajama bottoms. She thrust her tongue wantonly against his as his hands pushed the clothing down her thighs.

When he could push them down no further, he pushed her down to the mattress. The kiss spiralled into uncontrollable desire and she kicked her legs free, flinging the bottoms onto the floor…somewhere in the room. And then her hands were grabbing at his remaining clothing, frantically trying to rid him of anything touching his skin.

He chuckled deeply, pulling from the kiss and quickly removing his pajamas…leaving them both naked and obviously aroused. He knelt between her thighs and he could feel her heat almost calling to him. His synapses were firing rapidly and her scent was so heavy that he could nearly taste it.

“You’re the Slayer.” He murmured.

“Yeah…” She nearly groaned, sliding her legs around his hips.

“My Slayer.” He continued, allowing her to pull him closer.

“Uh-huh…” She reached between them, wrapping her fingers around his cock.

“If I…” He stared at her, the golden hue blazing into her eyes. “…you fucking stop me if you need to, Buffy.”

She stroked his thickening erection and licked her lips. “You know how you used to tell me that I should just plunge and move on?”

His lips twitched in a slight grin. “I’m not moving on, love.”

“As long as there’s some plunging…I’m good with that.”

He snorted as her brow furrowed. And then she laughed. And then his deep, genuine laugh echoed hers.

“That’s…not…where I meant for that image to go.” She said, rubbing her thumb over the head of his cock. “But, I’ve missed hearing your laugh. So…I’m kinda okay with it. But, seriously, Giles…plunging…soon, yeah?”

His eyes softened and he swallowed hard.

“I fucking love you, Buffy.” He whispered emotionally, allowing her to guide the head of his cock into her.

And then he closed his eyes as her warmth completely enveloped him. His senses slipped into overdrive and he knew that the intensity of her heat would push him over the edge much sooner than he would like. Hearing her gasp, he lowered his head to brush his lips across hers.

“What…what does it feel like for you, love?” He whispered thickly, angling his hips slightly in a way that he knew she loved.

“Huh?” He mumbled, curling her legs over his hips.

“It feels…different…for me.” He murmured, sliding his tongue along her collarbone. “The heat…oh fuck, the heat…”

She forced her eyes open and smiled. “Tell me.”

“It feels like every single molecule in my body is on fire – a white heat that reminds me of…” He paused and closed his eyes as he pulled his mouth away from her neck.

“Of what?” She asked, lightly raking her nails across his lower back.

“Of life…of death…lust and love. The way you’d tease me…the way you’d set my soul on fire and I’d fucking burn for you.”

Her eyes widened, her nails dug into his skin. “Jesus, Giles…”

“And now I feel like I’m literally burning for you – and it’s the most sublime sensation I’ve ever…” He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. “You make me feel alive.”

“I love you.” She whispered emotionally, her eyes bright with sudden tears.

“I love you.” He replied, sliding his left hand down her torso as he increased his thrusts.

She groaned – loud enough that he knew he should probably cover her mouth, swallow her sounds. But, he also wanted to hear her – he could feel her, smell her, watch her writhe beneath him. And he wanted to hear her.

Oh yes…he’d come soon. But, he was also fairly certain that he could bring her with him. He watched a bead of sweat roll into the hollow of her throat and longed to lick it away, suck it from her skin. But, he didn’t completely trust his control yet. There was plenty of time to test that – he was immortal now…until someone was able to slam a stake through his heart.

“Stop.Fucking.Thinking.” Buffy moaned, sliding her right hand to his chest. “Just…fuck me, Giles.”

He smiled, his eyes blazing with love and lust, and gave her a nod.

And then she curled her fingers into the hair covering the back of his head and plunged her tongue into his mouth, forcing him to swallow her cries of ecstasy.

He was suddenly, and oddly, okay with that. And he allowed his senses to soar towards capacity – and then he’d push them further. He suddenly felt the intense desire – need – to make her come…sooner, rather than later. To feel her heat bathe him while he’d come deep within her. He wasn’t sure where that desire came from.

Could’ve been the fact that they were in his one-time friend-then lover-then enemy-now friend’s house…where that friend’s sister – who obviously had carried some very intense feelings towards him over the years – turned him into a vampire…and that was just too fucking weird on too many levels.

He’d make her come – of that he was certain. And he’d come…that wasn’t even a question. And then they’d hold each other until the sun rose.

And next time will be different – because he’ll get used to her heat and he’ll learn how to keep his senses from overloading. But, not this time – this time was about something completely different. She was right…this was very much about him working through the fear of how this would affect them – as a couple, as a partnership, as a team.

Life…or death, as it were…had taken a very unexpected turn for them. He had no doubt that things were going to be difficult and confusing – and he was certain that frustration and anger would appear more clearly at some point in the near future. And then there was the issue of the Council…and him being Head…and a fucking vampire.

Buffy suddenly pulled from the kiss and stared up at him. “Hey…less thinking, more plunging. We can think in the morning, promise.”

He gave her a smile…which faded as she closed her eyes and bit her lip to stifle a moan.

He could feel the demon within him knocking around – trying to gain control.

Rupert Giles was stronger. The demon would soon learn how strong.

~ End

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/368703.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

22:16 - Chapter 5/6

2021-11-02T10:21:23Z

Buffy placed her hand on Giles’ thigh as he stared at the telephone. He shook his head slowly and then gave a soft chuckle.

“I haven’t been this nervous since I asked you for a date.” He said, running his thumb over the keypad.

“We’ll work through whatever she says. If she has anything to say.” She replied with a sigh. “She may not know anything.”

“If she doesn’t, that closes down Council and family. And I don’t know where to go from there.”

Buffy nodded solemnly. Giles shook his head and quickly punched in the numbers before he changed his mind. He closed his eyes and listened to the line ring. And on the fourth ring, the line was connected and Giles opened his eyes.

* *

“Hello, Lottie.”

“Rupert, love! I was just thinking about you – about how it’s been far too long since I’ve seen you.”

“It has been a while.” He smiled warmly. “And I would love to see you.”

“Ah…business call, eh?” She laughed heartily. “Spell, supplies, lore…”

“Me.” He replied. “I need to talk to you about me. Something happened…”

Lottie was quiet for a long moment and then sighed heavily.

“Oh dear Lord.” She whispered.

“I haven’t even told you what happened.”

“You’re a Watcher, Rupert. You are the Watcher for the most successful Slayer in history. It’s not a hard leap to take.” She exhaled a deep breath. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

“I…can’t.” He whispered in response. “And I need your help.”

“It worked then?” She asked tentatively. “You…haven’t hurt anyone?”

“No, I haven’t.” He furrowed his brow.

“Your soul is safe? It…wasn’t expelled?”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Oh thank heavens!”

“You…knew…about this?” He asked in disbelief.

“Of course, my boy. I’m responsible.”

“What?”

“This isn’t a conversation that we should have over the phone, love.”

He could hear a rustling over the line and a whispered incantation.

“Found you…I’ll be there in a mo, alright?”

Before he could say anything, the line was disconnected. As he lowered the phone from his ear, a shimmering portal opened in the corner of the room.

“What the hell?” Buffy stood up quickly.

Giles took hold her of her wrist. “It’s Lottie.”

Buffy looked down at him, her brow furrowed. “Seriously, Giles…what the hell?”

“I don’t know, but apparently she does.” He replied, clearing his throat as he stood up beside of her.

The shimmering grew. Giles squeezed Buffy’s hand.

* *

Lottie stared at Giles through glistening eyes. She shook her head sadly as she walked over to him.

“I had so hoped that this would never happen.” She whispered, gently stroking his cheek. “But, then…I’m also very glad that it worked.”

“That what worked? What did you do? And…when?” He asked, looking into her eyes.

She sighed and moved her hand to his chest. “You were just a little thing – three years old. Your father had seen far too many people die at the fangs of a vampire, but when he had to stake a fellow Watcher…a friend…he vowed that he would do whatever he possibly could do to protect you.”

She wiped the tears from her eyes and gestured towards the sofa. “Come…let’s sit and talk.”

“Lottie…” Giles started as he and Buffy sat down on the sofa.

Lottie sat across from them and collected her thoughts.

“When a vampire infects a victim with their blood, the victim’s heart…explodes – expelling the soul at tremendous force.”

“Well, that explains the pain.” Giles said softly.

Buffy wordlessly took hold of his hand and moved closer to him.

“Yes, unfortunately so. Nothing I tried seemed to stop that process.” Lottie said before continuing. “The thought was…if the soul was actually unable to be forced out, then perhaps it could co-exist with the demon. So, the first step was to find a way for that to happen.”

She paused for a brief moment and then exhaled slowly. “A barrier spell was etched into your ribcage – preventing the soul from being forced out.”

Giles stared at her, not knowing what to say – so he said nothing.

“Then we came across the problem of what happens to the soul if it’s trapped with no protection. The essence of the vampire could possibly destroy…or corrupt…the soul. So, step two was giving the soul a new home that the vampire couldn’t access. That was more difficult that you’d think.”

Giles’ mind was racing. Buffy was already making a mental list of questions.

“The third step was the one that took the longest to get right – which is why you were three before we were able to apply the process to you.” She paused for a just a second, her eyes darting around his face. “Blending in. A person who is unable to be in the daylight is going to raise a lot of flags. A vampire’s visage – ridges, facial structure, eyes, teeth…those needed to be softened as much as possible.”

She tilted her head slightly and rubbed her palms against her thighs. “Are you able to show me?”

Giles lowered his eyes and squeezed Buffy’s hand. Buffy squeezed back and turned her eyes to him.

“It’s okay, Ru. I’m here.” She whispered.

He gave a soft nod and then lifted his now amber eyes to his Godmother. Her eyes widened as she moved closer, pulling her chair across the floor to sit directly in front of him. She scanned his face and smiled softly.

“No eyebrow ridges, no elongated cheekbones, the color of your skin hasn’t changed. Your eyes still look very human, though the color of burnt butter.”

“A dark honey, I thought.” Buffy said quietly, earning her a bright nod from Lottie.

“Why food stuffs?” Giles asked absently. “Why not ‘the color of the autumn leaves of a liquid amber’?”

Lottie chuckled quietly then gestured towards his mouth. “May I see?”

He looked at her for a long moment and then slowly parted his lips. She examined his teeth and then looked back into his eyes.

“There wasn’t much I could do about that. Fangs being the most important aspect of vampirism and such.” She sat back in her chair, a thoughtful expression on her face. “How do you feel?”

“Confused, concerned, incredibly sad.” He answered honestly. “But, not homicidal – so that’s a plus.”

“Have you fed?”

“Pig’s blood.” He replied, relaxing slightly. “Ethan has a blood fridge in his pantry.”

Lottie’s brow furrowed. “Why does Ethan have a blood fridge? And furthermore…why are you at Ethan’s home?”

“Ah…see, that’s how all of this…” He gestured to himself with a wave of his hand. “…happened. Ethan called asking for our help – specifically, Buffy’s help. Because, Clara…his younger sister...had been turned. And, as it turns out, he had kept her chained in a locked cell in a locked room in his basement for a year while he researched possible cures for vampirism. Having been unsuccessful, he called me. So, here we are…at Ethan’s house, to kill his sister.”

He paused for a moment, feeling a wave of anger pass through him.

“Obviously, things didn’t go to plan – and I gave myself to Clara in order to save Buffy. And when I woke up…colors were more vibrant, sounds were…everything was heightened. And I could smell Buffy’s blood, hear her heartbeat. It didn’t take much to realise what had happened. But, I knew instantly that things were not…as I would have expected them to be.”

“And Clara?” Lottie asked gently.

“Dust.” Buffy replied. “That was the first thing I did when I woke up. The second thing I did was to hold my dead love’s body in my arms…and pray that he wouldn’t wake up. But, he did – and I stood up to stake him…and then he looked into my eyes and said ‘Hello, Buffy’ and I knew this was…different.”

“Things are very different.” Lottie agreed, sounding quite relieved. “Any questions?”

Buffy nodded instantly. Giles barked out a laugh, startling Buffy. Lottie smiled, her eyes sparkling. Buffy slowly turned her head towards Giles.

“You think this is funny?”

“If I don’t start laughing…” He shrugged a shoulder. “Love, I have my soul…it’s not going anywhere. That’s pretty much the best I can ask for right now.”

Buffy thought about what he said and then sighed heavily. “Yeah, I get that, but…there are so many questions.”

Lottie nodded in understanding. “Ask away, sweetheart.”

“Can this spell be broken? Like…if he breaks a rib, does that break a seal? Because, let’s be honest – it could happen.”

“No – it can’t be broken. His soul will remain intact…and safe.”

“But, he still has…well, there’s a demon in there, right?”

“Yes, love. And there will be times when the vampire will come to the forefront – but, Rupert will be there too. And his strength will help him keep the demon in check.”

“You mentioned sunlight – are you saying he’ll be able to go into the sun?”

“Obviously, it’ll need to be tested – but, prior tests were successful. His eyes will most likely be fairly sensitive – sunglasses will be a necessity.”

Buffy’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, that brings me to a question that popped into my head earlier. How the hell was all of this figured out? I mean…prior tests? Tests on…?”

Lottie was quiet for a moment and then glanced at Giles. “There were research subjects.”

Giles stared at her incredulously. “You experimented on people? What did you do, grab random people no one would miss?”

Lottie looked horrified at the question. “What? God no! We recruited willing subjects.”

“Willing? Who the hell would be willing to be a fucking guinea pig?” Buffy asked, shaking her head furiously.

“Buffy.” Giles looked at her sharply. “Give her a chance to explain.”

Lottie lowered her gaze and took a deep breath. “All subjects were terminal patients. They were all within the last few weeks of their lives. Some had families, some did not.”

“And…that makes it all okay?”

Giles’ eyes blazed for a moment as he stared at Buffy. Lottie shook her head, her eyes softening and allowing her sadness to show through.

“No, positively not. But, every step needed to be tested before we could protect Rupert. As such…we did what was necessary. Am I proud of that? No. But, sitting here…knowing that my Godson is now a vampire…I’m grateful. Because he is too much of an asset to this world…and having him lose his soul would have been a devastating blow.”

“A devastating blow?” Giles’ eyes shifted back to green as he looked at Lottie. “This wasn’t just about protecting me because of people my father had lost, was it?”

Lottie became uncomfortably quiet and sat back in her chair.

“Lottie?” Giles whispered, ducking his head to catch her eyes. “Please tell me.”

Lottie stood up and quickly reopened the portal that she had come through. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

Buffy and Giles watched as she slipped into the portal. Buffy turned to look up at Giles.

“What the hell is going on, Giles? Are you thinking…prophecy?”

“I’m sure I’ve no idea. But, it’s something much more than friends being turned. I’ve had friends who were turned…and not once did I consider finding a way to protect any future children against being turned.”

Buffy’s eyes filled with tears and she quickly averted her gaze. Giles reached over and placed his hand on her thigh.

“Love…”

“We were going to have a family.” She whispered, her voice trembling.

“That was something we couldn’t figure out.” Lottie said gently, holding a book in her hand as the portal closed behind her once more. “I’m very sorry.”

She sat down, cradling the book against her chest as Giles cradled Buffy against his. Her sobs hurt Lottie’s heart more than she could put into words. She thought, not for the first time, that they would have made amazing parents. To find out that they’d never be able to fulfil that wish…was heartbreaking, to say the least.

Giles closed his eyes, holding Buffy tightly and whispering softly to her.

Lottie wiped her eye as she watched a single tear slip from the corner of his.

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/368440.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

22:16 - Chapter 4/6

2021-11-02T10:09:42Z

Two and a half hours after he left, Ethan walked back into the house – however, he wasn’t alone. Willow and Xander had insisted on coming with him. And by ‘insisted’…they had climbed into Giles’ car, buckled in, and locked the doors.

“Coat rack is over there…” Ethan gestured towards the corner with a nod of his head, his arms full of books and documents. “We’re in the study – down the hall, second room on the right.”

He didn’t wait for them to reply before hurrying towards the hallway.

His eyes narrowed as he walked into the room to find them sitting exactly how they were when he left. “Have you moved at all?”

They both looked up at him, but Giles was the one to speak.

“Were we supposed to?”

“Supposed to? I guess not. I just…expected you’d take advantage of the time alone.” He said with a grin.

Giles rolled his eyes. Buffy shook her head, reaching for a green binder from the pile that Ethan dropped onto the table.

“Did you get everything?” She asked, looking back up at him.

Her eyes widened slightly as Xander and Willow cautiously walked into the room.

Ethan sighed. “And a little more.”

Giles stood up slowly, slipping his right hand into his pocket. “Willow…Xander…”

“I, uh…I don’t know why, but I think I was expecting you to look…different.” Xander said, scratching the side of his head.

“That’s one of the dangerous aspects of a vampire, their ability to blend in with the human race.”

Xander giggled nervously, then cleared his throat. “Still sound like Giles though.”

Willow nudged by Xander and stepped towards Giles, then hesitated. Giles smiled softly at her. She rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around him. He looked at Buffy as he curled his left arm around Willow. He felt her stiffen for a brief moment when she rested her head against his chest. When he heard her sniffle, his tightened his hold on her.

“It sounds…wrong.” She mumbled.

Giles closed his eyes. “It feels wrong as well.”

“This isn’t something we can fix, is it?” Xander asked, emotion thick in his voice.

Giles opened his eyes and looked at him as he loosened his hold on Willow. “The best we can hope for is to find answers to how this happened, why this happened, and will I be able to maintain control of my soul – or will it be taken at some point.”

Willow looked up at him, wiping the tears from her face. “How did this happen?”

“I fucked up.” Buffy said bluntly.

Giles’ eyes snapped to hers. “Buffy…”

Buffy’s eyes darted between Xander and Willow. “Should’ve been a simple staking. But…I mistimed it.”

Hearing the tremble in her voice, Giles quickly knelt next to her chair. “Please, love…don’t. We talked about this.”

She looked at him and shook her head. “Talking doesn’t change the fact that you died to save me.”

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” He said, chuckling as her eyes widened. “Poor choice of words, but you know my meaning. And you know it’s the truth.”

The room was silent for a long few seconds before Ethan tapped his fingers against the table. When everyone looked at him, he gestured towards the pile of books, papers…stuff.

“Where do we start? Because you two rehashing what happened isn’t going to answer any fucking questions.”

Xander glared at him. “What the hell?”

“Xander, don’t.” Willow whispered, pulling out a chair and sitting down. “He’s right. Sit down.”

As Xander plopped down into a chair, Giles’ jaw tensed.

“You okay?” Buffy asked in concern.

As his eyes changed color, she breathed a soft ‘oh’. He cleared his throat and stood up. She took hold of his hand and looked up into his eyes.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Would you?” He whispered, his tone tinged with uncertainty.

She pushed herself up, glancing at Ethan. “Start with Watcher protocols, beginning with conditions of entry to the Academy.”

Ethan nodded and pulled a volume out of the stack. Buffy and Giles left the room, Xander and Willow staring after them.

“How should we divvy this up? Entry to graduation, training – the early years, and training – later years until the assignment of a Slayer?” Xander asked after a moment.

Ethan thought for a second and then shrugged a shoulder. “Sounds good.”

“I wasn’t prepared to not hear a heartbeat.” Willow whispered, pulling a Council volume towards her. She suddenly looked up at Ethan. “Are you okay?”

Ethan looked up from the text he was reading. “Me?”

“You lost your sister and then someone important to you was turned by your sister. That’s pretty full on and terrifying. Are you okay?”

Ethan shook his head slowly. “No. But, thank you for asking.”

Xander opened his book and then furrowed his brow. “I’m sorry for being kind of a dick earlier.”

“You were a complete dick earlier.” Ethan said and then smiled at him. “It’s understandable. We can sort out this shit later…let’s focus on what’s important at the moment, yeah?”

“Yeah…” Xander agreed, exhaling a slow breath as he returned his focus to the book in front of him.

* * *

Buffy watched as Giles poured himself a mug of warmed pig’s blood. He licked a drop of errant blood from his thumb and closed his eyes. She placed her hand on his chest, gently rubbing her thumb against the material of his shirt.

“Giles?”

“Hm?” He murmured, covering her hand with his.

“Let me see.”

He licked his lips – her brow furrowed when she saw the fangs briefly. And then he opened his eyes – she noted that they were more golden than Angel’s had been, warmer than Spike’s had been. She reached up with her free hand and tenderly ran her fingertips along his brow – no large, protruding ridges. There was nothing terrifying about his countenance. In all of her years as a Slayer, she had never witnessed anything such as this.

In fact, if his teeth were hidden behind his lips…the only giveaway would be his eyes. And she wasn’t sure if that was dangerous or not.

“This is…bizarre.” She whispered, moving her hand to caress his cheek. “On so many levels.”

He merely stared at her silently, allowing her to continue with her thoughts.

“Obviously, you’re a vampire – no heartbeat, the teeth, the eyes. But, that’s where the physical traits seem to stop. And your eyes…”

He tilted his head slightly as she trailed off. “What about them?”

“There’s no evil in them. Like…at all. Even with Angel, I’d always see the demon lurking in there. And I wonder if that’s because his soul was forced back in. His eyes always had this darkness to them – it kind of muddied his eyes when he…changed. But, you…there’s light, they’re clear and bright and…beautiful.”

“Beautiful?” He asked softly.

“Yeah.” She nodded, gently gliding her thumb over his bottom lip. “Warm. Golden and warm…the color of that honey you brought back from your trip that time.”

“I want to kiss you.” He whispered, an intensity in his voice that caused her to smile.

“Then kiss me.”

He thought about it for a long moment and then shook his head. “Not like this. Not until we know what’s going on. Because…what if I nick you or…god forbid…bite you?”

“Do you want to bite me?”

He stared into her eyes. “I didn’t need to be a vampire to enjoy some hard-core nibbling with you, love. We’ve tasted one another’s blood more than once in the heat of passion.”

“Mm-hm. Yeah, we have.” She inhaled sharply, allowing her fingers to slide down the side of his neck.

His brow furrowed as he glanced down. She followed his gaze and licked her lips.

“How is that even possible?” He asked, genuinely curious. “I have no blood flow, no body heat of my own. How can I…”

“Have a hard cock?” She finished for him, pressing closer to him. “That is a vampire mystery amongst all vampires.”

“Buffy…” He whispered in a slight warning tone.

“When we get confirmation that everything is safe…” She sighed deeply and took a step back, glancing at the mug on the counter. “You should drink that before it gets cold.”

“You’d…want to?” He asked in obvious disbelief.

“For better or worse, sickness or health, vampire or human…”

“We’re not married, Buffy. We’re not even living together.”

“Might as well be. I can’t actually remember the last time I slept alone in a bed.” She replied with a smile of adoration. “Granted, this isn’t the turn I expected our lives to take – but, it’s been taken. And…guess what, Rupert Giles?”

“What, Buffy Summers?”

“I’m still hopelessly in love with you.” She paused for a second and her smile faded. “If this turns out to be a temporary thing…I don’t know how I’m going to deal with that.”

“You were prepared to stake me before.” He offered, lifting the mug to his lips.

“I’m not sure ‘prepared’ is the correct word to use.” She leaned up and pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek. “Finish up, we have research to do.”

He nodded wordlessly…and then took a large drink as he watched her leave the room. Then he flicked the switch for the kettle and rinsed his now empty mug.

* * *

They had been researching for hours, breaking a few times for food. Buffy had refused to actually take a break – instead, choosing to eat while flipping through one of the Watcher’s journals. Willow had smiled when Giles pointedly reminded her to be careful.

Some things hadn’t changed.

Ethan watched as Giles stood, stretched, and then bent down to whisper something into Buffy’s ear. Buffy nodded with a whispered ‘thank you’ and then went back to reading. When Giles left the room, Ethan caught Buffy’s eye.

“Tea.” She said quietly. “Just tea.”

Ethan nodded, twirling the pen between his fingers before making a quick note on the pad of paper in front of him.

* *

Xander looked up when Giles walked in carrying two mugs. He handed one to Buffy and then sank down in the chair next to her.

“Vampires don’t research?” Xander asked teasingly.

Willow stared at Xander, Buffy took a sip of her tea, Ethan arched an eyebrow. Giles met Xander’s eyes, flashing amber for a split-second.

“Not when they’re hungry.” He stated bluntly.

When Xander started to back-pedal, Giles smiled.

“You’re far too easy, Xander.” He said, taking a sip from his mug.

“Funny. As always, charming and funny.” Xander smirked and glanced at the mug in Giles’ hand. “O pos?”

“Earl Grey.” He replied, narrowing his eyes when he looked at the text Buffy was reading. “You’re reading the transcript of my Academy admission ceremony?”

Buffy nodded with a sigh. “Yeah. This is full on, Giles.”

“Indeed. But, from memory there was nothing that dealt with soul retention from a possible turning…” He glanced at the ring on his pinky. “However, that was when I was presented with my ring.”

“That would be very Vampire Diaries.” Xander commented, shrugging his shoulder when everyone looked at him.

“You watch a tv show about vampires?” Willow asked, staring at him in disbelief. “We’re from Sunnydale.”

“It’s obviously not real. I like to laugh at everything that they get wrong.” Xander replied, then grinned. “And…Damon’s hot…even for a straight guy.”

Ethan shook his head in slight amusement. “True, on all accounts. However, it’s not connected to the ring.”

“How do you know?” Willow asked, looking at him attentively.

“Navid Telstrum.”

“Oh…yeah, that clears everything right up.” Xander muttered. “Navid Telstrum.”

Willow ignored Xander as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “Who’s Navid Telstrum?”

“He was a Watcher who was killed during my fourth year at the Academy.” Giles said, taking a sip of his tea.

“Second year.” Ethan said, looking at Giles.

Giles shook his head. “No, I remember the announcement very clearly. My father was extremely upset.”

“He was turned, then staked two years later.” Ethan said quietly, pushing the book towards Giles. “He was turned two years after you started at the Academy…which would have been two years after you were presented with your ring. Ergo…it’s not the ring.”

“Look, I’m happy to keep looking through Council shit…but, I really don’t think that they cared enough about Watchers to protect their souls in case of a vampire attack.” Xander said, leaning back in his chair. “I mean…the Council of old, obviously. I know that you care about the welfare of the current Watchers.”

Willow nodded in agreement. “I think he has a point, Giles. Maybe we need to look elsewhere?”

“Where next?” Buffy asked, running both hands through her hair.

“How long has it been since you slept?” Willow asked in concern.

“I’m fine. I’m not tired, I’m…jittery. Where do we look next?”

Willow looked at Giles and gave him a gentle smile. “I think maybe you should contact Lottie.”

“Lottie at the Coven?” Xander asked, narrowing his eyes. “How could she help?”

“Giles family history…” Willow answered.

At Xander’s expression of utter confusion, Giles cleared his throat.

“She’s my Godmother.”

Xander’s eyes widened. “Why did I not know that?”

“Because you are too focused on Sylvie.” Willow said, waggling her eyebrows at him.

“Sylvie? Lottie’s grand-daughter?” Ethan snorted, then smirked when Xander looked at him expectantly. “I dated Orla for awhile.”

“Dated is probably not the most accurate of terms.” Giles remarked pointedly.

“Probably not.” Ethan grinned. “I asked her once if Sylvie was mine.”

Xander’s eyes widened, Willow’s mouth dropped open, Buffy looked at Giles, and Giles rolled his eyes.

“She’s most definitely not.”

“Yeah, yeah…I know.” He gave Giles a wink, then gestured towards Xander. “But worth it for his reaction.”

Giles laughed softly and then looked at Willow, who had quickly regained her composure.

“I’ll call Lottie at a more respectable hour. Have we looked into atmospheric anomalies?”

Willow looked at him curiously. “Atmospheric anomalies?”

“Phases of the moon?” Xander asked in confusion. “You’re a vampire, not a werewolf.”

“I’m very aware of that, Xander.” Giles replied, his patience threshold dangerously close to being breached. “However, the moon is not the only thing in the atmosphere that could possibly have an anomaly – and I’m running out of ideas. If you have any earth shattering ideas, please…enfuckinglighten me.”

Xander nodded silently, lowering his eyes. Willow glanced at Ethan, who arched an eyebrow back at her. Buffy reached over and placed her hand on Giles’ thigh. He looked at her, relaxing slightly as she soothingly rubbed her hand over his jeans.

“Meteors?” Xander asked, tapping the end of his pen against his chin in thought. “Ooh…snot monsters from outer space?”

Giles closed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

Ethan leaned forward, catching Xander’s eye. “You do realise that he could rip your fucking throat out at any given moment, right?”

Xander’s eyes widened.

Giles snorted lightly and covered Buffy’s hand with his own as he shot a wink of appreciation to Ethan.

* * *

Giles looked up, narrowing his eyes when he saw the time on the clock. Willow noticed him and swallowed the bite of sandwich she had been chewing.

“You okay?”

“Hm?” He looked at her and then smiled. “Oh, yes. I was just thinking that I’d lost track of time. And I think we’ve exhausted most avenues.”

Hearing a soft snore, Willow laughed softly at Xander…who was currently using one of the books as a pillow as he napped. “Exhausted him too.”

Giles shook his head in amusement. Then he reached over and took hold of Buffy’s hand. “You should get some rest, love. I’ll give Lottie a call and see if – ”

“Not happening.” She interrupted quickly. “I’m with you. Unless, I mean…do you want to talk to her alone?”

“Not especially.”

With a quick nod, she stood up and tugged his hand, leading him out of the room. Xander jumped, startling himself awake. Ethan chortled as Xander wiped his mouth, looking around the room. He narrowed his eyes at Ethan.

“What?” Ethan asked, pulling a lighter out of his pocket.

“So, definitely no chance of you being Sylvie’s father?”

“What kind of dreams were you having, mate?” Ethan laughed loudly, pushing his chair back and standing.

He reached for the pack of cigarettes resting on the bookshelf behind him and gave Xander a wink before quickly leaving the room.

Xander huffed and then looked at Willow. “You don’t think, do you?”

Willow shook her head and chuckled.

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/368289.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

22:16 - Chapter 3/6

2021-10-27T22:54:11Z

“Seems we have a bit of a situation here, love.” Giles said, pushing himself up and leaning back against the headboard. He ran his hand over his face and shook his head. “Hard to talk properly with these teeth…”

Buffy stared at him, the stake dropping from her hand and bouncing on the floor. Ethan scrambled to pick it up as it started to roll under the bed.

“Oh my god…” She whispered.

Ethan stood up quickly, brandishing the stake in front of him. Giles glanced at him and chuckled softly.

“Might want to take that off of him before he hurts someone.”

“Or something…” Ethan corrected, narrowing his eyes at Giles.

“What the hell is going on?” Buffy asked, reaching over to take the stake from Ethan.

“I honestly don’t know.” Giles said, grimacing as he felt his fangs retract. “That was actually fairly odd...”

“You’re a vampire.” Ethan stated, very confused about the vibe going on in the room. “Clara turned you.”

Giles nodded slowly. “That I do know.”

“Giles…”

His jaw twitched as his eyes glistened. “This is most unexpected.”

Ethan stared at him in disbelief as he watched a tear roll down Giles’ cheek. “Vampires cry?”

“Not usually.” Buffy replied before sitting down on the edge of the bed. “What do you feel?”

“I feel like me – colors are more vibrant though, I can hear your heartbeat, smell your blood.” He licked his lips. “My chest…aches. Having your heart stop is actually quite painful.”

“You can smell her blood?” Ethan asked, eyes wide.

Giles slid his gaze to Ethan. “Yours too.”

Ethan stared at him for a minute and shook his head in obvious confusion. “Okay, what the fuck is going on? Because…Clara tried to rip my throat out when she first got here and I was her first stop. You, on the other hand, are sitting there…cool as a fucking cucumber, talking about colors and smells and aches…”

“He still has his soul.” Buffy said quietly, watching Giles’ eyes move back to hers.

“What? How?”

“I don’t know.” She said, tilting her head slightly. “But, his soul is completely intact.”

“How can you be sure?” Ethan asked, sinking down into the chair Buffy had been sitting in. “I mean…what if this is all just an act?”

“I have some experience with souled vampires.”

Giles snorted a gentle laugh. Buffy reached out with a slightly trembling hand and touched the side of his face. His laugh ended and he leaned into her touch.

“Are you hungry?” She whispered.

He looked at her for a long moment before giving her a nod.

“Ethan, do you still have – ”

“Yeah.” He interrupted, watching her wipe another tear from his skin with her thumb. “I’ll go warm some up.”

Buffy and Giles stared at each other as her hand lowered to cover his. Ethan stood up and left the room.

“This is my fault.” Buffy said tearfully. “I’m so sorry.”

Giles shook his head. “It’s no more yours than mine, love. I suppose though…it could have been worse.”

Buffy nodded in agreement, curling her hand over his. “We need to figure out what this is. Is it a curse? Is it temporary?”

“I’m fairly certain it’s not a curse. It’s not as if that’s a well-known piece of literature, Buffy. And for the curse to work, the soul would need to have been cast out…in order to be reinstated. Mine…never left.”

“This feels like a really fucked up nightmare.” She said, tears suddenly slipping down her face. “A really fucked up nightmare.”

He reached out and grabbed her shoulder, quickly pulling her into his arms. He held her tightly as she sobbed, tenderly placing a kiss in her hair.

“Did…did you see it happen?” He asked hesitantly.

She shook her head, gripping his shoulder blades as her tears soaked into his shirt. “No. You…you were already…no. No, I didn’t see.”

“Clara?”

“Dust.”

“I don’t even know where to start looking into this.” He admitted after a long moment of silence.

“What do you mean?” She shifted enough to where she could look at him, but refused to let go of him.

“Do I start with the Council? Family records? Darker vampire lore? Covens? Demons?” He paused and clenched his jaw. “What the fuck do I do?”

Ethan cleared his throat as he reentered the room, a coffee mug in his hand. “You drink this and then we start making lists…ideas, contacts, possibilities…and we work through it.”

He waited until Buffy let go of Giles before handing him the mug. “It’s…pig.”

Giles’ nostrils flared and his eyes blazed amber once more. When Buffy furrowed her brow, he cradled the mug in his hands without taking a drink.

“What is it, Buffy?” He asked softly.

“Your eyes changed…but your face didn’t. I’ve never seen that happen before. Like…ever.”

“I supposed that’s something to write down then, isn’t it?” He asked, lifting the mug. He stopped before it touched his lips and lowered his gaze from hers.

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s right?” He countered. “I’m a Watcher who is now a vampire. And I’m getting ready to have my first feed…from a mug…in front of my love, my Slayer – who is very much human. That’s all sorts of fucked up, Buffy.”

“I’m not leaving.” She whispered. “I won’t watch if you don’t want me to. But, I’m not leaving. I love you, Ru.”

He gave her a sad smile – and then lifted the mug to his lips.

Ethan looked away. Buffy did not.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ethan sat back in his chair, lifting a cup of tea to his lips. Truth be told, he wanted something much stronger…but, he needed his mind to be as clear as possible. He watched Rupert and Buffy furiously writing down everything that popped into their heads…no matter how absurd it sounded.

“I need my books for this…” Giles said, drawing a line from a word in one list to a word in another.

He looked up when he heard Ethan chuckle. “What?”

“This is all just…really fucking surreal.”

“That’s a word for it.” Giles nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “What’s even more surreal is…I’m getting ready to ask if you might be able to help us.”

“Times have certainly changed, huh?” Ethan commented, finishing his tea and placing his empty cup on the table as he leaned forward. “What can I do?”

“I need you to go into the Council and pick up a few books, some documents…and stuff.”

Ethan furrowed his brow. “Me? Would they even let me in? Wouldn’t Buffy be better for this? Or…you’re the bloody Head, aren’t you?”

“I can’t let Buffy go – she…needs to stay with me.” He paused for a moment and then shrugged a shoulder. “In case there’s a change in my…behaviour.”

“In case your soul decides to take a holiday?” Ethan asked, nodding in understanding. “Okay, but still…you’re – ”

“A vampire.” Buffy interjected. “The Council building is strictly a no vampire zone, whether it’s the Head or not.”

“Okay…yeah, that’s all well and good. But, I’m still Ethan Rayne – even if they let me in, they’re not going to let me take things out of Rupert’s office or from anywhere in the building.”

Buffy thought for a moment and then looked at Giles. “He’s not wrong. We’re going to need help on the inside.”

Giles would have sighed…if he could have. He rolled the pen in between his fingers.

“They are not going to handle this well.”

Buffy scoffed, reaching for her phone. “No, they’re going to completely freak out. But, what other choice do we have? Who else would you trust with this?”

“At this point in time? No one.” He thought for a second and then gave her a nod. “Make the call.”

Giles turned the page in the notebook in front of him and began writing down items that he’d need Ethan to bring back. Buffy punched in the numbers on her phone and took a deep breath as she waited for an answer. Giles’ hand paused as his hearing picked up on the voice on the other end of the line.

“Hey, Buffy!”

“Hey, Will…listen, we need your help. Might want to get Xander in as well.”

“Oookay….what’s going on?”

“Ethan Rayne is going to meet you at the Council…with a list of things that Giles needs. Like…asap.”

“Ethan? Why Ethan?”

Giles heard the suspicious tone in Willow’s question.

Buffy bit her lip and then sighed. “Because I have to stay with Giles and Giles…can’t come to the Council.”

“What do you mean he can’t?”

Buffy glanced at Giles…Giles gave her a ‘might as well…’ gesture with a wave of his hand.

“Giles won’t be allowed in the building if he comes.”

Willow was quiet for a few seconds. “The, uh…he’s Head. The only reason he wouldn’t be allowed in is…”

Willow gasped. “Oh my god…Buffy, the only reason is if he was a vampire.”

“Will, I need you to not panic…” Buffy started, closing her eyes as Willow shrieked.

“Giles?! Our Giles?! Your Giles?!” Willow exclaimed.

“Great job with the not panicking.” Buffy said dryly with no humour in her voice.

“It’s Giles!” Willow started, her panic rising. “Why aren’t you panicking? I’ve seen you after having nightmares about this…and you were screaming, crying, inconsolable. And now, it’s happened and you’re like…” She paused and then inhaled sharply. “Are you okay? I mean…are you being held hostage or something?”

Buffy’s brow furrowed. Giles snorted a laugh. Ethan’s eyes darted between Buffy and Giles.

“What? No. Oh…” She shook her head, realising she forgot to mention a very important part of this scenario. “Yeah, see, this is what we’re researching. Giles still has his soul. So…we need to find out how, why, details…and we’ve got jack shit at the moment. Ethan has a list…and we need what’s on that list to try to figure out what the hell’s happening. Trust me, I am not fucking calm. But, I’m trying not to fall apart right now. Because if I do…”

When she trailed off, Giles lowered his head and reached out to cover her hand with his. She swallowed the very large lump in her throat and sniffed back her tears.

“We need your help, Will. I need you to take a deep breath, calm down as much as you can – we’re all safe at the moment. But, you can’t help us if you’re in a full-blown panic attack…do you understand?” Buffy said softly, a slight tremble in her voice.

“Okay. Um…yeah, okay. I’ll call Xander…we’ll meet Ethan at the Council. When will he be there?”

Giles tossed his keys to Ethan. “It’s about a forty-five minute drive…you remember the way, yes?”

Ethan nodded, pushing his chair back. “Give me your list.”

“About forty-five minutes – he’ll be in Giles’ car. Can you be there?” Buffy asked.

“Yeah. We’ll meet him at the front gate.”

“Thanks, Will. And…please don’t give him a hard time, okay? We’ve all been through enough and he’s seriously doing everything he can to help us.”

“Is…is Giles okay?” Willow asked, her voice unable to hide her tears.

Buffy looked at Giles. He shrugged a shoulder.

“As much as he can be. We just need to get to the bottom of this…”

“Are you looking for a cure?”

“There’s no cure, Willow.” Giles said, loud enough for her to hear him. “My main concern is whether or not the status of my soul is temporary.”

“Oh…” Willow whispered sadly.

Buffy cleared her throat. “Ethan’s leaving now. You can trust him, which is a weird fucking thing to say, but…it’s the truth. We’ll tell you everything else later, we just…we need to work through this first.”

“Okay. We’ll be there. Be…be careful, Buffy.”

“Always.” She replied, then ended the call.

Ethan finished tying his shoes and looked across the table at them. “I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”

Giles nodded, chewing on the tip of his glasses that he no longer needed to wear. “My office keys are on the ring with my car key.” He tore the page from the notebook and handed it to him. “Willow will be able to help you find everything.”

Ethan put the list in his inner jacket pocket and spun the keys on his finger. “Make yourself at home. The blood fridge is in the pantry.”

They watched him rush out of the room and Buffy sighed as she heard the front door close.

“Buffy?”

She sat down and tossed her pen onto the table. “We’re counting on Ethan…and he has a blood fridge. This is not how I was expecting our week to end.”

“Not at all.” Giles agreed, lowering his gaze.

“What?”

He shook his head, dropping his glasses on top of his notebook. “What the fuck are we supposed to do, Buffy?”

“We’re working on it…” She replied quietly.

“No. No, I mean…on a more personal level.” He looked back up at her, eyes glistening. “I love you desperately – that hasn’t changed.”

She reached over and slipped her fingers between his. “You did hear me tell you that I love you earlier, right?”

He nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“That’s not something that just switches off because – ”

“I died?”

“I died too, if you remember. Did you stop loving me when I died? Or when I came back?”

“No.” He whispered.

“Neither have I.” She leaned over and kissed him softly. “We’ll work through it all – together.”

He nodded again – and returned her kiss.

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/367974.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

22:16 - Chapter 2/6

2021-10-21T19:23:23Z

Giles and Buffy followed Ethan down the stairs into the basement. Buffy looked around at the brightly lit room, surprised at the warmth of the area.

“Well, this is definitely not what I would have expected your basement to look like.” She remarked, glancing at the pictures on the wall.

“I had the sex dungeon dismantled when I decided to try to help Clara. It just felt too…unseemly…having my sister chained up amongst the whips and chains and slings…”

Buffy stared at him, her mouth dropping open. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Giles snorted a soft laugh. Ethan smiled, giving Buffy a quick wink.

“Just a joke, love. I have my deviant ways, but I’ve never had a dungeon. Just trying to lighten the mood a bit.”

Buffy shook her head in slight amusement. Ethan turned his eyes to Giles and sighed.

“She’s been talking about you a fair amount lately. Mainly trying to get under my skin…push my buttons, as it were. Talking about...”

When he trailed off and glanced at Buffy, Giles smiled softly.

“She knows.” He read the silent question in Ethan’s eyes and gave him a nod. “About everything…including our past.”

“And she still sleeps with you?”

“We’re not here to discuss our sex life with you, Ethan.” Buffy answered quickly, shrugging her jacket off.

“No. No you’re not.” Ethan replied, sobering nearly instantly. “Follow me…”

He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and took a deep breath as he unlocked a door in the far corner of the basement. Buffy heard the sound of chains rattling as Ethan stepped into the room and flicked the lights on. She arched an eyebrow as she entered the room, Giles right behind her.

“Shackles, a cell, and a locked room?”

Ethan scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t want to take any chances.”

The vampire glared at Ethan. Her bronze colored eyes slid to Buffy and she snarled.

“Slayer…”

Buffy said nothing, but watched the vampire’s eyes shift to a point behind her. The vampire smirked and licked her lips.

“Rupert.”

Giles exhaled a breath and moved to stand next to Buffy. “Oh, Clara…”

Clara stared at Giles and ran her tongue over her fangs. “Look at you…all respectable now. No ripped jeans and t-shirts anymore, love?”

Buffy looked at Ethan. “This is going to happen – you need to decide where you’re going to be.”

“I…” He shook his head, his eyes glistening as he looked at the demon that was once his sister. “I can’t let her die alone.”

Buffy regarded him closely for a moment and then gave him a nod. “I’m really very sorry, Ethan.”

“Yeah. Yeah, me too.”

“I’m going to need you to unlock the cell door, then lock it once I go in.” She said, then looked at Giles. “And I need you to take care of him.”

Giles nodded slowly, looking into her eyes. “Be careful.”

“Oh…” Clara grinned. “Not so respectable then. Can’t be a respectable Watcher if you’re fucking your Slayer.”

Giles glared at the vampire, but said nothing. Clara laughed and then her nostrils flared as she looked at Buffy.

“I can smell him all over you – inside and out.”

“Gross.” Buffy muttered, pulling a stake out of her jacket pocket.

“Buffy….” Giles warned.

“Yeah, I know…plunge, move on, don’t engage.”

“Well, that takes all the fun out of everything.” Clara goaded. “Come on then, love.”

Ethan unlocked the cell door and held it open for Buffy. As soon as she stepped in, he closed the door and took three large steps back.

“He told me once that I was too young for him – that’s why he wouldn’t fuck me.” Clara looked Buffy up and down and then scoffed. “Guess he got over the ridiculous idea of age differences, huh?”

“Guess so.” Buffy said, rolling her eyes as she stepped towards Clara. “I’m sorry, but this needs to be done.”

“Yeah…yeah, it does.” Clara nodded, a smirk on her lips.

Buffy tightened her grip on her stake and lunged. Clara grasped the shackle chains and jumped, kicking Buffy’s wrist. Buffy held on to the stake as she spun around, giving Clara the opportunity to wrap one of the chains around Buffy’s neck.

“Shit!” Giles yelled, running up to the cell and wrapping his fingers around the bars. “Clara, no…don’t!”

Buffy struggled to breathe as Clara tightened the chain. Her eyes found Giles’, focusing on him as her oxygen began to run out. This was not at all how she had ever expected to die – and she wasn’t sure how this had even happened.

“Clara, please don’t!” Ethan screamed, standing next to Giles. “Please don’t!”

Clara stared at Ethan, but loosened the chain slightly and allowed Buffy to take a gasping breath. “You don’t want me to kill her…but, you were perfectly fine with letting her in for the sole purpose of murdering me. What the fuck kind of brother are you?”

“Clara…” Giles interjected quickly, doing his best to stamp down his panic. “Listen to me, please…”

“No.” She shook her head, her amber eyes blazing. “You listen to me. I’m in control now. How about you come in, Rupert.”

“Giles, no…” Buffy’s raspy voice coughed. “No…”

“Shut up, Slayer.” Clara growled. “Come on, Rupert.”

When Giles took more time than Clara wanted to give, she tightened the chain again. “You come in or I’ll rip her head off. Have you ever watched a chain pop a head off a body? I saw it in a movie once. I bet it looks more amazing in real life.”

“Fuck!” Giles screamed as he noticed a blood vessel pop in Buffy’s right eye. “Open the door, Ethan.”

Ethan stared at Giles. “What?”

“Open the fucking door. NOW!”

“I can’t…Rupert, I can’t let you go in there.”

Giles’ jaw tightened and he grabbed Ethan, quickly slamming his head against the bars. As Ethan slumped to the ground, Clara laughed.

“Wasn’t expecting that…”

Giles ignored her, pulling the keys out of Ethan’s pocket. He entered the cell quickly, slamming the door behind him and dropping the keys through the bars.

“Okay. I’m here. Let her go, Clara.” Giles said, glancing at a nearly unconscious Buffy.

Clara stared at Giles and then smashed the front of her head against the back of Buffy’s – and then she let go of the chain and smiled as Buffy fell to the floor.

Giles grabbed Buffy’s wrist and quickly pulled her to him. He checked for her pulse and breathed a quick sigh of relief to find it. She was breathing, her heart was beating…she’d be okay. He carefully moved her closer to the door, out of Clara’s reach.

“What do you want, Clara?” Giles asked, standing up and narrowing his eyes at her.

“What I’ve always wanted.” Clara grinned. “You.”

Giles shook his head. “Buffy’s safe, I’m – ”

Clara quickly muttered a phrase in a language that Giles didn’t recognise. Giles’ eyes widened as the shackles dropped from Clara’s wrists and landed with a loud clatter on the floor.

“It took me ages to figure out the spell to use to magick these off.” Clara said, rubbing her wrists as she took a step towards Giles. “But…as you can see…I figured it out.”

Giles took a step back, pulling a stake out of his inner jacket pocket. “Clara…”

“I nearly killed your Slayer. What do you think I could do to a Watcher?”

Before Giles could respond, she grabbed him and slammed him against the bars…much like she had watched him do to her brother just moments earlier. He groaned as he landed on his knees, vision blurry.

She knelt in front of him and licked her lips. “I reckon you would be a fucking amazing vampire.”

He blinked slowly as he tried to focus on her. “Clara…”

“Let’s find out.” She said, grabbing the top of his head and pulling it to the side. “I’ve always thought you have the most delicious looking neck…”

His eyes widened and he screamed as she latched onto his neck. Blood flooded her mouth and she drank hungrily. Then she suddenly pulled away and stared at him. He swayed, nearly falling to the side before she caught him.

“No, love…time to drink.” She whispered.

And then she bit her own tongue and covered his mouth with hers. She pushed her tongue into his mouth, forcing him to take from her.

Ethan opened his eyes, pushing himself up just as Clara pulled her tongue from Giles’ mouth. “Oh, fuck. Oh, holy fuck!”

Clara laughed, letting go of Giles and letting him fall to the floor. “Nothing much holy about it, brother.”

Buffy inhaled sharply, her eyes snapping open. Her fingers tightened around the stake once more and she jumped up. She took advantage of Clara’s taunting of her brother. All of her focus was on Ethan, giving Buffy the opportunity to quickly walk up behind her and slamming the piece of wood through Clara’s back and into her heart. Clara exploded into a cloud of ash, the stake clattered to the floor, and Buffy slid to her knees next to Giles.

“Oh God…oh no…no, no, no, no.” She touched her trembling fingers to the blood on his neck, tears filling her eyes. “Oh God, Giles…”

Ethan found the keys and quickly unlocked the door, stumbling over to Buffy.

“Buffy…” He whispered, his own tears falling freely. “I’m so sorry. I…”

“Did she make him drink?” She asked, holding back her sobs as she pulled Giles up and cradled him against her chest. “Did you see?”

“No. No, I…I didn’t see. She…I don’t know, Buffy.”

He watched as she pressed her lips against the top of Giles’ head, her tears flowing down her cheeks as she held him. His gaze dropped to his old friend, streaks of blood wet on his skin…his body limp and still in Buffy’s arms.

He sat down with back against the bars, not knowing what to say or do. So he said nothing…he did nothing. He sat there, an ache in his chest so heavy that he wasn’t sure he’d ever breathe properly again.

* * *

“I need you to help me move him.” Buffy whispered after nearly two hours.

Ethan looked up and wiped his eyes. “Where to?”

“A bed.” She stated quietly. “I need to wait. I need to see.”

“What do you mean? Wait for what? See…what?”

“I’m not building a funeral pyre for him if I don’t have to.” She said, lightly stroking Giles’ hair. “If he rises, I’ll do what I have to do. But, if he doesn’t, then he deserves to have a proper funeral. People who love him need to have a chance to say goodbye.”

“Buffy…”

She looked up then and met his eyes. “I have to wait. I need you to help me.”

Ethan nodded slowly and pushed himself up. “We can put him in the guest room.”

“You’ll need to turn the air conditioning on.” She whispered emotionally.

He hesitated for just a moment, processing her words. And then he took a deep breath and knelt next to her.

“I can carry him.”

She nodded numbly, reluctantly letting go of him. “Be careful with him.”

“I will.” Ethan whispered.

Buffy watched as Ethan carefully lifted Giles, sliding his right arm underneath Giles’ knees. When she heard Ethan say her name, she stood up and rubbed her palms against her thighs. They shared a meaningful look…and then she followed him to the guest room.

* * *

Four hours later found them both sitting next to the bed where Giles’ body had been placed. Buffy was sitting in a chair, legs curled under her, eyes red and swollen from the sobs that had overtaken her more than once – and she hadn’t taken her eyes off of him. Ethan sat next to her, mainly staring at his hands…occasionally looking at Giles. He had reached over at one point to move Giles’ hand into what looked to be a more comfortable position…and he’d been startled to find there was absolutely no warmth there.

His friend was dead – killed by his sister…and now they were waiting to see if he was to become a vampire as well. Life was certainly fucked.

“How long does it normally take?” Ethan asked softly.

“There’s no set time. Sometimes it’s a couple of hours, sometimes it’s forty-eight, sometimes…it’s longer.”

“Buffy…I’m so very sorry. I didn’t mean for this – ”

“This is my fault, Ethan.” She interrupted gently, glancing at him. “I miscalculated. I didn’t take the time to read all aspects of the situation. This is on me.”

Ethan wanted to tell her that she was wrong. He knew she was wrong. But, he also knew that she wouldn’t accept that – not right now, possibly never. And so he exhaled a slow breath, sat back in his chair and fell into silence with her.

* * *

Ethan tried numerous times to get her to eat or rest or…just take a break. But, she steadfastly refused. Barely taking her eyes off of Giles’ body. Ethan would periodically leave the room, coming back in a few minutes later carrying two mugs. He’d hand one to her before sitting back down next to her.

Each time, she had taken the mug from him. She would absently sip the tea, but mainly she just cradled the hot mug in her hands until it cooled.

* * *

Twenty-two hours and sixteen minutes.

That’s how long it was between Giles collapsing onto the cell floor and the twitch that Buffy saw in his left hand.

“Fuck…” She whispered, new tears filling her eyes.

Ethan looked up just in time to see the fingers of Giles’ left hand lift up from the mattress and then lower back down. He swallowed hard and shook his head.

“Fucking hell.” He muttered.

He glanced at Buffy, somewhat surprised to find that she hadn’t moved at all…although she was very clearly watching the movements happening in Giles’ body.

“Um…shouldn’t you…” He started, trailing off when she shook her head.

“I need to see. I need to know.”

Suddenly, Giles’ eyes opened…the color spreading from that one spot in his left eye like a wave until both eyes were blazing amber.

“Ah, fuck…” He whispered hoarsely, running his tongue along his teeth. “Fuck…”

Buffy wiped the tears from her face and stood up. Giles turned his eyes towards her and gave her a nod.

“Hello, Buffy.”

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/367820.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

22:16 (Chapter 1/6)

2021-10-15T00:42:52Z

Title: 22:16
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRM
Synopsis: After a drastic turn, information about Giles’ past – and future – comes to light.
Timeline: AU…post-series.
Author’s Notes: As always, thank you, fairygothmum.

Buffy opened the door after the second knock, a small smile appearing on her face. “Hey…”

“Hello.” Giles said softly, clearing his throat. “Sorry to just drop in.”

She arched an eyebrow at him and took a step back – the usual silent invitation to enter. “One, you have a key. Two, you don’t need to be asked to come over. Three…why do you even knock when we spend every night together?”

He stepped inside and shrugged his jacket off. “Because this is your home and I try to be a gentleman.”

She snorted a soft laugh, taking his jacket and hanging it up next to hers. “Tea or beer?”

He glanced into the living room, quickly noticing that the television was on. “What are you watching?”

“Why are you trying to make small talk?” She countered, suddenly somewhat concerned.

“Because I need to talk to you.” He replied after a slight hesitation.

She exhaled a deep breath and gestured towards the sofa. “That’s never an ominous sentence.”

She followed him into the living room, flicking the television off and tossing the remote onto the coffee table. She sat down on one end of the sofa, watching him curiously as he sat down and rubbed his palms against his thighs.

“Okay, yeah…this – ” She gestured vaguely in his direction with a wave of her hand. “ – is doing nothing but making me super nervous. So, I’m just gonna say…out with it, Giles.”

He opened his mouth, then closed it. Then he looked at her and sighed heavily.

“I’m just not sure how you’re going to react.” He admitted quietly.

She looked at him closely for a moment and then tilted her head slightly. “Did you get someone pregnant?”

His eyes widened and he looked nearly offended at the thought. “No.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” She continued, her voice calm and soothing.

He shook his head slowly. “No.”

The corner of her mouth twitched gently. “Then I’m pretty sure I can handle anything you throw at me.”

“Ethan called.” He blurted, swallowing when her brow furrowed.

“Well, I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting you to say that…”

“Neither was I. Until this morning, that is.” He replied quietly.

“This morning?” She glanced at the clock.

Giles lowered his gaze.

“Giles, it’s almost 8:30.”

Giles nodded slowly, nervously twisting the ring on his pinky finger.

She reached over and placed her hand on his arm, curling her fingers to rest against his inner wrist. “Why didn’t you come sooner?”

“I needed to process what he said.” He answered softly, lifting his eyes back to hers. “I also needed to figure out…how to talk to you about what I need to talk to you about.”

She decided this wasn’t the time to tease him about his wording. Instead, she gently rubbed her fingers against his skin. “And that’s what you came up with? ‘I need to talk to you’ and then ‘Ethan called’?”

“Granted, that plan needed a bit more work.” He said with an inaudible chuckle. “I honestly didn’t know how you would react. Your interactions with Ethan have never been…amicable, really.”

Buffy snorted a laugh. “Well, each time he showed up in Sunnydale he either tried to kill me or you – sometimes both of us. So, yeah…can’t say I want to be buddy-buddy with him.”

She watched Giles closely as he nodded absently. When he didn’t say anything, her fingers stopped their movement.

“But, you do?”

“I do…what?” He asked, glancing down at her hand. “Want to be friends? I don’t know.”

She swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat. “Do you want…more? With him?”

His eyes snapped back to hers and he covered her hand with his. “No, love. Those days are long gone. That is not a path I want to reopen. But, he’s going through something…and he’s reached out to me, to us…”

“Us? He wants me involved in whatever it is that – ”

“I’m fairly certain he doesn’t want you involved.” He took a deep breath, pausing momentarily before continuing. “However, it’s an issue of vampiric activity…therefore, you are the one person who can help him more than anyone else possibly could.”

Buffy’s eyes widened. “He’s a fucking vampire now?”

“His sister.” Giles whispered.

“His sister. The one you – ”

“No.” He interrupted quickly, shaking his head. “No, his younger sister. Half-sister, technically. She’s quite a bit younger than Ethan…his father’s second marriage.”

“What does he want you to do?”

He shot her a look of confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Well…he knows there’s no cure for vampirism, right? I mean…there’s only one thing that can be done.” She answered, sliding her fingers between his.

“Oh.” He sighed, curling his fingers around hers. “Yes, he understands. He knows how this works.”

Buffy thought for a long moment and then exhaled a slow breath. “Okay, so how do we find her?”

“She’s in Ethan’s basement.” When she stared at him in disbelief, Giles took a deep breath. “She’s…restrained and being fed. He was trying to keep her safe…while he was looking for a cure.”

“Giles…”

“He understands, Buffy. That’s why he called me. He understands what needs to be done. He just can’t bring himself to do it.”

“Fair enough. But, if we get there and it’s some sort of trick – ”

“It’s not.” He whispered.

“If it is, he’ll regret ever calling you. That, I guarantee.”

“You can’t fake the type of pain I heard in his voice. This isn’t a ruse. He didn’t want to call me…he just had no one else he could trust.”

She hesitated only a moment before giving him a nod. “Okay, I’ll go pack a bag. Tell him we’re on our way.”

“Thank you.”

She leaned into him, gently brushing her lips over his. “I love you, you know.”

“I love you, too.” He replied, his breath warm against her lips.

He reluctantly let go of her hand as she pulled away. She gave him a gentle smile, glancing at the phone.

“I’ll just be a few minutes.”

He nodded silently, watching her leave the room. He swallowed thickly and reached over, picking up the phone. He collected his thoughts, then cleared his throat as he punched in the numbers. He rubbed the back of his neck, waiting for his call to be picked up.

And then he heard the voice of his old friend. He closed his eyes and lowered his head.

“Ethan…”

* * *

A little over an hour later, Giles pulled the car into the driveway and killed the engine. When he didn’t make a move to open the door, Buffy reached over and placed her hand on his thigh. She was somewhat surprised when he jumped as though he was startled.

“You okay?”

“Clara had…well, it was just a high school crush…”

“I would’ve been more surprised if she hadn’t had one.” She smiled softly when he turned his head towards her. “What? I’ve seen pictures of you from that era…and there were plenty of high school crushes on you in Sunnydale.”

“Be that as it may…I’ve never had to be directly involved in the death of someone who had…”

Buffy regarded him closely as he trailed off. “It was more than a crush, wasn’t it?”

“She said it was.” He admitted, glancing back towards the house.

“But, you didn’t…go there?”

He shook his head, pulling the keys from the ignition. “There was an innocence about her that completely surprised me – considering her siblings. It was refreshing – and I would have destroyed that had I allowed myself to take advantage of her feelings.”

“Well, that wasn’t very Ripper of you.”

“No, it wasn’t.” He agreed, a sad smile playing on his lips. “That caused more arguments between Ethan and myself than would have occurred had I taken her to bed.”

“Interesting.” She reached up, running her fingertips through his hair. “I can do this on my own.”

“No. No, I should be there. Ethan is going to need a friend.”

Buffy arched an eyebrow. “And that’s you?”

“I think it has to be.” He answered quietly. “I know that concerns you, but this is going to be incredibly distressing for him.”

“Yeah…it is.” She responded, resting her hand against his nape. “But, you have to promise me that you’ll be careful. I mean…he’s still Ethan.”

He looked into her eyes and gave a nearly imperceptible nod. “Not the Ethan you remember. Not any longer. This…among other happenings…has changed him.”

“Other happenings? What other happenings?”

“Another story for another time. Let’s just deal with this at the moment, okay?”

“Okay.” She answered hesitantly. “You ready?”

He snorted a soft laugh that held no humour. “Not at all.”

With that, he opened the car door and climbed out. He took a deep breath as he slipped his keys into his pocket. He stared at the house while he waited for her to join him. When he felt her hand slide into his, he gently squeezed and led her up the path towards the front steps.

The door opened just as they stepped onto the porch. Giles’ eyes narrowed, Buffy’s widened – they both allowed their gazes to drift down and then back up. Ethan stood there…eyes dull and sad, lips pressed together, clothes saturated with blood. There was so much blood…running down his arm, dripping from his fingertips.

Giles opened his mouth, flinching when Ethan shook his hand. Blood splattered onto the porch floor, causing Buffy to take half a step back. Giles tilted his head slightly and glanced at Ethan’s neck. Ethan rolled his eyes – and if the situation hadn’t been so serious, Buffy would have laughed.

But, it was serious. Extremely serious. And there was no laughter.

Giles coughed lightly, releasing Buffy’s hand. “Hello, Ethan.”

“Hello, Ripper.” A faint smile appeared on his lips when Buffy raised an eyebrow. “Rupert.”

“And this would be?” Giles asked, gesturing towards the blood on the floor at their feet.

“Feeding time.” Ethan offered as an explanation. “She took great offense to being given pig blood. Normally, it’s not such an offense – however, I believe she suspects that it would have been her last meal.”

He took a step back from the door and looked at them expectantly. When they both walked inside, he closed the door and sighed.

“My apologies for not properly inviting you inside. The last time I did that…well, let’s just say that I learned my lesson in regards to inviting people I ‘know’ into my home…”

“Ethan, I’m really very sorry.” Giles said sincerely.

“Yeah, me too.” Ethan said, turning his eyes to Buffy. “Unfortunately, you were my last resort.”

“I’m sorry that I’m a resort, at all.” Buffy replied, gently placing her hand on Ethan’s arm. “How did this happen?”

Ethan’s brow furrowed. “Pretty sure you know exactly how it happened.”

“I think she means…what details can you give us?” Giles interjected softly. “Where was she? Who turned her? When did it happen?”

“I don’t know the answers for the first two – she wouldn’t tell me anything and I wasn’t with her. As for when it happened…she showed up here a year ago. I don’t think she’d been a vampire for very long before that.”

Giles stared at Ethan. “A year? You’ve had a vampire in your basement for a year?”

Ethan’s eyes glistened. “Like I said…this is my last resort.”

“Jesus, Ethan…” Buffy whispered.

“I’m sorry to ask this of you. I just…can’t…do it myself.” He cleared his throat as a single tear slipped down his cheek.

“I understand. We understand.” She paused for a moment and then offered him a small smile. “Why don’t you go get changed and stuff while we get things prepared.”

Ethan looked down at his clothes and chuckled. “Yeah, I probably should. I, uh…I’ll….”

He shook his head slowly and simply walked out of the room. Buffy looked up at Giles, who had his eyes trained on the hallway that Ethan had just disappeared into.

“You’re right. He has changed.”

Giles nodded absently, but said nothing.

Buffy placed her bag on the coffee table and began unpacking.

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/367447.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

A Sliver of Peace

2021-10-07T02:42:39Z

Title: A Sliver of Peace
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRT
Synopsis: Follow up to Lockdown. Buffy and Giles come to a decision.
Timeline: AU…post-series. Anya survived. It’s the year 2021 and it’s been 18 months since everyone was locked down.
Author’s Notes: As always, thank you, fairygothmum. Also, thank you for the inspiration, Skyson

Lockdown had originally been estimated to last three weeks. Two months later, it was very obvious that it wasn’t going to be ending anytime soon.

Buffy was handling the situation beautifully -- a complete surprise to everyone, including herself. She had been worried that the continued extensions would cause an extreme bout of Slayer restlessness. Fortunately, as vampires were more susceptible to the virus than humans were, this wasn’t the case. In fact, she was the most relaxed she’d been in a very long time.

Eric and Owen had continued spending time at the Harris’ - the ‘Tunnel of Isolation’ had been a lifesaver for them, as well as Xander and Anya’s two boys. Alex and Robbie had spent just as much time at the Giles’.

Four active children had the potential to make life difficult in an enclosed space. Thankfully, Eric and Alex - the two oldest - were quite happy to keep the younger two occupied. If that meant playing video games about zombies in World War II…then so be it.

Giles, though…

He had spent a great deal of time pacing and grumbling — and panicking, though he would be hard-pressed to admit it. But, Buffy knew him better than anyone…and she could see how it was affecting him. There were times he would stalk through the house, the phone to his ear – doing his level best to keep the Council members from being completely rash and ridiculous. There were times when he didn’t seem to know what to do with himself, staring out the window at the world outside. And then there were days when she could literally watch his nervous energy increase to a potentially dangerous level.

On those days he was the most restless, most volatile…and she would give him space to work though it. Most of the time, he’d come out the other side on his own — with the help of his guitar or polishing the swords. But there were a few times when he’d come to her…to ask her for help.

And she would drop everything immediately — and they would work through his anxiety together.

Lockdown hadn’t been easy on them at all.

* * *

Four months into isolation, they sat down with a glass of wine and talked. Their boys were with Xander and Anya – and the house was incredibly quiet…peaceful. And for the first time since the insanity had begun, Giles had been able to remain relatively calm for the past week.

She took a sip of her wine and looked at him, a smile instantly appearing on her face as she watched him watch the fire. It was obvious that he was deep in thought, but judging by the softness in his eyes, she was fairly certain that he wasn’t thinking about work.

“What’s on your mind, Giles?” She asked, turning her body towards him and leaning into the corner of the sofa.

He was quiet for a moment and then lifted his glass to his lips. She watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed…and she very nearly wasn’t able to stop herself from sliding over to him and latching her mouth onto it. Instead, she curled her hands around the globe of her wine glass and pressed herself harder against the sofa.

“You asked me a question when this all began.” He finally replied, waving his hand in a vague motion. “A request, as it were…”

She didn’t have to ask what he was talking about. She hadn’t brought it up again, preferring to let him think it through on his own if he wanted to.

“Um…yeah?”

He nodded slowly, turning his head towards her and allowing his eyes to momentarily drop to her lips. “You were right.”

“I normally am, but…how about you detail that vagueness up for me this time.”

He laughed softly, allowing his body to twist until he was fully facing her…his left knee touching the back of the sofa as his fingers tapped absently against his wine glass.

“We always thought we’d have three.”

“Yeah…” She whispered wistfully. “You’ve been thinking about it?”

“Mm. Thinking, considering…seriously considering. And if it’s something you’re still – ”

“I want to have another baby with you, Rupert.” She interrupted quickly, her eyes glistening.

“I do too.” He whispered in response, then smiled brightly as elation lit up her eyes.

* * *

Three months later, Buffy showed him a positive pregnancy test. And what she noticed, as his entire face lit up with happiness, was that there was no moment of panic or ‘what have we done?!’. Not that she was expecting him to be unhappy about it, but she’d wondered more than once if he was 100% sure about the decision. He’d done his best to assure her each time that he most positively was sure.

His reaction was definitive proof.

When she was fourteen weeks along, they had decided to announce the news on a video call with their friends. It wasn’t the way they’d wanted to tell their friends…their family…that a new little Giles was on the way. But, in the current climate, there was no other choice.

Xander was somewhat relieved by having the distance between them when Anya responded with “so you play Lockdown Sex Olympics too?”

He merely shook his head as his face turned bright red. Willow laughed loudly, saying how grateful she was that the kids were off doing their own thing. Buffy and Giles said nothing, simply smiling with Giles’ arm curled around her back…and her snuggled up into his side.

Xander coughed nervously and shrugged a shoulder. Anya grinned brightly, but stopped herself before detailing her favourite event.

* * *

Eric and Owen had been surprisingly overjoyed to find out they were going to be oldest and older siblings. From the day they’d been told of the impending arrival, they’d started making plans – where the baby would sleep, what the baby’s room would look like, what they would be able to do to help their parents.

And then came the process of picking a name for the child. Buffy and Giles had been able to hold the boys off on their name discussions until they’d had the anatomy scan at twenty weeks. Once they found out that the baby was a girl, Eric and Owen found the baby name book on the bookshelf and brought it to the dinner table.

They’d spent the better part of the meal calling out names to see what sounded nice and what didn’t. Giles had seemed mostly amused, but also extremely touched by the love that their children were showing towards their unborn sister.

After the discussion had begun to delve into obviously ridiculous names that would never be chosen, Buffy laughed and reminded them that they still had months to find the perfect name…the baby didn’t need to be named that particular night.

Owen had still been looking at the book, smiling when he said a name that hadn’t been mentioned.

“Cleo.”

The room quietened.

Maybe she would be named that particular night.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The pregnancy had been pleasantly uneventful and Cleo was hitting all of the in utero milestones perfectly – growth, weight, development. She was an active baby, nighttime being her favourite time of day. At night, she’d kick hard enough that she’d wake both of her parents. Giles didn’t seem to mind – he’d place his hand on Buffy’s abdomen and talk or sing until the baby had quietened back down.

Buffy found that she had fallen even more in love with him. And she didn’t think that could have been remotely possible.

One afternoon, in her thirty-second week, Giles was relaxing on the sofa with a book after a fairly frustrating conference call. Not frustrating because something was wrong, but frustrating because everyone was talking over one another in excitement. It looked as though Lockdown might be coming to an end soon. He’d called an end to the meeting when he realized that they were going to get absolutely nothing accomplished in regards to Council business.

So, here he sat…on his sofa – a book on his knee, a mug of tea in his hand.

And then he heard Buffy singing along to the song playing on the radio. He looked up, watching her…listening to the emotion that she put into her singing. And then he started listening to the lyrics more closely. He had always liked the song, but there was something about the way the lyrics were hitting him this time.

As the song came to an end, Buffy looked over at him and smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

He closed the book and placed it on the side table as he shook his head. “Your singing will never disturb me, love.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Okay, what’s on your mind? You’re being all sappy all of the sudden.”

“I’m not sure Cleo is the right name for our daughter.” He said quickly, but softly. “I think as a middle name, it’s perfect. But, I don’t think she’s a Cleo.”

“Chances are I’m having this child in three to four weeks, going by past experience…and you want to change her name?”

“Better now than after we fill out the paperwork, yes?” He countered with a smile.

She sat down next to him and chuckled in amusement. “Yeah, true. Okay…talk to me. What are you thinking?”

He looked at her closely for a long moment, his eyes sparkling with love and absolute adoration for her.

“Iris.”

“Iris?” She said questioningly, then tilted her head in thought. “Iris…”

And then she met Giles’ eyes and her smile matched his.

“Iris.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Five weeks later, Buffy woke to an empty bed. She sat up and yawned, glancing at the clock. After a deep stretch, she slipped out of bed and went to look for her husband.

She found him relatively quickly – in his favourite chair next to the window. She felt a rush of love sweep through her as she watched him from the darkened corner of the room – their eight day old daughter resting in the crook of his right arm as he fed her a bottle, the moonlight coming through the window casting just enough light that he could watch his tiny girl’s face as he spoke softly to her.

“And that’s how you came to have your name.” He said, allowing his middle finger to gently stroke her cheek as he held the bottle for her. “Iris Cleo Giles. You, my darling, have completed this family. And we have so many tales to share with you. I love your mother more than I could possibly express – but, you…”

He sighed blissfully, smiling adoringly at the baby. “You are absolute perfection.”

“She is, isn’t she?” Buffy interjected softly, walking further into the room.

Giles looked up, his eyes bright with unshed tears. “I’m sorry, love…did I wake you?”

She shook her head, standing next to him and gently stroking his hair. “Only if you not being there when I’m trying to snuggle is what woke me.”

She leaned down, kissing him warmly before gliding her fingertips over Iris’ head.

“I love watching you with our babies.”

His smile lit up his face. “The best part of my life has always been the family that was created in Sunnydale. To expand that family is nothing short of incredible.”

“Sap.” She whispered, capturing his lips in another kiss.

Iris snuggled closer to her father’s chest and stopped suckling at the now empty bottle as she fell back asleep. Buffy pulled from the kiss and carefully perched herself onto the arm of the chair. She leaned her head against Giles’ as they watched their youngest sleep comfortably in his arms.

Bathed in soft moonlight -- a sliver of peace within the chaos of the time.

~ End

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/367119.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Elderflower

2021-09-24T10:06:32Z

Title: Elderflower
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRM
Synopsis: Giles has had numerous favourite activities throughout his life. His newest one is by far his most favourite of all.
Timeline: AU…I’m feeling S5ish.
Author’s Notes: As always, thank you, fairygothmum.

Kissing her was his newest favourite activity.

Thankfully, it was an activity that she seemed to enjoy as well – if her breathing a soft ‘hey’ before capturing his lips with hers was any indication. As her tongue slipped into his mouth – very much an indication of her enjoyment – a groan rumbled in his chest.

Their kisses often led to more, but tonight it was about this – there wasn’t much time for more. There especially wasn’t enough time to carry her to the bedroom. Sure he could pick her up and press her against the wall, bury himself within her…but a quickie wasn’t something either of them wanted.

So he kissed her. And she kissed him back.

A promise of more to come – when she returned…to him, to his home. Or their home, considering she spent more nights with him than she did in her own bed. He was fine with that. More than fine, actually.

As much as he knew he would yearn for her return, he wanted to savour this moment. The feel of her mouth on his, the sensation of her skin under his fingers as they carefully edged under the hem of her shirt, the sound of her soft moans, the tingle of arousal that danced along his spine as she lightly scratched her nails along the back of his neck.

He could kiss her for hours – and not have one minute’s care of any chapping. Balm was made for that specific ailment.

She ended the kiss slowly, moving back only slightly. Her lips brushed his as she whispered.

“I should go…”

“I know.” He whispered back, fingers tightening gently against her skin.

“I don’t want to go.”

“I know that as well.”

“Kiss me again.”

He inhaled deeply, the warmth of her breath against his lips only increasing his arousal. He said nothing…he held still for a moment. Her bottom lip quivered into a pout. And then he sighed.

And kissed her again.

As if he could ever deny her that request. Obviously, she knew that he didn’t have that capability. He denied her very little. He’d always been victim to her pout – the way her eyes would glisten lightly, her bottom lip pushed forward…sometimes, like tonight, accompanied by a slight quiver. That pout had enticed him for longer than he cared to admit. In fact, it had been her pout that had pushed him over the line that he’d been tapdancing around for the past year.

It had been a pout over something insignificant, really. He’d run out of Jaffa Cakes – she’d been standing there, holding the pantry door open with a pout on her face that she’d apparently hoped would make him feel guilty for eating the last one. He’d laughed – after all, they were his biscuits. And she’d stuck her bottom lip out a tad further.

And that was when he had stopped laughing.

He’d slowly walked over to her and lifted his hand to her face – and then he’d swallowed the rather large lump in his throat as he gently ran the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. When she gasped, his eyes had darted to hers in concern that he’d massively overstepped a boundary.

And then he’d given a soft gasp when her lips pressed a soft kiss to his thumb.

It had taken him nearly forty-five seconds to lean down and kiss her. It had taken her less than three seconds to respond. At that moment, nothing in his life had seemed any clearer.

Four months later, they were stealing kisses and more when they could – certain that their friends hadn’t caught on. That certainty was shattered one night when she came to him after patrol…her shirt ruined from the blood dripping steadily from a wound just below her collarbone. They had helped him take care of her – bringing him supplies from the kitchen, the linen closet, the first aid kit in the bathroom. But, she had refused to let anyone but him touch her.

And once he had sutured her wound closed, she met his eyes…and he had given her a nearly imperceptible nod in response to her silent question.

When she kissed him, there were no gasps of surprise coming from their friends. No exclamations of ‘what the hell?!’. Basically, because they had known the entire time.

That had been six months ago and while they still had moments of stealing passionate kisses that could easily venture into ‘not safe for work’ scenarios, they no longer hid their sweet, soft kisses before they parted ways for whatever reason. They were in a full-fledged relationship and neither wanted to hide it from anyone – so they simply didn’t. And when he called her ‘love’ or ‘darling’ and she called him ‘babe’ or ‘Ru’ or ‘lord marmalade’, their friends didn’t bat an eye. Well, that wasn’t quite true. There was a lot of eye batting and snorting over ‘lord marmalade’ – which was merely a joke…that had been shared that one time and never again.

But the kisses that they were currently sharing were shared with no one else. These kisses were the type of kiss that could delve into the territory of desperation at any given moment. The type of kiss that was making him want to beg her to stay.

He had never begged anyone for anything.

Not until her.

His hand slipped under her shirt, curling around her side. He ended the kiss this time, pulling back enough to look into her eyes.

“Please don’t go.” He whispered, stroking her skin with his thumb.

She smiled, lifting her right hand to his chest. “My Watcher…asking me to not go out to do my job…what would the Council think?”

“Fuck if I care.” He murmured, licking his slightly swollen lips. “Please, Buffy…stay tonight.”

She tilted her head slightly, glancing at his lips before looking into his eyes. “Are you worried about something happening?”

“No more than I worry each night you go out.” He swallowed, blinking slowly. “It has nothing to do with whatever awaits you out there – and everything to do with me just wanting to kiss you.”

“You just want to kiss?”

He smiled softly, exhaling a slow breath. “I don’t feel that we ever just kiss.”

“Mm…yeah, we don’t.” She grinned, toying with a button on his shirt. “Your lips look a little sore…”

“Yours look incredibly inviting. Glossy and plump, tasting of elderflower.” He murmured, cradling her cheek in his hand. He ran his thumb over her chin, his eyes gazing into hers. “I love elderflower.”

“I know.” She whispered, teasingly biting her bottom lip.

“Jesus…” He nearly groaned, sliding his thumb up slightly to glide over her lip. “The things that does to me.”

“I love you.” She said, sliding her hand up to rest on the side of his neck. “And if you want me to stay…I’m pretty sure you don’t have to do much convincing.”

He moved quickly, covering her mouth with his. When he felt her fingers slide into his hair, he pushed his tongue back into her mouth. While there was definite intent, the urgency had seemed to pass. He was quite content to leisurely stroke her tongue with his. He smiled inwardly when she trembled as the tip of his tongue touched the roof of her mouth.

He’d found that spot not long after their first kiss – and she had been very confused and surprised that there was an erogenous zone inside of her mouth. But, there definitely was…and he used it to his advantage often. Not each time, but often. Like…now.

He slid his hands to cup her ass and effortlessly lifted her. She moaned softly as he gently sat her on the kitchen counter and stepped between her thighs. When she started to lean back, he slid his arm around her. He pulled from the kiss and shook his head.

“Not here.”

“Then why – ”

“I’m kissing you.” He interrupted softly, resting his hands on the counter…either side of her legs. “Because kissing you makes me happy.”

“Last I checked, sex makes you happy too.”

He smiled, nodding slowly. “Yes, but this isn’t about sex, love.”

“You seriously just want to kiss?” She asked, obviously confused. “You asked me to stay…for lip-smacking fun?”

“I begged you to stay – because kissing you sets me on fire.” He glanced at her lips, his breath hitching in his chest when the tip of her tongue peeked out. “I…begged you.”

Buffy’s eyes widened slightly as she took in his meaning. “Where is this taking us?”

“I’m sure I have no answer for that at this moment.” He said softly, leaning down to brush his lips across hers once more. “But, you make me feel things that I thought were long dead. And yet…I burn for you.”

“Burn?”

“Yearn, ache, impatiently wait…call it what you will, but fuck me, Buffy…” He jaw twitched lightly. “…I can’t explain how it makes me feel when we kiss.”

She wanted to tease him for his inability to explain something, when he was well known for his ability to over-explain nearly everything. But then she watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed, heard his breathing increase, smelled the scent of elderflower on his lips.

“Can you try?” She whispered, touching the corner of his mouth with her fingertips.

“Heady…tendency to lose time…desire to fall into you…wish for you to help me crush the remaining bricks of whatever fucking walls I have still standing.” He answered, sounding more than a little apprehensive. “Like I can accomplish everything that I once attempted, yet failed.”

He paused for a moment, swallowing nervously.

“I feel strong…brave…yet weak and somewhat irresolute. That frightened me at first, but then I embraced the warmth that you surrendered to me…and…I’m simply better for it.” He closed his eyes as she lightly ran her fingertips along the side of his neck. “Kissing you opens me.”

“I’m sure I don’t completely understand what you said…but, it was beautiful.” She replied after a long moment. “I’m also sure that I would have said nothing like that, but it doesn’t mean that I feel any less when we kiss.”

“I think we should barricade the door, build a fire, open a bottle of wine…because red wine tastes beautiful with elderflower.” He exhaled slowly. “Your lips are…killing me.”

“That doesn’t necessarily sound like a good thing…”

“Swollen, from kisses and passion…dark red with arousal…glistening, from lip gloss and…” His thumb trembled as he stroked her sensitive lip. “Killing me…with desire.”

“Ru…”

He groaned softly and reignited their kiss. This time, when she curled her legs around his thighs, he didn’t stop her. Instead he allowed himself to fall into her…with her…swallowing her moans as he allowed the kiss to topple into desperation. She followed him willingly, sliding her tongue along his as her fingers curled in his hair.

She wasn’t sure if they’d actually make it as far as fire and wine, but she was more than happy to follow his lead…and if that’s where it led, she’d happily drink. When she felt his hand slip under the hem of her shirt and confidently move up to cup her breast, she kissed him harder.

When he picked her up and carried her towards the bedroom, she knew that fire and wine had been swept from the table. He nibbled her bottom lip as he walked down the hall, causing her to gasp into his mouth. As they fell onto the bed, his tongue soothing where he’d been nibbling, she was sure that her lips would be sore in the morning. But, she had a balm for that…it was made with elderflower.

Because he loved elderflower.

~ End

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/366973.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Logical Steps

2021-09-09T11:12:40Z

Title: Logical Steps
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRM
Synopsis: A break from work, questionable music, an unexpected encounter…there are logical steps to everything in life.
Timeline: AU…post-series.
Author’s Notes: As always, thank you fairygothmum.

Giles sighed heavily and took a drink from the glass in his hand.

The music – and he used that term very loosely – was loud and obnoxious. He was sorely tempted to leave – he had work to do. A lot of work…which meant that that he probably shouldn’t have left the office in the first place. But, Buffy had talked him into taking a break and coming out with her and the others. Well…if you considered smiling and saying ‘please?’ talking him into anything. He couldn’t have said no – and she knew that well enough.

So they’d gone out for dinner as a team and he had planned on heading back into the office afterwards. How he had ended up here – a club in the middle of town at midnight – he wasn’t sure. He supposed she had smiled and said ‘please?’.

He had to admit, though the music was utter rubbish, he wasn’t exactly hating the evening.

And then a heavy bass beat dropped. Buffy squealed. Giles stared at her.

She had squealed.

He fought the urge to laugh. She read his amusement in his eyes and grinned. Knowing that he’d say no without hesitation, she grabbed Xander’s arm and pulled him onto the dancefloor.

Willow leaned over the table and tapped Giles’ arm. “You okay?”

Giles nodded and gave her a wink. “I’m fine. I’m just not dancing to this.”

Willow laughed and Giles let his eyes follow Buffy’s movement. It took all of five seconds before he started to feel his body begin to react to what his eyes were witnessing.

“Who sings this song?” He asked, not taking his eyes off of Buffy.

“Why? Do you like it?” Willow responded in surprise.

Giles snorted a laugh. “It’s an appalling song.”

He tilted his head slightly and tapped the rim of his glass with his index finger. “But, I do like what she’s doing to it.”

Willow grinned, but didn’t respond – considering she was nearly positive that he hadn’t meant to voice that aloud. Instead, she glanced towards the entrance and blew out a deep breath as her grin faded. Giles reluctantly tore his gaze from Buffy.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, it’s just…Beth said she’d be here around quarter to.” She said, curling her hands around her glass.

Giles reached over and placed his hand on her arm. “She’ll be here, Willow. She’s never let you down before.”

“Yeah, I know.” She mumbled, shrugging a shoulder.

They both looked up as Xander bounded over, slightly out of breath and his hair damp with sweat. “Come on, Will…dance with me.”

“Thought you were dancing with Buffy.” She answered with a laugh.

“Started out that way, but I can’t keep up with her and…” He gestured towards Giles with a jerk of his thumb. “…I really didn’t want to piss him off.”

Giles laughed, downing the rest of his drink – but, he didn’t say anything. It was no secret that he and Buffy were in a relationship. They had made no effort to conceal it when it started less than a year after she arrived in England – and now they were basically living together…though she still technically shared a flat with Willow.

Giles’ laugh ended abruptly as he watched a young man walk across the room towards a door leading to the back. He stood up, catching Buffy’s eye. She nodded in acknowledgement as he tilted his head towards the door the young man had just walked through.

Xander gulped half a bottle of water and wiped the sweat from his face. “Vampire or something?”

“Or something…” Giles said cryptically, watching the door.

“You guys need help?”

Giles shook his head, glancing back at them. “We should be able to handle it. Go…dance to this wretched noise that you call music.”

Before either of them could respond, Giles walked off towards the door. Buffy was nearly there as well. Willow watched them and started to insist on helping them. Xander pre-empted that suggestion by grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the dancefloor.

Buffy ran her fingers though her sweat-dampened hair, concern in her eyes as she watched Giles make his way to her. He moved quickly, careful to avoid bumping into anyone. He cleared his throat as he stopped in front of her. She looked up at him, but jerked her thumb towards the door.

“Who was that?”

He glanced at the door, shaking his head slowly. “I don’t know.”

“But, we should find out?”

“It would be prudent.” He replied, swallowing as she reached out and turned the doorknob.

“Stay behind me.” She said, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

He didn’t respond, but followed her instantly…closing the door behind them.

Buffy narrowed her eyes. “Where did he go?”

“Most likely the back room.” Giles said, placing his hand on her hip.

She turned slowly and arched an eyebrow. “Not a vampire, then?”

“Doubt it.” He replied, carefully ushering her across the room – towards a dark corner away from the door.

“Giles…”

“You’re killing me, you know.” He whispered, pushing her up against the wall.

“What’d I do?” She whispered back, gasping as he pressed his body against hers.

“You know exactly what you were doing.” He murmured, running his fingertip down the side of her neck.

“Dancing…”

He arched an eyebrow, causing her to giggle. He smiled warmly, fingering the thin strap of her top before allowing his hand to glide down her side.

“So…you brought me to the back room to what? Fuck?”

He hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. “One, we’re not in the back room. More of a…foyer, perhaps. Two, I didn’t bring you in here to fuck…”

He glanced down as her fingers toyed with his belt buckle. “Or suck…” He added, smiling knowingly when she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Then…why are we in here, in the dark? In the position we’re currently in?”

“Thirty years ago, I would’ve already been inside of you.” He licked his lips, shifting slightly as her left hand slid up to rest against his chest. “Twenty years ago, I would’ve been watching you take me into your mouth.”

He swallowed, fingers tightening on her hip. “Ten years ago, I would’ve insisted on taking you home…to bed…”

“And now?” Buffy whispered, her fingers curling in the material of his shirt.

“I’m fairly certain I’m in the midst of a behavioural regression.”

Before she could question him, he leaned down and covered her mouth with his. She responded quickly, parting her lips under his…inviting his tongue inside. When he didn’t take the invitation, she tentatively nudged her tongue into his mouth…unsure of how far he was willing to allow this to go.

A groan rumbled in his chest as his fingers twitched against her hip. And then, there he was…right there with her – tongues stroking one another, hands holding onto one another, bodies pressing closer to one another. When he felt her shift her weight, he knew she was getting ready to lift herself up and curl her legs around his hips.

He also knew that if she did that, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from pushing ahead.

And so, he tightened his hold on her hips and tore his mouth from hers. He breathed heavily as he shook his head.

“Not here, love…” He said in a tone that clearly reflected the thought that he very much wanted to continue.

“So, not a full regression then?” She asked with a smile.

“Only because you deserve far more than this…” He swallowed, eyes darting towards her lips. “And when we get home, I’ll be more than happy to show you exactly how much you deserve.”

“Home? Your home?”

He hesitated for a moment and then smiled. “You know my home is as much yours as it is mine.”

“Yeah…” She gently rubbed his chest before letting her hand drop back to her side. “But, my mail still goes to Willow’s.”

His smile faded, taking in her words and their meaning. His hold on her hip loosened as she manuevered out from between him and the wall.

“Buffy…”

She reached out, taking hold of his hand. “Come on – let’s go get a drink, okay?”

He looked at her a few seconds and then nodded. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She replied with no hesitation, her eyes sparkling as she looked around the room. “But, this isn’t us, you know. A quickie in a back room foyer in a club…so I kinda have to thank you for hitting the pause button.”

“Are we okay?” He asked softly, concern showing in his green eyes.

“Of course we are. I’ll show you just how okay we are when we get back to your place.” She grinned up at him, gently tugging his hand to get him to walk with her. “You’re okay if I stay tonight, right?”

“I’m always okay if you stay the night.” He answered.

“Good…let’s grab a drink, maybe have a dance, spend some time with our friends…” She licked her lips, squeezing his hand as she continued. “And then I’m smashing that pause button to get us back to where we were…yeah?”

The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile that he didn’t necessarily feel throughout his body. But, he allowed her to lead him out of the room and back towards the heart of the club. She leaned up and pressed a warm kiss to his cheek then nudged him towards the bar.

“Meet you at the table.” She said loudly over the music.

He watched her easily navigate the crowd and he took a deep breath. Though she had closed down any further conversation on the subject for now, her words were playing heavily in his mind. He exhaled slowly and stepped up to the bar.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Giles paid the taxi driver as Buffy bounded up the stairs towards his front door, digging her keys out of her bag. He chuckled as she fumbled the keys for a moment before getting the door open, just as he stepped up behind her.

“You laughing at me?” She asked playfully, tossing her keys and bag onto the small table next to the door.

“A little.” He admitted, closing the door and turning the lock.

“Jerk.” She laughed, quickly placing her hands on his chest.

He covered them with his hands and cleared his throat. She tilted her head slightly and looked up at him.

“You okay?” When he merely nodded, she arched an eyebrow. “You were pretty quiet in the car. In fact, you’ve been pretty quiet since….”

She trailed off and gently pulled her right hand out from under his left. She lifted her hand to the side of his neck and lovingly stroked his skin with her thumb.

“Giles, when I said – ”

“It’s not that I don’t want this to be a permanent arrangement – you here each night.” He interrupted softly. “It’s just…when you have mail delivered, I’d like for it to be at our home. Not my home that I’m sharing with you.”

She stared at him, mouth slightly open and her thumb stilling its movement against his neck. He cleared his throat and exhaled slowly.

“Do you understand my meaning, Buffy?”

“I…think so?”

He smiled nervously and took a step towards the sofa. “Come sit with me, love.”

She followed him silently, still staring at him as she sat down next to him. When he ran his fingers through his hair, she sighed.

“Is this because of what I said?” She asked quietly. “Because that wasn’t meant as a ploy or – ”

“No. No, it’s not because of what you said.” He replied, sitting back against the cushions. “Well, not in the way you’re concerned about.”

“What?”

He looked into her eyes, lifting his hand to brush a stray lock of hair back from her face with his index finger. “As much as I consider this to be our home, truth is…it’s not. You’re right – your mail doesn’t come here. I’d like for it to though. Well, not here…because this place is so very much not you.”

“But, it is you.”

He nodded, a slow smile appearing on his lips. “But, I want a place that is…us.”

“You want to get a place together? Like…we go look at…what? Flats, houses? Together?”

“Yes, we go look…together. Find something that suits us both – make it ours.” He replied. “I’d prefer a house.”

“You want us to buy a house…together. To live in…with each other.”

“I’d very much like that.” He said softly, gazing into her eyes. “What do you think?”

“Are you sure?”

He leaned towards her and kissed her softly. Her fingers ran through his hair as she quickly returned his kiss, deepening it. And then she leaned back, pulling him with her. He shifted enough to accommodate the new positioning, pulling from the kiss as she curled a leg around the back of his thigh.

“Does this mean yes?” He asked, sounding more hopeful than he intended.

She chuckled, nodding enthusiastically. “Yeah, totally a yes!”

“Brilliant.” He murmured, sliding the strap of her top over her shoulder. “Is this you smashing the pause button now?”

“Oh yes. I’m smashing the hell out of it.” She grinned, pulling him back into the kiss.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Giles pulled into the driveway after a long day advising Council members, observing Watchers-in-Training, breaking up arguments between Slayers, listening to Xander’s latest round of girl troubles…and he was tired. Nearly weary.

He grabbed the mail, flicking through it as he climbed the steps to the front door.

Buffy had just walked into the living room from the kitchen as he walked in. “Hey…you’re a bit early, dinner’s not quite finished yet.”

He smiled brightly as he looked at her, causing her to furrow her brow.

“What are you smiling about?”

“Mail…for you.” He chuckled and tossed her an envelope.

She caught it without effort and grinned. “How was your day?”

He exhaled a deep breath, shrugging off his jacket as he kicked his shoes off. “Tiring, frustrating, slightly rewarding…”

“Want a drink?” She asked, placing the envelope on a table.

He shook his head, loosening his tie as he made his way to the sofa. She followed him, dropping onto the cushions next to him when he sat down.

“Want to talk about it?”

He offered her a gentle smile. “Not much to talk about, in all honesty. And any negative feelings I had washed away as soon as you said ‘hey’.”

“So no regrets then?” She asked, watching him unbutton the top two buttons of his shirt.

“On the contrary…” He started, leaning back against the cushion and lifting his arm up in an invitation for her to snuggle up against him. He sighed happily as she took the invitation and he curled his arm around her shoulder. “I’ve wondered why it took me so long to breach the subject with you.”

“Well, it was a big step.” She answered, lovingly rubbing her hand across his chest.

“But, a logical one when you think about it.” He turned his head enough to drop a kiss into her hair. “The right one.”

“God, I love you.” She whispered, pressing her hand against his chest.

“I love you, too.” He whispered in return, exhaling a slow breath. “There is something I’ve been thinking about for a few days…”

“Hm? What’s that?”

“What would you think about…expanding our family?”

She lifted her head and stared at him. “What?”

He instantly understood where her thoughts shifted. “Oh. No, no…not a baby. I don’t think we’re ready for children…yet. Do you?”

“Um…no.”

He smiled softly. “I was thinking…maybe rescuing a dog?”

She blew out the breath she’d been holding and smiled back at him. “I’m good with a dog, Giles.”

She paused for a just a moment and then furrowed her brow. “You know that I’m not saying no to children at all, right? It’s just…too soon right now.”

“I know, love.”

“But, we do have a four bedroom house….”

He smiled as she trailed off in thought.

What was ‘too soon’ right now would be ‘just right’ at some point down the road. Of that, he had no doubt.

But, for now…a dog, or two, was a logical step in their relationship.

And he was all about logical steps.

~ End

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/366748.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Invite Me In

2021-08-28T11:32:12Z

Title: Invite Me In
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRT
Synopsis: Giles is on his way back to Sunnydale, trusting in light within the darkness.
Timeline: AU…S6.
Author’s Notes: As always, thank you, fairygothmum

Giles looked up from his book when he saw someone sit down at his table. He sighed softly as he met the concerned eyes of his Slayer.

“Buffy – ”

“I’m so sorry, Giles.” She interrupted, her voice trembling.

“You’ve nothing to be sorry for.” He replied gently, hoping to set her mind at ease.

Her eyes drifted to the fresh bruise coloring his cheekbone. “I really do. That shouldn’t have happened.”

“A lot of things in life shouldn’t happen, love. Doesn’t mean they don’t. And this?” He gestured towards his cheek. “This is merely one of the many perils of being an active Watcher.”

“Are you okay?”

He nodded slowly, closing the book. “Are you?”

“I don’t think so.” She answered, narrowing her eyes in confusion. “I’m not, am I?”

“I’m not sure, that’s why I’m here.”

She sat back in her chair and stared at him. “But, you’re not. You’re not here. You left me.”

“I left Sunnydale, Buffy.” He said softly. “I did not leave you.”

“I’ve really fucked things up, Giles. Like…really fucked things up.”

“We all fuck things up once in a while. I did my fair share when I was younger…and then again as an adult. It’s what we do afterwards that matters most.”

“I’ve been sleeping with Spike.” She admitted, biting her lip nervously.

His eyes darkened momentarily and then he took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. “And how has that worked out for you?”

Buffy looked at him for a moment, rolling her eyes when he gave her a smile. “You already knew.”

“I checked in once at a very inopportune moment.” He cleared his throat, his smile fading. “I checked back out nearly instantaneously.”

“I missed you.” She whispered emotionally.

She expected a retort such as ‘so you fucked him?’ or something similar. What she didn’t expect to hear was…

“I missed you too.” He whispered back.

Her eyes widened, her head tilting slightly. “What?”

“I understand, Buffy. I don’t like it…in fact, I’m fairly certain I hate it. And I’m even more certain that I’ll happily slam a stake into his heart the next I see him. But, I understand.”

“How?”

“Because my heart aches too.”

Confusion shone brightly in her eyes. “Okay, you’re obviously in my head…why are you still confusing? Shouldn’t I be translating and interpreting in a way that I’ll actually fucking understand?”

“Because you are obstinate.” He answered, his eyes glistening lightly. “I’m on my way, Buffy. Please let me in.”

She looked around, her brow furrowing. “Let you in? You are in…”

Giles shook his head slowly. “No, I’m still on the outside…waiting. You’ve come to me. This is a very good sign and a huge step for you. But, I need you to take a larger one…and I need you to invite me in.”

“Invite you in? That doesn’t sound at all ominous.”

“Do you care for me?”

“You know I do, Giles. I care so much about you. I didn’t want you to go.”

He licked his lips and folded his hands on top of the book. “No…I know you care about me. Do you care for me?”

She looked at him closely for a long moment and then gave him a slow nod. He smiled warmly.

“Then, please…invite me in, love.”

“That’s twice.” She whispered, leaning forward and placing her arms on the table. “You’ve called me ‘love’ twice. What does it mean?”

“What does love mean?” The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. “Love is relative.”

“Jesus Christ, Giles…”

He unfolded his hands and reached out, covering her left with his right. “Invite me in.”

“I’m scared. Because if I invite you in…you’re going to see everything. Everything that I’ve kept hidden from everyone…from you. And…”

“And?”

“I don’t want to disappoint you again.”

“You make me proud, Buffy. Don’t you understand? This isn’t about me trying to see the ‘bad’. This is about you trusting me to see you.”

“Can I see you too?”

He nodded again, his fingers lightly stroking her skin. “It’s a two way street…but neither can enter until both have been invited.”

“I’m so confused…”

“Would it help you to know that I care for you too? That I…more than care for you?”

“More than care? Giles, there is no way that you could – ”

“Love you? There are many ways that I could…and do…love you.” He looked around and sighed. “But, this darkness is slowly snuffing your light. Am I too late?”

She stared into his eyes, looking for any sign of insincerity. All she saw was warmth, compassion, and…truth. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly.

“Please come in.”

He closed his eyes and a blinding light filled the room.

* *

Buffy gasped as her eyes snapped open. She looked around quickly, willing her eyes to focus even more quickly.

“What the hell was that?” She whispered to no one, alone as she were in her room.

And then she felt it – that familiar pull in the centre of her chest. She’d ignored it so many times in the past few months, but it was persistent. Annoyingly persistent.

She sat up in her bed, placing her hand over the dull ache in her chest. “Giles…”

And then she threw back the covers and jumped out of bed. She didn’t even bother to step into her slippers before opening the door and running down the stairs.

She paused at the bottom of the stairs. The house was dark, quiet. She was alone - Dawn was at Janice’s house for the night. Normally, these were the nights that Spike would slink into the house…watch her sleep, slide into bed with her.

She shuddered at the thought and blew out a quick breath. Spike wasn’t there – she didn’t know where he was, but he wasn’t there…and that’s all that mattered. But, that pull lingered…grew stronger.

She looked at the front door and swallowed nervously. And then she opened the door and sighed in relief.

Giles looked up at her, sitting on the porch step with a stake in his hand. He offered her a gentle smile.

“Hello, Buffy.”

“Hey, Giles.” She whispered, glancing at his hand. “What’s with the stake?”

“It’s Sunnydale, vampires abound.” He looked directly into her eyes. “One less tonight.”

It was then she noticed the remnants of a pile of ash on the walkway that led to the porch. “Spike?”

“Fairly certain I said that I’d stake him the next I saw him.” Giles replied calmly. “If that distresses you…well, I can’t apologise for ridding the world of him. Especially after…”

Buffy tilted her head slightly as he trailed off. “You knew about that?”

“Mm. Anya called.”

She glanced at his cheek, the bruise clearly visible in the moonlight. “How did you get the bruise?”

“Another story for another time. It’s not as bad as it looks, you know I bruise easily.”

“Giles, why are you here?”

He stood up slowly, slipping the stake into his jacket pocket before sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “There is a darkness brewing…and you’re going to need my assistance.”

Buffy’s shoulders dropped as she sighed. “You’re here because of an impending apocalypse. Of course…”

“That is a minor reason, love.” He whispered, smiling as her eyes snapped back to his. “I meant what I said.”

“Huh?”

He took a step towards her, pulling his left hand from his pocket and lifting it to the side of her face. “I more than care. And it took me leaving to understand how deeply that actually ran.”

“Oh…” She breathed, leaning into his touch.

“Problem is…I’m not really sure where you stand in this.” His thumb gently stroked her cheek. “As a result, my reasons for being here lie with you. Am I here only to help with darkness? Or am I here for…more?”

“How can you love me?”

“It’s really not that hard.” He answered, his smile showing in his eyes.

“I…haven’t said it back, have I? That I…more than care?”

“No, but I wasn’t expecting you to. I just felt that you needed to know that I do.” He lowered his hand and slipped it back into his pocket, glancing at the door before meeting her eyes again. “If, at some point, you feel that you can say the same…I’ll be here. For now, let’s deal with this impending darkness, yes?”

“Giles?”

“Hm?”

“Will you please come inside?”

He smiled brightly, easily reading the emotion in her eyes. “Ah…there it is.”

“There what is?” She asked, furrowing her brow. “God, am I still asleep and this is still part of the same confusing dream?”

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “No, this is real-life confusion. I’m good at that, remember?”

She stared at him and then rolled her eyes. “Want to explain what the hell’s going on then?”

“The past few months haven’t been easy for you. You lost your trust in yourself, in me…” He paused for a moment before continuing softly. “But, you want to trust yourself, me…”

“Us.” She corrected. “I want to trust us, Giles.”

“Then let’s go inside and talk, hm?”

She nodded and placed her hand on his arm. “I’m pretty sure I more than care too.”

“All in time, love.” He whispered. “When you’re certain, either way, let me know…and we’ll walk through it together, okay?”

“Jesus, you’re like a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma…”

He grinned, somewhat surprised at her words. “But, perhaps there is a key.”

She grinned back, not surprised that he recognised the origin of her words. “That key is inside, I think. So…please come in.”

He looked down at her hand still on his arm and then nodded. “Lead the way.”

She took a step back towards the door, smiling as he took a step forwards. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Not leaving me. Coming back to Sunnydale. Believing that there’s still light.”

“Ah…that.” His smile brightened. “I think we both have much to be thankful for.”

“Yeah, we do.” She agreed, curling her fingers into the sleeve of his jacket and pulling him inside.

He closed the door behind him, ready to stand at her side and fight the darkness that was on the way. And perhaps bask in the light that was beginning to re-emerge within her.

When she pulled his hand out of his pocket and curled her fingers around his, he did his best to calm his heart. When she looked up at him and smiled, he realised there was no way to calm his heart. Instead, he returned her smile and gently squeezed her hand in a silent promise that he’d wait for as long as it would take.

She squeezed back, in a silent promise that it wouldn’t take long.

~ End

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/366590.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Complications

2021-08-14T03:39:17Z

Title: Complications
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRAO
Synopsis: Things are never as simple as they are meant to be. Sometimes, that’s not a bad thing.
Timeline: AU…post-series.
Author’s Notes: As always, thank you, fairygothmum.

Giles woke slowly, smiling softly when he felt her fingers resting against his chest. This was something of a new turn in their relationship. This type of touching. They touched, had touched for years previously. But that was normal touching – brushing against one another during training or patrol…playfully nudging one another now and then…a tender hug when it was needed. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t been touching one another in some way for the entire time that they’d known each other. But, this…the lazy, comfortable, simple rest of fingers against his skin in slumber…this was new.

His soft smile faded as his thoughts continued.

This was escalating more than he had expected. For him. He wasn’t sure what it meant for her. Their time together…in his bed, her bed…any surface he could possibly hold her against or lay her across…it was becoming complicated. Not complicated in the way of his youth – the ‘uh oh, feeling something…need to run and never look back’ type of complication. Not complicated in that manner at all.

The complication he was feeling this time was beautiful and warm and…

He exhaled softly as she snuggled closer to him.

Fucking complicated.

That only added to the newness of the turn he was experiencing. This was supposed to be simple. Sex and comfort when it was needed…and it had quickly become sex and comfort when it was wanted. And now? Now it was more than that. His desire for her enveloped him and he had found himself impatiently awaiting their next meeting.

And then the touching started. The gentle rest of fingers against him whenever they were close – sitting on the sofa, sitting at a table, standing in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil, walking by each other in the Council halls.

And it wasn’t just her touching him. He was as guilty as she. His fingers ached to touch her, tingled when they did. He’d always thought that to be the most cliché thing he’d ever heard – fingers tingling when they touched.

But, fuck, it was true. He tingled. He fucking tingled.

That tingle was leading him down a very perilous path. A path that showed her everything about him. A path that he was sure she had ventured down part-way, but now he wanted to take her hand and lead her down to the end. And what the fuck did that even mean in the grand scheme of them?

He wanted everything. He wanted to give her everything.

And not only was that complicated…it was terrifying.

“This is more than it was, isn’t it?”

He jumped slightly, startled at her warm voice. She chuckled sleepily and pressed a soft kiss to his chest.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. But, you think so fucking loud sometimes.”

He snorted a soft laugh and placed a kiss in her hair. “My apologies.”

Buffy shifted again, tilting her head back to look at him. “It’s more, yeah?”

“Yeah.” He whispered after a beat, tenderly caressing her cheek with his fingertips. “I’m not really sure what to do with that knowledge.”

“Do we need to do anything with it right at this moment?”

“I don’t want to run, Buffy.” He whispered, cradling her cheek in his palm as he gazed into her eyes. “Do you understand what that means?”

“Shit just got complicated?”

He nodded slowly, glancing at her lips. “Extremely.”

“Can I tell you something?” She asked, reaching up to trace his chin with her index finger.

“Mm-hm.”

“It’s been complicated for me for a while now. But, I was too scared to say anything.”

“Scared?”

She arched an eyebrow at him, her fingers stilling their movement against his skin. “You just said you don’t want to run. What the hell do you think I was scared about?”

“Ah…” He murmured, leaning into her and brushing his lips across hers. “I think we should talk.”

“I think we are.” She countered.

He smiled in amusement and shook his head. “I think we should talk when we’re more dressed and possibly sitting on two separate pieces of furniture.”

She stared at him for a moment. “You’re going to end this, aren’t you?”

His smile faded into a look of pure confusion. “On the contrary, I was thinking of deepening this. Letting you in further…willingly. I…do you want this to end?”

She shook her head quickly, her eyes glistening with emotion. “No, no I don’t want this to end, Giles.”

He thought over the last few seconds of the conversation and realisation hit him. He gently glided his thumb along her cheekbone.

“If we continue this conversation here, we’re going to end up making love before we finish. If we’re sitting on the sofa together, we’re going to end up much the same way. I just…want to have the conversation.”

She slid her fingers over his Adam’s apple to rest at the base of his throat. “Do we really have to get dressed?”

His eyes closed as her fingers slid lower…along his sternum, down his ribcage, over his hip. He inhaled shakily as her fingertips traced indistinct shapes over his thigh, inching closer and closer to his now very erect cock.

“Buffy…” He whispered, allowing his own hand to take a very similar journey down her body.

When his hand reached her hip, his fingers tightened against her skin. He wasn’t sure if he had rolled onto his back or if she had pushed him onto his back. But, as she climbed on top of him, resting her knees either side of his hips, he knew that their conversation was going to have to wait a few minutes longer.

She leaned down and kissed him, slowly at first…intensifying as she slipped her tongue into his mouth…becoming frenzied as his hands gripped her hips and pulled her flush against him. They moved against one another, each knowing which slightest amount of pressure would affect the other and they timed it perfectly. They built each other quickly, swallowing one another’s moans as their tongues thrust against each other.

And then she suddenly tore her mouth from his, placed her hands on his chest, and pushed herself up. She stared into his darkened eyes, curling her fingers against his skin.

“You’re going to make me come.”

“I’m not far behind you, love.” He replied, guiding her hips so that her wet lips slid along the shaft of his erection.

“Do you want to be inside of me?”

He groaned thickly at the question, holding her hips still and glancing towards the bedside table. “Condom…”

She leaned over, quickly jerking the drawer open and pulling out a foil packet. He shifted impatiently underneath her, fingers twitching against her skin as he watched her rip the packet open.

“Buffy…”

She smiled at his heady tone, sliding the condom onto his cock. “I know…hurry.”

He licked his lips as she lifted her hips. He inhaled sharply as she guided him into her. And he held still as she took him fully within her – which was a terribly difficult thing to do, considering how her inner walls were quivering around him.

“I swear I think I could come just like this…” She muttered, closing her eyes.

“Not finding out today.” He mumbled, lifting her hips up slightly.

Her eyes opened and she looked down at him, understanding his desire…his need. Because it was actually the same as hers.

“Fuck me, Giles…” She whispered, covering his right hand with her left.

He rolled their bodies quickly, kneeling between her thighs as she curled her legs around his hips. He lowered his mouth to her neck, teeth gently nipping at her skin as he thrust into her. He nipped his way up to her earlobe, sucking gently before whispering thickly into her ear.

“This…will not take long.”

“Uh-uh…” She agreed, wrapping her arms around him…digging her nails into his back as she arched her hips up towards him in perfect rhythm.

“I want more.” He continued, breath hot against her skin. “I want so much more.”

“We can have everything, Giles.” She whispered back, moving her left hand to the back of his neck. “If you’re ready, we can have everything.”

His mouth latched onto the base of her neck, just behind her collarbone. The spot that he had found not long into their…quasi-relationship…that would make her lose control. Her hips bucked against him as he sucked harder against her flesh.

“Jesus, Giles…oh my fucking god…”

He continued thrusting into her, even as she screamed in ecstasy – her warm fluids gushing around him, wetting the bed underneath her. And as her nails raked across the nape of his neck, he shuddered…then moaned against her skin. His mouth released her as he thrust three more times as hard as he could before he groaned her name as he came.

He lowered his head, pressing soft kisses against the red bites he had left. And then he softly kissed her earlobe and closed his eyes.

“I’m certain I’m in love with you.” He whispered.

“Thank god…” She breathed, sliding her fingers through his hair to caress the back of his head. “Pretty sure I slipped down that road a couple of months ago.”

He lifted his head and looked at her curiously. She smiled, letting her hand move to the side of his neck.

“I’m in love with you too, Giles.” She whispered. “It stopped being about comfort or want or need when…”

He tilted his head slightly and brushed the hair back from her face with his fingers. “When?”

“When I woke up in your arms, my head on your chest. The sound of your heartbeat was so…perfect.”

“The fact that my heart beats equates to love?” He asked teasingly.

She rolled her eyes and gently nudged him off of her. He moved to her side and quickly removed the condom, neatly tying a knot in the end before dropping it into the wastebin under the bedside table.

“Seriously, though…” He continued, rolling onto his side and facing her. “Which night was that?”

“Vampire nest in Woolstone.” She replied, resting her fingers against his chest as she averted her eyes from his.

“Everything worked out that night, Buffy.” He stated softly, covering her hand with his.

She sniffled, shaking her head. “I almost lost you. Like…two seconds away from losing you.”

“Fortunately, you’re very fast.” He replied with a gentle smile. “That’s when this started…the touching.”

Buffy’s eyes snapped back to his and she tried to pull her hand away. He held it tighter against him, curling his fingers around her palm.

“I like it.” He whispered, glancing at her lips.

“I wanted to tell you.” She sighed, relaxing into the touch once more. “I think I did whisper it a couple of times while you were sleeping. But…”

“You were worried that I’d panic.” He finished for her, smiling as she nodded. “Understandable…and not entirely incorrect. In fact, I did panic when I realised that my emotions had…deepened.”

“But, you didn’t run from me.”

He shook his head. “I’d done that once before, I wasn’t going to do it again.”

“And then everything got complicated?”

He smirked and leaned into her, kissing her lips softly. “So very complicated.”

“You feel things pretty deeply, huh?”

“How do you mean?” He asked, curling his right arm under his head .

“You are like this well of emotion – but that well is surrounded by this huge, impenetrable wall and – ”

“Love, you have been chipping at that wall for years. It’s not nearly as impenetrable as you would think.” He smiled, lightly resting his left hand on her hip. “I learned very quickly how to hide my emotions from you. If I was going to survive, if you were going to survive…I needed to keep myself in check.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not talking about sexual attraction or desire. We bonded very quickly, terrifyingly so. Travers wasn’t wrong in some of the things he said, though it was never a father’s love I had for you. I would have given my life for you at any point – still would, truth be told. And that is dangerous in a Watcher/Slayer dynamic. It’s powerful and nearly unstoppable…but, dangerous. That’s why he removed me as your Watcher. It’s also why he didn’t attempt to force me to leave. Our bond was far too strong…it could have been disastrous if he tried to sever that bond.”

“Oh…” She said, obviously a bit confused.

“I couldn’t let you know that then. So I had to devise a way to…be there for you, without you knowing the true extent of what that meant.” He smiled nervously and exhaled a slow breath. “I should have known that I would have never been able to go into this without falling in love with you. But, I did think just that. That I could handle it. That I could give you what you needed without letting myself drown.”

“Giles…”

“I’ve been drowning for so long now, I don’t know what it feels like to not be.” He said, gently tapping his fingers against her hip. “And then the tingling started and…everything inside of me escalated and…I – ”

“Tingling? What do you mean?”

Giles snorted a laugh and shrugged a shoulder. “You know…like in those horribly written, cheesy romance novels… ‘his skin tingled at her touch’ nonsense. Only…it’s not nonsense. I fucking tingle when I touch you, I burn when you touch me. I ache when I’m not with you. And when we’re together, I feel like…”

“You’re home?” She finished hopefully, smiling when his eyes widened. “I feel the same, Giles. I feel so jittery and anxious when we’re apart. We come together and it calms. I touch you and I feel relief. I kiss you and I feel…” She licked her lips and paused for a moment.

“You feel…” He prodded on a whisper.

“Like I’m home. You’re my home, Giles. And when I’m away from you, I’m…homesick. You know?”

“Then don’t go away again.” He murmured.

“What?”

“Don’t go away. Stay here. Let’s see where this takes us. We’ve been on parallel paths…we’ve come to a juncture…there’s my path, yours, and…one that we can travel together. What do you say?”

“I’d say that you have the most confusing way to ask someone to live with you…that’s what I say.”

He grinned brightly. “Ah…but, you understood.”

“You’re a confusing, complicated man, Rupert Giles.” She moved closer to him, placing a warm kiss on his chin. “And I love you completely.”

“So, that’s a yes then?”

“Yeah.” She replied with a grin of her own. “And…I think we’ve had our discussion. And I was right – we didn’t need to get up or dressed to have it.”

“Mm…”

She laughed and kissed his lips before sitting up. “What do you want to do today? You know…our first day as a proper couple…”

His eyes darted to her breasts. “Stay in bed?”

She playfully smacked his shoulder, then pulled the sheet up…tucking it under her arms. She laughed again as he grumbled.

“Come on, Rupert. What do you want to do?”

He looked up into her eyes quickly and smiled. She understood the reasoning behind that smile and shrugged a shoulder.

“Figure I need to get used to that.”

“I love you.”

“I can get used to that too.” She said before leaning down and kissing him.

As he wrapped his arms around her, she decided that they could figure out what to do with the day later. It suddenly wasn’t all that complicated anymore.

Well, no more complicated than love is at any given time.

~ End

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/366328.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Callix: Chapter 4/4

2021-07-31T10:29:17Z

Epilogue

Giles sat in a chair, staring out the window. Rain pelted the glass – rain was on the forecast for at least the next week. He sighed heavily and glanced down at the ring that he’d worn for the past seventeen years – more than slightly scratched and in desperate need of replating, but more a part of him than the ring he’d switched from his left pinky to his right the night before their wedding.

Seventeen years. Time flies when you’re having fun, he’d heard. He smiled softly, rubbing the underside of the ring with his thumb. Mass amounts of fun had definitely been had over the years.

* *

Their wedding had gone as planned – an absolute surprise to their friends, who had all clambered through the portal without needing a second invitation. His mother had taken such joy in assisting Buffy with her dress – using the time to tell her a great number of stories from his childhood. Her favourite was the one where he thought he’d killed someone – she still laughed about it now, all these years later.

More often than not, when they’d pass a mannequin, she’d grin – and about three-quarters of those grins were followed with a laugh…a hearty laugh that always brought tears to her eyes. He found it beautiful. And it was a funny story.

He’d been maybe four years old, out shopping with his Mum. He’d gone up to a man and introduced himself…and then waited, as he’d been taught. The man didn’t respond, didn’t even look at him. And young Rupert had gotten frustrated that he’d been ignored when he’d been so polite to a stranger. So he kicked him…and the man fell down…and his head rolled across the shop floor. Young Rupert had screamed and sprinted to his mother, wrapping his arms around her leg as he cried that he hadn’t meant to kill the man.

“It was an assident, Mummy! I didn’t mean it!”

And Sophia couldn’t even be annoyed that he’d knocked a mannequin over in his frustration and ruined a display. Not when she was laughing as hard as she was.

Giles chuckled to himself, replaying the memory from a parent’s point of view. He had laughed over many things his own children had done throughout the years. And his Mum had had such a beautiful laugh. It was a laugh that echoed every time she told that story.

They’d been married a little over six months and the boys were fifteen months old when Sunnydale perished. He had tended to his wife’s wounds in a non-descript hotel room in a just as non-descript town close to the Mexican border. That had been the longest two and a half hour drive he’d ever experienced. He’d wanted to check her as soon as she had slipped in through the window, but she had refused…saying she was fine and didn’t want the children to see her injuries.

It wasn’t until they’d been able to get the boys to sleep later that evening that he was able to carefully help her undress, unable to hide his grimace at the gashes in her side. As he cleaned and sutured her wounds, she watched their sons sleeping…curled up together in the middle of one of the two double beds in the room. She inhaled sharply as he dabbed another layer of antiseptic on her wound. He apologised softly and she responded with an onslaught of tears that had nothing to do with her physical pain.

Later that night, they held one another…talking softly instead of sleeping. And as the sun rose, casting an orange glow around the edges of the curtains in the windows, Buffy kissed her husband and asked if they could go to England. He responded with an immediate affirmative, asking how long she’d want to stay. She looked over at their sons, who had slept throughout the entire night and were still snoring, and then looked into Giles’ eyes.

Indefinitely.

He kissed her slowly, then said that he’d make the arrangements as soon as they could sort everyone else out.

They landed in London three weeks later. His brother had been visiting their mother and they had both arrived at the airport to pick them up. Callum and Felix bonded with Stephen quickly – and watching her husband and his brother reconnect made her wish that Stephen lived closer. After a night of slow drinks and long conversation, Sophia made it clear that they were very welcome to stay with her for as long as they’d like. After all, they’d need time to decide what they wanted to do – where they wanted to live…and there had been plenty of room in her home to accommodate them all.

A few months after their arrival in England, Giles was approached by the four man cabinet of what remained of the Council. Vampires and demons still roamed the Earth – and with the number of new Slayers came the possibility of a new Council. A need for a new and reformed Council.

With a new Head.

Giles had initially declined the offer, stating that he had no interest in living in the city – it wasn’t a place he wanted to raise his children. They were happy in the countryside and had been looking at some land not that far from his mother’s home. And that was when Councilman Murray had smiled and said that a new Council could, and very well should, have a new location – and they were prepared to fund the construction of a new building, complete with dorms for the new Slayers.

And so, he talked it over with Buffy – and she’d been the one to convince him to step into the role. The Slayers needed him, the Watchers needed him, the Council needed him.

Xander and Willow arrived three weeks after Giles accepted the offer – and Xander threw himself straight into construction. Giles was sure that grief was fuelling him – he was also just as sure that it was what Xander needed to do. And so he allowed him to take full control – under the proviso that Xander would speak to someone about his loss and not bury it within him. Willow had intended to head to Devon, but when Xander tearfully asked her to stay…she stayed. And that was when Giles had decided that perhaps they could form their own Council-based coven. Willow agreed, but only if Giles was close by to help keep her grounded. Though he was sure that she was very capable of grounding herself, Giles understood the fear.

The Council reformation took place relatively quickly and it wasn’t long before they started recruiting Watchers and other members of staff from the Academy. Unsurprisingly, Giles was exactly what the Council had needed. The years under Travers’ watch had made Watchers soft and pliable – exactly what was needed for ‘yes men’, not what was needed to fight evil on a nightly basis. Rupert Giles was a breath of fresh air – fair and compassionate, clever and knowledgeable, and was respected by all. Two years after the implosion of Sunnydale, there were seventy-four Slayers – twenty active, the rest in training. There were twenty-two active Watchers, researchers, linguistics, demonology experts…and the Academy was at capacity.

Two and half years after their arrival in England, the Giles family grew one member larger – with the birth of their daughter, Amy. Sophia doted on the children and had been incredibly saddened when Rupert and Buffy brought up the conversation of building a home on the other side of the Council grounds. She did her best not to let her son and daughter-in-law see her sadness, but Giles knew his mother’s tells. And when Buffy mentioned that Sophia had spent the morning in the kitchen instead of out in the garden, Giles realised that a family discussion was required.

* *

A soft beep in the corner of the room broke Giles from his thoughts. He turned towards the sound and sighed, his jaw clenching as he ran his fingers through his hair. He moved his chair closer to the bed and rested his fingers on top of the blanket.

He heard the door open behind him, but didn’t turn around to see who had opened it. He did close his eyes when a pair of hands rested on his shoulders from behind.

“Hey…”

“Hello, love…” Giles whispered, reaching up and covering Buffy’s left hand with his.

“You need to rest, honey.”

At that, Giles turned slightly and looked up at her. “As do you…but, rest doesn’t come when your child…is in peril.”

“True.” She whispered. “Have you been reading to him?”

He glanced at the book resting on the foot of the bed, shaking his head slowly. “I’ve been thinking.”

He gestured towards the window, a sad smile on his face. “The weather is the same as when Mum passed. And I was thinking about how much she loved the kids…how much she would have loved Simon, had she been able to meet him.”

Buffy moved closer to the bed and leaned down, kissing the warm cheek of her son. She watched him for a moment, sighing when he didn’t move. Then she pulled a chair over next to Giles’ and sat down, slipping her hand into his.

“Sophia told me once that she had always loved the name Simon.”

Giles chuckled softly. “She did. Dad hated the name.”

“But, he liked Rupert?” Buffy said, the amusement in her tone sounding slightly forced.

Giles’ smile faded slightly, his thoughts continuing to churn in his mind. His Mum had passed after a very brief illness when the boys were eight years old. Amy had been getting ready to turn five…and Buffy had been four months pregnant with Simon.

“Where are they?” Giles asked, silently wiping a tear from his cheek.

“Amy and Simon are with Xander and Willow. Amy wanted to take Simon to see the ducks.”

Giles nodded, then looked at her. “And Cal?”

“Here.” A voice said from behind them.

Giles stood up quickly, turning towards his son. Callum glanced at the bed…and didn’t bother trying to stop the tears from falling. Giles moved quickly, pulling Callum into his arms.

“I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to get so angry.”

“It’s okay.” Giles whispered in response, curling his fingers against the back of Callum’s shoulder.

“It’s not.” Callum pulled back and exhaled a slow breath. “I said some really shit things to you. And this…” He gestured towards the bed. “…this isn’t your fault. It’s not the Council, it’s not demons…it was a fucking bad decision. And that’s not on you.”

Giles placed his left hand on Callum’s cheek and waited until Callum met his eyes. And then he spoke softly, but deliberately.

“This is not on you, Cal. Mistakes happen, bad decisions happen. Please don’t take this as your burden.”

“He’s my brother, Dad. How can it not be?”

“Callum…” Buffy started, placing her hand on his arm.

“What if he’s not the same when he wakes up?” Callum whispered emotionally. “What if he doesn’t wake up? How do we even deal with that? How do I deal with that?”

“Felix is going to wake up, Cal.” Buffy said in a tone that left no doubt that she truly believed it.

“I shouldn’t have left him there, Mum. Hell, we shouldn’t have even been there. The stupid Upper Christmas party. We should have said no. And I should have fucking pulled him out with me when I left. But, no…I got the shits with him and left – and then someone dropped something in his drink…and now we’re here.”

Buffy sighed softly. “You’re seventeen…seventeen year olds do stupid, stupid things. But, that doesn’t mean that either you or Felix are stupid. No, you shouldn’t have been there…but, I shouldn’t have gone to a frat party one time when I was in high school.”

Callum stared at his mother. “Did someone spike your drink and then you ended up in the hospital in some kind of coma?”

“She was nearly eaten by a snake demon.” Giles said quietly. “After someone spiked her drink.”

Callum’s gaze slid to his father. “Of course, she did. Jesus, how did you two even survive Sunnydale?”

A tiny smile appeared on Giles’ face. “We had each other.”

“And Willow and Xander…Oz and Anya…”

“Yes.” Giles agreed, turning to look at her. “But, mainly we had each other.”

“Uncle Stephen called.” Callum said suddenly, looking at his brother. “Said Felix is a Giles…a son of the most successful Watcher and the longest surviving Slayer. Said…he has no option other than waking up and being all logical about how any of this happened.”

“Logical…that’s our Felix.” Buffy said softly, reaching up and running her fingers through Callum’s unruly curls. “And he will wake up.”

“I asked Caroline if she dropped something in his drink.” He exhaled a slow, deep breath. “I wasn’t exactly prepared for the…displeasure…that brought on.”

Giles furrowed his brow. “Why would you think Caroline would do that?”

“I didn’t. I don’t. But, she’s his girlfriend…and…” He closed his eyes briefly. “I’m a fucking idiot.”

“You’re a concerned brother who wants to know what happened and why.” Buffy said, taking a step forward and hugging him.

“So…I think I can help with that.” A voice said from the doorway.

Giles closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “How can you possibly help with that, Ethan?”

“I went searching, didn’t I?” Ethan replied, walking into the room and gesturing towards Felix. “You really think I’m going to sit around and do nothing while he’s there and you lot are scrambling to right your topsy-turvy world?”

Callum turned his head and stared at Ethan. “Topsy-turvy? Who the hell says ‘topsy-turvy’ these days?”

“Shut up.” Ethan said, giving him a wink. Then he walked over to the bed and stared at Felix. “You best be fighting in there, Katze. You’re too much like your parents to not be…”

Despite the situation, Buffy smiled at the use of Ethan’s nickname for Felix.

“So, how can you help?” Callum asked, moving to stand next to Ethan. After a moment, he sat down on the edge of the bed. “Who did this to him?”

Ethan hesitated briefly and then looked at Callum. “The question you need to ask is…who would do this to you?”

“Me?” Callum stared at Ethan and then understanding shone in his eyes. “This was meant for me?”

“According to what I’ve uncovered, yes.”

Giles narrowed his eyes. “Who’s behind this, Ethan? A member of the old Council? A demon…a warlock. Retaliation for – ”

“A jealous ex-boyfriend.” Ethan interrupted, glancing at Buffy. “Not one of yours.”

Callum looked very confused for a second and then tilted his head slightly. “Sutherland?”

Ethan’s eyes darkened momentarily before returning to their normal hue. “He’s being detained at Council for questioning. But, he’s been very forthcoming with some information…and is seemingly very remorseful. Of course, that could be due to the fact that I threatened to feed him to a Lakhe.”

“Who the hell is Sutherland?” Buffy asked, darting her eyes between her husband and son.

“Ted Sutherland.” Callum said with barely restrained rage. “Reena’s ex-boyfriend.”

“He’s in the Academy?”

Giles’ eyes flashed as he clenched his hands. “Not any longer.”

Buffy put her left hand on Giles’ arm, her right on Callum’s. “Wait…before the both of you go all Ripper on me...” She looked directly at Ethan. “Talk…quick – because there’s not much time here.”

Knowing that she was talking about Rupert and Callum storming out of the room and not about Felix getting worse, he took a deep breath and told them all he’d been able to determine.

“Mr Sutherland is none too happy that Callum has struck up a relationship with Reena. He wanted another chance, change things up, be what she wanted…blah, blah, fucking blah. But, when he talked to her the other day, she made it pretty clear that that was not going to happen.” He looked at Callum and smiled. “Apparently, she’s pretty into you.”

“Ethan…” Giles prompted, a warning tone in his voice.

“I’m getting there.”

“Get there quicker.” Buffy said urgently. “Seriously.”

“The goal wasn’t to hurt him – ”

“He spiked his drink with a drug…and didn’t mean to hurt anyone?” Callum said, his eyes darkening to a shade of green that rivalled his father’s.

“What I mean is that the intention was to make you seem like you enjoy parties a bit more than you actually do – and most people have trouble telling you two apart. So he dropped the tab…and then Felix collapsed. When Caroline rushed to his side, Sutherland realised his error...and ran.”

“None of this helps my brother. It doesn’t even help Sutherland because when I – ”

“You’ll do nothing to him.” Giles interrupted, his voice almost eerily even.

“Dad!”

Giles met his son’s eyes and shook his head. “You’ll do nothing to him, Callum. This is a Council issue.”

“Bullshit, Dad. This is a Callix issue – because he came after me and hurt him.”

“You are all students at the Academy. This also took place on Council grounds.” Giles held his son’s gaze. “Let me take care of this, Cal. Don’t take this into your own hands.”

Callum’s eyes glistened. “What if he dies, Dad?”

“Ah…you do love me.” A tired, hoarse whisper came from the bed.

Everyone turned toward the voice…and within seconds, the bed was surrounded. Felix swallowed with some difficulty and lifted his hand before furrowing his brow. With much effort, he opened his eyes…immediately squinting against the light in the room.

“My arms feel heavy.” He said, attempting again to lift his hand. “What the fuck is going on?”

Buffy leaned over, pushing the ‘call’ button before pressing her lips to Felix’s forehead. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“So not my intention.” He mumbled with a smile, leaning his head towards her before slowly opening his eyes again. His eyes darted to each person before settling on his brother. “You still mad?”

“Not at you, mate.” Callum said, his voice thick with emotion as he lowered himself into the chair next to the bed.

“Jesus…you’re all acting like I was dying.” He chuckled softly. His chuckle ebbed when he met his father’s glistening eyes. “Was I?”

Giles shook his head slowly, reaching down to take Felix’s hand into his. “We can talk about it later, yes? Right now, you’re awake…talking…looking a bit tired, but…all things considered…”

“What things need to be considered?” Felix asked, gently squeezing his father’s hand.

Before Giles could answer, the door opened and a nurse rushed in. She glanced at the bed and grinned brightly.

“Ah, Mr Giles…you’re awake!”

Felix stared at the nurse, then shook his head slightly. Buffy gently stroked his hair.

“What is it, Fe?”

“That’s weird. Mr Giles.”

“Yeah, especially since I’m older…” Callum added with a grin.

Felix rolled his eyes, then answered each question the nurse asked.

Giles turned his eyes to Ethan’s. “Have Branton schedule an urgent disciplinary meeting, then notify Sutherland’s parents to request their attendance.”

Ethan nodded in acknowledgement, gesturing towards the door. “Amy and Simon?”

“I’ll walk out with you.”

When Ethan took a step towards the door, Felix looked at him. “Where’re you going?”

“Just need to take care of something. I’ll be back in a few, Katze.” He offered Felix a smile, which was returned instantly.

“Dad?”

Giles’ eyes were warm as he hooked his thumb towards the door. “Amy and Simon are outside with Willow and Xander. They’ve been worried.”

Felix nodded slowly, still clueless as to what had happened to him. He looked at the nurse and sighed.

“Am I going to be okay?”

The nurse finished making notes in his chart and then looked up. “I’ll let the doctor make the final call on that, but…what I’m seeing here is very promising.”

Felix narrowed his eyes slightly. “Do they teach vagueness in nursing school?”

Buffy snorted a soft laugh.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two days after his release from the hospital, Felix felt that he was alert enough to comprehend an explanation of what had happened. However, after listening to a description of the events, he wondered if he’d been correct in that thought. He stared at Giles, then glanced at Buffy and Callum.

“So…Ted had a jealous temper tantrum and drugged the wrong guy?”

“Well, that’s a gross over-simplification.” Giles replied, cleaning his glasses.

“Is it? Because that’s pretty much exactly what happened.” Felix said, exhaling a deep breath. “What is going to be recommended at the disciplinary hearing?”

“Expulsion, then he’ll need to face the drug charges.”

Felix said nothing for a moment, but stared into his father’s eyes. “Expulsion? Dad…we’re talking about an error in judgement here.”

Callum’s eyes widened in disbelief. “An error in judgement? He fucking drugged you, Fe. You could have died! That’s not an error in judgement, that’s a crime.”

Felix took a deep breath, then looked at Buffy. “You understand where I’m going with this, Mum?”

Buffy nodded slowly. “I do, but I’m not sure how much I’m going to be able to sway the decision on this.”

“Why would you?” Callum asked, narrowing his eyes at his mother. “Seriously, why would you even want to sway any decision on this?”

“Because, he’s your age – and he made a stupidly dangerous decision. But, he needs help…not banishment.” She looked sharply at Giles, raising an eyebrow. “When you were their age and you made a stupidly dangerous decision, what happened?”

“I was expelled.” Giles stated quietly.

“And how did that fucking work out for you?” When Giles lowered his eyes, Buffy looked back at Callum. “I’m not saying that I don’t think there needs to be consequences. There does. Severe consequences. But, it can be detrimental to his mental health if he’s expelled and expected to just slide into a normal, mundane life.”

“And it was detrimental to my mental health wondering if my brother was going to live or die!”

“But, it’s not about you, Cal.” Felix offered gently. “Ted shouldn’t be punished based on your feelings on what happened. Because, at the end of the day, while you were affected…you weren’t the one who was physically harmed.”

Callum’s jaw clenched.

Buffy thought, not for the first time over the years, that Callum was very much like his father. Sure, they were identical twins – and even now it was hard to tell them apart by looking at them – but, their personalities were very separate. Callum leaned more to the Ripper-esque walk of life – he had his father’s temper…a fairly short fuse and a huge explosion. He was led by emotion…which also led to anger issues at times. Felix was more like her…quick to forgive, believing that a second (and sometimes third) chance should be given – because mistakes happen. He was led by passion…which came with an infuriatingly long fuse – that could be extinguished before causing an explosion.

Felix tilted his head slightly, not taking his eyes off of Callum. “I need you to breathe, brother.”

“Felix…”

“I need you to breathe. And I need you to let this go. Because if you don’t, you’re going to go off half-cocked and bad shit’s going to happen.” He paused for a moment. “I can’t do this alone.”

Buffy and Giles glanced at each other, the words reminding them of a moment many years before.

Callum was quiet for a long moment and then gave a slow nod. “I’ll follow your lead on this one, Fe. But, don’t expect me to be friends with him.”

Felix chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “Don’t expect me to be friends with him. This isn’t about friendship – I just don’t think he should be thrown out of everything he’s always known because of one stupid moment.”

Felix turned to his father and regarded him carefully. “Saying that, if he even thinks of doing something similar, I’d be all for expulsion.”

“Christ, you’re so much like your mother.”

Felix smiled and gestured to Callum. “And he’s just like you.”

“Yeah, and just like them…you two balance one another.” Ethan said, walking into the room…covered in feathers. When everyone in the room stared at him, he shook his head. “Your lovely youngest. Should’ve named him Loki.”

“Loki Giles – it actually has a nice ring to it.” Felix said with a deep laugh. “Where is he?”

Before Ethan could respond, a large clear balloon floated in…hovering above him. And then suddenly, it popped…dumping another load of feathers over Ethan’s head. Giles had just taken a sip of his tea…and now found himself choking – a consequence of drinking and laughing simultaneously. Buffy reached over quickly, patting his back as she laughed as well.

Amy ran into the room, tears streaming down her face. “Oh my god, that was…your face, Uncle Ethan!”

Ethan narrowed his eyes at the girl. “You’re supposed to be on my side!”

She laughed even harder, giving her younger brother a high-five when he came out of hiding from the hallway. Simon’s bright green eyes filled with laughter and mischief.

“Gileses stick together, right Amy?” Simon giggled.

“Always, Si!”

“Turncoat.” Ethan grumbled playfully.

Simon grinned and ran over to the sofa. When he was about three feet away, he launched himself and landed perfectly between his older brothers. He stretched his legs out over Callum’s thighs and leaned against Felix’s arm.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Felix. I was really scared.”

Felix shifted, sliding his arm around Simon and resting his hand on his chest. “Why were you scared?”

“You wouldn’t wake up and everyone was crying. When everyone cries, it’s bad.”

Felix was quiet for a minute, then leaned down and placed a soft kiss on top of Simon’s head. “Well, I’m awake now, Harry.”

Simon snorted a soft laugh. “Is the Academy like Hogwarts?”

“Better than.” Felix smiled.

Ethan continued plucking feathers out of his shirt. Amy walked around the sofa and sat down on the arm next to Callum.

“Why don’t you want to be a Watcher?”

Felix glanced at Callum. “Because he’s going to be an amazing Watcher. And I’d rather help with training. If we both do really well, we can help strengthen the Council in two different ways. If we’re both Watchers…we’re kind of stuck. Does that make sense?”

“Nope.” Simon said, playing with Felix’s watch band.

Amy reached down and tickled Simon’s toes, grinning as he giggled and pulled his foot away from her. “Who’s the best Watcher and Slayer team of all time?”

“Mummy and Daddy.” Simon said without hesitation.

Buffy smiled, shifting her gaze to Giles.

“We need Gileses to follow them, don’t we?”

“Callum follows Daddy…” Simon furrowed his brow as Amy nodded. “But…Felix can’t be a Slayer. Are you going to be a Slayer?”

“Oh, no…not me. If Felix can’t be a Slayer, what’s the next best thing?”

“An ambulance driver.” Simon answered confidently.

Giles laughed, his adoration of the youngest Giles clearly evident.

Callum playfully poked Simon’s stomach. “What do you want to be?”

“Happy.” Simon said with a grin.

“Well, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that you get to be what you want to be.”

Buffy reached over and slid her hand into Giles’. He squeezed her fingers gently and then leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

“I love our life.” Buffy whispered, her breath warm against his lips.

When all four children groaned and jumped off the sofa, Giles chuckled. Then he slid his fingers through her hair. He inhaled slowly as he watched her eyes darken a shade.

“Hey, Ethan…staying for dinner?” Callum asked, reaching over and pulling a feather out of the collar of Ethan’s shirt. “Because…I think you should. And I think we should all go pick something up.”

Ethan narrowed his eyes. “You can drive…”

“Mm…yeah. But, I think we should all go pick something up.” He tilted his head slightly towards his parents.

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Okay. Rupe…I’m taking the Wonder Twins and Co to grab dinner.”

“How come you don’t call them Callix like Willow and Xander do?” Amy asked, sliding her arms into her jacket.

“Who says I don’t?” Ethan grinned, pulling his keys out of his pockets. “Callix and Amimon…Callixamimon. That sounds like it should be the name of a brilliant spell. Want to help me work on it?”

“My magick isn’t as good as yours or Daddy’s or Willow’s.”

Ethan gave her a wink. “At your age I couldn’t even blow a candle out with magick. You’re miles and miles ahead of me, darling.”

Ethan closed the front door behind them. Buffy and Giles listened to the six of them banter back and forth all the way out to the car. When they heard the car pull away from the house, Giles smiled.

“How much time do you think we have?”

Buffy grinned, jumping up and pulling him with her. “Enough.”

Giles’ smile grew as he followed her down the hall that led to their bedroom.

The past seventeen years had been full of ups and downs, laughter and tears, elation and devastation. He wasn’t sure how many more years they had left together – he certainly wasn’t getting any younger – but he couldn’t wait to see what else was in store for their family.

Team Giles was certainly on a roll.

~ End

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/365974.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Callix: Chapter 3/4

2021-07-23T05:30:01Z

Chapter Three

“Okay, so I understand portals…but, how do you keep it from collapsing on itself?”

Everyone turned to look at Xander, who was sitting on the floor and rolling a ball to Felix and Callum. He looked up and furrowed his brow.

“What? I know about portals. Do you know how many sci-fi shows use portals in their storylines?” He gave a crooked smile when Willow shook her head. “Plus, I’ve seen you guys do them more than once. I’ve just never seen one that would stay open without the creator close by to continue the manipulation.”

Giles smiled when the ball hit his foot. He playfully kicked it back to Callum before returning his attention to Xander.

“You’re putting a new window into a wall – what’s the most important step?”

“You have to frame it.” Xander answered automatically. “You don’t frame it properly, it’s going to leak and…”

Xander paused and tilted his head slightly. “You’re going to frame it?”

“For lack of a better term…yes.” Giles said, scratching the back of his head. “Willow can create the windows on either side with no issue, but the…framing…is quite a bit more complex.”

“Luckily we know someone who is really good at complexities.” Willow said with a grin.

“Who?” Anya asked, flipping through a magazine. She looked up to find everyone staring at her. “Oh, you mean Giles.”

She thought for a moment and then nodded absently and shrugged a shoulder. “Yeah, he’s a pretty complex guy…”

Xander directed a soft smile towards Anya, who had gone back to her magazine. Then he looked back at Giles. “So, you fashion a magical frame to hold the portal open?”

“For the most part, yes. Exactly, in fact.”

“But…what if it collapses?”

“Then I get someone to open another portal on our end.” Giles replied, smiling as he watched Felix crawl over towards him. “Which, I can do…but, I’d prefer not to have to go down that route. The Council tends to frown upon the ‘unnecessary use of magicks’.”

“So, portal creation is secret business, huh?”

“Yes, so let’s not divulge this information to members of the Council.” Giles nodded, his smile turning to a grin when Felix’s small hand gripped his knee and carefully pulled himself up. “You’re trying so hard to learn to walk, aren’t you, Fe? Don’t rush it, son…you’ll be running before you know it.”

Felix giggled, holding on to Giles’ knee as he bounced up and down.

Xander watched the two interact and wished, not for the first time, that he’d had that type of relationship with his own father. Or that…his father had had that type of relationship with him. His smile faded slightly as his thoughts churned, then he pulled himself back and cleared his throat.

“So, uh…how long does the portal need to stay open for?”

“For as long as we’re gone, ideally.”

Anya looked up and shook her head. “He’s asking how long you’re planning on being gone.”

Xander gave a crooked smile and shrugged his shoulders. “I kinda like spending time with these little guys…”

“Council rules state I can be away from my duties for no longer than three weeks without having an interim Watcher step in.”

Buffy looked over at him, something about the tone of his words struck her as odd. “Your duties? Or your Slayer?”

Giles sighed. “I’ve always hated the wording that was used. I questioned it vehemently during my studies. I was told that the Slayer was the main ‘duty’. I remember being sent out of the class for telling the professor that what he’d just said was possibly one of the most fucking disrespectful statements I’d heard in my life.”

Buffy smiled proudly.

Willow shook her head in amusement. “And they still assigned you to a Slayer?”

“Oh, I’m sure there were some politics in play there.”

“What do you mean?” Willow asked, glancing at Anya…who had just reached down to playfully ruffle Callum’s hair.

“Buffy was a Slayer who had been missed – fallen through the cracks…not trained properly from a stupidly young age.” He held Felix’s hand as the boy took a very shaky step towards Buffy. “A Watcher had been lost…they were expecting a repeat performance, I suspect.”

Anya stared at him. “They sent you here to die?”

“They very much misjudged our Buffy.” He replied with a smile. “But, saying that…it’s not as if it hasn’t nearly happened a few times.”

“But…that was their plan? What kind of fucked up organization did you pledge an oath to?”

“It wasn’t the organization.” Buffy interjected, earning a warning glance from Giles. “It was the politics of two people, one of whom no longer works for the Council and the other had a very hard fall from the pedestal he’d crawled upon.”

Before Anya, or anyone else, could question her, Buffy continued with a smile.

“That’s all I’m going to say about it. Well, except to say that while they thought it was a sure way to get rid of him…they actually were responsible for the strongest Watcher/Slayer bond ever recorded. So…jokes on them.”

Anya considered that for a moment, glancing at the two youngest Gileses. “You’re part of a Council legacy, right? I mean…you’re not the first Giles to be a Watcher…”

“I’m not sure I would say ‘legacy’, but…no I’m not the first Giles.” He replied, wondering where she was going with this conversation.

“And them?” She asked, turning her eyes back to Giles. “Will they go to the Council Academy too?”

“That will be their choice.” Giles said. “I will support them in what they decide, but I will not force them to become something other than what they want to become.”

Anya’s eyes widened slightly and suddenly Giles felt everyone’s eyes on him.

“Were you?” Willow asked softly.

“I handled it well, wouldn’t you say?” Giles replied with a smile.

He glanced at his watch and then looked at Buffy. “Would you like company on patrol?”

Buffy smiled warmly, picking Felix up when he yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Yours? Always.”

Giles nodded and met Willow’s eyes. “Would you mind watching the boys for a few hours? We’ll put them to bed before we leave…”

“Absolutely. They’re the easiest kids ever.”

Buffy snorted a laugh. “Yeah, okay.”

Willow grinned. “Well, I’m only dealing with them for a few hours now and then. So, they’re pretty easy when you look at it like that.”

Buffy kissed Felix’s cheek, a wave of love washing over her as she watched Giles pick Callum up and cuddle him protectively against his chest.

* * *

“You’re quiet. You okay?” Buffy asked, scanning the graves for any sign of disturbance.

“Hm?” He mumbled, then looked down at her. “Sorry?”

“You’re quiet. And not the kind of ‘company’ I was expecting when you asked if I wanted company on patrol.” She said with a gentle smile, stopping to look up at him. “You’ve slipped into deep thoughts land…never a good thing on patrol.”

“Oh, yes…quite right.” He chuckled, pulling his left hand out of his pocket. “Are you nervous?”

“Well, that’s a question that’s open to all kinds of interpretations. Nervous about what?”

“Taking the boys to England? Spending time with my mother? Getting married? Portals? Spending time with my mother?”

Her smile widened. “Are you nervous about me spending time with your mother?”

“What? No. Well, maybe…possibly.” He sighed heavily. “Since Stephen moved to Switzerland, I think she gets a bit lonely.”

“So, there’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask. Why was Stephen given a choice of whether he joined the council or not?”

“A couple of reasons. The first being that only the firstborn was ‘required’ to attend the Academy. Subsequent children were welcomed, of course, but they weren’t required. The second being…” He exhaled a deep breath. “He’s eight years younger than me. By the time it was getting close to my parents making that final decision, I’d already started my rebellion. Mum had seen for a few years prior to that what it was doing to me. She didn’t want Stephen to go through that as well. I think even if it had been required for all children to attend…she would have fought to keep him well away.”

“So…he goes into business and gets headhunted for a position in Switzerland.” She looked towards the sound of a rustle off to the left. “And you get stuck in Sunnydale, California.”

He followed her line of sight and then moved behind her as she took a couple of steps towards the sound. “I wouldn’t use the term ‘stuck’…”

“Not now, no. But, in the beginning? You so didn’t want to be here.” She paused and narrowed her eyes. “Rabbit…”

“Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run run run…” Giles sang softly, smiling as she turned to look at him. “My not wanting to be here had nothing to do with you and everything to do with the situation. I knew why I was sent here – and I was determined to prove them wrong. But, nothing I’d been taught had prepared me for being your Watcher.”

“We showed them, huh?” She whispered, moving a step closer to him.

“Indeed.” He lifted his left hand, cradling her cheek in his palm. “And you showed me.”

“And what exactly did I show you, Mr Giles?”

“That together…we would both prove the entire Council wrong.” He replied, tilting his head down with an obvious intent to kiss her. “And that my life turned out perfectly for me…despite this not being what I wanted for myself when I was younger.”

“Making out in a cemetery at night is perfect for you?” She teased, tracing one of his belt loops with her finger.

“It’s a perk.” He murmured, then closed the gap and covered her mouth with his.

He kissed her slowly, sighing inwardly as she hooked her finger through his belt loop and pressed closer to him. When he felt the fingers of her right hand edge under the hem of the sweater he was wearing, he gently pulled from the kiss and exhaled shakily.

“We, uh…this shouldn’t continue…here.” He mumbled, obviously not wanting to stop kissing her.

“Probably not.” She agreed, licking her lips. “We could always talk about why you’re nervous about me spending time with your mother…”

He snorted a laugh, glancing around their surroundings. “Or…we could take a break, go for a coffee?”

“Are you worried about what I’ll say or what she might say?”

He laughed loudly at that, slipping his arm around her and resting his hand on her lower back. “Both. I’m genuinely terrified of both of you when it comes to words and what will come out of your mouths…”

“Does she have photos? Like…of you?” She waited until he looked at her before smiling. “You know…baby pictures and such?”

He stared at her for a moment, rolling his eyes as she continued.

“Please tell me she has the obligatory naked baby pics of you. Because…I need to see those!”

“Dear lord…what am I getting myself into?” He muttered, then gave her a wink. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

“You’ve seen mine…haven’t you?” When he arched an eyebrow at her, she sighed. “Ugh…fine. You can see mine. But you have to promise me that I can see yours!”

He grinned broadly. “That’s a discussion between you and my mother. I plan on being at least a quarter way through a bottle of something before I’m involved in that conversation.”

Her laugh echoed throughout the cemetery and the gate squeaked heavily as he pushed it open for her. He had a feeling that this trip to his home country was not going to be nearly as relaxing as he had initially hoped it would be.

His eyes sparkled with amusement as she continued talking, making lists of things she wanted to discuss with his mother. He’d allow it…because he was in no position to disallow it. Besides…there was no way he could stop it even if he wanted to.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They all stood in front of the open linen closet, staring inside.

“It’s like Narnia…” Xander said, tilting his head to the right and narrowing his eyes. “There aren’t any lions or witches over there, are there?”

“Lions in the zoos, witches everywhere…and that’s not exactly a wardrobe, is it?” Giles replied with a chuckle.

“Why is it dark? Like…pitch black dark. It didn’t collapse on that end, did it?” Buffy asked, looking up at Giles.

“No.” He answered softly. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Before she could say anything else, he stepped into the portal. The darkness lightened quickly and within a few seconds, he was standing next to her again.

“Portal’s in a closet?” Buffy asked in surprise.

“That’s a bedroom…” Anya said, peering through the portal. “You’re not going to be having sex in there are you?”

Giles rolled his eyes. “It’s one of the guest rooms, not one of the rooms we’ll be staying in.”

“One of the rooms?” Xander turned and looked at Giles. “Your Mom’s not making you guys sleep in separate rooms is she? Because…a bit too late for that.”

Buffy laughed and playfully shoved Xander. “A room for us, a room for the boys.”

“How many rooms are there?” Anya asked, ducking her head to look at the ceiling of the room on the other side of the portal.

“Enough to accommodate us.” Giles answered vaguely.

Buffy looked at Willow, her brow furrowed. “How did you get the portal to open in a closet in a bedroom in his mother’s house?”

“Oh…that took a lot of math and geo coordinates and triangulations.” She glanced at Giles and then laughed. “I got Giles to ask his Mom to place a specific stone in the middle of the closet…then I focused on that.”

“I would’ve believed the math thing, you know…” She said, grinning at Willow. “But, seriously though – if this thing collapses, you’ll be able to reopen it, right?”

Willow nodded enthusiastically. “Yep, but I really don’t think it’ll be an issue. The framework that Giles constructed is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Buffy stared at her as if she were speaking another language. “Okay, I’m going to let you geek out over that because I’m not going to get it. But, Giles is pretty amazing, so it stands to reason that he’d construct something amazing.”

“Aw…” Xander cooed teasingly, earning a glare from Giles. “Come on, Giles…even I see the cuteness there.”

Giles arched an eyebrow at him. “Cuteness?”

“Yeah, the way you two are so…”

“Abnormally gushy?” Anya interjected.

“Abnormally?” Willow asked, gesturing between Anya and Xander. “What about you two? You’re either threatening bodily harm or pretty much humping each other. And you call them abnormal? They’re adorable and respectful and…”

She paused as Anya merely stared at her. Then she shook her head in frustration before turning her attention back to Buffy and Giles.

“So…when are you guys heading out?”

“Because the travel time is going to be a killer.” Xander said with a chuckle. “Does jetlag apply to portals?”

“Mum is visiting her sister, as she does in September.” Giles responded to Willow, ignoring Xander’s question. “She’ll let us know when she’s home.”

Anya closed the linen closet door and looked at Willow. Before she could say anything, a cry sounded down the hall. Buffy exhaled a breath and looked at Giles. He smiled and gave her a nod. Xander laughed as Buffy and Giles quickly did a round of rock, paper, scissors – which Giles lost.

“Never pick ‘rock’ first, Giles. You’d think it’s the safe one, but it never is…”

Giles chuckled and took a step towards the boys’ room. When a second cry sounded, he grinned at Buffy. “Sounds like we’re both needed, love.”

“That’s one hungry, one needing a change…I’ll get the hungry one.” She said, walking down the hall with him.

“Why does she get the hungry one?” Xander said in a perplexed tone.

“Because she has the food?” Willow answered with a laugh.

Xander stared at her for a split-second and then understanding hit him. “Ohhhh…right.”

* * *

Buffy smiled, sitting on the sofa and feeding Callum as Giles changed Felix. Giles sang softly…words she recognized, but a tune she did not. That didn’t surprise her, he did that often – singing songs to his own tune. Felix babbled happily, focusing on his father. Giles smiled at his son as he started babbling along with the tune Giles was singing.

She looked down at Callum, not surprised to find him dozing. She sighed heavily, causing Giles to look over at her.

“What is it, love?”

“Comfort feed…not a hunger feed.” She glanced at the door and then lowered her voice. “When should we tell them?”

“Whenever you want. However, I vote for the day before – because they’re going to drive us crazy.” He chuckled, walking over to her. “Trade? I’ll change Cal while I’m at it.”

Felix reached out for his mother, grinning broadly. “Mumumumumumumum.”

“Hello, FeFe.” She narrowed her eyes in thought. “Yeah…that’s not the best nickname for you, is it?”

Giles snorted a laugh, carefully undressing Callum.

“Know what my first word was?”

He glanced over at her, his right hand on Callum’s chest to hold him still. “What?”

“Shoe.” She grinned as he laughed. “Mom said I was about six months old and she was getting me dressed and I kept saying shoe, over and over.”

“Fashionista from infancy.” He teased, turning his attention back to Callum.

“What was yours?”

“To be honest, I’ve no idea. You’d need to ask Mum that one.” He shot her a quick glance. “One to put on your list, I’ve no doubt.”

“It’s as if you know me, Rupert.” She gazed at Felix’s face and lovingly stroked his cheek as he closed his eyes. “They look so much like you.”

“Do they?” Giles paused in his task and studied Callum, who gave a deep yawn. “I see you.”

Buffy scoffed. “Where?”

“The eyebrows, cheekbones…the tiny little dimple on your chin.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t have a dimple on my chin…”

He smiled warmly, picking Callum up and moving over to sit next to Buffy on the sofa. “You do. When you smile, you have this beautiful dimple appear…”

He reached up and ran his thumb over a spot on her chin.

“…right here. It has captivated me for years now.”

“Giles?” She whispered, looking into his eyes.

“Hm?”

“We’re each holding a baby…and our friends are somewhere in the house.”

“Mm-hm…” He murmured, gazing into her eyes.

“This…” She exhaled a slow breath. “This isn’t a good time to be doing this.”

“Doing what?” He asked, his eyes darting to her lips for a second.

“Turning me on.”

“Kids back to bed…kick the friends out…” His eyes darkened a shade. “Because I’m two seconds away from saying and doing some things that aren’t for public consumption.”

“Jesus Christ, Rupert…”

The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile. “Kids or friends? Your choice.”

“You go out there like that and Anya is going to have a field day with you.” She placed her hand on his chest, leaning into him and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. “You put the boys back to bed…”

He nodded silently, shifting Callum so that he could take Felix from her.

“Meet you in the…?”

“At this point, I’d meet you in the hallway.”

She gave him a half-grin. “What’s gotten into you so suddenly?”

“You. You always get into me, darling.”

“I’ll come find you.” She said quickly, rushing towards the door. “Unless you find me first.”

“Go…” He said with a deep chuckle. “Tell them goodnight for me.”

She laughed softly and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her. She found the others without much effort – they were all lounging on various pieces of furniture in the living room.

“So…I think we’re going to call it a night, okay?”

Willow and Xander looked at her curiously. Anya grinned widely.

Buffy pointed a finger at her, a smile in her eyes. “Before you start…don’t. Just channel your human qualities, say goodnight…”

Anya nodded in amusement. “Goodnight.”

As she stood up, she pulled Xander with her. “They want to have sex.”

Xander closed his eyes briefly. “Yeah, kinda got that, An. Didn’t need an explanation.”

Willow jumped up and grabbed her jacket. “Have a good night, Buff…see you tomorrow. We’ll lock the door on our way out.”

Buffy laughed as they all rushed down the hall towards the front door. Hearing the latch click, she turned and made her way back towards the bedroom…hoping that Giles had as much success getting the boys back to sleep as she did kicking their friends out of the house.

Just as she turned the corner, he stepped out of the boys’ room and closed the door. They shared a bright grin and within seconds, he had lifted her and pressed her back against the wall…her legs curling around his hips.

“Hallway, it is…” She whispered, pulling at his clothing.

“Well…it’s a place to start…” He replied with a grin.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two weeks later found them sitting in his mother’s living room, rain pattering against the window as they watched her play with her grandsons.

“I can’t believe how much they look like you, Rupert.” She said, gently ticking Felix’s stomach and Callum’s foot.

“That’s what I said, but he didn’t agree.” Buffy replied, taking a sip of her tea.

“They do have your cheekbones.”

Buffy and Giles shared a look and he shrugged a shoulder.

“Mrs Giles, I was wondering – ”

Giles’ mother laughed heartily. “Good heavens, Buffy. Please…call me Sophia.”

Sophia’s green eyes sparkled as she glanced at her son before meeting Buffy’s eyes. “And do I have some stories for you, my dear.”

“Good lord, Mum…”

“You really didn’t think I would let the chance pass me by, did you, Rupert?”

“Please tell me you have baby pictures.” Buffy said, grinning broadly as she placed her mug on the coffee table.

“Do I have baby pictures? Rupert was my firstborn…I made Richard buy a new camera specifically for documenting Rupert’s childhood.”

“Bloody hell…” Giles mumbled, pushing himself up.

“Hey, where’re you going?” Buffy asked, grabbing his hand.

“I told you…I was going to need to be a quarter way through a bottle of something in order to sit through this type of conversation…” He laughed and tilted his head towards the corner of the room. “So, I’m off to raid Dad’s liquor cabinet.”

“Ru…” Buffy started, pausing as he leaned down and brushed his lips across hers.

“Just joking, love. But, if you’re pulling out my baby pictures, I’m going to put the kettle on.”

Sophia watched her son leave the room and Buffy moved onto the floor next to her. “You’ve made him very happy, Buffy.”

“The feeling is very much mutual.” She replied, reaching over and slipping her finger into Callum’s hand. “They really do look like him, don’t they?”

“Oh, wait until I get the photo albums out.” Sophia grinned. Her grin faded slightly. “I only wish that Richard could have been here to meet them. He loved his boys so much, I can only imagine how much he would’ve loved these two.”

“He has your eyes.” Buffy said softly.

Sophia nodded. “My eyes, his father’s rebellious nature.”

Buffy furrowed her brow. “Rebellious? His father?”

“Oh, my…yes. It presented differently to Rupert’s, but it was most definitely there.” She drifted in thought for a moment and then tilted her head slightly to the left, the way Giles had a tendency to do. “They really are very identical, aren’t they? How do you tell them apart?”

“That’s a secret that we’ve told no one before.” Giles replied, walking back into the room.

“You’re not even going to tell me? Their Grandmother?”

Giles grinned and sat down on the other side of his mother. “Do you promise not to tell any embarrassing stories about me?”

“Absolutely not.”

Buffy laughed loudly and leaned over, pulling Callum’s right sock off. “Look at the bottom of his big toe…”

“A croissant-shaped birthmark?”

Giles smirked at his mother. “Of course, you’d say croissant and not crescent.”

“I’ll pick pastries over moons any day, son.”

Buffy watched the interaction between the two of them and felt a warmth in her heart. She sat back and listened as the two of them teased one another playfully. Suddenly, it was very clear that though Giles rarely spoke of his childhood, it had been filled with a great deal of love and affection.

Baby pictures could wait a while longer.

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/365575.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Callix: Chapter 2/4

2021-07-16T02:35:22Z

Names, indecisions, concerns...but, most of all...

Love.

“Okay, that’s weird…” Anya said, stopping at the foot of the hospital bed.

Buffy looked up, furrowing her brow as she cuddled one of her sons. “I would’ve thought you would’ve had time to get used to the idea of us having twins.”

“Two babies isn’t the weird part.”

Buffy looked at Xander, who was staring at his girlfriend. Then she looked at Willow, who was staring at Xander’s girlfriend. Then she looked at Giles, who was gazing at the newborn in his arms.

“Do you know what she’s talking about?”

“Rarely.” He replied, smiling…but still gazing at his son.

Anya sighed heavily. “Them…they look the same.”

Giles slowly lifted his eyes and looked at Anya. Willow rolled her eyes.

“They’re identical…that’s what identical means.”

Anya turned and stared at Willow. “Yes, I do know the meaning.”

“Then, I’m still not understanding why you think it’s weird that they look the same.”

“Because they look exactly the same. Even in most identical twins, there’ll be a slight difference.”

“Because you know a lot of sets of identical twins?” Xander asked, not even bothering to hide his confusion.

“I’ve been reading a lot, asshole.” She grumbled.

“About twins?” Buffy asked, feeling a sudden warmth for the ex-demon that she hadn’t expected.

“Well, yeah…because I didn’t know what to expect.”

Giles smiled warmly at Anya, who shrugged a shoulder and smiled back.

“So…do they have names?” Xander asked, leaning over and stroking the head of the baby Buffy was holding.

“They do.” Buffy said playfully.

“Ooh, did you give them cute matching names like Tom and Jerry? Calvin and Hobbes? Bert and Ernie? Frodo and Sam?”

Buffy stared at Willow. “No.”

“Rhyming names? Jack and Mack? Dayne and Zayne? Blake and Jake? Dan and Van?” Xander jumped in with a grin.

“Good lord…I do hope none of you are going to be naming children anytime soon.” Giles replied in a horrified tone.

“So…what are their names?” Anya asked, slightly impatiently.

“Callum…” Buffy said, then reached over and ran her hand over the other baby’s head. “…and Felix.”

“Team Callix.” Willow said with a grin.

Giles looked up, a silent question in his eyes. Willow shrugged a shoulder.

“You know…how you can merge two names of a duo into one? Like…you guys could be Guffy or Biles.” She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “Not Biles, that’s horrible. But, you know what I mean.”

Xander laughed loudly, startling everyone. “Sorry, it’s just…well, it’s good that you came up with Callix, because it could’ve easily been Fecal – and that’s just shit.”

Buffy groaned, Giles chuckled.

Silence filled the room for a moment before Anya smiled. “I was expecting something more…Odd English.”

“You mean…Old English?” Willow asked, walking closer to Giles.

“No, I mean exactly what I said. Odd English. Like Cecil or Clive or Egbert or Farthing.” She continued as Xander chuckled. “Instead…you chose Scottish and Latin. Interesting.”

“Buffy chose Scottish, I chose Latin.” Giles said, carefully placing Felix into Willow’s arms. “Though I quite like the name she chose.”

“Middle names?” Xander asked, gently lifting Callum to his chest.

“Bryan and Dunne. Callum Bryan, Felix Dunne.” Buffy said with a smile.

“And there’s the English…” Anya said softly, leaning over and looking at Callum curiously. “He’s pretty cute…for a human baby. So, when are you getting married?”

Giles chuckled, placing a soft kiss on Buffy’s lips.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Do you even want to get married?” Buffy asked, closing the door behind her.

Giles looked up, cradling Felix in the crook of his arm as he fed him a bottle. “Well, yes. And how was patrol?”

“It was patrol-y.” She replied absently, looking around the room. “Where’s Cal?”

“Asleep.” He said softly, looking at her curiously. “What’s wrong, Buffy?”

She glanced at him, then dropped next to him onto the sofa. “You haven’t even mentioned it in months. Makes me think that maybe you’re rethinking things.”

“Rethinking? No, I’m not rethinking anything of the sort.” He moved to hand Felix to her, furrowing his brow when she shook her head. “I’ll marry you tomorrow, if that’s what you’d like.”

“What I’d like is a hot shower to wash fucking vampire dust off of me before I hold my child.” She pushed herself back up and stared at him. “You good with that?”

She didn’t give him time to respond before she fairly stormed out of the room. He stared after her, more than somewhat confused by her behaviour. He glanced down at the baby and sighed, seeing that he had gone back to sleep.

“Alright, Felix…back to bed for you.” He whispered as he stood up.

He stopped briefly to drop the empty bottle in the kitchen. He glanced at the bathroom door…and then made his way to the nursery.

* * *

He exhaled a slow breath and then opened the door. Steam was billowing out of the shower – he wasn’t sure how she wasn’t scalding herself under the hot spray.

“Buffy?”

“Yeah?” She answered after a beat.

“Are you alright, love?”

There was a long pause and then he heard it. A sniffle. The kind of sniffle that only occurred when tears were present as well.

“I don’t think so.” She said, her tears very evident in her voice.

He stepped into the shower quickly and pulled her into his arms. “Talk to me.”

She curled her fingers into the back of his shirt and then quickly uncurled them. She leaned back slightly and stared at him.

“You’re…wearing clothes.”

“You needed me. Material will dry.” He replied, carefully sliding his fingers through her hair. “Please, talk to me.”

“I don’t even know what’s wrong.” She whispered, tears mixing with the water. “Are they okay? Cal and Felix?”

“They’re perfect, Buffy. Well, Felix hasn’t quite gotten the hang of sleeping longer than four hours yet, but…what are you concerned about?”

“Failing as a mother.” She replied, lowering her eyes.

He gently tilted her head back up, gazing into her eyes. “Do you love them?”

“More than anything.” She answered without hesitation.

“Then you can’t possibly fail them as a mother.” He said softly. “We’re going to make mistakes as parents – that’s a given. But, when love is at the very core of everything…how can you fail them?”

“I’m sure I’ll find a way. I’m Buffy Summers.”

“Mm…the Buffy Summers who has defeated an obscene amount of vampires and demons, stopped a plethora of apocalypses…you even slayed a fucking dragon.” He smiled adoringly at her as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I’ve never known you to fail once, love.”

“I don’t know anything about raising kids…” She sniffled, leaning into his touch. “And it’s not just one life I can fuck up…it’s two. And that’s not at all stressful. How am I supposed to do this?”

“With help.” He replied, sliding his left hand to rest on her hip. “You’re not doing this alone, Buffy. I’m here…Xander, Willow…hell, even Anya.”

“I wish Mom was here.”

With that whispered statement, Giles understood much more than he had thirty seconds earlier.

“She would be so proud of you.”

Buffy snorted a laugh, resting her head against Giles’ chest. “Oh yeah, I’m sure. Falling into bed with my Watcher, then falling in love with him, unplanned pregnancy…with fucking twins, getting engaged…”

“Having two gorgeous sons for her to completely spoil.” He interjected with a warm smile. “And I was being serious, Buffy. I’ll marry you tomorrow, if that’s what you want.”

“I know you would.” She looked up at him and sighed. “Right now…I’m thinking we’re running out of hot water. And I want to check on our boys. And then I want to check on you.”

“I love you, Buffy.”

She reached behind her, shutting the water off as she captured his mouth with hers.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Why won’t you marry her?”

Giles looked up slowly, staring at Anya. “I’m sorry?”

“The kids are what…four months old now? And you’re still not married.” Anya said, closing the till and staring back at him. “I just wonder why that is.”

“And I just wonder why you think it’s any of your concern.” Giles muttered, moving away from the counter.

Anya tilted her head slightly, watching him. “It’s not you, is it? You’re not dragging your feet – or running away from the altar, like someone else I know.”

“I didn’t run.” Xander said, looking up from the comic he was reading. “I had an adult conversation with you – where I explained that it wasn’t that I didn’t want to marry you, I just didn’t think it was the right time.”

Anya rolled her eyes as she gestured vaguely with her hand. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. You’re still getting sex.”

Xander sighed heavily. “Yeah, ‘cause everything boils down to sex, doesn’t it?”

Anya paused and stared at him. “That makes no sense. Boils down. Sex is hot and is best at a rolling boil…so why would you want it to boil down?”

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. “What, pray tell, is the point of this conversation?”

“Why is Buffy not pushing a wedding, I think.” Buffy said with a grin, a baby carrier in each hand.

Xander narrowed his eyes, quickly glancing at the door. “Why didn’t the bell ring when you came in?”

“Oh, that was me.” Willow said proudly. “The bell wakes Callum, so I did a little spell that if any little Gileses come through the door, the bell doesn’t ring.”

“Handy.” Buffy said, lifting one of the carriers to Giles. “Especially if I’m wanting to sneak in – just need to make sure I have a baby with me.”

Giles chuckled, placing the carrier on the table and quickly unbuckling the baby. Callum grinned at him as Giles carefully lifted him from the carrier.

“Hello there, Callum.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to the baby’s cheek.

“How did you know it’s not Felix?” Anya asked, darting her eyes between the two four month old boys.

“Because that’s Felix.” Giles replied, gesturing towards the baby that was being handed to Willow.

Anya rolled her eyes dramatically. “Why are you so infuriating?”

“Because he’s Giles.” Buffy answered playfully. “And we’re not married yet because I’m not sure there’s a point.”

“You’re breaking up with him?” Xander asked, eyes wide.

“No…” Buffy drawled, arching an eyebrow at Xander. “And I’m surprised you jumped to that conclusion, Mr ‘I can’t marry you because my dad’s a drunk asshole and I don’t want to turn out like him’.”

“You don’t want to turn out like your dad?” Xander asked, clearly confused. “Or your mom?”

“Neither. I’m just saying that out of everyone here, me having reasons for not getting married just yet shouldn’t have surprised you.”

“Oh. What?”

Buffy hopped up onto the table and leaned her head against Giles’ arm. “I’m spending the rest of my life with him. I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me that. My heart screams that every single day. We’re in love, we have a house, two beautiful boys, great friends…and live on a goddamn Hellmouth. He keeps me safe, he trains me…he Watches me…what’s going to change with a marriage certificate?”

“Your name?” Willow asked, playfully tickling Felix’s chest. “Is that important to you? I mean…being a ‘Giles’?”

“Names are names. I can change my name, if I want. I don’t need to be married to change my last name to Giles.”

Anya darted her eyes from Buffy to Giles, just in time to see his gaze drop. “What about you though?”

“Hm?” He looked back up as he sat down next to Buffy and placed Callum on his thigh. “What about me?”

“Well, you asked her, right? So…marriage means something to you…”

“It means something to me.” Buffy said, somewhat defensively. “When did I say it didn’t mean anything to me?”

Giles looked at her quickly. “Love…”

“I never said it didn’t mean anything!”

Giles exhaled slowly as Buffy rushed towards the back, the other three watching her in confusion. Anya furrowed her brow and looked back at Giles.

“What was that about? I didn’t say that…”

“I know.” Giles said softly, standing back up and looking at Xander. “Can you take Cal for a mo?”

Xander nodded quickly, gently cradling the giggling baby. “Is she okay, Giles?”

“She’s…” Giles ran his hand through his hair, glancing at the training room door. “…her emotions are heightened. And she…worries…about issues that shouldn’t be a worry, but they are a very real worry to her.”

“And you’re worried about her?” Willow asked, shifting a now sleeping Felix in her arms.

“I always worry about her.” He offered Willow a small smile. “I worry about all of you.”

“Yeah, I know. But, I mean…are you worried about PPD or something?”

“Penile penetration dysfunction?”

Everyone stared at Anya.

“Post-partum depression.” Willow said slowly, shaking her head slowly. “What goes on in your head?”

Giles cleared his throat. “I’m not sure it’s as serious as that. But, there’s definitely some anxiety that’s presenting.”

“She’s not going to drown them or anything, is she?” Anya asked, looking at Giles expectantly.

“Seriously, what the hell, Anya?” Willow asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

“Sometimes it happens. I read about it. There’s been reports of new mothers going crazy and – ”

“No. No, that’s not a concern.” Giles interrupted swiftly. “She’s bonding well with both boys, there are no signs of psychosis. Her issues stem from her own inner concerns.”

“Huh?” Xander asked, moving his comic away from Callum’s wandering hand.

“I need to go check on her. Are the boys okay with you three?”

“Yeah, of course.” Willow replied, smiling as Giles reached over and gently stroked Felix’s head.

“Thank you.” He whispered and then quickly made his way to the back room.

“You don’t think she’ll drown them?” Anya asked.

Xander shook his head with a light chuckle. “No, An…I really don’t.”

He glanced down at Callum and arched an eyebrow at him. Then he looked over at Willow.

“Wanna switch?”

Willow shook her head and pointed towards the bag that Buffy had placed on one of the chairs. “Diaper bag’s there, bud. I’m not the communal baby changer.”

* * *

“Buffy?”

Buffy wiped her eyes before turning towards Giles. “It means something to me, Giles. It means a lot to me.”

“I know.” He said, quickly walking over to her. “For what it’s worth, I really don’t think Anya meant anything negative by what she said.”

“I know.” She sighed, folding her arms over her chest. “They probably think I’m crazy, don’t they?”

“No more than they always have.” A smile played on his lips as she rolled her eyes at him. “How has your day been?”

“Hm? Oh…wonderful, really. They actually slept at the same time for about two hours today…so I slept too.”

“Good.” He whispered, lifting his hand to the side of her face. “Mum called earlier – asked if we’d be able to take some time in October.”

“Did you tell her that I’d love to but demons don’t tend to take holidays?” She asked with a soft laugh.

He grinned, shaking his head. “Not in so many words, but something to a similar effect.”

“I want her to meet her grandchildren, Giles. I know that I can’t go, but what if you take them over?”

“I’ve been thinking about that actually. What if we could both take them…and should something arise here, we come back?”

“How the hell would that work? It’s a ten hour flight…”

“A little more, but that’s beside the point.”

“Yeah, okay…so we’re off galivanting in the English countryside and get a call that there’s trouble. We hop a plane – after driving…what, like three hours?...to the airport – then fly for ten and a bit hours. That’s at the very least thirteen hours and it would actually be closer to fifteen or sixteen, in all probability. Sunnydale could be decimated in that time. So, I really don’t see – ”

He cut her off with a kiss, smiling when she huffed.

“Have you forgotten about old sorcerers and younger witches and the amazing things they can do when they come together?”

She slid her hands up his chest, curling her arms around his neck. “Why does that always sound disturbingly sexual? And…what do you have in mind?”

“A portal.”

“Time travel?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Time travel? No. I’m talking about teleportation, not commandeering a TARDIS.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Good lord…” He started, pausing when she grinned at him.

“Doctor Who. I get the reference.” She leaned up and kissed him tenderly. “BBC America plays it at stupid o’clock when one or both of the boys are telling me that they’re starving.”

“I could watch it with you.” He offered, sliding his hands to her hips.

“You could. Or I could feed the babies and come back to bed…” She lightly scratched her nails over the nape of his neck. “Where are the boys?”

“Weapons cabinet out front.”

“Funny.” She murmured. “I have patrol…”

“Mm-hm. As your Watcher, I’m well aware.”

“What do you know as my lover?” She asked, licking her lips.

“That patrol is the last thing you want to do.” He nearly groaned, eyes darting to her lips.

“Mm…” She leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his skin just above his collar. “If the kids are asleep and you’re awake…”

His eyes darkened slightly as she trailed off. “I’ll be awake, love. I can’t guarantee the boys will be asleep, but…there’s a tiny little sleep spell…”

She laughed brightly and he grinned adorably. He breathed a deep sigh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“That is a beautiful sound.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been so…blah…”

“You can’t help how you feel, darling. Know that I’m here for you – to hold you, to wipe your tears, to catch your punches, to draw you a hot bath…whatever you need, you need only ask.”

She smiled as the sound of a hungry baby drew his attention and he glanced towards the door. “You are an amazing father – have I told you that before?”

“You have – as many times as I’ve told you what a wonderful mother you are. And you are, Buffy. Please don’t let your fears create doubt in your mind concerning your abilities as their mother. Fears are normal – I’m terrified most of the time – but, I see their eyes when you walk into the room.”

“I’m a walking food station for them, that’s what you see.” She laughed, taking a step back from him. “But, I get what you’re saying. Thank you for being an even more amazing partner.”

She paused for a moment and then offered him a loving smile. “I’m not that big on the idea of church weddings. You remember that, yeah?”

He nodded slowly, his eyes sparkling as he took in her words. “I do…”

“I see what you did there.”

The sound of a second hungry baby joined the first and they both laughed. He gestured towards the door and gave her a wink.

“After you, love.”

“Always the gentleman.”

His eyes drifted slowly down her body and he shrugged a shoulder. “Not always…”

She looked over her shoulder and laughed loudly. “And that’s how we ended up with the noisemakers out there.”

“No regrets here.”

“None here either.” She replied, pulling the door open. “None at all.”

He followed her out of the training room, feeling lighter than he had in weeks.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She smiled as she walked into the house, kicking her shoes off as she closed and locked the door behind her. The house was quiet and the living room was bathed in the orange hues from the fire flickering in the fireplace. He entered the room from the hallway that led to the kitchen – a glass of wine in each hand and a warm smile on his face.

“Hello.”

“Hey…” She replied, taking the proffered glass and glancing down the hall. “It’s very quiet.”

“Mm-hm.” He took a sip from his glass and gently ushered her to the sofa with a hand on her lower back. “Told you…I know a tiny little sleep spell. It’s very good for helping tiny little humans…sleep.”

She arched an eyebrow at him as she sat down and curled her legs under her. “You seriously didn’t cast a spell on our children…did you?”

He chuckled softly and sat down next to her. “Let’s just enjoy the quiet for now, yes?”

“Stopped a couple of idiot teenagers deciding to – ”

“You’re not likely to forget the details from your patrol for a few hours, are you?” He asked softly.

“No, not likely…”

“And – was there any occurrence of urgency or importance during your patrol?”

“No, just general stake and go…”

He allowed his eyes to drift over her body. “Are there any injuries?”

She shook her head slowly. “No. No injuries.”

He returned his gaze to her eyes. “Then…your report can wait.”

She nearly trembled at the timber of his voice. “Yeah. Yeah, definitely.”

“I think I should kiss you.”

“You kiss me and I’m going to be all over you.” She licked her lips. “Like…all over you.”

He glanced at her lips as he gently pulled the glass from her hand and placed it on the coffee table. “Then I think I should definitely kiss you.”

“Rupert…” She whispered, sliding her hand to his thigh.

“Fuck me…” He murmured, covering her mouth with his.

She took control of the kiss quickly, following his body as she pushed him back against the cushions. True to her word, within moments, she was…all over him. Not that he minded in the least. When she climbed on top of him, sliding forward to press against his quickly emerging erection, he pulled from the kiss and groaned a soft curse.

She grinned, nimble fingers making quick work of his shirt buttons as her teeth nibbled his earlobe…tugging at the small silver hoop that he wore more often than not.

“Slow down, love…”

“Uh-uh…” She mumbled, pushing his shirt off of his shoulders and down his arms. “Never know when they’re going to wake up…and I fucking want you.”

“Fair enough.” He whispered thickly, quickly pulling her shirt off and dropping it on the floor.

He grabbed her hips when she started moving more urgently against him. “But if you keep that up…”

“Then do something about it.” She suggested, staring into his eyes.

With a quick nod, he turned his body and carefully dropped her onto the cushions. She giggled as he pushed her down and began working on her jeans. She lifted her foot, pressing it against the fly of his jeans and allowing her toes to trace the zipper. He playfully batted her foot away and then pulled her jeans and underwear off, tossing them over his shoulder and not really caring where they landed.

His eyes darkened with desire, his fingers pulling the button free on his jeans as he watched her stroke her soft curls with her fingertips. “Jesus Christ, Buffy…”

“You good with skipping foreplay right now? ‘Cause…my mind was all over that during patrol.”

He nodded absently, standing long enough to rid himself of the rest of his clothing before rejoining her on the sofa. “To be honest, I’m not sure how much I could cope with right now.”

“Your mind been wandering too?” She asked, curling her legs around his hips as he knelt between her thighs and leaned over her.

“Mm…you could say that.” He whispered, reaching between them and guiding the head of his cock into her. “Bloody hell, you’re so…”

“Shut up, Rupert. Just…shut up and fuck me.” She groaned, tightening her legs and pulling him further into her.

He gripped the arm of the sofa with his left hand, gazing down at her as he pushed his hips against her. “I wasn’t expecting this…”

She grinned up at him, arching her hips to meet his thrusts. “I totally believe that…what with the wine and the fire and…oh, my god…”

He smiled, sliding his thumb over her bottom lip. “I love watching you beneath me. And what I meant was – my plan was to take you to bed.”

She nipped the pad of his thumb with her teeth and exhaled a shaky breath. “I just wanted you to take me.”

“Mm…” He murmured, lowering his upper body and kissing her deeply. He increased his strokes – intensity, speed, depth…varying depth…just the way he knew she preferred.

He could make her come quickly or slowly…he could spend ages building her orgasm or he could push her over the edge in just a few moments. Tonight wasn’t about spending ages – as much as he would love that. Her nails scratched his back, his chest, his hips…they dug into the firm flesh of his ass as she sucked his tongue into her mouth hungrily.

She needed to come quickly. And he could do that for her.

So he pushed harder, deeper…his right hand gripping her thigh as she tore her mouth from his and latched her mouth onto his collarbone. He groaned deeply as she did her best to mark his skin, slamming his hips against hers as he lifted her thigh, opening her further to him.

She pulled her mouth away from his skin and looked up at him, eyes dark with passion. She lifted a trembling hand and wiped a bead of sweat from the side of his face.

“I’m…going to marry you, Ru.” She whispered emotionally.

He smiled, sliding his hand back down her thigh…across her abdomen…through the curls that were now very damp. He watched her eyes flutter as his thumb found her clitoris, applying just the right amount of pressure before rubbing the sensitive nub in rhythm with his thrusts.

He moved quickly, covering her mouth and swallowing her cries as she came suddenly. Her fluids washed over his cock, pushing him closer to his own orgasm. He waited a few more seconds, riding the waves of her orgasm, before pulling out. He closed his eyes when he felt her hand wrap around his thickened shaft, stroking hard and fast…a groan rumbled in his chest as she rubbed her thumb over the head.

On the fifth stroke, he whispered her name in a tone that she only ever heard when they were in this situation. She smiled as he came, his semen landing forcefully and hot on her abdomen.

“Fuck…” He muttered, lowering his head and resting his forehead on the arm of the sofa. “Jesus, Buffy…”

“I fucking love you, Rupert.”

He pressed a warm, lingering kiss to her shoulder. “You’re going to marry me?”

“Yeah…yeah, I am.” She whispered, running her fingers through his sweat-dampened hair.

His response was interrupted by the soft cry of a baby down the hall. He smiled and carefully moved off of her, grabbing his boxers from the pile of clothes on the floor.

“Spell must’ve worn off.” He said, grabbing his nearly forgotten glass of wine and taking a sip. “I’ll go get him.”

She stretched her body and then sighed, sitting up and leaning over to grab his shirt. She slipped it on and then finished her glass of wine on her way to the kitchen to warm up a bottle.

She smiled, listening to him speak softly to the baby on his way back down the hall. She glanced at the calendar and her smile grew.

Maybe a portal would be the best option. And maybe they could get married in England. October was still four months away, that should be enough time to get everything in order.

Definitely something to talk about.

“Everything alright?” Giles asked softly from the doorway.

Buffy looked at him, adoration in her eyes. “Everything’s perfect.”

He smiled brightly. Felix giggled softly.

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/365516.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Callix: Chapter 1/4

2021-07-09T06:16:55Z

Title: Callix
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRAO
Synopsis: The lives of Buffy and Giles are full of surprises. It’s how they deal with those surprises that make them Buffy/Giles.
Timeline: AU…S6’ish. No Dawn, no death of Buffy – so no resurrection issues, oddly no Tara.
Author’s Notes: This is Chapter 1/4 for summer_of_giles 2021. Thank you, as always, to fairygothmum. And a very special thank you to the Summer of Giles team for continuing this.

“I love you.” Buffy whispered, snuggling up next to him.

Giles didn’t open his eyes, but smiled softly. “I love you too.”

She lifted her head slightly to look at him. “Thought you were asleep.”

“I was.” He replied, opening his eyes and gently stroking her back. “Then you came home…thinking loudly. How was patrol?”

“Busy, but incredible.” She smiled at his raised eyebrow. “This protection spell you came up with is amazing. I didn’t even break a nail. See?”

She lifted her hand and his eyes darted to her nails before returning to her face. “Is that what your thoughts were about? Because, while I’m grateful that your nails survived patrol, I get the distinct impression that your thoughts actually had nothing to do with your nails, but more about something else.”

“Sorry.” She chuckled, almost nervously.

Hearing a tone in her voice, he shifted and rolled onto his side facing her. “What is it, love?”

“It was only twice…”

He smiled warmly, eyes sparkling in the dim light of the room. “And it only takes once. We should probably be grateful it didn’t happen the first time.”

“What the hell are we going to do?”

His smile faded as he looked into her eyes. “Should we discuss other options?”

Buffy furrowed her brow. “Other options? God, no…I just…well, I wasn’t expecting this now.”

“Nor was I.” Giles admitted carefully. “But, I’m not exactly unhappy about this turn.”

“No?”

“No.” He sighed softly, lifting his hand to brush his fingers through her hair. “Buffy, we’ve discussed this before…having a family…”

“Yeah, like…a few years down the road! We’ve just declared our relationship to the Council and – ”

He leaned into her, interrupting her impending panic attack with a kiss. At least he tried – she continued talking, though her words were now mere mumbles captured by his mouth. He deepened the kiss, groaning when she pulled away from him.

“Giles! I’m trying to talk!”

“I know, love. But, your words were heading down a path that we don’t need to travel.” He replied, gently stroking her bottom lip with his thumb.

“Huh?”

“We’re having a baby. Yes, it’s sooner than we had expected – and I’m probably more to blame than you. Yes, we’ve just declared our relationship – but, why does that even matter?”

“Why are you more to blame? And…why even is there blame? I mean…what does that mean?”

“Perhaps ‘blame’ was the incorrect word to use. All I mean is that…I could have easily paused long enough to pull a condom out of the drawer. It’s not as if I had run out. I just…wanted to feel you. I knew the risks, but…” He cleared his throat and offered her a nervous smile. “I was being incredibly ‘like a guy’.”

“I like you as a guy, Giles. And, it’s not like I couldn’t have said ‘hey, wait…’. But, I didn’t. Feeling you inside of me was…” She took a deep breath as a sudden wave of arousal washed over her. “Well, you know.”

“Mm-hm.” He murmured, allowing himself to relish that wave for a moment. Then he exhaled softly and lifted his hand, brushing his fingers through her hair. “Tell me what’s on your mind, love.”

She was quiet for a long moment and then shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know, it’s just…well, I never thought I’d have a baby before…”

When she trailed off, he understood. He looked into her eyes, sliding his hand to her hip.

“Do you want to get married?”

“Of course I do. But, not because I’m pregnant.”

“I’m not asking because you’re pregnant.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “You’re asking?”

He looked slightly confused. “Didn’t I?”

She stared at him for a moment and then laughed. He smiled brightly and kissed her again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“So, you’re getting married?” Willow asked, staring at her best friend.

Buffy nodded, sipping her coffee.

“You’re pregnant…and you’re getting married…”

“Yep.”

Willow’s eyes darted to the mug in Buffy’s hand. “Should you be drinking that?”

Buffy smiled. “One coffee a day isn’t going to hurt me or the baby. I drink tea…or water…the rest of the day.”

Willow furrowed her brow. “Tea still has caffeine in it.”

“Herbal tea.” Buffy clarified, then narrowed her eyes in thought. “I wonder if the protection spell includes caffeine…”

“Protection spell?”

“Oh, yeah. Giles found a spell to keep me and the baby safe while I’m on patrol. Because…still the Slayer, still need to deal with those that need to be slain.”

“You’re getting married.”

Buffy smiled warmly. “Yeah, we are. But, not because I’m pregnant…”

“No, I know.” Willow smiled in return. “He’s in love with you. I think I’m more surprised that you said yes.”

Buffy’s smile faded. “Huh? Why would I not? I’m in love with him too.”

“Oh, no…yeah, I know. That’s not what I meant.” Willow spoke quickly, as if to reassure Buffy. “It’s just that you’ve never really talked about weddings and stuff – I mean, not since I did the ‘let my will be done’ spell.”

“Yeah, that kind of turned me off weddings for a while, I gotta admit.”

“Did you say yes because of the baby?” Willow asked carefully, widening her eyes when Buffy stared at her. “I just mean – ”

“No. I mean, maybe the baby sped things up a little. But, that’s not why I said yes.”

“How is the baby?” Willow asked, sipping her milkshake.

“Apparently having a growth spurt.” Buffy laughed. “We have a scan next week, can’t wait to see the little guy.”

“Guy?” Willow asked, slowly lowering her milkshake.

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Or girl. It’s just a figure of speech, Will. It’s way too early to know if it’s a boy or a girl.”

“I always thought you’d have a girl.” Willow mused, shrugging a shoulder. “You know, Slayers and such.”

“The most recent Slayer to have a baby was back in the 70s and she had a boy.” Buffy replied with a smile. “Giles did some research when we found out I was pregnant.”

Willow chuckled brightly. “Of course he did.”

“I think he’s happy about it.” Buffy said softly, almost questioningly.

Willow reached over and placed her hand over Buffy’s. “He’s ecstatic about it, Buffy.”

After a moment of quietness, Willow grinned.

“So, when’s the wedding?”

Buffy laughed, shaking her head in amusement.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“So, how have you been feeling?” Rita, the sonographer, asked as she squirted a glob of gel on Buffy’s abdomen.

Giles watched curiously as she spread the gel over the small bump with the probe in her hand.

“I’ve been okay, actually. A little nausea now and then, but nothing to write home about. I’ve actually been really hungry, which I wasn’t expecting. Is that normal?”

Rita laughed gently. “All pregnancies are different. Consider yourself lucky.”

Buffy glanced at Giles, squeezing his hand to get his attention. She smiled when his eyes automatically shifted to hers.

“You okay?”

He returned her smile, gently squeezing her hand back as he moved closer to her. “Yes, just watching.”

Rita grinned, then gestured at the screen with her thumb. “Ready to see your baby?”

Giles nodded silently. Buffy whispered ‘yes’ and tightened her fingers around Giles’. Rita quietened as she got to work, moving the probe…taking pictures…typing in codes that Buffy was sure Giles would research at some point.

“Well, this is interesting.”

“Interesting good or interesting bad?” Buffy asked nervously.

“I guess it would depend on your view.” Rita smiled. “Good heartbeats…amazing, actually. Very strong.”

“Heart…beats?” Buffy asked in surprise. “How many heartbeats?”

“Two.”

“What does that mean?” Buffy asked without thought.

“Either twins or a Time Lord.” Giles replied quietly, staring at the screen. “In this case, I’m leaning towards twins.”

Rita snorted a laugh. “I don’t hear Time Lord jokes often.”

Giles smiled, still staring at the screen. Buffy stared at Rita in disbelief.

“Twins? Are you serious?”

“Oh, very.” She turned the screen further around towards Buffy and leaned over. She took her time in pointing out the hands, feet, heads, hearts of the two babies. “They’re very healthy…and measuring around thirteen weeks.”

“That would be right.” Giles responded, lifting Buffy’s hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles.

“Any chance you can tell the sex?” Buffy asked nervously.

“I can give an educated guess, but can’t be certain yet. I can tell you that you’ll either have two boys or two girls.”

“Huh?”

“They’re definitely identical.” She pointed out a blob on the screen. “One placenta.”

Giles’ eyes glistened. A tear escaped the corner of Buffy’s eye.

Rita continued speaking, tracing a distinct line on the screen. “One placenta, but two amniotic sacs. This is a good thing. Risks are higher for twins sharing a sac.”

“Holy shit…” Buffy whispered. “Twins. Like…two babies. At one time.” She looked up at Giles, eyes wide. “What the hell are we going to do?”

Rita laughed softly. Giles grinned and leaned down, brushing his lips over her forehead.

* * *

“So, you’re not freaking out at all over this. What’s up with that?”

Giles looked over at her as he stopped for a red light. “You were expecting me to?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, if only to make me feel better about the fact that I’m freaking the fuck out.”

“Do you want me to freak out, love?” He asked, eyes sparkling.

She rolled her eyes and gestured towards the traffic light. “It’s green. And…no, not if you’re not actually freaked out.”

“It’s surprising, without a doubt. But, as long as you and the babies are healthy – I’m okay with this unexpected development.”

“We should find out if they’re boys or girls, shouldn’t we? I mean…I was okay with the whole wait until he or she is born when there was only one. But, with two…”

“If you would like to find out the gender, I’m agreeable to that.”

“Well, yeah. There’s just not the clothes and nursery colors and stuff. There are names. I’d much rather come up with two names instead of four. You’re not going to want to give them weird names, are you?”

“Such as?” He asked with a chuckle as he turned the car onto their street.

“I don’t know. Archibald, Harriet, Bertram, Agatha, Engelbert…” She looked at him sharply when he laughed loudly.

“Engelbert? Buffy, that isn’t even his real name.”

“I’m still not naming one of our babies Engelbert.”

“Nor am I.” He said, still laughing as he pulled into their driveway.

“I wanted to name a boy Rupert.”

His laughter ebbed as he looked at her. “What?”

“I wanted to name him after you. But, with two…” She shrugged a shoulder and sighed. “I guess one could be Rupert and the other Edmund, but…”

She paused as she saw the expression on his face. “You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“I…well, I’d never thought about it, honestly. You lot have teased me so much about my name over the years, I just assumed that you wouldn’t want to name a child after me.” He leaned over and placed a tender kiss on her lips. “But, really…a child named Rupert would just get teased mercilessly.”

“Were you? Teased over your name?”

“Mercilessly.” He chuckled softly as he unclipped his seat belt. “Why do you think I never had an issue with being called ‘Giles’?”

“Didn’t give you much choice in that, to be honest.” She replied, laughing as she climbed out of the car.

They walked up the pathway together and he smiled adoringly at her as he unlocked the front door.

“The fact that you gave serious thought of using my name for our child makes me unbelievably happy. That’s enough for me.”

“Okay, so…no Rupert or Edmund – which wouldn’t be an issue anyway if we’re having girls. What do you think?”

“I think we should find out the gender to help alleviate some of the anxiety surrounding this.” He turned the knob and pushed open the door. “And I think…we still have at least twenty-five weeks to decide on names. So, let’s try to not allow it to become an overwhelming task right now.”

Buffy heaved a deep sigh after a moment. “It’s annoying that you’re right so fucking often.”

He smiled unapologetically, ushering her inside. “I’ll endeavour to be wrong more often, love.”

“Ugh…fuck you.” She mumbled playfully, then smiled at him over her shoulder as he closed the door behind them. “Can we just go to bed?”

He glanced at the clock. “It’s 2:45…”

“Didn’t say I was tired.”

He exhaled a slow breath as he watched her make her way to the hallway which lead to their bedroom. “Fair enough.”

Her laugh resonated in the house…and he smiled happily as he followed her.

* * *

Buffy rolled over in order to snuggle up to Giles. She opened her eyes when she realised that she was alone in the bed. Yawning, she sat up and glanced at the clock. Seeing that it was 10:30, she looked at the window…unsure if she had slept through the night or had overslept for patrol. Either way, she wondered why Giles hadn’t woken her.

“No sun coming through…” She mumbled to herself, reaching over and grabbing Giles’ shirt that had been thrown and gotten caught on the footboard.

She ran her fingers through her sleep-tousled hair before slipping her arms into the very long sleeves. She fastened three of the buttons and walked out of the bedroom, rolling the sleeves up. She yawned again as she stepped into the living room, then she smiled when she saw her missing fiancé sitting on the sofa…looking at the ultrasound pictures of their children.

“You let me sleep through patrol…”

He looked up quickly, obviously startled. “Ah…yes, well…it’s a quiet night.”

She grinned as she sat down next to him. “You’re fucking adorable.”

“I’m sorry?” He asked, slightly confused.

“You…all gooey looking at our Briticans.” She replied, leaning against his shoulder.

He snorted a soft laugh. “Briticans…”

She sighed as he nuzzled his cheek against her hair. “What do you think they are? Can you see anything?”

“Heads, noses, lips, hands, feet…definitely human.”

She looked up at him and shook her head in amusement. “You expected them to be non-human?”

“I wasn’t expecting them to look like…babies. I’m not sure what I was expecting, to be very honest.” He cleared his throat softly. “As for what I think they are…I’m sure I’ve no idea – but, I’m…”

She furrowed her brow as his voice trembled. “Giles?”

“Sorry. I’m…fairly emotional, it seems.”

“They’re amazing, aren’t they?” She asked, lifting her hand to brush her fingers through his hair. “Kinda like you.”

He nodded silently, placing his hand on her abdomen. “I’m somewhat at a loss for words.”

“You?” She teased gently.

A small smile played on his lips. “Kiss me, Buffy.”

“That’s the real reason you didn’t wake me, huh?” She said, leaning up to place a warm kiss on his lips. “Because…you know where a kiss is going to lead…”

He ran his finger along the buttons holding his shirt closed around her body. “I didn’t wake you because you needed the sleep. I want you to kiss me because I love you. If a kiss leads to more, it’s because you are unbelievably sexy wearing my shirt…and nothing else.”

She grinned, then flicked her tongue against his Adam’s apple as he pulled a button free.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Xander and Willow stared at Buffy, mouths open in shock. Anya rolled her eyes and smacked Xander’s shoulder with the back of her hand.

“You won’t even let me have one and she gets two? How is that fair?”

Xander slowly turned his head towards Anya. “Um…not my doing, An. And it’s not that I won’t let you have one, it’s that we're not ready for children yet.”

Anya narrowed her eyes at him. “We’re not ready or you’re not ready?”

“Both.” Xander said bluntly and turned his eyes back to Buffy. “Seriously though? Twins?”

Buffy nodded, smiling as she placed her hand on her obvious bump. “Yep, identical, even.”

“I hope they look like you.” Anya said, scoffing when the other three stared at her. “I mean, if they’re girls. He’s a very handsome man – but, if they’re tiny humans like you and they have his big hands and slightly receding hairline and…”

Xander put his hand on Anya’s arm. “For the love of all that’s holy, please stop.”

Buffy chuckled softly, then looked at Willow – who had yet to speak. “You okay, Will?”

Willow laughed gently, nodding less enthusiastically than she normally did. “Yeah, just wasn’t expecting to hear that news. You’re full of news these days – it’s been a very busy year for you in your non-Slaying life.”

Buffy looked to the door when the bell rang as it opened. Her smile warmed as Giles walked in, shrugging his jacket off.

“Yeah, it really has been the best year ever so far.”

Anya turned and looked at Giles. “Where have you been? I know you weren’t with Buffy because she’s been here. You don’t have a side-piece already because of the twins, do you? It happens, you know – guys get their girls pregnant, then they run off and fuck around with someone else because their girl is getting bigger and then they blame it on the girl saying sex with a pregnant woman feels weird or some bullshit and – ”

She stopped suddenly – but not because Giles raised his hand in a request for her to stop, but because Xander clamped his hand over her mouth.

Giles cleared his throat and shook his head, lowering his hand. “Um…I’m not sure what I’ve walked into here exactly, but no. I’m not seeing anyone else on the side. I simply had an errand to run.”

Willow shook her head and glanced at Anya. “I’m not really sure where that came from either because…that’s not what we were talking about at all.”

Anya pulled Xander’s hand away from her mouth. “Do you know how many men I’ve eviscerated over the centuries for exactly that? Hundreds, possibly thousands. Men are fucking stupid at times. And if you fuck around on her and use that as an excuse, I’ll eviscerate you too!”

“Well, that’s not at all terrifying…and unnecessary.” Giles mumbled, hanging his jacket up and smiling at Buffy. “How are you?”

“Great.” She replied, tilting her head slightly. “What kind of errand?”

“Do you feel up to a spot of training?” Giles asked in return, obviously avoiding the question.

She arched an eyebrow at him. “I’m pregnant, not sick.”

Anya snorted a laugh. Giles shot her a quick glance.

“You’ve something to say?”

When she opened her mouth to answer, he quickly continued.

“As a reminder, your answer could very well be directly related to your employment status.”

Willow did her best to bite back her grin. Xander exhaled slowly.

“Twins, huh?” Anya said lamely.

“Mm…” He offered her a gentle smile then turned back to Buffy, gesturing towards the training room. “After you, love.”

She gave him a wink, then made her way to the back room – catching Xander’s eye as she walked by him. “Still a bit of work there, huh?”

Xander chuckled and shrugged a shoulder. “She’s a work in progress. She means well though.”

Anya narrowed her eyes. “She's standing right fucking here.”

“And I love you.” Xander said, slipping his arm around her.

Buffy laughed and pushed open the door to the training room. Giles followed her in, not taking his eyes off of her as he closed the door behind him. He slipped his left hand into the pocket of his trousers as he walked over to her. She turned towards him and smiled.

“So…training?”

His eyes darted to her lips for a moment before returning to her eyes. “I’m not terribly traditional, never have been.”

“Yeah, I know.” She said, lifting her hand to his chest.

“But, Christ, I love you. And there are things I want to do…properly.” He swallowed and pulled his hand out of his pocket. “Things you deserve for me to do properly.”

“Like what? It’s a little too late for – ” Her eyes widened as he carefully lowered himself to one knee in front of her. “Oh…holy shit…”

“I realise that I didn’t actually ask you…properly.”

Her eyes glistened as she laughed. “Or at all.”

His eyes sparkled, nodding in agreement. “Or at all.”

“Giles…you don’t have to do this. Tradition isn’t what I’m after, you know that.”

“I know.” He opened his hand and smiled as she looked at the diamond ring resting on his palm. “Will you marry me, Buffy?”

“Idiot…” She murmured, leaning down to kiss him. She stopped millimetres from his lips and smiled. “Of course, I will.”

Her whispered response felt warm against his lips and he sighed, closing his eyes as she kissed him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Three weeks later found them back for another ultrasound – there had been nothing wrong, but the doctor had said that he wanted scans fortnightly from sixteen weeks. When Buffy questioned him, he had said that it was merely precautionary because twin pregnancies can have their own risks.

And that was the first time that Buffy felt true anxiety in relation to her pregnancy. Sure, there had been the normal ‘oh shit, I’m pregnant’ moments – but, the thought that something could possibly happen simply because she was having twins was a sobering moment. Giles did his best to help relieve her anxiety, but he could only do so much – and he knew that she’d not truly be at ease until they saw their babies again.

Now, here they were…a repeat performance of the moment they found out that there were two little Gileses instead of one. He glanced down at their hands as the sonographer squirted the gel on her abdomen.

“Love?”

“Huh?”

He grimaced as he blew out a breath. “A little tight, darling.”

“Huh?” She asked looking at him and then down at their hands. “Oh! Oh, god…I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

He carefully flexed his fingers and then curled them back around her hand. “I really feel that everything is going to be alright, Buffy.”

“But, what if it’s not?” She whispered, biting her bottom lip. “I’ve read a lot of stuff about what can go wrong in pregnancies…especially twin pregnancies. And there’s a lot of – ”

He cut her off with a gentle kiss, not really caring that the sonographer was sitting just on the other side of the table. He saw that she was getting ready to slide straight into a tailspin of doubt and what ifs…and that was definitely not what she needed to do.

“Not fair.” She whispered with a pout when he slowly pulled away from her lips.

“Let’s just see how they’re doing today, yeah?” He said, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.

Buffy nodded in agreement and then looked at the sonographer. “Okay…let’s do this.”

Rita grinned and placed the probe on her abdomen. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief as Baby A’s face appeared nearly instantly.

“Heartrate is perfect, movement is perfect…blood flow is perfect.” Rita said, then shifted the probe. She smiled as Giles gasped softly.

“What? What’s wrong?” Buffy asked, panic in her tone as she stared at Giles. “What did you see? What’s wrong with our babies?”

“I…well, nothing. At least, I don’t think anything is wrong.”

“But, you went all ‘ahhhh’ in that gaspy way that you do when something is wrong!”

Giles furrowed his brow. Rita did her best to stifle her laughter.

“Or…when something surprises me.” Giles said, trying to soothe Buffy.

“Huh? What?”

Giles glanced at Rita, his question showing clearly in his eyes. She gave him a nod in response – he had seen what he thought he had seen.

He cleared his throat and squeezed Buffy’s hand. “We’re having two boys.”

Buffy stared at him, wide-eyed and confused. “How could you possibly know that?”

“Because…well, there was…” He shook his head and blew out a breath. “I saw the baby’s penis, Buffy.”

“Where?” When Giles merely stared at her, she rolled her eyes. “I mean on the screen, Giles. I was looking at the screen too and I didn’t see it. And, trust me, I know what they look like.”

Rita lost her battle of stifling her laughter. Giles’ laughter joined Rita’s within a few seconds. It took Buffy a moment before her panic dissipated – and then she giggled softly.

“Can you show me?” She asked Rita hopefully.

“Absolutely.” Rita replied, smiling as Baby B turned towards the probe just at the right moment. “There we go…hello, little guy.”

“Oh…” Buffy breathed. “Yeah, definitely your son.”

Rita snorted a laugh.

Giles grinned, even as he blushed deeply.

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/365239.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Rules of Engagement

2021-07-02T11:00:45Z

Title: Rules of Engagement
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRM
Synopsis: Ultimatums rarely go as planned.
Timeline: AU…Post-series.
Author’s Notes: As always, thank you fairygothmum

Ethan smiled as the door opened in front of him, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his leather jacket. “Well, don’t you look snazzy.”

Giles arched an eyebrow at him before stepping to the side, the usual unspoken invitation to enter. “Snazzy?”

“Mm.” Ethan gestured vaguely towards Giles as he walked by him. “Snazzy. You know…spiffy.”

Giles snorted a laugh as he closed the door. “Spiffy? Come now, Ethan…”

“Okay…” Ethan walked over to the cabinet that he knew to be the liquor cabinet and pulled out the first bottle his hand touched. “You look as though you’re heading out for a lovely, tame evening with our girl.”

Giles’ eyes narrowed as he watched Ethan pour himself a drink. “She’s not our girl – and your definition of tame and mine are two very different things.”

“Settle…” Ethan said with a grin, lifting the glass to his lips. “I’m just teasing.”

“What do you want, Ethan?” Giles said with a heavy sigh, adjusting the watch on his wrist.

“Such a loaded question.” Ethan replied, licking the whisky from his lip.

Giles rolled his eyes, then glanced at the bottle as Ethan refilled his glass. “Are you staying here tonight?”

Ethan’s eyes dropped slightly before returning to Giles’. “Is that an invitation?”

“That’s a question for Buffy, not me.”

“But…you’re not opposed.” Ethan stated softly, taking another sip of his drink.

Giles watched him for a moment and then furrowed his brow. “What’s wrong?”

“Does there need to be something wrong?”

“No, it isn’t necessary. But, I’ve found that when your innuendos take on a more serious tone, it normally signals that there is something…wrong.”

Ethan downed the rest of his drink and immediately poured another. “Sometimes, I fucking hate you…you know?”

Giles walked over and sat down on the sofa, watching his friend closely. “Talk to me, Ethan. What’s going on?”

“Emma’s leaving.” He said after a beat.

Giles furrowed his brow. “Are you sure about that?”

Ethan nodded, making his way over to the chair – the bottle in one hand, his glass in the other. “Oh yeah. She’s packing as we speak.”

“Why? What did you do?”

Ethan stared at him. “Why would you assume I’d done something?”

Giles chuckled softly. “Past experiences?”

“I’ve changed a fair bit, you pillock.” He muttered, lifting the glass to his lips.

Giles’ chuckle quietened. “You have. So what happened?”

“Does Buffy ever talk about us? You know, our past?”

Giles paused for a moment and then nodded. “She’s well aware of my past…and with whom I shared that past. She has…asked numerous questions over the years. But, it’s not something that she’ll randomly bring up in conversation.”

“But, she’s okay with our friendship. Yeah?”

“Any issues she would have with our friendship would stem from the chaos you inflicted upon us in Sunnydale – not from the fact that we used to – ”

“Fuck?” Ethan interjected with a grin. “Or were you going to say something more proper? Such as ‘share a bed’ or similar?”

Giles laughed softly. “We rarely shared a bed, Ethan. But, we fucked often.”

“That we did.” Ethan agreed, finishing his drink. “But, she doesn’t seem to have a problem with that.”

“No.” Giles replied carefully. “You know she doesn’t.”

“Well, Em isn’t that understanding.”

“Ah…”

“She’s given me an ultimatum.” Ethan downed the rest of his drink and sighed. “End our friendship or she’s ending our relationship.”

“Oh…” Giles said softly.

“A fucking ultimatum.” Ethan swallowed, tightening his fingers around his empty glass. “I don’t do ultimatums and I certainly don’t end friendships over one.”

“Is it just the relationship that we shared? Or does she have issues with all of your ex-partners?” Giles asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

“No, all of them. Funnily enough, she was perfectly fine with the double cock action.”

Giles stared at him. “I think the current term is homosexual activities.”

“Fuck the current term. Terms will always change, but it will always mean the same thing…two men, two cocks, lots of fucking and sucking.”

“And…what kind of conversation did I just walk in on?”

Giles turned his head and smiled at Buffy. “Hello, love.”

“Hey.” She replied with a bright smile of her own, leaning down to give him a kiss before plopping down next to him. “What’s going on?”

“Em doesn’t like my exes.” He gestured towards Giles with a nod of his head. “Especially him.”

“What did you do?” She asked Giles, obviously confused.

“Me? I didn’t do anything.”

“Well, not in the last five years…” Ethan added unnecessarily.

Buffy glanced at Ethan and rolled her eyes before returning her attention to Giles. “So, she doesn’t like you because five years ago you got drunk with him, had sex, and then he turned you into a demon?”

“Well, to be fair, it’s the ‘had sex’ part that she has issues with.” Ethan said, shrugging a shoulder.

Buffy raised an eyebrow. “She didn’t have an issue with you turning him into a demon and trying to get me to kill him?”

“She’s interesting like that.” Ethan said, refilling his glass again. “Issues all around – and fuck me if someone catches my eye for half a mo. But, him? There’s some…intriguing thoughts going on there.

Buffy furrowed her brow, glancing at Giles before continuing.

“But, she’s asked you to cut ties with all of them? All of your exes?”

Ethan nodded, glancing between Buffy and Giles. “How many are you still in contact with?”

“I had lunch with Olivia last week.” Giles said, looking at Buffy. “Spoke to Kate today…”

“How is she?” Buffy asked, resting her hand on his thigh.

“Much better.” He replied, covering her hand with his.

“And you have no issue at all…with any of it?” Ethan asked Buffy.

“No. But, then I trust him completely…” She tilted her head slightly and exhaled slowly. “And I’m not cheating on him.”

“Buffy…” Giles said softly.

Ethan stared at her. “Cheating? You think she’s cheating on me?”

Buffy hesitated for just a moment and then nodded. “I do. Because, oddly, you’re one of the most monogamous people I’ve ever met. If she’s feeling threatened by your exes, then she’s hiding something. Especially if she’s threatened by him.”

“I’m sitting right here.” Giles said with a huff.

“You know what I mean, Ru.” She replied, looking up at him. “As checkered as your past is…especially concerning Ethan…I have no worries about you straying.”

She jerked her thumb towards Ethan as she continued.

“And him? If he’s seeing someone, his flirty comments tend to lose their edge.”

“It’s called respect.” Ethan said, picking at a loose thread on his jeans. “Not that I don’t respect the two of you when I’m not seeing someone.”

“But, yet…she doesn’t want you having any contact with Giles?”

“Maybe she just isn’t as comfortable as you are with your partner’s ex…partners.” Ethan supplied quietly.

When neither Giles nor Buffy replied, he lifted his eyes and sighed heavily. “Or…maybe you’re right and she’s cheating on me.”

“But you already suspected that, didn’t you?” Giles asked.

“Not until she said it was either her or you.” Ethan answered, shaking his head. “A person doesn’t deliver ultimatums unless there’s something else going on.”

“You okay?” Buffy asked, watching him process his thoughts.

He blew out a breath and gave her a small smile. “Sure. Look…um…is it okay if I stay here tonight?”

“Of course.” Giles replied without hesitation.

“You know that’s just going to make her think she’s right, though…don’t you?” Buffy said quietly. “You two have an argument about him…and you run straight to him?”

Ethan sighed heavily. “One – he’s my best friend, been there through my worst times and gave me more than a handful of second chances. Where else would I go? Two – I can’t change what she thinks. Three – if she’s cheating on me, then…fuck her. Four – she’s not wrong, and you know it as well as we all do. Five – it’s over, so it doesn’t matter anyway. And six – I’m finished fucking counting reasons that I really don’t give a fuck about whether she thinks she’s right about anything.”

“Ethan…” Buffy started, trailing off as Ethan continued.

“Besides, it’s not as if I’ve come here asking for a fuck. I literally came by to get drunk, talk, and sleep.” He turned his slightly alcohol-glazed eyes to Buffy’s. “Of course, if either of you want to suck my cock, I’m not stopping you.”

“Hey!” Giles said sharply, loud enough that Ethan jumped. “Watch your mouth.”

Ethan closed his eyes briefly and shook his head. “Sorry. I’m just…I’m sorry. I think maybe I should go. You two have plans and…I’m obviously not in the right frame of mind to be here.”

“You’re staying.” Buffy said quickly, shaking her head. “But, what went through your mind isn’t going to happen.”

“Yeah, I know. Look…off you go. Have a lovely night out. You might want to stop on the way back and pick up a few bottles because I’ll probably clean you out, yeah?”

Giles caught Buffy’s eye – Buffy gave him a soft nod. Giles cleared his throat and loosened his tie. Ethan narrowed his eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Staying in…with a friend.” Giles answered, pushing himself up from the sofa.

Ethan watched him as he walked over to the liquor cabinet, pulling out a bottle and two tumblers. “What?”

“Being alone is not what you need, Ethan.” Giles replied, returning to the sofa and pouring two tumblers of scotch. He handed one to Buffy and smiled at Ethan. “Drinking alone? Not going to happen…not tonight.”

“I…” Ethan swallowed, darting his eyes between the two. “Thank you.”

Buffy took a sip of the scotch and huffed a soft laugh. Ethan and Giles both looked at her questioningly. Buffy shrugged a shoulder and leaned back into the cushions, looking at Giles.

“If you had been standing there in a sparkly silver and black shirt, telling me that in five years we’d be here – in England, willingly spending an evening with Ethan getting drunk – I would have told you that you were a raving lunatic.”

“Yet…here we are.” Giles said with a smile, lifting his drink in a silent salute.

“Whatever happened to that shirt?” Ethan asked, pouring himself another drink.

“I burned it.” Buffy replied without hesitation.

Ethan grimaced. “I loved that shirt.”

Buffy smiled for a moment. Then her smile faded and her tone became more serious.

“I’m really sorry, Ethan. I know that you cared a lot for Emma.”

“Yeah…” Ethan sighed. “But, maybe she actually did me a favour.”

“How so?” Giles jumped in, looking at Ethan curiously.

“I cared.”

Buffy furrowed her brow in confusion. Giles nodded in understanding – which confused Buffy even more. Giles felt her confusion and downed his drink.

“Ethan, love is not defined by what you refuse to give up.”

Buffy stared at Giles. “That is supposed to clear shit up for me? Because…what the hell does that even mean?”

Ethan snorted a laugh.

Giles licked his lips and turned his eyes to Buffy. “He’s falling down the hole of ‘if I loved her, then I would’ve given in’ when the truth of the matter is…he did – probably does – love Emma. He more than cared for her. He loved her…and now he’s hurting because she is using his past to make her situation more palatable for herself.”

Buffy glanced at his tumbler. “What the fuck are you drinking? Because you poured me a drink of the same shit and I’m still making sense.”

Giles grinned at her. “Same as you. I’m just trying not to be…crass.”

“She’s fucking someone else, so she tries to make me feel bad for loving how Rupert’s cock feels – because that makes her feel better about being a lying whore.”

Giles closed his eyes briefly. “Of course, Ethan isn’t as concerned about not being crass.”

“Well, maybe you should be more crass more often – because what he said? That, I understand.”

Ethan chuckled and poured another drink. “Mm…I’m sure you do understand.”

Buffy rolled her eyes before looking at Ethan. “I was talking about understanding the Emma part.”

Ethan’s eyes were trained on Giles’ tumbler, which was being held on Giles’ left thigh. “You understand the other part too, love.”

“We keep drinking and this is going to plunge into very different territory, isn’t it?” Buffy asked, watching Ethan’s gaze drift slightly.

“I wouldn’t say no.” Ethan murmured, almost inaudibly.

Buffy was quiet for a long moment and then finished her drink in one gulp. Giles arched an eyebrow at her as she reached for the bottle.

“What are you doing?” He asked softly.

She refilled his tumbler before refilling her own. She sat back and looked up at him.

“Helping our friend though a difficult situation.”

Giles’ eyes darted to her lips and he shifted uncomfortably, feeling Ethan’s gaze burning into him. “By complicating another?”

“It’s never been complicated before, Giles.” She whispered, taking a drink. “We just follow the rules.”

“Buffy…”

“Rules state nothing happens unless all parties are in agreement.” She smiled as he nodded numbly. “Are you?”

He stared at her for a few seconds before leaning down and capturing her lips in a heated kiss. Ethan watched them and took a drink directly from the bottle he’d been holding.

“I love you.” Giles whispered, after slowly ending the kiss.

“And I love you.” She whispered back, gently clinking her tumbler against his. “Cheers.”

Ethan’s eyes widened slightly. “Well, shit just turned an interesting corner, huh?”

“We’ll see where it goes, okay?” Buffy replied, snuggling up against Giles’ side.

Ethan smirked and slid his gaze to Giles. “And you got all snazzy…”

“Snazzy?” Buffy asked, sounding slightly perplexed.

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Spiffy. Jesus, what the hell is with the two of you?”

“Nothing…because we don’t use stupid words like snazzy or spiffy. What the hell is with you?” Buffy replied playfully.

Ethan’s smile softened, as did his eyes. “He looked very nice…one might say handsome…while he was waiting for you. And…that was all for naught because you’re not even going out.”

“He’s still handsome…”

“I’m still sitting right here.” Giles said with a gentle huff.

“Yeah…being all handsome.” Buffy grinned, looking up at him.

“And snazzy.” Ethan added.

“Christ…” Giles rolled his eyes and quickly finished his drink.

Ethan leaned forward and refilled all three glasses from the bottle that Buffy had brought over. He lifted his glass, silently requesting them to do the same. As they did, he smiled softly.

“To friendship.”

Giles furrowed his brow. “Well, that was…tame.”

“For now.” Ethan replied with a grin, clinking his glass against the other two.

Buffy chuckled, sliding her hand over Giles’ thigh as she took a drink. This was not the night she had expected…not in the slightest.

But, it wasn’t a night she was opposed to.

She smiled as Ethan gave Giles a wink.

Not opposed in the slightest.

~ End

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/364865.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Four Knocks for an Opportunity

2021-06-19T23:19:14Z

Title: Four Knocks for an Opportunity
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRT
Synopsis: Giles realises his mistakes and is pushed to correct them…whether he wants to or not.
Timeline: AU…S6.
Author’s Notes: As always, thank you, fairygothmum

“Is everything okay?”

Giles sighed, his fingers still resting on the phone. “I don’t know.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He lifted his eyes, but didn’t look at her. “I don’t know.”

“Rupert…”

He finally looked at her when he saw her sit down out of the corner of his eye. “Leah, really…not now.”

“How long have we known each other?”

Giles chuckled and removed his glasses. “Considering we were born two days apart, all of your life.”

“Cousins, colleagues, but most importantly…friends, yes?”

Giles nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“You know that I can read you. Always could.” She stated with a smile.

“Yes.”

“So, you know that I already know – what it is that you’re not admitting to yourself, yes?”

Giles sighed heavily and leaned back, resting his head against the back of the chair. “I shouldn’t have left. I’ve made a huge mistake.”

“While accurate, that’s not what I’m talking about, Rupert. And you know that’s not what I’m talking about.”

Giles slowly looked at her and shook his head. “I can’t go there, Leah.”

“You’re already there, darling.” Leah reached over and placed her hand on his forearm. “You’ve been there for a while. And then…”

“She died.” He whispered, lowering his eyes.

“She came back.” Leah supplied, gently squeezing his arm.

“I shouldn’t have left. I shouldn’t have lied to her.” He blew out a breath and stared at a picture on the mantle. “Well, I didn’t lie…technically. She did need to stand on her own, to prove to herself that she could. But, I left out a rather large piece of information, didn’t I?”

“That you love her?”

Giles nodded, still staring at the picture. “That I love her.”

She watched him carefully, rubbing her thumb over the back of his wrist as his eyes began to glisten. “Is that the first time you’ve said the words aloud?”

He hesitated just a moment before turning his eyes to hers. “Even sitting at her grave, I couldn’t say it. I wanted to, but…I couldn’t. It was far too painful.”

“And now?”

“It’s terrifying.” He swallowed and then cleared his throat. “And painful. But, mostly…terrifying.”

“I think you should go back.”

“And what? Profess my love to her? She won’t even accept a phone call from me.”

“Because she’s upset, you idiot.” Leah said good-naturedly. “You have to know she feels the same.”

“Actually, I don’t.” Giles replied. “We fought before she died.”

“And she ran to you when she came back. Right? That’s what Willow told me – that she ran straight to you.” Leah smiled warmly, removing her hand from Giles’ arm. “She said that she thought for a moment that you were going to kiss her.”

“You and Willow speak too often, obviously.”

“Perhaps. But, Willow and I see the same thing…in two different countries, within two different people. What does that tell you?”

“That you both meddle.” Giles grumbled, running his hand over his face.

“Rupert, think about this scenario.” Leah paused for a second and then continued when she was sure Giles was listening. “You have feelings for someone and that person drops everything to come to you when you return from…a very long trip. That person stays for a while and then, seemingly out of the blue, says they’re going back to their home country. And staying in their home country indefinitely. And you ask why…and they say ‘for your own good’.”

Giles met Leah’s eyes, but said nothing.

“Are you telling me that wouldn’t upset you?” She watched him process and tilted her head slightly. “Would you accept their calls?”

“I’ve fucked everything.” Giles muttered, leaning back against the chair again.

“I wouldn’t say that. I’d say you made a huge mistake, but I think it can be rectified.” She leaned forward and picked up the phone. “But, you can’t fix things over a phone line, Rupert.”

He nodded slowly, thinking over her words. His eyes darted back to her when he heard her turn the phone on.

“Who are you calling?”

She merely waved a hand at him and focused her attention on the call. When he heard her booking a plane ticket, he knew exactly what she was doing. And he felt the panic begin to well almost instantly.

“Leah, no…no, this isn’t the right…”

She lifted her hand up and sent him a glare. He stopped talking. As she made the reservation, he felt more than panic begin to rise. There was frustration…and anger…at being forced to face his emotions. She’d done this to him once before. And it had ended horribly.

He sighed and then shook his head to himself. Yes, it had ended horribly…after five years of happiness. So, he couldn’t really hold her responsible for the pain of the ending. To be fair, he probably should have ended the relationship six months earlier than he had. They’d had five wonderful years together…but, they’d grown apart while he studied. And she had ventured down a path with someone else.

It had hurt him deeply. But, that wasn’t Leah’s fault. And that was years ago. It wasn’t as if she was continuously pushing him towards women.

She only pushed when he was too afraid to take the step. But, she hadn’t been wrong then. Perhaps she wasn’t wrong now either.

He grumbled to himself as she continued with the reservation. She made a few quick notes before ending the call. She tossed the notepad onto his lap with a smile.

“You’re leaving tomorrow. You should probably go pack.”

“Why do you do shit like this to me?”

“Because you’re more of a brother than a cousin. And I love you dearly.”

“Nothing says I love you more than a plane ticket to another country…” He said, a bite in his tone that showed more anxiety than he had hoped.

“I want you to be happy, Rupert.” Leah said softly. “And you’re not happy here right now.”

When he merely stared at her, she gestured towards the photograph on the mantle.

“You look at her picture more than you realise. I hear it in your voice when you talk about her. I see it in your eyes when her name is mentioned. You’re miserable, Rupert.” She smiled warmly and stood up, leaning over to place a kiss on top of his head. “So, you’re going back to California.”

“Where the weather is sunny…and boring…” He huffed.

“You couldn’t care less about the weather. And you know it.” She retorted with a laugh. “Would you like me to stay tonight?”

He sighed heavily and shook his head. “No…there’s no need to for you to hear me curse you repeatedly while I’m packing.”

“You know…” Her eyes sparkled as he looked up at her. “You’re not fighting this at all. It leads me to believe that you feel this is the correct thing for you to do.”

“Or I’m just resigned to the fact that there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Ah…that’s the spirit.” She laughed brightly, causing him to smile. “I’ll pick you up in the morning. Try not to get too maudlin tonight, yes?”

“Maudlin? No, I was thinking of performing a dance of joy once you leave.”

Leah chuckled and picked up her bag. “Just remember…she’s as miserable as you are.”

“That’s comforting.” He mumbled.

Leah paused at the door, her hand on the knob as she looked at him. “You know that if I didn’t believe she was harbouring the same feelings as you, I wouldn’t push you. You know that, right?”

“I know, Leah.” He said, pushing himself out of the chair. “However, that doesn’t quell the intense urge for me to vomit.”

She studied him closely, then pulled her hand away from the doorknob and dropped her bag back on the table next to the door. He narrowed his eyes in curiosity.

“What are you doing?”

“Staying.” She replied, gesturing towards the kitchen. “Making tea while you turn the stereo on. Helping you pack. You know, just to make sure you remember important things.”

“Such as?”

When she playfully arched an eyebrow at him, he rolled his eyes.

“This is going to be a long night, isn’t it?”

She nodded, her eyes sparking with amusement. “Yeah, it is. But, I’ll be here to keep you company.”

“Perfect.” He grumbled, then offered her a nervous smile. “Thank you.”

She gave him a wink and then headed down the hallway towards the kitchen. He scratched the back of his head, swallowed the thick lump in his throat…and headed to his bedroom.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Giles exhaled a deep breath, doing his best to calm his nerves. He slipped the keys to the rental car into his jacket pocket and slowly made his way along the path that led to her front door. He paused on the first step, tilting his head in concentration.

He couldn’t sense her…not like he’d been able to in the past.

Before she died.

He swallowed and took two large steps to stand directly in front of the door. He stared at the door, almost willing it to open on its own. And then he lifted his hand to knock…hesitating for a moment, nearly dropping his hand.

He wanted nothing more than to simply turn around and leave.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, shaking his head slowly.

No, that was somewhat of a lie. He wanted nothing more than to see her, to talk to her…fear and anxiety made him want to run in the other direction. And Leah would have his head if he gave in to the fear.

Before he could stop himself, he tapped his knuckles on the door…four times.

Because he always knocked four times.

He wasn’t sure why that was…but, it had always been the way for him. Knock four times, not three…not the musical five knock pattern that Xander had a tendency to use. Four quick knocks, led with the knuckle of the middle finger on his left hand. He wasn’t sure why that was either. Maybe because…

His rambling thoughts trailed off as the door opened. And he suddenly felt like he forgot how to breathe as her eyes met his.

“Giles…”

He opened his mouth to say ‘hello’ or something similar, but no words formed. Instead, he stood there…staring at her as she stared expectantly back at him.

She arched an eyebrow at him. “Let me guess…an apocalypse? It’s been a good eight months since the last one…I guess we’re due for one. What is it this time? If it’s another god, you can count me out because I just – ”

He moved quickly, leaning down and kissing her. It was more than a brush of his lips, but not a frenzied shove a tongue in type of kiss. It was warm and slow, deep and lovely. Passionate.

So much passion.

It was a kiss that took her by surprise. But, it was also a kiss that she quickly became an active participant in. And when he felt her palm rest on the side of his neck, he gently ended the kiss and looked into her eyes.

“We’re all going to die, aren’t we?” She whispered, sliding her hand to the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry?” He responded.

The first words he’d said to her since he left Sunnydale months earlier. Apt words, a different meaning than he had intended though.

“You come here, out of the blue…say nothing…and then kiss me. Like that. Like…really kissed me. It can only mean that we’re all going to die some horrible death. And probably soon.”

“Christ, I fucking hope not.” He whispered, lifting his hand to cradle her cheek in his palm. “I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t survive your death again.”

“Well, if we’re all going to die…that wouldn’t be an issue.”

He stared at her, unsure of what to say. And then she offered him a slight smile.

“I should be really pissed at you. And I probably am on some level.”

“I know.” He said, refusing to lower his gaze from hers.

“But, mostly…I just really fucking missed you.”

“I…am so sorry, Buffy. I know I made a huge mistake. I never should have left.”

“No, you really shouldn’t have. But, you did. And now you’re back? For how long? For…why?”

His brow furrowed. “For why?”

“Why are you here? Why now? Why did you kiss me? Why did you really leave me?” She asked rapidly, shaking her head as her eyes began to glisten. “So many goddamn whys.”

“I’m going to do my best to answer each and every one of them.”

She regarded him closely and then gave him a gentle nod. “Okay. Would you like some tea?”

His eyes began to glisten as well. “I’d love tea.”

“Then come inside and I’ll put the kettle on.” She reached down and took hold of his hand, gently tugging him over threshold as she backed her way into the house.

He closed the door, still holding her gaze. “You kissed me back.”

“Yeah.”

“Why?” He whispered, searching her eyes.

“I’ll go get the kettle started…”

He wrapped his fingers around hers as she started to pull away. “Why?”

She blew out a breath and lowered her eyes for a moment. Then her shoulders slumped – a gesture that he remembered meant that she had resigned herself to something she wasn’t entirely sure about. When she lifted her eyes back to his, he understood that she had resigned herself to give him an honest answer. He braced himself, suddenly very uncertain if he wanted to know that answer.

“Because it’s something…” She paused, swallowing nervously. “Because I love you, Giles.”

“We have so much to discuss.” He said quietly, lifting his free hand to the side of her face.

“Um…tea…”

“Can wait.” He murmured, eyes darting briefly to her lips before returning to her eyes. “I’m in love with you. You should know. You should have known. What I mean is…I should have told you. Instead of running, I should have…stayed. For you.”

“I kissed Spike.” She blurted, biting her bottom lip and waiting for him to pull away.

Instead he pulled her closer to him, enveloping her into his arms and holding her closely against his chest. “Do you have feelings for him?”

“God, no.” She replied without hesitation, sliding her arms underneath his jacket. “I was just…I was hurt and angry and…scared. And all I could think about was you. And I didn’t want to think about you. And he was there…”

“And now?” He asked softly, closing his eyes when he felt her hands slide around to his back.

She curled her fingers into the back of his shirt and exhaled a deep breath. “And now the bastard won’t take no for an answer.”

“What can I do?”

She was quiet for a long moment and then leaned back just enough to look up at him. “If you’re serious about how you feel about me…then you can not leave again. Because I need you, Giles. I’ll take care of Dawn and her issues…I’ve been doing that since you left. But, I need you here.”

“In what capacity?”

She moved her right hand to his chest, resting directly over his heart. “All of them.”

He did his best to control himself, but he could tell by the small smile on her lips that she’d felt his heart rate increase.

“Don’t leave me again, Giles.” She whispered.

He gave her a slow nod. “We…should talk.”

“Talk?”

“Mm-hm.” He licked his lips, lifting his hand and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “We have tea…we talk – where I promise you that I won’t leave, that I’ll be here for you in whatever capacity you need me. But first…I really want to kiss you again.”

“I’m really angry with you.” She said softly, fingers toying with the collar of his shirt.

“I know. And you have every right to be.”

“You really hurt me.”

“I’m so very sorry.” He whispered emotionally.

She regarded him closely, watching his expression drift and change in his eyes. “You hurt yourself as well, didn’t you?”

“I’ve been truly miserable.” He admitted, a nervous smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. “Moreso than usual. Leah sat me down and had a long heart to…”

He trailed off when he saw the look in Buffy’s eyes. He was confused for a moment and then made a quick realisation.

“Leah is my cousin, Buffy. More like a sister, really. We grew up together, joined the Council together. She’s my best friend – and she’s very happy to knock sense into my head when needed.”

“Oh…”

“I know this isn’t going to be an easy road, Buffy. I’m not naïve enough to think that I can just show up, say I love you, and everything is perfect. But, I want to try. I want to give us the opportunity to become…more.”

“Do you have baggage?”

“Tons of it.” He replied automatically.

She snorted a laugh and shook her head. “No. Luggage…or did you just hop on a plane without anything?”

“Ah.” He smiled shyly, the skin behind his ears reddening. “Yes, it’s in the car. I came straight from the airport.”

“Do you have reservations somewhere?”

He nodded, opening his mouth to tell her where he’d be staying. She gently patted his chest and exhaled a breath.

“Cancel them.”

“I’m sorry?” He said, his confusion evident.

“Stay here.” She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. “With me.”

“Buffy, I…I don’t know if – ”

“You know that’s where we’re heading, right? I mean, yeah…we’re going to have tea, we’re going to talk. We’ll probably each do our fair share of yelling and I’ll most likely cry at some point, so just expect that.” She paused for just a moment. “But, after all of that is over…I’m going to kiss you and tell you that I love you…that I want you to stay with me. And you will. You know why?”

“Because I can’t say no to you.”

“Even though you have?”

“And look where that got us? I was an idiot for leaving, even though I maintain I was trying to help you…it was an idiotic thing to do. As such…I can’t say no to you.”

She started to reply, but hesitated as a thought occurred to her. “Do you want to though?”

“Want to…what?” He asked, allowing his fingers to glide down her side.

“Say no.”

He stared into her eyes for a long few seconds and then shook his head. “No. I want to say yes…to everything.”

“Then stay here with me.” She glanced up the stairs and grimaced. “I guess, technically with us. Willow and Tara are still here too. And Dawn. That’s a lot of females and one you. You okay with that?”

He smiled warmly at her as she moved both hands up over his shoulders. As she laced her fingers behind his neck, she raised up on her toes and kissed his lips.

“We’ll need to go shopping tomorrow.” She murmured against his lips.

He kissed her softly before replying. “For what?”

“A new bed for starters. You…are very tall.”

He laughed deeply and pulled her into a tight embrace. He held her for what felt like hours before finally loosening his hold. She grinned up at him and let her hands move back to his chest. Her fingers tapped against his shirt as she gestured towards the kitchen with a nod of her head.

“Go get your stuff out of the car…take it up to my room. I’ll get the tea started and then we’ll…hash all of this out, okay?”

“Okay.” He said, taking a step back towards the door.

“You won’t run?”

He shook his head slowly. “I’m done running, Buffy. I’m here – for you…with you – indefinitely.”

“Good. Because I’ve really missed you.”

They shared a warm smile before he turned to walk out the door. She sighed softly, turning towards the kitchen.

Yes, they had much to talk about…to yell about…to clear the air about. But, there was a light at the end of the tunnel now. Bright, warm…filled with love. She could see that light clearly, where yesterday it was dark, cold.

She made a mental note to ask Giles more about Leah.

She had a feeling that she’d like her a lot.

~ End

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/364696.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Anything to Help

2021-06-05T01:52:43Z

Title: Anything to Help
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRAO
Synopsis: Buffy has an issue and there’s someone who might be able to help her.
Timeline: AU, post-series. Prequel to The Other Man.
Author’s Note: This was requested by Colinzeal, hope you enjoy it. As always, thank you fairygothmum.

Buffy smiled as she opened the gate that led to the back garden of Giles’ home. The lights were on inside the house – not that she had expected them to be off. In all the years they’d known each other, she could count on one hand the number of times he’d actually been asleep when she came by to give a patrol report. And those times he’d either been sick or…well, drunk.

Well…there was that one time back in Sunnydale when Olivia had visited.

Buffy’s smile faded as she walked up the steps to the back door. She didn’t like thinking about that time.

Since relocating to England and helping him rebuild the Council, there hadn’t been one time that she’d been by and he hadn’t been awake. She had teased him about it more than once and he’d just given her that smile. That smile – the smile that made her feel things that she definitely shouldn’t be feeling. Things that she’d never discuss with him because…just, no.

She blew out a breath and opened the door. That was another thing that had never changed. He still didn’t lock his door. That concerned her more than anything else. Even though he had given her a key, he still didn’t lock the door until she had left for the evening to go home. It didn’t matter the time – if she hadn’t been by yet, his door wasn’t locked.

“Hey, Giles…report time!” She called cheerfully, closing the door behind her.

He laughed from the kitchen. “Tea or coffee?”

She thought for a second before pausing in the doorway to the kitchen and giving her reply. “Wine?”

He arched an eyebrow as he looked at her. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, it was just stupid fucking busy tonight. And I need to relax…” She answered with a smile.

He gave her a nod and opened a cupboard above the sink. “Red or white?”

“Red…it’s chilly out there.”

“Go on into the other room – the fire is on. Are you hungry?”

She considered the question for a moment and then shook her head. “No…definitely not hungry.”

He watched her as she pushed away from the doorframe and walked into the living room. He pulled down two wine glasses and grabbed a decent, full-bodied red out of the rack. He hesitated and then switched out the bottle with a much nicer bottle…one that he’d been wanting to open for a few weeks, but didn’t feel like drinking it on his own…nor did he feel like sharing it with just anyone.

Buffy was not just anyone.

He smiled as he walked into the living room. She was curled up on one end of the sofa, gazing into the fire…his journal on her lap. He moved to the chair that was positioned next to her and sat down before filling both glasses with wine.

She took the glass from him while still staring into the fire. “What is it about fire that’s so mesmerizing?”

He carefully pulled the journal from her lap and then sat back in his chair, taking a sip of his wine. “The unpredictability of the flames.”

She nodded slowly and then sighed, forcing herself to look at him. “How has your night been?”

“Quiet…for a change.”

She smiled and took a sip from her glass. “Ooh…nice.”

“Mm…” He murmured, watching her take another sip. “So…busy, then?”

She leaned her head against the back of the sofa and groaned. “Oh my god…I don’t know what the hell is going on in London tonight, but…fuck me…”

He chuckled and picked up a pen. “Tell me about it.”

* * *

He closed the journal and placed it on the coffee table, his pen on top of it. He picked up his wine glass and sat back, crossing his right leg over his left.

“Seems that we may need to look into the possibility that we have a turn-happy vampire in London at the moment.”

She nodded, taking a long sip of her wine. “Yeah. Fun times for us, huh?”

He heard something more in her tone…a weariness that he hadn’t heard in ages. Not exactly tiredness, but…something.

“Is everything else alright, Buffy?” When she looked at him, he tilted his head slightly. “Work? Home? Dawn? Friends?”

“Yeah, everything is good. Work is normally enjoyable…I have a pretty good boss.” She offered him a warm smile, which he returned. “Home is okay…Dawn drives me to the edge of insanity, as always. But, that’s the perk of living with a teenager who thinks she knows everything.”

“Sounds like someone else I knew once.” He said playfully, grinning as she rolled her eyes at him.

“Friends are great. Willow and Xander are fitting in really well, aren’t they? And most people at the Council are really friendly and everything.”

Giles furrowed his brow. “Most people?”

She waved her hand and finished her glass. “Yeah. You know there’s always the few who are like ‘we know how you got your job’. And you know that they don’t mean that you got the job because you’re the fucking Slayer.”

Giles’ eyes narrowed. “Who are these few?”

Buffy shook her head slowly. “Oh, no. I’m not telling you – it’s not an actual problem, Giles. It’s just annoying.” She glanced at the bottle and held her glass towards him. “And…I’m empty.”

He held her gaze for a long moment and then refilled her glass.

“Buffy…if you are receiving grief because of our relationship and they believe I’m playing favourites, that’s something that needs to be addressed.”

“I’m the Slayer, you’re my Watcher – who just so happens to be Head of Council. Accusations are to be expected. They don’t see that you ride me harder than anyone else in the entire organisation.”

He thought for a moment and then refilled his own glass. “Alright, but if you feel I should step in, please let me know.”

“Thank you.” She said sincerely.

He gave her a wink of acknowledgement. “And Todd? How are you two doing?”

Buffy sighed and took more than a sip from her glass. “Fine.”

Giles arched an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I mean, nothing’s really wrong or anything.”

“But?” He asked, genuinely concerned.

“Look, he’s such a lovely guy. He’s so nice and considerate and…I do love him.”

“But?” Giles repeated.

“I have ‘but’ face, huh?”

The corner of his mouth twitched into a quasi-smile. She took a deep breath and shifted somewhat uncomfortably.

“I don’t know. Something isn’t quite right, but I just can’t…I don’t know what it is.”

“Demon issues?” He asked quietly.

“He’s not a demon, Giles. You know he’s not.”

“No, I mean…cavorting with.” He cleared his throat. “Not necessarily romantically, but…”

“No.” She interrupted quickly. “No, he’s not…there’s no…it’s not a demon issue in any sense of the word.”

“Well, obviously there isn’t an issue with your calling. He understands, yes? There’s no issue with the power dynamic?”

“You mean like with Riley?” She shook her head. “No. No, he’s not all ‘let me open the pickle jar for you because I’m the man’ or anything. Besides…his grandfather was a Watcher. He gets it.”

Giles leaned forward then, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked at her. “He’s not…testing…that dynamic, is he?”

“Huh?” She narrowed her eyes in confusion and then shook her head quickly. “Oh, god no. No, he’d never lay a hand on me like that. That’s just not in his nature.”

He watched her carefully. The way she shifted against the cushions as though she couldn’t get comfortable. The way she held the glass of wine, her fingers absently stroking the smooth glass. The way the skin behind her left ear was pinker than the rest of her skin. The unevenness of her breathing. The slight change in color of her irises.

Giles thought for a moment and then sighed. “Is it more of a personal issue?”

She was quiet for a very long minute and then took a deep breath.

“I can’t remember the last time I had an orgasm that I didn’t cause.” She whispered, staring into her wine. “And I’m so fucking frustrated. He gets so close, but…it just…it doesn’t happen. And…”

Giles cleared his throat. “Um, maybe…well, perhaps…I mean, you haven’t been together for…maybe you just need more, uh…more time.”

Buffy shook her head slowly. “I’m so tired of faking it. I need to come and…I do love him, but if he can’t make me…”

She closed her eyes and bit her lip. He swallowed, fingers tightening around his own glass as he watched the skin behind her ear darken further.

“What am I doing wrong?”

The frustration in her voice nearly caused his heart to break. “Buffy, I can’t imagine you’re doing anything wrong.”

“You obviously don’t have the same problem.” She muttered, still staring into her glass.

His eyes widened slightly. “I’m sorry?”

“I mean…Olivia came all the way to Sunnydale for sex with you. So, you obviously know what you’re doing…how to make…” She trailed off and slowly lifted her eyes to his.

He was staring at her, mouth slightly open…panic flickering in his eyes.

“Can you?”

“Can I…what?” He stammered, unsure how the conversation had shifted so drastically.

“Can you help me?” She whispered, biting her lip nervously.

“I…Buffy, I don’t think…um, I’m not sure that’s appropriate.” He swallowed hard and moved to place his glass on the table. “If you’re asking what I think you’re asking.”

“I’m asking you to make me come.” She said matter-of-factly.

Giles fumbled the glass, hitting the base on the edge of the table. Wine splashed over the rim, puddling on the table top.

“Ah…”

She moved quickly, grabbing a blanket to put over the growing puddle. She curled her fingers around his hand and gently pulled the glass from his grasp. When she’d placed it safely next to hers, she met his eyes.

“Please. I’m on edge, Giles. Slaying definitely doesn’t help the situation and going home isn’t…Todd is there and he’ll do what he can, but it’ll just make everything worse.”

“I…” He started, pausing when she squeezed his hand.

“Please, Giles.”

The pleading tone, the glistening in her eyes…this wasn’t something she was taking lightly. This was actually something she needed.

“What, uh…what have you…well, tried?” He asked on a soft whisper.

“Tried?”

He nodded, still not moving. “Ah, sexually. Um…what have you...” He paused and then closed his eyes briefly. “Bloody hell…”

The nearly inaudible curse told her so many things. And one of those things was that he wasn’t exactly comfortable with this scenario.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, pulling her hand out of his. “I shouldn’t have put you in this position. This is my problem, not yours.”

He watched as she stood up and started walking towards the door. He hesitated only a split-second before pushing himself out of the chair and rushing behind her, grabbing her hand to pull her to a stop. She turned slowly, nervously meeting his eyes.

“Giles?”

“Go take a hot shower.” He said softly.

“Huh?”

He glanced down the hall and swallowed. “Take a hot shower, relax…and think about this. When you’ve finished…if you still want me to, uh…”

He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. “After your shower, come to the bedroom and I’ll do what I can to help you. If you decide that this isn’t…just knock on the door, say goodnight, and go home.”

“What?” She asked, more than a little surprised that he’d agree to this.

“I’ll do my best to help you, if it’s what you need.” He reiterated, gently squeezing her hand. “But, I need you to think about it. So…go have a shower. And…think about it.”

“Because you’re my Watcher? Is that why you’re saying yes? It’s your…duty?” She questioned, but not in an accusatory manner.

“No.” He exhaled softly and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “Because I’m your friend…and you’re asking for my help.”

She thought for a second and then gave him a subtle nod. As she pulled her hand away from his, she smiled appreciatively at him. And without another word, she turned and made her way towards the bathroom.

He watched her and then closed his eyes as she closed the bathroom door. Of all the things he had expected, this didn’t even come close to making the list. He rubbed his hand over his face and then opened his eyes. He scratched his jaw and, after looking towards the bathroom once more, he made his way into his bedroom to change the sheets on the bed.

* * *

Buffy stood in the hallway and stared at the door, her towel-dried hair curling around her face and her body wrapped protectively in Giles’ plush robe. She took a deep, calming breath and opened the door.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, arms resting on his thighs as he stared at the floor in front of him. He looked up as the door opened, swallowing hard as she walked into the room wearing his robe…and presumably nothing else. He studied her movements, looking for anything that would signify that she wasn’t completely sure about this.

As she closed the door behind her and made her way to stand in front of him, he could find no such clue.

“Hey.”

He smiled at her soft whisper. “Hello.”

“So, uh…” She shrugged a shoulder and moved her hand to pull at the belt holding the robe closed.

He reached out, covering her hand quickly. “Not yet.”

He searched her face, her eyes. There was an obvious low-level anxiety showing, but he would have been more surprised to not see that. He smiled warmly and lifted his hand to her cheek. And then, without another word, he carefully drew her down to his lips.

He kissed her slowly, giving her plenty of opportunities to stop. He groaned softly when her tongue slipped into his mouth. Obviously, she had no intention of stopping. She placed her hands on either side of his face, deepening the kiss passionately. Her right thumb stroked his cheek and she pulled back, offering him a gentle smile.

“You shaved.”

He nodded slowly, resting his hands on her hips as he looked up at her. “I, uh…thought it best.”

She blushed lightly, understanding his meaning. “Thank you.”

He had removed his tie, unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. She chewed on her bottom lip as she slid her left hand down to his chest, her fingers resting against the third button.

“You okay if I unbutton this?” She asked, looking into his eyes.

He nodded again, gazing into her eyes as she quickly pulled the remaining buttons free. She smiled as his eyes darkened when she pushed the shirt down his arms. He lowered his hands from her hips, helping her completely rid him of the garment. When she knelt on the floor in front of him, between his legs, he narrowed his eyes.

“What are you doing?”

Her fingers stilled on the button of his jeans. “Um…undressing you?”

“Why are you on the floor?” He asked softly.

“Oh…” She blushed again, pulling the button free. “Um…do you like it? Blowjobs and…”

He took a shuddering breath as she pulled his zipper down. He quickly pulled her hands away, bringing them to his lips. He kissed each fingertip, flicking his tongue against the pad of her thumb.

“Yes.” He breathed. “But, this is about you…not me.”

“But…I kinda have to make sure that – ”

He cut her off with a sudden kiss, curling the fingers of his left hand into the soft material of the robe she was wearing. His tongue probed her mouth, slid along hers, until he felt her whimper. Only then did he pull his mouth from hers and smile.

“Rest assured, I’ll not have any issues being ready for you.” His fingers parted the top of the robe, giving him a tantalising view of her cleavage. “You don’t need to do anything that you feel you have to do. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

She nodded silently, lifting her hand to his chest. “What can I do?”

“Oh…you can do whatever you want to do, Buffy. But only if it’s what you want to do and not what you think I want you to do.” He licked his lips and gently tugged her up. “Come here, love.”

She arched an eyebrow at the term of endearment, but allowed him to pull her up onto the bed next to him. He slowly pushed her down and then he laid down next to her. His fingers lightly stroked her sternum as he looked into her eyes.

“What do you like, Buffy?”

“Like?”

“Mm-hm. What do you like doing? What do you like your partner to do?”

Her eyes widened slightly, causing him to stop his gentle strokes. “I, uh…you know, I don’t think anyone has actually asked me that before.”

“Well, that could be part of the problem. If he’s not asking, then he doesn’t know.”

“And you’re asking…” She said, tracing her fingers over his ribs.

“Mm…because I want to know.” His fingers toyed with the belt on the robe, but didn’t untie it. “What can I do to give you the pleasure you desire so greatly?”

“Jesus…all of the words…” She said, amusement in her voice.

“How do you like to be touched?” He asked, ignoring her tease. “Do you like to be tasted?”

Her eyes darkened another shade and her hand slid to the waistband of his jeans. “Tasted?”

His tongue peaked out, wetting his lips as he slowly pulled the knot free on the belt. “Mm-hm. Can I taste you, Buffy? Can I suck your clit? Fuck you with my tongue?”

“Oh my god…you like talking…” She breathed, squirming impatiently as he rubbed her thigh through the thick material of the robe.

“I do. But, the real question is…do you like being talked to?” He glanced at her throat when she swallowed. “I’m here to please you tonight, Buffy. Tell me what you want.”

“You.” She murmured, pushing at his jeans. “Fuck, Giles…”

He smiled and then lowered his mouth to her throat, warming her skin with his kisses. He felt her moan vibrate against his tongue and he slipped his leg between hers. He sucked gently against her throat, careful not to mark her flesh, and moved his hand to the back of her thigh. He squeezed gently before lifting her leg, guiding it over his hip.

She followed his lead without question…curling her leg around him, arching her hips up to press against his obvious erection still concealed in his jeans. He groaned at the contact, sliding his hand to her hip as he placed a line of hot kissed down over the slope of her breast.

He pushed open the robe completely, exposing her body to him. He lifted his head and allowed his eyes to wander over her, while his fingers inched back behind her thigh…caressing the crease where her thigh met the smooth curve of her ass.

“You really are lovely.” He murmured, glancing at her eyes before lowering his mouth back to her breast.

She sighed softly as his mouth closed over her nipple, her hand resting at the back of his neck. He suckled for only a few seconds before he lifted his head and looked at her curiously.

“That really does nothing for you, does it?”

“Huh?” She asked, confusion in her eyes.

He smiled sweetly and nudged the robe off of her shoulders, guiding her arms out of the sleeves. “That’s not a turn on for you.”

“Oh…it doesn’t feel bad.” She said as he pulled the robe out from under her and tossed it onto the floor.

“But, it doesn’t feel good.” He added, tracing a finger down the middle of her sternum. His smile grew as she shuddered lightly. “Interestingly, that does feel good for you.”

“Uh-huh…”

“But, you’ve never told him that.”

She shook her head slowly. “No…guys like boobs…”

“Guys should like what their partners enjoy.”

“You don’t like them?”

He chuckled softly. “Oh, I love them. But, I’m also aware that some women don’t find it arousing…and that’s perfectly acceptable.”

“How did you know?” She asked, suddenly very interested to know how he could read something within seconds that none of her previous partners had ever picked up on.

“Your sigh.” He replied. “Your nipple hardened, but your sigh clearly said that it wasn’t what you want.”

“Oh…”

“I’m a listener as well as a Watcher.” He murmured, shifting away from her.

She watched as he slid from the bed and knelt on the floor. And then she smiled as he ran his hands over her thighs and placed a warm kiss on the inside of her right knee.

“And right now, I’d really love to listen to you as I taste you.” He said, kissing his way up her inner thigh. He paused and gently rested his chin against her soft curls as he looked up at her. “Is that alright with you?”

She nodded, reaching out to touch his hair with her fingers. “Pretty sure you said something about fucking me with your tongue?”

“I did.” He confirmed with a grin. “And I most likely will. But…first things first…”

“Like wh – ” She gasped as he suddenly dragged his tongue through her folds. “Oh…oh, okay…”

He smiled inwardly and repeated the action, this time taking a slight detour to circle her clitoris. Circle, but not directly touch. She lost track of how many times he did that…over and over, up and down, circling around, pausing to allow his warm breath to ghost over her sensitive flesh.

And then his fingers became involved, gently probing her entrance while his mouth continued to torture her in the most beautiful ways. Her fingers tightened in his hair, trying to direct his mouth to her clit. He met her eyes and read her unspoken request.

No…it was a demand.

And then he gave her what she was demanding…and he relished in the sound of her groan as his mouth covered her hardened clit. He sucked gently, not overly surprised when her hips arched against his mouth. His tongue bathed and flicked her flesh, his finger slowly pushed inside of her. Not thrusting, just resting inside of her.

She gasped, grabbing at his shoulder with her other hand. “God…more…please…”

He allowed it to continue for a few more minutes, his mouth doing sinfully sweet things while he added a second finger. And then he suddenly lifted his head, his mouth leaving her clitoris with a loud pop. Her eyes snapped to his when she felt his fingers slip out of her.

“Giles…what…fucking hell, what are you doing?”

He smiled and quickly removed the rest of his clothing. “I’m building…”

“Huh?”

He crawled up on the bed with her, gently nudging her more towards the center of the mattress. “I’m building. The higher I build, the more intense the fall…” He leaned down and kissed her lips. “…when you come.”

“Oh…” She mumbled, sliding her hand into the back of his hair as she kissed him wantonly.

He moved over her, kneeling between her thighs as he returned her kisses. He carefully slid the shaft of his cock through her wet folds…back and forth, gentle pressure here and there. And when she tore her mouth from his to utter a deep groan, he blew out a raspy breath.

“Do you want this, Buffy?” He asked, his hips still moving slowly against her. “Do you want me to fuck you?”

She opened her eyes, her fingers gripping his back as she moved with him. “Yes. God, yes…”

He nodded and paused his movement as he leaned over to the bedside table. When he pulled a box of condoms out of the top drawer and emptied the contents onto the table, she smiled.

“Look at you…all prepared and everything…”

He snorted a laugh and grabbed one of the foil packets before pushing himself up and resting on his heels. “I’m not exactly celibate, Buffy.”

“So I’ve heard.”

His eyes darted to hers as he opened the packet and pulled the condom out. “I’m sorry?”

“Some pretty blonde was talking about you at the pub a few weeks ago.” She said, plucking the condom out of his hand. “Didn’t listen to everything she was saying because…I didn’t need to know the details.”

He looked down as she rolled the condom onto his erection. “Ah…”

“She did say something about you not taking her to your house though…”

“Mm…” He nodded, licking his lips as her hand slowly stroked him. “Never do.”

“No?” She asked, somewhat perplexed.

“Sex is…sex. It’s an outlet. I’m not at a point in my life where I can…safely…have a relationship that’s more than a fuck.” He put his hand on her left thigh and gently pushed it, further opening her to him. “I don’t bring random women into my home for a fuck.”

He watched her face as he guided his cock into her. She inhaled sharply as he pushed forward until he was completely embedded within her.

“And yet…here we are…” She panted, curling her legs around his hips.

“You are not a random woman.” He whispered, leaning over her and sliding his hands underneath her shoulders.

“But you’re still going to fuck me.” She said, scratching her nails along his ribs.

He smiled and pulled his hips back. “I am…”

Before she could say anything else, he pushed forward…hard. Hard enough that she gasped. And then he did it again, a slow, deep, hard thrust. He pushed his upper body up so that he could watch her. He could feel her legs tighten around him, her hips moving in a small circle…arching to meet his thrusts, he fingers gripping him as if she didn’t know whether to pull him closer and push him…

Her eyes were closed, her bottom lip held between her teeth, sweat forming on her brow. He slowed his thrusts, brushing the hair back from her face when she opened her eyes.

“Relax.” He whispered. “Don’t force it…let it happen naturally.”

“Giles…”

“Tell me what you need.” He said, picking up the pace again.

Her eyes glistened, frustration clearly showing. “I don’t know…”

He suddenly pulled out, causing her to whimper at the loss. Before she could voice her displeasure at the interruption, he rolled her onto her stomach. She ground her hips against the mattress as he moved her hair to the side and kissed the back of her neck.

“Giles…what the fuck…”

He hovered above her, his cock brushing against her backside as she tried to relieve the tension in her body. He watched her for a moment longer and then pulled her up onto her knees. And then he smiled when she cried out in pleasure as he pushed himself back inside.

“Oh, that’s it, love…” He groaned as she pushed back against him, meeting each thrust with one of her own. “Is this…is this better for you?”

“Uh-huh…” She whimpered, lowering her head as she reached for a spindle on the headboard. “Oh, fuck…”

“You’ll come like this…you’re so close already.” He said, pushing harder against her.

Her grip tightened around the spindle. So tight that he was certain she’d snap it. He didn’t care…headboards could be replaced.

He could feel her heat surround him, the wetness growing with each thrust…a soft slapping sound becoming louder, drowned out only by their mutual moans and groans. And then he felt her begin to quiver around him.

He slid his left hand up her spine, coming to a rest between her shoulder blades. His fingers twitched against her skin and then he gently pushed her upper body down to the mattress.

She screamed his name, her fluids flooding over his thrusting cock as she suddenly came. He smiled, riding out her orgasm. When her hand fell from the spindle, he pulled out and rolled her back onto her back. Gripping her hips, he quickly pushed back into her.

He built another orgasm rapidly, allowing his own to grow as well. His eyes drifted between her breasts, bouncing with each hard thrust, to her lips…dry and swollen. Her skin glistened with sweat from exertion. Her eyes clenched shut as he pushed her closer and closer…

“Open your eyes.” He requested, his voice gravelled with lust.

She forced them open and stared at him…her eyes dark and glazed. He smiled down at her as his thumb pressed against her clit. Her eyes widened, clearing only briefly before glazing back over as she screamed his name.

He came with her that time, throwing his head back as a guttural groan left his lips.

“Oh…oh my fucking god…” She gasped, feeling his cock throb within her.

He licked his dry lips and fought to control his breathing as he looked at her. “You okay?”

She gave a half-chuckle/half-snort as she lifted her right hand to his chest. “I can’t remember ever feeling this okay.”

He gave a chuckle of his own and carefully pulled out of her, causing her to tremble again. He blew out a deep breath as he removed the condom and tied the end before tossing it into the bin under the bedside table.

“I get it now…” She said, still breathing heavily.

“Hm?” He mumbled, lowering his body down next to hers.

“I’d travel internationally for that too.”

He rolled his head towards her and laughed softly. He lifted his hand and gently ran his fingers along her cheek.

“You look…sated.”

“Feel it too.” She sighed.

“You can stay.” He said softly. “If you want, that is.”

“Mm…should probably get home soon. Todd’s at the house.”

“Ah…” He blew out a breath and lowered his hand, giving her a playful smile.

“What?”

“Might want to stay until you don’t look like you’ve been thoroughly fucked.”

She smiled for a moment and then rolled onto her side, facing him. “This isn’t going to get all awkward now, is it?”

“What…us?” He shook his head when she merely gave him a look. “No. This is what it is, nothing more…nothing less. I will be what you need me to be. Once we leave this room, we’re Watcher and Slayer, friends…not lovers.”

“Thank you for helping me.” She whispered.

“I’ll always help you with whatever you need – as much as I’m able.” He replied, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

* * *

Giles stared at the ceiling, on sheets that were still damp.

It had taken all of forty-five seconds for him to close his eyes and let the guilt wash over him after he heard the front door close. He had kissed her after she’d come back from gathering the clothes she’d left in his bathroom. She kissed him after she’d gotten redressed, whispering a heartfelt ‘thank you’ before slowly backing out of the bedroom.

When the front door closed, he took a deep breath and shook his head. “Fuck…”

He liked Todd. Once Todd became involved with Buffy, he and Giles became friends. He wasn’t part of the inner circle, but he was a nice enough young man. He’d even helped them research on occasion. He was very much smitten with Buffy…and Buffy obviously cared a great deal for him.

“So, how the fuck am I supposed to continue this after…what I’ve done?” He muttered to no one.

And then he laid there for the next few hours, staring at the ceiling…his mind racing – until sleep finally claimed him.

* *

He walked through the Council hallways, a steaming cup of coffee in his right hand as he read through the paper held in his left. He looked up when he heard his name in her voice.

“Good morning.” He said with a warm smile, glancing at the young man standing next to her. “Hello, Todd.”

“Morning.” Todd replied with a bright smile of his own.

“So, I remembered something from last night.” Buffy said, running her fingers through her hair as Giles turned his attention to her.

Giles’ eyes darted to her neck briefly before lifting to meet her gaze. “Yes?”

“Yeah, something that one of the vampires said. He was talking about a moondance.”

Giles arched an eyebrow at her. “Moondance?”

Buffy nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, right? So, I was thinking about that club down the street from our suspected vampire club…the Crescent Swing…”

A slow smile appeared on Giles’ face. “Moondance.”

“Yes!” She replied, her smile matching his.

Todd looked from her to Giles…back to her. He sighed softly – if he weren’t misreading the interaction, then…

“Feel like hitting a club tonight?”

Todd smiled quickly as she grinned at him.

He’d keep his suspicions to himself…until she didn’t look at him like she was looking at him at this particular moment.

“Sure, sounds like fun.”

Giles nodded and then looked at Buffy. “Let me know what you find out, yes?”

“I’ll come by with a report for you.” She said cheerfully.

“Please do.” He replied, a nearly imperceptible sparkle in his eye. “Be careful.”

And then he turned and walked off towards his office, sipping deeply from his coffee.

Todd watched Buffy watch Giles walk away…then smiled adoringly at her when she turned to him.

“Lunch later?”

She returned his smile. “Sounds good to me.”

Giles glanced back at them as he rounded the corner to his office. He could do this…for her, he could do anything.

~ End

This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/364525.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)

Drinking, Deflecting, Discussing

2021-05-22T23:01:02Z

Title: Drinking, Deflecting, Discussing
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRM (very light)
Synopsis: Giles has some things to say – and Xander is going to listen, whether he likes it or not.
Timeline: AU…S6.
Author’s Notes: As always, thank you, fairygothmum.

Giles shook his head in mild disappointment as he walked into the bar. He made his way over to a table in the corner occupied by Xander…alone. As he sat down, Xander looked up at him and sighed.

“Hey, Giles.”

“Hello.” He replied, glancing at the bartender and requesting a drink with a gesture of his hand.

Xander snorted softly. “How do you do that? I try that and they just look at me like they have no fucking clue.”

“Perhaps it’s because I show them respect for their vocation and not expect them to simply be at my beck and call.” He said in a slow, calculated tone. He turned his eyes to the server as she placed a beer in front of him. “Thank you very much.”

The server gave him a grin and then walked away quickly. Xander’s eyes widened slightly.

“Whoa…go, Giles.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You could be all up in her in about five seconds…” Xander said with a slightly intoxicated smile.

Giles rolled his eyes and took a sip of his beer before levelling his glare at Xander. “That is not why I’m here.”

“Nah…Buffy’d kill you.”

“She wouldn’t, but I have no interest there.”

“I wouldn’t either if I were sleeping with Buffy.” Xander muttered, sliding his empty glass over to the edge of the table.

Giles stared at Xander. After a long moment of silence, Xander looked up at him expectantly. He inhaled sharply at the intensity in Giles’ eyes.

“Oh…did I say that out loud?” When Giles merely continued his stare, Xander swallowed and sat up a bit straighter. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep or…anything. I’m just…I’m not in a good place right now, Giles. I’m really sorry.”

Giles took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “You’ve been having doubts for a while, haven’t you?”

“About the wedding? I thought it was just…you know, cold feet.”

“What do you think ‘cold feet’ refers to?” Giles asked, furrowing his brow.

“Considering how you just asked that, I’m gonna go with ‘having doubts’?”

“Why didn’t you just talk to her? You could have discussed your concerns at any point and she would have understood.”

“Understood? Oh, she totally understood – that’s why she went and slept with Spike.”

“She slept with Spike because she was hurt and needed – ”

“Is that why Buffy slept with Spike? Because she was hurt?” Xander interrupted coldly, his eyes dark with anger.

“Buffy sleeping with Spike had nothing to do with you, Xander. I’m not sure why you seem to think you should be upset with her for that.”

“What? You’re totally okay with it? For fuck’s sake, Giles! She – ”

Giles leaned forward, narrowing his eyes as he stared directly into Xander’s. “Why are you concerning yourself with Buffy’s actions when they do not affect you in any way? You’re deflecting, as you’re wont to do. The issue here isn’t Spike. It’s not Anya. And, it’s most definitely not Buffy.”

“What, I’m the problem here?”

“Yes.” Giles responded, frustrated that he was even having this conversation. “You’re the one who refused to discuss your concerns. You’re the one who led Anya to believe everything was fine. You’re the one who left her at the altar. You’re the one who still called the wedding off, even after acknowledging that you knew that what you were shown was untrue. You’re the one who broke her heart, Xander – so, yes, you’re the problem here.”

“Why are you okay with Buffy sleeping with Spike?”

“Why is your concern given to Spike instead of Anya?” Giles countered, not bothering to hide his annoyance and completely ignoring the question.

“Buffy should’ve told us what was going on. We could’ve helped her work through her issues with you leaving.”

Giles took a deep breath, then sat back in his chair. He curled his fingers around the base of his glass, but didn’t pick it up. Instead, he blinked slowly and did his best to calm himself.

“I would think that’s very much an instance of the pot calling the fucking kettle black, don’t you?”

Xander shook his head, glancing off to the side. “I’m trying to work out how I’m supposed to deal with this. Yeah, I fucked up. I get it. But, she slept with Spike…and I’m just supposed to be okay with that?”

“Yes, you are. Because you don’t get to choose who Anya spends her time with anymore. You gave up the ability to give your opinion on that when you walked away from her.”

“She left me! I just wanted to postpone the wedding. I still wanted to…”

“Date her? Sleep with her?” Giles asked when Xander trailed off. “Seriously? Did you even see her? Or were you too concerned about your own feelings to even consider hers?”

Xander was quiet for a moment, staring at his empty glass. Then he cleared his throat and shook his head slowly.

“You’re not helping.”

Giles scoffed as he lifted his glass. “I’m not trying to help you.”

Xander glared at Giles angrily. “Then why are you even here?”

“To try to help you understand.” Giles replied, keeping his frustration reined in…for the most part.

“Why is it that you leave and everything falls apart…and then you come back and everything just fixes itself – and you get the girl.”

“What are you even going on about, Xander?” Giles asked, tired of holding his frustration back.

“You didn’t even have to try. You came back and everyone was all ‘ooh, Giles is back’. And the next thing I know, you’re moving into Buffy’s bedroom. What the fuck is that about?”

Giles drank a third of his beer in one swallow and shook his head. Then with a deep sigh, he looked into Xander’s eyes.

“Do you know why I left?”

“Because shit was too hard?”

Giles’ eyes narrowed. “Because Buffy was relying too much on me…and I couldn’t tell her no. I needed for her to see that she was strong enough to take care of herself.”

“You hurt her though. Like…she was devastated. And fucking pissed off at the world.”

“Yes, she was. And I did hurt her. However, it was the right thing to do.” He took another drink of his beer and glanced at the bartender. “Saying that…it’s not as though I just picked up and left without explanation. Buffy knew exactly why I was leaving Sunnydale. She also knew that I wasn’t leaving her.”

“Then why did she sleep with Spike?”

“That’s not my story to tell. And I don’t think she actually owes you an explanation for that. Buffy is not your concern, Xander.”

“She’s my friend.”

“But, not your girlfriend. And you seem to have trouble clearing that line – it’s been blurred in your eyes since the day Buffy walked into Sunnydale High.”

Xander looked like he was getting ready to argue the point, but then slumped back in his chair and sighed heavily. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that.”

Giles smiled at the server as she placed another beer down in front of him. She cast a quick glance at Xander and then arched an eyebrow at Giles. Giles gave a barely perceptible shake of his head. The server responded with a nod, glanced at Giles’ left hand, and then walked away.

“You should tell her.” Xander mumbled, drawing indistinct shapes against the tabletop with his index finger.

“Tell who what?”

Xander looked up and tilted his head towards the bar. “Her. You should tell her that you’re taken. Because…she’ll make a move on you.”

“I do know how to kindly and respectfully decline advances.”

Xander furrowed his brow and looked at Giles curiously. “You and Buffy were together before, weren’t you? That’s why she didn’t go after Riley.”

Giles took a drink of his beer and then leaned forward slightly. “Give Anya some time. Stop berating her over Spike. Stop giving Buffy a hard time about Spike. Acknowledge your part in this. Stop fucking deflecting and take responsibility for your actions. This is on you, Xander. Once you realise that and truly accept it…we’ll be able to help you.”

He finished off his beer and placed the empty glass on the table.

“But, I will not discuss my relationship with Buffy with you. Not in the way you want me to.” He waited until Xander gave him a nod of understanding, then he stood up. “Now…do you need a ride home or are you going to continue drowning your sorrows for a while longer?”

“I think I have some thinking to do.” Xander answered quietly. “But, thanks.”

Giles hesitated as if he were getting ready to say something but thought better of it. Instead, he gave Xander a nod and bid him a good night. He walked over to the bar and smiled at the server as he handed her a fifty dollar bill.

“For my drinks and a cab for him when he’s ready to leave.”

“No problem.” She said with a sparkle in her eye as she took the money. “I’m off the clock in a couple of hours…”

“And if I were single, I’d seriously consider coming back. Alas…I need to get home to my girlfriend. But, thank you very much for the offer.”

“My loss is her gain.” She gave him a wink and glanced over at Xander. “Everything okay there?”

Giles sighed heavily and shrugged his shoulders. “He’s a bit of an idiot at times…this time moreso than usual.”

After a beat, he pulled two twenties out of his wallet and passed them over to her. “Will that cover his drinks?”

“More than. Hold on, I’ll get your change.”

“That’s alright, put it in the tip jar.” He said, casting another look over to Xander before turning and walking out of the bar.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“I’m guessing you found him, since you’re this late getting in…” Buffy murmured when she felt him climb into the bed next to her.

“I did.” He whispered, placing a kiss on her shoulder before sliding his arms around her.

“Everything okay?”

“I don’t know.” He said, pulling her back against his chest.

Buffy opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder at him. “You sound annoyed.”

“It was a frustrating venture.” He admitted, shifting as she rolled over to face him. “He’s placing far too much importance on things that simply do not matter.”

“Such as?”

“Spike.” Giles muttered, allowing his fingers to brush the hair back from her face.

“Oh…” She sighed, placing her hand on the soft fabric of his pajama top. She nervously chewed on her bottom lip as her fingers toyed with a button. “I’m guessing by your tone that the conversation wasn’t just about Anya and Spike.”

“It’s none of his business.” Giles grumbled, the muscle in his jaw twitching.

“What did he say? I know that he said something about me…he always seems to whenever Spike is mentioned. He forgets I have Slayer hearing and his under the breath mutterings are like normal volume for me.”

“Can we not talk about it?” When her brow furrowed, he offered her a gentle smile. “I’ll tell you everything tomorrow, but…could we not talk about it right now?”

She returned his smile when he felt his fingers edge under the top she was wearing. “Other things on your mind?”

“Mm-hm…”

“How’s the soundproofing spell going?”

He grinned and rolled her onto her back, slipping his left leg between hers as he leaned over her. “Let’s find out, love.”

She giggled, sliding her hand into his hair and pulling him down for a kiss. Just before his lips met hers, she stopped giggling and looked into his eyes.

“I’m really glad you came back.” She whispered.

“I’m really glad you were okay with me coming back.” He whispered in reply.

“I didn’t want to be with him.”

“I know.” He pulled back slightly and arched an eyebrow at her. “Are we discussing this now?”

“No. But, something did just pop into my head.” She pulled a button free on his top. “Do you think he knows that you and Anya kissed?”

“I suspect not. I’m fairly certain only three people know about that. And the third was none too happy with me when I admitted that I had told you.”

“Spells…” She mumbled, pulling another button free and gently scratching her nails over his chest.

“Mm-hm. Are we finished talking about things that aren’t about us?”

She laughed and wrapped her right hand around the back of his neck. Her laugher was replaced with a soft moan as he covered her mouth with his.

She had to admit that she was curious about what Xander had said to Giles. But, when he pushed her pajama shorts down her legs and pulled them off, she decided that her curiosity wasn’t nearly as enticing as what his mouth would soon be doing. She could definitely talk to him about it later.

Right now, she was more interested in finding out if the soundproofing spell had worked.

“Holy fuck…” She groaned loudly as ran his tongue through her wet folds.

Guess they’d find out soon enough.

~ End

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