"Six Inches Between Us" NC17
It took me six months until I had the guts to write another one - but then my beta (who is still my beta) showed up and worked wonders for my self asteem :)
Summary: Buffy is not pleased when she finds out the reason why Giles is avoiding her touch. A confrontation is in order.
******
BAM!
Willow jumped a mile up into the air when the door of Revello Drive slammed shut and a furious Slayer skidded into the living room. At the look of things, best-friend duty was on the agenda.
Buffy was pacing back and forth while muttering under her voice, her anger punctuated by erratic hand gestures.
"Something wrong, Buffy?", Willow innocently asked, knowing quite well that Buffy need some moments to dramatically act out her frustration before she was ready to talk. Willow knew only one person who was able to stir up Buffy like this, and her thoughts were confirmed by Buffy's exclamation.
"Giles!"
Buffy then blew out a frustrated breath and plopped down into the lazyboy across from Willow.
She put her head in her hands and surprised Willow by suddenly wiping a tear that had spilled down her cheek.
Willow immediately grew concerned and swiftly moved to sit in front of Buffy on the floor, placing her hand on Buffy's knee.
"Buffy? What's wrong?"
Buffy and Giles were rather famous for getting each other frustrated and agitated, but she couldn’t ever remember seeing Buffy reduced to tears before.
Buffy raised her head and looked at Willow with such sadness that she felt her chest tighten.
Another tear spilled and Buffy angrily wiped it away before she took a deep breath to calm her self.
"I just don't understand him, Willow. I mean, I thought we were friends. Sure there has been much crappiness between us before, but I actually thought that we had moved passed that and we were friends now”, Buffy said, her voice tinged with misery. “Am I really that repulsive Willow?"
Huh, Willow's mind asked. What the hell was she talking about?
She patted Buffy's knee and said, "What do you mean Buffy? You have got to break this down for me should I be able to answer that question."
At Buffy's raised eyebrow and displeased frown, Willow quickly amended. "No of course you are not repulsive, but I don't understand what that has to do with Giles."
Buffy took another deep breath and continued in a sad voice, "He never touches me Willow. Anytime I get even remotely close to him, he shies away like I have the beluga virus."
Willow needed a couple of seconds before she managed to decipher that one.
"Oh you mean the ebola virus!"
At Buffy's exasperated look, Willow shook her head. "Right, so not important. Ok, so Giles is not touching you. But Buffy, you touch all the time, I mean, you workout together everyday. Sure there must be touching then?"
Buffy nodded her head, "But that is kind of inevitable. What I mean is that he never touches me apart from when we are training. He hugs you guys. Sure, not all the time, and come to think of it, not that very often, but he is English so that is understandable."
They both shared a grin, before Buffy sobered and continued.
"It's just that I feel like he is actually physically avoiding me when we are together. Like he can't stand to touch me more than he has to. Am I really that untouchable?"
Willow had to bite back a grin threatening to erupt from that question, figuring Buffy would not appreciate her best friend laughing at her.
"Buffy no, of course not. Perhaps there is another reason, maybe."
Willow stopped, suddenly remembering something.
"What is it Willow? What's wrong?"
Something clicked in Willow's mind and she rose and went over to her computer.
"Hold on Buffy", she said. "I think I know what is making Giles act the way he does."
She turned on her computer as she continued talking.
"You see when Giles came to be your watcher at Sunnydale High I had kind of a crush on him."
While clicking away through her folders, Willow completely missed the wide eyed stare of Buffy and the jealous glare that followed. Realising how completely ridiculous it was of her to be jealous of something that her friend had felt about Giles years ago, Buffy shook her head as to clear her thoughts and moved to stand behind Willow to look at the screen.
With a blush Willow continued, "So I sort of hacked into the Council to find out more about him."
"Willow!" Buffy exclaimed with a smile. "You little criminal you."
Willow ducked her head and giggled. "Yes well, that sort of behaviour is behind me."
Yeah right, Buffy thought with a smile.
"Anyway, I found Giles's watcher manual and as far as I remember I read something that might be able to solve you worries of Giles thinking of you as being untouchable."
Buffy stepped closer as Willow printed out a piece of paper.
Willow quickly read it, and then handed it to Buffy.
"Yep, I was right. In the watcher manual it clearly says that the watcher needs to have at least six inches between himself and his charge, except when circumstance such as training requires it."
As Buffy scanned the page, Willow contemplated her fingernails and continued.
"I guess the Council is worried about some kind of an emotional bond developing between them, a bond that can render them incapable of clear and impartial judgment."
Buffy's head shot up as she watched an oblivious Willow. The words rang in her ears, reminding her of another place in time that had become one of her most painful memories. She swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the egg size ball that had formed in her throat. Tears once again threatened to spill, so she took a deep breath and then suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of anger seeping into her body.
"Yes well, we will see about that", she said and stormed out the door, leaving a flummoxed Willow behind.
*****
Without knocking, Buffy tore Giles’ door open. She marched straight up to him, where he was standing with a surprised look on his face in the middle of the living room, and thrust the piece of paper at his chest.
“Is this true?” she yelled, not noticing the man sitting on Giles’ couch with a bemused look on his face. For a second Giles only looked at her, and then lowered his eyes to where a thin piece of paper separated her flattened hand from his chest. He slowly pulled the paper from underneath her hand and looked at it as her hand fell.
After a short while he looked at her again and sighed, “Buffy, how did you. . .”
She immediately cut him off, “Willow. That’s not important here. Is it true? Is this why you never touch me? Or does the thought of actually touching me apart from training really bother you?” Damn, she thought, that was not meant to come out.
Giles frantically searched for the right response. He knew why he wasn’t touching Buffy more than he had to. Every time he did it only left him wanting more. Still, there was no way in hell he would admit to that, so he decided to stick with a small lie.
“Yes, Buffy it’s true, the Council has clear guidelines on...”
His breath caught when Buffy suddenly buried herself in his arms and clasped hers around his waist.
“Screw the Council”, she mumbled into his chest. “Do you know how helpful some of these could have been once in awhile?”
Without conscious thought, ignoring the ramifications of his actions and the man on the couch, Giles put his arms around her and buried his face into her hair, as subtly as possible trying to capture her delicate smell. Buffy almost started purring when she felt his hands glide over her back. Her heart started beating faster. She couldn’t let go.
The spell was broken by a discrete cough. It made them come crashing back to reality. Giles went to move, but Buffy held him tightly and turned her head so her cheek was flat against his chest to look at the man on the couch.
“Who’s your friend Giles?”
Giles reluctantly stepped away from her, causing them both to miss the warmth of each other’s bodies immediately. A little flustered, he removed his glasses and started cleaning them as he introduced the man on the couch.
“Buffy, this is Gregory Harston. We went to Watcher school together. Gregory, this is Buffy Summers, my slayer.”
Buffy smiled at Giles as he introduced her as his slayer with evident pride in his voice. Then immediately a sense of fear made her hair stand on end. If Gregory was one of the Council’s men, she might have just made a monumental mistake by hugging Giles. Not only had she made him break one of his rules, she had made him do it in front of one of the Council! Without thinking she stepped closer to Giles, grabbed his arm and tried to ignore her rapidly beating heart.
“Giles?” she whispered as her gaze never left the man on the couch. At first, Giles could only think about her touch on his arm, but snapped out of it as soon as he heard Buffy’s worried voice.
“No, don’t worry Buffy, Greg is a friend. He’s as much of a fan of the Watcher’s Council as I am. Both Greg and Giles shared a grin. Buffy visibly relaxed and went to shake Greg’s hand.
“Hi. Nice to meet you. Sorry I freaked there for a second, it’s just past meetings with the Council’s men have left a lot to be desired”, she said with a smile. Gregory stood and took her hand and winked at her, “Don’t worry Miss Summers. I know that most of the Council’s men aren’t as pleasant as Rupert and I.” Greg had to hold back a chuckle when he saw Giles’ eyes narrow as he kept Buffy’s hand a little longer than necessary.
Buffy laughed as she let go of his hand and looked back at Giles, who had carefully masked his reaction to Greg’s blatant flirting before she could see it.
“So what are you doing in Sunnydale? Not Council business, I hope?” Greg shook his head with a smile. “No, I am actually scheduled for a seminar in LA in a couple of days, and decided to come and see my friend here. I don’t get to see Rupert much anymore since he moved here to be your watcher.”
Buffy immediately felt a little guilty. How much had Giles had to give up since he had become her watcher? Giles missed the emotion that was evident on Buffy’s face as he responded with a grin at Greg.
“Good riddance if you ask me. You always were a pain in the butt as far as I can remember.”
“Oh come on Rupert, it takes one to know one”, Greg immediately shot back. Buffy couldn’t help but laugh as she saw Giles’ mock scowl on his face.
“Ok, I’ll leave you guys to catch up. I have class in a little while and I need to get back home and pick up my books”, she said as she moved towards the door. Giles followed her and opened the door for her just as she turned around.
“Hey, why don’t you guys come over to dinner tonight at my house? It’s only me and my roommate Willow, since my sister is staying at a friend’s house. Willow is making a mountain of food. We’d be more than happy to share. Plus Greg, maybe you can tell us more about Giles. He’s so reluctant to share his past with us. . . you might even get three ice cream scoops for dessert, if you share some really saucy details.” Buffy grinned impishly at Giles as he looked at Greg with horror on his face.
“That will never happen!” Greg laughed as Giles turned back to Buffy.
At her crestfallen face, he immediately said, “I mean yes to dinner, no to sharing stories of my misspent youth.”
Buffy immediately beamed at him. “Great! How about you guys come over at seven?”
At Giles’ nod, she couldn’t help but run her hand in an approving gesture down his arm as she looked into his eyes. For a second everything seemed to fall away, and she had to remind herself to take a deep breath.
Greg interrupted tension thick enough to cut with a knife, “Sounds lovely Miss Summers, seven it is.”
Buffy removed her hand from Giles’ arm and walked out the door, throwing a cheeky smile back at Greg as she said, “Oh and Mr. Harston, it’s Buffy.”
*****
Giles had to fight the desire to slamming the door shut and throttle someone - either Greg for flirting or Buffy for responding - he wasn’t sure.
He took a deep breath and turned towards Greg. He’d reclaimed the couch and was looking at Giles with such as satisfied smile that Giles decided that if anyone deserved a throttle it was Greg.
“So that was the famous Buffy Summers. . . I imagine she’s quite the handful, Rupert.” Giles ignored Greg’s comment and went to the kitchen to put the kettle on.
“Tea Greg?” he asked through clenched teeth. Greg bit back a grin, got up and moved towards the kitchen.
“Yes please.” As Giles prepared a tray he steeled himself for what he knew was inevitably coming from Greg.
“So Rupert, Buffy seemed adorable. Is she seeing anyone?” Greg asked with poorly hidden interest in his voice.
Greg wasn’t blind. It would have been impossible to miss the sparks and tension evident between Rupert and Buffy. If they were just too timid to act on them, he’d just have to help. It didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun while he did, and he had always enjoyed making Rupert squirm.
“Not that I know of, no” Giles responded, trying as hard as he could to clench the flare of jealousy that threatened to rise to vast proportions. Damn that man, why the bloody hell did he have to lay his eyes on Buffy?
“Good to hear! It would be lovely to have someone to keep me warm during the lonely nights at Sunnydale Motel.”
Giles spun around in anger and was about to give Greg a piece of his mind when he saw Greg’s knowing grin. That bastard! He knew exactly what he was doing. His anger disappeared as he walked up to Greg.
“Gregory, I beg of you, please leave this alone.” Greg’s grin relaxed into a soft smile as he saw Giles’ obvious distress.
“Gregory huh? You only call me that when you mean business.” When he saw that Giles wasn’t amused, he continued. “Rupert, it’s obvious that you care about Buffy. Clearly those feelings are more than just friendly. Why don’t you do anything about it?”
Giles immediately shook his head and turned back to the kettle that whistled.
“Greg, Buffy doesn’t return my feelings. There is no way I would destroy our relationship for my own selfish reasons.”
“But Giles…”
Giles cut him off immediately. “This matter is closed, Greg.” He took a deep breath and continued with a cajoling smile. “Come on, let’s go back into the living room and put down some ground rules about what you are allowed to share about my misspent youth tonight.”
Greg recognised Giles’ stubborn streak and reluctantly followed. Silently he promised himself this matter wasn’t closed at all. Merely postponed.
*****
Seven o’clock found Giles and Greg outside Buffy’s door with a couple bottles of wine. Greg had decided to use this evening to observe Buffy and Giles, then make up his mind whether or not he’d make Giles do something. Surely he couldn’t have misunderstood Buffy’s response to Giles earlier that same afternoon?
Just as Giles was about to knock, the door flew open to reveal Buffy wearing an apron and a shining smile. A smile aimed directly at Giles.
“Hi”, she said breathlessly. “I saw you walking up the lawn and decided to beat you to it.” Then she stepped forward and gave Giles a hug. He couldn’t help but happily reciprocate. The feeling of her in his arms was indescribable, and, just as he thought, with his arms around her it just left him wanting more. The fact that Greg had held up a mirror to his feelings made it even more difficult for him to ignore them.
Buffy released him. What the hell she was thinking, touching and hugging him like she had today? It was just so hard to stop!
She slipped back into her role as hostess and said hello to Greg as she ushered them inside and took their coats. Greg smilingly handed her the bottles of wine and said hello to Willow. He followed Buffy into the kitchen as Giles and Willow talked in the living room. While Buffy placed the bottles of wine on the counter and moved to the stove, Greg decided to use this opportunity.
“So Buffy tell me, how is it having Rupert as your watcher. Does he keep you busy? Or should I ask if you keep him busy?” Buffy smiled as she kept stirring the sauce.
“You could say that. The man schedules more training session than I thought was humanly possible. Or should I say is possible for him. Being a full-time shopkeeper and watcher must be time-consuming. He probably spends more time at the Magic Box than in his own house.”
Greg saw the perfect opening and decided to test the waters.
“So he likes his shop huh? Well who can blame the man? I assume no man could resist an environment where he can meet women on a daily basis. Especially when they fawn over him. Giles used to be quite the ladies man in London, a trait I assume he did not leave behind when he came here.”
Buffy abruptly turned to him with a poorly hidden scowl and grumbled as she grabbed a wine bottle to open it.
“Women don’t fawn over Giles. Well ok, they do, but, who can blame them?”
Immediately realising what she’d just said she raced to distract Greg. “I mean, at least Giles doesn’t notice and even if he did why would he throw himself at those, those desperate women? He doesn’t need to meet other women, he has us. I mean, those women at the magic shop, he doesn’t need. . . he’s content with us!” Her mouth snapped shut. God job Buffy, why don’t you rent a billboard that announces how much Giles dating women bothers you?
Blushing she turned to get some wine glasses and pour the wine. She handed a glass to Greg, who was trying his damndest to hide a smile. Deep in though she didn’t notice that Giles and Willow entered the room. She jumped at Giles’ voice.
“Buffy, you should see what Willow did. She started an internet page for the shop! We’ll get so many new customers because of this. Isn’t that wonderful? Is that wine?”
Buffy looked at him with barely concealed anger. She picked up a glass of wine, slammed it down in front of him and stomped out of the kitchen.
Giles turned to Willow and then Greg with a questioning look. Something dawned on him when he saw Greg’s innocent eyes - too innocent - looking back at him. With an irritated sigh he left the kitchen to find his slayer.
“What the hell was that?” Willow asked.
Greg grinned at her. “Hopefully a lovers’ quarrel.”
*****
Giles found Buffy pretending to tidy up the living room. She seemed more than tense. He wasn’t at all sure how to approach this.
“Buffy? What’s wrong? Are you mad at me?” Buffy stopped straightening the magazines on the coffee table, and slowly turned around. When she saw his worried look, she felt awful. She had no right to take her jealous anger out on him. It’s not like he’d done anything wrong. He couldn’t help that he was so damn attractive, and that women would have crawled all over him if he let them. She just wanted to be the only one doing the crawling.
“No Giles, I, I. . . It was just something Greg said. Something about you and your skilful abilities as a ladies man.” As soon as the words were out, she blushed and looked down to study her shoes. Damn, could this be anymore embarrassing?
Giles was shocked. What was this about being a ladies man? As soon as he came close to any women he liked he stuttered like crazy. Greg had teased him mercilessly about it the entire time they’d known each other. The only reason he managed to contain his stutter around Buffy was that he’d never deluded himself to believing he actually had a chance with her. Knowing he had no chance relaxed him a little bit, although it wouldn’t take much for Buffy to make him lose control. What shocked him was that she’d actually looked jealous when she had talked about his way with women.
Against his better judgement, he approached her and slowly placed his fingers beneath her chin. He raised her head so he could look into her eyes.
“Buffy…”
Buffy’s breath caught in her throat as she looked into his eyes, thinking she could lose herself in them. He was staring at her with awe in his own. He could not believe what he was seeing.
“Giles…” she breathed and then stepped closer to him, revelling in the heat that seemed to radiate from his body.
His eyes strayed to her lips and back again. To hell with it, he thought, it was worth a shot.
He slowly lowered his face to hers, giving her ample opportunity to withdraw if she wanted to. Instead she placed a hand on his shoulder and lifter her mouth towards his. Mere inches were between them. Giles’ heart beat furiously in his chest as he moved to close the remaining distance.
“Dinner’s ready!”
Both jumped apart as Willow’s cheerful voice sounded from the kitchen.
Buffy looked worriedly at Giles, afraid that moment was lost. Worried that it would never happen again. Giles seemed to understand, and smiled reassuringly at her as he stepped closer and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.
“Until later.” He took her hand and brushed his thumb over the back as they headed towards the dining room.
*****
When they entered the dining room, Giles sent Greg a withering glare as he seated Buffy in her chair. He let his hand brush her shoulder as he seated himself next to her, earning him a smile that made the butterflies in his stomach increase in tenfold.
Dinner was passed with much laughter. Greg told every forbidden tale about Giles’ past. Giles almost died of embarrassment, especially when Buffy sprayed her wine all over the table after a particularly mortifying story.
Despite the laughter at his expense, Giles had never felt happier. The fact that Buffy occasionally placed her hand on his when he blushed the most made him reconsider his decision to throttle Greg. The humiliation was well worth it.
When dessert was over, Buffy announced she would do the dishes, and Giles offered to give her a hand. They stood in the kitchen at the sink together, Buffy in gloves and Giles with a towel. Giles started to repair the damage that Greg had inflicted on their relationship. If lying was needed, so be it.
“You do realise that Greg was kidding, right? Not even half of those stories were true.” As he spoke, Buffy gave him a look with raised eyebrows and a smile, as if she didn’t believe a word he was saying. “Well, ok, maybe they were true, but he seriously exaggerated them to make them more entertaining.”
“Uh huh.” She said with a tone that said that she was merely humouring him. Giles looked at her and then grinned.
“Brat” he said. He suddenly scooped up some soapsuds from the sink and put them on her nose.
“Giles!” Buffy giggled. She tried to wipe away the suds with a gloved and sudsy hand and ended up with more suds than she started with. Giles couldn’t help but laugh as he valiantly lifted his towel to her face to wipe the suds from her cheeks and nose. Once again they were standing close to each other, and Buffy felt her stomach clench in anticipation. Giles dropped the towel and cradled her cheeks in his hands as he lowered his lips to hers.
Nothing prepared them for the onslaught of emotions that came from the gentle meeting of their mouths. Giles captured her lips more firmly, sending tingles of pleasures shooting all the way down into her toes. Buffy had to stifle a groan as he moved his hands from her face to run them through her hair and press her closer to his body. Her arms circled his waist and she let the flat of her hands run up his back. That earned her a throaty murmur. Another quickly followed as she let her tongue taste his lips and run along the seam of his mouth. Giles tightened his hold on her and let his tongue tangle with hers. Neither of them were able to stifle a moan from the sensation.
Giles realised they needed to stop before it was too late. He regretfully eased himself out of the kiss. He placed his forehead against hers with eyes closed and realized he had to try to catch his breath.
After a moment he opened them and slowly raised his head as Buffy opened hers.
“Oh my God” Buffy said. “That was amazing.”
Giles, who didn’t have control of his voice yet, only nodded and smiled before he bent his head again and gave her a soft kiss. He cleared his throat about to speak just as Greg’s voice drifted into the kitchen.
“I’ll go and see what’s taking them so long.” When he entered the kitchen he found Buffy facing the sink industriously scrubbing dishes and Giles getting cups from the cupboard for coffee.
“Still slaving away at the kitchen? Do you guys want some help?” Before either had the chance to respond Greg exclaimed. “Giles! Why is your shirt wet? Did Buffy decide to clean you up as well?”
Giles turned and bit back a grin as he saw Buffy staring at her wet gloves with a dawning and startled expression.
“Ha bloody ha. Just some water that went astray, nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about.” Giles then placed his cup on a tray and motioned for Greg to grab the kettle as he said to Buffy.
“Come on Buffy, leave the rest to soak, I’ll help you with them later.” Buffy turned with a flirtatious smile and told Giles “I’m counting on it” as she followed Greg towards the living room.
For a second all that Giles could do was watch her retreating back. He shook his head and smiled as he went to join the others in the living room.
*****
An hour later, Willowed yawned and sent Giles and Greg an apologetic smile. “Sorry guys, I had an early start this morning. I’m actually supposed to head over to Tara’s tonight, so if you don’t mind, I think I’ll head out.”
Greg, who had watched Buffy and Giles for the last hour, had to admit defeat. They both kept the lids tight on their emotions. They were getting nowhere. That meant he had a lot of work ahead of him before he left town. He had thought that some progress would be made after he pissed the Slayer off in the kitchen talking about Giles’ women, but when they returned, no real improvement had seemed to occur. Sure, there were enough sparks to set off an entire warehouse of fireworks, but that seemed like it.
He sighed and stood as Willow walked to the door with Buffy and Giles following behind.
“I suppose it’s about time for Rupert and I to go as well” Greg said when he saw Buffy unsuccessfully hide a yawn. “It has been a pleasure.” He kissed both Willow and Buffy goodbye as Giles called him a cab.
Willow grabbed their coats. As she opened the door the cab pulled up in front of the house.
Giles gave both Willow and Buffy a quick hug, regretfully keeping his embrace with Buffy short since the others were standing right next to them. There was so much he wanted to say, but this wasn’t an appropriate time.
Buffy smiled regretfully at him as Willow let them out. With a final look at Buffy, standing in the doorway, Giles walked Greg to his cab. He double checked to make sure the cab driver was human and relaxed when he saw a cross hanging from his rear view mirror.
“Good night guys, walk safely!” Buffy said pointedly to Giles and Willow who were headed off in opposite directions.
With a sigh she closed the door and moved to the couch to watch some television before she went to bed. She had hoped that somehow Giles could have stayed, but the opportunity hadn’t arisen. Oh well, she thought. I guess Letterman is the only man who’ll keep me company tonight.
In the cab, Greg was deep in thought, trying to figure out a way to help Giles and Buffy before he had to leave. It was clear that Giles was going to let his attraction slide. He thought Buffy was the one he needed to work on. An idea suddenly struck him, and he told the cab driver to return to the house.
As they approached he told the cab driver to wait and stepped out of the car. Just as he was about to cross the lawn he heard his name being called.
It was Willow.
“What are you doing here?” he said.
Willow chuckled. “Probably the same as you are. I’m going to talk Buffy into putting some moves on Giles. It’s exhausting to watch all these sparks. And sexual tension between them is driving me nuts. Giles is too stubborn to do anything, but Buffy’s brave, so I figured with a little probing she would eventually do something. If nothing else, I’m willing to resort to threats.”
Greg started laughing and admitted that was his sentiment exactly. Both turned and crossed the lawn towards the living room window just to make sure she was still up. What they saw through the window stopped them both.
Buffy tried to get into the spirit of Letterman, but her thoughts kept straying back to the incredible kiss in the kitchen. She jumped when she noticed a figure appear in the living room doorway.
“Giles! Where did you come from?” Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and it wasn’t because he had startled her.
On his way home Giles had been unable to stop thinking about Buffy. Rashly he decided to return.
He smiled at her, “The kitchen door. I figured you might be in there cleaning up. Instead I find you here slouched on the couch watching television. Shocking, simply shocking.”
Buffy smiled as she stood and breathlessly asked, “Why did you come back?”
With a slight blush he answered, “To help you finish the dishes.”
*****
Buffy laughed in relief and quickly crossed the room, only to be wrapped in Giles’ arms.
“Oh thank God! I so didn’t want to face the dishes alone,” she said lightly as she tightened her hold on him. Giles lifted his head that had been buried in her neck. She raised her head to look at him and said, “I didn’t want you to leave tonight.” One of his hands smoothed away her hair from her face and cupped her cheek.
“How can I stay away from you?” he whispered just before he covered her proffered lips with his own.
Outside, Willow and Greg stood slack-jawed as they saw Giles lean down and kiss Buffy.
“Huh?” Willow said. “Who would have guessed? I think we’ve both been duped, Greg.” Greg, momentarily rendered speechless, only nodded, oblivious to the fact that Willow was still watching the embrace between Watcher and Slayer in the living room.
Within a few moments the kiss that started out as a gentle merger of two sets of lips turned passionate. Giles dipped his tongue into Buffy’s mouth, and she eagerly reciprocated. Soon their hands were roaming. As the kiss grew in intensity, Buffy started tugging on Giles’ jacket. He quickly dropped it on a chair and returned his hands to her back. Both pressed closer. Giles slipped his hands underneath Buffy’s sweater and up her spine. He moaned when she pressed herself to his evident sign of desire.
“Wow, Buffy’s a lucky girl” Willow suddenly broke the silence. “I mean, uh, Giles looks like he can really kiss.” Greg was still not over the shock and merely nodded again. “We should probably leave huh?” Greg’s head bobbed up and down. Neither moved.
Buffy managed to remove Giles’ shirt from his pants, and then let her hands slip under his shirt to stroke his skin. At her touch Giles tore his mouth away from hers and took a deep breath. “Christ!” he exclaimed before he took possession of her lips again.
Buffy’s body felt like it was on fire, and she ached to feel all of his skin against hers. But, before she let this continue she needed to make one thing clear to him. She ended the erotic interplay of their mouths and tongues. Giles moved his kisses to her neck.
“Giles, I love you.”
Giles stopped abruptly and raised his head to look at her, eyes suddenly bright. He lifted a hand to stroke her cheek, and had to swallow before he was able to make any sort of reply. They were words he had wanted to say for a long time.
“And I love you, Buffy. So very much. You have become my life.”
Buffy smiled a brilliant smile and had to close her eyes to stop them from spilling. Giles just continued to stroke her cheek and held her close.
Outside, Willow and Greg, who finally seemed to be out of their stupor, shared a smile.
“Aw, they’re so cute,” Willow said as she looked back at the couple in question.
Buffy opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and decided her best response was to kiss Giles senseless. That he returned the gesture was an immense bonus. Once again passion flared and they both realised they had reached a point where they were committing to more than just kissing.
“Buffy, I need you,” Giles managed to say between one kiss and the next.
“Upstairs” she responded. She suited action to words and she started walking backwards while kissing him. A slight miscalculation made them hit the wall by the hallway. Giles pressed her back against the wall, then lifted Buffy up and coaxed her legs around his waist.
Willow and Greg remained fixed outside, but when Willow saw Buffy start unbuttoning Giles’ shirt and watched him tug on hers, she exclaimed breathlessly “Ok, I need to see my girlfriend!”
Greg looked at her, confused, ”Girlfriend?”
She smiled knowingly, “Yeah, sorry Greg, I play for the other team.”
“Damn”, he muttered playfully. They both moved to leave with a final glance through the window.
Willow frowned, “Were did they go?”
At that minute Giles’ shirt flew down the stairs, with Buffy’s following quickly behind it.
*****
Upstairs, Giles pressed Buffy against the wall by her bedroom door and ravaged her mouth. Even under his sensuous onslaught, Buffy had managed to divest Giles of his shirt, and she took the opportunity to explore him more fully. Giles responded with a moan when her hands brushed over his nipples and slid over his body.
He tightened his hold on her, stepped away from the wall, and carried her into the bedroom. He lowered them both on the bed and let his lips trail from her mouth down to her neck. His hand moved to her bare back and unclasped her bra, and he slowly ended the kiss as he lifted his torso slightly to remove the piece of clothing between them. She lay against the bed, golden hair spread around her, and smiled up at him.
“God, you’re beautiful, Buffy.” He said, stroking her cheek, down her neck, to cover her naked breast, making Buffy moan in satisfaction. He teased her nipple with his thumb until it hardened, causing Buffy to arch herself against his hardness. Just as he leaned down to cover one of her nipples with his mouth, he felt her tugging on him, and raised his head to look at her.
“Are you alright? Do you want to stop?” Suddenly struck with worry, he knew all she had to say was yes and he would withdraw, no matter how much he’d need a long cold shower to quench his desire. Her happiness was what meant the most to him. Buffy tried to calm her shaky breathing, but all she could do was shake her head no. She pulled him up so that his head was next to hers.
“Are you sure?” he asked again, searching her eyes. She smiled and nodded again, and then placed her palm on his cheek and lowered his head so she could kiss him softly on the lips.
“Everything is perfect. I just wanted to point out that something is totally wrong with this picture.” Giles’ brow furrowed, not at all sure what she was talking about. Buffy playfully grabbed a hold of his butt and smiled cheekily.
“Mr. Giles, we’re both slightly overdressed for this scenario.” Giles burst out laughing and gave her a sensuous kiss before he raised himself to straddle her lower thighs.
“Well, I can remedy that.” With a wicked grin he quickly unbuttoned her pants and then stood to pull all of the clothes remaining on her body off. He managed to divest himself of his pants and boxers as well.
“Giles!” Buffy started, and he paused looking at her golden beauty and inscrutable expression, wondering if he’d gone too fast, again.
Buffy’s solemn expression split into a grin, “Giles, if you ever put six inches between us again, it’d better be the six in front of me right now.”
The beautiful man in front of her started, then fell against her on the bed, laughing with pleasure and relief. Playfully he huffed at her and solemnly gestured proudly at his erection as he was introducing the queen of England. “I’ll have you know that THIS is at least six and a half.”
That caused a glorious laughter from her and he couldn’t help but laugh too, marvelling in the contentment of being with her. When their laughter had calmed down, and been substituted by deep kisses, Buffy ran her fingers down his face and whispered in his ear as he was lying beside her. “Please make love to me.”
“As my lady wishes,” Giles answered and leaned closer to her.
“You feel so good”, Buffy moaned when he covered her naked body with his. He was so warm and fiery, she felt consumed simply by his skin touching hers.
“So do you,” Giles whispered in her ear before he proceeded to kiss her throat and neck. He revelled in her moan as his lips covered one of her breasts. Buffy’s control slipped when she felt Giles’ hand reach down to stroke her centre. In moments she felt like she was lost as waves of pleasure washed over her. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed as she opened her eyes and found Giles stroking her quivering stomach while he looked at her with love in his eyes.
"Hi there beautiful", Giles said with a happy smile. Buffy couldn’t help but smile back and reached for him to kiss her again. He didn’t think twice about obliging and passion roared between them as lips and hands moved between them.
Buffy tore her mouth away from his and whispered, “Giles, please.”
He knew what she was asking for and moved between her legs. He took possession of her mouth again as he moved inside her, eager to feel as close to her in every possible way. Both gasped in each other’s mouths as Buffy’s hips rose to meet his thrusts. As their pleasure rose, Giles let go of her mouth and cradled her head in his hands, holding her eyes as they moved together. Buffy lifted her legs and wrapped them around him, burying him to the hilt inside her.
As he felt himself approaching an orgasm he lowered his mouth to hers again in a carnal kiss as he pressed her harder into the mattress. He felt her cry out into his mouth as her orgasm took her over, and his trembling body quickly followed as his release ripped through him.
As soon as Giles felt he was able to move he lifted his head from the crook of Buffy’s neck and tenderly brushed some hair off her face. Buffy’s eyelids fluttered open and she greeted him with a smile.
“Are you alright?” he asked as he continued to stroke her cheek.
“More than alright. I feel wonderful”, she said as she beamed at him.
“I feel pretty wonderful myself,” Giles grinned as he gave her a kiss. He moved so he was lying next to her and pulled her into his arms. Buffy snuggled closer, tangled her legs with his and placed a kiss on his chest. She luxuriated in the feel of his body to hers and his hand lazily stroking her back, when a thought struck her.
“I’m sorry Giles,” she said in a small voice, trying to bite back tears that threatened to spill.
“What? What do you mean?” he asked as he pushed her slightly away from his body so he could look into her eyes.
With a sad look she almost whispered in a regretful voice. “I am sorry for taking you away from your home and I am sorry I never realised how much you had to give up to come here.”
Giles smiled softly at her and then lifted his hand to remove an errant tear trailing down her cheek. “Nonsense. Buffy, look at all I have gained. Being here with you has made me the happiest man in the world.” Buffy gave him an ‘awwww aren’t you the cutest man alive’ look and pulled him close to give him a scorching kiss.
“God, I love you Giles,” she murmured close to his lips.
“And I love you Buffy “ he responded as he tugged her closer and pulled the blanket tightly around them.
The last thing that Buffy remembered before she succumbed to sleep was Giles’ fingers moving gently over her face and a softly placed kiss on her forehead.
THE END
Summary: Buffy is not pleased when she finds out the reason why Giles is avoiding her touch. A confrontation is in order.
******
BAM!
Willow jumped a mile up into the air when the door of Revello Drive slammed shut and a furious Slayer skidded into the living room. At the look of things, best-friend duty was on the agenda.
Buffy was pacing back and forth while muttering under her voice, her anger punctuated by erratic hand gestures.
"Something wrong, Buffy?", Willow innocently asked, knowing quite well that Buffy need some moments to dramatically act out her frustration before she was ready to talk. Willow knew only one person who was able to stir up Buffy like this, and her thoughts were confirmed by Buffy's exclamation.
"Giles!"
Buffy then blew out a frustrated breath and plopped down into the lazyboy across from Willow.
She put her head in her hands and surprised Willow by suddenly wiping a tear that had spilled down her cheek.
Willow immediately grew concerned and swiftly moved to sit in front of Buffy on the floor, placing her hand on Buffy's knee.
"Buffy? What's wrong?"
Buffy and Giles were rather famous for getting each other frustrated and agitated, but she couldn’t ever remember seeing Buffy reduced to tears before.
Buffy raised her head and looked at Willow with such sadness that she felt her chest tighten.
Another tear spilled and Buffy angrily wiped it away before she took a deep breath to calm her self.
"I just don't understand him, Willow. I mean, I thought we were friends. Sure there has been much crappiness between us before, but I actually thought that we had moved passed that and we were friends now”, Buffy said, her voice tinged with misery. “Am I really that repulsive Willow?"
Huh, Willow's mind asked. What the hell was she talking about?
She patted Buffy's knee and said, "What do you mean Buffy? You have got to break this down for me should I be able to answer that question."
At Buffy's raised eyebrow and displeased frown, Willow quickly amended. "No of course you are not repulsive, but I don't understand what that has to do with Giles."
Buffy took another deep breath and continued in a sad voice, "He never touches me Willow. Anytime I get even remotely close to him, he shies away like I have the beluga virus."
Willow needed a couple of seconds before she managed to decipher that one.
"Oh you mean the ebola virus!"
At Buffy's exasperated look, Willow shook her head. "Right, so not important. Ok, so Giles is not touching you. But Buffy, you touch all the time, I mean, you workout together everyday. Sure there must be touching then?"
Buffy nodded her head, "But that is kind of inevitable. What I mean is that he never touches me apart from when we are training. He hugs you guys. Sure, not all the time, and come to think of it, not that very often, but he is English so that is understandable."
They both shared a grin, before Buffy sobered and continued.
"It's just that I feel like he is actually physically avoiding me when we are together. Like he can't stand to touch me more than he has to. Am I really that untouchable?"
Willow had to bite back a grin threatening to erupt from that question, figuring Buffy would not appreciate her best friend laughing at her.
"Buffy no, of course not. Perhaps there is another reason, maybe."
Willow stopped, suddenly remembering something.
"What is it Willow? What's wrong?"
Something clicked in Willow's mind and she rose and went over to her computer.
"Hold on Buffy", she said. "I think I know what is making Giles act the way he does."
She turned on her computer as she continued talking.
"You see when Giles came to be your watcher at Sunnydale High I had kind of a crush on him."
While clicking away through her folders, Willow completely missed the wide eyed stare of Buffy and the jealous glare that followed. Realising how completely ridiculous it was of her to be jealous of something that her friend had felt about Giles years ago, Buffy shook her head as to clear her thoughts and moved to stand behind Willow to look at the screen.
With a blush Willow continued, "So I sort of hacked into the Council to find out more about him."
"Willow!" Buffy exclaimed with a smile. "You little criminal you."
Willow ducked her head and giggled. "Yes well, that sort of behaviour is behind me."
Yeah right, Buffy thought with a smile.
"Anyway, I found Giles's watcher manual and as far as I remember I read something that might be able to solve you worries of Giles thinking of you as being untouchable."
Buffy stepped closer as Willow printed out a piece of paper.
Willow quickly read it, and then handed it to Buffy.
"Yep, I was right. In the watcher manual it clearly says that the watcher needs to have at least six inches between himself and his charge, except when circumstance such as training requires it."
As Buffy scanned the page, Willow contemplated her fingernails and continued.
"I guess the Council is worried about some kind of an emotional bond developing between them, a bond that can render them incapable of clear and impartial judgment."
Buffy's head shot up as she watched an oblivious Willow. The words rang in her ears, reminding her of another place in time that had become one of her most painful memories. She swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the egg size ball that had formed in her throat. Tears once again threatened to spill, so she took a deep breath and then suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of anger seeping into her body.
"Yes well, we will see about that", she said and stormed out the door, leaving a flummoxed Willow behind.
*****
Without knocking, Buffy tore Giles’ door open. She marched straight up to him, where he was standing with a surprised look on his face in the middle of the living room, and thrust the piece of paper at his chest.
“Is this true?” she yelled, not noticing the man sitting on Giles’ couch with a bemused look on his face. For a second Giles only looked at her, and then lowered his eyes to where a thin piece of paper separated her flattened hand from his chest. He slowly pulled the paper from underneath her hand and looked at it as her hand fell.
After a short while he looked at her again and sighed, “Buffy, how did you. . .”
She immediately cut him off, “Willow. That’s not important here. Is it true? Is this why you never touch me? Or does the thought of actually touching me apart from training really bother you?” Damn, she thought, that was not meant to come out.
Giles frantically searched for the right response. He knew why he wasn’t touching Buffy more than he had to. Every time he did it only left him wanting more. Still, there was no way in hell he would admit to that, so he decided to stick with a small lie.
“Yes, Buffy it’s true, the Council has clear guidelines on...”
His breath caught when Buffy suddenly buried herself in his arms and clasped hers around his waist.
“Screw the Council”, she mumbled into his chest. “Do you know how helpful some of these could have been once in awhile?”
Without conscious thought, ignoring the ramifications of his actions and the man on the couch, Giles put his arms around her and buried his face into her hair, as subtly as possible trying to capture her delicate smell. Buffy almost started purring when she felt his hands glide over her back. Her heart started beating faster. She couldn’t let go.
The spell was broken by a discrete cough. It made them come crashing back to reality. Giles went to move, but Buffy held him tightly and turned her head so her cheek was flat against his chest to look at the man on the couch.
“Who’s your friend Giles?”
Giles reluctantly stepped away from her, causing them both to miss the warmth of each other’s bodies immediately. A little flustered, he removed his glasses and started cleaning them as he introduced the man on the couch.
“Buffy, this is Gregory Harston. We went to Watcher school together. Gregory, this is Buffy Summers, my slayer.”
Buffy smiled at Giles as he introduced her as his slayer with evident pride in his voice. Then immediately a sense of fear made her hair stand on end. If Gregory was one of the Council’s men, she might have just made a monumental mistake by hugging Giles. Not only had she made him break one of his rules, she had made him do it in front of one of the Council! Without thinking she stepped closer to Giles, grabbed his arm and tried to ignore her rapidly beating heart.
“Giles?” she whispered as her gaze never left the man on the couch. At first, Giles could only think about her touch on his arm, but snapped out of it as soon as he heard Buffy’s worried voice.
“No, don’t worry Buffy, Greg is a friend. He’s as much of a fan of the Watcher’s Council as I am. Both Greg and Giles shared a grin. Buffy visibly relaxed and went to shake Greg’s hand.
“Hi. Nice to meet you. Sorry I freaked there for a second, it’s just past meetings with the Council’s men have left a lot to be desired”, she said with a smile. Gregory stood and took her hand and winked at her, “Don’t worry Miss Summers. I know that most of the Council’s men aren’t as pleasant as Rupert and I.” Greg had to hold back a chuckle when he saw Giles’ eyes narrow as he kept Buffy’s hand a little longer than necessary.
Buffy laughed as she let go of his hand and looked back at Giles, who had carefully masked his reaction to Greg’s blatant flirting before she could see it.
“So what are you doing in Sunnydale? Not Council business, I hope?” Greg shook his head with a smile. “No, I am actually scheduled for a seminar in LA in a couple of days, and decided to come and see my friend here. I don’t get to see Rupert much anymore since he moved here to be your watcher.”
Buffy immediately felt a little guilty. How much had Giles had to give up since he had become her watcher? Giles missed the emotion that was evident on Buffy’s face as he responded with a grin at Greg.
“Good riddance if you ask me. You always were a pain in the butt as far as I can remember.”
“Oh come on Rupert, it takes one to know one”, Greg immediately shot back. Buffy couldn’t help but laugh as she saw Giles’ mock scowl on his face.
“Ok, I’ll leave you guys to catch up. I have class in a little while and I need to get back home and pick up my books”, she said as she moved towards the door. Giles followed her and opened the door for her just as she turned around.
“Hey, why don’t you guys come over to dinner tonight at my house? It’s only me and my roommate Willow, since my sister is staying at a friend’s house. Willow is making a mountain of food. We’d be more than happy to share. Plus Greg, maybe you can tell us more about Giles. He’s so reluctant to share his past with us. . . you might even get three ice cream scoops for dessert, if you share some really saucy details.” Buffy grinned impishly at Giles as he looked at Greg with horror on his face.
“That will never happen!” Greg laughed as Giles turned back to Buffy.
At her crestfallen face, he immediately said, “I mean yes to dinner, no to sharing stories of my misspent youth.”
Buffy immediately beamed at him. “Great! How about you guys come over at seven?”
At Giles’ nod, she couldn’t help but run her hand in an approving gesture down his arm as she looked into his eyes. For a second everything seemed to fall away, and she had to remind herself to take a deep breath.
Greg interrupted tension thick enough to cut with a knife, “Sounds lovely Miss Summers, seven it is.”
Buffy removed her hand from Giles’ arm and walked out the door, throwing a cheeky smile back at Greg as she said, “Oh and Mr. Harston, it’s Buffy.”
*****
Giles had to fight the desire to slamming the door shut and throttle someone - either Greg for flirting or Buffy for responding - he wasn’t sure.
He took a deep breath and turned towards Greg. He’d reclaimed the couch and was looking at Giles with such as satisfied smile that Giles decided that if anyone deserved a throttle it was Greg.
“So that was the famous Buffy Summers. . . I imagine she’s quite the handful, Rupert.” Giles ignored Greg’s comment and went to the kitchen to put the kettle on.
“Tea Greg?” he asked through clenched teeth. Greg bit back a grin, got up and moved towards the kitchen.
“Yes please.” As Giles prepared a tray he steeled himself for what he knew was inevitably coming from Greg.
“So Rupert, Buffy seemed adorable. Is she seeing anyone?” Greg asked with poorly hidden interest in his voice.
Greg wasn’t blind. It would have been impossible to miss the sparks and tension evident between Rupert and Buffy. If they were just too timid to act on them, he’d just have to help. It didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun while he did, and he had always enjoyed making Rupert squirm.
“Not that I know of, no” Giles responded, trying as hard as he could to clench the flare of jealousy that threatened to rise to vast proportions. Damn that man, why the bloody hell did he have to lay his eyes on Buffy?
“Good to hear! It would be lovely to have someone to keep me warm during the lonely nights at Sunnydale Motel.”
Giles spun around in anger and was about to give Greg a piece of his mind when he saw Greg’s knowing grin. That bastard! He knew exactly what he was doing. His anger disappeared as he walked up to Greg.
“Gregory, I beg of you, please leave this alone.” Greg’s grin relaxed into a soft smile as he saw Giles’ obvious distress.
“Gregory huh? You only call me that when you mean business.” When he saw that Giles wasn’t amused, he continued. “Rupert, it’s obvious that you care about Buffy. Clearly those feelings are more than just friendly. Why don’t you do anything about it?”
Giles immediately shook his head and turned back to the kettle that whistled.
“Greg, Buffy doesn’t return my feelings. There is no way I would destroy our relationship for my own selfish reasons.”
“But Giles…”
Giles cut him off immediately. “This matter is closed, Greg.” He took a deep breath and continued with a cajoling smile. “Come on, let’s go back into the living room and put down some ground rules about what you are allowed to share about my misspent youth tonight.”
Greg recognised Giles’ stubborn streak and reluctantly followed. Silently he promised himself this matter wasn’t closed at all. Merely postponed.
*****
Seven o’clock found Giles and Greg outside Buffy’s door with a couple bottles of wine. Greg had decided to use this evening to observe Buffy and Giles, then make up his mind whether or not he’d make Giles do something. Surely he couldn’t have misunderstood Buffy’s response to Giles earlier that same afternoon?
Just as Giles was about to knock, the door flew open to reveal Buffy wearing an apron and a shining smile. A smile aimed directly at Giles.
“Hi”, she said breathlessly. “I saw you walking up the lawn and decided to beat you to it.” Then she stepped forward and gave Giles a hug. He couldn’t help but happily reciprocate. The feeling of her in his arms was indescribable, and, just as he thought, with his arms around her it just left him wanting more. The fact that Greg had held up a mirror to his feelings made it even more difficult for him to ignore them.
Buffy released him. What the hell she was thinking, touching and hugging him like she had today? It was just so hard to stop!
She slipped back into her role as hostess and said hello to Greg as she ushered them inside and took their coats. Greg smilingly handed her the bottles of wine and said hello to Willow. He followed Buffy into the kitchen as Giles and Willow talked in the living room. While Buffy placed the bottles of wine on the counter and moved to the stove, Greg decided to use this opportunity.
“So Buffy tell me, how is it having Rupert as your watcher. Does he keep you busy? Or should I ask if you keep him busy?” Buffy smiled as she kept stirring the sauce.
“You could say that. The man schedules more training session than I thought was humanly possible. Or should I say is possible for him. Being a full-time shopkeeper and watcher must be time-consuming. He probably spends more time at the Magic Box than in his own house.”
Greg saw the perfect opening and decided to test the waters.
“So he likes his shop huh? Well who can blame the man? I assume no man could resist an environment where he can meet women on a daily basis. Especially when they fawn over him. Giles used to be quite the ladies man in London, a trait I assume he did not leave behind when he came here.”
Buffy abruptly turned to him with a poorly hidden scowl and grumbled as she grabbed a wine bottle to open it.
“Women don’t fawn over Giles. Well ok, they do, but, who can blame them?”
Immediately realising what she’d just said she raced to distract Greg. “I mean, at least Giles doesn’t notice and even if he did why would he throw himself at those, those desperate women? He doesn’t need to meet other women, he has us. I mean, those women at the magic shop, he doesn’t need. . . he’s content with us!” Her mouth snapped shut. God job Buffy, why don’t you rent a billboard that announces how much Giles dating women bothers you?
Blushing she turned to get some wine glasses and pour the wine. She handed a glass to Greg, who was trying his damndest to hide a smile. Deep in though she didn’t notice that Giles and Willow entered the room. She jumped at Giles’ voice.
“Buffy, you should see what Willow did. She started an internet page for the shop! We’ll get so many new customers because of this. Isn’t that wonderful? Is that wine?”
Buffy looked at him with barely concealed anger. She picked up a glass of wine, slammed it down in front of him and stomped out of the kitchen.
Giles turned to Willow and then Greg with a questioning look. Something dawned on him when he saw Greg’s innocent eyes - too innocent - looking back at him. With an irritated sigh he left the kitchen to find his slayer.
“What the hell was that?” Willow asked.
Greg grinned at her. “Hopefully a lovers’ quarrel.”
*****
Giles found Buffy pretending to tidy up the living room. She seemed more than tense. He wasn’t at all sure how to approach this.
“Buffy? What’s wrong? Are you mad at me?” Buffy stopped straightening the magazines on the coffee table, and slowly turned around. When she saw his worried look, she felt awful. She had no right to take her jealous anger out on him. It’s not like he’d done anything wrong. He couldn’t help that he was so damn attractive, and that women would have crawled all over him if he let them. She just wanted to be the only one doing the crawling.
“No Giles, I, I. . . It was just something Greg said. Something about you and your skilful abilities as a ladies man.” As soon as the words were out, she blushed and looked down to study her shoes. Damn, could this be anymore embarrassing?
Giles was shocked. What was this about being a ladies man? As soon as he came close to any women he liked he stuttered like crazy. Greg had teased him mercilessly about it the entire time they’d known each other. The only reason he managed to contain his stutter around Buffy was that he’d never deluded himself to believing he actually had a chance with her. Knowing he had no chance relaxed him a little bit, although it wouldn’t take much for Buffy to make him lose control. What shocked him was that she’d actually looked jealous when she had talked about his way with women.
Against his better judgement, he approached her and slowly placed his fingers beneath her chin. He raised her head so he could look into her eyes.
“Buffy…”
Buffy’s breath caught in her throat as she looked into his eyes, thinking she could lose herself in them. He was staring at her with awe in his own. He could not believe what he was seeing.
“Giles…” she breathed and then stepped closer to him, revelling in the heat that seemed to radiate from his body.
His eyes strayed to her lips and back again. To hell with it, he thought, it was worth a shot.
He slowly lowered his face to hers, giving her ample opportunity to withdraw if she wanted to. Instead she placed a hand on his shoulder and lifter her mouth towards his. Mere inches were between them. Giles’ heart beat furiously in his chest as he moved to close the remaining distance.
“Dinner’s ready!”
Both jumped apart as Willow’s cheerful voice sounded from the kitchen.
Buffy looked worriedly at Giles, afraid that moment was lost. Worried that it would never happen again. Giles seemed to understand, and smiled reassuringly at her as he stepped closer and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.
“Until later.” He took her hand and brushed his thumb over the back as they headed towards the dining room.
*****
When they entered the dining room, Giles sent Greg a withering glare as he seated Buffy in her chair. He let his hand brush her shoulder as he seated himself next to her, earning him a smile that made the butterflies in his stomach increase in tenfold.
Dinner was passed with much laughter. Greg told every forbidden tale about Giles’ past. Giles almost died of embarrassment, especially when Buffy sprayed her wine all over the table after a particularly mortifying story.
Despite the laughter at his expense, Giles had never felt happier. The fact that Buffy occasionally placed her hand on his when he blushed the most made him reconsider his decision to throttle Greg. The humiliation was well worth it.
When dessert was over, Buffy announced she would do the dishes, and Giles offered to give her a hand. They stood in the kitchen at the sink together, Buffy in gloves and Giles with a towel. Giles started to repair the damage that Greg had inflicted on their relationship. If lying was needed, so be it.
“You do realise that Greg was kidding, right? Not even half of those stories were true.” As he spoke, Buffy gave him a look with raised eyebrows and a smile, as if she didn’t believe a word he was saying. “Well, ok, maybe they were true, but he seriously exaggerated them to make them more entertaining.”
“Uh huh.” She said with a tone that said that she was merely humouring him. Giles looked at her and then grinned.
“Brat” he said. He suddenly scooped up some soapsuds from the sink and put them on her nose.
“Giles!” Buffy giggled. She tried to wipe away the suds with a gloved and sudsy hand and ended up with more suds than she started with. Giles couldn’t help but laugh as he valiantly lifted his towel to her face to wipe the suds from her cheeks and nose. Once again they were standing close to each other, and Buffy felt her stomach clench in anticipation. Giles dropped the towel and cradled her cheeks in his hands as he lowered his lips to hers.
Nothing prepared them for the onslaught of emotions that came from the gentle meeting of their mouths. Giles captured her lips more firmly, sending tingles of pleasures shooting all the way down into her toes. Buffy had to stifle a groan as he moved his hands from her face to run them through her hair and press her closer to his body. Her arms circled his waist and she let the flat of her hands run up his back. That earned her a throaty murmur. Another quickly followed as she let her tongue taste his lips and run along the seam of his mouth. Giles tightened his hold on her and let his tongue tangle with hers. Neither of them were able to stifle a moan from the sensation.
Giles realised they needed to stop before it was too late. He regretfully eased himself out of the kiss. He placed his forehead against hers with eyes closed and realized he had to try to catch his breath.
After a moment he opened them and slowly raised his head as Buffy opened hers.
“Oh my God” Buffy said. “That was amazing.”
Giles, who didn’t have control of his voice yet, only nodded and smiled before he bent his head again and gave her a soft kiss. He cleared his throat about to speak just as Greg’s voice drifted into the kitchen.
“I’ll go and see what’s taking them so long.” When he entered the kitchen he found Buffy facing the sink industriously scrubbing dishes and Giles getting cups from the cupboard for coffee.
“Still slaving away at the kitchen? Do you guys want some help?” Before either had the chance to respond Greg exclaimed. “Giles! Why is your shirt wet? Did Buffy decide to clean you up as well?”
Giles turned and bit back a grin as he saw Buffy staring at her wet gloves with a dawning and startled expression.
“Ha bloody ha. Just some water that went astray, nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about.” Giles then placed his cup on a tray and motioned for Greg to grab the kettle as he said to Buffy.
“Come on Buffy, leave the rest to soak, I’ll help you with them later.” Buffy turned with a flirtatious smile and told Giles “I’m counting on it” as she followed Greg towards the living room.
For a second all that Giles could do was watch her retreating back. He shook his head and smiled as he went to join the others in the living room.
*****
An hour later, Willowed yawned and sent Giles and Greg an apologetic smile. “Sorry guys, I had an early start this morning. I’m actually supposed to head over to Tara’s tonight, so if you don’t mind, I think I’ll head out.”
Greg, who had watched Buffy and Giles for the last hour, had to admit defeat. They both kept the lids tight on their emotions. They were getting nowhere. That meant he had a lot of work ahead of him before he left town. He had thought that some progress would be made after he pissed the Slayer off in the kitchen talking about Giles’ women, but when they returned, no real improvement had seemed to occur. Sure, there were enough sparks to set off an entire warehouse of fireworks, but that seemed like it.
He sighed and stood as Willow walked to the door with Buffy and Giles following behind.
“I suppose it’s about time for Rupert and I to go as well” Greg said when he saw Buffy unsuccessfully hide a yawn. “It has been a pleasure.” He kissed both Willow and Buffy goodbye as Giles called him a cab.
Willow grabbed their coats. As she opened the door the cab pulled up in front of the house.
Giles gave both Willow and Buffy a quick hug, regretfully keeping his embrace with Buffy short since the others were standing right next to them. There was so much he wanted to say, but this wasn’t an appropriate time.
Buffy smiled regretfully at him as Willow let them out. With a final look at Buffy, standing in the doorway, Giles walked Greg to his cab. He double checked to make sure the cab driver was human and relaxed when he saw a cross hanging from his rear view mirror.
“Good night guys, walk safely!” Buffy said pointedly to Giles and Willow who were headed off in opposite directions.
With a sigh she closed the door and moved to the couch to watch some television before she went to bed. She had hoped that somehow Giles could have stayed, but the opportunity hadn’t arisen. Oh well, she thought. I guess Letterman is the only man who’ll keep me company tonight.
In the cab, Greg was deep in thought, trying to figure out a way to help Giles and Buffy before he had to leave. It was clear that Giles was going to let his attraction slide. He thought Buffy was the one he needed to work on. An idea suddenly struck him, and he told the cab driver to return to the house.
As they approached he told the cab driver to wait and stepped out of the car. Just as he was about to cross the lawn he heard his name being called.
It was Willow.
“What are you doing here?” he said.
Willow chuckled. “Probably the same as you are. I’m going to talk Buffy into putting some moves on Giles. It’s exhausting to watch all these sparks. And sexual tension between them is driving me nuts. Giles is too stubborn to do anything, but Buffy’s brave, so I figured with a little probing she would eventually do something. If nothing else, I’m willing to resort to threats.”
Greg started laughing and admitted that was his sentiment exactly. Both turned and crossed the lawn towards the living room window just to make sure she was still up. What they saw through the window stopped them both.
Buffy tried to get into the spirit of Letterman, but her thoughts kept straying back to the incredible kiss in the kitchen. She jumped when she noticed a figure appear in the living room doorway.
“Giles! Where did you come from?” Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and it wasn’t because he had startled her.
On his way home Giles had been unable to stop thinking about Buffy. Rashly he decided to return.
He smiled at her, “The kitchen door. I figured you might be in there cleaning up. Instead I find you here slouched on the couch watching television. Shocking, simply shocking.”
Buffy smiled as she stood and breathlessly asked, “Why did you come back?”
With a slight blush he answered, “To help you finish the dishes.”
*****
Buffy laughed in relief and quickly crossed the room, only to be wrapped in Giles’ arms.
“Oh thank God! I so didn’t want to face the dishes alone,” she said lightly as she tightened her hold on him. Giles lifted his head that had been buried in her neck. She raised her head to look at him and said, “I didn’t want you to leave tonight.” One of his hands smoothed away her hair from her face and cupped her cheek.
“How can I stay away from you?” he whispered just before he covered her proffered lips with his own.
Outside, Willow and Greg stood slack-jawed as they saw Giles lean down and kiss Buffy.
“Huh?” Willow said. “Who would have guessed? I think we’ve both been duped, Greg.” Greg, momentarily rendered speechless, only nodded, oblivious to the fact that Willow was still watching the embrace between Watcher and Slayer in the living room.
Within a few moments the kiss that started out as a gentle merger of two sets of lips turned passionate. Giles dipped his tongue into Buffy’s mouth, and she eagerly reciprocated. Soon their hands were roaming. As the kiss grew in intensity, Buffy started tugging on Giles’ jacket. He quickly dropped it on a chair and returned his hands to her back. Both pressed closer. Giles slipped his hands underneath Buffy’s sweater and up her spine. He moaned when she pressed herself to his evident sign of desire.
“Wow, Buffy’s a lucky girl” Willow suddenly broke the silence. “I mean, uh, Giles looks like he can really kiss.” Greg was still not over the shock and merely nodded again. “We should probably leave huh?” Greg’s head bobbed up and down. Neither moved.
Buffy managed to remove Giles’ shirt from his pants, and then let her hands slip under his shirt to stroke his skin. At her touch Giles tore his mouth away from hers and took a deep breath. “Christ!” he exclaimed before he took possession of her lips again.
Buffy’s body felt like it was on fire, and she ached to feel all of his skin against hers. But, before she let this continue she needed to make one thing clear to him. She ended the erotic interplay of their mouths and tongues. Giles moved his kisses to her neck.
“Giles, I love you.”
Giles stopped abruptly and raised his head to look at her, eyes suddenly bright. He lifted a hand to stroke her cheek, and had to swallow before he was able to make any sort of reply. They were words he had wanted to say for a long time.
“And I love you, Buffy. So very much. You have become my life.”
Buffy smiled a brilliant smile and had to close her eyes to stop them from spilling. Giles just continued to stroke her cheek and held her close.
Outside, Willow and Greg, who finally seemed to be out of their stupor, shared a smile.
“Aw, they’re so cute,” Willow said as she looked back at the couple in question.
Buffy opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and decided her best response was to kiss Giles senseless. That he returned the gesture was an immense bonus. Once again passion flared and they both realised they had reached a point where they were committing to more than just kissing.
“Buffy, I need you,” Giles managed to say between one kiss and the next.
“Upstairs” she responded. She suited action to words and she started walking backwards while kissing him. A slight miscalculation made them hit the wall by the hallway. Giles pressed her back against the wall, then lifted Buffy up and coaxed her legs around his waist.
Willow and Greg remained fixed outside, but when Willow saw Buffy start unbuttoning Giles’ shirt and watched him tug on hers, she exclaimed breathlessly “Ok, I need to see my girlfriend!”
Greg looked at her, confused, ”Girlfriend?”
She smiled knowingly, “Yeah, sorry Greg, I play for the other team.”
“Damn”, he muttered playfully. They both moved to leave with a final glance through the window.
Willow frowned, “Were did they go?”
At that minute Giles’ shirt flew down the stairs, with Buffy’s following quickly behind it.
*****
Upstairs, Giles pressed Buffy against the wall by her bedroom door and ravaged her mouth. Even under his sensuous onslaught, Buffy had managed to divest Giles of his shirt, and she took the opportunity to explore him more fully. Giles responded with a moan when her hands brushed over his nipples and slid over his body.
He tightened his hold on her, stepped away from the wall, and carried her into the bedroom. He lowered them both on the bed and let his lips trail from her mouth down to her neck. His hand moved to her bare back and unclasped her bra, and he slowly ended the kiss as he lifted his torso slightly to remove the piece of clothing between them. She lay against the bed, golden hair spread around her, and smiled up at him.
“God, you’re beautiful, Buffy.” He said, stroking her cheek, down her neck, to cover her naked breast, making Buffy moan in satisfaction. He teased her nipple with his thumb until it hardened, causing Buffy to arch herself against his hardness. Just as he leaned down to cover one of her nipples with his mouth, he felt her tugging on him, and raised his head to look at her.
“Are you alright? Do you want to stop?” Suddenly struck with worry, he knew all she had to say was yes and he would withdraw, no matter how much he’d need a long cold shower to quench his desire. Her happiness was what meant the most to him. Buffy tried to calm her shaky breathing, but all she could do was shake her head no. She pulled him up so that his head was next to hers.
“Are you sure?” he asked again, searching her eyes. She smiled and nodded again, and then placed her palm on his cheek and lowered his head so she could kiss him softly on the lips.
“Everything is perfect. I just wanted to point out that something is totally wrong with this picture.” Giles’ brow furrowed, not at all sure what she was talking about. Buffy playfully grabbed a hold of his butt and smiled cheekily.
“Mr. Giles, we’re both slightly overdressed for this scenario.” Giles burst out laughing and gave her a sensuous kiss before he raised himself to straddle her lower thighs.
“Well, I can remedy that.” With a wicked grin he quickly unbuttoned her pants and then stood to pull all of the clothes remaining on her body off. He managed to divest himself of his pants and boxers as well.
“Giles!” Buffy started, and he paused looking at her golden beauty and inscrutable expression, wondering if he’d gone too fast, again.
Buffy’s solemn expression split into a grin, “Giles, if you ever put six inches between us again, it’d better be the six in front of me right now.”
The beautiful man in front of her started, then fell against her on the bed, laughing with pleasure and relief. Playfully he huffed at her and solemnly gestured proudly at his erection as he was introducing the queen of England. “I’ll have you know that THIS is at least six and a half.”
That caused a glorious laughter from her and he couldn’t help but laugh too, marvelling in the contentment of being with her. When their laughter had calmed down, and been substituted by deep kisses, Buffy ran her fingers down his face and whispered in his ear as he was lying beside her. “Please make love to me.”
“As my lady wishes,” Giles answered and leaned closer to her.
“You feel so good”, Buffy moaned when he covered her naked body with his. He was so warm and fiery, she felt consumed simply by his skin touching hers.
“So do you,” Giles whispered in her ear before he proceeded to kiss her throat and neck. He revelled in her moan as his lips covered one of her breasts. Buffy’s control slipped when she felt Giles’ hand reach down to stroke her centre. In moments she felt like she was lost as waves of pleasure washed over her. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed as she opened her eyes and found Giles stroking her quivering stomach while he looked at her with love in his eyes.
"Hi there beautiful", Giles said with a happy smile. Buffy couldn’t help but smile back and reached for him to kiss her again. He didn’t think twice about obliging and passion roared between them as lips and hands moved between them.
Buffy tore her mouth away from his and whispered, “Giles, please.”
He knew what she was asking for and moved between her legs. He took possession of her mouth again as he moved inside her, eager to feel as close to her in every possible way. Both gasped in each other’s mouths as Buffy’s hips rose to meet his thrusts. As their pleasure rose, Giles let go of her mouth and cradled her head in his hands, holding her eyes as they moved together. Buffy lifted her legs and wrapped them around him, burying him to the hilt inside her.
As he felt himself approaching an orgasm he lowered his mouth to hers again in a carnal kiss as he pressed her harder into the mattress. He felt her cry out into his mouth as her orgasm took her over, and his trembling body quickly followed as his release ripped through him.
As soon as Giles felt he was able to move he lifted his head from the crook of Buffy’s neck and tenderly brushed some hair off her face. Buffy’s eyelids fluttered open and she greeted him with a smile.
“Are you alright?” he asked as he continued to stroke her cheek.
“More than alright. I feel wonderful”, she said as she beamed at him.
“I feel pretty wonderful myself,” Giles grinned as he gave her a kiss. He moved so he was lying next to her and pulled her into his arms. Buffy snuggled closer, tangled her legs with his and placed a kiss on his chest. She luxuriated in the feel of his body to hers and his hand lazily stroking her back, when a thought struck her.
“I’m sorry Giles,” she said in a small voice, trying to bite back tears that threatened to spill.
“What? What do you mean?” he asked as he pushed her slightly away from his body so he could look into her eyes.
With a sad look she almost whispered in a regretful voice. “I am sorry for taking you away from your home and I am sorry I never realised how much you had to give up to come here.”
Giles smiled softly at her and then lifted his hand to remove an errant tear trailing down her cheek. “Nonsense. Buffy, look at all I have gained. Being here with you has made me the happiest man in the world.” Buffy gave him an ‘awwww aren’t you the cutest man alive’ look and pulled him close to give him a scorching kiss.
“God, I love you Giles,” she murmured close to his lips.
“And I love you Buffy “ he responded as he tugged her closer and pulled the blanket tightly around them.
The last thing that Buffy remembered before she succumbed to sleep was Giles’ fingers moving gently over her face and a softly placed kiss on her forehead.
THE END