24 Hours
Title: 24 Hours
Author: Froxyn
Rating: FRAO
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Timeline: Two years prior to the events in Downpour, the beginning of Giles’ downfall. Prequel to the A Way Back series.
Synopsis: Buffy comes by with questions, a downpour presents more.
Author’s Note: Special thanks to
fairygothmum, who always makes the time to look over my fic for me. Prequel 1/3.
Giles smiled as Buffy walked through the front door of his home. She closed the door and dropped her bag to the floor.
“Hey, Giles…” She said, walking into the living room.
“Buffy, hello. What brings you by?” He asked, standing up and pulling her into a hug.
“That…” She replied, smiling brightly at him as he looked down at her in confusion. “The hug. Nothing like a hug from my favourite Watcher.”
Giles chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Well, competition is quite fierce for that title, at the moment.”
“There’s only no competition because everyone knows there’d be no point in trying.” Buffy laughed. “You’ve always been mine.”
“This is true.” He agreed, gesturing towards the kitchen. “Tea?”
“Sure, thanks.” She followed him into the kitchen and jumped up to sit on the counter. “Are you busy today?”
He turned to look at her as he flipped the switch on the kettle. “Hm?”
“I mean, am I interrupting your day or anything?”
“No, not at all.” He paused and smiled at her. “But, you would’ve known that already. It’s Saturday.”
“Never know. I mean, yeah…Saturday is normally your ‘do nothing day’, but maybe things had changed.” She reached over and pulled an apple out of the fruit bowl.
“Like what?” He asked, glancing at her mouth briefly as she took a bite of the apple.
Buffy shrugged as she chewed and swallowed. “Rumour has it that you may have a lady friend…”
Giles laughed and turned around, pulling two mugs down from the cupboard. “So, you decided to come by to investigate?”
She took another bite of the apple and watched him. “Came by to ask if it was true.”
“Where the hell did you even hear that?” He asked, grinning at her.
“I went by the Council last night looking for you. Nothing big, just wanted to say hi. You’d already left, but Jacobs in Demonology mentioned that he had seen you at dinner the other night…”
“Ah, right. Yes, I was with Maeve…” He stated, pouring the boiling water into the mugs.
“Maeve?” Buffy asked, lowering the apple.
“Mm-hm…” He turned towards her as he nodded. “And her husband, Jack. They wanted to discuss their son’s progress in the Academy.”
“Oh…”
He looked at her quizzically. “That’s not what you wanted to hear?”
Buffy sighed heavily. “I don’t know…I just don’t like the thought of you being alone.”
“I’m not.” He smiled warmly at her and placed a mug of tea on the counter next to her. “But…what about you?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“When are you going to dive back into the pool?” He asked, taking a sip of his tea.
Buffy snorted and shook her head. “Yeah, not anytime soon.”
He regarded her carefully. “You have much to offer, Buffy.”
“Just not to the guys who want to see what I have to offer…” She replied softly, placing the half-eaten apple on the counter.
“Are you alright?” He asked, concern in his eyes.
“Yeah…” She slid off the counter and looked up at him. “Just kinda tired of guys who don’t understand Slayers…”
He thought he saw something flicker in her eyes before she quickly looked away. He watched her as she picked up her mug and took a drink. After a moment, he cleared his throat and placed his mug on the counter behind him.
“Is there anything I can do?”
Buffy opened her mouth and then closed it again, biting her lip as she quickly glanced at him. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. “No, but thank you.”
She walked past him and made her way to the living room. He ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled slowly. He tossed the rest of her apple into the bin and then walked into the living room. She was standing in front of the window, gazing into the back yard.
“Do you feel up to training a little?” She asked, sounding somewhat lighter.
He walked over and stood next to her, looking up at the sky. “Looks like it’s going to rain…”
To his surprise, she laughed.
“It’s England. Of course it’s going to rain.” She grinned as she looked up at him. “But we might be able to get a couple of rounds in before it starts…”
Giles returned her grin. “I’ll just go get changed.”
Buffy followed him with her eyes as he disappeared down the hall. Then she turned and made her way to the back door.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Nice, Buffy…” Giles said as she made her way through a particularly complex routine. “Your form is perfect.”
Buffy smiled and wiped the back of her hand across her brow. “Well, I have a good instructor.”
Giles chuckled and picked up a knife. “Ready?”
“Avoiding?”
He stared at her for a moment and then shook his head. “Avoiding would be best. I’d rather not end this session with a trip to the hospital.”
“No…” Buffy laughed. “You’re doing the avoiding thing. You know, where I give you a compliment and you just…avoid it.”
“Ah…fair enough.” His smile shone brightly in his eyes. “Thank you, Buffy.”
“You’re welcome. Now…throw a knife at me.”
Just as she knocked the knife from the air, the rain came in. They both looked up at the sky and then at each other. Buffy ran her fingers through her hair.
“I’m good to keep going if you are. Vampires don’t care if it’s raining.”
Giles nodded in agreement. “Hand to hand combat?”
“That’s pretty much the go-to for them…” Buffy responded, walking towards him. “You going to hold back on me?”
Giles grinned and shook his head. “Never have before. Why start now?”
Before she could say anything else, he threw a hard left hook which she sidestepped at the last second. As she blocked a second punch, the rain quickly picked up. Giles paused for a moment and gestured towards the sky.
“It’s a downpour. What do you want to do?” He asked, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the rain.
She wiped her hands on her jeans and raised an eyebrow. “Might as well keep going…if you’re okay?”
He ran his fingers through his drenched hair and nodded. “Let’s go, then. No holding back, Buffy.”
He had no sooner gotten the words out before she had started her attack. He sidestepped the right punch, but the second caught his right shoulder.
He took a step back to regroup and grinned at her. “Well done…”
Buffy studied the situation for a moment and then stepped forward, striking out with her right fist. Giles quickly dodged, his left foot slipping in a patch of mud. As he slipped, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down with him. He landed hard on his back, groaning as she landed on top of him.
He looked up at her and smiled. “Well, that’s not exactly what I intended…”
Without thinking, she ran her fingers through his hair to check for injuries. “Is your head okay?”
He nodded slowly, looking into her eyes. “It’s…fine…”
He noticed her eyes had darkened slightly. He felt her fingertips gently stroking his scalp. He watched her chest heave as she panted from the exertion of the sparring session. And when she leaned down towards him, he felt her warm breath on his skin. And then her lips touched his.
His mind raced, screaming at him to make her stop. Telling him in no uncertain terms that this was a very huge mistake…on numerous levels. And when she pulled back, he intended to do that very thing - to stop this before it went any further.
He looked into her eyes and his heart whispered two words. Kiss her.
Ignoring his mind, he licked his lips and placed his hand on the side of her neck. And then he pulled her back down, groaning as her tongue slipped in between his lips to stroke his. The kiss held an urgency to it that surprised her as much as it delighted her.
She shifted on top of him, knees on the ground on either side of his hips as they fought for control of the kiss. When she felt his fingers of his left hand move to the back of her head and his right hand grip her hip, she relinquished all control and allowed herself to take in the sensation of how powerfully passionate his kisses were. When his hold on her hip tightened, pulling her against his quickly emerging erection, she gently pulled back and gazed into his eyes. Eyes that were full of desire for her.
She licked her tingling lips and swallowed. “Maybe…maybe we should take this…inside?”
His slightly glazed eyes cleared somewhat, as if he suddenly remembered that they were outside…on the ground…drenched from the rain…and the downpour was continuing. He nodded slowly, glancing at her lips…then her chest…before returning his gaze to her eyes.
“That…would probably be best…” He agreed, loosening his grip on her hip.
He exhaled deeply as she carefully moved off of him and stood, extending her hand to help him up. He took her hand and stood, staring into her eyes as he pulled her back to him.
“Inside…” She whispered, leaning up to brush her lips across his again. She gently squeezed his hand before letting it go and taking a step away from him.
He watched her rush up the steps to the back porch and ran his fingers through his completely drenched hair. She turned to look at him and furrowed her brow.
“You coming?”
He nodded slowly. “Not yet…”
She grinned and brushed her wet hair back from her face, watching him as he made his way up onto the porch.
“Good thing you have hardwood floors…”
“Hm?” He murmured, allowing his gaze to drift down her body for moment.
“Easier to clean up wet floors…” She said as she backed through the door into the living room.
“Why are you rambling?” He asked, following her and closing the door behind him before kicking his shoes to the side and pulling his wet socks off.
“I…don’t know…”
He looked into her eyes and paused his forward movement. “If you’re having second thoughts about what went through your mind out there, now’s the time to say so…”
“What went through…” Her eyes widened. “How do you know what went through my mind?”
“Well…” He smiled as he pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor. “Your tongue was in my mouth and your hips were moving beautifully against me…”
As her skin flushed, he took another step towards her. “If I misinterpreted - ”
She shook her head quickly, removing her shoes and socks. “No. No, you didn’t misinterpret anything.”
He glanced at the muddy handprint on her neck and then down at his left hand, which he then rubbed against his wet thigh. “We’re, uh…muddy…”
“Are you having second thoughts?” She asked, her fingers popping the button free on her jeans.
He shook his head slowly, eyes following her fingers as they lowered the zipper. “Just…giving us the opportunity to take a minute…if you need it.”
She chuckled softly and pushed the wet jeans down her legs. “That is definitely not what I need.”
He took another step towards her as she tossed her jeans on top of her shoes. “Buffy…”
“Please don’t tell me you’re going to stop this here…” She whispered, suddenly feeling very uncertain about the situation.
He shook his head slowly and gently wiped the mud from her skin. “I’m not sure that I could stop…unless, that’s what you wanted.”
She placed her hand on his chest, fingers rubbing against his skin as she felt his heartrate quicken. “You got that I said ‘please don’t’, right? As in…please don’t stop…”
“I need you to be very sure, Buffy.” He glanced at her lips as his right hand moved to her hip. “Because I’m very close to taking you to bed now.”
“Giles…” She whispered, sliding her hands down his chest and over his abdomen.
“Hm?” He murmured, leaning down and gently dropping a kiss onto her lips.
“Please…take me to bed…” Her fingers toyed with the button of his jeans as she looked into his eyes.
He stared at her for a moment and then took a step forward, gently pushing her against the nearest wall. He lifted her easily, sighing heavily as she wrapped her legs around his hips. His fingers curled in the hem of her shirt, quickly pulling it up and off. He licked his lips, dropping the shirt to the floor.
He rocked his hips against her, smiling as she groaned at the contact. She leaned forward, placing warm kisses along his collarbone as the fingers of her left hand lovingly stroked his nipple. He inhaled sharply, fingers deftly unclasping the closure of her bra.
Buffy lifted her head, trembling as he removed her bra and dropped it to the floor as well. “You gonna take me here, Giles?”
He glanced down at her breasts and swallowed, his fingers slipping into the waistband of her light purple underwear. “Considering it…”
He rocked harder against her and she gripped his shoulders as she closed her eyes. “Fuck, Giles…”
His lips ghosted across her neck, his tongue teasing her skin, before whispering huskily in her ear. “Is that what you want, Buffy? Do you want me to fuck you? Here…right now?”
“Yes…” She whispered her reply, moving her right hand between them in search of the button of his jeans. “Yes, I do…”
He paused his movement, exhaling deeply as she popped the button free and then rubbed his hardened flesh through the denim. She licked her lips as she gazed into his eyes.
“Your jeans are soaked, that can’t be comfortable.”
He grinned and stroked the soft cotton covering her core. “You’re somewhat soaked as well…”
“Mm-hm…” She murmured, sighing as she heard him lower his zipper.
She wrapped her arms around his neck as he shifted, pushing his jeans and boxers down over his hips releasing his thick erection. He leaned forward and kissed her lips before slipping his tongue into her mouth briefly. His fingers pushed the cotton to the side, exposing her entrance to him. He pulled from the kiss as he shifted again, the head of his cock nudging against her.
“Look at me, Buffy…” He said, placing his right hand on the wall by her side. He glanced down as her breasts brushed against his chest, his left hand circled around the base of his erection. He raised his eyes, inhaling sharply as he met her gaze.
She stared into his eyes, darkened with desire, and lightly scratched her nails across the back of his neck. “Now, Giles…”
He gave her a brief nod and then pushed forward, slowly entering her. He held still for a moment, completely embedded within her, and gazed into her eyes. He watched them darken and smiled.
“Okay?” He asked, moving his right hand underneath her hip to give her more support.
“Yeah…oh, fuck yeah…”
He moved against her with slow, shallow thrusts as his lips found her neck. He kissed his way up, along her jaw, to her ear. His voice was thick as he whispered to her.
“How do you want this, Buffy?”
Her legs tightened around his waist, her fingers clung to his shoulder blades. “Make me come. Come with me. Just…God, Giles, just fuck me…”
He paused for a moment and leaned back, looking into her glazed eyes with slight amusement.
She breathed heavily and licked her lips. “What?”
He shook his head gently and chuckled. “I’ve just…I’ve never been called ‘Giles’ during sex. It’s…different.”
“I can call you Rupert, if you want.” She grinned, rotating her hips against him…urging him to move.
“No…” He licked his lips and thrust into her again. “It’s uniquely you…and I like it quite a lot.”
“Please…Giles…” She groaned, flexing her fingers against his skin and allowing her head to fall back against the wall.
He understood exactly what she needed. He felt it too. The urgency, the need, the raw desire to push each other over the edge. Come fast, come hard…there’d be time for so much more later. Right now, this is what was needed.
And so he smiled, before latching his mouth onto her throat, and allowed himself to give them both what they needed. Long, hard strokes interspersed with shallow thrusts that made her gasp and dig her nails into his skin. His hands holding her hips, fingers threatening to bruise her skin as he fucked her. He felt her moan rumble under his lips and tongue moments before he heard it. He felt her heat intensifying, her inner walls quivering around him. And he pressed further, harder…coaxing her to release.
When her quivers turned into ripples and her moans became louder, he gave her neck one last nip and pulled back to look at her. He increased his pace, changed his angle slightly…and grinned as her nails broke the skin on his shoulders.
“Buffy…look at me…” He licked his lips and lifted his left hand to the side of her face. “Open your eyes, love…”
She forced her eyes open and stared at him, her eyes glazed with passion. “Giles…”
He nodded slowly, running his thumb over her bottom lip. “That’s it…come with me, Buffy…”
Just before her orgasm crashed over her, he saw it…the flicker in her eyes that told him that this was more than just sex. That it meant as much to her as it did to him. That’s what he wanted…needed…to see.
She screamed his name as she came, he lasted two more thrusts before he flooded her inner walls and leaned forward heavily…pinning her against the wall as he trembled in her embrace.
“Fuck me…” He whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
She chuckled softly and gently ran her fingers through his hair. “Well, that’s a first…”
“Hm?” He murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder before lifting his head to look into her eyes. “You’ve never…well, against a wall?”
She shook her head slowly, sighing heavily as he gently slipped from her and carefully lowered her to stand in front of him. “It’s been tried a couple of times, but…couldn’t ever get the rhythm right…”
He grinned as he pulled his boxers and jeans back up, but not bothering to refasten them. He glanced at her chest as his hands moved to gently caress her breasts.
“Can you stay tonight?” He asked, returning his gaze back to her eyes.
“You want me to?” She asked, running her fingers across his chest.
“Mm-hm…” He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. “Fairly certain we’re not finished…”
“So…round one was a tension breaker?” She grinned, sliding her arms around his neck.
He nodded slowly. “Something like that.”
“Do I still have some clothes here?” She asked, glancing at the pile of wet clothes on the floor.
“You do…in your room.” He replied, knowing that she would’ve known the answer to that question. There was always at least three changes of clothes in the room that was always deemed hers in any house he had lived in following the implosion of Sunnydale.
“Am I staying in my room tonight?”
He shook his head, sliding his hands back to her hips. “Not unless you want to.”
“We…need to clean up, get some dry clothes, and…eat.”
He laughed softly as he nodded in agreement. “Hungry, love?”
“Fucking starving…”
His eyes darkened slightly. “Such language.”
She grinned and leaned up, brushing her lips across his. “You love it.”
“That I do.” He whispered before taking a step back and glancing down the hallway. “Go…before we have a repeat here…”
“Would that be a bad thing?” She asked teasingly.
“Go…” He replied with a wink.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
They had both cleaned up and changed relatively quickly. Then they had hastily put together a meal to share - chicken, pasta, a lovely cream sauce that had impressed Buffy, a bottle of wine to wash it all down. They had barely cleared the table before Giles had pulled Buffy back into his arms, kissing her deeply as he backed her down the hall towards his bedroom.
There, he had teasingly undressed her as she did the same for him…and then they had made love. An act that was in distinct contrast to what they had shared earlier in the living room. He had taken his time with her, he had tasted her…she had taken him into her mouth, nearly bringing him to orgasm before he begged her to stop. When he had calmed down, she had smiled up at him…and begged him to let her continue. He had pulled her up his body, kissing her deeply before softly whispering his permission. Minutes later, he cried out her name, his fingers threaded through her hair as she swallowed all he gave her.
And then they had rested. Falling asleep in each other’s arms. She had awoken first, a mere three hours later, and lovingly brought him out of sleep with tender kisses to his neck and chest. He had smiled brightly as she rolled him onto his back, following him over and supporting herself with her hands on his chest as she took his erection into her for a third time. They gazed into each other’s eyes as she made love to him, his hands moving from her hips to her breasts and then back down.
He had nearly told her his true feelings for her. That he loved her, that he had loved her for years…since before she died. The second time, not the first. He had nearly told her how much he wanted her to stay with him, in this house…in this bedroom.
But he didn’t. There would be time for that later. He did, however, pour all of his love into their kiss that they shared as they came together…hoping that would be enough for now. The words wouldn’t come, not yet. Instead, he had whispered how amazing she was and how lovely she looked above him, below him.
And she had smiled and replied in kind, telling him how no one had ever made her feel the things that he had. That was the closest she had come to telling him how much she truly loved him - how upset she would have been if Jacobs in Demonology had been correct in his rumour of Giles having a lady friend. She had kissed him over and over, hands roaming over his body…memorising everything about him.
Now the sun was up. He was cradled between her thighs, gently thrusting within her…smiling down at her as she lifted her arms above her head and wrapped her fingers around the spindles in the headboard. At that moment, with the sun casting a warm glow within the room, he was sure that he had never seen anyone…anything…look so beautiful as she.
Her eyes closed in pleasure, fingers tightening around the spindles. He glanced at her hands, wondering if she would actually break them…and realising that he wouldn’t care if she did. Furniture could be replaced. He lowered his head, his mouth finding her nipple…and she screamed his name. He lifted his eyes as he held her nipple gently between his teeth, his tongue laving the sensitive flesh. He watched her fingernails dig into the wood of the headboard…he watched her come apart beneath him…he watched everything.
After all, he was her Watcher.
He rode out her orgasm, groaning against her skin as her right hand found the back of his head.
“Giles…”
“Mm?” He murmured, kissing his way across her chest.
“Kiss me.”
He lifted his head and met her gaze. “I am…”
She grinned lazily, eyes glazed with passion. His heart lurched as he recognised the look of a thoroughly fucked lover wanting more. Needing more.
He pushed himself up, capturing her lips with his…moaning into her mouth as her hands slid across his sweat-drenched back and her hips bucked up against him. She sucked his tongue eagerly as he increased his thrusts, placing his left hand on the headboard for leverage.
He felt her orgasm building quickly and broke from the kiss, pulling back slightly to watch her.
“Fuck, yes…come for me, Buffy…” He whispered urgently. “I’m close, love…so fucking close…”
And this time, when she screamed his name…her nails clawing at his back, his chest…her ankles locked at the small of his back…he screamed hers in return, coming deeply within her as she shuddered violently beneath him.
He collapsed at her side, panting heavily, groaning quietly as his softening cock slipped from her. He rolled onto his side, quickly gathering her into his arms and kissed her.
“Buffy…” He whispered, brushing her damp hair back from her face.
She smiled, her fingers slipping through the hair above his ear. “That was…fucking amazing. You are amazing, Giles…”
“With you, yes.” He replied softly, closing his eyes as he fought to get his breathing under control. “Buffy?”
“Yeah?” She whispered, snuggling up against him and pressing a soft kiss to his chest.
His intention was to tell her that he loved her, that he was in love with her. To open his eyes, look into hers and open his heart completely to her. Instead, he yawned…and she chuckled adorably.
“Sleep, Giles. We can talk later.”
He mumbled something that she couldn’t understand and she smiled, placing a soft kiss on his chin as he drifted into sleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She walked into the bedroom, freshly showered and dressed, and smiled at the sight before her. Giles on his stomach, his arms curled under the pillow, sleeping soundly…one leg out from under the covers, the sheet resting at his waist, the scratch marks from her nails showing proudly on the skin of his back.
She knelt next to the bed and softly kissed his shoulder. “Giles?”
“Hm?” He murmured sleepily, not opening his eyes.
“I need to go to the shops. You’re out of strawberry jam and some other things…”
He shifted slightly, pulling his right arm out from under the pillow and gesturing towards the bedside table. “Wallet is there, somewhere…take what you need…”
She glanced at the bedside table and smiled. The well-worn black leather wallet that she had bought him for his birthday years earlier.
“Do you need anything?” She asked, reaching out and gently stroking his hair.
“Come back to bed.”
“From the shops.” She chuckled. “Do you need anything from the shops?”
He shook his head slowly and opened his eyes. “Can’t think of anything. Be careful?”
“I’ll be back later, okay?” She leaned over and pressed a tender kiss to his lips.
“Mm-hm.” He gently stroked her cheek with his fingers and sighed. “You really are quite lovely.”
“So are you.” She whispered, giving him another kiss before standing up and walking towards the door.
She paused at the door and turned back to look at him again. Her smile faded somewhat, but she wasn’t sure why. She whispered a soft ‘goodbye’ and left.
* * *
He had just gotten out of the shower, rubbing at a bite mark on his chest as he walked into the bedroom, a towel around his waist. He felt refreshed, renewed, re-energised. He glanced at the window and smiled.
“Beautiful day…” He said to himself, making his way to the closet for clothes.
He had just selected his attire for the day when the phone rang. He glanced at his watch…Buffy had been gone for about an hour. Depending on which shops she had gone to, she should be back at anytime.
He picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Giles…”
“Buffy. Was just thinking about you. Are you on your way home?” He asked, sitting down on the bed as he smiled brightly.
“Um…no. No, I need…I should…I should…go…”
His smile faded quickly as he shifted the phone to his other ear. “I’m sorry?”
“I need to go, Giles.” She replied softly.
He was almost sure he could hear tears in her words. “What? Why? What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I just…I can’t…” She sniffled.
“Buffy…just come home, we can talk about whatever - ”
“I’ll call you when I get home, okay. I…have to go now…” She paused for just a moment. “I’m really sorry, Giles. I…goodbye.”
And then the call was disconnected.
Giles stared at nothing, eyes glistening.
“But…I love you…” He whispered to the empty room, the empty house…and dropped the phone to the floor.
* * *
Buffy’s sobs overtook her as soon as she ended the call. She couldn’t explain to him the reason why she had to go. How was she supposed to tell him that she was leaving because she loved him…and that she was terrified about what that meant for her…for him…for them?
She’d try to explain when she got home, when she’d had time to think through her words, her thoughts. But, right now just wasn’t the time - nothing would come out right if she tried now.
So she sat there in her car, in a random parking lot, and sobbed…until there were no more tears. Until her throat was raw and her head pounded. And then she took a deep breath and started the car.
And drove home. Her home.
She didn’t remember the drive, but had thought about what she’d say to Giles when she called him back. He’d understand. He was Giles, her Giles…he’d always understand.
* * *
Giles shook his head as he ended the call. The call had ended…badly.
She was certain that he’d understand why she had left…that’s what she’d said.
“You understand…right, Giles?”
“No, no I really don’t fucking understand why you’re there and not here.”
His hurt had given way to anger…his pain pushing love to the side. And then he’d said that he couldn’t talk, wouldn’t talk…not now.
And he’d hung up the phone without so much a goodbye.
He glanced at the bottle of scotch resting on top of his liquor cabinet and took a deep breath.
“I should probably change the sheets first.” He said to himself, standing up. He looked back at the bottle and shook his head. “Fuck it…”
Scotch…then sheets…then…forgetting the past 24 hours.
He could cope with this.
He could. It was only 24 hours…he’d coped with more in the past.
~ End
This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/347895.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)
Author: Froxyn
Rating: FRAO
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Timeline: Two years prior to the events in Downpour, the beginning of Giles’ downfall. Prequel to the A Way Back series.
Synopsis: Buffy comes by with questions, a downpour presents more.
Author’s Note: Special thanks to
fairygothmum, who always makes the time to look over my fic for me. Prequel 1/3.
Giles smiled as Buffy walked through the front door of his home. She closed the door and dropped her bag to the floor.
“Hey, Giles…” She said, walking into the living room.
“Buffy, hello. What brings you by?” He asked, standing up and pulling her into a hug.
“That…” She replied, smiling brightly at him as he looked down at her in confusion. “The hug. Nothing like a hug from my favourite Watcher.”
Giles chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Well, competition is quite fierce for that title, at the moment.”
“There’s only no competition because everyone knows there’d be no point in trying.” Buffy laughed. “You’ve always been mine.”
“This is true.” He agreed, gesturing towards the kitchen. “Tea?”
“Sure, thanks.” She followed him into the kitchen and jumped up to sit on the counter. “Are you busy today?”
He turned to look at her as he flipped the switch on the kettle. “Hm?”
“I mean, am I interrupting your day or anything?”
“No, not at all.” He paused and smiled at her. “But, you would’ve known that already. It’s Saturday.”
“Never know. I mean, yeah…Saturday is normally your ‘do nothing day’, but maybe things had changed.” She reached over and pulled an apple out of the fruit bowl.
“Like what?” He asked, glancing at her mouth briefly as she took a bite of the apple.
Buffy shrugged as she chewed and swallowed. “Rumour has it that you may have a lady friend…”
Giles laughed and turned around, pulling two mugs down from the cupboard. “So, you decided to come by to investigate?”
She took another bite of the apple and watched him. “Came by to ask if it was true.”
“Where the hell did you even hear that?” He asked, grinning at her.
“I went by the Council last night looking for you. Nothing big, just wanted to say hi. You’d already left, but Jacobs in Demonology mentioned that he had seen you at dinner the other night…”
“Ah, right. Yes, I was with Maeve…” He stated, pouring the boiling water into the mugs.
“Maeve?” Buffy asked, lowering the apple.
“Mm-hm…” He turned towards her as he nodded. “And her husband, Jack. They wanted to discuss their son’s progress in the Academy.”
“Oh…”
He looked at her quizzically. “That’s not what you wanted to hear?”
Buffy sighed heavily. “I don’t know…I just don’t like the thought of you being alone.”
“I’m not.” He smiled warmly at her and placed a mug of tea on the counter next to her. “But…what about you?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“When are you going to dive back into the pool?” He asked, taking a sip of his tea.
Buffy snorted and shook her head. “Yeah, not anytime soon.”
He regarded her carefully. “You have much to offer, Buffy.”
“Just not to the guys who want to see what I have to offer…” She replied softly, placing the half-eaten apple on the counter.
“Are you alright?” He asked, concern in his eyes.
“Yeah…” She slid off the counter and looked up at him. “Just kinda tired of guys who don’t understand Slayers…”
He thought he saw something flicker in her eyes before she quickly looked away. He watched her as she picked up her mug and took a drink. After a moment, he cleared his throat and placed his mug on the counter behind him.
“Is there anything I can do?”
Buffy opened her mouth and then closed it again, biting her lip as she quickly glanced at him. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. “No, but thank you.”
She walked past him and made her way to the living room. He ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled slowly. He tossed the rest of her apple into the bin and then walked into the living room. She was standing in front of the window, gazing into the back yard.
“Do you feel up to training a little?” She asked, sounding somewhat lighter.
He walked over and stood next to her, looking up at the sky. “Looks like it’s going to rain…”
To his surprise, she laughed.
“It’s England. Of course it’s going to rain.” She grinned as she looked up at him. “But we might be able to get a couple of rounds in before it starts…”
Giles returned her grin. “I’ll just go get changed.”
Buffy followed him with her eyes as he disappeared down the hall. Then she turned and made her way to the back door.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Nice, Buffy…” Giles said as she made her way through a particularly complex routine. “Your form is perfect.”
Buffy smiled and wiped the back of her hand across her brow. “Well, I have a good instructor.”
Giles chuckled and picked up a knife. “Ready?”
“Avoiding?”
He stared at her for a moment and then shook his head. “Avoiding would be best. I’d rather not end this session with a trip to the hospital.”
“No…” Buffy laughed. “You’re doing the avoiding thing. You know, where I give you a compliment and you just…avoid it.”
“Ah…fair enough.” His smile shone brightly in his eyes. “Thank you, Buffy.”
“You’re welcome. Now…throw a knife at me.”
Just as she knocked the knife from the air, the rain came in. They both looked up at the sky and then at each other. Buffy ran her fingers through her hair.
“I’m good to keep going if you are. Vampires don’t care if it’s raining.”
Giles nodded in agreement. “Hand to hand combat?”
“That’s pretty much the go-to for them…” Buffy responded, walking towards him. “You going to hold back on me?”
Giles grinned and shook his head. “Never have before. Why start now?”
Before she could say anything else, he threw a hard left hook which she sidestepped at the last second. As she blocked a second punch, the rain quickly picked up. Giles paused for a moment and gestured towards the sky.
“It’s a downpour. What do you want to do?” He asked, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the rain.
She wiped her hands on her jeans and raised an eyebrow. “Might as well keep going…if you’re okay?”
He ran his fingers through his drenched hair and nodded. “Let’s go, then. No holding back, Buffy.”
He had no sooner gotten the words out before she had started her attack. He sidestepped the right punch, but the second caught his right shoulder.
He took a step back to regroup and grinned at her. “Well done…”
Buffy studied the situation for a moment and then stepped forward, striking out with her right fist. Giles quickly dodged, his left foot slipping in a patch of mud. As he slipped, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down with him. He landed hard on his back, groaning as she landed on top of him.
He looked up at her and smiled. “Well, that’s not exactly what I intended…”
Without thinking, she ran her fingers through his hair to check for injuries. “Is your head okay?”
He nodded slowly, looking into her eyes. “It’s…fine…”
He noticed her eyes had darkened slightly. He felt her fingertips gently stroking his scalp. He watched her chest heave as she panted from the exertion of the sparring session. And when she leaned down towards him, he felt her warm breath on his skin. And then her lips touched his.
His mind raced, screaming at him to make her stop. Telling him in no uncertain terms that this was a very huge mistake…on numerous levels. And when she pulled back, he intended to do that very thing - to stop this before it went any further.
He looked into her eyes and his heart whispered two words. Kiss her.
Ignoring his mind, he licked his lips and placed his hand on the side of her neck. And then he pulled her back down, groaning as her tongue slipped in between his lips to stroke his. The kiss held an urgency to it that surprised her as much as it delighted her.
She shifted on top of him, knees on the ground on either side of his hips as they fought for control of the kiss. When she felt his fingers of his left hand move to the back of her head and his right hand grip her hip, she relinquished all control and allowed herself to take in the sensation of how powerfully passionate his kisses were. When his hold on her hip tightened, pulling her against his quickly emerging erection, she gently pulled back and gazed into his eyes. Eyes that were full of desire for her.
She licked her tingling lips and swallowed. “Maybe…maybe we should take this…inside?”
His slightly glazed eyes cleared somewhat, as if he suddenly remembered that they were outside…on the ground…drenched from the rain…and the downpour was continuing. He nodded slowly, glancing at her lips…then her chest…before returning his gaze to her eyes.
“That…would probably be best…” He agreed, loosening his grip on her hip.
He exhaled deeply as she carefully moved off of him and stood, extending her hand to help him up. He took her hand and stood, staring into her eyes as he pulled her back to him.
“Inside…” She whispered, leaning up to brush her lips across his again. She gently squeezed his hand before letting it go and taking a step away from him.
He watched her rush up the steps to the back porch and ran his fingers through his completely drenched hair. She turned to look at him and furrowed her brow.
“You coming?”
He nodded slowly. “Not yet…”
She grinned and brushed her wet hair back from her face, watching him as he made his way up onto the porch.
“Good thing you have hardwood floors…”
“Hm?” He murmured, allowing his gaze to drift down her body for moment.
“Easier to clean up wet floors…” She said as she backed through the door into the living room.
“Why are you rambling?” He asked, following her and closing the door behind him before kicking his shoes to the side and pulling his wet socks off.
“I…don’t know…”
He looked into her eyes and paused his forward movement. “If you’re having second thoughts about what went through your mind out there, now’s the time to say so…”
“What went through…” Her eyes widened. “How do you know what went through my mind?”
“Well…” He smiled as he pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor. “Your tongue was in my mouth and your hips were moving beautifully against me…”
As her skin flushed, he took another step towards her. “If I misinterpreted - ”
She shook her head quickly, removing her shoes and socks. “No. No, you didn’t misinterpret anything.”
He glanced at the muddy handprint on her neck and then down at his left hand, which he then rubbed against his wet thigh. “We’re, uh…muddy…”
“Are you having second thoughts?” She asked, her fingers popping the button free on her jeans.
He shook his head slowly, eyes following her fingers as they lowered the zipper. “Just…giving us the opportunity to take a minute…if you need it.”
She chuckled softly and pushed the wet jeans down her legs. “That is definitely not what I need.”
He took another step towards her as she tossed her jeans on top of her shoes. “Buffy…”
“Please don’t tell me you’re going to stop this here…” She whispered, suddenly feeling very uncertain about the situation.
He shook his head slowly and gently wiped the mud from her skin. “I’m not sure that I could stop…unless, that’s what you wanted.”
She placed her hand on his chest, fingers rubbing against his skin as she felt his heartrate quicken. “You got that I said ‘please don’t’, right? As in…please don’t stop…”
“I need you to be very sure, Buffy.” He glanced at her lips as his right hand moved to her hip. “Because I’m very close to taking you to bed now.”
“Giles…” She whispered, sliding her hands down his chest and over his abdomen.
“Hm?” He murmured, leaning down and gently dropping a kiss onto her lips.
“Please…take me to bed…” Her fingers toyed with the button of his jeans as she looked into his eyes.
He stared at her for a moment and then took a step forward, gently pushing her against the nearest wall. He lifted her easily, sighing heavily as she wrapped her legs around his hips. His fingers curled in the hem of her shirt, quickly pulling it up and off. He licked his lips, dropping the shirt to the floor.
He rocked his hips against her, smiling as she groaned at the contact. She leaned forward, placing warm kisses along his collarbone as the fingers of her left hand lovingly stroked his nipple. He inhaled sharply, fingers deftly unclasping the closure of her bra.
Buffy lifted her head, trembling as he removed her bra and dropped it to the floor as well. “You gonna take me here, Giles?”
He glanced down at her breasts and swallowed, his fingers slipping into the waistband of her light purple underwear. “Considering it…”
He rocked harder against her and she gripped his shoulders as she closed her eyes. “Fuck, Giles…”
His lips ghosted across her neck, his tongue teasing her skin, before whispering huskily in her ear. “Is that what you want, Buffy? Do you want me to fuck you? Here…right now?”
“Yes…” She whispered her reply, moving her right hand between them in search of the button of his jeans. “Yes, I do…”
He paused his movement, exhaling deeply as she popped the button free and then rubbed his hardened flesh through the denim. She licked her lips as she gazed into his eyes.
“Your jeans are soaked, that can’t be comfortable.”
He grinned and stroked the soft cotton covering her core. “You’re somewhat soaked as well…”
“Mm-hm…” She murmured, sighing as she heard him lower his zipper.
She wrapped her arms around his neck as he shifted, pushing his jeans and boxers down over his hips releasing his thick erection. He leaned forward and kissed her lips before slipping his tongue into her mouth briefly. His fingers pushed the cotton to the side, exposing her entrance to him. He pulled from the kiss as he shifted again, the head of his cock nudging against her.
“Look at me, Buffy…” He said, placing his right hand on the wall by her side. He glanced down as her breasts brushed against his chest, his left hand circled around the base of his erection. He raised his eyes, inhaling sharply as he met her gaze.
She stared into his eyes, darkened with desire, and lightly scratched her nails across the back of his neck. “Now, Giles…”
He gave her a brief nod and then pushed forward, slowly entering her. He held still for a moment, completely embedded within her, and gazed into her eyes. He watched them darken and smiled.
“Okay?” He asked, moving his right hand underneath her hip to give her more support.
“Yeah…oh, fuck yeah…”
He moved against her with slow, shallow thrusts as his lips found her neck. He kissed his way up, along her jaw, to her ear. His voice was thick as he whispered to her.
“How do you want this, Buffy?”
Her legs tightened around his waist, her fingers clung to his shoulder blades. “Make me come. Come with me. Just…God, Giles, just fuck me…”
He paused for a moment and leaned back, looking into her glazed eyes with slight amusement.
She breathed heavily and licked her lips. “What?”
He shook his head gently and chuckled. “I’ve just…I’ve never been called ‘Giles’ during sex. It’s…different.”
“I can call you Rupert, if you want.” She grinned, rotating her hips against him…urging him to move.
“No…” He licked his lips and thrust into her again. “It’s uniquely you…and I like it quite a lot.”
“Please…Giles…” She groaned, flexing her fingers against his skin and allowing her head to fall back against the wall.
He understood exactly what she needed. He felt it too. The urgency, the need, the raw desire to push each other over the edge. Come fast, come hard…there’d be time for so much more later. Right now, this is what was needed.
And so he smiled, before latching his mouth onto her throat, and allowed himself to give them both what they needed. Long, hard strokes interspersed with shallow thrusts that made her gasp and dig her nails into his skin. His hands holding her hips, fingers threatening to bruise her skin as he fucked her. He felt her moan rumble under his lips and tongue moments before he heard it. He felt her heat intensifying, her inner walls quivering around him. And he pressed further, harder…coaxing her to release.
When her quivers turned into ripples and her moans became louder, he gave her neck one last nip and pulled back to look at her. He increased his pace, changed his angle slightly…and grinned as her nails broke the skin on his shoulders.
“Buffy…look at me…” He licked his lips and lifted his left hand to the side of her face. “Open your eyes, love…”
She forced her eyes open and stared at him, her eyes glazed with passion. “Giles…”
He nodded slowly, running his thumb over her bottom lip. “That’s it…come with me, Buffy…”
Just before her orgasm crashed over her, he saw it…the flicker in her eyes that told him that this was more than just sex. That it meant as much to her as it did to him. That’s what he wanted…needed…to see.
She screamed his name as she came, he lasted two more thrusts before he flooded her inner walls and leaned forward heavily…pinning her against the wall as he trembled in her embrace.
“Fuck me…” He whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
She chuckled softly and gently ran her fingers through his hair. “Well, that’s a first…”
“Hm?” He murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder before lifting his head to look into her eyes. “You’ve never…well, against a wall?”
She shook her head slowly, sighing heavily as he gently slipped from her and carefully lowered her to stand in front of him. “It’s been tried a couple of times, but…couldn’t ever get the rhythm right…”
He grinned as he pulled his boxers and jeans back up, but not bothering to refasten them. He glanced at her chest as his hands moved to gently caress her breasts.
“Can you stay tonight?” He asked, returning his gaze back to her eyes.
“You want me to?” She asked, running her fingers across his chest.
“Mm-hm…” He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. “Fairly certain we’re not finished…”
“So…round one was a tension breaker?” She grinned, sliding her arms around his neck.
He nodded slowly. “Something like that.”
“Do I still have some clothes here?” She asked, glancing at the pile of wet clothes on the floor.
“You do…in your room.” He replied, knowing that she would’ve known the answer to that question. There was always at least three changes of clothes in the room that was always deemed hers in any house he had lived in following the implosion of Sunnydale.
“Am I staying in my room tonight?”
He shook his head, sliding his hands back to her hips. “Not unless you want to.”
“We…need to clean up, get some dry clothes, and…eat.”
He laughed softly as he nodded in agreement. “Hungry, love?”
“Fucking starving…”
His eyes darkened slightly. “Such language.”
She grinned and leaned up, brushing her lips across his. “You love it.”
“That I do.” He whispered before taking a step back and glancing down the hallway. “Go…before we have a repeat here…”
“Would that be a bad thing?” She asked teasingly.
“Go…” He replied with a wink.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
They had both cleaned up and changed relatively quickly. Then they had hastily put together a meal to share - chicken, pasta, a lovely cream sauce that had impressed Buffy, a bottle of wine to wash it all down. They had barely cleared the table before Giles had pulled Buffy back into his arms, kissing her deeply as he backed her down the hall towards his bedroom.
There, he had teasingly undressed her as she did the same for him…and then they had made love. An act that was in distinct contrast to what they had shared earlier in the living room. He had taken his time with her, he had tasted her…she had taken him into her mouth, nearly bringing him to orgasm before he begged her to stop. When he had calmed down, she had smiled up at him…and begged him to let her continue. He had pulled her up his body, kissing her deeply before softly whispering his permission. Minutes later, he cried out her name, his fingers threaded through her hair as she swallowed all he gave her.
And then they had rested. Falling asleep in each other’s arms. She had awoken first, a mere three hours later, and lovingly brought him out of sleep with tender kisses to his neck and chest. He had smiled brightly as she rolled him onto his back, following him over and supporting herself with her hands on his chest as she took his erection into her for a third time. They gazed into each other’s eyes as she made love to him, his hands moving from her hips to her breasts and then back down.
He had nearly told her his true feelings for her. That he loved her, that he had loved her for years…since before she died. The second time, not the first. He had nearly told her how much he wanted her to stay with him, in this house…in this bedroom.
But he didn’t. There would be time for that later. He did, however, pour all of his love into their kiss that they shared as they came together…hoping that would be enough for now. The words wouldn’t come, not yet. Instead, he had whispered how amazing she was and how lovely she looked above him, below him.
And she had smiled and replied in kind, telling him how no one had ever made her feel the things that he had. That was the closest she had come to telling him how much she truly loved him - how upset she would have been if Jacobs in Demonology had been correct in his rumour of Giles having a lady friend. She had kissed him over and over, hands roaming over his body…memorising everything about him.
Now the sun was up. He was cradled between her thighs, gently thrusting within her…smiling down at her as she lifted her arms above her head and wrapped her fingers around the spindles in the headboard. At that moment, with the sun casting a warm glow within the room, he was sure that he had never seen anyone…anything…look so beautiful as she.
Her eyes closed in pleasure, fingers tightening around the spindles. He glanced at her hands, wondering if she would actually break them…and realising that he wouldn’t care if she did. Furniture could be replaced. He lowered his head, his mouth finding her nipple…and she screamed his name. He lifted his eyes as he held her nipple gently between his teeth, his tongue laving the sensitive flesh. He watched her fingernails dig into the wood of the headboard…he watched her come apart beneath him…he watched everything.
After all, he was her Watcher.
He rode out her orgasm, groaning against her skin as her right hand found the back of his head.
“Giles…”
“Mm?” He murmured, kissing his way across her chest.
“Kiss me.”
He lifted his head and met her gaze. “I am…”
She grinned lazily, eyes glazed with passion. His heart lurched as he recognised the look of a thoroughly fucked lover wanting more. Needing more.
He pushed himself up, capturing her lips with his…moaning into her mouth as her hands slid across his sweat-drenched back and her hips bucked up against him. She sucked his tongue eagerly as he increased his thrusts, placing his left hand on the headboard for leverage.
He felt her orgasm building quickly and broke from the kiss, pulling back slightly to watch her.
“Fuck, yes…come for me, Buffy…” He whispered urgently. “I’m close, love…so fucking close…”
And this time, when she screamed his name…her nails clawing at his back, his chest…her ankles locked at the small of his back…he screamed hers in return, coming deeply within her as she shuddered violently beneath him.
He collapsed at her side, panting heavily, groaning quietly as his softening cock slipped from her. He rolled onto his side, quickly gathering her into his arms and kissed her.
“Buffy…” He whispered, brushing her damp hair back from her face.
She smiled, her fingers slipping through the hair above his ear. “That was…fucking amazing. You are amazing, Giles…”
“With you, yes.” He replied softly, closing his eyes as he fought to get his breathing under control. “Buffy?”
“Yeah?” She whispered, snuggling up against him and pressing a soft kiss to his chest.
His intention was to tell her that he loved her, that he was in love with her. To open his eyes, look into hers and open his heart completely to her. Instead, he yawned…and she chuckled adorably.
“Sleep, Giles. We can talk later.”
He mumbled something that she couldn’t understand and she smiled, placing a soft kiss on his chin as he drifted into sleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She walked into the bedroom, freshly showered and dressed, and smiled at the sight before her. Giles on his stomach, his arms curled under the pillow, sleeping soundly…one leg out from under the covers, the sheet resting at his waist, the scratch marks from her nails showing proudly on the skin of his back.
She knelt next to the bed and softly kissed his shoulder. “Giles?”
“Hm?” He murmured sleepily, not opening his eyes.
“I need to go to the shops. You’re out of strawberry jam and some other things…”
He shifted slightly, pulling his right arm out from under the pillow and gesturing towards the bedside table. “Wallet is there, somewhere…take what you need…”
She glanced at the bedside table and smiled. The well-worn black leather wallet that she had bought him for his birthday years earlier.
“Do you need anything?” She asked, reaching out and gently stroking his hair.
“Come back to bed.”
“From the shops.” She chuckled. “Do you need anything from the shops?”
He shook his head slowly and opened his eyes. “Can’t think of anything. Be careful?”
“I’ll be back later, okay?” She leaned over and pressed a tender kiss to his lips.
“Mm-hm.” He gently stroked her cheek with his fingers and sighed. “You really are quite lovely.”
“So are you.” She whispered, giving him another kiss before standing up and walking towards the door.
She paused at the door and turned back to look at him again. Her smile faded somewhat, but she wasn’t sure why. She whispered a soft ‘goodbye’ and left.
* * *
He had just gotten out of the shower, rubbing at a bite mark on his chest as he walked into the bedroom, a towel around his waist. He felt refreshed, renewed, re-energised. He glanced at the window and smiled.
“Beautiful day…” He said to himself, making his way to the closet for clothes.
He had just selected his attire for the day when the phone rang. He glanced at his watch…Buffy had been gone for about an hour. Depending on which shops she had gone to, she should be back at anytime.
He picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Giles…”
“Buffy. Was just thinking about you. Are you on your way home?” He asked, sitting down on the bed as he smiled brightly.
“Um…no. No, I need…I should…I should…go…”
His smile faded quickly as he shifted the phone to his other ear. “I’m sorry?”
“I need to go, Giles.” She replied softly.
He was almost sure he could hear tears in her words. “What? Why? What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I just…I can’t…” She sniffled.
“Buffy…just come home, we can talk about whatever - ”
“I’ll call you when I get home, okay. I…have to go now…” She paused for just a moment. “I’m really sorry, Giles. I…goodbye.”
And then the call was disconnected.
Giles stared at nothing, eyes glistening.
“But…I love you…” He whispered to the empty room, the empty house…and dropped the phone to the floor.
* * *
Buffy’s sobs overtook her as soon as she ended the call. She couldn’t explain to him the reason why she had to go. How was she supposed to tell him that she was leaving because she loved him…and that she was terrified about what that meant for her…for him…for them?
She’d try to explain when she got home, when she’d had time to think through her words, her thoughts. But, right now just wasn’t the time - nothing would come out right if she tried now.
So she sat there in her car, in a random parking lot, and sobbed…until there were no more tears. Until her throat was raw and her head pounded. And then she took a deep breath and started the car.
And drove home. Her home.
She didn’t remember the drive, but had thought about what she’d say to Giles when she called him back. He’d understand. He was Giles, her Giles…he’d always understand.
* * *
Giles shook his head as he ended the call. The call had ended…badly.
She was certain that he’d understand why she had left…that’s what she’d said.
“You understand…right, Giles?”
“No, no I really don’t fucking understand why you’re there and not here.”
His hurt had given way to anger…his pain pushing love to the side. And then he’d said that he couldn’t talk, wouldn’t talk…not now.
And he’d hung up the phone without so much a goodbye.
He glanced at the bottle of scotch resting on top of his liquor cabinet and took a deep breath.
“I should probably change the sheets first.” He said to himself, standing up. He looked back at the bottle and shook his head. “Fuck it…”
Scotch…then sheets…then…forgetting the past 24 hours.
He could cope with this.
He could. It was only 24 hours…he’d coped with more in the past.
~ End
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