Logical Steps
Title: Logical Steps
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRM
Synopsis: A break from work, questionable music, an unexpected encounter…there are logical steps to everything in life.
Timeline: AU…post-series.
Author’s Notes: As always, thank you
fairygothmum.
Giles sighed heavily and took a drink from the glass in his hand.
The music - and he used that term very loosely - was loud and obnoxious. He was sorely tempted to leave - he had work to do. A lot of work…which meant that that he probably shouldn’t have left the office in the first place. But, Buffy had talked him into taking a break and coming out with her and the others. Well…if you considered smiling and saying ‘please?’ talking him into anything. He couldn’t have said no - and she knew that well enough.
So they’d gone out for dinner as a team and he had planned on heading back into the office afterwards. How he had ended up here - a club in the middle of town at midnight - he wasn’t sure. He supposed she had smiled and said ‘please?’.
He had to admit, though the music was utter rubbish, he wasn’t exactly hating the evening.
And then a heavy bass beat dropped. Buffy squealed. Giles stared at her.
She had squealed.
He fought the urge to laugh. She read his amusement in his eyes and grinned. Knowing that he’d say no without hesitation, she grabbed Xander’s arm and pulled him onto the dancefloor.
Willow leaned over the table and tapped Giles’ arm. “You okay?”
Giles nodded and gave her a wink. “I’m fine. I’m just not dancing to this.”
Willow laughed and Giles let his eyes follow Buffy’s movement. It took all of five seconds before he started to feel his body begin to react to what his eyes were witnessing.
“Who sings this song?” He asked, not taking his eyes off of Buffy.
“Why? Do you like it?” Willow responded in surprise.
Giles snorted a laugh. “It’s an appalling song.”
He tilted his head slightly and tapped the rim of his glass with his index finger. “But, I do like what she’s doing to it.”
Willow grinned, but didn’t respond - considering she was nearly positive that he hadn’t meant to voice that aloud. Instead, she glanced towards the entrance and blew out a deep breath as her grin faded. Giles reluctantly tore his gaze from Buffy.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, it’s just…Beth said she’d be here around quarter to.” She said, curling her hands around her glass.
Giles reached over and placed his hand on her arm. “She’ll be here, Willow. She’s never let you down before.”
“Yeah, I know.” She mumbled, shrugging a shoulder.
They both looked up as Xander bounded over, slightly out of breath and his hair damp with sweat. “Come on, Will…dance with me.”
“Thought you were dancing with Buffy.” She answered with a laugh.
“Started out that way, but I can’t keep up with her and…” He gestured towards Giles with a jerk of his thumb. “…I really didn’t want to piss him off.”
Giles laughed, downing the rest of his drink - but, he didn’t say anything. It was no secret that he and Buffy were in a relationship. They had made no effort to conceal it when it started less than a year after she arrived in England - and now they were basically living together…though she still technically shared a flat with Willow.
Giles’ laugh ended abruptly as he watched a young man walk across the room towards a door leading to the back. He stood up, catching Buffy’s eye. She nodded in acknowledgement as he tilted his head towards the door the young man had just walked through.
Xander gulped half a bottle of water and wiped the sweat from his face. “Vampire or something?”
“Or something…” Giles said cryptically, watching the door.
“You guys need help?”
Giles shook his head, glancing back at them. “We should be able to handle it. Go…dance to this wretched noise that you call music.”
Before either of them could respond, Giles walked off towards the door. Buffy was nearly there as well. Willow watched them and started to insist on helping them. Xander pre-empted that suggestion by grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the dancefloor.
Buffy ran her fingers though her sweat-dampened hair, concern in her eyes as she watched Giles make his way to her. He moved quickly, careful to avoid bumping into anyone. He cleared his throat as he stopped in front of her. She looked up at him, but jerked her thumb towards the door.
“Who was that?”
He glanced at the door, shaking his head slowly. “I don’t know.”
“But, we should find out?”
“It would be prudent.” He replied, swallowing as she reached out and turned the doorknob.
“Stay behind me.” She said, pushing the door open and stepping inside.
He didn’t respond, but followed her instantly…closing the door behind them.
Buffy narrowed her eyes. “Where did he go?”
“Most likely the back room.” Giles said, placing his hand on her hip.
She turned slowly and arched an eyebrow. “Not a vampire, then?”
“Doubt it.” He replied, carefully ushering her across the room - towards a dark corner away from the door.
“Giles…”
“You’re killing me, you know.” He whispered, pushing her up against the wall.
“What’d I do?” She whispered back, gasping as he pressed his body against hers.
“You know exactly what you were doing.” He murmured, running his fingertip down the side of her neck.
“Dancing…”
He arched an eyebrow, causing her to giggle. He smiled warmly, fingering the thin strap of her top before allowing his hand to glide down her side.
“So…you brought me to the back room to what? Fuck?”
He hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. “One, we’re not in the back room. More of a…foyer, perhaps. Two, I didn’t bring you in here to fuck…”
He glanced down as her fingers toyed with his belt buckle. “Or suck…” He added, smiling knowingly when she narrowed her eyes at him.
“Then…why are we in here, in the dark? In the position we’re currently in?”
“Thirty years ago, I would’ve already been inside of you.” He licked his lips, shifting slightly as her left hand slid up to rest against his chest. “Twenty years ago, I would’ve been watching you take me into your mouth.”
He swallowed, fingers tightening on her hip. “Ten years ago, I would’ve insisted on taking you home…to bed…”
“And now?” Buffy whispered, her fingers curling in the material of his shirt.
“I’m fairly certain I’m in the midst of a behavioural regression.”
Before she could question him, he leaned down and covered her mouth with his. She responded quickly, parting her lips under his…inviting his tongue inside. When he didn’t take the invitation, she tentatively nudged her tongue into his mouth…unsure of how far he was willing to allow this to go.
A groan rumbled in his chest as his fingers twitched against her hip. And then, there he was…right there with her - tongues stroking one another, hands holding onto one another, bodies pressing closer to one another. When he felt her shift her weight, he knew she was getting ready to lift herself up and curl her legs around his hips.
He also knew that if she did that, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from pushing ahead.
And so, he tightened his hold on her hips and tore his mouth from hers. He breathed heavily as he shook his head.
“Not here, love…” He said in a tone that clearly reflected the thought that he very much wanted to continue.
“So, not a full regression then?” She asked with a smile.
“Only because you deserve far more than this…” He swallowed, eyes darting towards her lips. “And when we get home, I’ll be more than happy to show you exactly how much you deserve.”
“Home? Your home?”
He hesitated for a moment and then smiled. “You know my home is as much yours as it is mine.”
“Yeah…” She gently rubbed his chest before letting her hand drop back to her side. “But, my mail still goes to Willow’s.”
His smile faded, taking in her words and their meaning. His hold on her hip loosened as she manuevered out from between him and the wall.
“Buffy…”
She reached out, taking hold of his hand. “Come on - let’s go get a drink, okay?”
He looked at her a few seconds and then nodded. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” She replied with no hesitation, her eyes sparkling as she looked around the room. “But, this isn’t us, you know. A quickie in a back room foyer in a club…so I kinda have to thank you for hitting the pause button.”
“Are we okay?” He asked softly, concern showing in his green eyes.
“Of course we are. I’ll show you just how okay we are when we get back to your place.” She grinned up at him, gently tugging his hand to get him to walk with her. “You’re okay if I stay tonight, right?”
“I’m always okay if you stay the night.” He answered.
“Good…let’s grab a drink, maybe have a dance, spend some time with our friends…” She licked her lips, squeezing his hand as she continued. “And then I’m smashing that pause button to get us back to where we were…yeah?”
The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile that he didn’t necessarily feel throughout his body. But, he allowed her to lead him out of the room and back towards the heart of the club. She leaned up and pressed a warm kiss to his cheek then nudged him towards the bar.
“Meet you at the table.” She said loudly over the music.
He watched her easily navigate the crowd and he took a deep breath. Though she had closed down any further conversation on the subject for now, her words were playing heavily in his mind. He exhaled slowly and stepped up to the bar.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles paid the taxi driver as Buffy bounded up the stairs towards his front door, digging her keys out of her bag. He chuckled as she fumbled the keys for a moment before getting the door open, just as he stepped up behind her.
“You laughing at me?” She asked playfully, tossing her keys and bag onto the small table next to the door.
“A little.” He admitted, closing the door and turning the lock.
“Jerk.” She laughed, quickly placing her hands on his chest.
He covered them with his hands and cleared his throat. She tilted her head slightly and looked up at him.
“You okay?” When he merely nodded, she arched an eyebrow. “You were pretty quiet in the car. In fact, you’ve been pretty quiet since….”
She trailed off and gently pulled her right hand out from under his left. She lifted her hand to the side of his neck and lovingly stroked his skin with her thumb.
“Giles, when I said - ”
“It’s not that I don’t want this to be a permanent arrangement - you here each night.” He interrupted softly. “It’s just…when you have mail delivered, I’d like for it to be at our home. Not my home that I’m sharing with you.”
She stared at him, mouth slightly open and her thumb stilling its movement against his neck. He cleared his throat and exhaled slowly.
“Do you understand my meaning, Buffy?”
“I…think so?”
He smiled nervously and took a step towards the sofa. “Come sit with me, love.”
She followed him silently, still staring at him as she sat down next to him. When he ran his fingers through his hair, she sighed.
“Is this because of what I said?” She asked quietly. “Because that wasn’t meant as a ploy or - ”
“No. No, it’s not because of what you said.” He replied, sitting back against the cushions. “Well, not in the way you’re concerned about.”
“What?”
He looked into her eyes, lifting his hand to brush a stray lock of hair back from her face with his index finger. “As much as I consider this to be our home, truth is…it’s not. You’re right - your mail doesn’t come here. I’d like for it to though. Well, not here…because this place is so very much not you.”
“But, it is you.”
He nodded, a slow smile appearing on his lips. “But, I want a place that is…us.”
“You want to get a place together? Like…we go look at…what? Flats, houses? Together?”
“Yes, we go look…together. Find something that suits us both - make it ours.” He replied. “I’d prefer a house.”
“You want us to buy a house…together. To live in…with each other.”
“I’d very much like that.” He said softly, gazing into her eyes. “What do you think?”
“Are you sure?”
He leaned towards her and kissed her softly. Her fingers ran through his hair as she quickly returned his kiss, deepening it. And then she leaned back, pulling him with her. He shifted enough to accommodate the new positioning, pulling from the kiss as she curled a leg around the back of his thigh.
“Does this mean yes?” He asked, sounding more hopeful than he intended.
She chuckled, nodding enthusiastically. “Yeah, totally a yes!”
“Brilliant.” He murmured, sliding the strap of her top over her shoulder. “Is this you smashing the pause button now?”
“Oh yes. I’m smashing the hell out of it.” She grinned, pulling him back into the kiss.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles pulled into the driveway after a long day advising Council members, observing Watchers-in-Training, breaking up arguments between Slayers, listening to Xander’s latest round of girl troubles…and he was tired. Nearly weary.
He grabbed the mail, flicking through it as he climbed the steps to the front door.
Buffy had just walked into the living room from the kitchen as he walked in. “Hey…you’re a bit early, dinner’s not quite finished yet.”
He smiled brightly as he looked at her, causing her to furrow her brow.
“What are you smiling about?”
“Mail…for you.” He chuckled and tossed her an envelope.
She caught it without effort and grinned. “How was your day?”
He exhaled a deep breath, shrugging off his jacket as he kicked his shoes off. “Tiring, frustrating, slightly rewarding…”
“Want a drink?” She asked, placing the envelope on a table.
He shook his head, loosening his tie as he made his way to the sofa. She followed him, dropping onto the cushions next to him when he sat down.
“Want to talk about it?”
He offered her a gentle smile. “Not much to talk about, in all honesty. And any negative feelings I had washed away as soon as you said ‘hey’.”
“So no regrets then?” She asked, watching him unbutton the top two buttons of his shirt.
“On the contrary…” He started, leaning back against the cushion and lifting his arm up in an invitation for her to snuggle up against him. He sighed happily as she took the invitation and he curled his arm around her shoulder. “I’ve wondered why it took me so long to breach the subject with you.”
“Well, it was a big step.” She answered, lovingly rubbing her hand across his chest.
“But, a logical one when you think about it.” He turned his head enough to drop a kiss into her hair. “The right one.”
“God, I love you.” She whispered, pressing her hand against his chest.
“I love you, too.” He whispered in return, exhaling a slow breath. “There is something I’ve been thinking about for a few days…”
“Hm? What’s that?”
“What would you think about…expanding our family?”
She lifted her head and stared at him. “What?”
He instantly understood where her thoughts shifted. “Oh. No, no…not a baby. I don’t think we’re ready for children…yet. Do you?”
“Um…no.”
He smiled softly. “I was thinking…maybe rescuing a dog?”
She blew out the breath she’d been holding and smiled back at him. “I’m good with a dog, Giles.”
She paused for a just a moment and then furrowed her brow. “You know that I’m not saying no to children at all, right? It’s just…too soon right now.”
“I know, love.”
“But, we do have a four bedroom house….”
He smiled as she trailed off in thought.
What was ‘too soon’ right now would be ‘just right’ at some point down the road. Of that, he had no doubt.
But, for now…a dog, or two, was a logical step in their relationship.
And he was all about logical steps.
~ End
This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/366748.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRM
Synopsis: A break from work, questionable music, an unexpected encounter…there are logical steps to everything in life.
Timeline: AU…post-series.
Author’s Notes: As always, thank you
fairygothmum.
Giles sighed heavily and took a drink from the glass in his hand.
The music - and he used that term very loosely - was loud and obnoxious. He was sorely tempted to leave - he had work to do. A lot of work…which meant that that he probably shouldn’t have left the office in the first place. But, Buffy had talked him into taking a break and coming out with her and the others. Well…if you considered smiling and saying ‘please?’ talking him into anything. He couldn’t have said no - and she knew that well enough.
So they’d gone out for dinner as a team and he had planned on heading back into the office afterwards. How he had ended up here - a club in the middle of town at midnight - he wasn’t sure. He supposed she had smiled and said ‘please?’.
He had to admit, though the music was utter rubbish, he wasn’t exactly hating the evening.
And then a heavy bass beat dropped. Buffy squealed. Giles stared at her.
She had squealed.
He fought the urge to laugh. She read his amusement in his eyes and grinned. Knowing that he’d say no without hesitation, she grabbed Xander’s arm and pulled him onto the dancefloor.
Willow leaned over the table and tapped Giles’ arm. “You okay?”
Giles nodded and gave her a wink. “I’m fine. I’m just not dancing to this.”
Willow laughed and Giles let his eyes follow Buffy’s movement. It took all of five seconds before he started to feel his body begin to react to what his eyes were witnessing.
“Who sings this song?” He asked, not taking his eyes off of Buffy.
“Why? Do you like it?” Willow responded in surprise.
Giles snorted a laugh. “It’s an appalling song.”
He tilted his head slightly and tapped the rim of his glass with his index finger. “But, I do like what she’s doing to it.”
Willow grinned, but didn’t respond - considering she was nearly positive that he hadn’t meant to voice that aloud. Instead, she glanced towards the entrance and blew out a deep breath as her grin faded. Giles reluctantly tore his gaze from Buffy.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, it’s just…Beth said she’d be here around quarter to.” She said, curling her hands around her glass.
Giles reached over and placed his hand on her arm. “She’ll be here, Willow. She’s never let you down before.”
“Yeah, I know.” She mumbled, shrugging a shoulder.
They both looked up as Xander bounded over, slightly out of breath and his hair damp with sweat. “Come on, Will…dance with me.”
“Thought you were dancing with Buffy.” She answered with a laugh.
“Started out that way, but I can’t keep up with her and…” He gestured towards Giles with a jerk of his thumb. “…I really didn’t want to piss him off.”
Giles laughed, downing the rest of his drink - but, he didn’t say anything. It was no secret that he and Buffy were in a relationship. They had made no effort to conceal it when it started less than a year after she arrived in England - and now they were basically living together…though she still technically shared a flat with Willow.
Giles’ laugh ended abruptly as he watched a young man walk across the room towards a door leading to the back. He stood up, catching Buffy’s eye. She nodded in acknowledgement as he tilted his head towards the door the young man had just walked through.
Xander gulped half a bottle of water and wiped the sweat from his face. “Vampire or something?”
“Or something…” Giles said cryptically, watching the door.
“You guys need help?”
Giles shook his head, glancing back at them. “We should be able to handle it. Go…dance to this wretched noise that you call music.”
Before either of them could respond, Giles walked off towards the door. Buffy was nearly there as well. Willow watched them and started to insist on helping them. Xander pre-empted that suggestion by grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the dancefloor.
Buffy ran her fingers though her sweat-dampened hair, concern in her eyes as she watched Giles make his way to her. He moved quickly, careful to avoid bumping into anyone. He cleared his throat as he stopped in front of her. She looked up at him, but jerked her thumb towards the door.
“Who was that?”
He glanced at the door, shaking his head slowly. “I don’t know.”
“But, we should find out?”
“It would be prudent.” He replied, swallowing as she reached out and turned the doorknob.
“Stay behind me.” She said, pushing the door open and stepping inside.
He didn’t respond, but followed her instantly…closing the door behind them.
Buffy narrowed her eyes. “Where did he go?”
“Most likely the back room.” Giles said, placing his hand on her hip.
She turned slowly and arched an eyebrow. “Not a vampire, then?”
“Doubt it.” He replied, carefully ushering her across the room - towards a dark corner away from the door.
“Giles…”
“You’re killing me, you know.” He whispered, pushing her up against the wall.
“What’d I do?” She whispered back, gasping as he pressed his body against hers.
“You know exactly what you were doing.” He murmured, running his fingertip down the side of her neck.
“Dancing…”
He arched an eyebrow, causing her to giggle. He smiled warmly, fingering the thin strap of her top before allowing his hand to glide down her side.
“So…you brought me to the back room to what? Fuck?”
He hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. “One, we’re not in the back room. More of a…foyer, perhaps. Two, I didn’t bring you in here to fuck…”
He glanced down as her fingers toyed with his belt buckle. “Or suck…” He added, smiling knowingly when she narrowed her eyes at him.
“Then…why are we in here, in the dark? In the position we’re currently in?”
“Thirty years ago, I would’ve already been inside of you.” He licked his lips, shifting slightly as her left hand slid up to rest against his chest. “Twenty years ago, I would’ve been watching you take me into your mouth.”
He swallowed, fingers tightening on her hip. “Ten years ago, I would’ve insisted on taking you home…to bed…”
“And now?” Buffy whispered, her fingers curling in the material of his shirt.
“I’m fairly certain I’m in the midst of a behavioural regression.”
Before she could question him, he leaned down and covered her mouth with his. She responded quickly, parting her lips under his…inviting his tongue inside. When he didn’t take the invitation, she tentatively nudged her tongue into his mouth…unsure of how far he was willing to allow this to go.
A groan rumbled in his chest as his fingers twitched against her hip. And then, there he was…right there with her - tongues stroking one another, hands holding onto one another, bodies pressing closer to one another. When he felt her shift her weight, he knew she was getting ready to lift herself up and curl her legs around his hips.
He also knew that if she did that, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from pushing ahead.
And so, he tightened his hold on her hips and tore his mouth from hers. He breathed heavily as he shook his head.
“Not here, love…” He said in a tone that clearly reflected the thought that he very much wanted to continue.
“So, not a full regression then?” She asked with a smile.
“Only because you deserve far more than this…” He swallowed, eyes darting towards her lips. “And when we get home, I’ll be more than happy to show you exactly how much you deserve.”
“Home? Your home?”
He hesitated for a moment and then smiled. “You know my home is as much yours as it is mine.”
“Yeah…” She gently rubbed his chest before letting her hand drop back to her side. “But, my mail still goes to Willow’s.”
His smile faded, taking in her words and their meaning. His hold on her hip loosened as she manuevered out from between him and the wall.
“Buffy…”
She reached out, taking hold of his hand. “Come on - let’s go get a drink, okay?”
He looked at her a few seconds and then nodded. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” She replied with no hesitation, her eyes sparkling as she looked around the room. “But, this isn’t us, you know. A quickie in a back room foyer in a club…so I kinda have to thank you for hitting the pause button.”
“Are we okay?” He asked softly, concern showing in his green eyes.
“Of course we are. I’ll show you just how okay we are when we get back to your place.” She grinned up at him, gently tugging his hand to get him to walk with her. “You’re okay if I stay tonight, right?”
“I’m always okay if you stay the night.” He answered.
“Good…let’s grab a drink, maybe have a dance, spend some time with our friends…” She licked her lips, squeezing his hand as she continued. “And then I’m smashing that pause button to get us back to where we were…yeah?”
The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile that he didn’t necessarily feel throughout his body. But, he allowed her to lead him out of the room and back towards the heart of the club. She leaned up and pressed a warm kiss to his cheek then nudged him towards the bar.
“Meet you at the table.” She said loudly over the music.
He watched her easily navigate the crowd and he took a deep breath. Though she had closed down any further conversation on the subject for now, her words were playing heavily in his mind. He exhaled slowly and stepped up to the bar.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles paid the taxi driver as Buffy bounded up the stairs towards his front door, digging her keys out of her bag. He chuckled as she fumbled the keys for a moment before getting the door open, just as he stepped up behind her.
“You laughing at me?” She asked playfully, tossing her keys and bag onto the small table next to the door.
“A little.” He admitted, closing the door and turning the lock.
“Jerk.” She laughed, quickly placing her hands on his chest.
He covered them with his hands and cleared his throat. She tilted her head slightly and looked up at him.
“You okay?” When he merely nodded, she arched an eyebrow. “You were pretty quiet in the car. In fact, you’ve been pretty quiet since….”
She trailed off and gently pulled her right hand out from under his left. She lifted her hand to the side of his neck and lovingly stroked his skin with her thumb.
“Giles, when I said - ”
“It’s not that I don’t want this to be a permanent arrangement - you here each night.” He interrupted softly. “It’s just…when you have mail delivered, I’d like for it to be at our home. Not my home that I’m sharing with you.”
She stared at him, mouth slightly open and her thumb stilling its movement against his neck. He cleared his throat and exhaled slowly.
“Do you understand my meaning, Buffy?”
“I…think so?”
He smiled nervously and took a step towards the sofa. “Come sit with me, love.”
She followed him silently, still staring at him as she sat down next to him. When he ran his fingers through his hair, she sighed.
“Is this because of what I said?” She asked quietly. “Because that wasn’t meant as a ploy or - ”
“No. No, it’s not because of what you said.” He replied, sitting back against the cushions. “Well, not in the way you’re concerned about.”
“What?”
He looked into her eyes, lifting his hand to brush a stray lock of hair back from her face with his index finger. “As much as I consider this to be our home, truth is…it’s not. You’re right - your mail doesn’t come here. I’d like for it to though. Well, not here…because this place is so very much not you.”
“But, it is you.”
He nodded, a slow smile appearing on his lips. “But, I want a place that is…us.”
“You want to get a place together? Like…we go look at…what? Flats, houses? Together?”
“Yes, we go look…together. Find something that suits us both - make it ours.” He replied. “I’d prefer a house.”
“You want us to buy a house…together. To live in…with each other.”
“I’d very much like that.” He said softly, gazing into her eyes. “What do you think?”
“Are you sure?”
He leaned towards her and kissed her softly. Her fingers ran through his hair as she quickly returned his kiss, deepening it. And then she leaned back, pulling him with her. He shifted enough to accommodate the new positioning, pulling from the kiss as she curled a leg around the back of his thigh.
“Does this mean yes?” He asked, sounding more hopeful than he intended.
She chuckled, nodding enthusiastically. “Yeah, totally a yes!”
“Brilliant.” He murmured, sliding the strap of her top over her shoulder. “Is this you smashing the pause button now?”
“Oh yes. I’m smashing the hell out of it.” She grinned, pulling him back into the kiss.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles pulled into the driveway after a long day advising Council members, observing Watchers-in-Training, breaking up arguments between Slayers, listening to Xander’s latest round of girl troubles…and he was tired. Nearly weary.
He grabbed the mail, flicking through it as he climbed the steps to the front door.
Buffy had just walked into the living room from the kitchen as he walked in. “Hey…you’re a bit early, dinner’s not quite finished yet.”
He smiled brightly as he looked at her, causing her to furrow her brow.
“What are you smiling about?”
“Mail…for you.” He chuckled and tossed her an envelope.
She caught it without effort and grinned. “How was your day?”
He exhaled a deep breath, shrugging off his jacket as he kicked his shoes off. “Tiring, frustrating, slightly rewarding…”
“Want a drink?” She asked, placing the envelope on a table.
He shook his head, loosening his tie as he made his way to the sofa. She followed him, dropping onto the cushions next to him when he sat down.
“Want to talk about it?”
He offered her a gentle smile. “Not much to talk about, in all honesty. And any negative feelings I had washed away as soon as you said ‘hey’.”
“So no regrets then?” She asked, watching him unbutton the top two buttons of his shirt.
“On the contrary…” He started, leaning back against the cushion and lifting his arm up in an invitation for her to snuggle up against him. He sighed happily as she took the invitation and he curled his arm around her shoulder. “I’ve wondered why it took me so long to breach the subject with you.”
“Well, it was a big step.” She answered, lovingly rubbing her hand across his chest.
“But, a logical one when you think about it.” He turned his head enough to drop a kiss into her hair. “The right one.”
“God, I love you.” She whispered, pressing her hand against his chest.
“I love you, too.” He whispered in return, exhaling a slow breath. “There is something I’ve been thinking about for a few days…”
“Hm? What’s that?”
“What would you think about…expanding our family?”
She lifted her head and stared at him. “What?”
He instantly understood where her thoughts shifted. “Oh. No, no…not a baby. I don’t think we’re ready for children…yet. Do you?”
“Um…no.”
He smiled softly. “I was thinking…maybe rescuing a dog?”
She blew out the breath she’d been holding and smiled back at him. “I’m good with a dog, Giles.”
She paused for a just a moment and then furrowed her brow. “You know that I’m not saying no to children at all, right? It’s just…too soon right now.”
“I know, love.”
“But, we do have a four bedroom house….”
He smiled as she trailed off in thought.
What was ‘too soon’ right now would be ‘just right’ at some point down the road. Of that, he had no doubt.
But, for now…a dog, or two, was a logical step in their relationship.
And he was all about logical steps.
~ End
This entry was originally posted at https://froxyn.dreamwidth.org/366748.html. However, you can comment here or there...I'm still around! :)