BTVS Fic: The Ring [1/1] [R] [B/G]
I had a moment last night.
Title: The Ring
Rating: R, with a slight tilt towards NC-17. But only for one part.
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Summary: It's strange how one small momento can bring a flood of memories.
Dedication: To H. I miss you.
-----------------
She’d found the ring while looking through some old boxes in the attic.
There was nothing particulaQrly special about the box. Just another place to keep old Christmas cards and momentos from the children’s achievements. She’d just lifted out a pile of newspaper clippings when she saw the little black box.
Her heart had leapt, just a tiny bit, and she hesitantly reached in and lifted it. It opened soundlessly, with slight difficulty after being closed for so many decades. The ring wasn’t shiny, it hadn’t been when it had been placed in the box. The silver was tarnished and worn, but the ring itself was sturdy, heavy.
The blank eyes of the skull looked up at her as she removed the ring, slipping it onto her middle finger. It was too large for her, and it looked comical next to her simple wedding band.
Drawing a deep breath, she slid back to rest against the wall, closing her eyes against the flood of memories.
---
“What on earth is this?”
Giles walked into the spare room from the kitchen, a dish towel in his hands. He smiled at her on the floor, going through the boxes that had been shipped from Sunnydale. She held up the silver skull ring, with its wide, thick band, and gave him an incredulous smile.
“Evidence of a misspent youth,” he said, lowering himself down to sit next to her on the floor. “I thought I’d lost it ages ago.”
“Apparently not.” She slipped it onto her finger, and waved her hand at him, causing it to promptly fly off, nearly hitting him in the face before dropping to the floor and disappearing under the dresser.
“Oops.”
He laughed quietly, pulling her to him and resting his face in the warm crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of her shampoo and the lavender bodywash she always used.
“Here. Wear this one instead.”
He’d pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket, and he now slipped it into her hand. She looked down at it, then back up at him. He merely smiled and nodded at her to open it.
The lid opened with a small snap, and the light bounced off the small diamond set in white gold.
“Giles…”
“Buffy, will you marry me?”
---
“This can’t happen.”
Buffy looked up at him from her spot on the couch. He was pacing the living room, cleaning his glasses furiously. He’d been stammering under his breath for a good five minutes now.
“It already has happened.”
“Yes, but it has to end now. There are rules in place, not to mention laws…”
“Laws? I’m 18 years old. I’m not even jail bait anymore.”
“Yes, but I’m not 18. That’s the point. And if anything were to happen, what’s to stop people from making the natural assumption, given the fact that I have been in your life since you were 16 years old?”
“I don’t care what other people think, and neither should you,” she said, almost angrily.
He paused in his pacing, and looked down at her. The furrow in her brow and hurt expression in her eyes softened him, and he finally sat down on the couch, keeping a minimal space between them.
“Buffy, I am your watcher. I may not be employed by the Council any longer, but I am still bound by their rules when it comes to my relationship with my slay…former slayer. There are severe penalties for this sort of abuse of power. Ignoring for the moment the legal ramifications, the Council has their own ideas of crime and punishment. And they are far harsher than any democratic country could dare dream of.”
Buffy looked down at her hands, fidgeting with her nails and studying the tips of her boots.
“So, what? We’re supposed to ignore what we’re feeling? I’m supposed to move on and try to find someone else? Look what happens when I try to have a relationship. You’re the only person, aside from Willow and Xander, that I’ve ever had a real meaningful relationship with.”
“And that is how it shall stay. A relationship between Watcher and Slayer.”
She moved then, coming up and kissing him. He was too surprised to move away, and as her small hand came up to touch the back of his neck, he found himself putting one arm around her waist, pulling her close to him and kissing her back with fervor.
When she finally pulled away, she rested her forehead against his and said, “I don’t think I can handle a strictly business relationship.”
He tried to speak, but the words choked him. Clearing his throat, he said quietly, “No one will understand.”
“Then no one will know.”
------
“Buffy?”
“Yeah, Mom, it’s me.”
“I’m in the kitchen.”
Buffy set her jacket down on the couch and walked into the kitchen to find her mom and Dawn sitting at the counter, eating lunch.
“Hi, hon,” her mom said as she walked over to kiss her on the cheek. “How’s college? I didn’t expect to see you home so soon.”
“Yeah, um, college is great. Just wanted to come back and see how everything was going here.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Dawn and I went shopping today, she’s already making plans to turn your room into a library.”
Buffy looked over at her little sister, who immediately became defensive.
“What, it’s not like you’re going to use it again!”
Buffy rolled her eyes and pulled a bottled water out of the fridge.
“You know, Buffy, I’m actually glad you’re home. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“What’s up?”
“Well, you know that young man who just started working at the gallery? The one I was telling you about?”
“Sure. Steve, or something?”
“Simon. A very nice young man. Charming, and handsome. His parents live in Los Angeles, and he just moved here a few months ago. He doesn’t really know a lot of people around here, and I was thinking…”
“No, Mom.”
“No, what?”
“I know what you’re thinking, and no. No Matchmaker Mom.”
Joyce sighed, exasperated.
“Honestly, Buffy, I just wanted you to meet him. You might be surprised.”
“I’m not interested in dating some guy, Mom. I’m sure Simon’s great.”
Joyce frowned as she picked up her plate and Dawn’s and carried them to the sink.
“I’m just worried about you. I haven’t seen you date anyone since Angel, and I don’t want you to feel lonely.”
“I’m not lonely,” Buffy said, playing with the label on her water bottle. “I swear. I’m just…”
“I know, I know. I won’t meddle. Are you staying here tonight?”
“No, I’m going to patrol and then go back to the dorm. I’ll see you later, Mom.”
---
“I’m sorry, but natural conception is just not possible.”
Giles gripped Buffy’s hand tightly, and she tightened her jaw against the rush of tears she felt coming.
“I don’t understand.”
“Your progesterone levels are almost nonexistent. And Rupert, your sperm count, while not abnormally low, is...well, it's too low to conceive the normal way.”
“Did we wait too long?” Buffy asked, her voice almost a whisper.
The doctor sighed and closed the folder he’d been reading from.
“There’s no way of knowing. Without having your levels tested earlier, there’s no way to compare.”
Buffy chewed the inside of her mouth to keep from crying, and Giles cleared his throat.
“Thank you, doctor.”
“I can get you the number for adoption agencies, or even a surrogate program…”
---
Buffy was on the dance floor with Willow, Oz and Xander when she spotted Giles come through the door of the Bronze. She smiled, and quickly walked over to him.
“You came out,” she said happily, going to hug him automatically. He shot her a warning look, and she stopped short, her arms flopping back down to her side. He grinned sideways at her, and they walked to the table where Buffy had her purse and drink.
“I almost didn’t come,” he said, leaning close so she could hear him over the music.
“I’m glad you did,” she said, smiling up at him.
“Giles!” Willow exclaimed as she came back to the table, breathless from dancing. “Is something wrong?”
“No, no, not at all,” he said, surveying the club. “Buffy told me you lot were coming here, and I thought I’d come hear the band play.”
“Oh,” Willow said, looking a little startled. Xander appeared then, followed by Oz, who handed Willow a drink and sat down beside her.
“Former Watcher-Man,” Xander said, laying his hand down heavily on Giles’ shoulder. “How’s that midlife crisis working out for you?”
“I beg your pardon?” Giles said, but Buffy noticed the tips of his ears were red.
“Partying at the Bronze? Wearing jeans? And is that an earring?”
Giles opened his mouth to speak, but Buffy said, “Xander, lay off of him. Giles deserves a party night just as much as the rest of us.”
“Agreed,” Oz said, raising his cup.
“I’m going to get a drink,” he said uncomfortably, slipping away from the table. After he’d gone, Buffy turned an accusing look on Xander.
“Why are you being mean to him?”
It was his turn to look startled.
“What? It’s not weird that stuffy old Giles suddenly shows an interest in hanging out with us post-slayage?”
“He’s not stuffy anymore,” Buffy said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Besides, we’re not high school kids anymore. We’re young adults now.”
“It’s still weird.”
Giles returned with his drink, and drinks for the four of them. They sipped in awkward silence that wasn’t caused by the loud music. Eventually they got up to dance, but Giles politely declined, staying at the table and looking towards the exit...
---
“Hit the brake. The brake. THE BRAKE, BUFFY, NOW!”
The car came to a loud, screeching halt, and Buffy glared over at him.
“How am I supposed to learn if you’re yelling at me all the time?”
“I’m not trying to yell at you,” he said, catching his breath from the rush of fear and panic. “You just…when I say hit the brake, please listen.”
Buffy slammed the car into park and crossed her arms.
“Maybe you teaching me to drive wasn’t such a good idea.”
He removed his glasses to swipe the lenses, and said, “You’re not a bad driver, Buffy. You just need to be more attentive. You can’t rely on Slayer ability when you’re in a car. Your reflexes don’t extend to the hunk of metal you’re steering.”
She exhaled sharply through her nose, and put the car back in drive.
“Okay,” she said evenly. “I’m braked. What’s next?”
“See that right turn coming up? I want you to pretend there’s a car about to turn left, and you need to turn in without hitting them.”
She raised an eyebrow at him and said, “You’re serious?”
“You are going to come upon many a turn where a car is in the opposite lane. You need to make sure you can turn cleanly.”
“Why don’t I just let them pull out before turning in?”
“And if there are six other cars behind them?”
“Let them all turn out?”
He looked at her sternly, and she sighed, braking and taking the turn at less than five miles per hour.
“Okay, you made the turn. However, the car behind you, frustrated at waiting, has just slammed into the back of you, and your head is through the windshield.”
“No, it’s not. I have my seatbelt on.”
“Try again, and this time, maybe boost it up a few miles per hour.”
The next time, she took the turn without braking so much. Giles informed her she’d hit the imaginary car.
She hit the imaginary car a total of ten more times before finally putting the car in park, stepping out, and walking out of the parking lot towards her home, Giles driving the car beside her begging her to get back in.
---
“Mrs. Giles, the prognosis isn’t good.”
Buffy’s jaw tightened, and she felt goose bumps rise on her arms.
“What is it?”
“Well, we have a few more tests to run, to see just how advanced-”
“What is it?” she said again, her voice stronger this time.
“The cancer has spread. It’s in the kidneys and liver now, and seems…”
Buffy couldn’t hear him over the rush of blood in her ears. She put her hands up to the sides of her head momentarily, then looked up at him.
“What’s the next course of treatment?” she asked, interrupting his monologue.
He hesitated, and she knew then. She stood shakily, and said, “I need to see my husband...”
A nurse came in to lead her to the room where he was waiting, dressed in black slacks and her favorite blue button down shirt. He was looking down when she came in, and she walked to him, setting her purse down and putting her arms around him tightly.
They cried together for a long time before the nurse finally came in and said they needed the room.
---
As he moved slowly on top of her, Buffy gripped at his strong back muscles with her fingers, her head thrown back to look him in the eye.
“I love you,” she murmured, raising her hips to meet his. He kissed her then, his tongue tracing her lips softly before his head fell to her neck, kissing and nipping at the soft skin there.
“I love you,” he said, his pace quickening. “Oh, Buffy, I love you so much...”
---
The club was far outside Sunnydale city limits. It was crowded and dimly lit, and no one gave them a second look as they moved through the crowd to the bar, getting a drink before moving to a table in a far corner of the room.
The couples at the next table were friendly and talkative, somewhat irritatingly so, and they insisted on dragging Buffy to the dance floor, Giles begging off and standing to the side to watch her.
Finally, when a song came on that the other couples didn’t know, she attempted to move off the dance floor. But Giles was no longer at the table. Turning to look for him, she found him behind her, his strong arms going around her waist as he pulled her roughly to him.
His hand cupped her ass as he pressed himself against her, and she put her arms loosely around his neck, allowing him to lift her off the ground as they danced. He put one knee between her legs, moving them around and shamelessly grinding himself against her, loving the heavy-lidded expression of joy on her face.
When the song was over, they slipped outside the club, finding a small, narrow walkway between the building and another. Giles slipped his hand under her skirt, and Buffy pulled at the buttons on his shirt, biting down on his flesh to keep from crying out in pleasure. Her hand worked open the zipper and fly of his pants, and she slipped her hand in, rubbing in time with his hand until she came, mouth open soundlessly as her leg muscles constricted tightly, then loosened to a jelly-like state.
Giles straightened her skirt, and moved his hand down to cover hers. She shook it off before sliding down to her knees. He leaned back against the wall, one eye on the entrance of the alleyway to make sure no one was enjoying the view.
He didn’t last long, and afterwards, Buffy gently zipped and buttoned him back up.
“Ready to go back?” she asked, her eyes shining.
“Never,” he said, kissing her soundly.
---
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Willow asked gently, helping Buffy clean the kitchen after the funeral.
Buffy frowned, wondering for a moment what Willow was talking about. The redhead glanced towards the living room, where Giles was saying goodbye to the few remaining mourners.
“Oh,” she said quietly.
“I’m sorry, Buffy,” Willow said quickly, setting down the stack of dishes. “This is a horrible time to say that.”
“No, no,” Buffy said, coughing to keep back the tears. “It’s understandable. Um…w-when we first started…this, I was just 18. Giles was worried about the Council, and people thinking he was a letch, or something. Plus we d-didn’t want Mom…”
Her voice broke off then, and she really did choke on a sob then. Immediately Giles came into the kitchen, pulling her into his arms as she cried into his shirt. Willow cried, too, feeling it was her fault for the breakdown. Giles shook his head, giving her a kind look, and led Buffy into her old bedroom.
Buffy refused to let go of him, and they sat down on the edge of her bed, the strong young woman reduced to a little girl dealing with the death of her mother.
“We should’ve told her,” Buffy managed, looking up at him finally. The tears continued down her cheeks, and he kissed her eyelids. “She’s gone, and she never knew, and now she never will.”
“You couldn’t know. We thought we had more time.”
“I shouldn’t have kept it from her!” she said, anguished. “I didn’t realize what a short time I would have with her. I should’ve told her I loved her more. I shouldn’t have lied and not told her we were together.”
He murmured quietly to her, not having the words for once to soothe her. Willow knocked on the door gently to tell them she and Tara were taking Dawn, and eventually the house was quiet. Giles got her to lay down on the bed, and he lay behind her, smoothing her hair and stroking her arm until she fell asleep.
---
“Mom? Are you up here?”
Buffy opened her eyes then, and saw her daughter’s head poking in through the attic door.
“What are you doing?” Joyce asked, walking gingerly over to the spot where her mother was sitting.
Buffy smiled and closed the ring box, placing it back in the box.
“Nothing, honey. Came up here to get the punch bowl, and got distracted looking through these boxes.”
“Well, come on. Alexis is ready to open presents, and she can’t until Grandma is there.”
She held out her hand, and Buffy eased herself up, grabbing her cane from where it leaned in the corner. Gingerly she made her way to the door, turning to look back at the piles of boxes before turning off the light and closing the door.
Title: The Ring
Rating: R, with a slight tilt towards NC-17. But only for one part.
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Summary: It's strange how one small momento can bring a flood of memories.
Dedication: To H. I miss you.
-----------------
She’d found the ring while looking through some old boxes in the attic.
There was nothing particulaQrly special about the box. Just another place to keep old Christmas cards and momentos from the children’s achievements. She’d just lifted out a pile of newspaper clippings when she saw the little black box.
Her heart had leapt, just a tiny bit, and she hesitantly reached in and lifted it. It opened soundlessly, with slight difficulty after being closed for so many decades. The ring wasn’t shiny, it hadn’t been when it had been placed in the box. The silver was tarnished and worn, but the ring itself was sturdy, heavy.
The blank eyes of the skull looked up at her as she removed the ring, slipping it onto her middle finger. It was too large for her, and it looked comical next to her simple wedding band.
Drawing a deep breath, she slid back to rest against the wall, closing her eyes against the flood of memories.
---
“What on earth is this?”
Giles walked into the spare room from the kitchen, a dish towel in his hands. He smiled at her on the floor, going through the boxes that had been shipped from Sunnydale. She held up the silver skull ring, with its wide, thick band, and gave him an incredulous smile.
“Evidence of a misspent youth,” he said, lowering himself down to sit next to her on the floor. “I thought I’d lost it ages ago.”
“Apparently not.” She slipped it onto her finger, and waved her hand at him, causing it to promptly fly off, nearly hitting him in the face before dropping to the floor and disappearing under the dresser.
“Oops.”
He laughed quietly, pulling her to him and resting his face in the warm crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of her shampoo and the lavender bodywash she always used.
“Here. Wear this one instead.”
He’d pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket, and he now slipped it into her hand. She looked down at it, then back up at him. He merely smiled and nodded at her to open it.
The lid opened with a small snap, and the light bounced off the small diamond set in white gold.
“Giles…”
“Buffy, will you marry me?”
---
“This can’t happen.”
Buffy looked up at him from her spot on the couch. He was pacing the living room, cleaning his glasses furiously. He’d been stammering under his breath for a good five minutes now.
“It already has happened.”
“Yes, but it has to end now. There are rules in place, not to mention laws…”
“Laws? I’m 18 years old. I’m not even jail bait anymore.”
“Yes, but I’m not 18. That’s the point. And if anything were to happen, what’s to stop people from making the natural assumption, given the fact that I have been in your life since you were 16 years old?”
“I don’t care what other people think, and neither should you,” she said, almost angrily.
He paused in his pacing, and looked down at her. The furrow in her brow and hurt expression in her eyes softened him, and he finally sat down on the couch, keeping a minimal space between them.
“Buffy, I am your watcher. I may not be employed by the Council any longer, but I am still bound by their rules when it comes to my relationship with my slay…former slayer. There are severe penalties for this sort of abuse of power. Ignoring for the moment the legal ramifications, the Council has their own ideas of crime and punishment. And they are far harsher than any democratic country could dare dream of.”
Buffy looked down at her hands, fidgeting with her nails and studying the tips of her boots.
“So, what? We’re supposed to ignore what we’re feeling? I’m supposed to move on and try to find someone else? Look what happens when I try to have a relationship. You’re the only person, aside from Willow and Xander, that I’ve ever had a real meaningful relationship with.”
“And that is how it shall stay. A relationship between Watcher and Slayer.”
She moved then, coming up and kissing him. He was too surprised to move away, and as her small hand came up to touch the back of his neck, he found himself putting one arm around her waist, pulling her close to him and kissing her back with fervor.
When she finally pulled away, she rested her forehead against his and said, “I don’t think I can handle a strictly business relationship.”
He tried to speak, but the words choked him. Clearing his throat, he said quietly, “No one will understand.”
“Then no one will know.”
------
“Buffy?”
“Yeah, Mom, it’s me.”
“I’m in the kitchen.”
Buffy set her jacket down on the couch and walked into the kitchen to find her mom and Dawn sitting at the counter, eating lunch.
“Hi, hon,” her mom said as she walked over to kiss her on the cheek. “How’s college? I didn’t expect to see you home so soon.”
“Yeah, um, college is great. Just wanted to come back and see how everything was going here.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Dawn and I went shopping today, she’s already making plans to turn your room into a library.”
Buffy looked over at her little sister, who immediately became defensive.
“What, it’s not like you’re going to use it again!”
Buffy rolled her eyes and pulled a bottled water out of the fridge.
“You know, Buffy, I’m actually glad you’re home. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“What’s up?”
“Well, you know that young man who just started working at the gallery? The one I was telling you about?”
“Sure. Steve, or something?”
“Simon. A very nice young man. Charming, and handsome. His parents live in Los Angeles, and he just moved here a few months ago. He doesn’t really know a lot of people around here, and I was thinking…”
“No, Mom.”
“No, what?”
“I know what you’re thinking, and no. No Matchmaker Mom.”
Joyce sighed, exasperated.
“Honestly, Buffy, I just wanted you to meet him. You might be surprised.”
“I’m not interested in dating some guy, Mom. I’m sure Simon’s great.”
Joyce frowned as she picked up her plate and Dawn’s and carried them to the sink.
“I’m just worried about you. I haven’t seen you date anyone since Angel, and I don’t want you to feel lonely.”
“I’m not lonely,” Buffy said, playing with the label on her water bottle. “I swear. I’m just…”
“I know, I know. I won’t meddle. Are you staying here tonight?”
“No, I’m going to patrol and then go back to the dorm. I’ll see you later, Mom.”
---
“I’m sorry, but natural conception is just not possible.”
Giles gripped Buffy’s hand tightly, and she tightened her jaw against the rush of tears she felt coming.
“I don’t understand.”
“Your progesterone levels are almost nonexistent. And Rupert, your sperm count, while not abnormally low, is...well, it's too low to conceive the normal way.”
“Did we wait too long?” Buffy asked, her voice almost a whisper.
The doctor sighed and closed the folder he’d been reading from.
“There’s no way of knowing. Without having your levels tested earlier, there’s no way to compare.”
Buffy chewed the inside of her mouth to keep from crying, and Giles cleared his throat.
“Thank you, doctor.”
“I can get you the number for adoption agencies, or even a surrogate program…”
---
Buffy was on the dance floor with Willow, Oz and Xander when she spotted Giles come through the door of the Bronze. She smiled, and quickly walked over to him.
“You came out,” she said happily, going to hug him automatically. He shot her a warning look, and she stopped short, her arms flopping back down to her side. He grinned sideways at her, and they walked to the table where Buffy had her purse and drink.
“I almost didn’t come,” he said, leaning close so she could hear him over the music.
“I’m glad you did,” she said, smiling up at him.
“Giles!” Willow exclaimed as she came back to the table, breathless from dancing. “Is something wrong?”
“No, no, not at all,” he said, surveying the club. “Buffy told me you lot were coming here, and I thought I’d come hear the band play.”
“Oh,” Willow said, looking a little startled. Xander appeared then, followed by Oz, who handed Willow a drink and sat down beside her.
“Former Watcher-Man,” Xander said, laying his hand down heavily on Giles’ shoulder. “How’s that midlife crisis working out for you?”
“I beg your pardon?” Giles said, but Buffy noticed the tips of his ears were red.
“Partying at the Bronze? Wearing jeans? And is that an earring?”
Giles opened his mouth to speak, but Buffy said, “Xander, lay off of him. Giles deserves a party night just as much as the rest of us.”
“Agreed,” Oz said, raising his cup.
“I’m going to get a drink,” he said uncomfortably, slipping away from the table. After he’d gone, Buffy turned an accusing look on Xander.
“Why are you being mean to him?”
It was his turn to look startled.
“What? It’s not weird that stuffy old Giles suddenly shows an interest in hanging out with us post-slayage?”
“He’s not stuffy anymore,” Buffy said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Besides, we’re not high school kids anymore. We’re young adults now.”
“It’s still weird.”
Giles returned with his drink, and drinks for the four of them. They sipped in awkward silence that wasn’t caused by the loud music. Eventually they got up to dance, but Giles politely declined, staying at the table and looking towards the exit...
---
“Hit the brake. The brake. THE BRAKE, BUFFY, NOW!”
The car came to a loud, screeching halt, and Buffy glared over at him.
“How am I supposed to learn if you’re yelling at me all the time?”
“I’m not trying to yell at you,” he said, catching his breath from the rush of fear and panic. “You just…when I say hit the brake, please listen.”
Buffy slammed the car into park and crossed her arms.
“Maybe you teaching me to drive wasn’t such a good idea.”
He removed his glasses to swipe the lenses, and said, “You’re not a bad driver, Buffy. You just need to be more attentive. You can’t rely on Slayer ability when you’re in a car. Your reflexes don’t extend to the hunk of metal you’re steering.”
She exhaled sharply through her nose, and put the car back in drive.
“Okay,” she said evenly. “I’m braked. What’s next?”
“See that right turn coming up? I want you to pretend there’s a car about to turn left, and you need to turn in without hitting them.”
She raised an eyebrow at him and said, “You’re serious?”
“You are going to come upon many a turn where a car is in the opposite lane. You need to make sure you can turn cleanly.”
“Why don’t I just let them pull out before turning in?”
“And if there are six other cars behind them?”
“Let them all turn out?”
He looked at her sternly, and she sighed, braking and taking the turn at less than five miles per hour.
“Okay, you made the turn. However, the car behind you, frustrated at waiting, has just slammed into the back of you, and your head is through the windshield.”
“No, it’s not. I have my seatbelt on.”
“Try again, and this time, maybe boost it up a few miles per hour.”
The next time, she took the turn without braking so much. Giles informed her she’d hit the imaginary car.
She hit the imaginary car a total of ten more times before finally putting the car in park, stepping out, and walking out of the parking lot towards her home, Giles driving the car beside her begging her to get back in.
---
“Mrs. Giles, the prognosis isn’t good.”
Buffy’s jaw tightened, and she felt goose bumps rise on her arms.
“What is it?”
“Well, we have a few more tests to run, to see just how advanced-”
“What is it?” she said again, her voice stronger this time.
“The cancer has spread. It’s in the kidneys and liver now, and seems…”
Buffy couldn’t hear him over the rush of blood in her ears. She put her hands up to the sides of her head momentarily, then looked up at him.
“What’s the next course of treatment?” she asked, interrupting his monologue.
He hesitated, and she knew then. She stood shakily, and said, “I need to see my husband...”
A nurse came in to lead her to the room where he was waiting, dressed in black slacks and her favorite blue button down shirt. He was looking down when she came in, and she walked to him, setting her purse down and putting her arms around him tightly.
They cried together for a long time before the nurse finally came in and said they needed the room.
---
As he moved slowly on top of her, Buffy gripped at his strong back muscles with her fingers, her head thrown back to look him in the eye.
“I love you,” she murmured, raising her hips to meet his. He kissed her then, his tongue tracing her lips softly before his head fell to her neck, kissing and nipping at the soft skin there.
“I love you,” he said, his pace quickening. “Oh, Buffy, I love you so much...”
---
The club was far outside Sunnydale city limits. It was crowded and dimly lit, and no one gave them a second look as they moved through the crowd to the bar, getting a drink before moving to a table in a far corner of the room.
The couples at the next table were friendly and talkative, somewhat irritatingly so, and they insisted on dragging Buffy to the dance floor, Giles begging off and standing to the side to watch her.
Finally, when a song came on that the other couples didn’t know, she attempted to move off the dance floor. But Giles was no longer at the table. Turning to look for him, she found him behind her, his strong arms going around her waist as he pulled her roughly to him.
His hand cupped her ass as he pressed himself against her, and she put her arms loosely around his neck, allowing him to lift her off the ground as they danced. He put one knee between her legs, moving them around and shamelessly grinding himself against her, loving the heavy-lidded expression of joy on her face.
When the song was over, they slipped outside the club, finding a small, narrow walkway between the building and another. Giles slipped his hand under her skirt, and Buffy pulled at the buttons on his shirt, biting down on his flesh to keep from crying out in pleasure. Her hand worked open the zipper and fly of his pants, and she slipped her hand in, rubbing in time with his hand until she came, mouth open soundlessly as her leg muscles constricted tightly, then loosened to a jelly-like state.
Giles straightened her skirt, and moved his hand down to cover hers. She shook it off before sliding down to her knees. He leaned back against the wall, one eye on the entrance of the alleyway to make sure no one was enjoying the view.
He didn’t last long, and afterwards, Buffy gently zipped and buttoned him back up.
“Ready to go back?” she asked, her eyes shining.
“Never,” he said, kissing her soundly.
---
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Willow asked gently, helping Buffy clean the kitchen after the funeral.
Buffy frowned, wondering for a moment what Willow was talking about. The redhead glanced towards the living room, where Giles was saying goodbye to the few remaining mourners.
“Oh,” she said quietly.
“I’m sorry, Buffy,” Willow said quickly, setting down the stack of dishes. “This is a horrible time to say that.”
“No, no,” Buffy said, coughing to keep back the tears. “It’s understandable. Um…w-when we first started…this, I was just 18. Giles was worried about the Council, and people thinking he was a letch, or something. Plus we d-didn’t want Mom…”
Her voice broke off then, and she really did choke on a sob then. Immediately Giles came into the kitchen, pulling her into his arms as she cried into his shirt. Willow cried, too, feeling it was her fault for the breakdown. Giles shook his head, giving her a kind look, and led Buffy into her old bedroom.
Buffy refused to let go of him, and they sat down on the edge of her bed, the strong young woman reduced to a little girl dealing with the death of her mother.
“We should’ve told her,” Buffy managed, looking up at him finally. The tears continued down her cheeks, and he kissed her eyelids. “She’s gone, and she never knew, and now she never will.”
“You couldn’t know. We thought we had more time.”
“I shouldn’t have kept it from her!” she said, anguished. “I didn’t realize what a short time I would have with her. I should’ve told her I loved her more. I shouldn’t have lied and not told her we were together.”
He murmured quietly to her, not having the words for once to soothe her. Willow knocked on the door gently to tell them she and Tara were taking Dawn, and eventually the house was quiet. Giles got her to lay down on the bed, and he lay behind her, smoothing her hair and stroking her arm until she fell asleep.
---
“Mom? Are you up here?”
Buffy opened her eyes then, and saw her daughter’s head poking in through the attic door.
“What are you doing?” Joyce asked, walking gingerly over to the spot where her mother was sitting.
Buffy smiled and closed the ring box, placing it back in the box.
“Nothing, honey. Came up here to get the punch bowl, and got distracted looking through these boxes.”
“Well, come on. Alexis is ready to open presents, and she can’t until Grandma is there.”
She held out her hand, and Buffy eased herself up, grabbing her cane from where it leaned in the corner. Gingerly she made her way to the door, turning to look back at the piles of boxes before turning off the light and closing the door.