Title: Careless Whisper
Rating: FRC
Word Count: 400
ASH Character: Rupert Giles
Pairing: Buffy/Giles (friendship)
Disclaimer: All hail Joss and his minions. I am not worthy.
Author's Note: For ashthedrabble on LJ challenge: Dancing
The hotel they'd stopped at was picked merely for the fact that it was directly across the street from the local hospital. There were no vacancies, but when the night desk clerk heard what had happened to the motley crew, he arranged for the group to have cots set up in one of the banquet rooms.
Run down slayers helped stack chairs and arrange cots in clusters around the outside walls of the large room, leaving the center empty. Even now, they automatically arranged the room to give themselves a tactical advantage. The lights were kept low so that those who were the worse for wear could sleep. All of which was done with minimal talking. Someone found music controls and put something soft on to play quietly. Probably Andrew.
One by one, the new slayers dropped off into their dreams. Faith was across the street with Robin. Xander and Willow both stayed at the hospital keeping an eye on the more severely injured. Buffy and Giles kept watch over the exhausted group of survivors. Apocalypse averted, but they were old hats at this game. They both knew this was when their little band was the weakest, the most vulnerable, and they weren't going to let anything else happen to these girls. For them, sleep would come later.
Without a word, Buffy took Giles' hand in hers. When he looked to her inquiringly, she stood and tugged his hand lightly, leaving him no choice but to stand and follow her to the center of the room.
She turned to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest and started swaying to the music piped into the room. She couldn't apologize for what she'd said to him. She had never been very good at that part of things. This dance was as close as he'd get, and it was up to him now to accept and move on, or keep the rift between them open.
He started moving to the music before she felt his arms come around her. That's when Buffy's resolve broke. They'd all been through hell, but he was forgiving her and accepting her when he could've just as easily turned and walked away. But a Watcher is nothing without a Slayer.
In a darkened room, surrounded by sleeping slayers, Rupert Giles danced with his slayer, holding her close as she cried.
