Obeying Nature

by Addie.H

A weekend getaway bring forth revelations.

PROLOGUE

Ok, it was a little unusual. Giles felt it wasn't really right to actually look forward to this, but he couldn't help it.

He'd originally protested Xander's suggestion loudly, but when he saw Buffy's face he had reluctantly agreed. Her eyes had lit up, and if this trip would help her, so be it. When Tara had offered to watch Dawn and Spike, surprisingly, had agreed to take care of vampire activity on the Hellmouth, Giles had no arguments left.

For weeks he'd watched Buffy with a heavy heart. She might have been able to fool her friends, but Giles knew the smile on her face was plastered on. He watched her struggle to keep it there and his heart broke a little every time she shied away from him when he tried to help.

So now he found himself, on Friday night, seated across a rustic dinner table with Xander, Anya, Willow and Buffy. Their original plan to intervene and disrupt a demon summit Sunday night had suddenly become a weekend trip. Xander was able to rent a small cabin two hours outside Sunnydale at the last minute and now they had two days to relax and prepare. And hopefully fit in some much needed off-time for Buffy as well, Giles thought, as he watched Buffy sitting across from him.

CHAPTER 1

Buffy sighed quietly as she listened to the happy chatter around the table. It felt good to be away from Sunnydale. Every now and again her thoughts were able to focus on something besides the usual gloom. The nightmares were exhausting her. She knew she had to find a way to deal with them. As she looked around at her friends she thought again that she should tell them the truth. But they all seemed so happy to have her back. She admitted to herself, again, that she was afraid about how they would take it.

As her eyes fell on Giles, her breath caught a little. He was the other thing that occupied her mind nowadays. It hurt her so much to see the pain in his eyes when she pulled away from him, but she couldn't help it. When he came back from England and put his arms around her, the feelings he'd caused had been overwhelming. For the first time since her resurrection she'd felt happy. She wanted to stay in his arms forever. Besides that, he caused fuzzy feelings inside her every time he was near. It totally scared the hell out of her.

She knew she was like a daughter to him. He'd probably be utterly shocked to find out how she felt. So she kept her distance. She put up walls. Even if it almost killed her.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Xander saying her name, and she looked towards him with an apologetic smile, "Sorry Xander, I zoned out there for a second. A little tired I guess. What were you saying?"

Xander gave a yawn before he answered with a laugh, "I said that we should probably go to bed since we're all tired. I was wondering – is it ok if Anya and I take the main bedroom? It's the only room with a double bed. Then you and Willow can take the smaller room with two beds."

Buffy started nodding her head to agree, until she thought of something. "What about Giles? Doesn't he get a bed?"

Giles gave her a smile that increased her heartbeat tenfold.

"Don't worry about me, Buffy. I offered to sleep on the pull out couch in the living room, since I'm up at the crack of dawn anyway."

"Oh, ok. You're sure?" she asked. He nodded and she gave him a small smile before she stood. "Ok then, let's turn in."

The girls proceeded to use the bathroom while Xander helped Giles clear the table and pull out the bed. Not long after the cabin quieted, and all but one occupant slipped off to dream land.

Buffy twisted and turned while she listened to the deep breaths from Willow. Just like every other night, sleep wouldn't come easily. After a while she quietly got up and tip toed into the living room. She'd hoped that Giles would still be up, but her heart sank as she noticed the steady rise and fall of his chest. He looked like he was deeply asleep.

With a sigh she curled herself up in one of the chairs by his bed and watched him. He was absolutely stunning, and she had to fight the desire to crawl into bed next him and pull his arms around her. With a sad smile she rested her head on the back of the chair let the soothing rhythm of his breathing finally lull her to sleep.

CHAPTER 2

Giles woke to the sound of thrashing and moaning. At first he was surprised to find Buffy curled up in a chair next to his bed. His surprise quickly turned to concern when he saw the state she was in. It was obvious she was having a nightmare. He climbed out of bed and crouched next to her. Gently he placed a hand on her knee.

"Buffy? Come on wake up, I'm right here."

When she continued to thrash, he tightened his hold and called out her name a little louder.

"Buffy!"

Her eyes snapped open, and she looked around frantically, panting from the night terror. She suddenly noticed Giles sitting next to her. Her eyes teared up when she saw the worried look on his face. With a sob she flung herself towards him and clung to him as her tears continued to fall. Giles tightened his arms around her and tried to hold his balance.

Her sobs made her entire body shake. He was bewildered, and had no idea what to do. When her crying didn't subside, he picked her up so he could sit on the edge of the bed, and continued to stroke her back and hair. He could feel her shivering, and after a slight internal debate, he tried to untangle her. She immediately whimpered and held him tighter.

"Buffy, I'm just going to place you under the covers. You're freezing", he whispered.

She only shook her head and choked out, "No! Don't let go."

Giles wrapped one arm around her to hold her to him and used the other as support so he could scoot into the middle of the bed.

"Buffy, I won't let go. But you're freezing, so I'm going to cover us both up, alright?"

She nodded, and he managed to lift the comforter to cover them both. He was too far away from the back of the couch to use it as a back rest, so he crossed his fingers that he wasn't about to do something that would eventually cause her to throttle him, and lowered them both so they were lying down on the bed. She only pressed closer to him. Without thinking he rolled them so they were on their sides, cradling her close to his chest while he tangled his legs with hers to warm them up.

Not long after her sobbing subsided and her breathing became even and regular. He knew she'd gone back to sleep. Worried that he would wake her if he moved he continued to hold her, and drifted off to sleep with his nose buried in her hair.

CHAPTER 3

His sleep was disturbed hours later by the feel of Buffy gently slipping out of his arms. Resisting the urge to pull her back, he burrowed his head into the pillow to smother his disappointment. She had apparently come to her senses, and decided that the need for comfort was over.

He was so wrapped up into his own sad thoughts that he never heard the return of naked feet on the floorboard, and started when he felt the bed dip. His breath caught when he saw Buffy crawling back in bed, lying on her side close to his body so she was facing him.

"Hi" she whispered.

"Hi" he whispered back. "Are you alright?"

With a slight smile she nodded. "I am now."

The moonlight shone down on her, making her look like an angel, and he was unable to prevent his hand from tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as he asked.

"Do you want to tell me what your dream was about?"

He could have kicked himself when he saw her eyes cloud over with sorrow.

With a shake of the head she closed her eyes briefly before she responded.

"Not now."

She searched his eyes before she continued. "Can I just stay here? Is that ok?"

Once again he felt himself unable to resist, and let the back of his hand stroke her cheek lovingly. "Of course, it's more than ok."

His touch made her shiver in delight, and without thinking she leaned forward and let her mouth brush his as a thank you.

She silently hoped that he would not recoil in disgust, thinking she could claim that she meant to kiss his cheek and had missed because it was dark should he respond negatively.

Nothing had prepared her for him to bring his hand to tangle in her hair so he could press her lips more firmly to his.

For Giles it felt like fireworks had gone off, and he felt his blood rush through his body when she pressed closer and opened her mouth to his questing tongue. Soon their tongues were twisting and hands roamed each others' bodies.

He moaned in pleasure as he felt one of Buffy's hands run up his back under his t-shirt, and the next thing he knew he found himself straddling her to spare her of his weight as his mouth made love to hers.

When air became an issue, he tore his mouth away panting, and let his eyes meet her own desire ridden ones. Immediately the ramifications of what they were doing hit him like a hammer.

With a regretful shake of the head he went to move away from her. "Buffy…"

She tightened her hold on him immediately and cut him of. "Don't! No thinking, please just feel."

Before he had a chance to respond she brought a hand to his cheek and pulled his mouth back to hers.

Since he was still straddling her, she took the opportunity to run her hands back under his t-shirt again, but this time she brought the shirt with her and pulled it over his head.

As soon as the shirt was gone, he covered her mouth again and let his hands trail down her upper body. His touch felt like fire, and her hands dug into his skin when his hands covered her breasts. He reluctantly let go of her mouth to give her some air, but let his mouth continue to place kisses on her heated skin.

Taking advantage of the fact that their mouths weren't connected, he moved his hands to the hem of her shirt and divested her off it. He gently lowered his naked torso to hers, and they both moaned out loud from the sensations of bare skin touching.

Restless to quench his body's thirst for hers, he let his kisses trail down her neck and proceeded south till he covered one of her nipples with his mouth. She arched into him, and let her fingers tangle into his hair to hold him tight to her body. Soon his mouth was travelling further down and Buffy moaned his name when his tongue dipped into her navel.

Caught in the waves of pleasure it took her a little while until she realised that Giles had stopped. He was now resting his forehead on her stomach, while breathing heavily. She felt the tension in him, and concerned she stroked his hair.

"Giles?" she whispered.

Without raising his head he took a deep breath before speaking. "God, Buffy, I. This is too much, we."

Buffy could hear his voice shaking, and soothingly stroked his shoulder when he stopped speaking. She should have known this would have been too much for him. Giles was the type of man who needed to rationalize and analyze everything he did. No wonder what had just happened would have thrown him for a loop.

Gently she tugged on him and brought him back up so she could look into his eyes.

They were mixed with desire and confusion, and Buffy felt awful that she had shook him so badly.

As he opened his mouth to speak, she covered it with a finger and shook her head. "No it's ok. I understand. Too much too soon."

At his slightly uncertain nod, she continued. "Why don't we slow this down, and let's just get some sleep, and then we can deal with this in the morning?"

With a poorly hidden breath of relief he only nodded and then let his forehead rest on her shoulder.

"Can I still stay thought?" she asked in a small voice.

"Oh Buffy, of course you can" he said as he tightened his hold on her and placed a kiss on her shoulder.

It took time for both of them to calm their shallow breathing and rapidly beating heart, but when sleep finally came, it was peaceful

CHAPTER 4

When Buffy woke the next morning she could feel the rise of Giles chest against her back with his deep breaths. Realizing her upper body was still naked, and that the others could come in any minute, she regretfully eased herself out of bed and put on her tank top.

With a last look at Giles, she tip toed into her bedroom and got a change of clothes before she disappeared into the bathroom to take a shower.

Fifteen minutes later she exited fully dressed, and found Willow standing by Giles bed, looking down at his sleeping form.

The comforter was now around his waist, and Buffy had to stifle a laugh as she saw Willow staring at his naked chest. Apparently she was not the only one who thought her watcher was a hunk.

With a mischievous smile she silently crept towards her friend and whispered.

"Whatcha doing Willow?"

She managed to cover Willow's mouth before a startled scream came out.

When Willow had relaxed Buffy removed her hand, and giggled as she saw Willow's blush.

They shared a grin, and then both stood next to each other to admire the sleeping man on the bed.

"Wow" Willow whispered. "Who knew Giles was so hot.'

I knew! Buffy wanted to scream, but she managed to only respond "yeah, who knew?"

Both froze when they saw Giles stretch lazily, and Buffy's heart melted when she saw his arms reach out for someone else in the bed.

God, how she wished she would have been lying there.

When his efforts came up with nothing he woke fully, and jumped when he opened his eyes to see the girls next to his bed staring at him. Willow with a guilty look and Buffy with a loving smile.

He cleared his throat. "And what can I help you ladies with?"

Buffy's smile turned into a wide smile as Willow stuttered. "N-n-nothing! I was just, ah, ah, wondering why you weren't up! Yeah, that's right, so now that you are my mission has been completed. Ok, so good job Giles, keep up the good work!"

With an increasing blush she turned abruptly and headed towards the bathroom.

Giles had followed her hasty retreat with a questioning look, but when she disappeared from his view he looked up at Buffy.

His heart almost stopped when he saw the adoring look on her face.

Before he had a chance to speak, she lowered her face to his and kissed him breathless.

The intensity of the kiss floored him, and with a growl he pulled her into bed.

When things were starting to get out of hand they finally decided to surface. Both knew that it was only a matter of time before they would be discovered.

Buffy gave him a big hug and she whispered into his ear. "God morning gorgeous."

Giles closed in eyes in bliss, amazed that Buffy still seemed to want him in the light of day.

He knew they needed to talk, but for now he took what he could get.

"Good morning to you too. Did you sleep well?" he responded as she let him go.

"Absolutely wonderful" she said with a smile. "What about you?"

With a light kiss he mumbled against her lips. "The best sleep I have had in a long time."

They both shared a knowing look as they heard Willow shut the shower off, and Giles let go of his hold on Buffy so she could stand.

Buffy half turned to move away from him, but with a quick glance at the bathroom door she turned back and said in a hushed voice. "Giles? Can we take some alone time today? Maybe go for a run or something? Just you and me?"

"Of course Buffy, let's have breakfast and work on our plan for Sunday, and then we can go after lunch. Is that alright?"

She nodded happily in reply and gave him a quick kiss before she went to wake Anya and Xander.

CHAPTER 5

The morning passed quickly, and before they knew it, Buffy and Giles found themselves alone. Their intended run had quickly turned into a leisurely stroll with their hands tightly clasped together. Not many words had been spoken. Both seemed content with the silence as they made their way through the woods.

Suddenly they found themselves at a clearing, and Buffy gasped in delight when she saw a small lake with glorious rays gracing the surface.

"Wow!" Buffy said, breathless with awe as she looked at the beautiful scenery in front of them.

"Quite," was all Giles managed to reply, also taken by the same serene view.

"You know what this means, right Giles?" Buffy asked with a smile. He turned his head to reply and found himself suddenly speechless when he saw Buffy pealing off her t-shirt, leaving her in a sports-bra.

"W-what do you m-mean?" he managed to stutter out.

With a playfully exasperated expression, Buffy responded as she kicked off her sneakers and running shorts, "Come on, let loose Watcher-mine, we're going for a dip!"

Before he had a chance to answer, she took off running and dove into the water.

She re-emerged and found Giles rooted to the spot. She gave him a disapproving glare. "Come on Giles, the water isn't getting any warmer."

With a slight grumble, Giles removed his t-shirt and shorts to stand clad only in his boxers. He aimed his just as powerful glare at her, although it quickly turned playful when he saw her shining smile. Mumbling under his breath he walked towards the lake, and had to hold back a shriek to maintain his manliness when he wadded into the water.

Buffy laughed, and quickly dove under the water. When she came back up again, Giles was nowhere to be found. She started to worry. "Giles?" she asked as she looked around for him.

She let out a piercing scream when she felt two powerful hands grab her waist to drag her under. She came back up spluttering, and jumped on the man standing in front of her with a smug smile.

"Oh, you are going to pay for that one!" she laughed as she tried her damndest to dunk him under, a feat that her light weight was unable to do while she was in the water. Soon both were involved in a massive water fight, mingled with laughs and playful threats.

Buffy was hanging on to Giles' back, planning to somehow knock his feet from under him, when she suddenly stilled. She circled his chest with her arms, wrapped her legs around his waist, and placed her chin on his shoulder.

"Giles?" she asked softly, and placed a soft kiss on his shoulder.

"Mmmm" he said as he wiped the water from his eyes, before placing his hands underneath her knees so he could hold her closer against his back.

"Thank you for this. I can't remember the last time I felt like a regular girl hanging out with a regular guy, doing a regular thing, you know? It's extra special when it's a guy who gives me some very nice tingles."

Giles felt his heart beating a little faster, and let his thumbs stroke her skin softly. "I know. I feel the same way."

"Oh yeah?" she asked playfully, "You feel like a regular girl hanging out with a regular guy, doing a regular thing too?"

"Ha bloody ha" he growled back at her. He let her legs go so he could pull her around to face him. "You know what I meant."

With a loving voice that had no trace of her previous playful tone she said, "Yeah, I did."

She placed her arms around his shoulders again and held him tightly. She pressed her face into his neck. Giles immediately tightened his hold on her, and closed his eyes in utter bliss at the feel of her skin against his. Several minutes passed without a word spoken, as they embraced while the sun shone down on them.

When Giles felt Buffy shiver from the cool water, he lifted her a little higher so he had a more secure hold on her and slowly walked out of the lake. He gently deposited her on the ground by their discarded clothes, with a kiss to the top of her head.

"Let's get out of our wet clothes and warm up. I'll be right back."

Buffy watched him pick up his dry clothes and disappear further into the woods to give her the privacy to change her own.

Chapter 6

"A bicycle"

"What do you mean it's a bicycle? It looks nothing like it." Buffy furrowed her brow in concentration as she squinted up at the sky.

"Look right there. There's the steering, right below is the wheel, and a little to the right you see the pedals and the seat," Giles explained while pointing his finger. Dressed in their dry clothes while their wet ones were hanging on a tree, Giles and Buffy lay on their backs in the grass, heads close together, cloud watching.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't bikes supposed to have two wheels?" Buffy said with a smothered giggle.

"Yes, well, I can't help it if the wheel was stolen. I just call them as I see them." Giles huffed humorously.

"Ok, I give. What about this one then?" Buffy's hand indicated a small cloud to their left. It took a few seconds before Giles responded, and Buffy waited in anticipation.

"The most beautiful sight I've ever seen," came his soft-spoken response.

"Huh?" Buffy turned her to him with a confused look.

Her breath caught as she saw Giles' green eyes looking directly at her. Before she had the chance to say another word, his hand gently caressed her cheek. He turned towards her and covered her mouth with his. A million butterflies fluttered in Buffy's stomach as his lips gently moved over hers.

She almost mewled in protest when she felt his lips release hers, but he only raised himself to lean on his elbow, cover half of her body with his, and lower his mouth to hers again. Their lips met and clung together as passion exploded between them. Buffy wasn't able to hold back a moan when Giles' tongue stroked against hers.

Before he lost all restraint, Giles ended the kiss and raised his head so he could look into her eyes.

"Buffy, I'm sorry, but I need to ask. What . . . I mean, when, ah. . . "

Buffy placed a finger on his lips. She knew what he was trying to ask. Letting her fingers run down his cheek slowly, she gave him an understanding smile before she started speaking.

"Giles, before I died, we were closer than we'd ever been before. There was a connection that I couldn't explain. I knew I cared deeply about you. I felt you cared about me, too." His nod made her smile. "But there was too much going on at the time for me to really explore it. I couldn't really think about what those feelings were. I wanted to, because I felt that something had shifted. But, well, we both know what happened next: the Swan Dive of the Century." Giles only looked her seriously in the eyes as his hand came up to stroke her cheek.

"You died." he whispered. Seeing the pain in his eyes, she wanted to hit herself for being so flip about it. She hadn't meant to hurt him. She should have realised how much her death must have pained him.

"Yeah" she whispered in return and used a hand to stroke his back soothingly. "And we don't need to go through everything that happened after that. I am dealing with it. Willow is better. And I'm actually happy to be back now, despite the whole heaven thing."

She took a deep breath before she continued.

"But it was the day that you came back from England that I finally understood those feelings I had before I died. When you hugged me everything became clear as glass. I realised that I was in love with you."

That last admission came out as a whisper, and for a second she was worried about how he would take it. When she saw his eyes mist, she felt her own tear up. He said nothing, only lowered his mouth to hers again, and kissed her senseless until they had to stop for air. With closed eyes he leaned his forehead against hers as he drew in a shaky breath.

"Oh god, Buffy. I have been in love with you for so long." He gave her a brief kiss before giving her such a wonderful happy smile that Buffy reciprocated tenfold.

"You have? I had no idea. When I first realised my own feelings it terrified me. I knew you cared, but I thought it was like I was your daughter. That's why I've been pulling away from you so much lately, Giles. I was worried you'd find out, and everything would be ruined between us."

Giles shook his head adamantly, "Buffy, even if I hadn't returned your feelings, I would never have let them come between us. I hope you know you can tell me anything."

Buffy gave him a loving smile, "Well, I don't have to worry about that now, do I?"

Giles chuckled, "No, you don't."

"There were times", she continued, "that I thought I saw something in your eyes. But it was gone so quickly that I never found out for sure."

"Well", Giles said with a rueful smile, "I've had bit of practice." That made her laugh, and Buffy couldn't stop from giving him another kiss. She had never been as happy as she was at this moment. When she released his lips, she pulled him into a tight embrace, marvelling over the fact that he was now hers. And she was his.

Her smile sobered when she heard a small voice in the back of her head trying to remind her it wouldn't last. She only tightened her hold on Giles and pushed the voice away.

Chapter 7

The rest of the afternoon was pure bliss for them both. Never moving far apart, they talked and shared loving kisses and touches. Then both their stomachs growled at the same time, and with a laugh they regretfully decided to head back to the cabin. Sunset wasn't far away, and they realised the others would start wondering why they were gone for so long.

Not ready to share their relationship with the Scoobies, with a passionate kiss they distanced themselves before they came out of the woods. Silently, both wondered how they were ever going to be able to keep their hands off each other. Now they'd found each other they were both reluctant to let go.

When they approached the house they were pleasantly surprised to find the others had moved the table outside so they could eat on the porch. They were just about to climb the stairs when Xander suddenly appeared in the doorway carrying some wineglasses.

"There you are. We were just about to put together a search and rescue party! What the hell have you guys been up to?"

Buffy gave him an apologetic smile, trying to hold back from doing a happy dance up the stairs. If they only knew! "Sorry Xander, we didn't realise how much time had passed."

She shivered when she felt Giles' hand subtlety stroke her back as he closely followed her onto the porch.

"Riiiiight." Xander drawled. "Ice-cold calculation is what I call it: you were tardy just so you can get out of kitchen duty. Well, I saw right through your plan! Now you're both on clean-up duty".

Both Giles and Buffy chuckled when they saw his impish smile.

"Dinner's ready in half an hour, so hurry up kids. Get cleaned up and we'll see you in a bit."

"Aye-aye, Captain" Buffy replied with a short salute. With a quick glance at Giles, who gave her an 'all yours' gesture, Buffy hurried inside to take a quick shower.

Fifteen minutes later Giles, who had been sitting outside talking to the others, went inside to see if the bathroom was ready.

He found the bathroom door slightly ajar. Assuming Buffy was getting dressed in the bedroom, he opened the door without thinking twice. The vision that greeted him made him freeze, his breath caught in his throat.

Buffy was standing in front of the mirror, dressed only in jeans and a bra, brushing her teeth. The fact that he'd seen Buffy earlier dressed in less made no difference. This seemed so very intimate and he felt his blood rush south.

Buffy looked over her shoulder at the open door, gave him a toothpaste-y smile and indicated with a nod of her head that he could come in. With shaking hands he stepped into the room and closed the door, while she continued to brush her teeth and follow his movements in the mirror.

He stepped up behind her and circled her waist in his hands. She rinsed her mouth and placed her toothbrush in a cup by the sink before she let her own arms rest on his. She looked at his reflection in the mirror and grinned.

"Hi there handsome. Am I stealing all your bathroom time?"

Giles only shook his head no, while tightening his hold. Slowly he lowered his lips to her shoulder. Buffy closed her eyes as she felt his lips travelling up her neck. The next thing she knew, she found herself being turned around and her mouth was plundered by his tongue.

She reciprocated in full, and soon both were shaking from need. Buffy finally pulled away. She had to bite back a grin as she saw Giles lips chase hers. Once more she let herself have a taste of him, but this time she stopped the kiss before it deepened. Both stared into each other's eyes and tried to calm their breathing, but their hands continued their advances.

"God Buffy," Giles said with a moan as his hands rested on her bare back. He placed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "I can't believe how much I want you."

Buffy's heart skipped a beat. She pulled him close in a long hug. "Me too" she whispered against his skin. After a few moments, regretfully, they let their hands drop. But not before they shared one last brief kiss.

Finally Buffy slipped out of the bathroom so he could shower. She knew if she'd stayed, he wouldn't have showered by himself. The tension between them had thickened. It was almost unbearable, and Buffy wished they were alone so they could act on it.

As she slipped out of the bathroom, she was so deep in blissful thoughts that she completely missed Anya's wide-eyed stare. The ex-demon had stepped inside to grab another bottle of wine. Anya wondered to herself what was going on. She could have sworn she'd seen Giles close the bathroom door behind him just a few minutes earlier.

Chapter 8

It didn't take long for Giles to join the gang chatting outside, freshly showered and dressed in jeans and light blue shirt that caused a flutter in Buffy's stomach.

He seated himself next to her, contentedly listening to the chatter that flowed around the table. Hidden from the view of the others, his hand lightly stroked her thigh. She carefully covered his hand with her own, her thumb stroking the back of his as she took a sip of wine with her other hand. Both avoided eye contact during dinner, worried that if their eyes met they wouldn't be able to hide their feelings. Still, it didn't stop their hands from meeting under the table at every opportunity, silently conveying how much they needed each other.

If the others thought they were a little quiet during dinner, no one commented on it. They were all used to Watcher/Slayer pre-fight preoccupation, so they chatted amongst themselves. Buffy and Giles were so focused on each others' bodies sitting close together, but not close enough, that they completely missed Anya's scrutinizing gaze that followed their every move.

Buffy and Giles did participate enough to cast their votes for an early night. It didn't take long for everyone to finish dinner. After a little after-dinner conversation (and the promised dish clean up by Watcher and Slayer) they called the night to a halt. At Anya's suggestion they agreed to try to sleep as long as possible. That way everyone would be completely rested for the next night's fight. They all headed inside to prepare for bed.

Giles stayed outside, hoping for a brief moment with Buffy. He released a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding when she came back. Both grinned at each other as they heard Xander, Willow and Anya fight over bathroom rights inside. After a quick glance to make sure the others where nowhere near, Giles took Buffy's hand and pulled her close to his body.

"Buffy, I want you to promise me something" he said seriously as he hugged her close.

"Mmmmm?" was all Buffy managed as she revelled in the feel of his body pressed to hers.

"Promise me you'll be careful tomorrow. No heroics. I couldn't bear it if something should happen to you."

Her eyes flew open and began to tear up as she heard his words. For a second she contemplated telling him, but then decided against it. It would make him worry, and that would mean he would get no rest, which would put him in risk during the fight. Instead she only held him close and buried her face into his neck while nodding, "I promise."

After a few minutes, Giles raised his head and gently cupped her cheek. "I love you," he whispered before letting his mouth cover hers. He'd meant it to be a short comforting kiss, but it quickly turned passionate. Both completely forgot were they where, until a triumphant voice broke their torrid embrace.

"I knew it!"

They jumped apart and looked towards the door. Anya was standing there with a smug smile.

Buffy and Giles turned an interesting shade of red, while Anya jumped up and down with excitement.

"Ah, A-Anya, this i-is not what it l-looks like", Giles tried unsuccessfully.

"Oh really? Because from where I'm standing it looks like you and Buffy were kissing. It looks like you'd done it before." Anya replied, in an almost accusing tone.

Giles, frustrated, ran his hand through his hair, and looked to Buffy for help. Before she had a chance to say anything, Anya continued with a soft smile.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

At their disbelieving look, Anya laughed. "I promise. Giles has been alone for too long. I watch him turn away attractive women all the time at the Magic Shop. It was obvious he was waiting for you." She turned slightly towards a surprised Buffy, "And from what Xander has told me Giles is much better than any of your other boyfriends. At least he won't hurt your friends. I am glad that you finally have someone to have orgasms with, both of you. It doesn't make sense that you are trying to hide it, but since you are obviously sneaking around, I promise not to tell Xander or Willow."

At their relieved look, she continued mischievously. "Yet."

"Thank you, Anya. I have always known you were the soul of discretion." Giles said, somewhat ironically, but mostly with relief that they wouldn't have to explain their relationship to the rest of their little gang just yet. Buffy just gave Anya a playful glare that turned into a grateful smile.

Anya turned away from them and regally waved her arm, "You may carry on!"

Buffy immediately moved into his arms and stared kissing his neck.

"Umm, Buffy, you r-really need to s-stop", Giles stuttered while his arms indicated differently as they closed around her.

"Don't want to" Buffy mumbled against his skin as her kisses moved towards the v of his shirt.

"Me neither, love, but when it comes to you I have hardly any restraints left." Carefully he untangled himself from her and looked into her eyes. Buffy relented when she saw how serious he was. His pupils were dilated and his breathing was irregular. With a short kiss to his lips she nodded her head in acceptance, but let her hands run down the front of his shirt.

He closed his eyes with a groan. Buffy felt a small spark of pride at the emotions she was able to stir in him.

"I wish I could stay with you tonight" she said with a slight grumble.

"So do I love, but we both know what would happen if you did." he said with a rueful smile.

She nodded her head with a twinkle in her eye. "You're right about that!"

They parted with a last hug, denying themselves a kiss, since this time they knew they wouldn't be able to stop. With a regretful look, Buffy turned away from him and walked inside. Giles blew out a frustrated breath and willed his body to calm down. It was certainly going to be a long night.

Chapter 9

Buffy sat on her bed with her pyjamas in her lap, listening to Giles move around the bathroom. She wanted nothing more than to join him, but fought the desire. She waited until she heard him go back into the other room. Willow had fallen asleep instantly in the other bed beside hers and Buffy decided to wait a few more minutes to make sure Giles would be in bed as well. She didn't want to risk running into him in the hallway and loosing her resolve not to go to him.

Silently she went to the bathroom and changed her clothes before starting her nightly ritual. She jumped a little when the bathroom door opened, and had to swallow her disappointment when she saw Anya standing in the door.

"Hi," Buffy whispered. "I thought you were asleep. I'm almost done here."

"Don't rush. I wanted to talk to you." Anya said as she came in and closed the door behind her. Buffy realized she should have seen this coming. She braced herself for questions. But Anya's question wasn't what she'd expected.

"Buffy how long have I been around?"

With a slightly puzzled look Buffy answered. "I don't know Anya. You've been around at least two years now, right?"

Anya just shook her head. "I don't mean as a human."

Buffy thought for a second. "Oh. I don't know, about a thousand years?"

"Pretty close. And what kind of a demon was I?" she asked.

Buffy felt a sinking pit in her stomach as she answered the all too obvious question, "A vengeance demon who specialized in scorned women."

Anya nodded. "So if I had some advice, you would trust me right? Because I've seen a lot of relationships in my time."

Buffy wasn't sure how she should answer that one. On the one hand, Anya had a pretty skewed view of relationships that was often quite funny. On the other, well, she had seen more people in and out of love than anyone else Buffy knew. She nodded her head yes anyway, which earned her a shining smile. "Thank you."

A few moments passed until Anya started talking.

"Being a vengeance demon doesn't mean I haven't noticed how a good relationship is supposed to work. I mean, I didn't understand about all of the sex until I became human again, but I did see what love is, I knew how to recognize the warning signs. Just because I loved my job doesn't mean I didn't notice what makes the good relationships last."

At Buffy's confused look she continued.

"One of the worst mistakes humans make is they have a tendency to ignore the fact that their lives are short. They put off doing things because they think they have plenty of time. Suddenly they wake one day and realize it's too late. The best relationships are ones where the people in love acted on that love."

Now Buffy was looking at hear with a big proverbial question mark on her face, so Anya decided to be a little more blunt.

"Buffy," Anya said with a soft voice, "you have died twice, and that should have taught you a valuable lesson don't you think? Yet here you are in the bathroom, getting ready to sleep alone. And I think I saw one very asleep Watcher in the living room. I doubt he'd be asleep if you were with him."

Finally, understanding dawned on Buffy's face. She crossed her arms across her chest as her eyes drifted to the floor.

"Yeah well, we figured it was for the best. We need to be rested for tomorrow. That wouldn't have happened if I'd have stayed with him." She said, with a small smile.

"Come on Buffy! You guys can rest all day tomorrow. The fight is not until tomorrow night. Why are you wasting this opportunity?"

"I don't know" Buffy mumbled. Anya gave her an understanding smile and stepped a little closer.

"Listen to me. Don't do this. Anything can happen tomorrow. You know that, I know that. Don't let your fears get in the way. He loves you Buffy. You love him, otherwise you wouldn't be acting this way. Don't waste it. It doesn't occur as often as heartbreak does. I know. Go be with him. Now."

Buffy raised her eyes and gave Anya a grateful look, before her face scrunched up with worry.

"But what about Will and Xand? If they find out about us it'll just cause problems. We don't need any distractions tomorrow."

"Don't worry about them. They both sleep like the dead and I will make sure to wake you before they wake tomorrow. Besides, we have all decided to sleep as long as possible. Xander will not get up unless he has to. Willow forgot her alarm clock and said tonight at dinner that she can't wake up without it. Neither one will move until we wake them."

At Buffy's unsure look, Anya gave her a slight nudge towards the door. "Go on."

Anya was surprised when Buffy suddenly enveloped her in a quick hug. "Thank you."

With a last grateful look, Buffy took a deep breath and slipped out of the bathroom, leaving Anya with a pleased smile.

"Finally!"

Chapter 10

Buffy walked as silently as possible over to Giles' bed. It looked like he was deeply asleep, and Buffy thought twice about waking him.

Deep in thought, she almost jumped a mile in the air when he suddenly turned and whispered her name. "Buffy? Is something wrong?"

"Jesus Giles, you just took ten years off my life. I thought you were asleep."

Giles gave a silent chuckle, and then took her hand and pulled her into bed next to him.

"Yes well, it seems like my mind is a little preoccupied by this petite blond I know." While talking he had draped the comforter and his body tightly around her. "Was there something you needed?"

Talk about a loaded question, Buffy thought with a smile.

"Just you" she mumbled as she brought her nose to his neck and took a deep breath. "God, you smell so good." Giles closed his eyes, and brought his hand up her back under her pyjama top as he lowered his head to her neck as well.

"Mmmm, so do you." They stayed like that for several moments just breathing each other in until Giles broke the silence with a murmur.

"I thought you were sleeping in your own bed tonight?" Buffy tangled her hand in his hair and tugged on it gently to raise his head so she could see his eyes.

"I was reluctantly planning on it, but then I met a demon in the bathroom who talked some sense in to me." At first Giles seemed utterly confused, and then a slight smile crossed his face.

"Ah, Anya." Buffy nodded with a smile of her own before she gave him a lingering kiss that made his body shiver. He tore his mouth away from hers while his hand roamed her back.

"Smart girl that Anya, I knew I hired her for a reason."

"I bet you didn't expect her to work wonders for your love life" Buffy said with a smirk that earned her a pinch in the side. Before she had a chance to retaliate, Giles covered her body completely with his and took possession of her mouth with a growl. The feel of his warm body made her moan into his mouth, but she wanted more.

She started to tug on his t-shirt, which wasn't an easy task considering the lack of space between them. He got her hint and lifted his torso slightly so she could pull his shirt up while still making love to her mouth. When they were forced to end the kiss so it would go over his head, he wasted no time in getting rid of hers as well.

Their eyes suddenly caught. Buffy's misted when she saw the love in his. She placed a trembling hand on his cheek that made his eyes close.

"I love you so much Giles."

His eyes opened immediately and he blinked several times before he answered in a tight voice. "And I love you Buffy."

Buffy lifted her head so their mouths met in mid-air, before they both sank back down onto the bed.

Chapter 11

Buffy woke surrounded by the wonderful smell of him. She realized she couldn't remember the last time she woke up with a smile on her face. His arms were wrapped around her, and their legs were tangled together. She held back a chuckle when she realised they had fallen asleep without covering themselves up, and it was at that moment she realised what had woken her up.

A figure was walking down the hall. She held her breath as she recognised Xander heading for the bathroom. She silently begged that it was dark enough so he wouldn't be able to see their naked bodies entwined on the bed.

Giles was disturbed from his sleep at a tad too tight squeeze. He was just about to speak when he heard someone opening the door to the bathroom, and his whole body froze when he realised they were stark naked without anything covering them. At a loss, he didn't move a muscle until he heard the flush from the toilet and the same person exited the room and padded down the hall without a halt.

His body was finally able to relax when he heard the door close. A giggle rose up from Buffy's face, pressed into his chest, caused him to grin, and he let one of his hands roam her naked back as he kissed the top of her head.

"Thought that was funny did you?"

Buffy continued to laugh as she raised her head so she could see his face. "Oh yeah. I wish I could've been able to see your face, because if the tension in your body was any indication I'd say it would be sporting an expression of complete mortification of Xander seeing us together in all of our naked glory."

His grin turned into a slightly worried expression. "Oh my God, that was Xander?"

He could have handled Anya, and maybe even Willow, but Xander was the one who he was most worried about finding out about their relationship.

"Yes it was Xander, but don't worry, he was half asleep and didn't even look over here."

She laughed again when his breath washed out of him in relief, and couldn't resist helping herself to a kiss. He responded with a happy sound that made her heart quicken. After several minutes of that delightful activity they broke, and Giles looked over their naked bodies with an amused smile.

"Hmm, it looks like we fell asleep rather quickly last evening?"

"Sure did, I wonder why?"

With a twinkle in his eyes, he rolled her on her back so his body covered hers.

"I have no idea. Let's try and find out."

Her moans as he moved inside her were working havoc on his control and he knew any minute now he wouldn't be able to hold back his release. Just as he was about to move his hand down so he could bring her with him, one of her hands grabbed his shoulder in a tight hold. She threw her head back as she yelled his name.

"Giiiiles!"

"Giles?"

"Giles!"

With a start he woke, and realised his very erotic dream had turned into the harsh reality of Anya standing next to his bed, calling his name as she tugged on his shoulder.

Immediately he lifted his head from the pillow with an anxious look on his face to make sure both he and Buffy were covered. The sense of relief that they were didn't diminish the fact that he had been left hanging at the brink of an orgasm, and his body squirmed with unreleased tension.

Tightening his hold on Buffy to hide his predicament, he looked up at Anya. "What?"

It came out slightly more irritated than he would have liked, but at that moment he was pleased that he had been able to even speak.

"After the night you must have had, Giles, I would have expected you to be a lot friendlier." Anya said, unfazed by his tone.

At his less than friendly glare, she continued. "I just wanted to let you guys know it is eight am, and you should probably think about getting up. Even though I don't think the others will wake any time soon, you should probably be on the safe side."

Buffy at this time had started to stir, and Giles bit his lip as he felt her body move against his.

She pressed closer and started placing kisses up his throat with an aim for his mouth, and raised her head with a pout when he didn't respond.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Giles' pained expression on his face looking up at Anya.

"Anya! What are you doing here?"

Anya gave her a big grin. "I was just telling Giles it is eight, and that you should probably think about getting up. Maybe not right away though," she continued after a beat. On that note she turned away from them and went back to her room.

Buffy felt the tension in Giles' body and looked back at his face. She got concerned when she saw the troubled look in his eyes. His body suddenly shivered, and she brought her hand up from under the covers to stroke his cheek with a questioning look.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

He closed his eyes, and then leaned his head on her shoulder as he took a deep breath.

"I was woken rather, uhm, unexpectedly and, and, inconveniently," hoping that it would be enough of an answer.

"You had a nightmare?" she asked worryingly.

Apparently not clear enough, he thought, as a blush crept over his face. "Not exactly."

Buffy's brow creased in confusion for a second until her face lit up with a knowing smile.

"One of those huh?" she said as she let her hand slip back under the covers to run down his chest. At the smug tone of her voice, Giles couldn't help but chuckle, but it was quickly interrupted as her hand reached its destination.

"Was I a part of this dream?"

His brain was now too fogged with sensations to come up with a clever answer, so all he did was nod against her neck. His hands had started wandering her body, and his arousal grew as he heard her breathing speed up. He moaned when she moved her head to capture his lips with hers and straddled his body. It did not take long until his morning picked up where his dream left off, except this time she was looking down at him as they moved together.

Just as in his dream, he was worried that he would be unable to wait for her, but then he could feel her inner muscles tense and he finally got the release he sorely needed.

After several minutes Buffy finally lifted her head from his chest where she had plopped down and gave him a loving smile. "Good morning."

Giles smiled in return and gave her a slow kiss before releasing her mouth. "To say the least!"

She gave a quick glance down the hallway and then turned back to him with a mischievous smile.

"Do you thing we woke anyone up? I thought we managed to be pretty quiet."

Giles sat up with her still attached to his chest. "Let's not stay to find out." Holding her tightly he got them both out of bed and gave her another one of his long kisses, before letting her feet touch the floor.

"Why don't we put some clothes on and spend the morning by the lake?"

Buffy nodded happily and put on her t-shirt before heading to her room. A few minutes later they both quietly exited the cabin and walked hand in hand into the woods.

Chapter 12

In her opinion the morning passed too quickly. The entire day too, and now she stood on the porch of their cabin watching the sun set. She and Giles had spent the morning by the lake alternating between napping, cuddling, kissing and swimming, before joining the others for a late brunch. The rest of day they had gone over their battle plan for the evening, and were now almost set to go.

"A quarter for your thoughts." She smiled as Giles came out and stood right next to her, resting his hands on the railing right next to hers.

"Inflation?" she asked playfully as she let her eyes meet his.

"No, but not one of your thoughts could be worth any less than that" he responded with a grin. She could hear the happy chatter of the others inside and was amazed at how relaxed they always were before heading out to battle with her.

"Are we leaving?"

Giles nodded. "Yes, are you ready?"

With a deep breath to prevent her hand from covering his, she nodded. They turned towards each other. He patted her shoulder in a quick and awkward gesture of comfort, and they both laughed as their eyes met.

"You know Giles, I think you can do better than that."

He huffed a little and put his hands in his pockets. "Yes, well, not here though."

Buffy cocked her head, and looked up at him and whispered dramatically.

"I don't think the others would die of shock if you gave me a proper hug."

"But see that's where you're wrong. A proper hug from me would involve the lengths of our bodies pressed tightly together, my hands under your shirt spread on the naked skin of your back, and my face buried in your neck so I can place hot open mouth kisses on your skin." He bit back a smile as he saw her eyes grow dark with desire. "And I am definitely sure they are not ready for that."

"That, Mr. Giles, was not fair!" she admonished him.

"No I guess not, but I can make amends by giving you a preview of coming attractions" he said and pulled her into his arms, while resting the top of his head on hers. He made sure he was facing away from the door to the cabin so he could close his eyes.

"I love you Buffy" he whispered tenderly.

She tightened her hold on him and whispered in return. "I love you too Giles."

"Hey, are we ready to go?" Xander's voice shattered the serenity of their hold.

Buffy made sure not to draw away too quickly to avoid raising suspicions. At the look of Xander's face, she realised he didn't suspect a thing. He looked at their embrace with a bland expression.

"Sure!" she said with false bravado.

Giles gave her arm a quick squeeze, and stepped away from her. "Let's go."

Everything had gone according to plan, with little blood and mayhem. Well, at least none of their blood had been shed, and that was most important.

The demons had been hard to kill. The fact that they were carrying knifes had been unexpected, and since relatively close contact was required to kill them, had made it even more risky. But once they had figured out that their movements were slowed because of their size they were easily gotten rid of. Now there was only one demon left, and he was growling as they carefully encircled and inched closer to him. Buffy could see that the demon was unaware of how close Giles was behind him as the others distracted it.

Within seconds a gruesome howl was heard through the forest as Giles ran his sword with a fierce momentum through its back.

It roared in anger and whipped its body around to face him before it fell to the ground, almost taking Giles down with it, who managed at the last minute to step back and fall on his butt.

Xander immediately ran over and beheaded the creature with a triumphant yell. "Geronimo!"

Giles looked up at Xander with a bemused smile. "Geronimo?"

"It was the only thing I could think of" Xander said as he gave Giles his hand to pull him up. "Besides, the last time I yelled that, Buffy thought it was really cool. Isn't that right Buff?"

Giles who had been dusting his pants of twigs and dirt, looked over to Buffy with a smile, but it died quickly as he saw her standing bent over with a hand clutched to her abdomen.

"Buffy?"

The others, who had been dusting their clothes as well, all looked over to her as they heard the alarm in his voice.

Her head rose with tearful eyes to meet his and his stomach clenched in panic as he saw a knife protruding from the side of her waist and blood leaking down her pants.

Chapter 13

As tears leaked down her face, Buffy was unable to hold herself upright. She fell to the ground on her knees with a cry.

Giles reached her just as she started to fall backwards, and he cradled her body as his eyes teared up. Her hand was pressed against the knife sticking in her side. He gently shushed her painful sobs as he carefully removed her hand to take a look.

The others had come quickly to their side and watched in horror at the amount of blood that now seeped from her wound.

"Oh God, this wasn't the way it was supposed to happen" Buffy whimpered as one of her hands clutched Giles' shirt.

"Xander, get the car!" Giles yelled as he slowly pulled the knife out, not realising that Xander was way ahead of him, running as fast as he could to reach it.

Buffy's scream of pain tore at his heart and he pressed his lips to her forehead. He could see that a piece had broken off, and was worried out of his mind that he would make more damage by pressing on her wound to stop the bleeding.

"I'm sorry Buffy. We will get you to the hospital, just hold on!" Her eyes opened, and they were laced with pain and sorrow as she looked into his. She raised a bloodied hand to his cheek as tears spilled down the side of her face.

"I am so sorry, Giles" she managed in a tearful voice that made his eyes spill over as well.

"Sorry? No, no, love, you were magnificent, as always. You have nothing to be sorry for" he choked out. He kissed her forehead again.

"I should have told you, but I just couldn't. I thought as long as I kept my distance it wouldn't happen. I am so sorry I didn't tell you." Her voice had now turned to a whisper, and he had to strain to hear her.

He was distracted from what she trying to say when he heard Xander yell for them to bring her to the car since he couldn't get it any closer. Giles quickly picked her up and hurried as fast and gently as possible.

"Save your strength, love. You can tell me later."

Buffy lay in his arms, soundless, with her eyes closed against the pain. He held back a sob and finally reached the car. He got in with her still cradled to his chest. Willow and Anya jumped in from the other side. Xander wasted no time turning the car around and driving as fast as possible towards the nearest hospital.

Willow watched Buffy's closed eyes with tears streaming down her face, and whispered to Anya. "Is she…?"

Anya only shook her head and took hold of Willow's hand. "No, she is still breathing, I think she is unconscious, but…."

There was no need to say anymore, they all knew what she was thinking. Time was running out for Buffy fast. Not another word was spoken.

The silence was broken by Giles' tearful whisper as he stroked Buffy's cheek. "Please don't leave me."

Chapter 14

Xander's car skidded to a stop as he pulled in front of the emergency doors. He helped Giles get Buffy out of the car, while Anya and Willow ran inside to get help. Giles was met by several doctors and nurses with a stretcher, and before he knew it Buffy was taken from his arms and wheeled through some doors, while being told to wait.

Unable to do anything but watch them wheel the love of his life away, he remained motionless for the longest time staring at the closed doors they took her through.

Finally he turned around, and found the others looking at him with pain-ridden expressions that were trying to be reassuring. His body was shaking and as his knees threatened to give way. Unable to stand anymore, he lowered himself in a chair, buried his face in his hands and started to sob.

Xander and Willow watched him with breaking hearts, and found themselves unable to move to console him, since his sobs only echoed their own pain. Surprisingly, Anya was the one who moved to his side and pulled him into his arms. Even more surprisingly, he willingly let her, and clung to her as if she was his lifeline.

Minutes turned to hours, and no one came to inform them what was going on. A nurse had come to take Buffy's information, but she hadn't known anything about her condition.

Anya and Willow were both cradled against Xander's chest, asleep. He watched Giles. The watcher had barely moved in the last hour. Although his sobs had stopped, his head was still buried in his hands, and Xander wondered if he had fallen asleep like that.

The door Buffy had been taken through suddenly opened, and Xander jumped as Giles immediately rose from his seat to face the man in the white coat heading their way.

"Are you the ones who brought Miss Summers in?"

He realised his question was pretty futile as his eyes landed on the older man standing in front of him with red eyes and blood soaked clothes, and the three youths who had come up behind him, also looking tired and pained.

For a second he was at a loss as he was confronted with the pain in the older man's eyes. He worked at a hospital, and was confronted with distressed friends and family of his patients every day, but something in this man's eyes shook him to the core. He looked as if his life was over.

They merely nodded at his question, and watched him with worried eyes.

"I am Dr. Bocho, head of surgery. I understand you have been waiting for information about Miss Summers? As she came with severe internal bleeding, and one of her lungs was at a risk of collapsing, but we managed to. . ."

"Dr. Bocho." He was startled as the older man interrupted him. "Is she still alive?"

The doctor realised they could not care less about medical explanations, and quickly reassured them.

"Yes, she is." At their relieved breaths, he quickly continued. "But, she is still in critical condition, and after surgery she slipped into a coma. All we can do now is wait."

Giles could feel his stomach clench again, and closed his eyes briefly to stop more tears from spilling before asking. "Can we please see her?"

The doctor immediately started to shake his head, but Giles' pained voice stopped him from talking.

"Please, I need to see her."

"We need to see her" the dark haired boy who had been standing close by said. At the look on their faces, the doctor finally gave them reluctant nod.

"Alright."

He called a nurse to bring them to her room, but stopped the older man before he had a chance to follow.

"I am sorry sir, but you need to change your clothes and wash up."

Giles looked at his clothes as if seeing them for the first time. They were covered in Buffy's blood. Xander heard the exchange, and came to Giles' side.

"I have some clean clothes in the car, I'll get them for you." In no time he was back with jeans and a white t-shirt, and gave them to Giles with a shaky smile.

"We'll wait for you."

"That's alright", the doctor said. "I'll take him to Miss Summer's room as soon as he is cleaned up." Xander gave Giles a doubtful look, but gave a reluctant shrug as Giles told him to go ahead. As they disappeared though the door, Dr. Bocho felt bad watching the longing on the man's face.

"Come on, you can get cleaned up in there" he said as he pointed towards a sign for the men's bathroom. Giles nodded and hurried down the hall and disappeared through the door. He was shocked when he was faced with his haggard appearance in the bathroom mirror. Not only were his clothes covered in blood, his left cheek had blood on it as well. He realised it must have happened when Buffy touched his cheek in the woods.

He shook his head to get rid of the memories and quickly washed and changed before joining the doctor in the lobby. The man mercifully took him to Buffy's room.

Chapter 15

Willow, Anya and Xander were seated in some chairs at the far end of the room, but Giles paid them no attention as he moved to Buffy's side. Wiping an errant tear away from his cheek, he gently took her hand in his and sat carefully on the bed.

She looked so small and pale against the big bed and white sheet. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer to anything that was listening for her to come back to him. After a short while he opened his eyes again, ran a hand down her cheek and whispered her name.

Xander held back a surprised gasp as he saw Giles lower himself so he was lying next to Buffy on the bed. He watched Giles gently wrap an arm around her, carefully arranging it a safe distance from her wound. He shared a questioning look with Willow, who looked just as bewildered as he did.

Then they heard Giles' soft voice start singing, and they looked back at the bed with their hearts melting.

Tears spilled on all their faces while every person in the room silently begged for Buffy's recovery. Willow and Xander didn't hope mostly for their sake, but for Giles'. His song made them realised that the Buffy was his world. If she died this time, he would fall apart.

Exhaustion finally took its toll on their bodies, and one by one they fell asleep. Giles tried as hard as he could to stay awake, and had spent his time fighting sleep watching her chest rise and fall with every breath. The doctor had told him it was a good sign she was able to breathe on her own, but Giles wouldn't be satisfied until he was able to look into her eyes.

Finally his eyes started to droop and without being able to fight it any longer, he fell into a restless sleep.

Thus they all missed the flutter of Buffy's eyelids. Not even the change in Buffy's breathing pattern or her gentle movements managed to rouse Giles. It took a little time for her eyes to open, and even longer for her to realise where she was and to remember what had brought her there.

A gentle tickle from a breath to her neck made her turn her head, and her eyes lit up as she saw Giles' sleeping face lying close to her. They immediately grew worried when she saw that even in his sleep he was frowning with weariness.

She brought a hand up to stroke his forehead, to try to remove whatever bad things were going around in his head, and her breath caught as his eyes suddenly opened.

His relieved exclamation of her name woke the others, but she kept her eyes on his. He looked into her eyes like he hadn't seen her in months. When he tried to get up to fetch the nurse, she dug her hand in his t-shirt. "Don't go!"

He remained still, and stroked her cheek, before pulling at the calling line tied to her bed. "I'm right here, love, I won't go anywhere."

The others finally stood and circled her bed, but Buffy was looking nowhere but at the man lying next to her.

Chapter 16

The moment between them was shattered as the door to the room opened, and Dr. Bocho rushed in with a nurse. Giles reluctantly slid from the bed as the doctor checked on Buffy, but kept her hand in his.

"Glad to see you back among us Miss Summers" Dr. Bocho said as he checked on her wound. "Your friends have been very worried about you." He took a quick look at her face, and smiled as he saw that she wasn't paying attention to a word he was saying or what he was doing. Her eyes were glued to the man holding her hand.

When he had first seen them, he thought the older man was probably her father. But when he saw the loving look between them he realised he was very mistaken. Father-daughter love wasn't even close to the thing radiating out from them.

Turning his attention back to her wound he continued to talk. "You were very lucky Miss Summers. The knife in your side did quite some damage, and the broken piece from the knife almost pierced your lung. I have to say I am rather amazed at the state of your wound. It looks like you were stabbed days ago."

When she said nothing, he only shook his head in disbelief and prodded her skin a little harder. Buffy suddenly cried out in pain and her eyes snapped shut as if she was trying to block out the pain. Giles' eyes welled up with tears at her distress. The doctor immediately let up, and apologized, before picking up her file to make some notes.

When Buffy's eyes opened she saw a tear spill down Giles' cheek, and she tugged on his shirt so he leaned down towards her. She brushed the tear away and left her hand on his cheek. "I'm ok."

All he could do was nod and place a kiss on her forehead.

The doctor finished with his file, then took a look at the small crowd surrounding her bed, before turning back to his patient.

"Ms. Summers, you need to get as much rest as possible. I will be back tomorrow morning before my shift ends, but until then you must sleep. We can get a couple of cots in here for your friends, but we won't be able to fit them all.

Buffy looked at him with a stubborn look in her eyes before responding. "Xander and Anya can share one, and Willow can take the other. Two are all we need."

He merely nodded and then turned to look at the man by her side.

"I can find you a better place than a chair for you if you would like sir?"

"He stays with me" Buffy said in a soft voice, and Giles squeezed her hand in response, feeling just as strongly about the matter.

"Miss Summers, you need your rest, and I highly doubt you would be comfortable enough to sleep while sharing your bed."

Buffy answered with a voice that left no chance of dismissal. "I won't be comfortable, or even able to rest, unless he's lying here right next to me."

A short staring match ensued. The doctor quickly lost, and they all laughed when they heard his grumble. "There used to be a time when doctors were the ones who ran this hospital, not the patients or their visitors."

Buffy gave him a happy smile that he couldn't help but answer. With some last minute instructions to the nurse he went on his way. An orderly came in with the cots, and they all helped to set them up. Grateful that now Buffy seemed to be out of the woods, so to speak, the entire gang couldn't wait to get more restful sleep.

Chapter 17

After the light had been turned off and the others settled down, Giles was about to climb back into Buffy's bed, but stopped when she shook her head at him. He kept his voice low and leaned down to avoid disturbing the others as much as possible.

"What's wrong, love?" She lifted her sheets and responded in a whispered voice.

"Under the covers, not over." He gave the others on the cots a quick glance, but the room was too dark to see their reaction. The next moment he decided to hell with all of it, and climbed in to pull her gently into his arms. Some things were much more important than their friends' reaction to a relationship between them.

"Are you alright?" he asked while closing his eyes and burying his nose in her hair.

"Mmmm, perfect." She turned her head slightly so she could rest the side of her face against his chest and took a deep breath.

"Giles?"

"Mmm?"

"Why do you smell like Xander?" Her question caused both Giles' and Xander's eyes to snap open.

Not wanting to relieve the emotional hell he had been through, Giles decided to keep his explanation short and trivial.

"I wasn't my usual impeccable self when we came in here, and they made me change before I came in to your room. Xander had a change of clothes in his car and lent it to me." She tugged on him to make him scoot down a little so they were face to face.

"Covered in dirt were you?" she asked with a cheeky smile that lost its power as she saw his face go sombre.

"Not quite. I was rather covered in your, ah, blood." Immediately she felt bad, not realising until now the pain he must have been going through. The sound of his voice and look at his face made her understand.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that." He only shook his head as if had been nothing and pulled her close again.

"Giles?"

"Mmm?"

"Take it off."

This time Xander's eyes grew even bigger and his mouth formed a silent 'what?' as well.

"The t-t-shirt?" Giles managed to stutter out. Buffy gave a little giggle as she heard Giles' famous trait.

"As much as I love Xander, I don't love him like that, and I would like to fall asleep to your scent, not his." Xander waited for an embarrassed answer, or any answer at all, but all he heard was the rustling of fabric, and then Giles' quiet whisper as they settled down.

"Better?"

"Much better." She let one hand stroke his chest and took a deep breath. A little too deep, apparently: her injured side screamed in protest. She couldn't help but let out a whimper, and Giles immediately raised his head to looked at her.

"Buffy?"

"It's alright, I just got a little overambitious for a second. See what your body does to me?"

Her comment didn't sink in until he'd checked her over twice to make sure she was ok. Then his face suddenly sported a grin.

"Is that so? Well, the feeling is entirely mutual. But we are not acting on it until you are one hundred percent better." Her own grin turned into a pout.

"Not even a kiss? You know, you haven't kissed me once since I woke up. I am feeling rather insecure you know. As a matter of fact . . " To end her whispered tirade, knowing she wouldn't go to sleep until he had obliged her, Giles covered her lips with his. Not that kissing Buffy would ever be something he had to oblige, he thought, as he let his tongue gently brush hers.

He kept the kiss soft and undemanding, making sure to raise as little passion as possible. At least for her, he thought, as he felt the familiar tightening in his lower stomach. A mere touch from her could raise him in no time. When he felt her fingers tighten in his hair and her breath quicken, he eased himself out of the kiss and leaned his forehead on hers with a rueful smile.

"God, what you do to me Buffy." She smiled before letting her lips brush his briefly and then rested her head back against his now naked chest.

"I love you, Giles."

Xander's initially shocked expression had turned into one of acceptance as he had listened to their whispered conversation. His eyes closed with a smile just as he heard Giles' shaky response.

"And I love you, Buffy."

Chapter 18

After fighting the morning sun (that shone right in his face) and the cramps left from lying next to Anya on the small cot for several minutes, Xander finally decided to get up. He stretched lazily as he rose. His face sported a grin as his eyes fell on the couple in the hospital bed. Deep down he admitted that he was slightly confused about what actually was going on. No, that wasn't right. He had a pretty good idea what was going on, but when it had happened was beyond him.

"Tell me I'm not seeing things?'

Xander's grin widened as he heard Willow's surprised voice coming over his shoulder. He turned to find her standing next to him.

"Nope, you are not seeing things. But had you been awake last night, you would have been a lot more prepared for it." As he looked at Willow, her face got even more confused, and he had to hold back his laughter.

"Come on, let's wake Anya and get some breakfast, and then we can put whatever this is under the microscope later."

Willow merely nodded as she continued to watch Buffy and Giles on the bed, while Xander dragged a cranky Anya up from the cot. A couple of groans and whines later, Xander had successfully managed to push his girlfriend and best friend out the door, and closed it silently behind him.

Giles woke to the sounds of the others leaving the room, but resisted the pull of wakefulness as long as he could. He revelled in the smell of Buffy's hair; where his nose was buried.

Suddenly he remembered that the doctor had promised to come by early this morning and regretfully opened his eyes to look at his watch. It was nearly eight, and he suspected the doctor would be around shortly.

He carefully raised himself up on his elbow, and let his eyes roam her sleeping face. He was glad to note that her colour had come back, and he lifted her shirt so he could look at her wound. It was nearly closed, but it was surrounded by dark bruises, and he suspected it would take several days until she was fully healed. He covered her wound, and lowered his lips to place soft butterfly kisses on her cheek. He could feel her waken, and decided to wake her up with a proper improper morning kiss.

In a matter of seconds their tongues were mating, and both managed to pull several moans from each other.

After several minutes of exploring every nook and cranny of Giles' mouth, Buffy pulled away from the kiss. Giles let his lips continue over her cheek and nipped down her neck.

Her mind was still sleep muddled, and without thinking she said exactly what she was thinking with a slight hitch in her voice, "What a wonderful way to wake up, I wish I could wake up with you every morning."

His body froze, and his kisses stopped, but he didn't raise his head from her neck. Buffy's eyes shot open as she realised what she had said. Her face got a panicked look. Oh god, oh, god, oh god, was all she could think, as she braced herself for his reaction.

After what seemed like and endless moment, he finally lifted his head and looked at her with an unreadable expression.

Buffy held her breath as she prepared herself to be let down. Worst case scenario: Giles would run screaming out of her room. Clearly her revelation was too soon for him. She'd lost him.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, the door to her room opened, and Dr. Bocho walked in. "Miss Summers, good morning, you are looking much better this morning. How are you feeling?"

Buffy tore her worried eyes from Giles, relieved by the distraction, and plastered on a smile. "Ah, much better thanks."

She ignored her body' cries for Giles' as she felt him stand and pull on the t-shirt he had discarded the night before. She saw Dr. Bocho raise his eyebrows, but thankfully he did not comment.

"Good to hear. Now, let me take a look at your wound."

Giles didn't say a word while the doctor examined her, and although Buffy could hear the doctor making comments, all she could think about what would inevitably come when the doctor left the room. She avoided looking at Giles to prevent her eyes from spilling, and tried her best to calm her nervous breathing. She finally realised the doctor was addressing her directly, and forced herself to listen to what he was saying.

"…so with that said, I would say that we should keep you one more day, but then you should be more than well enough to go home. However I strongly suggest that you get someone to help you out. You will need a couple of days rest before you resume normal activities."

With a quick glance at Giles he continued. "Do you have someone you can ask?"

Before Buffy had a chance to reply, Giles shot in. "She does. Several as a matter of fact."

Buffy looked at Giles for the first time since Dr. Bocho had come in, but he was still wearing his unreadable expression, and he was looking at the doctor.

"Good" the doctor replied, and gave Buffy's shoulder a quick squeeze. "I will stop by tomorrow morning for a last check-up. Make sure you rest as much as possible today."

Buffy was only able to give him a weak smile, before he gave Giles a short wave and walked out the door, leaving the two of them behind in a deathly silence.

Chapter 19

Buffy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, while she struggled to come up with something to say. Her heartbeat increased when she felt Giles sit next to her on the bed. She opened her eyes and mouth to say something, but he lifted his hand and let two of his fingers cover her mouth to prevent her from talking. His expression was deadly serious as he spoke.

"Did you mean what you said?"

She thought about making a joke, anything to ease the tension that was threatening to suffocate her, but as she looked into his eyes she decided against it.

She gave a small nod.

His fingers still covered her mouth. "Are you absolutely positive?"

Once again she nodded, and this time he removed his fingers and let his hand cup her cheek.

When he didn't say anything, she figured she should say something.

"Giles, I know this might be too soon, but I love you. . . and. . . and we both know our time is precious." His eyes got a pained look, but he didn't say anything. This is it Buffy, it's now or never, she thought as she prepared herself to put it all on the line.

"Giles, Angel might have been my first love, but you are my one true love. Whatever time I have left in this world, I want to spend it with you." The fear that had gripped her since her unintentional slip earlier finally released her as she saw his face soften, and mist gather in his eyes.

With a barely audible whisper he finally spoke. "Nothing would make me happier than moving in with you. You are everything that I have always looked for, but I never thought I would find."

Her own face lit up with a thousand-watt smile, and she pulled him down into a toe-curling kiss. When they finally needed to breathe, he didn't release her, only hugged her close.

Neither of them could tell how long their embrace lasted. Both were content to stay within each other's arms as long as possible. Buffy let her hands stroke his back with long strokes, and once in a while she ran them through his hair. Despite her tender wound, she could never remember being as content as she was at that moment.

When Giles spoke, she should have realised it wouldn't last for long.

"Buffy? I need to ask you something about last night." As he raised himself so he could look at her he continued. "Yesterday was too confusing and unsettling for me to actually wrap my mind around it, but just now I remembered something."

Buffy knew what was coming.

"When you got wounded in the woods, you said something very peculiar. You said there was something you should have told me, and you apologized for getting hurt. What was that all about?"

He silently watched her as he saw the proverbial wheels churn in her brain, without a doubt thinking up something to evade his question.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Buffy!" he growled, and almost grinned in satisfaction as he saw her tell-tale blush. She had been planning on doing just that.

With a sigh she took his hand in hers. "A couple of weeks before we came up here I started having these dreams. Several, as a matter of fact. You were even witness to one this weekend."

He nodded as he remembered the one he had woken her from. "Were they nightmares?"

She shook her head and waited a bit before she continued. "They were more of the prophetic kind."

She could see his jaw tighten in anger. She'd expected it.

"You knew." he stated in a fierce whisper. "You knew what would happen in the woods. You knew you were meant to die. I can't believe you didn't tell me!" His voice rose along with his anger.

She nodded again, and continued in a rush. "But Giles, there was nothing you could have done, I had to do it my way." By now he had risen from the bed and was pacing the floor. "And although it was close, I made it didn't I?" she asked in a timid voice.

His eyes snapped to hers. "That's not the point! You should have told me Buffy! I am your Watcher – we work together! And to make matters worse, we're lovers! Buffy, how could you keep this from me!"

Hearing the anger in his voice Buffy's eyes welled with tears. "I couldn't tell you Giles. You were so happy that I was back, and I knew that if I told you, you would have done anything to keep me away from the fight – you always do!" Her own voice had risen in frustration, and now tears were cursing down her cheeks. "And one of these days it will get you killed, and I can't live without you. Don't you get that by now!"

Seeing her tears, his anger quickly deflated and he swiftly made his way to her bed and cradled her in his arms. He soothingly stroked her hair and back as tears made their way down on both their cheeks.

When her sobs quieted he spoke in a soft voice. "That applies to me as well, love. But you need to tell me about these things. We are not two entities anymore, nor are we simply Watcher and Slayer any longer. We have something much more profound. We're now two parts of a whole. Promise me you'll never keep something like this from me again?" The last question was said in a pleading voice.

"I promise Giles. But you need to promise me you won't go all gung-ho, as you have other times. From now on we discuss everything in a calm and rational manner without making any rash decisions."

He had to hide a grin against her hair, because he knew without a doubt that he and Buffy would never talk about prophecies in a calm and rational matter. It simply wasn't their way of working together. He was momentarily frightened that now that their emotions were running even deeper than they had before, they would fight like cats and dogs about how things would be solved. But, as long as they fought out openly, it would have to do.

"I agree." he murmured into her hair before raising his head.

"God, we are a pair, aren't we?" Buffy laughed soggily as they brushed errant tears off each others' faces.

"Are you reconsidering your earlier proposition of letting me move in with you?" he asked playfully. He'd intended the comment to make her smile, but she became more serious than before.

"Never!" she said fiercely before pulling him into a fervent kiss.

The couple was so wrapped up in each other that they both missed the opening of the door. A rather stunned Willow stood with her jaw dropped. Xander, who was standing right behind her, had a mixed expression of "ewww" and a smile, while Anya, who had seen it all before, merely yawned.

As the couple seemed completely oblivious of the fact that they were being watched, Xander decided to break them apart before they were introduced to a NC17 rated show right in front of them.

"Ahem! Does anybody care to tell us what is going on?"

Buffy and Giles jumped apart. "Ah. . . this isn't what it looks like" Giles immediately said to his defence. "Oh, alright, it is" he quickly amended as Buffy swatted his chest. "But, let us explain."

Anya immediately cut in. "Giles! I was the one who was going to tell this story remember?"

Ignoring both Buffy's and Giles' protest she turned towards Willow and Xander.

"Ok, it's like this. It's really thanks to me you know. Without me there would have been no happy orgasms for either one of them."

Buffy buried her face in Giles' chest in mortification to tune out Anya's embarrassing chatter of Anya. She wasn't terribly comforted since Giles was actually shaking with laughter. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and settled them both comfortably on the bed. They would have time to tell their much edited and more accurate version later. They were together and that was more than enough.

THE END