DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. All you see here is not mine. Well, maybe the idea, but that's it. Buffy belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and various other companies that I'll never be able to remember all. 'Pride and Prejudice', which is qouted here in two brief excerpts isn't mine either. Well, a copy of the novel I can call mine but the rest is still Jane Austen's. I don't know, if I have to disclaim that seeing that Jane Austen died over 70 years ago, but better safe than sorry. So, again, I don't own either 'Buffy - the Vampire Slayer' or 'Pride and Prejudice'.

A/N: This came to my mind in a state between sleep and awakening. I was defenceless against this evil plunny. Maybe this will be converted into a series, there are already some ideas cooking at the back of my mind.

A/N2: I didn't quite know where to end this, as I had to possible points to end it. In the end I decided that I will let you, as reader, decide. This chapter ends at the first possible ending point, the next at the other. And now, before I rant even more, enjoy the story.

Your Voice

It was late in the night and Rupert Giles stood in his kitchen and made himself a cup of tea, when there was a knock on his front door. He briefly wondered who would want something from him at this time of night, whilst he gingerly walked to his door, retrieved his dagger from the table next to his door and finally opened said door.

What he found outside concerned him more than a demon outside his door. And he didn't quite know what to do, so he did the only logical thing he could think of.

"Buffy! Is everything alright? What are you doing here? Are you hurt?" He unleashed a lot of questions on the person.

"Geeze, Giles. Take a breath. Everything's fine. I just...I don't know. Can I come in?"

"Oh, right." Giles stepped aside and motioned with his hand for her to enter. After all, one could never be too careful to whom they gave a spoken invitation. When Buffy stepped over his threshold, he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. After he had closed the door, he wanted to ask her again what was going on, but his kettle chose that moment to whistle. "Sorry." He grinned sheepishly. "Go. Take a seat. I'll be right with you." And he made his way into his kitchen.

Meanwhile on the sofa, Buffy had trouble remembering, why it was such a good idea to go to her Watcher.

After she had defeated the Master, they had all gone to the dance and had had a good time. Afterwards, Angel had escorted her home and she had tried, unsuccessfully, to sleep. So, she did what she always did when she couldn't sleep. She went out to hunt. But there was nothing. Not one single, lousy vampire. She knew that that had to be expected after the defeat of the Master and the closing of the Hellmouth, but she just couldn't get some rest. And before she knew it, her feet had carried her in front of the door of her Watcher.

But what actually brought her here, instead of to Angel, she couldn't explain.

"Tea?" Giles interrupted her thoughts.

"What?" Buffy looked questioningly at Giles.

"Do you want tea? O-or something else?" Giles was worried. Something was wrong with his Slayer. Or at least very not right. She seemed upset and far away with her thoughts.

"No, I'm good." She forced out a smile.

Giles took his cup of tea and joined Buffy on the sofa. He closely looked at her. She looked tired, so very tired. What had happened with the Master that she didn't, couldn't tell him? After a seemingly endless time of silence, Giles finally spoke up.

"What's happened?" He asked softly. He had to know, although he feared the answer.

The gentleness of his tone and the sincerity on his face and in his whole posture made Buffy take a breath and tell him, without further ado.

"I died." The two words he feared the most. She had died. Of course, how else could the Master have broken free? But why was she here? How could she be here?

"Why...I mean...how..." Buffy looked up at him. He looked so confused. So lost.

"Xander. He and Angel found me. The Master didn't kill me. He just took a little nip and then left me in a pool of water to drown. Xander did CPR and...well...here I am." She smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Oh...I'm glad to hear that. I-I mean the part where Xander brought you back to life." He took a sip from his tea and sighed. He could sense that there was something else bothering her.

"Buffy, what are you doing here?"

Why could a simple sentence like that make her insides all warm and tingly? They weren't supposed to do that. They were supposed to do that when she was with Angel, not with her Watcher. Maybe she should say something. Anything.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?" Giles was confused. He had expected anything but that.

"For knocking you unconscious. That must've hurt quite a bit."

"No, it's alright. You did what you had to do. But my promise still stands. I will come out more from behind my books." He had that fierce look of determination in his eyes again. Buffy knew she had to do something to keep him from doing something stupid.

"Do I have to hit you again?"

"Beg your pardon?"

"Giles, I don't want you fighting on the front lines. That's my job. Your job is to be my...my..."

"Motivator?" He supplied.

"I was going to say Cheerleader, but yours is equally well." That earned her a slight chuckle from her usually so stuffy Watcher.

"Oh dear, I just hope I don't have to wear such a skimpy skirt." Now it was Buffy's turn to chuckle.

"No, I'll spare you the skirt. But, you have to wave around with pom-poms and spell my name. Is that a deal?"

"As long as the pom-poms are in the school colors I'm in." Giles extended his hand towards her with an amused glint in his eyes. Buffy shook his hand with a look in her eyes that was not so different from his.

She felt completely relaxed and at ease just joking with her Watcher. Just a bit of peace for one night.

They both leaned back into the sofa and relaxed in the silence around them. It wasn't a bad silence which usually meant that some big evil was brewing on the horizon and each of them was thinking of possible ways to defeat it. It was a moment of relaxed calmness that was shared with a good...what exactly? What exactly were they? Co-workers? No. Teacher and student? Not really. Friends? Maybe. Maybe that was what they were right now. Not Watcher and Slayer, just...friends, sharing a bit of comforting silence with each other.

"Giles?" Buffy spoke up after a while.

"Yes?" He looked at her again.

"How come you're still up?"

"I just didn't feel tired. I think that's to be expected after the experience of almost being eaten by a Hellmouth. Why are you still awake?"

"I couldn't sleep. I've tried, but I just couldn't get to rest." Suddenly Buffy yawned.

"I think now you can. Don't you want to go home?"

"No." She settled deeper into the sofa. "It's too comfortable here. If I were to go home, I'd have to leave the comfortableness. And I think that's too much to handle for me right now."

"Fine. Just don't nod off." Giles knew she'd inevitably nod off. But right now, all he cared about was that Buffy got some sleep after all the stress she had gone through in the last days.

"Naah, I won't." That was punctuated by a wide yawn. "Anyway, I went hunting. What were you going to do against your insomnia?"

"Oh, I was going to sit here, enjoy a cup of tea and start to read a book."

"Aah, don't let yourself be stopped by my presence. Go on, read your book." Somehow Buffy felt a bit guilty for being there and seemingly intruding on his plans.

"No, I think you couldn't sit there and...well...just sit there."

"You're probably right. You know what my mom always did when I couldn't sleep as a kid?" Buffy asked, although she wasn't quite sure where it was leading her.

"No, what?"

"She took the book she was reading at that time and read it to me. In the end, we both were always sleeping." Buffy hesitated for a moment before she went on. "Maybe...I mean if you want...you could...do the same?" Why the hell was she asking that? That was totally inappropriate. And Giles had definitely other things to do than to read to her. Giles interrupted her thoughts with his answer.

"I could do that." Giles had been surprised by her question but he was also surprised by his answer. Usually he'd have declined, but it seemed tonight was the night of surprises.

"You could?" Buffy looked at him with an astonished expression.

"The last time I checked, I could read. Even aloud." Buffy playfully swatted his shoulder.

"Don't get cheeky with me. Now, what are you reading?"

"You'll laugh." Giles intently studied the contents of his teacup.

"I thought we had agreed on the reading deal. And anyway, the books my mom was reading sometimes were totally not my case. And I promise, I won't laugh. Come on, tell me."

"'Pride and Prejudice'." Giles mumbled almost inaudibly into his teacup and if it weren't for Slayer-Hearing, Buffy wouldn't have understood it.

"That's...unexpected. But totally acceptable."

"Oh, come on. I know you want to. Let's get it over with. Laugh at me and we're fine."

"Giles, I honestly couldn't care less what you're reading. I'm fine with it as long as it's not some explicit text about a demon of some icky kind."

Giles was prepared for her to at least giggle but her reply stunned him silent. And made him incredibly confused, which must've shown on his face, for Buffy elaborated on her statement.

"You know why I zone out when you're holding one of your lectures?" Giles shook his head. "Because you have a soothing voice. I have to put my thoughts on things far away from your lecture to not fall asleep. Don't get me wrong, your lectures are not boring or anything. It's just that your voice calms me down enough to put me in a slumbering state. Does that even make sense?"

"So, basically, what you're saying is that, if my voice was different, you would pay attention?" Giles asked intently.

"Well, I would pay more attention. I mean, I wouldn't have to concentrate on not falling asleep all the time. And anyway, weren't we discussing that I don't care what you're reading?" Buffy tried to get away from that topic as fast as possible. It could get her into trouble. She didn't know in which kind of trouble, but definitely trouble, big trouble. Giles knew she didn't want to elaborate further and took her change of topic.

"So, you really don't care what I'm reading, as long as I am reading it?"

"No. For all I care, you could read the phone book."

Giles stood up and grinned mischievously at her.

"Well, then let me get the phone book." That got Buffy's attention.

"What? No! That was just a figure of speech. 'Pride and Prejudice' is just fine." Then Buffy noticed the grin that was plastered on his face. "Oh, you...you...that was not nice." Buffy pouted and Giles had problems containing his giggles.

"Alright, let me get the book and then let's see what we can do about your insomnia." Giles said after he had somewhat calmed down.

"Our."

"What?"

"Our insomnia." Buffy clarified.

"Right."

Giles went to his bookcase to retrieve the novel. He highly doubted that they would both fall asleep, but in a night like this, anything could happen. He walked back over to the sofa and sat down. Buffy meanwhile had found the blanket he kept behind his sofa cushions and had herself tightly wrapped in it.

"You comfortable?" Giles asked doubtfully.

"Completely." Buffy smiled back at him encouragingly. "Let's get this show on the road then."

Giles nodded, opened the book on the first page and began to read.

"Chapter one. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

"Really? How 'bout you, Giles? Are you in possession of a good fortune and/or want of a wife?" Buffy interrupted him teasingly.

"Buffy." Giles warned her with a glare.

"Sorry. This Slayer is shutting up now. Go on." And she cuddled back into the cushions.

"However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters..." And he read on.

After the third chapter, Buffy was well into the land of dreams and Giles continued reading in silence to himself. After the fifth chapter, he, too, had drifted off into a peaceful sleep. And they slept the best they had slept in days.