Chapter 5

"Oh, Daniel, you... big dummy!" Buffy declared as she followed the private drive up the hill and getting a glimpse of the manor house off in the distance. She hadn't been prepared for this revelation of Giles' background. He had never really talked of his upbringing and any mentions of his past had been few and far between and seemingly only on a need to know basis. His parents had never given her any indication as to their status, and Daniel apparently hadn't thought it worth mentioning either. He probably just assumed she knew.

She wasn't sure what she had expected when she heard "Giles family home." Maybe something cottage-y, like out of a Jane Austen film, quaint, bucolic, cute, a large garden with lots of flowers. This was a bit… more. Thankfully, it wasn't like the place out of Peter's Friends. Now that was something unfathomable to her American senses, but the house was much larger than she had expected and they probably owned the hill and much of the surrounding countryside. As she studied the architecture, Buffy decided that it had to have evolved from a medieval hall, expanded and added over the centuries, yet tastefully done. Eclectic, kind of like Giles himself.

Musing to herself, Buffy knew that if she said something like that to her Watcher, he'd probably just stare at her in surprise and she would have answered, "What? I paid attention in art history my freshman year," and then remind him that her mother had been into art and architecture. Of course, he'd backtrack and compliment her, stuttering all the while.

God, how she missed him.

Quickening her gait, Buffy hurried up the path and as she approached closer to the house, the butterflies in her tummy increasing the intensity of their flutter with each step. When she reached her destination, she put down her duffle bag and knocked on what she hoped was the front door. It was off center, but located in the middle of the original part of the building. She waited a few minutes before a smartly dressed man with greying hair answered the door.

"May I help you, Miss?"

"Um, yes, I am looking for Rupert Giles," Buffy answered.

"I'm afraid he's not available. May I take a message?" She recognized his voice. This was the same man who asked her the exact same question over the phone every time she called.

"No, but you can tell me when he will be available," Buffy answered, irritation creeping into her voice.

"I am sorry, Miss, but it's not my place to divulge such information."

"Look, I've come all the way from California, the least you can do is tell me when I'll be able to see him. Don't you have a calendar or something with his availability in it? Maybe I could make an appointment to see him?" Buffy asked.

"I am sorry, but you will have to leave now."

"Please," she pleaded. "I've come all this way. I'm Buffy Summers. He's my..." Buffy trailed off. She assumed the butler would know the family business, but she wasn't entirely sure. "He's very important to me. He's my best friend and I haven't spoken to him in a year-"

"May I phone a taxi for you to take you back to town?" he asked, ignoring her passionate plea.

The disappointed Slayer resisted the urge to throttle the man and lowered her head in defeat. "Can... can you at least tell me that he's okay? That he's recovered from his injuries? And that he's… that he's happy?" she asked barely above a whisper, not trusting her voice to not break.

Hearing the sound of horse hooves on the gravel drive, she raised her head and was about to turn around when she heard his voice.

"Do we have a visitor, Mr Douglas?"

Her heart pounded wildly and she closed her eyes for just a fraction of a moment to savor that beautiful baritone voice mixed with amusement and a hint of sarcasm, and to prevent the tears that threatened to fall from escaping her lashes.

"Yes, sir."

"Then perhaps you should invite her in for tea. I shall be along shortly."

Opening her eyes, Buffy turned around and took in the sight of two men on horseback. But her eyes immediately focused on Giles. He looked good, fit and tanned, sitting astride his chestnut mount wearing his riding gear and a tight fitting black t-shirt. His wounded leg was free from any medical device or brace, and even though she had known he had recovered and had been cleared by his doctors to resume his normal activities a while ago, it still came as a shock to see him free from any medical equipment, healthy and full of life, and it absolutely took her breath away.

She noted a change in his expression the moment he recognized her, disbelief and something akin to caution flashed in his eyes, and he looked visibly shaken.

"B-Buffy?"

A huge smile broke out over her face. "Giles!"

He hopped off his horse with ease, only slightly favoring the leg that had been injured, and handed the reigns and his helmet over to his riding companion before walking quickly towards her. Buffy immediately gained her senses and ran out to meet him halfway, resisting the urge to throw herself into his arms.

They both stopped instinctually when they were within a couple feet of the other, unsure of themselves and staring at the other in amazement until Giles reached out and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her into a tight embrace. She gratefully returned his hug and let the world around her melt away.

Tears welled up in Buffy's eyes and she buried her face into his neck, breathing in deeply to stifle the urge to cry. Beneath the strange detergent of his clothes, the unfamiliar cologne, and the lingering scent of horse, she detected the pleasantly musky scent that only belonged to her Watcher and she couldn't hold back her emotions anymore as an overwhelming sense of relief surged through her body. When she let out a sob, Giles pulled away from her and lifted her chin with his hand, searching her face, his jade green eyes glistening beneath his own tears.

"Is it really you?" he breathed in disbelief.

"Giles..." she started, looking him up and down, "You're okay? Your leg..." and she moved her hands from around his waist and placed them where the two bullets had perforated his upper body, "Your chest?"

He took her hands in his and brought them down, holding them between them. Buffy blushed, realizing she'd taken such a liberty by touching him in an intimate manner, but it had been instinctual to ensure that after all this time, that he was standing before her, breathing and warm… alive.

"I'm right as rain, but a sudden shift in barometric pressure gives my leg fits and starts," Giles answered, reluctantly letting go of one of her hands as he led her back to the house. "Do you have some place to stay?"

"There's a youth hostel back in town-"

"Nonsense. Mr Douglas," he called, addressing the other man from across the courtyard. "Please see to it that the blue guest room is made up and alert the staff that Miss Summers will be staying with us."

"Yes, sir. For how long?"

Keeping his eyes on his Slayer, Giles didn't hesitate, "As long as she likes."

"Yes, sir," the butler responded icily, picking up Buffy's duffle bag and retreating into the house.

"I don't think he likes me much," Buffy commented, letting go of his hand and stuffing both of hers into the pockets of her jeans.

"He doesn't like anyone very much, except perhaps my mother. Are you tired? Would you like something to eat or drink?"

"Nah. I thought maybe you could show me around? I can't believe this is where you live! Are you a duke or something?"

They walked towards the garden and Giles laughed, responding, "No, heavens no. Nothing so grand. It's old money. Although active Watchers do receive knighthoods upon completion of their service."

"Like when they leave the Council, or when their Slayer..."

"Or... rather."

"Oh."

They both walked on in silence for few moments not knowing how to continue as Buffy took in the beauty of the garden in full bloom.

Feeling the need to break the silence, Giles turned towards her and added, "My grandmother actually had the title of Baroness bestowed upon her for service to the crown after she and her Slayer had thwarted a demon attack on the King, but it wasn't a hereditary title. My father has his knighthood. It keeps the house grand, I suppose."

"Is it like some big secret? Because you never said anything about it, and your dad never corrected me, letting me call him by his name, not with the whole 'Sir' in front of it."

"No, it just isn't something one talks about. 'Hi, my name is Rupert Giles and my father is a knight of the realm.' As I seem to recall, you thought I was rather a pretentious prat to begin with."

She giggled, "You know what I mean."

He smiled back warmly, though there was still an element of concern in his eyes. "Come, I have something I want to show you."

They walked along a path through the ornate garden and into the woods where a carpet of bluebells lined the ground as far as Buffy's eyes could see. It was quite the contrast, nature's work versus the work of man in the manicured garden, and Buffy immediately felt the serene perfection within the woods.

Giles kept in perfect step next to her without a trace of a limp, keeping a few inches between them and she was sorry that she had let go of his hand earlier, feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the unwelcoming butler earlier. They continued their progress through the woods until they reached a clearing where the bluebells stopped, preferring the protection of the trees, and buttercups and other pink and blue wildflowers dotted the fresh spring grass in the meadow before them in their stead.

It had been a quiet walk between the newly reunited Slayer and Watcher and, while there were so many questions perched on her lips, she kept silent, not wanting to sully the mood. Glancing to her side, she saw that Giles waged a similar war in his mind, and she knew they would have to address the elephant in the clearing sooner rather than later... but maybe it could wait a while longer.

"How much further?"

"Not far now," he answered, his voice not as warm nor as familiar as before.

When they came to a stream, they skipped over the large rocks that jutted out from the depths to avoid getting wet as they crossed it. Just a few meters beyond was an ancient tree, knotted and gnarled, and Buffy picked up a low thrum just beneath the surface.

"Magick?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "You feel it then?"

"Well, after Willow had a slight meltdown last year, becoming addicted to the magicks, I'm sort of more sensitive to it." His eyes went wide with concern and she gave him an apologetic look. "Long story. I'll fill you in on all the news from Sunnydale later."

Giles grimaced and leaned against the old tree, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them his irises were a darker and brighter shade of green than Buffy had seen before, like the color of the new moss growing along the side of the tree.

For a moment, she felt a strange tingle through her body and she cried out in surprise, "Giles! What are you doing? A-Are you reading me?"

The Watcher pushed away from the tree and shook his head. When he looked up at her, his eyes still reflected the rich emerald color of the moss, but there was no malice in them and she didn't feel a menacing element like she had whenever she was with Willow during that dark year.

Giles ducked his head. "I'm sorry Buffy. I had to be sure."

Confusion clouded her face, "Had to be sure of what?"

"I… I wasn't sure… I wanted so badly to believe..." He looked at the ground. "I-I thought you were dead." It was a simple declaration and yet his voice was raw and held so much emotion.

Buffy watched him fidget. He wanted to shove his hands into his pockets but his jodpurs didn't have any and he shrugged and dropped his arms to his sides.

"Um… sorta standing right here... in the sun with a pulse and a body temperature," she said softly, walking towards him.

Raising his head to look at her, Giles cleared his throat and answered, "Yes, but you and I both know a certain powerful, ambitious, and well-meaning young witch who might be tempted to undertake such a monumental task as resurrection, and those spells usually don't... have the outcome the spell caster desires."

She smiled up at him. "Well, other than that one time with the Master, and Xander was there with the good ol' CPR-"

"Yes, I remember," he cut in.

"How could you have possibly thought I was dead?"

"My father received a phone call from someone at headquarters telling him of your death at the hands of some demon and relayed the information to me," Giles began, starting to pace, his body language suddenly tense and agitated. "He was further told that the Council had cut short Faith's stay in a California state penitentiary and put her back on active duty on the Hellmouth."

"Geez, someone totally got the message confused," Buffy said, shaking her head and trying to lighten the mood. "I mean Faith is out and patrolling the Hellmouth, but I am still alive and kicking. Maybe it was like that game telephone. After the message gets through three people, it completely changes."

"No, the message was painfully clear." Giles turned and took a step towards her, anger and indignation radiating within his now pale green eyes. "However, since you've been alive all this time, were you just too distracted by your social calendar to think of me anymore? To phone? To write?"

Buffy didn't need a gnarly old tree to read how angry her Watcher had become - his words abrasive and purposefully hurtful. Part of her wanted to yell at him for his offensive barb, but she'd come too far to risk losing him by blindly reacting.

"What are you talking about? Giles, I called every week after patrol... at three in the morning my time, just like we'd agreed and, after a while, when you couldn't be reached at that time, I tried calling at other times. And I wrote you every few days up to last week, hoping I would hear something back."

Thunderstruck, Giles just stared at her. She stood, hands balled at her sides, as she defended herself, but she looked so defeated, so lost.

"What about you?"

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Pardon?"

"Communication goes both ways-" She bit her lip. It sounded so sassy to her ears.

Giles seemed to not notice. "I-I didn't know what to say to Daniel. I knew that he would feel rather guilty about losing you, so I sent him a letter expressing my condolences and letting him know I didn't blame him in anyway, that I knew he needed to focus on Faith now and should he need help to let me know. I… I did try phoning a few times, but no one picked up. I rang the others as well, but I was never able to reach anyone. I thought perhaps… they blamed me."

"Blamed you?"

"I wasn't there, Buffy. God knows I blamed myself," he said sadly before turning his body inward and leaning his hand against the tree for support. He bowed his head and when he gathered enough strength to continue, his voice shook badly. "I thought about taking the next flight to Sunnydale, but… part of me d-didn't want to know... how it happened exactly… how it was that I had failed you…"

"Giles," Buffy walked over and placed her hand between his shoulder blades. "I'm still here," she whispered, imagining the agony of what he must've gone through over the past year.

She thought back to the conversation she had had with him in the Magic Box a couple years before when she'd asked him why there weren't fuller accounts of a Slayer's final battle and how she had died. The look on his face had said far more than she would ever get out of her understated Watcher verbally, and at that moment she had realized that they meant more to each other than words could define.

Giles stood straighter at the feel of her hand on his back, taking strength from her physical presence. "You said you phoned. Did you... did you speak to anyone?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was the butler guy at the door."

The noise in his throat was almost a growl. "He's in charge of the post as well," he ground out and he started back for the house, his stride long and his gait quick.

"Wait, Giles," Buffy called, catching up to him when he reached the bank of the stream. Placing her hand on his forearm, she entreated, "We haven't seen each other in two years. Can we please… just have a few moments to ourselves?"

He stopped his progress and turned to face her, his expression softening, "Yes, of course. I'm sorry, Buffy, I'm just..."

"Furious. Me too. Somebody's obviously trying to keep us apart. Daniel, Faith, and I came to that conclusion too. Nothing else made sense... but we have time to figure out who and why later. Right now, I just want to bask in the presence of my Watcher."

Sighing in frustration, Giles dragged his left hand through is hair and countered, "For every moment we are here, he gets another to warn whomever it is behind this that you are not in Sunnydale."

"Does it matter? We're here together. Their objective failed. We'll get our answers, and whoever is behind it will bear the full brunt of my displeasure, believe me, but what matters right now is that we get to catch up. I mean look at you!" she said, leaning back to take a look at his entire body. "You're... mobile!"

"Bask you say?" he acquiesced and a small grin tugged at the corners of his mouth when she nodded. "I am sorry I didn't return to Sunnydale after… I should have come... but-"

"Hey... we're here now," Buffy said, her eyes seeking his. Reaching up she gently tugged at the silver hoop in his ear. "You're still wearing it."

"It was the only thing of you I had left besides the memories..." Giles answered thickly and he lifted his hand to touch the matching hoop in her ear. "You still have yours as well."

"Always," she responded softly, finding it difficult to tear her gaze away from his. Moments ticked by as they held each others eyes, and when she finally was able to break free, she pulled out the small stuffed Winnie the Pooh from her jacket pocket and handed it to him. Taking a deep breath, she said, "You know, I learned something else from this wise, fluffy bear with very little brain and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood..."

"Oh?" her Watcher asked, looking down at the stuffed animal in his hand.

"Yeah, 'you can't always sit in your corner of the forest and wait for people to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes,'" she quoted.

The smile broadened on his face and he wrapped her up in his arms, saying, "I'm glad you did, Buffy, and you aren't the only one basking in this moment."

Closing her eyes, Buffy returned his hug. "I really missed you, Giles," she said softly.

"I've missed you too, Buffy, more than you can ever know."