Traffic on the way to the cottage was light, but that didn't stop Faith from dozing on the way there. She curled up in the seat like a cat, blessed with that extraordinary gift to be able to make herself comfortable practically anywhere she went. She woke as they turned into the driveway, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The dirt road probably should have been paved a long time ago, but he rather liked keeping it natural and bumpy. Anyway, he wasn't there often enough for it to be a real bother. Chatworth, the caretaker of the property, would have more of a right to be troubled by the old country road than he was.

They passed by a large stone manor: great elm trees on either side of an impressive, wide entrance. Stone columns rose up to a second story, holding up a gabled roof. It was comprised of brown stone, large two story windows stretched up on the left side and she almost swore she could see into the house. She didn't have to actually go in to know it was probably furnished with every bit of the traditional English elegance she'd come to expect from the rich and powerful up here. As she took it all in and he watched her from the corner of his eye. It sat back a ways from the road with its own smoother pathway worn into the grass lane but was still intimidating even from this distance.

"It's like something out of Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, isn't it?"

She shrugged, unfamiliar with the references. He made a mental note to add them to the list of books they read together on quiet evenings.

"Who lives there?"

"No one, save maybe the caretaker. It's been there a very long time but no one makes much use of it these days."

"You know the owners?"

They rounded the corner on the lane and approached a small wooden cottage nestled against a backdrop of trees with full crowns of leaves. He stopped the car in front of it and cut the engine. The manor was only a stone's throw from where they were with a large stable up ahead on the road and a field for the horses to graze behind it. He glanced back to where the house was hidden by trees and distance from them now.

"I own it, Faith."

"You what?"

"It's a family home. The house is well over two hundred years old and has been in our family for as long. We used to summer here when I was a boy. I hardly have the time to come out and care for the place as I would like so I've hired someone to make sure the horses are taken care of and that it stays in good repair."

"Just how loaded are you?" She breathed, not fully understanding the scope of his wealth before that moment. She'd had this conversation with Ripper, but the concept hadn't sunk in. It was all well and good to think he was well to do and judging from his parents' townhouse well to do was an understatement but it had just never occurred to her to think of him as the type of wealthy that had multiple properties, horses, and all that other rich person stuff.

"Very, ah, but it hardly matters."

"Hardly matters? Do you own airplanes and shit, too?"

"Good heavens, no, Faith! I don't need anything so extravagant as that. I suppose I ought to sell that manor, but I keep it out of nostalgia. I had good memories there as a boy."

Once upon a time he had thought of taking his own family there someday and creating new memories full of life and laughter and though he hadn't yet admitted it aloud those hopes were slowly taking root again with her.

He got out of the car and managed the luggage, carrying it to the groundskeeper's cottage that he much preferred staying in these days when he came to visit. Let Chatworth enjoy the comforts of the main house and its ten magnificent bedrooms. He did nicely in the small one bedroom house nearer to the stables. Pushing open the door and setting the bags down inside, he looked around. It was a bit dusty, but he could fix that with a little bit of work. Faith walked in afterward, looking around. Downstairs was mainly just one large room, a small kitchen tucked away in one corner with a table for dining next to it. In front of them was a living room with rows of bookshelves on one wall, filled to the brim with his favorite books. There was a couch, chairs, and even a television set but the reception was terrible whenever the weather was anything but sunny and clear.

"Home sweet home."

He knew it would be a bit of a shock for her since nearly everything electronic had some sort of practical purpose and not an entertaining one. The most entertaining electrical device in the entire place was the record player tucked away on a table. He saw his guitar sitting on its stand next to the bookshelves and resisted the urge to pick it up and begin to play. Instead, he turned to his companion.

"The bedroom is upstairs. The bathroom is next to it if you need it. The water is, ah, a little tricky. When you want to have a shower let me know and I'll show you how to adjust it so it doesn't freeze you out halfway through. It's happened to me before and it was...unpleasant."

She smiled, and he was pleased to note the vase of flowers Chatworth must have left for him when he telephoned ahead to ask that it be stocked for their visit. The pantry was full of staples, enough to get by for the weekend. He was confident he could show her a good time, anyway.

"Would you like to meet the horses?"

"Yeah." Her neutral tone was betrayed by the shining of her eyes.

He led them the short walk down the lane to the stables. He pulled open the large wooden door and stepped inside, greeted by the wickering of some of his favorite creatures on Earth and the clean, sweet scent of hay. He walked up to the large black gelding in his pen and greeted him with a smile and a fresh apple from the basket on the wall. He jutted his snout forward, neck high and proud as he greeted his owner, taking the apple from his hand. He greeted the mare by her side in similar fashion, offering her the other apple.

"Faith, this is Emmeline," he motioned to the gray dappled mare. "And that's Coal."

He turned and noticed she hadn't moved very close to their pens, lingering closer to the door than to the horses. A thought occurred to him; he didn't believe it. Was she...afraid?

"They're quite civilized, I assure you." He smiled and gently drew her closer, starting with the gentler, and older, mare. He handed her an apple and motioned to the eager horse. "Hold it out with your hand flat. She'll be happy of the treat."

He grew up around horses for most of his young life. It was hard to imagine someone who hadn't been this close to them before. Of course, she was born and bred in Boston. The closest she probably came to horses was the occasional horse patrol. It was sweet to see her timidly holding out the apple and her smile of delight when the horse took it and nudged her hand in thanks. She reached up and slowly, hesitantly, stroked the downy fur of her muzzle.

"It's soft," she observed with a quiet sort of awe in her tone.

"Would you like to brush her? I'm afraid it's been a while since they've had more than just Chatworth to tend them. They could stand a good run, I expect."

"Could I?"

Her eyes shone and he nodded silently, moving to get the brush from a bin. He looped a lead around her and led her from the pen. Emmeline was all too willing to follow, a good, obedient horse. He tied her to a post and let Faith stand by her side. He stood behind her and took her hand in his, showing her how to draw the brush down her coat in long, smooth sweeps. It was as if her walls had dropped entirely and he looked on as she bonded with the horse, drawing the brush over her glossy coat with more patience than he'd ever seen her show for anything else in the world. After a minute of watching, sure she'd catch on and give him flak for it, he took Coal out and gave him the same treatment. He checked their hooves, on by one, and simply acquainted himself with the animals.

This was the happiest he'd been in a very long time. He couldn't imagine anything better, in fact, than a simple life like this with the woman he loved.

"We could go for a ride," he suggested. "I bet this beast is aching to run."

"I've never ridden a horse before."

"You're a Slayer, Faith. I hardly think there's anything physical you can't take to easily."

"I could take up knife throwing. You could hold a balloon in your mouth."

He blanched, offering her a thin smile as he pictured it before chuckling in defeat. "As much as I trust you, darling, perhaps not that."

"Psh!" She grinned. "Ye of little faith."

He laughed richly at that, helping her saddle up the mare in front of her. Emmeline was gentle, but young enough to have some spirit and he thought she was well matched to her rider. He swung up onto his own horse, letting her get settled before heading out. He started at a walk, watching her quickly adapt to the sway of the horse. They headed up the lane past the manor toward the woods. The lane turned into a wooded trail, moving deeper through the trees in a well worn path, somewhat grown over now that he'd spent a long time away. With pride he saw her taking to it like a champ, holding herself upright in the saddle like she'd been born to it.

"It's pretty," she commented, coming along beside him.

"Not as pretty as you are, my love."

She rolled her eyes, but a bit of color rose to her cheeks as well as a smile that tugged the corners of her mouth up. She urged Emmeline to pick up the pace, letting out a delighted laugh when the animal moved to a trot. Her companion watched in amazement as she bounded by as if she'd done this a hundred times. He urged his own mount forward and the large stallion leaped at the chance to use all of its pent up energy. It bolted down the lane past the mare and the surprised slayer. The even more surprised watcher realized he was charging ahead at a full run and bent low in the saddle, not reigning the beast in. They could always circle back and meet her in a minute. For now he just wanted to experience the thrill of the run.

Tree branches whipped past the pair and he was glad to be bent low to avoid most of them. Wind sped past his ears, roaring as he and the horse blazed down familiar trails he'd run a thousand times as a boy. There was no stone here unfamiliar, no foreign sights. These woods he knew intimately. A giddy bubble formed in his stomach as he let go of his worries and simply rode further into the woods than he'd been intending. He pulled up on the reins to slow Coal before coming to a stop. The horse stamped impatiently, wanting to continue running for as far as its rider would let it go.

"We have to go back for Emmeline and Faith," he told the stallion, empathizing with his impatience all too well. The black horse tossed its head and Giles looked up to see the brown mare and his lover riding toward them rather quickly. Of course she'd master running and he felt his chest swell with pride to see her. Her horse slowed without her rider saying so, coming to a stop in front of the others. Faith looked winded, her skin a little red because she hadn't ducked down enough to escape the branches, but otherwise she seemed to be alright. She was grinning.

"No wonder you dig this, G. It's amazing."

"I thought you might enjoy it. Here, follow me. We'll go slowly this time."

He turned his horse back up the trail, riding through a clearing to a field. There were wildflowers everywhere and a stream bubbling from its origin in the woods. It emptied into a small, clear pond with large, flat rocks along the shore. There was a large tree near the boulders along the stream's edge. He pulled a blanket from his saddle bag and laid it beneath the tree so they could escape the warm sun.

"I hadn't intended for us to come this far out. If I had, I might have planned better and made a picnic for us."

"It's fine."

He stripped his overshirt, reclining in the grass in a tee shirt. He'd long since lost his sense of modesty when it came to her. She smiled, approving, and went to the water's edge. A small sheen of sweat glistened over her chest. His eyes watched with keen interest as she stripped her own top and shorts, tossing them back in his direction with a wink. She dipped her toe into the water and found that the cool stream felt good with the sun beating overhead.

"It's liable to be cold if you submerge yourself," he warned. "We haven't had enough good days yet to warm it through.

"Noted."

She waded into the water anyway, getting up to her waist at the center of the stream. She turned around, showing no hint of cold on her face.

"You sure?"

Getting up, he lost his shoes and padded over to the water's edge, bending to dip his fingers in. The very shallow water seemed nice enough but he knew it wouldn't - He yelped, stumbling back from the water's edge as a wave of his flew at him and struck him in the chest. The Slayer smirked, ducking to swim away toward the pond leaving him sputtering on the bank.

"Faith! That was entirely uncalled for!"

She turned, treading water now that she was in a place to do so, a distance from him now.

"What are you going to do about it, Rupert?"

Well, that couldn't stand. He stripped off his clothes in short order, wading into the water in his boxers. He regretting allowing her to goad him immediately, freezing as soon as he reached his hips in depth. It was too late to back away from the challenge now, pulling himself toward her with steady, strong strokes. The exertion helped warm him and her challenge helped keep him motivated. She laughed, submerging herself entirely to swim underwater, looking like some exotic water nymph with her brown hair streaming behind her, glimmering with the water and sunlight. He'd have been dumbstruck if he weren't so determined to pay her back for her prank.

He caught her as they reached a shallower part of the pond. His arms reached around her waist and hauled her out of the water, swinging her around with a deep, rich laugh of his own. She answered with the same, completely absorbed in their games.

"I've caught you," he purred.

"Yeah? What now?"

He set her on her feet and turned her around, kissing her deeply. She returned it with ardor, moaning softly against his lips. He tugged her close, cupping the back of her head with his hand and savoring the warmth of her body next to his.

"Some revenge," she observed, pulling away to nibble at his neck.

"The revenge bit is -"

He left her alone, turning to swim quickly in the direction he'd come from, leaving her standing there unsatisfied. She stared after him, eyes wide and mouth dropped open.

"Hey!"

Her mind finally kicked her and she sped after him, closing the distance with very little trouble. She caught him as he started wading out to the bank, tackling him and sending them both down into the water. He took a mouthful, coming up coughing with her latched around him.

"Are you trying to drown me?" He demanded, though there was a laugh in his tone.

"Maybe…"

He wasn't reassured. He moved to get onto the shore to avoid the danger of drowning sitting on one of the sun warmed boulders to dry off. She followed after, dripping onto the ground as the horses grazed nearby, unperturbed by the antics of their riders. She moved to sit next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. He leaned back onto the rock, bringing her with him and closing his eyes against the sun.

"You are truly beautiful, Faith. I feel twenty years younger with you. I don't know how I've gotten so lucky; I hardly feel I deserve it."

"You deserve it. More than."

He turned to kiss her and by the time he was finished with her the sun was setting and the horses were impatient to get home to their dinner.