Rupert Giles is sitting on the edge of the bed in Buffy Summers' bedroom,
across from Buffy Summers. Rupert Giles is Buffy Summers' Watcher. Buffy
Summers' is a Vampire Slayer. Rupert Giles is almost twice the age of
Buffy Summers. Rupert Giles takes care of Buffy Summers. Rupert Giles
gives Buffy Summers the love and support she needs and can't get anywhere
else. He lives for the sole purpose of watching over her. Rupert Giles is
Buffy Summers' Knight Protector. He loves her.
Rupert Giles, Watcher, was sitting on the edge of the bed in Buffy Summers' bedroom, across from Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer. Now he is standing in front of her, trying to think of something to say.
"Giles? Aren't you going to say anything? You have to talk, it's not like I can take back what I just said."
Backing away from her, Giles tried to explain himself, "Buffy, I don't know why I came up here to see you. I knew what I saw, but I don't know what my intent was…"
"Yes, you do." Buffy had a steely determination on her face, she turned her body towards him, leaning forward on her forearms, challenging him. "You wanted to tell me how you feel, and when you realized that I wanted you, too, you acted on it." Giles took another step backward and a deep breath.
"You've just lost your mother… you're grieving, I shouldn't be here, not like this."
"Yes like this, this is the way you should be here…." Her voice was getting scratchy as her eyes began to tear up again.
"You don't want this Buffy, you don't love me… you're upset."
"Don't love you?" She sounded surprised and confused, as if the thought hadn't crossed her mind. "Is this about love?"
Giles looked at the floor, "For me it is. That's what I was trying to tell you."
At his words, Buffy took a deep shuddering breath, and looked at him. She was prepared for sex and sadness, but not love.
"I don't know if I love you that way. But, I do want you."
He looked at her intently, trying to see past the swollen, red eyes, "Why do you want me?"
"Why?" She seemed scared of the word, it was barely audible to his ears, he saw her say it more than anything, "Why? Because you're Giles, Giles, because you're safe, strong and reliable, because you won't leave me. What difference does it make?"
Giles walked toward Buffy and resumed his seat on the bed; he put his hand on her cheek, and spoke very softly to her.
"That difference means something to me, because I know that I love you. I wouldn't change anything about you, and I need you to feel the same way about me. It needs to be the beginning of something, Buffy, not just a moment of passion. And you're still coping with losing Riley and now you, you have to deal with this."
Buffy was crying now, not sobs, but silent tears that wet Giles' hand rolled down his arm to his elbow. She spoke as if she were choking the words out. She couldn't take her eyes off him.
"I don't know if I can handle this without you, and if not loving you means losing you, I can't…" Rupert flinched, "but you need to know that I didn't love Riley. I wanted to, I should have, but I didn't."
At her admission, the tension eased out of his body, "You didn't?"
He slid his hand down to the back of her neck and put his other hand on her waist. They had never been this close before. The physical intimacy that he anticipated frightened and aroused him.
Buffy shuddered, "No."
The hand on her waist moved to the small of her back, his body drawing closer and his mouth next her ear. He began whispering to her, "And you need me?"
His face buried in her hair, her hands resting on his shoulders…
"Yes. I do need you, Giles. I can't do this alone."
His lips burning her neck, her face, her lips… "Do you love me?"
His eyes were searching hers, and Buffy met his gaze, looking for her own clues. She lowered her lashes, "Yes. I do love you."
Rupert kissed her again, gently, as if he were testing the validity of her statement. Buffy responded, touching his face, his neck, and his chest, opening her mouth to his.
Giles got up from the bed and shut the door, and flooded the room with darkness.
Rupert Giles, Watcher, was sitting on the edge of the bed in Buffy Summers' bedroom, across from Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer. Now he is standing in front of her, trying to think of something to say.
"Giles? Aren't you going to say anything? You have to talk, it's not like I can take back what I just said."
Backing away from her, Giles tried to explain himself, "Buffy, I don't know why I came up here to see you. I knew what I saw, but I don't know what my intent was…"
"Yes, you do." Buffy had a steely determination on her face, she turned her body towards him, leaning forward on her forearms, challenging him. "You wanted to tell me how you feel, and when you realized that I wanted you, too, you acted on it." Giles took another step backward and a deep breath.
"You've just lost your mother… you're grieving, I shouldn't be here, not like this."
"Yes like this, this is the way you should be here…." Her voice was getting scratchy as her eyes began to tear up again.
"You don't want this Buffy, you don't love me… you're upset."
"Don't love you?" She sounded surprised and confused, as if the thought hadn't crossed her mind. "Is this about love?"
Giles looked at the floor, "For me it is. That's what I was trying to tell you."
At his words, Buffy took a deep shuddering breath, and looked at him. She was prepared for sex and sadness, but not love.
"I don't know if I love you that way. But, I do want you."
He looked at her intently, trying to see past the swollen, red eyes, "Why do you want me?"
"Why?" She seemed scared of the word, it was barely audible to his ears, he saw her say it more than anything, "Why? Because you're Giles, Giles, because you're safe, strong and reliable, because you won't leave me. What difference does it make?"
Giles walked toward Buffy and resumed his seat on the bed; he put his hand on her cheek, and spoke very softly to her.
"That difference means something to me, because I know that I love you. I wouldn't change anything about you, and I need you to feel the same way about me. It needs to be the beginning of something, Buffy, not just a moment of passion. And you're still coping with losing Riley and now you, you have to deal with this."
Buffy was crying now, not sobs, but silent tears that wet Giles' hand rolled down his arm to his elbow. She spoke as if she were choking the words out. She couldn't take her eyes off him.
"I don't know if I can handle this without you, and if not loving you means losing you, I can't…" Rupert flinched, "but you need to know that I didn't love Riley. I wanted to, I should have, but I didn't."
At her admission, the tension eased out of his body, "You didn't?"
He slid his hand down to the back of her neck and put his other hand on her waist. They had never been this close before. The physical intimacy that he anticipated frightened and aroused him.
Buffy shuddered, "No."
The hand on her waist moved to the small of her back, his body drawing closer and his mouth next her ear. He began whispering to her, "And you need me?"
His face buried in her hair, her hands resting on his shoulders…
"Yes. I do need you, Giles. I can't do this alone."
His lips burning her neck, her face, her lips… "Do you love me?"
His eyes were searching hers, and Buffy met his gaze, looking for her own clues. She lowered her lashes, "Yes. I do love you."
Rupert kissed her again, gently, as if he were testing the validity of her statement. Buffy responded, touching his face, his neck, and his chest, opening her mouth to his.
Giles got up from the bed and shut the door, and flooded the room with darkness.