Title: Inside to Outside 4/5
Author: Cyberwulf
Rating: Still 12s (PG-13)
Disclaimer: Joss and ME own all the characters, and have shares in the plot. Details about Giles' family are entirely my own invention.
Spoilers: Takes place during and instead of "A New Man"; contains dialogue from "A New Man". This chapter makes references to Hush.
Summary: What if, instead of a Fyarl demon, Ethan had turned Giles into something else?
Distribution: Ask me first, and tell me where it's going.
Feedback: Feed the Wulf! cyberwulf_1andonly@yahoo.co.uk
Author's Note 1: Aargh! Once again, sorry for the delay, and I hope some of you are still reading this. This chapter just didn't want to be written. Next time, I swear I'll write the whole story *before* posting it…
Author's Note 2: // // denotes thoughts.
" Will, do I look all right?"
" For the eleventh time, yes!" Willow assured her friend. " You look great."
Buffy glared at the redhead lounging on the bed. " It is *not* the eleventh time."
" Yes it is," Willow insisted cheekily. She held up her writing pad. " See? I kept count."
" Okay, you win," Buffy sighed. She sank down on her bed. " I – I just want tonight to go all right."
Willow grinned. " You wanna look good for Riley, huh?"
" Riley…" Buffy realised she hadn't told Willow about the afternoon's events. " No. Riley's history."
Willow sat up in surprise. " What? Since when?"
" Since I found out he was a royal jackass," Buffy replied. She grinned and blushed a little. " And since I noticed the goodness that is Giles."
" Giles?" Willow asked.
Buffy nodded as her smile grew.
" When did all this happen?" Willow asked. " I want details!"
" Well, it kinda started yesterday, with me noticing how good he looks," Buffy explained. " And then today we were training, and we ended up kissing…" She gave a small sigh of happiness. " Oh, Will… I never knew Giles could be so…" She frowned, trying to find the words. " He made me feel all melty inside, you know?"
" Ooh, melty," Willow said with a grin. " Then what happened?"
" Riley happened," Buffy told her. " He walked right in just as we were…"
Willow grimaced. " Ouch."
" Definitely not of the fun," Buffy added. " He was so angry." She looked at her hands. " He started saying all this stuff about me… and then Giles went all Ripper and told him to get out."
" Oh, defending your honour," Willow declared. " That's such a Giles-y thing to do."
" Yeah," Buffy reflected with a smile.
" And then?" Willow prodded.
" Then… it turns out that Giles loves me," Buffy answered. She grew thoughtful. "He's been in love with me since he doesn't know when."
" But… but that's good, right?" Willow asked anxiously. " I mean, since you like him it's good that he likes you back…"
" Yeah," Buffy agreed. " It's just…" She glanced at Willow, then looked down at her hands. " If he likes me so much… y'know, *likes* me, then – how come he never said anything? And what about Olivia?"
Willow pondered this for a few moments, then shrugged.
" Got me," she admitted. " You could always ask him."
" I guess," Buffy replied glumly.
Willow gazed at her best friend and decided to try and snap her out of her sudden depression. " Get to the part where you ask him to go on patrol with you."
Despite herself, Buffy smiled.
" Well, first there was ice cream, and talking, and then… walking…" Her smile grew. "And then more kissing… and then I asked him and he said yes." Her eyes widened and she looked at her watch. " And I gotta go!"
" Have a good time!" Willow called as Buffy took off out the door. " Tell me everything!"
Buffy hurried down the street towards Giles' apartment.
" I'm late. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late," she muttered under her breath. She pulled up short. " Okay, since when did I turn into the White Rabbit? And how come I'm talking to myself?" The Slayer shrugged and quickened her pace. She trotted down Giles' stairs and paused at the bottom. She took a few slow, deep breaths. //This is it.// Buffy knocked on the door.
" Buffy."
Giles smiled when he saw her, and a warm feeling flooded through Buffy at the way his whole face lit up. He was wearing a light blue sweater. A body-hugging, non-ropey sweater. She felt slightly disappointed that his jeans were still on the loose side. //Well, I guess I can't have everything.//
" Do you want something to eat or drink first?" Giles asked, jerking a thumb in the direction of the kitchen.
" No thanks," Buffy answered. " I'd just like to get to it."
" Very well."
He turned to pick up his keys from the hall table and Buffy noticed a strange bulge under the back of his sweater. " What's that?"
" Just my sword," Giles replied. He stepped out the door. Buffy couldn't resist giving him a quick pat on the butt.
" What *is* this sudden fascination with my bottom?" Giles teased. " You can't seem to keep your hands off it."
" Can I help it if you've got a cute tushie?" Buffy replied. She slid her hand into Giles' back pocket.
" You might find slaying vampires a bit difficult with your hand in there, love," Giles remarked.
" I'll take it out when we get to the cemetery," Buffy promised with a grin. Giles looped his arm around her waist.
" Just as long as I'm not a distraction," he replied.
" Careful, Giles, your ego's showing again," Buffy teased.
He gave her a stern look.
" I'm being serious, Buffy," he told her quietly.
Buffy calmed down a little.
" I know," she answered. " And I promise, Giles, I'm one hundred percent focussed."
He smiled.
" Good."
The couple headed down the street. Abruptly, Giles gave a yelp.
" Buffy!"
The Slayer smiled up at him innocently, gently rubbing the flesh she'd just squeezed.
" One hundred percent."
***
Ethan Rayne stood in the shadows of a doorway and watched the man and woman walking on the other side of the street. He grinned when he noticed Buffy's hand in Ripper's pocket. Things were going perfectly. In fact, they were going better than he had expected. He hadn't imagined Buffy would make a move so quickly, let alone get so 'hands on' with someone she'd hardly considered a man a few days ago. But then again, he could understand why. Seeing Ripper like this made Ethan remember why he'd fallen in love with the Watcher all those years ago.
Once the couple was out of sight, Ethan emerged from the doorway and headed off in the other direction. He hadn't missed the look of happiness on Ripper's face. It was a look the sorcerer hadn't seen in a long time, and it felt good to know he was responsible for putting it there. Ethan shook his head and smiled.
" I must be getting soft in my old age," he murmured to himself.
***
" So what was your favourite TV show when you were a kid?" Buffy asked. " I mean, that's if you had a TV," she added quickly. " If, if you didn't, that's cool."
" No, we had a television," Giles replied. " Mostly because my father had two wages, one from his civil service job, and the other from the Watcher's Council."
" Well, what was your favourite TV show?" Buffy asked again.
Giles glanced at her.
" Do you promise not to laugh?"
" I promise," Buffy assured him.
" Thunderbirds."
" Thunderbirds?" Buffy repeated. " You mean that thing with the scary wooden puppets?"
" Oh, you've seen it?" Giles asked.
" Not really," Buffy admitted. " I just know of it."
" Well, that's what we watched," Giles replied. " We were big fans. James and I would pretend to be Virgil and Scott, and we usually made Barney be Alan or Brains. Sue was Lady Penelope, and Ursula ended up as Tin-Tin. Then we'd run around the house making a racket and driving our parents mad."
Buffy giggled. Giles pulled her closer.
" You promised not to laugh," he teased.
" I'm just trying to imagine you as a noisy TV-watching kid," Buffy replied. " I always thought you were the kind of kid who sat inside all day with his nose in a book."
" Very funny," Giles replied. " I wasn't always a human library, you know."
They arrived at the first graveyard of the evening. Giles reached behind him and freed Buffy's hand from his pocket.
Buffy pouted.
" Business before pleasure, darling," Giles told her. He drew his sword. They headed into the cemetery, both on the alert.
There were surprisingly few vampires out that night – only a few fledgelings who had just risen and were no match for a well-placed kick followed by a stake to the heart, or the sweep of a sword from behind. At their final stop, though, they disturbed a nest of more experienced vampires.
As Buffy traded insults and blows with three of them, Giles circled the fighters warily, ready to help out if Buffy got in trouble. Not that she needed any help, he thought proudly as Buffy planted a kick into one vampire's chest, then spun swiftly and dusted another. She was absolutely magnificent in battle – such a perfect blend of speed, strength and control…
Giles never heard the rustle of the bushes behind him. The next moment a vampire burst out of the undergrowth and slammed into his back, knocking the Watcher down. Giles lost his hold on the sword, and a shower of sparks went off in his skull as his head collided with a stone.
The vampire knelt on top of him and bared her fangs.
" You're almost too pretty to eat," she taunted. She planted one hand on his head and the other on his shoulder to hold him steady. " Almost."
" Hey!"
With a "huh?" the vampire twisted round to look behind her. A second later, she turned to dust.
Buffy lowered the sword, gazing at where the vampire had been.
" Heads up."
She knelt down next to the prone figure on the ground. He groaned, and Buffy wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried.
" Giles? Can you stand?"
" Yes, I – I think so…" Giles rolled onto his back and began to sit up. He paused as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Buffy grasped his arm.
" Take it easy…"
" Oh…" Giles held his head as Buffy helped him up. He took his hand away from the injury, looking for blood. " Some things never change…"
" Are you okay, Giles?" Buffy asked anxiously. " Do you need to see a doctor?"
" No, I think I'm all right," Giles answered. " I don't think I was knocked unconscious. I'll probably have a nice big bruise, though…"
Buffy stood on tiptoe and kissed him on his already purpling temple. " Poor Giles."
" I wasn't much help tonight, was I," Giles said with a sigh.
" Sure you were," Buffy replied. " You got three vamps."
He smiled.
" Yes, I did."
Buffy handed him Giles his sword, and he replaced it in its scabbard. The pair of them began to head out of the graveyard.
" Quiet tonight," Giles remarked.
" Uh-huh," Buffy agreed. " It's probably the Initiative keeping the numbers down." She brightened. " Hey, if they stick around, maybe I can retire."
Suddenly Giles pulled her behind a tomb.
" Hey –"
" Shh," he murmured, then gestured towards the graveyard fence. " Look."
Buffy followed his gaze. A red fox was trotting along not fifteen feet away from them. Two cubs followed closely behind her.
" A mummy and two babies," Giles murmured.
" Wow." Buffy frowned. " I didn't know foxes lived in cities."
" Oh, yes," Giles replied. " They raid the dustbins, you see." He lowered his voice further and continued. " There can be up to thirteen cubs in a litter, but usually the vixen has about five." He looked at her slyly. " Mating takes hours, and both the male and female are quite vocal throughout."
Buffy blushed a bit and slipped her hand into Giles' larger one. They watched as the family vanished into the bushes. Buffy had missed this – Giles being Knowledge Guy. He always seemed to know stuff about anything and everything, and it was never boring. Riley probably wouldn't even have shown her the foxes, let alone known anything about them. She glanced up at Giles. He was grinning.
" We can let Anya know the bunny population is under control," he chuckled.
Buffy giggled. The couple turned and began to head out of the graveyard.
" Magnificent animals, aren't they?" Giles remarked.
" Is that why you British hunt them?" Buffy teased.
Giles let go of her hand and grabbed her round the waist, making Buffy shriek with laughter. He pulled her against him.
" I'll have you know I've been on many an anti-hunting protest, my dear," he murmured. " Got arrested once."
Buffy smiled up at him, and Giles leaned down and kissed her. Buffy closed her eyes and ran her hands up and down his broad back, enjoying the warmth of his body against hers, the taste of his mouth, and the smell of his aftershave. All too soon, he pulled away. Buffy gave a small sigh of disappointment. If only it were possible to just kiss him forever…
" You all right?" Giles asked softly.
" Yeah," Buffy replied. She looked up at him. " Y'know… back there, with the foxes… that was really special." She frowned, trying to find the right words. " I – I liked that – that we shared a moment. I liked that it was you and me." Her face scrunched in confusion. " Does that make sense?"
Giles smiled.
" Yes," he replied. He reached out and cupped Buffy's cheek. " I liked that it was you and me, too."
Buffy smiled back, and nestled into his side. They continued out of the cemetery, arms wrapped round each other's waists. Giles felt Buffy's nimble fingers sneaking into his back pocket again and shot her a questioning look.
" My hand got cold," Buffy offered with an impish smile.
Giles raised an eyebrow. A second later Buffy felt a large, warm hand slide partially into her own back pocket. Her eyes widened and Giles couldn't help chuckling at her startled expression.
" Giles –"
" Funny," Giles declared innocently. " *My* hand felt cold all of a sudden, too."
They strolled down the street, neither one saying anything. Buffy remembered Willow's advice. Well, now was as good a time to ask as any. She cleared her throat.
" Giles, can I ask you something?"
" Go ahead."
Buffy swallowed. " You've been in love with me for a while, right?" She looked up at him. " I mean, it's not just a recent 'I'm young and hormonal' thing, is it?"
Giles shook his head and flashed her a gentle smile.
" I don't know when precisely I realised I was in love with you," he told her, " but I think things began to change around the time of your prom. When you walked in that door, all dressed up… it made me realise you weren't a – a little girl, you were a young woman."
Buffy thought about this for a few moments, then looked up at him again. " Then… what was Olivia?"
" Ah." Giles took a deep breath and let it out. He looked down at Buffy. " Olivia's an… old friend. Many years ago, we had a – 'thing', as you would put it. But we grew apart, wanted different things out of life."
" So she's an ex," Buffy declared.
" Yes," Giles replied.
Buffy shifted and looked away.
" But when she was here… you guys –"
Giles slid his hand out of her pocket and stroked her back.
" Olivia was company," he explained quietly. " She's funny, and attractive, and…" He shrugged. " And I was lonely." He reflected for a moment. " I think she was, too."
Buffy didn't say anything.
" You know, I think even without the Gentlemen's little visit, it wouldn't have lasted between us," Giles mused. " We'd had our time. The feelings… just weren't as deep any more. We'd both changed too much." He looked at her. " Does that make sense?"
" I guess," Buffy admitted reluctantly. " I just don't understand how you could have sex with one person but be in love with another…"
Giles put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her gently.
" Sex doesn't always equal love, Buffy," he remarked. " Sometimes it's just a bit of fun." He heaved a sigh. " And sometimes it's neither." He dropped his arm to her waist again, and placed a light kiss on her hair. " But with the right person, it can be both."
Buffy nodded thoughtfully.
" Yeah, I get it," she replied.
Yet again, UC Sunnydale appeared all too quickly. The couple strolled through the campus and halted outside Buffy's dorm. Giles glanced up at the building and smiled faintly, then looked at Buffy.
" Goodnight, love."
Buffy put her arms around his neck.
" Don't I get a goodnight kiss?"
With a grin, Giles thoroughly obliged, leaving Buffy breathless.
" Another knee-trembler," she remarked.
Giles stared at her.
" Sorry?"
" A knee-trembler," Buffy repeated. She frowned as Giles began to giggle. " What? Your kisses make my legs all wobbly, so, they're knee-tremblers."
" I understand," Giles chuckled.
" What are you laughing at?" Buffy asked, a trace of annoyance creeping into her tone.
Giles blushed and sobered a little.
" Well – er – you see, in, in my part of the world, a 'knee-trembler' is, um… a quickie." As understanding began to dawn on Buffy, Giles continued. " A – a quickie where, where both parties are – standing up."
Buffy began to laugh – partly at herself, partly at Giles' stuttered explanation. He smiled down at her. Buffy tilted her hips against his and grinned slyly.
" I wouldn't mind your version of a knee-trembler," she murmured.
Giles smiled and shook his head.
" Don't you want to?" Buffy asked in a small, uncertain voice.
Giles sighed and brushed Buffy's hair out of her face.
" Buffy, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to make love to you," he told her. " But I'm not going to do it out here, where it's dark and damp and anyone can gawk at us. I don't mind sex outside, but this place isn't very romantic, is it?" He jerked his head to the right. " That dumpster over there is overflowing, and I doubt that wall would be very comfortable against your back." Giles cupped Buffy's cheek in his large, warm hand. " You deserve privacy…" He placed a soft kiss on her lips. "… romantic music…" He began to kiss his way along her jaw. " … a nice, big bed with satin sheets…" He stopped at her ear, and dropped a final kiss on her neck. " … hours and hours of my undivided attention…"
Buffy whimpered and held onto him as her legs turned to jelly yet again. She gazed up at him.
" Anyone ever tell you that you know all the right things to say?" she asked.
Giles grinned. " Well, words *are* my strong point." He caressed her back. " Will I see you tomorrow?"
" What day is tomorrow?" Buffy asked dazedly.
Giles chuckled. " Saturday."
" Then I guess I'll come around to your place," Buffy replied.
" Wonderful." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. " Till tomorrow."
Buffy moved out of his embrace. " Goodnight, Giles."
She turned and went inside. Giles watched her go, then began to head back to his apartment. He couldn't stop smiling. He had a second date. Or was it a third date? Did patrolling count as a date?
//Oh, who cares if it does or it doesn't?// he admonished. //You're seeing her tomorrow, aren't you? Now shut up and strut.//
***
