Chapter Two
Buffy headed into the cafeteria the following day, her mind was in full swing on how she could pull a last minute fast one and get out of her appointment after school. Willow and the rest of the gang were heading out after school to Starbucks and she wanted to go with.
She muttered under her breath as she set her tray down at the table. Her best friend Willow put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Buffy," she told her. "He can't keep you that long."
Buffy had not as yet explained to her friend the true reason for her not wanting to go. How do you explain to someone that you have the hots for a priest without sounding like a pervert!
"Yeah, I'll come and meet you and the gang after I'm through,"
The red head smiled warmly. "I'm sure it will be fine. Umm although, Jew here," she raised her hand. "So I'm not sure what goes on in there. But hey! I'll buy you a muffin for being good!"
Buffy grinned. "Willow, what would I do without you?"
"Be a worry wart I'd think," she grinned.
"Ew! Who's got warts," Xander asked sitting across the table from his friends eyeing his mountain of food with anticipation.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "No one Xander, we're discussing the whole volunteering thing tonight."
The brunette giggled. "I can't believe you got suckered into that one, Buffster."
"Yeah well," she pouted. "I'll play nice for a while and then I'll wheedle out it."
"Its times like these," he told the two girls waving a fork, "That I'm pleased my Dad's a lost cause drunk. A least that way the clergy tend to pretend you don't exist."
Willow's face instantly turned sympathetic, although Xander joked about his wayward parents, it was in fact, a very sore point indeed. He had suffered much from the hands of the people who brought him into this world, both physical and mentally. It was only due to the stalwart people that had befriended him which had kept the boy sane.
The redhead placed a hand on her friends. "Xander don't make fun, sweetie,"
Xander saw the serious look in her eye and blushed. "Yeah well," He lifted his face and gave her a sincere smiled and resumed attacking the food before him.
Buffy kept her mouth shut not wanting to add to this slightly awkward moment, she was known for her terrible counselling skills and usually left Willow to deal with emotional problems of their group.
****
Buffy arrived at the church and was shown through to one of the activity rooms by Father O'Malley. She followed him at a set pace trying to slow her rapidly accelerating breathing.
The knot in her chest felt like a heart-attack, she could barely draw breath in anticipation of seeing the young priest again. She knew this wasn't normal or even moral, but someone wasn't telling her brain.
The older priest opened the door and pushed her through closing the door behind her. He wasn't a man of many words especially as her father wasn't around to hear any compliments he may bestow upon his daughter. Buffy was not a fool to the man's grasping and ambitious aims for his church and quite frankly his drinks cabinet.
Buffy looked up slowly to see a small ocean of children running around a much frazzled looking Father Giles looking at her imploringly. A gaggle of girls no older than 12 an no younger than 6 were screaming, as they played chase around him, grabbing onto his shirt and pulling him as they tried to outmanoeuvre one another.
He seemed much more relaxed his current garb. He wore simple back trousers and black sweater with his dog collar showing through.
"Hi Buffy," he said clenching his jaw as he was pulled off to one side. "Are you any good with children?"
She grinned, the knot in her chest loosening. "Oi!" she shouted in the loudest voice she could.
The movement and buzzing in the room immediately stopped to look at the 17 year old girl staring at them all. "Grab a seat and sit down!"
They all looked at one another a little bemused by the interruption and in slow formation began to sit at the tables in the room. Buffy took a seat at the end of a table, smiling at the relieved looking priest.
The priest pointed to a large table piled high with tins of food and boxes underneath. "This," he told the now silent gathering. "is food the older children have collected over the last week. We have one week to get all this food into these pretty boxes."
One young boy stuck his hand in the air. "Yes Andrew?" Father Giles pointed.
"Why?" asked the small voice.
"It's for the old people of our community."
Another child raised a hand. "But why father, don't they have any food of their own?"
"Well yes, they have food but maybe not as much as they would like or need," he told them patiently. "We want to give them gifts and surprise them."
"Wouldn't they prefer a nice toy?"
The blond smiled warmly and proceeded to tell the group why it would be of more benefit to give the pensioners food as opposed to toys or bottles of spirit as one child had suggested.
Buffy took the chance to slyly look the priest over while his attention was focussed elsewhere. Her eyes slid slowly over his face taking in his features from the sharp cheekbones to the dimple on his chin. She silently cursed god for making this man feel the "calling" for the priesthood.
Her gaze feathered down to his throat towards his shoulders and chest, she sighed at his broadness, those surely did not belong to a man of the cloth. She straightened when she saw he had moved his attention back her.
"Buffy, I wonder if you wouldn't mind helping the children as opposed to actually doing the packing. You seem to have a real flair with them."
He smiled and she could have sworn the room grew brighter with his mirth.
"No problem, Father," she responded.
He sat next to her watching the children moving tins of food and boxes toward their tables.
"I'm sorry that you were dragged in here to do this," he admitted. "This was supposed to be an activity for the younger children not persons of your age."
She shrugged. "I'm not stupid," she told him. "Its just part of my life that I am sometimes used as a pawn in other peoples games. It's just the way it is, being the daughter of Henry Summers."
Sympathy was etched all over his face. "Certainly can not be easy for you,"
She gave him a genuine smile. "Mom tries hard to make up for it though. She tends to back him but she makes sure he doesn't pull the whole "daughter" thing too much."
"She sounds like a very strong woman,"
"Yeah she is. She has to be."
He stood suddenly to help one of the tables pick up several tins that had been scattered along the floor.
****
Luckily Father Giles didn't keep them too long before he let the children go. The patience of the smaller ones seemed to dim with each passing moment and it became obvious that the outburst was set to resume again before too long.
Buffy watched the last of the children go and she started to clear up with him. Wrapping paper and pens were scattered across the floor where the children had carelessly spilled their equipment. She sighed and put some effort into keep her thoughts otherwise occupied.
Father William Giles had only been in Sunnydale for a few short weeks and only in America for a little longer. He had arrived from England, born to a middle class family from the Cotswolds.
He had studied for a Masters degree in Ecclesiastic Theology and had entered the clergy as it seemed the right step to take. With a passion to travel he set his sights on the Americas as his new home and location to take up the practise of his vocation.
He sighed and started following Buffy around the room picking up the discarded waste from the floor. He tried hard not to stare at the young woman before him but it was incredibly difficult, she had bewitched him.
However, his vows were sacred to him. He could never act upon such a compulsion. Yet his eyes were drawn to the little bottom wiggling in front of him. It wasn't an intentional wiggle by any means but it constituted a definite wiggle. He groaned inwardly and chastised himself.
Once they had cleared the floor they sat together on a table and smiled at one another. "All done," he told her. "How will you be getting home this evening, Buffy?"
She pulled a mobile phone out of her pocket for him to see. "Mom is going to pick me up when I'm ready."
"Call her; I'm afraid we are all done for the evening."
It only took Buffy a moment or two to call her mother who informed her she would be there in fifteen minutes.
"Wait in here where it's safe," the priest told her smiling kindly. "We wouldn't want anything happening to our favourite parishioner's daughter now would we?"
She returned the grin. "I guess,"
Buffy listed a lock of her hair to her mouth to nibble absently trying to quell the little knot of discomfort she was feeling again. She never noticed his hand move until she felt it on hers moving the hand away from her mouth.
She jolted again as something passed between them on touch and again it was apparent he had felt it too. Their eyes focussed in on one another's.
"That's a very bad habit," he told her clearing his throat, still enraptured in the bewitching depth of her gaze.
"I know," she whispered scarcely able to draw breath.
Buffy wasn't an experienced girl and she was acting this moment on pure instinct alone, and although good sense was screaming at her, her blood was also screaming to work its will.
She leaned forward and brushed her lips upon his and instantly recoiled back to the safety of her personal space.
He seemed a little shocked but the smoulder in his visage was also very apparent. Not caring about the consequences he shot forward and kissed her back this time a little more demanding than hers had been .To his shock and elation she responded. Lips moving on lips, they're kiss blazed.
He licked her bottom lip tentatively as if asking for permission to enter. Without any hesitation or fear she accepted and opened her mouth to him, allowing their tongues to dance and explore, savouring the tastes and textures discovered.
Slowly arms began to move and become involved in the game, arms wrapped around one another pulling bodies closer and fingers intertwined in hair.
William came to his senses and pulled away from the vivacious creature and noted her sweet swollen lips and the sincerity in her expression. He stood quickly and put a hand to his mouth as if to savour what he had just lost.
She looked downcast. "I'm so sorry," she told him shaking her head. "Oh god, what have I done..."
Buffy jumped from the table and ran to freedom, to where her mother would meet her.
He watched her go, he couldn't do anything else. He was frozen stunned to the spot.
Buffy headed into the cafeteria the following day, her mind was in full swing on how she could pull a last minute fast one and get out of her appointment after school. Willow and the rest of the gang were heading out after school to Starbucks and she wanted to go with.
She muttered under her breath as she set her tray down at the table. Her best friend Willow put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Buffy," she told her. "He can't keep you that long."
Buffy had not as yet explained to her friend the true reason for her not wanting to go. How do you explain to someone that you have the hots for a priest without sounding like a pervert!
"Yeah, I'll come and meet you and the gang after I'm through,"
The red head smiled warmly. "I'm sure it will be fine. Umm although, Jew here," she raised her hand. "So I'm not sure what goes on in there. But hey! I'll buy you a muffin for being good!"
Buffy grinned. "Willow, what would I do without you?"
"Be a worry wart I'd think," she grinned.
"Ew! Who's got warts," Xander asked sitting across the table from his friends eyeing his mountain of food with anticipation.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "No one Xander, we're discussing the whole volunteering thing tonight."
The brunette giggled. "I can't believe you got suckered into that one, Buffster."
"Yeah well," she pouted. "I'll play nice for a while and then I'll wheedle out it."
"Its times like these," he told the two girls waving a fork, "That I'm pleased my Dad's a lost cause drunk. A least that way the clergy tend to pretend you don't exist."
Willow's face instantly turned sympathetic, although Xander joked about his wayward parents, it was in fact, a very sore point indeed. He had suffered much from the hands of the people who brought him into this world, both physical and mentally. It was only due to the stalwart people that had befriended him which had kept the boy sane.
The redhead placed a hand on her friends. "Xander don't make fun, sweetie,"
Xander saw the serious look in her eye and blushed. "Yeah well," He lifted his face and gave her a sincere smiled and resumed attacking the food before him.
Buffy kept her mouth shut not wanting to add to this slightly awkward moment, she was known for her terrible counselling skills and usually left Willow to deal with emotional problems of their group.
****
Buffy arrived at the church and was shown through to one of the activity rooms by Father O'Malley. She followed him at a set pace trying to slow her rapidly accelerating breathing.
The knot in her chest felt like a heart-attack, she could barely draw breath in anticipation of seeing the young priest again. She knew this wasn't normal or even moral, but someone wasn't telling her brain.
The older priest opened the door and pushed her through closing the door behind her. He wasn't a man of many words especially as her father wasn't around to hear any compliments he may bestow upon his daughter. Buffy was not a fool to the man's grasping and ambitious aims for his church and quite frankly his drinks cabinet.
Buffy looked up slowly to see a small ocean of children running around a much frazzled looking Father Giles looking at her imploringly. A gaggle of girls no older than 12 an no younger than 6 were screaming, as they played chase around him, grabbing onto his shirt and pulling him as they tried to outmanoeuvre one another.
He seemed much more relaxed his current garb. He wore simple back trousers and black sweater with his dog collar showing through.
"Hi Buffy," he said clenching his jaw as he was pulled off to one side. "Are you any good with children?"
She grinned, the knot in her chest loosening. "Oi!" she shouted in the loudest voice she could.
The movement and buzzing in the room immediately stopped to look at the 17 year old girl staring at them all. "Grab a seat and sit down!"
They all looked at one another a little bemused by the interruption and in slow formation began to sit at the tables in the room. Buffy took a seat at the end of a table, smiling at the relieved looking priest.
The priest pointed to a large table piled high with tins of food and boxes underneath. "This," he told the now silent gathering. "is food the older children have collected over the last week. We have one week to get all this food into these pretty boxes."
One young boy stuck his hand in the air. "Yes Andrew?" Father Giles pointed.
"Why?" asked the small voice.
"It's for the old people of our community."
Another child raised a hand. "But why father, don't they have any food of their own?"
"Well yes, they have food but maybe not as much as they would like or need," he told them patiently. "We want to give them gifts and surprise them."
"Wouldn't they prefer a nice toy?"
The blond smiled warmly and proceeded to tell the group why it would be of more benefit to give the pensioners food as opposed to toys or bottles of spirit as one child had suggested.
Buffy took the chance to slyly look the priest over while his attention was focussed elsewhere. Her eyes slid slowly over his face taking in his features from the sharp cheekbones to the dimple on his chin. She silently cursed god for making this man feel the "calling" for the priesthood.
Her gaze feathered down to his throat towards his shoulders and chest, she sighed at his broadness, those surely did not belong to a man of the cloth. She straightened when she saw he had moved his attention back her.
"Buffy, I wonder if you wouldn't mind helping the children as opposed to actually doing the packing. You seem to have a real flair with them."
He smiled and she could have sworn the room grew brighter with his mirth.
"No problem, Father," she responded.
He sat next to her watching the children moving tins of food and boxes toward their tables.
"I'm sorry that you were dragged in here to do this," he admitted. "This was supposed to be an activity for the younger children not persons of your age."
She shrugged. "I'm not stupid," she told him. "Its just part of my life that I am sometimes used as a pawn in other peoples games. It's just the way it is, being the daughter of Henry Summers."
Sympathy was etched all over his face. "Certainly can not be easy for you,"
She gave him a genuine smile. "Mom tries hard to make up for it though. She tends to back him but she makes sure he doesn't pull the whole "daughter" thing too much."
"She sounds like a very strong woman,"
"Yeah she is. She has to be."
He stood suddenly to help one of the tables pick up several tins that had been scattered along the floor.
****
Luckily Father Giles didn't keep them too long before he let the children go. The patience of the smaller ones seemed to dim with each passing moment and it became obvious that the outburst was set to resume again before too long.
Buffy watched the last of the children go and she started to clear up with him. Wrapping paper and pens were scattered across the floor where the children had carelessly spilled their equipment. She sighed and put some effort into keep her thoughts otherwise occupied.
Father William Giles had only been in Sunnydale for a few short weeks and only in America for a little longer. He had arrived from England, born to a middle class family from the Cotswolds.
He had studied for a Masters degree in Ecclesiastic Theology and had entered the clergy as it seemed the right step to take. With a passion to travel he set his sights on the Americas as his new home and location to take up the practise of his vocation.
He sighed and started following Buffy around the room picking up the discarded waste from the floor. He tried hard not to stare at the young woman before him but it was incredibly difficult, she had bewitched him.
However, his vows were sacred to him. He could never act upon such a compulsion. Yet his eyes were drawn to the little bottom wiggling in front of him. It wasn't an intentional wiggle by any means but it constituted a definite wiggle. He groaned inwardly and chastised himself.
Once they had cleared the floor they sat together on a table and smiled at one another. "All done," he told her. "How will you be getting home this evening, Buffy?"
She pulled a mobile phone out of her pocket for him to see. "Mom is going to pick me up when I'm ready."
"Call her; I'm afraid we are all done for the evening."
It only took Buffy a moment or two to call her mother who informed her she would be there in fifteen minutes.
"Wait in here where it's safe," the priest told her smiling kindly. "We wouldn't want anything happening to our favourite parishioner's daughter now would we?"
She returned the grin. "I guess,"
Buffy listed a lock of her hair to her mouth to nibble absently trying to quell the little knot of discomfort she was feeling again. She never noticed his hand move until she felt it on hers moving the hand away from her mouth.
She jolted again as something passed between them on touch and again it was apparent he had felt it too. Their eyes focussed in on one another's.
"That's a very bad habit," he told her clearing his throat, still enraptured in the bewitching depth of her gaze.
"I know," she whispered scarcely able to draw breath.
Buffy wasn't an experienced girl and she was acting this moment on pure instinct alone, and although good sense was screaming at her, her blood was also screaming to work its will.
She leaned forward and brushed her lips upon his and instantly recoiled back to the safety of her personal space.
He seemed a little shocked but the smoulder in his visage was also very apparent. Not caring about the consequences he shot forward and kissed her back this time a little more demanding than hers had been .To his shock and elation she responded. Lips moving on lips, they're kiss blazed.
He licked her bottom lip tentatively as if asking for permission to enter. Without any hesitation or fear she accepted and opened her mouth to him, allowing their tongues to dance and explore, savouring the tastes and textures discovered.
Slowly arms began to move and become involved in the game, arms wrapped around one another pulling bodies closer and fingers intertwined in hair.
William came to his senses and pulled away from the vivacious creature and noted her sweet swollen lips and the sincerity in her expression. He stood quickly and put a hand to his mouth as if to savour what he had just lost.
She looked downcast. "I'm so sorry," she told him shaking her head. "Oh god, what have I done..."
Buffy jumped from the table and ran to freedom, to where her mother would meet her.
He watched her go, he couldn't do anything else. He was frozen stunned to the spot.
