Late Afternoon
Sunnydale, California
1630 Revello Drive
Tensions were high by the time it hit the late afternoon. The sun was beginning to go down, which created anxiety amongst everyone in the house. Most of the day had been spent trying to brainstorm some sort of plan to defeat the Turok-Han which would certainly be outside the front door once the sun went down, which incited panic.
Nick listened to the hysterics coming from the girls, Dawn, Xander, and Anya, but his attention was mostly on his parents. Giles wore a look of concern on his face. His gaze kept going back to Buffy, trying to read her unreadable expression.
Buffy's eyes were fixed on Willow. Nick was the only one to notice the silent interaction. He had seen it before. They were having dinner with his aunt and her girlfriend. Giles had said something very English about the dinner, which made his mother and aunt laugh. Nick could tell they were communicating together by their locked gaze and small—almost unnoticeable gestures.
Telepathy was the only explanation for their locked gaze.
Soon, Buffy quietly stepped out of the dining room, followed by Willow, and Xander. The threesome went into the kitchen.
Afterwards, hanging out in the sitting room for a few minutes to be alone on his phone, Nick heard his father's whispering voice in the kitchen.
Without being seen, Nick stood from the chair and stepped closer to the kitchen's open entryway to eavesdrop on the conversation. He carefully poked his head around the bend to see that it was his parents talking.
"Buffy, are you sure this is a good idea?' Nick heard Giles ask. "You're intentionally putting us all in danger."
"Giles, I'm losing them. I can't let that happen. I need them to see me fight the Turok-Han. I need their trust."
Giles removed the glasses from his face and heavily sighed. "And what do you advise?"
Buffy nodded with certainty. "Me, Willow, and Xander have got it handled." She took a small step forward, lifting her hand to cradle his cheek. "I need you to trust me too."
Exhaling a breath, Giles closed his eyes, leaning into her touch.
Behind the corner in the sitting room, Nick took out his iPhone and quietly snapped a photo of a tender and candid moment.
Construction Site: Science Building
Sprinting across the construction site that had almost killed Buffy two days before, Nick followed the rest of the group and climbed up the metal scaffolding, high enough to be out of the Turok-Han's reach.
He looked over his shoulder and to the far corner of the open area of the construction site, Nick saw the debris of shiny metal, cinder blocks, and bricks that had landed on his mother only a day before.
"Nick."
Nick turned his attention to the firm voice calling his name. Giles held out his hand for Nick to take. The teen placed the crossbow into Giles' hand and climbed over the metal railing. Nick looked down to the ground to see the Turok-Han growling at them, marking his prey when a flood of bright lights turned on, illuminating the dark construction site.
Nick's eyes snapped to see his mother standing on a ledge with her arms folded across her chest, glaring down at the UberVamp.
The frown on the sixteen-year-old's face sank lower on his face. He tore his gaze from Buffy to his father beside him ready to question what was going on, but the look on Giles' face made Nick pause.
Giles' unblinking eyes were focused on Buffy.
"Looks good, doesn't it?" Buffy said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "They're trapped in here. Terrified. Meat for the beast, and there's nothing they can do but wait…"
"What's going on?" Nick asked Giles, but got no response.
Giles kept his attention firmly on the Vampire Slayer.
Stepping further into the light from menacing shadows, Buffy said, "… I'm the thing that monsters have nightmares about. And right now, you and me are gonna show 'em why. It's time. Welcome to Thunderdome." She flipped off of the ledge, landing on her feet facing the UberVamp.
The Turok-Han licks his lips and charges at the Vampire Slayer at full speed.
Prepared for the attack, Buffy dodged and blocked the UberVamp's attack. She is able to hold her own, but all too soon loses her advantage and she is beaten back.
The onlookers grimace as the Turok-Han lands harsh blows into Buffy's body, that would have certainly killed a human. Buffy does manage to get on the offensive, dealing bone-crushing punches into the UberVamp's head and body.
Realising the meaning of his parents' private conversation in the kitchen, Nick tore his eyes from the fight and looked at Giles. "You knew about this. Letting the barrier fail, bringing us here. You all planned this."
Giles inhales a deep breath. His heart squeezing tighter and tighter at every powerful blow Buffy received.
Down below, Buffy is still fighting the Turok-Han and he punches her to the ground, but she gets back up to fight, refusing to back down.
The UberVamp grabbed Buffy and tossed her 20-feet across the construction site. She landed against scaffolds, knocking the crossbow out of Nick's hands. Buffy picks up the weapon and fires the arrow into the Turok-Han as he runs toward her, hitting it right in the heart.
The prehistoric vampire paused for a moment, looking down at the arrow impaled into his heart. Unaffected by the arrow, the UberVamp continued to charge at Buffy.
Buffy grabs a pickaxe and swings it at the Turok-Han. The UberVamp ducks and pushes her into the wall of the construction office trailer. Buffy falls to the ground, and the Turok-Han disarms her before throwing her back toward the centre of the open area, landing on a pile of cinder blocks.
Gritting her teeth, Buffy picks a cinder block and throws it at the Turok-Han's head. The UberVamp punched Buffy in the torso again and kicked her under some scaffolding before throwing her a dozen feet into the air, through the scaffold platform. Buffy manages to stay on the platform, and the Turok-Han scales the scaffolding to get to her.
"It's killin' her!" Nick shouted, grabbing Giles by his jacket sleeve. Panic clear in his voice, unable to witness his mother almost dying again. "We've got to bloody do somethin'." He decided to take matters into his own hands and began to lift his leg over the metal rail, wanting to help when Giles firmly grabbed him by the shoulder.
"No. Just watch." He said, forcing Nick to stay where he stood.
Nick couldn't believe his ears, but the concentrated look on Giles' face oddly calmed him down. Nick turned her eyes back to the fight to see the Turok-Han on the ropes and Buffy taking advantage.
The UberVamp weakly tries to punch her back, but Buffy does not relent, punching and kicking the prehistoric vampire into submission. She violently banged the UberVamp's head into a metal pole, making it dizzy.
As the Turok-Han tried to shake the dizziness away, Buffy grabbed nearby barbed wire and slipped it around the Turok-Han's throat. Choking and unable to free himself, the UberVamp collapses to his knees as Buffy pulls on the barbed wire hard. Using her supernatural strength, she pulls on it harder until the Turok-Han's head is decapitated and his body explodes in a cloud of dust in front of her.
Nick's mouth hung open, staring at the fight in total disbelief.
"See?" Buffy turned to the onlookers on the scaffolding, stunned into silence. "Dust." She wiped her hands clean of the Turok-Han's ashes. "Just like the rest of 'em. I don't know what's coming next, but I do know it's gonna be just like this. Hard. Painful. But in the end it's gonna be us. If we all do our parts, believe it, we'll be the ones left standing. Here endeth the lesson."
Closing this mouth that had been hanging open, Nick stared dumbfounded at the woman who'd be his mother. He had never seen anyone move in the way she had against the Turok-Han. Her strength and resilience was astounding.
After all of this time, Nick was so very wrong that it was comical. The blood that was shedded for him to live in his privileged life was real. He didn't appreciate it, not until now—since stumbling back in time, watching it all unfold in front of him.
His mother wasn't a glorified bureaucrat, she was a warrior.
Brimming with pride, a smile tugged at his lips. He turned his eyes to Giles, catching his glance and sharing his smile.
Nick walked ahead with the group talking and joking, really embracing that 'care free' feeling for the first time since his arrival. It was the first time he felt like he could smile and relax, just being himself.
Looking over his shoulder, he smirked seeing Buffy and Giles lagging behind.
Buffy dropped her arms from their folded position and lifted her eyes to Giles' face. He caught her eye and tenderly smiled, removing his hand from inside his front jeans pocket.
Turning her head ahead of her, Buffy watched Nick, the new member of their ever-growing clan throw back his head laughing.
Their awkward and embarrassing conversation about her relationship with Giles ran her through her head again. He seemed to know something that she nor Giles did. Perhaps, she should take the sixteen-year-old's advice and spend time with the former Watcher.
The back of Giles' hand grazed against hers. It startled Buffy from her thoughts. She swallowed and heard her pounding heart ringing in her ears. Her eyes lifted to Giles' face, to see him staring straight ahead.
There was something happening between them. Sometime between the last year or so, Buffy had developed more than 'just a crush'. Unsure if it was love, it felt pretty darn close.
Morning
1630 Revello Drive: Front Porch
Walking out of the kitchen with a mug of coffee in hand, Buffy stepped through the dining room to see her friends still hard at work researching The First and a spell to get their time travelling friend back home.
As Buffy crossed the short distance towards the front door, Giles lifted his eyes, catching her turning her head away. His gaze followed her as she opened the front door and stepped out into the morning sunshine.
From where he sat, he watched her through the dining room window sit down on the porch swing and take a sip of coffee.
Sliding out from under the table, Giles stood and muttered something like 'I'll be right back' which went unheard by the rest of the group. He quietly walked out of the dining room and into the foyer. He took his brown corduroy coat from the hook and also walked outside, stepping onto the porch.
Popping the collar to block the morning chill, Giles stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat and turned to Buffy.
"G'morning." He said.
"Morning." Buffy smiled, propping her feet on the wooden wrap-around fence. She took a sip of the coffee, watching him walk closer and take a seat beside her on the porch swing.
"Why are you out here?" He asked. "It's freezing."
Buffy smirked, raising the arch of his brow, finding his inception of the morning weather a bit 'over dramatic'. "It's not so bad. I just needed a minute…" She closed her eyes, listening to the birds in the trees chirp.
The pair say quietly together, comfortable in the silence between them. Giles hung a leg of his knee and followed a car driving past the house with his eyes.
Buffy exhaled a sigh and felt relaxed for the first time in a long while. They were not out of the woods with The First in the slightest, but the oncoming battle didn't feel impossible.
Inside the house, Nick exited the kitchen holding a bowl of cereal in his hand when he noticed two people missing from the group in the dining room.
Frowning, Nick glanced over his shoulder back into the kitchen, but they weren't in there. He rubber-necked into the living room, they weren't there either.
Curiously, Nick tossed his gaze around the Scooby's sitting around the dining room table and noticed two people sitting outside the dining room window.
Nick smirked.
The comforting silence was welcomed, but it came to a screeching halt when Buffy heard shrilling voices of the girls inside the house, which immediately gave her a migraine.
"You wanna get out of here? Go for a walk or something?" She asked.
Giles felt the same displeasure from the obnoxious girls and wore a relieved smile on his face. "I'd like that."
Maple Court Street: Saturday's Farmers Market
Casually walking between the kiosk booths in the bustling Saturday's Farmers Market with no real intention of shopping, Buffy and Giles just needed a bit of time away from the house, teenage girls, and anything having to do with The First.
As they passed a stand with a colourful array of various fruits and vegetables, Giles offered to pay for a small basket of plump bright red strawberries that Buffy subtly mentioned she was craving.
Continuing down the long line of booths, Buffy was surprised how life never seemed to change, despite the hell that was happening in the background.
"Can't believe the farmers market is still going on with everything happening…" Buffy observed, biting into a strawberry.
Not having thought of it before, Giles looked around and agreed. "The citizens of Sunnydale are a resilient bunch." They continued to walk quietly side by side together, until Giles said with a bit of struggle. "You were right about last night. It was a smart plan."
Turning her eyes upwards to his face, the smile on Buffy's face widened, amused by his hesitancy. "That just killed you a little bit to say that, didn't it?"
Rolling his eyes, Giles frowned. "I'm trying to be serious, Buffy, and say something profound."
"Oh, right, continue. Profound away." Buffy tried hard to fight the smile forming on her face.
"Not when you're looking at me like that, Buffy. Honestly, you're being childish… and a sore winner." He childishly whined, removing the glasses from his face.
Buffy threw back her head with a laugh. "Well, there's only one thing we can do." She stepped around in front of him and walked backwards, still smiling. "Try this." Buffy raised the strawberry in her hand to his lips, feeding it to him.
Giles took a bite of the ripe strawberry, which was actually very good.
Pulling her hand away, Buffy's eyes dropped to his mouth, watching him chew. Transfixed by the tip of his tongue licking the remaining juice on his lips, Buffy had a sudden desire to kiss him and taste the strawberry on his lips.
Noticing a small drip of strawberry juice at the corner of his mouth, Buffy took a small step forward, raising her hand and brushing it away with the pad of her thumb.
That familiar desiring feeling that had tangled around them the other night on their way to the Christmas tree lot, the pair stood closely together.
Buffy craned her head upwards, lifting entranced gaze on his mouth to his face.
They drew closer together, the tips of their noses barely touching and their mouths only inches apart.
Giles' eyes were on her mouth, watching her heart-shaped lips gently part. He could feel her soft breath hit his face. The gravitational pull towards her undeniable, he slowly lowered his head.
The tip of her tongue moistened her lips, anticipating his lips, which were now dangerously close to hers.
"I'm going to kiss you now." Buffy whispered, everything in her body told her to just do it, except for that voice in the back of her head that yelled at her to think about what she was doing, but it went ignored.
"That will change everything." He heard himself say.
"You can count on it." Buffy closed the inches of space between their mouths, kissing his top lip.
At first hesitant, Giles closed his eyes and sank into the kiss, opening his mouth wider. Buffy's hand that laid flat at the centre of his chest slid up and cupped the back of his neck.
Exhaling a gasp between their mouths, Giles' arm snaked around her lower back, pressing her front against his. The tips of their tongues timidly touched, hesitant to plunge in deeper.
A few minutes passed when Buffy gently pushed back from him, breaking the kiss. She opened her eyes, looking up at him, shocked about what they had just done. But every part of her felt on fire and desperate for more. "Why did we do that?" She quietly asked.
"I'm… I'm not sure." Giles frowned.
"Oh, God, why did that happen?" Buffy backed away from him in full 'freakout' mode. She pushed back her long blonde hair, racking her brain of what had just come over her. "What were we thinking?"
"I'm not sure, Buffy." Giles said, sliding his glasses back on. "You kissed me."
Buffy sighed, nodding her head. "Yeah, I did. I really did and you kissed me back." She suddenly accused him, pointing a finger at him. "What's that all about?"
Giles shrugged, unsure if he should be sharing this reaction with her. Kissing her certainly confuses things and their relationship was now incredibly grey, but Giles was too preoccupied with what it all meant then sharing her initial shock. "Impulse? A desire? Why do you think you kissed me?"
"I'm not sure." Buffy shrugged, lifting her eyes to his face. "I just wanted to. I needed to." She exhaled a heavy sigh, just as confused and conflicted as him. "This doesn't make any sense. Call me crazy but is there something going on between us?"
"Bloody hell." Giles ran a hand through his greying hair.
"I don't know if it's the impending doom or the strawberries…" Buffy lowered her gaze to the basket of strawberries in hand.
"Perhaps we should…"
Buffy nodded in agreement, despite not having heard the rest of his trailing thought. "Yeah. It's probably for the best that we just nip whatever happens before we really ruin things."
"Right." Giles swallowed his disappointment, but respected her wishes. He wanted to get to the bottom of his feelings and desires towards her, but if keeping the status quo was what she wanted, then he'd do it. He'd do anything for her.
"We'll just keep going as we were, friends. But not friends that sometimes kiss... Just friends. Friends that never kiss." Buffy watched him nod, her heart ripping to shreds by the look of dejection on his handsome face. "And in time, we'll just… um, forget about this strange lapse in judgement."
"It's for the best." Giles forced an agreeing smile onto his face, despite everything inside of him feeling the opposite.
1630 Revello Drive
The walk home from the farmers market was a silent one. Buffy and Giles were lost in their own thoughts, trying to independently work out what had happened between them.
Buffy replayed the kiss in her head, over and over. In her initial surprise, Buffy hadn't realised how soft his lips were. He gently kissed her, hesitant to deepen the kiss. When the kiss parted, Buffy was left breathless and knotted with a feeling of intensity.
Her eyes slowly lifted to his face, watching the wheels in his head crank.
Giles swallowed, feeling her eyes on him, but he refused to look at her in fear that he wouldn't be able to control his desires. After so long of wondering what her lips felt like and how her tongue tasted, Giles quickly grew addicted.
The kiss… Giles couldn't come up with enough words to describe how the kiss felt; Shocking, liberating, satisfying, intense, incredible…
What did it all mean? Was he attracted to her?
It was a foolish question really, Buffy had always been easy on the eyes, but the shift of his once 'fatherly' feelings towards her changed somewhere in the last year. She was in his thoughts and dreams, when he closed his eyes and saw nothing of her. His mind wandered to juvenile fantasies of her, wondering how her lips would taste of they kissed or how she felt in his arms.
Before either of them knew it, they reached the house.
Silently walking up the pathway to the front door, Buffy was the first to enter, followed by Giles.
They were immediately greeted by Nick, devilishly smirking at them, as if he knew what had happened at the farmers market.
"How was your walk?" The teen asked
The frown on Buffy's face deepened. Without a word, she quickly brushed past him and retreated up the stairs.
Surprised by that strange reaction, Nick looked at Giles. his brows up his forehead. "That good, huh?" He began to smile, knowing that something had happened in the last hour.
Not at all in the mood for Nick's shit-eating grin, Giles removed his glasses. "Bugger off, Nick."
Nick threw back his head, hysterically laughing and watched Giles head towards the back of the house to sit outside to think.
The sixteen-year-old knew something had happened between his 'future' parents, why else would they look so strange. Smiling to himself, it was only a matter of time now, Nick happily walked back into the living room and took out his cell phone to play a game.