4 Days Later

The Council Headquarters: Lower Level #5: The Pit

With his hands firmly clasped behind his back, Graham walked between the lines of a new batch of Slayers in training preparing to be deployed in various locations across the world.

It was his task to make these young women combat-ready before being released from the Council Headquarters and its training facility.

The women broke off into partners, grappling one another on the ground. Graham quietly inspected each Slayer and nitpicked every move they made. One wrong move would kill them.

He stopped mid-step and watched as one Slayer hooked her leg around her partner's neck and switched their positions, giving her the advantage.

"Stop."

Both girls immediately stopped wrestling and broke apart. Huffing for breath, the young Slayer's looked up at Graham from under their sweaty brows.

"You're dead. You gave her the advantage," he told the Slayer.

"Sorry, sir."

"Don't be sorry. Be better." Graham looked at the girls. "Do it again and watch that openin'. You give the enemy a sliver and they'll take a mile."

"Yes, sir." The girl said then shifted to her feet and crouched down ready to wrestle her partner to the ground again.

Graham started to move on within the lines of the Slayer's when he felt an outside presence in the training facility. He looked up to see Buffy standing at the Pits entrance holding her arms across her chest.

She observed the girls training and turned her gaze to reach Graham's from across the room.

They stood at a distance away from each other, staring at one another for what seemed like a long time.

Graham watched as Buffy then turned away heading back out of the Pit.

Lowering his gaze to the girls wrestling on the ground, Graham resumed overseeing the training session, holding his hands behind his back as he confidently walked through the rows examining each Slayer carefully.

Upper Level #4: Buffy's Office

Seated at the large executive desk buried in a pile of documents that she had been pushing off for weeks, Buffy opened the first file folder addressed to her from the Pentagon.

For some months now, Buffy had been on the telephone with the Secretary of Defense. The United State government wanted full integration with the Council, but Buffy was hesitant, remembering the last time Buffy had 'integrated' with the government. It was a failed experiment ending with many lives lost.

Buffy had also had similar propositions from other countries around the world like, China, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and every other country in the world.

It was a large decision Buffy was not ready to make just yet.

Sitting back in the large black leather chair, Buffy released a heavy sigh. She held her head in her hand, suddenly terribly disinterested in all of this. These were the moments she wished she was still in Sunnydale fighting vampires, demons, and every an occasional hellish apocalypse. Those times seemed so much easier.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Buffy frowned at the visitor.

Standing from the chair, Buffy crossed the room to the closed office door and opened it to find Graham leaning on the door frame on the other side.

A low soft half smile crossed her heart-shaped lips suddenly feeling so much better.

Graham stepped into the large office and closed the door behind him before wrapping a strong arm around Buffy's back, holding her close into him and crushed his mouth against hers.

It's been nearly a week since Buffy and Graham had first slept together and now, they struggled to keep their hands off each other. Sneaking as many kisses as they could before anyone noticed them was an exciting game they had been playing.

Unable to wait until the end of the day, Graham needed to see her now. As soon as the training session ended, he thought of some sort of excuse to get out of lunch with Xander and see his new but secret girlfriend.

They had not been together long at all, but Buffy was already so sure that this was the best relationship she's ever been in. They flowed so well together. They had already known so much about one another but that did not make anything less exciting.

Buffy had discovered how much she liked kissing him. She loved how his lips felt against hers and how his tongue explored every crevice of her mouth as if it were the first time. She loved how his hands felt on her body—touching her all over. He was always touching her.

Leading her backwards towards the black leather couch across the large office, Graham happily continued kissing her, shoving his tongue into her mouth.

Buffy took off the hat sitting on the top of his head and tossed it away. She began to tug at his t-shirt, untucking it from his grey tactical cargo pants.

Finally reaching their destinations on the couch, Graham laid her down. He opened her knees and pushed the pencil skirt up her golden legs. Graham snapped her thin panties apart as he eagerly tried to take them off.

Smiling, Buffy closed her eyes as Graham's hands held her lower back as he buried his face between her legs. He spread her lower lips with two fingers and slipped his tongue between them, lightly flicking her clitoris before closing his lips over her swollen nub. He sucked hungrily on it. Crying out Buffy's hands were in Graham's hair. He slid his tongue inside her, savoring the taste of her nectar.

"Oh God, Graham… yes…" she moaned mindlessly, as she shook with desire. She was so close.

Graham softly bit down on her clit and pushed Buffy over the edge into a climax. She screamed as her body jerked uncontrollably. Grinning at his success, Graham lapped up her juices.

When she stilled, he lifted his head from between her legs and shot her a sultry smile that made her want him all over again.

"C'mere," she beckoned him to come closer.

Graham did as told and crawled up her body, lowering his head, capturing her mouth in a searing kiss.

Buffy could taste her juices on his tongue.

Her mouth was on his neck, kissing him, and nipping his skin with her blunt teeth.

Placing her hands flat on his chest, Buffy gently pushed him off of her. Buffy wordlessly got off the couch and knelt between Graham's legs.

She looked at him as she unfastened his belt around his waist. Graham watched as her thin and feminine fingers unbuttoned the front. Pulling his hands lower down his thighs, Buffy smiled when his erected cock sprang free.

Buffy wrapped her hand around his shaft and all of the breath left his body released as he watched her slowly stroke his length with her tiny and yet lethal hand.

She stared down at her hand, seemingly fascinated, before softly kissing the mushroom tip, which elicited a desperate moan from Graham.

To keep his hands from touching her, Graham held his arms spread out over the back of the couch. He rested his head back on the couch enjoying very much what she was doing. Buffy glanced at his face before sliding her mouth down over his length as far as she could.

Graham released a moan as she swallowed more and more of his length until her nose was buried in the rough dark hair that surrounded his genitals.

Buffy moved her hand to his balls, gently squeezing his sac and making him thrust up to her mouth. She handled it well, allowing Graham to have more control, sliding himself in and out of her mouth, feeling his orgasm swiftly approaching.

"Buf, I… I'm gonna…"

She sucked hard on the head of his penis.

Graham groaned releasing himself inside her mouth. Buffy swallowed it eagerly, lapping up every last drop.

Catching his breath, Buffy crawled back up his body, straddling his lap. She then placed kisses on his neck and chin before their lips met once again.

They sensually kissed.

For the time being, they were sexually sated; enabling themselves to make it through the rest of the day but they had both looked forward to the night.

Holding his face between her hands, Buffy loved his arms hugging around her, understanding the mutual feeling of not wanting to at all let go of one another.

It was so easy to recognise the cliff she was standing on the edge of. In honesty, she hadn't felt the worth of cliff diving into love for anyone since Angel. She had never felt like that for Riley. She had once thought that perhaps she had felt like that for Spike, but it was more like a mirage.

She was desperate for that illusion to be real, that it had taken her sometime that, that was all it was—an illusion of love.

But with Graham, it all felt different.

Shifting off of his lap, Buffy sat at his side, comforted by the feeling of his arm wrapped around her shoulders, hugging her into his side. Buffy sat beside him with her legs tucked underneath her.

Resting her head on his chest, Buffy embraced the few precious moments of quiet before he'd have to go and attend the next training session and Buffy had to force herself to concentrate on work instead of thoughts of her new boyfriend.

"I thought you were meeting Xander for lunch?" Buffy tilted her head upwards to look at him.

Typically, she and Graham had lunch together, but today Xander and Graham had planned on spending some time together over a slice of pizza. Something between then and now changed and here Graham was—not having lunch with Xander.

"I dunno about you, but my lunch was very tasty."

Buffy groaned with disgust and playfully swatted his chest with her hand, which made Graham throw back his head in a fit of laughter.

"I saw you standin' in the doorway and I couldn't stop myself from wantin' you. So, I made up some excuse to Xander and here I am."

"You ditched your best friend for me?—How sweet," Buffy slid her finger along his sharp jawline, loving the feeling of his light beard growing on his cheeks and around his mouth and chin.

Graham tightened his arm around her, hugging her tighter. "I gotta keep my girl happy."

Buffy's heart fluttered when he called her 'his girl'. "I like that." She watched the tip of her finger touch his neck.

"Like what?"

Buffy lifted her green-eyed gaze to his face and softly said, "Being your girl."

Gently smiling at her, Graham covered his mouth over hers. He felt her smile against his mouth and returned it. Despite their short time together from their months of getting to know one another, to becoming very close friends, and now their budding romance, this was the happiest Graham has ever been in his entire life.

He's in love with Buffy Summers. It's as simple as that.

Night

le Labyrinthe

Yellow dim lights glowed over the full restaurant. Large windows wrapped around the elegant French restaurant. Mixed with the soft murmuring chatter was gently live music playing in the corner.

Sitting at a booth, Buffy and Graham sat close.

Buffy's hand was wrapped around Graham's elbow. She buried her face into his shoulder laughing at the small joke.

Picking up the fork, Graham small scoop of the popular sweetened chestnut dessert and held the fork to Buffy's mouth. "Try this," he told her and fed her the dessert.

With a smile, Graham watched as Buffy's eyes closed in delight. "Oh, my God! Mmm. Oh, my God. That might be the best thing I've ever had in my mouth."

Graham chuckled and leaned into her ear to whisper something for only her to hear.

Buffy's eyes widened and her face reddened with embarrassment. She withdrew her head and tried to fight the smile forming across her face.

She couldn't hide her happiness. Being with Graham only for the few short days since taking the next step in their relationship, Buffy held no second thoughts. She was certain that this was exactly what she wanted. Buffy was in love again, but, she wouldn't tell him—at least not yet.

It hadn't been a week yet.

Buffy knew what she felt for this man. It was beyond attraction. It was beyond caring deeply for someone—Buffy was in love.

It was a love she hadn't felt in a very long time. With Spike, she tried. After the destruction of Sunnydale and then the final showdown with Wolfram & Hart in Los Angeles, Buffy and Spike decided to give a romantic relationship a real chance. For nearly two years, she tried to love him. She tried very hard but it just wasn't there and he understood. Spike understood her better than anyone—even better than Angel, but she didn't love him. Not in the way Spike deserved.

After Spike and a few more failed relationships, Buffy was beginning to be convinced that she was destined to spend the rest of her life coasting through an endless limbo of dead-end relationships. And that she had found her 'once in a lifetime' love in Angel and it was never going to happen again.

And then out of the blue, Graham waltzed back into her life. And what he brought with him was something so unexpected. He began as a subordinate that happened to be living with her. They would have awkward talks that were easy and innocent. Buffy called this 'the getting to know you' period.

After Graham had quietly revealed the emotional trauma of his months of imprisonment by vicious demons in the jungle, there was a turning point for them. Their talks became much more intimate and soon they were revealing parts of each other that no one else knew.

Buffy found it terrifyingly easy to talk to him. All he did was listen to her.

Somewhere between then and the night Graham finally kissed her, Buffy fell in love with him. She feared revealing her feelings to him, not wanting what they already had to be ruined—especially because she wanted more. She was willing to just be his friend, despite her affections for him.

When he kissed her, Buffy saw a burst of wondrous technicolor.

Buffy's eyes darted around his handsome face. She had noticed him looking at her oddly.

"What?" She asked, with an increasingly smile.

"You got a little somethin' somethin'," he pointed at his lips, though his bright blue gaze was on her mouth.

Buffy moved to pick up a napkin when Graham stopped her.

"Allow me," he touched underneath the tip of her chin with his index finger knuckle.

Her hot breath hit his face as he leaned in closer and covered his mouth over hers in a sensational kiss that curled her toes.

The music and the chatter fell away as they kissed. It was slow and soft in ways that words could never be. The knuckle touching her chin slid up the line of her jaw and caressed her cheek, as their breaths mingled.

She wanted to touch him. She wanted to run her fingers down his spine and pull him closer until there wasn't space left. She wanted to feel his beating heart against hers.

Outside: le Labyrinthe

Walking down the sidewalk, heading into the direction of the Parlour Room, Xander glanced into the expensive restaurant with a tinge of jealousy that he was single.

With a small bit of self-pity, Xander was about to walk on when his eyes landed on a familiar face. Graham? Xander wondered as he peered into the restaurant.

He had known Graham was going out tonight. Earlier in the day Xander had invited his friend out tonight to meet with Willow and Faith, but he had declined saying that he had a date.

Xander ran his eye over the blonde he was with and sighed heavily. He aggravated him that Graham had the eye of the perfect woman and he was wasting his time with some one-night-stand. It was infuriating how thick headed and stubborn his friends were.

Rolling his eye, Xander was about to walk on when he caught a glimpse of a wooden stake sticking out of his date's pocket.

Frowning, Xander faced the window, ignoring the pair of eyes on him from inside the restaurant and narrowed his limited gaze on the woman Graham was with. It was then, Xander recognised the woman Graham was kissing was Buffy.

Willow had told him over the phone that Buffy wasn't going to be coming out tonight because she was going out herself, but she wouldn't say where.

Inside: le Labyrinthe

Not realising it, Xander's feet brought him into the fancy French restaurant.

Ignoring the host, Xander followed the path to Buffy and Graham's table.

It had taken them a few minutes to realise that they were no longer alone. Breaking the kiss, Buffy and Graham turned her eyes to Xander's shocked face.

Buffy straightened up, removing her hand from around Graham's arm and cleared her throat. "Xander, what are you doing here?"

"I was just passing by—You two are kissing." He stated, wagging his finger between them. "How long has that been going on?"

Graham looked at Buffy, who shrugged finding it pointless to lie. Turning his gaze from his new girlfriend to Xander, Graham replied, "Almost a week."

"Oh." Xander frowned, thinking about it for a minute and realised that they must've gotten together the night he abruptly left the nightclub. "Oh…" he slowly nodded his head. "So this is real then? Like you guys are together-together?"

Buffy caught Graham's eyes and gently smiled at him. "Yeah, we're together-together." she confirmed.

Xander clasped his hands together, "Can I get a 'hallelujah'? About damn time!" He smiled at his friends, genuinely happy for them. "I'm gonna go and let you two finish your date. Will is going to be so excited when she hears about this—"

Xander began to turn away when Buffy said, "—No!"

Graham frowned and looked at the blonde.

Xander turned back to Buffy wearing a look of confusion.

Buffy avoided Graham's questioning gaze and said to Xander, "Please, don't say anything. Not yet."

"Why not?" Graham asked.

Looking at him, Buffy laid her hand over his and gave it a small squeeze. "Because for now… I just wanna bask in the 'Guffy' bubble. I don't want it popped yet."

Graham smirked at her, "Guffy?" He took her hand that was on top of his and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

Leaning in closer, Buffy pressed her lips against his, totally forgetting that they weren't alone and that Xander stood at the front of the table, watching them with a lopsided smile on his face.

Quietly, Xander backed away, not wanting to break the romantic moment between his two friends.

5 Weeks Later

West Side of Cleveland: DeLuca Luxury Apartments: 11th Floor: Apartment #314: Kitchen

Graham stood at the counter island tossing the salad in the large mixing bowl as Buffy sat on the other side of the counter island staring at the laptop in front of her.

Flooded up to her neck in paperwork, Buffy was forced to bring work home—something she truly hated doing. At home, she didn't want to think about work. This was her time to unwind and spend a little time with her boyfriend that she felt she never gets to see.

Graham lifted his gaze to her face and smirked, finding her look of concentration utterly adorable. Her brows were pinched together, nose slightly scrunched, eyes squinted, and her mouth pouting into a frown.

Turning back to the stove, Graham turned off the burner and used the oven mitts to carry the hot boiling water with noodles inside to the sink to pour it into the strainer.

Buffy barely noticed anything around her, except for the work in front of her. She quickly typed an email addressed to the world leaders and their secretaries of defense. Buffy still had not come to a decision about integrating their forces to make one large and united special force across the world.

Buffy does not tolerate the world conflicts—especially if it would interfere with her people. If this were to happen, Buffy would have to seriously put her foot down to these egotistical world leaders that thought of themselves as Gods amongst men.

She would also need to firmly make the separation between this special force and everything else in the world. There were no politics involved. She was the leader and that was it. In this world of supernatural, Buffy was the leader and if these world leaders couldn't deal with that and rejected her help, then she had no choice but to let those countries fall.

Graham lowered the laptop cover until it touched Buffy's hands, forcing her to stop typing.

She shot him a steely glare.

Smirking at her, Graham placed the plate of spaghetti with marinara cause down beside her and the small bowl of salad. "Take a break and eat somethin'." He told her.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Buffy did as told and closed the laptop, pushing it aside and picked up her fork.

Graham replenished her wine glass and sat down beside her.

"I have a decision to make," Buffy began.

Graham quietly waited for her to continue.

"I've been getting letters from all across the world from every country you can imagine all stating that they want to join forces with us—To make one united Special Force that is more powerful than the Snow Leopards, Special Boat Service, the GIGN, Sayeret Matkal, Spetsnaz, or even the Ghosts… This would be the most powerful military collaboration on the planet and it would be united under one leader—Me."

Graham thought about its potential for a minute and on paper, it sounded great and powerful, but he could easily understand Buffy's apprehension. "You're worried about the world leaders?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "This would be totally separated from the normal military and politics. The men and women selected wouldn't necessarily be 'a part' of their country in this Special Force. For example, if I integrated Ghosts with the Council as the pentagon wants, then Ghosts wouldn't be an American thing anymore. It would be the Council's. The President doesn't have any say in anything regarding the new Ghosts."

"And you're worried about countries like North Korea, Russia, the Middle East, and Africa, right?"

Buffy slowly nodded, "Right. If they reject us then we can't help them. I'm not going to force anyone to take our protection."

"But when the world is on the verge of ending…?"

"Then…" Buffy heavily sighed, "... I'd have to step in."

Rubbing a hand on her back, Graham pressed his lips against her shoulder.

"What do you think?" She asked.

Taking a deep breath, Graham looked at her and said, "I think one united force of the Council and the elite military that specifically fights against the Hellmouth is one hell of an idea. Have you discussed this with Giles yet?"

"Briefly."

"I think you should actually have a sit down with him and really talk about this."

Buffy sighed heavily and frowned, "Yeah, you're right." She turned her chin to look at him and leaned closer into him, softly placing a kiss over his lips. "Thank you."

Graham pushed her long hair from off of her shoulder and kissed the side of her head before continuing to eat the spaghetti place in front of him.