Buffy and Riley were lying on her bed, making-out, when they heard a sharp pop. They glanced up and there was Giles, standing at the foot of Buffy's bed, seething.
"Giles, what's the matter?" Buffy asked as she swiftly stood, having a rather startling urge to put distance between herself and Riley. Riley jumped, less gracefully, to his feet as well instantly in defense mood. He was startled that Buffy knew the intruder.
"Is there perhaps something you haven't told me?" Giles bit out glaring at Buffy in such a way that made her feel three inches tall, "Something about young Finn here maybe?"
"Oh….Giles," Buffy's eyes widened in shock and she put her hand over her mouth, "I didn't tell you about the Initiative?"
"No... Imagine my surprise when Willow informed me," Giles began, "I questioned her as to the reason for your lack of training and patrolling and she told me about the Initiative."
"Mr. Giles," Riley began standing up slowly. Although he was confused as to meeting Buffy's mentor this way, he knew that this situation was dangerous, "It really is none of your business."
Giles snapped his head in Riley's direction and he slammed against the wall.
"Yes it is MY business," Giles growled advancing on Riley, "The Slayer is MY business as I am her WATCHER!" He let Riley slam against the floor, "But you wouldn't understand that. You and your government officials would not understand the workings of the supernatural world if you had ten lifetimes to figure it out."
During this tirade, Buffy had been silently sneaking up behind Giles. She didn't know what she planned to do. This clearly wasn't Giles. He wouldn't use his magic like this, especially against her. However, her musings were cut off when she realized that she could no longer move.
"Tut…tut…tut," Giles clicked his tongue, "You know better than to sneak up on your old, defenseless watcher."
"What did you do with Giles?" Buffy snarled trying in vain to free herself. Suddenly the door burst open and Tara and Willow stumbled in.
"Mr. G…Giles," Tara began softly, "P…Please let B…Buffy go."
Giles glared at Buffy and she suddenly could use her limbs again. She lashed out against Giles but she was swiftly thrown against the opposite wall. Riley was still unable to move.
"Dear, precious, Buffy," Giles taunted, he was so angry that he felt slightly homicidal, "Haven't you realized something yet…I am Giles."
"Ripper," Buffy breathed standing up, "Damn it. I will kill Ethan Rain."
Giles laughed and shook his head, "Ethan didn't do this. You did."
Buffy's eyes widened and Giles grinned at her shock, pain, and fear. Instantly, he was gone and Buffy was left to figure out what happened.
The group was crowded in Xander's basement. Everyone was talking at once and freaking out except Anya. For once, she was quite as she bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes. She had been afraid of this. She had heard of Ripper before meeting Giles. In his Ripper days, he had made demons tremble in awe and fear, and she thought it better to not go anywhere near that violent wizard. Then he hadn't been afraid to use his magic, now he was terrified, but she knew his loneliness outweighed that fear. She knew that they had to move quickly before Giles brought the town down on their heads.
Finally, Anya stood and screamed for the group to shut-up. The group looked at her in surprise causing Anya to roll her eyes and sigh in annoyance.
"There is something that you should know about Giles," Anya stopped for a second and then plunged onward, "Giles, he is not a normal Watcher. Or even a normal Warlock. He is what is called an innate magic user. Some people have even called them Wizards."
"Giles is a Wizard," Xander whistled to himself and looked awed, as was only right and respectful. Buffy frowned "Why didn't he tell us?"
"He did," Anya corrected, "We all know about Ripper. He is the manifestation of Giles' magic."
"So what do we do?" Willow asked and Tara nodded in support of Willow's question.
Anya sighed and looked at Buffy, "The only way to get through to him is if Buffy is totally honest with herself and Giles."
The group looked at Buffy and she swallowed. If that was what it took to save Giles then he was doomed.
Giles slammed his head against the wall as he suppressed the tears that threatened to fall. He was both upset and angry. He was angry that she had completely disregarded him and kept this secret, and he was upset because know he truly knew where he stood with them all.
Giles glanced at the liquor cabinet and made a very hasty decision. He would get drunk, and then he would pass out. If he were lucky, he would no longer feel the pain of his loss. He would just be pleasantly numb. And really, that's all he wanted anymore. Giles was tired of wanting more than the bare minimum.
It always bit him in the ass later.
Giles pulled out a bottle of scotch and turned up the bottle drinking half in one gulp. He stumbled to the couch and flopped down, staring at the blackened screen of the telly. He didn't know how long he sat there drinking the rest of the bottle slowly as he dwelled on his anger, pain and misery.
A small part of him wished his desire for his charge was only physical. At least then, he would feel free to seek other company, but it was more than that. He loved her, plain and simple. It was a love so profound that he could hardly speak of it or even acknowledge it, because if he did, he would lose all sense of self and give himself wholly to Buffy.
Whether she knew it or not.
Suddenly the door burst open and he jumped to his feet, a red ball of fire swirling in his hand. He was in no mood for demons to come busting in on him. However, he checked himself from throwing it when he noticed that it was Buffy, who had stormed into his living room. Sighing, the fireball winked out of existence and he flopped back down on the sofa.
"What do you want?"
"Want to explain that little confrontation between us this morning?" Buffy demanded hands on hips, lips pursed, and eyes blazing. She had never looked more attractive, and Giles could feel himself harden. He looked away from her and took a long draught from his bottle.
"Not particularly."
Giles heard a snarl, and then he watched as the bottle left his hands and shattered against the far wall. He sniffed and looked up at a seething Buffy.
"Now that was just rude," Giles stood in the confined space, never taking his eyes off Buffy, and then turned to get another bottle. He was Ripper, and he was sure as hell not going to be intimidated in his own home.
"You barged into my dorm and then assaulted my boyfriend. Not to mention me," Buffy began pacing back and forth, "And I want to know why."
"Well my dear," Giles began as he uncorked a bottle of Scotch, "I was rather pissed. It's not every day that a Watcher finds out his Slayer is cheating on him with a government organization."
Buffy opened her mouth to replay, but then quickly shut it. He used such intimate words, HIS Slayer and cheating on. Buffy felt that these words were clues to the origin of Giles' inner turmoil. So for once, Buffy reigned in her anger.
"And I'm sorry," Buffy began, but Giles cut her off.
"Tell me love," Giles turned around a glass of Scotch in his hand, "Do you love to torment me? Is this some sick form of entertainment to you?"
"Giles….no," Buffy began taking a step toward him. The pain in his eyes was immense. It cut her like a knife and she felt compelled to take a step closer to him, and then a second, but she stopped at the third, when he took a shot of Scotch.
"Then what is it?" Giles snarled, his hands clenched so tightly around his glass that his knuckles where turning white, "Do you not want me in your life anymore?"
"No," Buffy replied faintly, thinking the whole time that this was not her fault, well…..not entirely her fault anyway.
"But if you think this is all my fault then you are sorely mistaken," Buffy suddenly thundered, her words running together. However, Giles knew how to speak Buffy and he easily made out her words.
"Explain that one love," Giles snapped and he glared at his Slayer. Buffy tried to ignore the warmth in the pit of her stomach when he called her love. He had never called her that, except when he was Ripper. She had liked it then too. It made her feel special, even if Giles had not meant it that way.
"You told me that I was going to have to deal with life on my own," Buffy exploded, "You were standing right there, in a robe, acting like an extremely sexy Hugh Heffner and told me that you would rather spend your time shagging an old girlfriend then being with me!"
Giles stood there, stunned. For one, he had thought that misunderstanding had been taken care of. Two, she had called him an "extremely sexy Hugh Heffner" and three she seemed to think that sleeping with Olivia had been a betrayal. There was clearly something more going on in her blonde Buffy head then was normal.
"For God's sake Buffy I thought that was taken care of!" Giles burst out finally finding his voice, "I told you I had made a mistake and I apologized. Is it my fault that you did not inform me that I was not forgiven?"
Buffy stomped her foot like a spoiled five year old and snapped, "Yes, because you didn't ask. You just assumed that I had forgiven you; which was totally not the right assumption. And then you brought her back here Giles. You brought that whore back here!"
Giles just watched as Buffy raged and realized that she was acting like a very jealous wife.
"I'm so mad at you that I don't even want to be in the same room with you; let alone share valuable information with you," Buffy continued, "I mean come on Giles, you CHEATED ON ME!"
Buffy abruptly stopped pacing and her eyes widened. Giles eyes widened as well and he dropped his Scotch glass. The room was silent as the grave and the tension only grew thicker. Finally, Giles got a hold of himself and he walked toward Buffy, who was still standing shock still, trembling. She did not even look like she was breathing.
He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently. Her eyes focused on him and he asked quietly, but urgently, "How did I cheat on you? She is not a new slayer come to take your place."
"She did take my place," Buffy insisted, her voice was faraway, it was as if she only let herself realize the answer to a very troubling problem, "The very fact that you chose her over me meant that she took my place."
"Oh Buffy," Giles whispered pulling her in his arms, "My dearest, Buffy. Nothing and nobody can take your place."
She looked into his eyes, and Buffy only saw love for her. There was still anger and there was still hurt, but the love was strong then either. Buffy smiled slightly and put her hands on either side of Giles' head. There was a warmth spreading threw a part of her that had not been warm long before she had ever been the Slayer.
"Giles," Buffy whispered, "Do you mean that?"
"Yes," Giles replied breathlessly. She was so very close to him. He only had to move an inch forward and he would be kissing her.
"Nobody could take your place either," Buffy replied tightening her hold on Giles, "The Initiative is cold, and they have no idea what our world is really like. I get bad vibes from that place."
"Do you mean it?" Giles whispered, echoing her words. Buffy found herself nuzzling their noses together.
"Of course," Buffy's hot breath was on Giles's face and it was all he could do to hold himself in check. He was deathly afraid that they were not speaking the same language.
"Buffy, I'm not sure you know what you're saying," Giles replied, but Buffy just laughed, huskily.
"I do know what I'm saying," Buffy replied kissing the side of his lips. Giles' eyes widened and his breathing quickened, but he let Buffy lead. She was the type that would spook easily.
"I am such an idiot," Buffy laughed, "Willow said that my feelings toward Olivia was a little over the top. Xander thought I sounded nuts when I contemplated throwing her in a vampire's den. Anya thought I sounded jealous. At the time, I thought she meant jealous that you were getting some and I wasn't. You know Anya; everything is sex with her so I just assumed that was what she meant. Turns out I was the one with the gutter brain."
Giles smiled and placed his hands on her hips.
"So, you're telling me that you were jealous of Olivia because she was in my bed instead of you?" Giles wanted to be very clear.
"Yep," Buffy replied in her upbeat manner, "Looks like it. Man did I suppress that or what?"
"But why did you suppress it?" Giles asked bringing Buffy flush up against him. Buffy gasped as she felt his erection and found herself rubbing her thigh against it. Giles gritted his teeth.
"Because I thought you only saw me as a daughter," Buffy replied with a sigh, "I know that Travers is a jerk but it never occurred to me that he had lied about that."
"Oh he lied," Giles smiled wickedly, "Or read the signs wrong. Good thing too or he would have sent me to the mother country."
Buffy giggled and moved her hands and wrapped her arms around his neck. Both stood there and stared at each other. Finally, Buffy asked, "You going to kiss me?"
"I would," Giles began, "But I'm afraid you will change your mind."
"You're afraid I'm going to freak out aren't you?" Buffy's smiled widened. Giles knew her so well. She was a fool to not let herself come to this realization sooner.
"Very much," Giles began to say but Buffy cut him off. She gently placed her lips on his. The kiss was good and sweet and felt wonderful. Giles deepened it and tightened his hold on Buffy. Buffy smiled into his mouth and pulled back after a few minutes. Both were breathing hard and flushed, but both were happy.
"Giles," Buffy whispered nuzzling his neck.
"Yes my love?" Giles asked relishing the feel of her nose on his neck.
"I love you," Buffy whispered kissing his collarbone.
Giles smiled and made her look at him, "I love you too."
"Good," Buffy replied with a bright smile, "Because whether you like it or not, you are all mine and never going to another woman for as long as I live."
"I'm glad we agree on something," Giles replied with a soft smile, "Because you are not going anywhere for as long as I live."
Buffy sighed and leaned against Giles. They stood there, soaking in their mutual love and basking in the glow when Buffy realized that Giles' house was unnaturally quiet.
She pulled away from Giles and gave him a severe look, "Rupert Giles what did you do to Spike?"
Giles grinned at Buffy and said sheepishly, "I stopped him from speaking.
Buffy's severe look turned into a wicked grin and she found herself asking, "Can I go and torment him? Can I? You'll let me right?"
Giles laughed aloud at her eager face. It was strange how fast certain things changed and yet, still stay the same.
"Of course my love," Giles replied and Buffy raced toward the bathroom door, "Anything you want."
Thanks for reading my little two-shot!