WDWG - Chapter 30: Sanctuary

Buffy awoke the next morning around nine ravenous. She and Giles had continued to make love through the evening and night until they had exhausted each other and fallen asleep in each other's arms, their need for each other trumping their need for sustenance. Looking over at her lover, she smiled softly and kissed his cheek before heading into the bathroom. After grabbing a quick shower, she remembered that their luggage was still in the hallway and found Giles' robe in the linen closet.

Making her way downstairs, she heard movement coming from the kitchen. The Slayer crouched into battle stance and stealthily peeked through the door, finding a woman in her early sixties putting groceries into the fridge. While a little confused, Buffy just sort of went with it.

"Is that something I can help with?" she asked, entering the kitchen.

The woman jumped, "Oh dear Lord, you gave me a fright. No, I am almost finished here, but thank you."

Giving her an apologetic smile, the younger woman introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Buffy. Sorry about my lack of dress, but we weren't expecting you."

Blushing and extending her hand, the visitor answered, "Nice to meet you, I'm Sarah Atwell, the housekeeper. Lord Banbury's butler rang the other day and said you and Rupert would be coming home and I wanted to make sure there were groceries in the house. So you are his intended?"

The younger woman smiled back, taking the proffered hand, "Yes, I am."

"Congratulations. We're all very fond of him and are very happy for the news."

"Well, he's very easy to be fond of," Buffy responded, tearing a banana from the bunch that was sitting on the counter. "So, uh, who is 'we'?"

"Well, immediately, there're Jamie and Michael, who help manage the land, tend to the horses, and do the haying when it's time, but, I would say that everyone in the village is quite pleased."

"News travels fast," the Slayer noted in surprise, taking a bite of the banana.

"We're a small community and William didn't say it was a secret."

"It's not," Buffy reassured her amiably, seeing the look of misgiving on the housekeeper's face. "How long have you known Giles... er, Rupert?"

"I'd meet him in town when he was a little boy visiting his gran, but it wasn't until he moved in and needed someone to look after the place while he worked in London that I got to know him," Sarah informed her, putting the last of the food away in the pantry.

"Wow, a long time then," Buffy responded, throwing the banana peel into the garbage bin. "Hey, do you know if there's a basket around here? I think I want to pack a picnic and go exploring."

"What a wonderful idea! On top of the cupboard, next to the fridge. Oh, and there is a beautiful sparkling wine from Cornwall in the cooler," Sarah suggested. "Well, that's me finished. Is there anything you can think that you need?"

"Nope, but thanks for doing the shopping! I was afraid all I'd find was moldy old cheese in the fridge with maybe some stale crackers in the pantry."

The housekeeper laughed. "You're welcome. Well, I must be off. Tell Rupert I said hello and I'll see you both soon."

Buffy saw Sarah off and then returned to the kitchen where she began to make coffee and pack a picnic lunch. When she was finished, she grabbed a croissant and wandered the main floor of the house, exploring the areas they'd glossed over on the initial tour.

Everything was very cozy and she could see how much of her Watcher's decorating taste in Sunnydale reflected his family's home here. Still very eclectic, nothing like the refinement of Sebastian's Tudor manor house, though the dining room was fairly formal with a beautiful hanging chandelier - from the 1920s if she had to guess - and elegant china on display.

When she came to the parlor, she noticed the collection of knick-knacks from different periods of time spread throughout the room, as though it was a museum catalogued by the Mad Hatter, and having a charm all its own. Looking over old photos and paintings sitting on various surfaces or hanging on the walls, she made a note to ask Giles about the people in them, saddened by the fact that she didn't have any photos of her mother, other than the one in her wallet, to add to the collection on the mantel. Maybe her father still had some pictures he could send along with Dawn when she joined them in a few months.

Having finished her pastry, she returned to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee before brewing tea for Giles. When it was done, she made her way back upstairs with the hot beverages and a croissant for her future husband, setting them upon the side table after entering their room.

It was now just past ten and he was still asleep sprawled out on his back, totally naked with the duvet pulled up to his waist. Grinning, she crawled onto the bed and straddled him, looming over him like a cat over its prey. He opened his eyes and stretched, grabbing her hips as he thrust upwards.

"Good morning," he said lazily, a mischievous grin adorning his face.

"Geez, Giles, insatiable much?" Buffy teased, leaning down and kissing him deeply.

"What do you expect when you wake me like this?" he murmured against her lips, lifting a hand to caress her cheek. "Although, I do think you need to give your poor Watcher a break. He needs some recovery time after having spent the night attempting to satisfy his very insatiable Slayer."

Pushing herself back up, the blonde rubbed her hands over his chest and shoulders and grinned, "Attempting? Insatiable? I am pretty sure his Slayer is feeling extremely satisfied this morning."

"Yeah?"

"And you know it too. You've got that look going on."

"Ah, it's the look of a man in love. And you spoil me, you've brought me tea."

"I did, and a croissant," Buffy confirmed, moving off of him and handing him the cup of tea as he sat up against the headboard.

"Thank you, love."

"I met Sarah Atwell today," she mentioned conversationally. "She's like a female Santa. She brought us groceries."

Giles took a sip of his tea, confusion clouding his handsome features. "Oh, how did she...? Sebastian."

"Yep. He had William call her to help us out," the Slayer confirmed before finishing her cup of coffee. "So, now that we don't have to run out to the store to find food, I've decided that we are going on a picnic. I've already packed the basket, but you need to choose a location since you are the trusty native guide."

"I do, do I?" he chuckled teasingly.

"Yep. Besides, I've seen an awful lot of sun since we've gotten off the plane, which I am told is not the norm, and I'm thinking that it could start raining any time now. So, you need to take me to see this gorgeous countryside of yours that you've been telling me about before we get rained out."

The amused Watcher gave her a look of feigned indignation. "It doesn't rain all the time!"

"Clearly, sweetie. Now, let's get cleaned up and dressed. We're on holiday!"

XxXxXxXx

Giles decided to take his Morgan Roadster out for a spin. It was such a beautiful day in the West Country and how better to enjoy it than with the top down racing through the countryside. It was clear that he loved driving his sporty little car and Buffy watched him as the wind swept through his hair, his face serene. He was the very definition of confidence behind the wheel as they zipped through the countryside. The Roadster wasn't as smooth a ride as his little red tramp back in California, but she understood why he was so taken with it. It had beautiful lines, was a throwback in design, hugged the road properly, and the engine purred like a great cat lazing about in the sunshine. All in all, very Giles, very sexy, and very 'Brideshead Revisited,' she thought.

Turning onto a private road, they continued their journey to Prior Park College, which Giles explained was originally built as a mansion in 1742 by a wealthy family, but was now a Catholic boarding school. Buffy was in awe. As a structure, it was far more imposing than Greys Keep, exuding power and influence and emphasizing the difference between Palladian architecture and Tudor.

Her fiancé mentioned that a university friend of his, who now taught at the school, had told him that anytime he wanted, Giles could park his car at the school and walk down to Prior Park Landscape Garden, which was now owned by the National Trust.

The college sat high on a hill above Bath and had the best view overlooking the city and surrounding countryside. Buffy gasped as she got out of the car. He was right, the view was incomparable.

"Giles..."

"Yes, darling?" he asked, coming up beside her.

"Whoa. I just..." she floundered for the words and he let out a chuckle, grinning at her reaction as he grabbed the picnic basket.

"It gets better," he promised, happiness gleaming in his light green eyes.

She took the picnic basket from him and slid her hand in his as he led her down a path. They walked down the steep hill before them to the lakes below the mansion where a massive stone bridge, with what looked like a Roman temple sitting on top of it, spanned of one of the little lakes.

When they arrived at the monumental structure they walked to the middle of the bridge where Buffy looked up and around, feeling rather dwarfed beneath it.

"This is the Palladian bridge. It is one of only four remaining in the world," Giles explained, taking the picnic basket from her and setting it down before embracing her from behind. "This is where I had wanted to propose to you."

Leaning back into him, Buffy replied, "It's so beautiful."

"Mm-hmm," he answered, placing a kiss just below her ear.

"It would have been perfect, except for one thing," she replied as she turned in his embrace. "It's a bit too public for post-proposal celebrations."

"Naughty girl," the contented Watcher admonished. "I'm sure we could've found a spot in the forest."

"Now who's naughty?"

"Never said I wasn't," he replied with a mischievous grin. "Come on, let's eat. I'm famished."

They set up a blanket near the water and Buffy poured them each a glass of the Cornish sparkling wine while Giles pulled out the fresh baked bread, cheese, and cold cuts she had packed along with some grapes, apples, and crisps. They fed each other and enjoyed a couple glasses of wine. The scholar in Giles couldn't help but emerge as he told her about the history of the surrounding area, the Iron Age fort that was just a few miles away, and what the area had been like during Roman occupation and on up through Jane Austen's time and present day.

Buffy could listen to his rich, soothing voice all day, but found herself fascinated by the narrative. It was clear that he was proud of his heritage. Had he been one of her teachers in high school or a professor at her college, she definitely would've paid more attention. He just seemed to bring events to life.

"This is just perfect, Ru," Buffy sighed happily as she leaned against his chest watching the swans swim beneath the bridge. "I don't think I have ever felt so at peace."

"It looks good on you," Giles said, dropping his head to place a kiss on her cheek, "You are ever so relaxed, no tension in your body at all. And so beautiful, the sun glistening in your hair, your eyes matching the color of the lichen growing on the side of the trees..."

She turned her face to the side and upward to kiss him, snaking an arm around his neck and gently guiding him down. When they pulled apart she made a request. "Promise me we'll have more days like this?"

"That's an easy promise to keep, my love."

Snuggling into him, she noticed that he too was extremely relaxed and she decided that this place could quite possibly be her favorite spot in the world. When the swans swam up to the edge of the little lake, she threw small pieces of leftover bread to them.

"Well, now we are officially out of food," the Slayer lamented as the swans begged for more.

Her Watcher laughed, "You didn't have to share."

"They were hungry too. Besides, it was the end of the loaf and the crust was kinda hard."

"Well, it's not the soft bread in the packaging from the supermarket. Real honest bakery bread."

Buffy giggled. "Way better than the other stuff. The swans really liked it too."

"Well of course they did, they probably wouldn't touch the other. And if they did, they would only do so to toss it back to you."

"Snobby swans!"

They laughed and bantered back and forth for a little while longer when they decided it was best to pack up and head back up the hill to the car. As they walked back over the Palladian bridge, Buffy stopped their progress to look out over their sanctuary.

"Just taking it all in one last time," she murmured.

Giles smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll be back."

Turning to face him, the contented Slayer replied, "I know."

He reached down and took her hand in his, standing quietly at her side and giving her the time she needed. It was something he understood better than any other. Buffy needed the time to enjoy the little things in life because if you looked closely enough, they sometimes held the biggest detail. She knew that now.

When she was ready to go, she turned to him and inclined her head to the other side of the bridge and he replied with a nod. As they made their way back up the hill, Buffy noticed that she could feel the burn in her calves, which was something she wasn't used to, not since before her Calling, not for something that should be this non-strenuous for her. Heck, just last week she'd run on the treadmill for two hours straight at an insane incline with the resistance cranked to the maximum level and she didn't feel this type of tightening in her legs then.

Mentally counting the days in her head, she realized it had almost been two weeks since they'd defeated the first and she hadn't really done any training other than the Tai Chi exercises with Faith and the new Slayers in the desert and the run before getting on the plane. While it still was weird to feel the twinge, she blamed it on a lack of physical conditioning.

Giles noticed the look of concern on his lover's face. "What's troubling you, Buffy?"

"Oh, nothing really, just gettin' kind of antsy to train again. It's been awhile, you know? Slayer energy and all that."

"Well, you can run to the top if you like. I'll carry the basket and meet you up there."

"Nah, it can wait until later and you can show me the training room." Changing the subject, she continued, "You keep looking at the mansion or whatever it's called. What are you thinking about?"

The corners of Giles' mouth twitched as he thought of how to answer, finally opting to tell her what was on his mind. "They converted that home to a school after the owners sold it. It's what we'll be doing soon with the estate. I sent an email to Xander after talking to my Uncle about it a couple days ago. I'll need to check to see if he's answered when we get home."

"I hope you weren't thinking about this stuff the whole time," Buffy teased.

"No, only just now, and it led me to wonder about how the others are doing on their time off."

"And maybe a little about having to deal with the estate and everything in it?" she prodded.

"Maybe a little, but I'm not fretting over it."

"Good. Is your estate anything like that?"

"Oh, no, nothing so... grand, I assure you."

When they reached the Morgan, Giles opened the door for her and noticed her breathing was a bit shallow, which was odd, but then again, it could've been his mistake since his breathing was labored from the walk up the steep hill.

Filing it away for later, Giles agreed, "I think you're right. We should start training again. We've had enough time off."

"Maybe a run after dinner?" she asked when he got behind the wheel.

He looked at her and nodded in agreement, "Alright, then."