Chapter 17

"We lost two."

Giles felt his knees wobble. He slowly came down the steps to stand in front of Andrew. He could see Buffy and Willow coming towards them from the corner of his eye. Andrew indicated that they go outside so they could talk easier. Giles followed him out the door, Buffy and Willow trailing behind. He put his hands on Andrew's shoulders. "Who?" he asked quietly.

"Marissa Allen and Kelly Stone."

"From the school?" Giles gasped. Buffy was at his side now. "What the hell happened?"

"They snuck out. They were with Denise McCoy and Mai Lin. They weren't prepared and they were attacked. Denise is mostly alright, but Mai is in the hospital."

Buffy put a hand on Giles' arm. "What happened?" Giles removed his hands from Andrew. One took off his glasses and the other rubbed over his face. "Giles?"

His eyes met hers and she could feel the pain behind them. "Two of the girls were killed."

Willow gasped and covered her mouth. For a long moment everyone was silent. Buffy asked the question she wasn't sure she wanted answered. "How old?"

"15 and 16," Andrew answered.

"Oh god," Willow mumbled behind her hand. "They're... they're just... babies."

"I, uh..." Giles walked in a small circle, looking unsure. "I need to call Wesley. Andrew?" Andrew held his phone out for Giles. He just stared at the phone. "I need to go back," he whispered.

"Back to the inn or home?" Buffy asked.

"I... I don't know. The inn, for now. Possibly home." He pinched the bridge of his nose, glasses still dangling in his hand. "I need to call Wesley. Go back inside. I'll see if I can find a cab back."

"I'll go with you," Andrew said.

"Me, too," Buffy added.

"I don't want to ruin your night."

"It's kind of already ruined."

"I'll go tell Dawn we are leaving," Willow said heading back for the door.

Buffy stepped close up to Giles and put her arms on his hips. "Hey, are you alright?"

He sighed. "No, I'm not." He shook his head. "These girls... they aren't... weren't even active Slayers. They were in the school. They weren't even supposed to be out. I was trusted with their safety and..."

"Giles, there was nothing you could have done. Even if you were back in England, it wouldn't have made a difference." She wrapped her arms around his middle. Giles loosely had his arms around her as well. Andrew got closer to Buffy and she opened up an arm for him as well to join.

The sound of the club doors opening caught their attention. They saw Willow come out, followed by Portia and Christian. Christian came up to the crumbling group hug. "You need a ride back?" he directed at Giles.

"Yes, but I'm not going to ask you to leave. We can find a cab, I'm sure."

Christian shook his head. "Not going to have too much luck with that. I'll take you. I don't mind, really. They have plenty of room in the other car to take the rest home. Already told James, the other driver, about it."

"Thank you," Giles stated sincerely.

Christian nodded. "Everyone have everything they need from in there?"

"I got your purse, Buff." Willow handed the bag to Buffy who said her thanks.

"Car's this way."

Nobody talked the entire car ride back to the inn. Buffy sat with Giles and held his hand as he pretended to stare out the car window. It was tinted black and dark outside, so she knew he couldn't see anything outside. They arrived at the inn and everyone exited the car. Christian asked them if they needed anything but they all insisted they were fine. Until he offered ice cream from the kitchen. Willow had accepted and Buffy did as well, figuring Giles needed time for his phone calls. Portia said she was going to check on Mandy and Alex. Andrew was stuck by Giles' side.

Once the ice cream was all scooped, they stood together in the kitchen, leaning on the counters. "So what happened exactly?" Christian asked. The girls looked to one another. Seeing the exchange he added, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, its... its okay. Umm, two girls at the school Giles runs died," Buffy informed him.

"Oh god. That's terrible. How?"

"They snuck out into town and they were attacked. Two of the girls were killed, the other two were injured. One is still in the hospital."

Christian shook his head. "Man. That's just horrible. I'm sorry."

"I hope he doesn't have to go back early," Willow added.

"Me, too," Buffy quietly agreed. "I get it if he does though. It's just..." She sighed. Willow gently nudged Buffy's shoulder with her own and gave her a questioning gaze. "Once he's gone... he's gone, you know?" Willow's brow furrowed and she shook her head. "He'll go back to England. I'll go back to Italy. And... that will be it."

Willow tried to sneak a glance at Christian. He was looking down at his bowl, poking at his ice cream, but she knew he was listening. "Buffy, what is it you are worried about? That you won't get to see each other often, or ever, or that you two will be apart?"

Buffy shook her head. "I don't know, Will. I don't know what's happening." She laid her head on Willow's shoulder.

Christian, who was leaning on the counter across from them stood up straight. "I'll go so you guys can talk."

"No, Christian, it's fine. Really." Buffy sat back up. She looked at her half melted ice cream. "I'm not really that hungry anymore." She started walking to the trash can. "I'm going to check on Giles then probably head to bed. That phone call sobered me up, but I'm still wiped." She went back over to Willow and gave her a half hug. "Love you, Will."

Willow put her free arm around Buffy. "I love you, too, Buff. Give Giles a hug for me."

She pulled away. "Will do. Goodnight, Christian. Thank you again for... well, everything you have done today."

"Pleasure was mine, ma'am." He took a deep bow and then looked up at her with a mischievous glint. Buffy just smiled sadly, shook her head, then walked out the kitchen doors.

She was headed for the stairs when a sound from the porch caught her attention. She quietly walked over to the screen door and peered out. Andrew was sitting on the swing, hunched over, face in his hands. Buffy considered just letting him be, but a quiet sob escaped him. She opened the screen door with a squeak. Andrew wiped at his face and sat up, but it was evident he was still slightly weeping. Buffy sat down without a word next to him on the swing. She put an arm around his back and gently pulled him near her. He leaned his head in the crook of her shoulder and started shaking. Buffy put her other arm around him in an awkward hug. The swing slowly pushed back and forth.

After a few minutes, Andrew's crying slowed to sniffles. He moved to sit up and Buffy released him from the embrace. He pulled at the hem of his shirt and wiped at his cheeks. Buffy reached up and ran her fingers thru his hair, trying to straighten what he had combed back into place. Andrew gently touched her cheek, getting her attention. Then he leaned in a placed a small kiss on her other cheek. "Go to him," he breathed. "He needs you." He stood from the swing and disappeared inside.

Buffy gently knocked on Giles' door, not sure if he had fallen asleep or not. She waited nearly a minute before just trying to open the door. It was locked. With a sigh she walked back to her room. It had been a long, emotionally exhausting day. She couldn't blame him for needing to rest. But she also couldn't help the small hurt she felt for not getting to be with him on what was... No. She wasn't going to think about it. She was going to just push that all from her mind. She knew she was running out of time, in so many ways, but she couldn't bring herself to face it.

She opened her room door and locked it behind her. She took a few steps in before a sound caught her. The shower in her bathroom was running. She poked her head in to see Giles' clothes laying on the floor and his small duffle bag sitting on the closed toilet.

Buffy quietly backed out and undressed in her room before going back to the bathroom. She pulled the shower curtain back and Giles looked over his shoulder at her with a small, sad smile. She stepped in and wrapped her arms around him. He put his arm's over hers. A moment later he turned to face her. He gently ran the back of his fingers over her cheek. She closed her eyes and turned into his touch. He brought his other hand up and ran it through her hair. He held her chin as he leaned in to kiss one cheek, then the other. He rested his head against her.

Suddenly he pulled back and cupped her face. His eyes bored into hers and she returned the intense gaze. His bottom lip started to tremble and he closed his eyes, steeling his features. Buffy's hands went to his shoulders, then ran up his neck to his face, then the back of his head. She gently scraped her nails across his scalp and he moaned. His hands were on her hips and he pulled her closer. He opened his eyes and met hers. For a while they just stared at one another. The terrifying feeling they had felt in the car just earlier that morning returning. Nevertheless, Buffy gently pulled his head down and kissed him.

It was soft. It was slow. It was sweet. Just tiny, lingering kisses that held so much more meaning than any of their previous ones. When Buffy flicked her tongue against his lips, he hesitated, but only slightly. His tongue swept over hers in a gentle, caressing manor. He wrapped his arms tight around her back and she pushed up against him, making his arousal twitch. When she did it again, he lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he pressed her back to the tiled wall. It sent a cold shock through her and she gasped. He made his way to her neck and he licked and nibbled her.

Buffy began to squirm against him, wanting to feel even more. Giles pulled back slightly to angle himself correctly. He slid into her slowly, amazed at how warm she felt even though he had been standing in the hot shower. He kissed her deeply again as he began moving slowly in and out of her.

She moaned appreciatively at the feeling of him, closing her eyes. The gentle slowness of his thrust combined with the passion in his kiss was driving her wild. It had been a long time since she had been with anyone like this. The emotions, the intensity, the... god help her, the love she was feeling was too great. She could feel her chest tightening and her tears building up. It was too much. It was just too much.

Giles had been watching Buffy, seeing the different emotions play out on her face. A lot of them seemed to be mimicking his own feelings, though, with her eyes closed, she couldn't see them on his own face. He stopped and pulled away. Buffy's eyes opened with an almost hurt expression. From what, he couldn't be sure. Was she finally letting the guilt of their affair take her over?

She placed her hands on his face and leaned in to kiss him again. It was hungry, desperate. Not like the ones just moments before. He pulled away but before she could object, he went down to his knees. He helped Buffy lift one leg over his shoulder before running his tongue up her slit. She growled and her head fell back against the wall. Giles glanced up to make sure she was alright before continuing. He licked, nipped, sucked, and fingered her while his other arm was tucked under her thigh and his rubbed her lower back. When he could feel her throbbing and her legs began to shake, he held her hips to keep her up.

As she came down, he kissed her inner thigh before lowering her leg. He kissed up to her navel, quickly dipping his tongue inside. Looking up at her, she once again had her eyes closed and her head leaned back against the tile wall. His hands gently rubbed against her hips then up her ribs and back down again. They went down her thighs and to the back of her knees, where he squeezed. She finally looked down at him with a smile. Offering a hand, she helped him to stand back up.

She couldn't help but notice he was still fully aroused. She wrapped her tiny hand around him and stroked him gently. She reached behind him and turned the shower off. She opened the curtain and grabbed two towels, handing one of them to him. They quietly dried off, though Buffy had hardly been in the shower at all. Neither bothered with clothes as they went to her bed.

As soon as Buffy slid under the covers, Giles was half over her. He kissed her neck, her shoulder, her chest down to her breast, and then circled her nipple with his tongue. She arched up against him, holding his head in place. She quietly panted. He moved over to the other breast as she ran her hands across the back of his shoulders. She moved her legs so he was settled in between them and wrapped them around his waist, drawing him down to her.

He kissed his way back up to her mouth. The kisses had once again turned passionately slow. She hummed in his mouth as he entered her, sending tiny vibrations over his tongue. He pulled back and held himself up on his hands as he thrust into her.

Buffy pressed both of her hands to his chest to still him. She put her hands behind his shoulders and pulled him down closer to her. "Hold me," she whispered. Giles leaned down and gently kissed her as his hands went under her shoulders. Now resting on his forearms, he started his movements back up. The feel of her under him, skin to skin, was fantastic. With one hand on the back of her head in her hair his tongue swept into her mouth. They began mimicking their slow, methodical hip movements with the tongues.

As Buffy started clawing at his back, Giles swiveled his hips and thrust into her harder. He broke the kiss to gasp as he felt his own releases coming close, but wanted to hold back long enough for Buffy to finish first. "You feel so good," he said. "Too good."

She touched his face. "Come with me?" He nodded. He sped up a little and he could feel Buffy clenching her muscles around him. He groaned at the sensation. "Come on, baby," she gasped out.

"You."

"Close. So close. Come on. Please."

Giles' eyes squeezed shut as he released what he had been holding back with a moan and emptied himself into her in a forceful, intense orgasm. He cried out as Buffy squeezed him, coming at the feeling out him pumping out inside of her. With ragged breath he laid his head down on her chest. She lazily rubbed his back the best she could reach. When he fingers went into his hair, scraping along his scalp, he looked up at her. She gave him a smile and he couldn't help but kiss those perfect lips.

When he rolled off of her, he got up to go to the restroom. He offered her a hand to come along to clean up, but she just shook her head and snuggled into the bed some more. When he returned, he slipped into the bed behind her, spooning her. She snuggled up against his chest, holding his arm around her. After a few minutes of silence, Giles was just beginning to think that she had fallen asleep. He kissed the back of her neck softly. He was surprised when she slightly turned her head.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked him quietly.

"About the girls, or..."

Buffy turned in his arms to face him. "The girls. For now."

Giles sighed. "Wesley says he is taking care of everything. He already called their parents. They are understandably furious. Marissa's parents blame us, as she should. These girls were meant to be safe with us during training, learning. Her and Kelly's parents are coming to claim the bodies and Mai's are coming to pull her from the school."

"Oh, god, Giles. I'm so sorry."

"I need to go back. I have to meet with them."

"Giles, you can't! Dawn would be devastated. You promised her you would walk her down the aisle."

"Buffy, I not only run that school, I'm the head of the Council. I need to be there to... to apologize."

Buffy moved in closer to him. "I thought you said Wesley was taking care of it all."

"He is." Giles ran his fingers down her cheek repeatedly. "And he told me to stay as well. But those girls are... were my responsibility."

Buffy's lip trembled. "But you can't," she barely whispered, but a break in her voice still being obvious. "Dawn needs you." She took a deep breath. "I need you."

Giles gathered her as close as he could get her and placed his forehead against hers. He could feel his own emotions threatening to spill forth, but tried to remain a firm control on them. "Tonight..." he paused. "Tonight was our last night together, anyway," he whispered on a breath. A gasping sob uncontrollably escaped Buffy as he voiced what she had been trying not to think about. "Our time is up, Buffy-".

"No-".

"It is. It is. Tomorrow... Well, you know what happens tomorrow."

Buffy started to silently weep. Giles laid her head down on his arm, holding her close so she wouldn't see the tears in his own eyes. Suddenly she pulled away and sat straight up in the bed, looking down at him. He raised himself up on to an elbow. He could read it in her eyes before she even started to speak. He quickly sat up himself. "Giles... I lo-".

"Don't." He had placed a hand on her cheek and his thumb over her lips. "Don't say it. Please. You say it, and this all becomes..." He paused not sure exactly how to continue. Buffy's eyes squeezed shut as fresh tears started down her cheeks. "Tomorrow reality is going to be crashing down on us. Seeing you with him will be hard enough as it is now. If you say it..." his voice caught as he began to cry. Buffy kissed him desperately, trying to soothe not only her emotions, but his as well. He had to pull back and look her in the eye. "If you say it," he continued, "I won't be able to walk away from you because I want to say it as well."

Buffy flung her arms around him and they held each other tightly as they both cried. Buffy was openly sobbing as Giles silently let the tears slide down his face. He laid them both down and held her in his arms. She put one leg and one arm over him, trying to get as close as possible. Once she was reduced to occasional sniffling, Giles looked down at her. She had fallen asleep. He squeezed her tighter which she returned even in her sleeping state. He pulled the blankets up over them more securely and settled in for what he assumed to be a sleepless night.