Title:
Penitent
Author:
Froxyn
Rating:
FRAO
Pairing:
Buffy/Giles
Timeline:
Basically AU. Giles has the Magic Box, so it’s S5’ish. As per usual, Dawn does
not exist in my AU. Riley’s a non-issue. I would assume that Joyce is
alive…though she isn’t mentioned.
Synopsis:
Giles has had a rough day. Buffy hasn’t exactly been Miss Supportive either.
Author's
Notes: Special thanks to wyvernwolf for taking the time to go through this for
me!
Giles
walked through the front door of his apartment and hung his keys up on the hook
next to the light switch. He closed the door behind him and rubbed his hand
over his weary eyes. It had been a difficult day. Hours of research had turned
up absolutely nothing on the current demon wreaking havoc in Sunnydale.
The argument
with Buffy hadn’t helped his day either.
He sighed
heavily and walked into the small kitchen, automatically putting the kettle on
to boil. He glanced at the phone and picked it up. Checking the time on his
watch, he shook his head and replaced the phone. She’d probably still be on
patrol.
Suddenly
realizing that he didn’t actually want tea, he turned off the burner and made
his way to one of the three bookshelves in the living room. He quickly scanned
the spines of the books and found the one he was looking for.
Loosening
his tie, he slowly climbed the stairs. His plan was to do a little more
research while he waited until it was late enough that Buffy would be home from
patrol. And then he would call her. However, he was hoping that she would calm
down enough to call him.
He wasn’t
holding his breath though. The argument had been fairly volatile, to the point
of surprising even Anya.
Entering
his bedroom, he glanced at his bed…a habit he had formed a few years earlier. He
did a double take and halted his movement. A sudden fear rushed through him as
he stared at the form lying under the blankets. And then he heard her soft
breathing.
His
trembling hand placed the book on the dresser as he forced himself to calm. She
was alright. Or…she was at least breathing and seemed to be sleeping
peacefully. He leaned against the dresser and crossed his arms over his chest,
watching her sleep.
It
surprised him somewhat that she was here. He wasn’t even sure that she would
have taken his call, much less come to his home…his bed. He shrugged off his
jacket and removed his tie.
And then
he resumed his position. Leaning against the dresser, arms crossed…simply
watching her.
* * *
Four hours
earlier…
A book
flew by his head and slammed against the wall behind him. He didn’t flinch. His
darkened eyes stared at her.
Buffy
stepped forward, her eyes blazing with anger as she stared at Giles. “What good
is the damn book doing?”
“What do
you want me to say, Buffy? That I have all of the answers? I don’t.”
“Then what
good are you?” She glared at him, her voice quivering with rage.
“Apparently,
none.” He answered quietly. “I’m trying my best, Buffy. There’s nothing written
in – ”
“Look
harder then!” She yelled loudly.
This time,
he did flinch.
Buffy
began to pace back and forth across the room. “How many more people need to die
before you find something…anything…to help me kill it? Or are you okay with
finding entrails lying around Sunnydale?”
Giles
stepped forward and grabbed her arm, turning her around quickly as he allowed
his anger to seep into his normally rich voice. “That’s quite enough!”
She jerked
her arm from his grasp angrily. “You go on and on about your books…how great
they are, how much information you can get from them. When I really need
you…you’ve got nothing!”
“Is that
all you need me for, Buffy? A research tool?” He growled, his eyes sparking.
“Right
now, yes! But, you’re not being much help!”
He took a
step back and clenched his jaw. He narrowed his eyes, lowering his voice as he
stared at her. “Then perhaps you should leave.”
“You’re
throwing me out?” She asked incredulously.
“No.” He
replied in an even tone. “I’m asking you to leave. I’ll call you should any of
my worthless books prove to be an asset in this situation.”
Buffy
glared at him before turning and stomping towards the door. “Fine! I won’t be
holding my breath though.”
She
slammed the door behind her and he released a shaky breath. He cleared his
throat and walked over to the book lying on the floor. He picked it up and
placed it on the counter before meeting the shocked eyes of the three other
people in the room.
“If you’d
prefer to leave as well, I shall understand.”
He wanted
to smile when the others shook their heads and returned to the task of
researching the demon. He glanced towards the door and felt an ache in his
chest.
His smile
wouldn’t surface.
* * *
Giles took
a deep breath and kicked his shoes off before walking towards the bed. He
untucked and partially unbuttoned his shirt as he stood and looked down at her.
She was facing the opposite direction and lying in the centre of the bed.
He lifted
the covers and slipped in behind her, carefully sliding one arm underneath her
neck and draping the other over her chest. He pulled her tightly against him
and fought back his tears as her hand gripped his forearm.
“I’m
sorry.” He whispered into her hair.
She
tightened her hold on him and sniffled. “No, I am. I am so sorry, Giles.”
He
loosened his hold on her as she began to turn in his arms. When she was facing
him, she lifted her hand and placed her palm on his cheek. A tear spilled from
her eye and she noticed the tears welling in his.
“I…you are
so much more than a research tool to me, Giles. I didn’t mean what I said…and…I
didn’t mean to hurt you. God, I’m so sorry.”
He gently
wiped the tears from her face. “Ssh…it’s alright…”
She shook
her head quickly, opening her mouth to protest. He stopped her by brushing his
lips across hers.
“Just…tell
me you love me.” He whispered softly, looking into her eyes.
She traced
her fingertips along his bottom lip before leaning in and kissing him warmly.
She pulled from the kiss slowly and met his eyes.
“I love
you, Giles.”
“That’s
all that matters right now.” He smiled as his fingers combed through her hair.
“I’m so in love with you, Buffy.”
She
returned his smile briefly, frowning when she noticed the weariness in his
eyes. “You look so tired.”
He nodded
slowly, leaning in to kiss her again. “I am.”
As his
tongue gently pushed its way into her mouth, she rolled him onto his back and
leaned over him, returning the kiss lovingly. She felt his body begin to
respond to her and she ended the kiss with a gentle nip to his lip.
“Were you
able to find anything?”
He sighed
and shook his head. “I’m sorry, I’ll keep looking.”
She offered
him a tender smile as she unbuttoned the rest of his shirt. “I know what will
kill it.”
He arched
an eyebrow at her, moving his hand underneath his shirt that she was wearing to
rest on her bare hip. “Oh?”
“Mm-hm.”
She leaned down and pressed warm, open-mouthed kisses along his chest. “A
really pissed off Slayer with an iron rod.”
He hissed
softly as her mouth moved over his nipple. “Are you…Christ!”
She raised
her head and smiled. “No, I’m not Christ…”
He
chuckled softly, his fingers slowly unbuttoning the shirt. “Hurt. Are you
injured in any way?”
“Not a
scratch.” She licked her lips as she ran her fingers through the soft hair on
his chest. “Would you like to inspect me to make sure?”
“I
should.” He nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. “After all…I am your Watcher.
It’s my…duty.”
She
unbuckled his belt deftly with one hand and grinned. “Your duty. Is that what
this is?”
He groaned
as she pressed her palm against his trouser-clad erection and rubbed gently.
“It is not my duty to be allowed to love you.” He looked into her eyes as he
covered her hand with his, stilling her motion. “That is an honour.”
She gazed
at him for a few moments before taking a deep breath. “You say the most amazing
things sometimes.”
He smiled,
releasing her hand and finishing the task of unbuttoning her shirt. “I’m glad
you’ve finally begun listening to me.”
When she
started to take the shirt off, he shook his head and ran his fingertip between
her partially covered breasts. “Leave it on.”
“Okay.” She
whispered as she carefully unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers. “But…you’re
getting undressed.”
When he
didn’t respond, she looked at his face and noticed his tired eyes following his
roaming fingers across her skin. “Giles?”
“Mm?”
“Are you
too tired for this tonight?” She gave him an understanding smile when his eyes
darted to hers. “You’ve had a rough day…we can always do this later…”
He shook
his head and quickly flipped her onto her back, settling between her thighs.
She gasped in surprise, her gasp quickly turning to a soft moan as he rocked
his hips against her.
“I’m never
too tired to make love with you, Buffy.” He smiled softly as she gripped his
open shirt and tried to push it off of his shoulders. “I have to admit, I
wasn’t expecting this. You…here…”
“I
couldn’t not come tonight. Not with the way I left the Magic Box earlier.” She
reached up and tenderly stroked his cheek. “I needed to apologize to you.”
“And…you
have.” He leaned into her touch as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the
floor. “And I’ve accepted.”
He lowered
his upper body until his chest brushed against her erect nipples. His lips
easily found her neck and she wrapped her arms around him.
“Have
you…God, that’s nice…” She groaned as he nibbled along her skin.
He
chuckled softly and repeated the action before pushing himself up and kneeling
between her legs. “Have I what?”
She
watched as he shifted enough to rid himself of his remaining clothing. Her
thoughts were lost as he positioned himself between her thighs and pushed her
shirt off of her breasts.
“Buffy?”
“Huh?”
“Have I
what?”
She
narrowed her eyes in confusion. “Was that question supposed to make sense?”
He grinned
as he covered her breast with his hand, massaging the firm flesh with the exact
amount of pressure he knew she liked. “You started to ask a question.”
“Oh.” She
inhaled sharply as he lowered his mouth to her other breast, circling the
nipple with his tongue. “I…don’t remember…”
He smiled
and pulled the hardened nub into his mouth. He suckled gently, a soft growl
rumbling in his chest as her nails scraped along the back of his neck. Her hips
bucked involuntarily and he moved until he was straddling her right thigh, his
erection hot against her hip.
His
fingers stroked the damp curls covering her mound before parting her lips and
stroking the warm, wet flesh. She groaned loudly, moving her hand between their
bodies to find his hard cock. She found it easily enough, wrapping her fingers
around the shaft. His hips instantly thrust forward and he released her nipple.
“Buffy…”
Her eyes
closed as he slowly pushed two fingers inside of her. He pushed himself up
slightly to give her more room to move. She rubbed her thumb along the
underside of his erection before gripping him and giving his hardened flesh a
firm stroke.
“God,
yes…Buffy…” He groaned, matching his thrusting fingers with the pace her hand
had set.
It took
some effort, but she was able to open her eyes. She gasped as she recognized
the raw desire burning in his. “Giles!”
He felt
her inner walls quiver and he gave her a surprised smile. “So soon?” He
whispered as he pressed his thumb against her clitoris.
Her free
hand clawed at his forearm as she bucked against him, the hand on his cock
tightening its grip as she stroked him harder.
“Jesus…”
He hissed as he tried to maintain control. He shifted and lowered his mouth to
her ear as his thumb rubbed her clit. “I…want to be…inside of you when I…come…”
She let go
of his cock suddenly and grabbed the back of his head. “Giles…so…close…”
He briefly
considered his options and, realizing he was probably as close as she was, made
a quick decision. With one last hard plunge with his fingers, he pulled them
out and moved between her trembling thighs.
She cried
out in protest. Her cry turned to a strangled moan of ecstasy as he gently
pushed his erection into her warm depths. He moved with careful thrusts,
lifting his hand to her mouth and tracing her lips with his wet fingers.
She pulled
his fingers into her mouth quickly, sucking hungrily as he moaned. She stared
into his eyes, running her tongue over his long digits. He licked his lips and
pulled his hand away, covering her mouth with his.
He thrust
his tongue between her lips, delighting in the fact that he could taste her
essence on her own tongue. Their tongues mingled in her mouth as she lifted her
legs and wrapped them around his waist. The bed creaked softly as he quickened
his pace.
* * *
“Will…wait!”
“What if
he’s asleep?”
Anya
snorted. “As if he would be able to sleep. First of all, he was frustrated
about not finding anything on the demon. Second of all, he and Buffy had a huge
fight.”
Xander
rolled his eyes. “An argument, An. They didn’t hit each other.”
Anya
stared at her boyfriend. “Came pretty freakin’ close, if you ask me!
Anyway…he’s not going to be able to sleep until he either finds out about the
demon, makes up with Buffy, or…both.”
Xander’s
eyes widened. “Did you just agree with Anya?”
She
stopped suddenly, causing Xander to bump into her. He grunted as Anya ran into
him. Anya slapped her hand over his mouth before he could say anything and all three
of them looked towards the loft. The rhythmic sound of the headboard knocking
against the wall could be heard…as well as the loud moans and groans… and the
occasional use of names…God, Giles, Buffy, Christ.
Xander’s
eyes widened. Willow blushed profusely. Anya chuckled silently. It was no
secret that Buffy and Giles were involved in an intimate relationship. They had
known for months before the couple actually told them. They had even witnessed
a loving kiss once in a while, more often it was the tender caresses and
smouldering glances between the two that they were privy to.
But,
this…this was more than any of them had wanted to witness. Well, with the
exception of Anya, who had often wondered aloud what the sex life of the
Watcher and Slayer was like. She grinned broadly. Her question had been
answered.
Willow
pushed the others back out the door, following them and closing the door behind
them. She grimaced as the door closed louder than she had intended.
“Um…maybe
we’ll tell him tomorrow.”
* * *
Buffy’s
nails dug into Giles’ shoulder blades, her teeth marking his neck as her orgasm
crashed over her. Giles groaned her name, the sensation of her warm fluid
drenching his cock sending him over the edge as well. She trembled as he
erupted within her, lowering his head to the crook of her neck.
She held
him as tightly as her exhausted body could manage as they fought to catch their
breath. “God, I love you.”
He smiled
against her skin, gently moving to her side and pulling her into his arms. “I
love you too.”
When her
brow furrowed lightly, he gently stroked her cheek with his finger. “What is
it, love?”
“Did you
lock the door?”
“No. I
didn’t know you were here.”
She smiled
softly, knowing what that statement meant. If she wasn’t in his home, the door
was never locked. It was his way of knowing that she could always get to him as
quickly as possible. She had argued the point that he had actually given her a
key, so it was okay to lock the door. He had countered with ‘and what if a demon
is chasing you and you need to stop to unlock the door? Or…what if you lose the
key on patrol?’. And so, even though she had a key, he still refused to lock
the door unless she was there.
She
snuggled closer to him and kissed his chest. “Should one of us go down and lock
it?”
“Mm.” He
rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. “I can’t be bothered getting up
right now. Besides…I have a beautiful girlfriend who killed a vicious demon with
an iron rod. I’m fairly sure she could protect me from any unwanted visitors.”
She
laughed and tilted her head to look at him. “You’re just being lazy.”
“No.” He
leaned into her and kissed her warmly. “I’m in bed. I have a gorgeous woman in
my arms. I’d be a fool to want to get up right now.”
She
sighed, her love for him showing brightly in her eyes. “I will, you know?”
“Hm?” He
mumbled, his exhaustion catching up to him quickly.
“Protect
you. I will do everything I can to protect you.”
His smile
was interrupted by a yawn. She grinned and pushed him onto his back, snuggling
into his side and resting her head on his chest as she placed her hand on his
stomach.
“Sleep,
Giles.”
“Love
you.” He mumbled, touching her hand before lacing his fingers with hers. “So
much…”
“I love
you too.” She squeezed his fingers lightly and closed her eyes.
She was
glad this day was over. She knew that he would still want to research the
now-dead demon until he found out exactly what it was. She also knew that he
would eventually find what he was looking for. His books weren’t completely
useless. They were part of him…and anything that was a part of him couldn’t be
useless.
She smiled
and made a mental note to tell him that as the soft rhythm of his heart lulled
her into sleep.
~ End