Title: What
Love Can Do
Rating:
FRAO
Pairing:
Buffy/Giles
Timeline:
Basically AU. Sometime after Riley, though the details of his departure are
never stated. Giles and Buffy are in a relationship and have been for a couple
of months. Joyce is alive and happy for her daughter. And the Citroen is gone.
Synopsis:
Giles and Buffy are going on a date. Or…are they?
Notes:
Special thanks to wyvernwolf for her beta work! This was written for
summer_of_giles .
Buffy opened
the front door of Giles’ apartment and walked in. Her eyes immediately narrowed
when she heard music playing in the room. She closed the door behind her,
seeing the table cluttered with papers and open books. But, as of yet, no sign
of her Watcher.
“Giles?”
She called out cautiously.
Giles
leaned over the loft railing and smiled down at her. “Buffy. I’ll be right
down.”
She nodded
slowly as he disappeared from sight. She dropped her bag onto the floor and
tilted her head as she listened to the music. There was something familiar
about it, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
She
shrugged a shoulder, dismissing it from her mind, and walked over to the table,
rolling her eyes as she looked down at the open books. “That’s my research guy.”
She
groaned softly when she recognized one of the volumes as the Codex. “Great.
Another prophecy in the works?”
“I’m
sorry?” Giles’ soft voice was questioning as he walked over to her.
Buffy
jumped, clearly startled as she turned towards him. “Jeez, when did you become
stealthy guy?” At his puzzled look, she smiled and darted her eyes towards the
stairs. “I didn’t hear you come down.”
He smiled,
moving past her and into the kitchen. “I told you that I’d be right down.”
“Well,
yeah.” She sat down on a stool at the counter and smiled. “I just thought you’d
be a few minutes…getting ready or whatever.”
Giles
chuckled, pouring her a glass of juice and handing it to her. “I’m hardly a
teenaged girl who takes hours to get ready for a date.”
She snorted
in amusement, taking a sip of the juice and giving him an appreciative look
over before speaking. “I can see that.”
He smiled
brightly, leaning against the stove. “Thank you.”
She placed
the glass on the counter and glanced at the table. “Why do you have the Codex
out?”
Hearing
the worried tone of her voice, he took a step forward and covered her hand with
his. Lowering his voice slightly reassuringly, he smiled. “I was just checking
on some things. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Promise?”
She asked softly.
Giles
nodded, leaning over the counter and giving her a soft kiss. “I promise.”
She smiled
and took a deep breath. “Okay. So, uh…what’s on the agenda tonight?”
He looked
down at their joined hands, sighing happily as she threaded her fingers with
his. “I was thinking dinner. Possibly a movie afterwards…if you’re amenable.”
Buffy
rolled her eyes playfully. “Amenable? You could say I am.”
He
grinned, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze before pulling away and walking
towards the stereo. As he reached to lift the needle from the album, it
suddenly occurred to her that the music sounded much like a song that he had
listened to a few weeks prior, though the name of the artist still eluded her.
“Giles,
who is this?” She asked, gesturing towards the stereo.
“Eric
Clapton.” He answered quickly with a smile.
Her brow
furrowed, knowing that wasn’t the name he had told her before. “Oh. I thought
it was the guy who did that asylum song…but, I guess not.”
Giles
stared at her quizzically. “Asylum song?”
She slid
off the stool as she nodded. “Yeah, you know…the one you were listening to a
while back when I asked you what it was?”
By the
perplexed look on his face, Buffy knew he wasn’t following her. “The one about
a white room or something? Who was that?”
His smile
returned as it clicked in his head. “Oh. ‘White Room’. That was by Cream.
And…it wasn’t exactly about an asylum.”
“Huh. This
guy kinda sounds like Cream.”
At the
uncertain tone of her voice, he chuckled. “Similar voices, but Jack Bruce was
the singer of Cream. Clapton was the lead guitarist. Afterwards, he launched an
extremely successful solo career. So, you’re not entirely incorrect.”
He lifted
the needle and tenderly replaced the album into its protective sleeve. She
grinned, shaking her head in mild amusement.
“We really
need to get you a cd player. The sound is much better…less scratchy.”
He scoffed
lightly. “I rather enjoy the sound of vinyl.”
Her eyes
flashed with mischief. “Vinyl? Kinky, Giles…I never knew.”
His blush
was instantaneous. “I, uh…I was referring to the, uh…the album. It’s,
uh…vinyl.”
She
laughed gently, letting him know that she was merely teasing him. She reached
out and took his hand, rubbing her thumb over the back.
“You
really are adorable when you get flustered.”
He reached
up with his free hand and adjusted his glasses. “Yes, I’m sure.”
She
stepped closer to him, squeezing his hand lightly as she placed her other hand on
his chest. She looked up at him, her voice lowering to an almost seductive
whisper.
“I think
so.”
He exhaled
slowly, dropping his hand to her shoulder as his eyes darkened a shade.
“Perhaps you’re biased on this account.”
Her hand
moved up his chest and around to the back of his neck, gently pulling him down
towards her as she leaned up. “Perhaps.”
He sighed
as their lips met, his fingers tightening around hers. The hand resting on the
back of his neck moved again, cupping the back of his head as she deepened the
kiss. When his hand moved to her back and pressed her body against his, she
felt the hardness under his trousers. She gently broke the kiss and smiled at
him.
“Are you
trying to get out of buying me dinner, Giles?”
“No.” He
untangled their fingers and lifted his hand, combing his fingers through her
hair as he slowly shook his head. He gasped softly as she rubbed her body
against his erection. “If you’re referring to, uh…that…well, that would be your
fault. You kissed me…”
“Huh.
You’re right.” She smiled brightly, her fingers gently massaging the back of
his head. “Maybe it’s the other way around then.”
He licked
his lips and swallowed as she pressed against the bulge in his trousers again.
“I…want to take you out.”
She slid
her hand back to his chest, her fingers toying with the buttons on his shirt as
she whispered huskily. “Wouldn’t you rather stay in tonight?”
He stared
into her eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath and stepping away from
her. When he turned his back to her and sighed heavily, Buffy furrowed her brow
in confusion.
“Giles?”
He cleared
his throat and spoke softly. “Are you ashamed of being seen with me?”
She heard
the tremble in his voice and shook her head. “What?”
His head
lowered, but he kept his back to her. “Romantically. Are you ashamed to be seen
on an obvious date with me?”
He turned
slowly when she didn’t answer him, allowing her to see the sadness in his eyes.
She sighed softly and took a step towards him. He responded by taking another
step back.
“Please,
Buffy. Please answer my question.” He whispered, his voice catching in his
throat.
Her
thoughts raced in her head, confused as to how they got from playful banter to
extreme seriousness so quickly. She shook her head slowly as her eyes began to
glisten.
“No,
Giles. Why would – ”
He
interrupted her as he ran a nervous hand through his hair. “We’ve
been…together…for over two months. I’ve asked you to dinners, movies…you’ve
always found a reason to stay in. We’ve…we’ve never had a public date.”
He walked
to the liquor cabinet, lightly fingering a bottle of scotch before glancing at
her. “It leads me to believe that you’d rather not be seen…with me.”
Her mind
registered the pain in his voice and she walked to him, placing her hand on his
arm. “Giles, I’m not ashamed to be seen with you. Our friends know about us…my
mother knows about us. I don’t – ”
He averted
his eyes from her and gently removed her hand from his arm. “Friends and family
who have stated that they saw this coming for years. Yet…you seem to not want
perfect strangers knowing that you’re with me.”
“Is this
just sex to you, Buffy?” He asked softly as he raised his eyes to hers. “Am I
just a warm body to fall asleep with?”
She shook
her head quickly, lifting her hand to caress his cheek. “No, Giles. No. I love
you.”
He nodded
slowly, the sadness still showing clearly in his eyes. “I know. But, you
see…I’m in love with you. And…if what we have is merely physical gratification
to you…I can’t – ”
A tear
fell from her eye as her hand slowly dropped back to her side. “Are you
breaking up with me?”
His heart
ached as another tear rolled down her face. He exhaled shakily as he lifted his
hand, using his thumb to brush the moisture away. “I…don’t know.”
When her
bottom lip quivered and her tears began to flow freely, he swallowed thickly.
“What am I to you, Buffy?”
She looked
down and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “You’re leaving me.”
He tilted
her head up until he could look into her eyes. His thumb moved through the
tracks of moisture on her face as he whispered softly. “Please believe me…that
is the last thing I want to do. But, if you’re wanting sex instead of a
relationship…you need to tell me.”
She shook
her head, her vision blurred by her tears. “That’s…that’s not it…”
He took a
deep breath, feeling his eyes begin to burn as he fought back his own tears.
“Are you…worried what people will think of you, seeing you with an older man?”
“No.” Her
tears escalating quickly into sobs. “God, no. Giles…”
When she
sagged against him, sobbing into the front of his shirt, he gently led her to
the sofa and sat down as he pulled her into his arms. He simply held her as she
cried, lightly stroking her hair in an effort to calm her. After a while, her
sobs eased and he kissed the top of her head as he whispered a soft plea.
“Please,
Buffy…talk to me.”
“I…I
thought…” She snuffled into his shirt and leaned back slightly, but didn’t meet
his eyes. “I thought that’s what…you wanted…” She finished quietly.
“Excuse
me?” He asked in disbelief.
She wiped
her eyes and attempted a deep breath to calm herself. “It’s what…Riley wanted.
He wasn’t too big on…on the dating thing. Unless you count going out with a
bunch of soldiers for a drink.”
Giles
brushed the hair back from her face. “Look at me, Buffy.”
At his
gentle request, she lifted her eyes, somewhat surprised to see tears coating
his green irises. “Giles?”
“I’m not Riley.
And…I’m far past the stage of merely wanting a woman in my bed for carnal
reasons.” He swallowed the lump in his throat and licked his dry lips. “I want
to spend the rest of my life with you. Loving you, holding you, fighting
alongside you. And…a part of me wants the entire world to know how lucky I am
to have you in my life. I…haven’t dated properly in a long while. But…I’d like
to learn how to do it all over again…with you by my side.”
He gave
her a gentle smile as his thumb traced her ear. “Allow me to take you on a
proper date.”
She stared
into his eyes, replaying his words in her head. With a deep breath, she nodded
slowly. “Not tonight.”
He tilted
his head slightly in a silent question. She leaned into him, resting her head
against his chest and wrapping her arms around him. When he returned the
embrace, she spoke softly.
“If we go
out tonight, you might wonder if it’s just something to keep you with me.
And…it wouldn’t be, but you would still wonder. I don’t…I don’t want that
hanging over our heads.”
She lifted
her head and looked into his eyes. “I want you to know, without a doubt, that
it’s where I want to be. No matter where we are or what we’re doing. And…you
would doubt it tonight. Does that make sense?”
He nodded
slowly, the sadness slipping from his eyes. “Yes, it does.”
She placed
her palm on his cheek, her thumb caressing his skin. “Giles, will you go out
with me tomorrow night? You know, on a real date?”
He studied
her eyes, carefully looking for any sign of doubt in her eyes. Finding none, he
gave her a soft smile. “I’d love to, Buffy.”
She leaned
up, moving to kiss him. Stopping millimetres away from his lips, she whispered
his name.
“Yes?” He
answered softly.
“Just so
you know…I’m in love with you too.”
He smiled,
closing the gap between them and sealing their kiss.