How this started, he almost couldn't remember.

She had asked him to grab dinner with her. That wasn't so unusual — they did that all the time. The dinners always started with small talk about work. How the training was going with the new slayers, how the Council was getting funding, how they could make it easier to find new Slayers. That would ease them into the personal chat... Buffy's new favorite coffee shop near her flat, Giles' recently acquired art piece for his home office.

But in the last few months, Buffy had — God help him — started flirting with him. When he first realized it, he was startled. Of course, he was. But it hadn't taken much coaxing for him to start flirting back.

Then one night at dinner, about three months ago now, they were enjoying their dessert wines when she said, "I've been thinking a lot about this and I think you should come back to my place tonight."

He tried not to look like a bewildered fool. But his eyes widened, he gulped down his sip of wine, and pat his mouth with his napkin before clearing his throat. And eventually, he said, "I think I'd rather like that."

The sex was incredible from the start. Buffy was a curious lover and he was a patient man. He gave her the time to explore and find what it was she was looking for. But over time, it became less of her taking what she wanted. She'd offer herself to him in ways that felt like tentative gifts, perhaps things she thought he wanted. And he thought... it'd be selfish not to accept. Not to receive gifts she offered so willingly.

He also couldn't remember the moment where it all became... more. But their touches had slowly changed. Her fingers ran through the hair behind his ear a little softer, his kisses became lazier, her moans held less resistance. As if she was giving in to something and he was meeting her there.

But there were also the gentle moments each morning after — she'd make his coffee just the way he liked it, he'd lean down to kiss her neck as he said "thank you" and take his cup of coffee, she'd run her hand along his arm as she offered the drink.

Of course, lying in bed with her now, watching her naked back rise and fall with her sleeping breaths... he questioned if he was imagining it. She'd made the first move to kick this affair off and he'd let her set the pace. But it was getting harder to keep her at arm's length.

Giles moved onto his side next to her. Keeping some distance between their bodies. Easily done in his king-size bed but, obviously not preferred. His left hand reached out to run along her shoulder blade. He tried to keep his touch light enough not to wake her but heavy enough not to tickle her. He followed down the dip from her side, over her left hip. He smiled when his eyes met the small symbols that trailed down her left hip. He had seen this tattoo before, back in Sunnydale even, and wondered what it meant to her. When she got it. Why.

"Willow took me for my birthday," her soft voice broke him out of the moment and he wondered if he had said his thoughts out loud. She moved just enough so she could look at him over her shoulder. "It started kind of as a dare but..."

His gaze met hers and he smiled at her before looking back down at the tiny tattoo. His fingers ran over it, feeling spots of raised skin along the lines of ink.

He heard her sigh heavily. A content, idle sigh. And he allowed his hand to wander down to the side of her butt, covered by the crisp bed sheet, before he leaned forward to kiss the small tattoo. Just a quick, light kiss.

He thought he heard a sharp intake of breath from her when his lips met her skin but he didn't say anything.

Several moments passed before her soft voice cut through the silence once more, "So... how long are you gonna be gone?"

His hand traveled back up to her side, running along the skin without much thought. "At least a fortnight.”

Buffy chuckled to herself then hummed in understanding. She jumped with a loud giggle when his fingers played at a particularly sensitive spot of skin along her ribs.

He smiled. "Sorry." Removing his hand from her skin, he sighed to himself at the loss of her touch. But when he moved onto his back once more, she turned around to cuddle up against his side. He felt his heart begin to race and he wrapped his arm around her to hold her close. Enjoying her warmth. Letting it soothe him.

Her fingers played at the hair on his chest. "Two weeks is kinda a while."

"Is it?" He tentatively asked, meeting her gaze briefly before she looked away.

"Guess I'll have to find other ways to get into trouble." Her voice was a bit brighter and teasing, unlike before. And he wondered about that...

"Please... the last thing I need is my Head Slayer accidentally setting fire to someone's clothes in an attempt to demonstrate why one's choice of attire matters in a fight," he teased back in an obviously specific example from a past incidence. "Do I need to ask Willow to keep an eye on you?"

"Who do you think gave me that idea in the first place?"

Giles rolled his eyes slightly.

Buffy's tone was brusque this time. "Well, I hope this trip doesn't turn out to be a total waste of time." She gave his chest a playful pat before bouncing out of the bed, grabbing her pants and quickly shoving her legs in them to make her exit. "Sorry I can't stay and have coffee with you this morning, gotta run."

"Quite all right," he said before clearing his throat and sitting up in bed. The sheets fell to his waist and he scratched at the spot on his chest she had been rubbing a few moments before. "Call me if you, uh... if anything comes up."

She finished buttoning up her jeans and pulled her shirt over her head before quickly looking back at him. "I'm a big girl, Giles." She picked up her bag from the floor as she headed toward his bedroom door. "See you when you get back."

He nodded solemnly to the empty room.

+++

She was a big girl, true. But, big girls still cried — and she found herself blinking back the heat suddenly appearing in her eyes as she quickly made her way down the street to her car. She’d started the habit +++of parking a ways away when this first became more than a Slayer visiting her Watcher — just in case someone happened to drive by at a time of night or morning when a Slayer shouldn’t technically be visiting her Watcher. As she wiped the tears from her cheek, she wished that she had parked closer.

“Jesus, Buffy...” She chastised herself as she pulled her keys out of her bag. “You’re fucking, not even dating. It is what it is...just like he said. What it isn’t is something that calls for tears when he’s going away for two fucking weeks. It’s not like he’s moving to another country...again.”

She slipped in behind the steering wheel and slammed the door a little harder than she had intended. She took a few deep, steadying breaths and then started the car. She could do two weeks. And she could do it without getting into too much trouble, maybe. She closed her eyes for just a moment and took another deep breath. Then she opened her eyes, gave a brief nod to no one...and started the drive home.

+++

Giles had hoped she’d stay a bit longer — coffee, breakfast...possibly even a shower together before she left him to get packed for his trip. He’d told her it was quite all right...and it was, in the grand scheme of things. But, there was something in her tone that simply wasn’t sitting well with him. Almost as though she were upset with him for needing to go out of town. He scowled slightly, then threw the sheet off of his body and slid out of bed.

The sun was up. He had packing to do, a shower to take, and nothing — or no one — to keep him in bed any longer. He glanced at the bedside table and smiled softly. She’d forgotten her earrings. Then his smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. He sighed heavily, rubbed his chest and made his way to the bathroom.

He closed the door behind him — a habit that he’d picked up many years ago and had carried with him, even when he was alone — and turned the water on in the shower. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror, then narrowed his eyes when he noticed a small bruise just below his right nipple...and another just above his navel. She had rarely left marks on him in the beginning, but as time went by...small bruises, imprints of her teeth, half-moon indentations on his lower back from her nails as she gripped him while he pushed his hips into hers began to make their appearances more often than not.

His fingertip traced the edge of the bruise. It wasn’t as if he minded...it was just confirmation of the escalation that was taking place between the two of them. He exhaled slowly and stepped into the shower, closing his eyes when the hot water hit the top of his shoulders. He stood there for a long moment, lowering his head as he lifted his hand to the shower wall. He rested heavily on his hand, allowing the water to cascade over him.

“She was angry...” He said to himself, running his fingers through his hair. “Or, upset. She was something. But, this is what she wanted...casual, no strings, no questions, no expectations. That’s what she said...”

It was obviously not what he was feeling. He’d acknowledged the change within him a few weeks after it had happened. But, he hadn’t discussed it with her — but, maybe he should. Because he had to admit that it was getting much harder to watch her leave — and he hated leaving her place after spending the night with her.

He picked up the body wash and paused, feeling a wave of sudden emotion crash over him. Two weeks wasn’t an overly long amount of time — but it was enough time spent away from one another that he’d be able to think...consider what he wanted...decide what he should do. Because they most certainly wouldn’t be able to keep this up with the current arrangements and conditions.

At least, he wouldn’t be able to.

+++

He hung up the phone after placing his order with room service and sighed deeply. It was late...it had been a busy day. Productive, informative, annoyingly frustrating, and extremely busy. He was tired, hungry...and more than a little blue. He knew why, it wasn’t exactly a mystery. He missed her. He missed her more than he could have possibly known he would.

They’d spoken once in the week he’d been gone. It was the longest they’d gone without speaking since she’d moved to England. The longest they’d gone without seeing each other since they started having weekly dinners. The longest they’d gone without touching or kissing or fucking since they’d started touching and kissing and fucking.

He leaned back against the headboard on the bed and closed his eyes. His jaw tensed and then he lightly knocked the back of his head against the top of the headboard a couple of times. He hadn’t fucked her in quite a while.

He swallowed and then opened his eyes. He stared at nothing and did his best to calm his suddenly racing mind.

“Food, then sleep.” He muttered to himself. “Things will look better in the morning.”

He had almost made himself believe that — and then his phone rang. He checked the caller ID and smirked when he saw her name. He let it ring two more times before he answered.

“Hello, Buffy.” He said softly, trying not to sound too excited to hear from her.

“Hey.” She replied, just as softly. “How’s it going?”

“It’s...going.” He chuckled, scratching at the stubble on his jaw. “I’m dealing with a handful of pretentious Council members...”

“You say that as if there are non-pretentious Council members.” She replied jokingly.

“Ha ha.” He said slowly, a smile finding its way onto his lips.

“You sound tired.” She noted after a moment of silence. “Are you okay?”

“Me? Oh, I’m fine. I’m just...well, I’m tired. And hungry. And over the whole bloody thing, truth be told.”

“You haven’t eaten? It’s after ten, Giles.”

“I know, dear.” He mumbled, rolling his eyes.

And then he froze, realizing that he’d actually really just called her dear.

“Um...and there? How are...um, things?” He asked so lamely that even he grimaced.

“Smooth...” She chuckled lightly. “Things are fine. Boring, even. I miss you.”

He sat a bit straighter, furrowing his brow. “You do?”

“You’re surprised?” She asked, not bothering to hide the nervous twinge in her tone. “I mean...should I not miss you? Or is it that you don’t miss me?”

“God, I miss you.” He whispered, hoping he didn’t sound as desperate as he felt.

“Well, that’s good, I guess.”

He could almost hear her grin. Then he glanced at the door when a gentle knock sounded.

“Huh...that was quicker than I was expecting.”

“What’s quicker?” She asked.

“Room service. I ordered not long before you called. With it being this late on a Saturday evening, I expected it to take longer.” He explained, sliding off the bed and walking over to the door.

“What did you order?”

“Hm? Oh...” He opened the door and his eyes widened. “Buffy...”

She smiled at the way he breathed her name. Then she lowered her phone and slipped it into her back pocket.

“I didn’t realize that I was on the menu, but...I’m good with that.”

“What are you doing here?” He asked, then shook his head in mild amusement when she gestured to the phone he was still holding to his ear. He quickly lowered the phone and cleared his throat.

“Like I said...I missed you. And I wasn’t all that nice the last time I saw you.”

He stepped to the side as he reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into the room. “I was going to talk to you about that when I got home.”

“Oh?” She looked around the room, subtly checking for any evidence of visitors.

He placed his hand on the side of her face and gently tilted her head towards him. Then he smiled as he looked into her eyes.

“No one has been here, Buffy.”

“Oh.” She blushed, darting her eyes away from his. “I was trying to be all ninjalike with that. Guess I kinda failed, huh?”

Then she narrowed her eyes when she noticed a glint of gold on the bedside table. “Um...you sure about that, though?”

“Positive.” He answered without hesitation, following her eyes. “Oh...those. You, uh...left those in your rush to leave me.”

Her eyes snapped back to his face. “What?”

“I brought them with me.” He shrugged a shoulder and then rubbed the back of his neck. “They gave me some comfort — as if you weren’t completely gone.”

“I didn’t want to go, Giles.” She said quickly, almost as if she were afraid that if she didn’t say it...she wouldn’t.

“Then why — ”

“I don’t know about you...” She interrupted, shaking her head. “But, I’m really sucking bad at this casual sex thing. I mean...I thought I could do it, but...you’re you and how the fuck am I supposed to be casual when you look so fucking adorable when you’re asleep?”

“I brought your earrings with me because I knew I was going to miss you.” He said, his eyes sparkling in the dim light of the hotel room. “I think it’s safe to assume that I’m sucking just as badly as you.”

He lifted his hand, running his fingertips through her hair. “I, uh...I’m adorable when I’m asleep?”

“Fucking adorable.” She whispered emotionally. “What does this mean?”

He looked at her for a second — and then he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. When his arms slid around her waist, she moved hers around his neck and allowed her fingers to play with the curl of hair behind his ear. He kissed her for a long moment, stopping before they spiraled completely out of control. Then he rested his forehead against hers and sighed happily.

“I think it means that we’re done with casual.”

She chuckled softly, running her fingers over the stubble on his jaw. “I’m really glad that you said that because I’d hate to think that I’d wasted a trip out here.”

She reignited the kiss and they fell onto the bed, wrapped in one another's arms.

Neither of them heard the knock at the door. Neither heard the young man’s voice from the hallway announcing that his room service order had arrived.

His hunger was suddenly forgotten — replaced with a different type of hunger.

One that she was more than willing to sate for him.