Title: Dreamer
Author: Froxyn
Rating: FRAO
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Timeline: Three months
after The Token.
Synopsis: Braden
convinces Lucas to talk to their parents about his ‘problem’.
“What the hell were you
thinking?”
Giles flinched as Buffy dabbed at
the bleeding wound just below his temple with an antiseptic swab. He groaned as the flinch caused the mild
twinge in his shoulder to become a sharp, stabbing pain.
“Well, I wasn’t thinking that
I’d let a Quandesh demon use my head for target practice, if that’s what you’re
inferring.” He snapped.
She narrowed her eyes and pulled
back as he tenderly rubbed his shoulder.
“No, that wasn’t what I was inferring, smartass.”
He met her eyes, annoyance
flickering in his. “Why are you angry
with me?”
Buffy sighed heavily and dropped
the bloody swab into the wastebasket that she had pulled out from under the
desk and placed next to the couch.
“Because you just snapped at me!”
“Before that, Buffy. You’ve been angry with me since you
disassembled the demon. What have I
done?”
She opened her mouth, closed it,
and then opened it again as she ripped open a fresh swab. “I wasn’t…I’m not angry.”
He raised an eyebrow at her
softly spoken statement. “Seems that
way.”
She shook her head, not meeting
his eyes as she cleaned the drying blood from the side of his face. “I’m not angry, Giles. You…you were bleeding…”
“Buffy…”
“I was scared.” She whispered, glancing at his eyes quickly
before looking back at the laceration on his head. “He threw a rock at you…and it hit you…and then there was a sick
sounding ‘crunch’…and then blood…and…”
He felt his annoyance melt away
as her voice trembled. Lifting his
hand, he brushed the backs of his fingers over her warm cheek.
“I’m sorry, Buffy.” He took a shallow breath and licked his
cracked lip. “You were in danger, I…I
had to draw his attention so that the momentum of the fight would shift back to
you.”
She nodded slowly, understanding
why he did what he did, but still not liking it. “Sometimes I wish you were just my husband…”
He tilted his head slightly in a
silent request for her to continue. She
exhaled softly and checked the wound once more to find that the flow of blood
had stopped.
“It used to upset me when my Watcher
got hurt…and then my Watcher became my lover, then my fiancé, then my
husband…and then the father of my children.
And now, when my Watcher gets hurt, it scares the hell out of me because
when something bad happens to him, something bad happens to my husband. And if you were just my husband, then when
my Watcher got hurt, you’d be okay…because you would just be my husband and the
father of my children.”
He stared at her for a moment
and then chuckled softly. She rolled
her eyes and closed the first aid kit.
“It makes sense in my head,
okay?”
He leaned forward slowly,
carefully to avoid aggravating his shoulder any further, and brushed his lips
across hers. “I understand, love.”
She looked into his eyes, her
vision blurring slightly from the tears building in them. “I just love you so much, Giles. And I’m sorry if you thought I was angry…”
“Ssh…” He murmured, brushing away a tear from her skin with his
thumb. “I apologize for snapping at
you.”
“It’s okay.” She whispered, running her hand up his
chest. When she felt his muscles tense
under her touch, she sighed. “I should
probably have a look at your shoulder.”
“I’m sure it’s merely
bruised…not much that can be done for that.”
Buffy ran her fingertips along
his collarbone, pausing when she felt a small lump. She repeated the motion, a small smile showing on her lips as she
determined the lump to be evidence of a broken collarbone from many years
earlier.
“Worried that I’d broken it
again?”
“Yeah.” She answered, her fingers continuing their
exploration as she looked into his eyes.
“But, glad to see that you haven’t.
I’d still like to have a closer look at your shoulder though. Do you think you can take the shirt off or
do I need to cut it off?”
He started to lift his arms,
stopping when the pain became too great.
He sighed sadly as Buffy picked up a pair of scissors.
“I like this shirt.”
“I remember where I got
it.” She replied as she quickly and
carefully cut through the material. “I
can get you another one, okay?”
He looked down at his right
shoulder when she pulled the ruined shirt away, his eyes widening. “Well, it looks worse than I was expecting.”
Buffy bit her bottom lip as she
carefully examined the mottled purplish-black bruise covering the cap of his
shoulder. “Giles…you might need to see
a doctor for this. If you’ve done
damage to the joint itself…”
“I’m fairly certain that I
haven’t.” He interrupted as he watched
her fingers gently prod at his bruised flesh.
“Still…”
Seeing movement out of the corner
of his eye, Giles looked towards the hall to find their oldest child watching
them in concern. “Braden?”
Braden sighed and stepped
further into the living room as Buffy looked over at him. “You’re hurt.”
“Not badly.” Giles replied softly. “Just a small – ”
“Cut on the left side of your
head…right about here.” Braden finished
for him, pointing to a spot on his own head.
Giles furrowed his brow. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Not long. Mum was cutting your shirt…”
Buffy glanced at Giles before
looking into Braden’s eyes. “But, how
did you know about your father’s head?”
“Luke told me.”
Giles and Buffy both quickly
scanned the room. Braden swallowed
thickly.
“He’s asleep.” He sat down on the coffee table and looked
down at his hands. “I don’t know the
name of the demon, but…Luke said it was kind of short, but looked a little like
a bulldog the way it stood.
Greyish-yellow in color, one horn coming out of the back of its head
that looks like a corkscrew going down its back.”
Buffy’s eyes widened as Giles
stared at Braden.
“Quandesh. It was a Quandesh demon. How…how did you…”
Braden took a deep breath and
then met his father’s eyes. “Luke’s
afraid for you to know. I’ve told him that
you wouldn’t think he was a weirdo or anything, but…he’s scared.”
“Tell us, Ru.” Buffy whispered, reaching out to take his
hand.
“He’s gonna be so mad at
me.” Braden’s green eyes glistened as
he continued. “He…has dreams. Sometimes they’re worse than others. And…not all of them come true, but…some of
them do.”
Braden lowered his eyes, his
voice softening. “This one…and he
dreamt about the guy who took him and Evan.”
Silence fell over the room. Braden worrying about betraying his younger
brother, Buffy too shocked to say anything, and Giles running through the
options available.
“Do you think you could convince
him to talk to us?”
Braden shrugged as he looked up
at Giles. “I’ve tried.”
Giles nodded absently. “What if you were to tell him that he was
right about the Quandesh demon? Maybe
explain to him that he could help us by telling us the dreams that feel real to
him?”
“Or I could just tell him that I
told you.”
Buffy offered her son a gentle
smile. “I think that your Dad is trying
to keep that between us.”
“Huh?” Braden asked, genuinely confused as he glanced between his
parents.
“You’re worried about Lucas not
coming to you anymore if he finds out that you told us, right?” Buffy gently squeezed his hand as he nodded
slowly. “Well, if you can get him to
talk to us…”
Braden’s eyes lit up. “You wouldn’t tell him?”
Giles shook his head
slowly. “Not unless it was absolutely
necessary. And…I don’t see how it would
be in this instance.”
Braden quickly launched himself at
his father, wrapping his arms around his neck.
Unprepared for the display of affection, Giles groaned as his shoulder
screamed at him. Braden pulled back,
concern showing in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I forgot…”
Giles shook his head as he
smiled, gently pulling his son back into his arms. “A hug is worth a little pain.
Don’t worry about it, Ru.”
* * *
Giles grimaced as he settled
himself on the bed, Buffy lying on her side next to him. She bit her lip as she stared at the cut on
his head. The bleeding had stopped
hours ago, but the bruise was growing.
It had to hurt like hell.
“You okay?”
He exhaled slowly and then
swallowed. “Lucas has had nightmares
from the time he was a small child. I
wonder how many of his dreams have…come true.”
“Giles…”
He turned his head to look at
her, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“What horrors has he seen, but been too afraid to say anything to us?”
“I don’t know.” Buffy whispered, gently stroking his cheek
with her thumb. “But, we’ll work
through it…and he’ll be okay. He’s a
Giles.”
“He dreamed that a Brishkan
demon threatened his life…along with Evan’s.”
Giles choked out as a tear finally spilled over his eyelid.
“Yeah…he did.” Buffy nodded slowly, glancing at the edge of
the bed to find Callie standing there with her chin resting on the
mattress. “And I know how scary that
is…so do you. But, we’ve both learned
to work through our dreams…figure out which ones are real and which are just
dreams.”
“He’s eight years old,
Buffy. He shouldn’t have to learn how
to work through his dreams. He should
be dreaming about wrestling with his brothers or tormenting his sister or
playing fetch with Callie…family picnics, sports…anything but demons.”
Buffy sighed and leaned into him,
gently kissing his lips. “He’s our son,
Giles. Unfortunately, demons are a part
of our lives.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why are you so calm?”
“Because you’re not.” She answered quietly. “Trust me, I’m not so calm on the
inside. But, one of the many things
that I’ve learned from you is the fact that demons need not rule our
lives. Sure, we have to deal with
them…but, our lives don’t have to revolve around them.”
“Buffy…”
“Living with me is enough of a
challenge, Giles. Don’t add to it,
okay?” She interrupted him with a
gentle smile. “We have a life outside
of demons and the Council. We have each
other…we have four beautiful children…we have friends who are more family than
friends…”
“But, sometimes that aspect of
our lives bleeds into what we have.”
Giles replied sadly. “Braden is
studying to be a Watcher, Haddie is able to connect with spirits, and
Lucas…Lucas has dreams.”
“I wonder what Evan’s special
power will be?” Buffy stated softly in
an attempt to lighten the mood.
“Melting hearts with his
smile.”
Buffy smiled and then furrowed
her brow. “I hope you don’t mean that
literally…”
To her surprise, Giles snorted a
laugh. Her attempt had been
successful. She leaned over and wiped
the drying track of tears from his face.
“Now…how do you
feel? Your head, your shoulder…”
He offered her a warm
smile. “I feel better than I probably
look. There is some pain, but whatever
you gave me has gotten rid of the worst of it.”
“Thank Ethan and Willow for
that.”
Giles raised an eyebrow at
her. “Excuse me?”
Buffy chuckled softly as she
settled next to him, her hand caressing his chest as she rested her head on his
uninjured shoulder. “Ethan got a little
worried when he opened the medicine cabinet a while back. Apparently, there were too many bottles of
prescription painkillers with your name on them.”
“Mm-hm…and most of those bottles
were full and out of date.” He murmured
as he kissed the top of her head.
“Didn’t matter…it bothered him
that they were there. Said that he remembered
how narcotics reacted with you…so, he and Willow got together and started
working on a safe painkiller.” She
smiled as she draped her arm over his torso and closed her eyes. “Glad to see they came up with something
that works.”
Giles yawned and curled his arm
around her, holding her to his body.
“Would’ve been nice if they’d come up with something ten years ago.”
“Better late than never.” She whispered, smiling as he grunted a
reply. “Get some sleep, Giles. You need your rest.”
He sighed heavily but closed his
eyes. Buffy opened hers when she heard
Callie give a soft whimper. She rolled
her eyes and gave a quick motion with her hand.
“Come on.”
Callie lifted her head from the
mattress and jumped onto the bed. She
started her routine of turning circles and Buffy glared at her. When Callie made her tenth turn, she
groaned.
“For God’s sake, Callie…just lay
down.”
Callie gave a deep huff and flopped down next to Giles’ feet, resting her chin over his ankle.
The following morning, Lucas’
eyes widened as his father walked into the living room. “Dad?”
Giles offered him a smile,
glancing at Buffy who was sitting next to Lucas on the couch. “It looks worse than it is, son.”
Lucas’ bottom lip trembled as
his eyes took in the deep purple bruise on the side of his father’s face. Giles’ smile faded and he moved quickly
across the room, sitting next to Lucas and wrapping his left arm around the
boy’s shoulders.
“Lucas, I’m okay…I
promise.” He closed his eyes as Lucas
broke into sobs, wrapping his small arms around his father and holding on as
tightly as he could. “Oh, Lucas…don’t
cry, son.”
As he stroked his son’s back, he
kissed the top of his head and met Buffy’s eyes. “The others?”
“We heard you get up…Braden and
Callie took Haddie and Evan into the playroom to work on their welcome home
banner for Ethan and Michael for a while before breakfast and school.”
Giles furrowed his brow. “Ethan and Michael?”
“Yeah…remember, I told you
yesterday afternoon that they were coming over? Presents for the kids from their trip?”
He shook his head slowly. “No…I don’t remember. But, it’s okay…”
“Is it?” Buffy asked softly, concern in her voice and
light fear in her eyes. “What do
you remember?”
He looked down at the eight year
old boy in his arms and sighed. “I
remember that we have things to discuss.”
He lifted his gaze back to Buffy’s and swallowed. “And…we’ll figure out the rest a little
later?”
Buffy shook her head as she looked
into his eyes. “No, I…”
“Please, Buffy.” He interrupted gently and pointedly glanced
at their son, whose sobs had started to ebb.
“This is far more important than some minor memory loss.”
She started to argue, but then
realized that he was right.
“Lucas?” Giles whispered softly, his large hand
rubbing the boy’s back lovingly.
Lucas took a deep breath and
pulled out of his father’s embrace. He
wiped the tears from his eyes and sat back on the couch, staring at his hands
as he wrung them nervously.
Buffy gently stroked his hair
with her fingers, her voice tender when she spoke. “Talk to us, Lucas. Tell
us what’s wrong…please?”
Lucas bit his lip as he thought,
a gesture that reminded Giles of Buffy.
With a heavy sigh, he spoke…but refused to raise his eyes.
“Your shoulder’s hurt too…but,
it’ll be okay. It’s just purple…darker
than the bruise on your head though.”
Giles nodded in agreement. “How did you know that?”
“I dreamed it.” Lucas answered hesitantly. “I do that sometimes.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Buffy questioned, careful not to make him
think that she was blaming him.
Lucas shrugged his shoulder and
exhaled deeply. “I didn’t want you to
think I was a freak.”
Giles placed two fingers under
his chin and tilted his head up, forcing Lucas to look at him. “We would never think that you’re a
‘freak’, Lucas. Never.”
Lucas’ eyes glistened. “That’s what Bay said, but…”
“You were still scared?” Buffy asked, running the backs of her
fingers over his tear-stained cheek.
Lucas nodded as he looked into
his mother’s eyes. “Yeah. But, maybe if I had said something…maybe
Daddy wouldn’t be hurt.”
Giles smiled and shook his
head. “No, I probably would have done
the same thing.”
Lucas looked at him, his brow
furrowing in confusion. “Why?”
Giles glanced at Buffy and his
smile grew. “It’s…my duty.”
“Huh?”
Giles ran his fingers through
his son’s wavy hair. “As your mother’s
Watcher, it’s my duty to protect her as best I can.”
“Even if that means you get
hurt?” Lucas asked, his eyes wide with
surprise.
“Well, I try not to get hurt.”
“Tommy’s dad doesn’t get hurt as
much as you do.” Lucas said, an almost
sad tone in his voice.
Giles felt his heart crack a
little. Lucas was beginning to learn
the differences between his family and the families of his friends. As much as he and Buffy wanted their
children to have normal lives, they never would be completely normal.
Knowing Giles was at a loss for
words, Buffy placed a kiss on Lucas’ head.
“That’s true, Lucas. But…think
of it like this…”
She waited until Lucas turned
his green eyes to hers before she continued.
“Daddy may get hurt once in a
while, but he gets hurt while helping to keep you and your friends safe.”
Lucas thought about that for a
moment and then tilted his head.
“Tommy’s dad doesn’t fight demons.”
“No.” Buffy replied, a smile forming on her face. “But, your dad does…so, he’s bound to get
hurt once in a while, but he’ll be okay.”
Lucas turned to look at his
father, his eyes darting to the bruise that spread over his left ear, and bit
his bottom lip again. “Promise you’ll
be okay?”
Giles knew that he couldn’t make
that promise to his son. He knew that
one day one of the demons that he and Buffy faced might well take his life from
him. But he also knew that he needed to
reassure Lucas. And so he used the
tactic that his mother used to use on him when he was younger and asking
difficult questions…he deflected.
“Promise you’ll tell us about
your dreams? You don’t have to tell us
about all of them, but if they scare you…and you think they could come true…”
Lucas smiled, the first real
smile he’d given all morning, and nodded.
“I promise.”
Giles returned the smile and
pulled Lucas onto his lap, wrapping his arms around him in a loving
embrace. Lucas didn’t seem to notice
that Giles hadn’t actually promised that he’d be okay.
But, Buffy did.
She understood why Giles had
deflected the request and as she met his eyes, she smiled and mouthed three
words to him. She could easily read the
love in his eyes as he mouthed the words back.
She knew that he couldn’t make
that promise to their son. But, she
knew that he’d try his best to be okay.
* * *
After their talk, Giles had sent
Lucas off to get ready for school.
Buffy had talked him into having a shower, hoping that the warm water
would soothe his aching shoulder. He
had asked her to join him, but she just merely laughed at his half-hearted
offer stating that in the shape he was in, it probably wasn’t the best idea
he’d ever had. Besides, she needed to
get breakfast started…Braden and Lucas’ bus would be by in forty-five minutes.
And now, he stood in the
shower…alone, with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company. He had to admit that the hot water pelting
off his shoulder felt wonderful.
Whereas his head stung where the shampoo had found its way into the
laceration above his left ear.
He leaned forward and rested his
forehead against his left hand, which was pressed against the shower wall. He sighed in pleasure as the water hit his
shoulder and then flowed down his back.
It was then that he thought of Buffy’s concern when he couldn’t remember
that Ethan and Michael were coming over today.
He closed his eyes and tried to
remember every detail of the previous day that he could. Maybe he’d be able to find out exactly how
extensive the lapse in his memory was.
He’d told Buffy not to worry about it, but he couldn’t deny the fact
that he was worried as well.
He remembered Buffy cleaning his
wound…and the minor disagreement that followed. He remembered his children, his friends…he could recall all
birthdays and dates of major events in his life. He smiled sadly as his brother’s birthday popped into his head.
He counted to twenty in each of
the five languages he was fluent in. He
ran through a mental inventory of the weapons cabinet that was in the basement
of their house. A list of demons
scrolled through his mind…complete with descriptions of their appearances and
weaknesses.
Obviously, his memory loss
wasn’t severe. With a soft sigh, he
started thinking of the previous day…starting from the moment he had woken
up. His heart began to race as he thought
of that moment. Buffy’s mouth sliding
up and down his morning erection as she coaxed him out of sleep.
Feeling his cock begin to stir,
he forced his mind to move forward.
Breakfast…eggs,
pancakes…coffee. The kids’ laughter as
Buffy told one of the worst jokes Giles had ever heard. Braden excited about the fact that it was
‘Academy day’, Lucas grumbling over the fact that he didn’t want to go to
school.
Giles lifted his head and
narrowed his eyes in thought. Lucas
never grumbled about school. He made a
mental note to talk to Buffy about this…
Haddie was asking why she only
went to school three days a week and Evan had been giggling…as was his
habit. Callie was sitting next to Evan,
patiently waiting for the pieces of food that the child would accidentally drop
to the floor.
Breakfast yesterday morning was
what it normally was…a happy family affair.
It was also one of Giles’ favourite times of the day.
And then he’d driven to
work…singing along with the songs on the radio. He’d had a meeting with the Board…Ian Galvin and Marissa Tyler, the
Watcher and Slayer stationed in Bangkok, had successfully dispatched of a nest
of Rock Lobster demons.
He chuckled softly and turned
his back to the warm spray of water.
They weren’t really called Rock Lobsters, but that’s what Buffy had
named them…much easier for her to pronounce than Rochelobseteria Demons.
After the meeting, where it was
recommended that both Ian and Marissa be rewarded for their efforts, he’d had
to face a fair amount of paperwork. And
in the middle of that, Anya had wandered into his office complaining that the
weather was not amenable to her being pregnant.
He remembered
Buffy had been home alone. Braden and Lucas were at school, Haddie and
Evan were spending the day with Joyce, who had taken a well-deserved week off
work. He had grinned and tossed
And so, after sidestepping
Anya’s questions of why he was going home and ensuring both of them that they
could reach him on his mobile in the event of an emergency, he led Callie out
of the Council building and to the car.
Giles furrowed his brow as he
shut the water off in the shower and stepped onto the bathmat, reaching for his
towel. He remembered the drive home, he
remembered Callie barking at the motorcycles as they passed by, he remembered
walking into the house and taking his very surprised wife into their bedroom.
He smiled as he dried his
body. He had no trouble remembering
what had taken place in their bedroom.
He remembered the phone ringing about an hour and a half after he’d
gotten home. Anya was apologetic as he
answered the phone, but had to tell him of the report of the Quandesh demon she
had just received.
Apparently one had been spotted
early that morning…just as dawn was breaking.
Chances were, it would make another appearance that night.
Giles slipped into his robe as
he recalled telling Anya that he and Buffy would have a look after dinner. And that was where his memories
stopped. He felt his heart begin to race. He didn’t remember picking the children up
from school. He didn’t remember having
dinner. He didn’t remember leaving the
house for patrol.
His eyes widened as he glanced
in the mirror.
He didn’t remember who had
stayed with the children. And he didn’t
remember fighting the Quandesh demon at all.
Everything was lost from the moment he’d gotten off the phone with Anya
until Buffy was cleaning the blood from his head.
He took a deep breath and came
to another decision. Instead of running
into the kitchen, as had been his first thought, he’d go get dressed and then
have breakfast with his family. He was
sure that Buffy would insist that he take the day off…he was also sure that she
wouldn’t have to insist much.
He’d wait until Braden and Lucas
left for school, catching their beloved school bus, and then he’d have a talk
with Buffy. He needed to know, as did
Buffy, exactly how big the gap in his memory was.
As they sat on the back porch, Buffy
glanced at her husband, who was busy watching Haddie and Evan play in the
backyard. She had known something was
bothering him when he’d come back into the kitchen after his shower, but he
told her that he’d talk to her later about it.
In Buffy’s mind, it was later.
“Giles?”
“Hm?” He mumbled, smiling as Callie knocked over Evan causing Haddie to
laugh hysterically.
“What’s wrong?” She asked hesitantly.
His smile faded and he shot a
quick glance in her direction before the squeals of his youngest son drew his
eyes back to the yard. He took a deep
breath and rubbed his palm over his denim-clad thigh.
“What time did we come home last
night?”
Buffy narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know really. I mean, I was a little concerned about the
blood pouring from your head to worry about the time.”
Giles sighed heavily and looked
over at her. “Come here.”
“Tell me.” She whispered in response, her concern
growing at the tone of his voice.
“I remember looking at the clock
when we went to bed last night. It was
a little after midnight…”
Buffy nodded, silently moving
from the chair she was sitting in and walking around the small table that
separated them. “Yeah…we’d been
home…maybe an hour and a half?”
He took hold of her hand, gently
pulling her down to sit sideways on his lap.
“How long had we been home before you started cleaning my wound?”
“Thirty minutes tops. You wouldn’t let me look at it until you had
checked on the kids. Giles…”
He mentally calculated the lapse
and exhaled slowly. “Nine hours…give or
take.”
“What?”
He licked his lips and glanced
out at the yard when he heard Haddie’s voice rise. Realizing she was only scolding Evan for kicking down her sand
castle, he looked into Buffy’s eyes.
“I don’t remember anything after
Anya calling to tell us about the Quandesh demon…until you were taking care of
my wounds.”
Buffy’s eyes glistened. “What?”
“Who stayed with the children
last night?”
“Mom.” She shook her head in disbelief.
“You don’t remember anything?”
“No.” Giles answered softly.
“You don’t remember picking the
boys up from school?”
“No.”
“You don’t remember the
conversation during dinner? Braden was
so excited and was telling you everything he’d learned at the Academy…and then
you were telling him funny stories of your early days at the Academy…” She looked at him expectantly, her throat
constricting as he slowly shook his head.
“No, Buffy…”
A single tear rolled down her
cheek as her voice lowered to a whisper.
“What else don’t you remember?”
Despite the seriousness of the
situation, he chuckled as he lovingly wiped the tear from her skin. “I don’t know, love.”
She stared at him incredulously
for a moment. “Why are you
laughing? This is serious, Giles! I mean…nine hours is a long time!”
“Yes.” He agreed as he stifled his laughter, placing his right hand on
her knee. He gave a small cough and
then cleared his throat. “However…nine
hours is much better than ten, or a day, or a week, or…”
“Okay, I get what you’re saying.” Buffy interrupted with a huff. “And you’re right…”
Hearing her hesitation, Giles
tilted his head slightly and looked into her eyes. “But?”
She sighed heavily, lifting her
left hand and running her fingers through his hair. “Nothing.”
“Buffy…” His hand gently squeezed her knee in a
reassuring manner. “Please tell me.”
She was tempted to make
something up, but knew that he’d see right through any lie she’d try to tell
him. Instead, she took a deep breath
and shifted her body on his lap so she could rest her head on his left
shoulder.
His left hand gently stroked her
back and side as he waited for her to gather her thoughts. Just as he was getting ready to tell her
that it was okay to be upset, her whispered statement left her lips…just loud
enough for him to hear.
“You don’t remember making love
to me.”
He looked down at her, his brow
furrowing. “Of course I do. Anya called after – ”
“No. Before we left on patrol…after Mom took the kids out for ice
cream…you made love to me.”
Giles swallowed, the sadness in
her voice tearing at his heart. “I’m
sorry, Buffy…”
“It’s not your fault. And…I’m not angry about it, Giles.” She lifted her head and stared into his
eyes. “I swear, I’m not angry. It’s just…there was this whole incredibly
hot and passionate and sweet experience that we shared…and you don’t remember
it.”
He thought for a moment before
lifting his right hand from her knee and moving it to the side of her face, his
thumb lovingly caressing her cheek.
“Maybe if you were to tell me
about it, it might help me remember.”
She raised an eyebrow as felt
his erection harden slightly against her thigh. “And…what are you thinking about right now?”
“Making love to you.” He answered simply.
“Giles…”
He lowered his hand from her
face, allowing the backs of his fingers to brush over her breast as he moved
his hand to her thigh. “There’s nothing
wrong with my memory now.”
“Um…we have two very inquisitive
children playing in the yard…”
He glanced at her lips as he
slowly rubbed her thigh. “Think we
could talk them into having a nap?”
Buffy snorted a laugh and shook
her head. “At nine-thirty in the
morning? I doubt it.”
His hand stopped moving and he
exhaled slowly. “Very well. Perhaps we should continue this later,
then?”
“Mm-hm…definitely should.” She answered, sliding her fingertips down
the side of his neck before she carefully extracted herself from his lap.
When he started to protest, she
smiled and gestured to the chair next to him.
“Probably safer if I sit there for the time being.”
He scoffed as he gently rubbed
his shoulder, which had begun to ache again.
“I’m perfectly capable of controlling myself, Buffy.”
She grinned as she sat down next
to him. “Maybe I’m not.”
Before he could respond to her
statement, her grin faded as she looked at his shoulder. “Hurting again?”
“Hm? Oh…somewhat.” He glanced out into the yard and narrowed
his eyes. “Evan! No!”
Buffy stood up quickly as Giles
leapt out of his chair, a glare firmly in place on his face. She nearly laughed at the innocent
expression on their youngest child’s face as he looked towards his father.
Evan smiled and waved with his
right hand, a bucket of sand held in his left.
“Hi, Daddy!”
Giles shook his head as he
pointed at the bucket. “Don’t ‘hi,
Daddy’ me, young man. Just what do you
think you’re doing?”
“Pourin’ sand on Haddie’s
head.” Evan answered truthfully.
Buffy snorted, turning her head
so that Evan wouldn’t see her smile.
Giles bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. When he felt that he had regained his
control, he cleared his throat and started down the steps leading into the yard.
“And why, pray tell, would you
pour sand on your sister’s head?”
Evan narrowed his eyes and gave
his father a look that said it should be perfectly understandable. “ ‘Cause I a san’ monster.”
“You’re a sand monster?” Giles questioned, a smile in his eyes as
Evan nodded enthusiastically. “Well,
how about the sand monster not pour sand on his sister’s head?”
Evan sighed and glanced down at
the bucket of sand. “But, then I won’
be a san’ monster. I just be Evan with
san’.”
Giles chuckled and knelt on the
ground so that he was eye-level with his son.
“Is it necessary that the sand monster pours sand over his sister’s
head?”
“Well, that’s what a san’
monster does.”
“Mm.” Giles murmured and met his daughter’s smiling eyes. “Well, what if you and Haddie build a sand
city…and then the sand monster demolishes the city? Because, you see…monsters are known for their destructive
behaviours.”
Haddie tilted her head
slightly. “How do you know so much
about monsters, Daddy?”
Giles hesitated for only a
moment before offering his daughter a warm smile. “I read a lot.”
“You read about san’
monsters?” Evan asked, his green eyes
wide with excitement.
Giles grinned, looking up when
he felt Buffy’s hand on his shoulder.
He nodded slowly as he looked into Evan’s eyes again.
“Sand monsters are misunderstood
creatures. People get scared of them
because they’re so big, but they’re really nice.”
Haddie stared at her father in
disbelief. “Nice people don’t break
buildings, Daddy.”
Buffy snorted, earning her a
glare from Giles. She shrugged and ran
her fingertip along his ear. “Well, she
has a point…”
Giles sighed heavily and shook
his head. “The sand monster doesn’t mean
to destroy things, but it’s so big that things get in its way.”
“Like Callie when she tries to
go in our cubby house?”
Giles grinned at his little
girl. “Exactly like that. She doesn’t mean to knock over your dolls or
anything, but she does because she’s too big to be able to move properly.”
Haddie and Evan thought for a
few moments before smiling at each other.
Haddie handed him an empty bucket and pointed towards the tap next to
the small garden.
“If you get some water, I’ll
help you build the city.”
Evan’s smile grew broader as he
grabbed the bucket and dropped the one full of sand. Evan ran towards the tap, stopping suddenly and looking back over
his shoulder.
“You an’ Mummy help us?”
Giles smiled adoringly and
nodded. “We’ll help. Just make sure you turn the tap all the way
off, okay?”
Evan nodded quickly, his green
eyes shining brightly. “I will! An’ then we buil’ a city an’ I can break
it!”
Buffy chuckled as she sat down
on the edge of the sandbox. At Giles’
unspoken question, she grinned.
“He pronounces his h’s very
well…but, I think we need to work on his d’s.”
Giles nodded in agreement as he picked
up one of the unused shovels and began shovelling sand into a bucket. “I had the same problem when I was his age.”
“And listen to you now.” Buffy offered, the tone in her voice
bordering on lust.
He looked up quickly and
swallowed. “Buffy…”
“Just saying.” She answered with a tender smile.
“Positive it’s too early for an
a-p-n-a-y?” He replied, spelling the
word carefully as his eyes darkened a shade.
Haddie looked up and furrowed
her brow. “Apnay? What’s a apnay?”
Buffy laughed as Giles merely
smiled. Evan ran back over to the
sandbox, water sloshing over the rim of the bucket.
“What’s funny?”
Haddie shrugged her
shoulders. “Daddy asked if it was too
early for a apnay and Mummy laughed.”
“A apnay?”
“I think it’s ice cream with
applesauce.”
Evan wrinkled his nose. “Yuck.”
“Quite.” Giles agreed as he laughed. “Why would you think it was ice cream with
applesauce?”
“Because it sounds like ‘sundae’
except for the ‘ap’ sound at the front.”
Giles considered her explanation
and then kissed her cheek. “Rest
assured, I was not talking about ice cream with applesauce.”
Haddie breathed a sigh of
relief. “Good, ‘cause that sounds
really yucky!”
Their laughter continued as the
sand city was built. And their laughter
grew when the sand monster ‘accidentally’ demolished all of the buildings in
the city…with the help of ‘
As they rebuilt the city for the
third time, Giles met Buffy’s gaze and sighed.
His shoulder was aching, his headache was threatening to come back…but,
he didn’t care. She offered him a
loving smile, the promise of an early ‘apnay’ for the kids blazing in her hazel
eyes.
“Giles…you need to be careful…”
He lifted his mouth from her
neck and smiled as he leaned back against the headboard. “I’m being careful, Buffy.”
She trembled as his fingers
slipped through her wet folds, her knees resting on either side of his
hips. “I just…don’t want…oh,
God…Giles…”
“What don’t you want,
love?” He whispered as his fingertips
teased her.
She rocked against his hand,
holding on to his left shoulder as she dropped her left hand to his erection. A smile formed on her lips when she heard
his soft groan.
“I don’t…want to hurt you…”
He licked his lips and slipped
two fingers inside of her, growling softly as her hand instinctively tightened
around his hardened flesh. “I’m fairly
certain that you’re not hurting me.”
She glanced at his shoulder as
she rode his hand, her own hand stroking him firmly. The bruises had darkened during the day, the joint very swollen
and was slightly warm when she had tenderly pressed her lips to it earlier.
“Your shoulder…”
He inhaled sharply as her thumb
rubbed along the underside of his cock.
“You’re on top…my shoulder is a non-issue.”
She groaned as he pulled his
fingers from her and licked her juices from his middle finger before offering his
ring finger to her. She stared into his
eyes as she sucked his finger into her mouth.
She smiled inwardly when she felt his cock thicken in her hand.
“Last night.” He muttered, his eyes focused on her tongue
as she licked his palm.
“Mm?”
“Tell me about last night.”
She placed a warm, open-mouthed
kiss on his palm as she gazed into his eyes.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything.” He whispered thickly, dropping his hand to
cover hers. He followed her movements
for a few strokes before gently pulling her hand away. “I want to come inside of you, Buffy.”
She smiled and took a deep
breath, leaning forward and tugging at the ring in his left ear with her
teeth. For ten years, he only wore this
earring. For their tenth anniversary,
she had gotten him a diamond stud…which looked gorgeous on him. He alternated the jewellery…changing them
when he felt the urge.
She loved them both…but, in
instances such as this, she preferred the ring. She tugged again and chuckled softly when he groaned in
pleasure. Yes, in instances such as
this…the ring suited her needs much more than the stud ever could.
“Buffy…”
She released the earring,
remembering that he wanted to know what he had forgotten. Her lips grazed his ear as she whispered to
him.
“Do you want to know how you
brought me in here and slowly undressed me?”
He answered by moving his hands
to her hips and pressing his fingers against her flesh.
She placed a soft kiss just
under his ear and gently rolled his right nipple between her forefinger and
thumb. “Do you want to know how you
leaned over me…your mouth moving over every inch of my skin?”
“Buffy…” He hissed as she pinched his nipple and
rubbed her core against him.
“Or do you want to know how you picked
me up and sat me on the dresser…pushing your hard cock into me as your teeth
bit the scar on my neck?”
His eyes darted towards the
dresser, his mind supplying the image invoked by her words. “Dear Lord…yes, Buffy…”
Buffy raised her hips, quickly guiding
his erection into her. They both moaned
as she slid back down, taking his entire length. She held still for a moment, content to feel him deep within her
as she gazed into his eyes.
“You fucked me, Giles. You fucked me so hard…until I was so close. And then…”
He swallowed hard and slid his
hands to her back. “And then?”
“Just as I was getting ready to
come, you brought me back to the bed.
And made love to me so…tenderly…so slowly.” She began to rock against him, sliding both of her hands up his
chest…but careful not to touch his right shoulder. “And then…you talked to me.”
He moved his hands down her back
to rest on her firm buttocks. Squeezing
the flesh with his fingers, he closed his eyes and thrust upwards. “What…what did I…Christ, Buffy…”
She looked down at his face and
felt a sudden rush of love and desire for him.
His head leaning against the top of the headboard, eyes clenched
shut…the artery running down the right side of his neck standing out in high
relief as he struggled to hold on.
Slowing her pace, she pressed
her lips to his forehead and ran her fingers through his damp hair…careful not
to scrape her nails over the healing laceration on the side of his head.
“I love you.” She whispered, moving her lips down the side
of his face.
“I love you, Buffy. My God, I love you.” He whispered back, his tone urgent as his
fingers tightened their hold.
“Please…please, don’t stop…”
Realizing how close he was, she
ran her tongue over his bottom lip, giving it a gentle nip with her teeth.
“Touch me.”
His eyes snapped open and met
her gaze. Sliding his left hand from
her hip to their union, he leaned forward just enough to capture her lips once
more as his fingers found her swollen clitoris.
She reacted immediately to his
touch, groaning into his mouth and gripping his uninjured shoulder as her pace
quickened. If his tongue hadn’t been in
her mouth, he would’ve moaned her name as he rubbed her clit, pushing her
closer towards orgasm with each stroke.
But it was…and he had no intention of removing it.
Instead, a growl rumbled in his
chest and he pinched her aching nub between his thumb and forefinger. Her left hand moved to the back of his head,
her fingers scratching his scalp as her movements became frenzied.
His growl gave way to a groan as
her inner muscles tightened around him, quivering as her orgasm crested. When she threw her head back to cry out his
name, his mouth latched onto her throat.
And when he pinched her clit once more, her cry turned to a scream as
she flooded his thrusting cock with her juices.
Her orgasm was all it took for
him to release himself deep within her.
His teeth scraped over her throat, her name mumbled against her skin as
he came forcefully.
They came down slowly, bodies
seeming to melt into one another as they fought for their breath. They held one another tightly, lips brushing
against skin as whispered words of love were barely heard over their breathing.
“Please tell me…you’ll remember that.” She murmured.
He chuckled softly, his hands
rubbing her back. “For the rest of my
life.”
She lifted her head and looked
into his eyes. As her trembling fingers
stroked his cheek, she smiled. “You
know…I believe that you will.”
As her fingers traced his lips,
his eyes sparkled. He had no doubt that
he would either.
* * *
“Buffy?”
“Mm?” She answered sleepily, snuggling against his chest.
And then she sighed as her hand
brushed the waistband of his pajama pants.
As much as she loved their children, she did miss the luxury of lying
naked in their bed…especially after making love in the afternoon.
“Have you ever heard Lucas
grumble about going to school?”
Buffy snorted a laugh. “He’s your son. He gets upset when there’s a break.”
“Yesterday morning…he didn’t want
to go.”
Hearing the concerned tone in
his voice, she tilted her head to look up at him. “What do you mean?”
Giles carefully rolled onto his
back and took a deep breath. “He wanted
to come to work with me.”
“Well…” She sighed softly and folded her arms over
his chest, resting her chin on them.
“He’s always liked going to work with you. Maybe it’s just been a while since he’s been able to…and he
misses it.”
“It was different than
that.” He replied, his hand absently
stroking her back. “When I explained to
him that he needed to go to school…he…”
“Grumbled?”
Giles met her eyes and
nodded. “It struck me as odd at the
time, but then…so many different things started happening.”
“Giles?” Buffy questioned, knowing that he wasn’t
telling her everything.
He exhaled slowly and looked
towards the ceiling. “I went through a
phase when I was around his age…I didn’t want to go to school.”
Buffy arched an eyebrow. “You?
Really?”
He nodded silently, his eyes
narrowing slightly.
“Why?” She asked quietly.
“Marty Charmichael.”
Buffy’s brow furrowed in
confusion. “Huh?”
“He…” Giles took a deep breath and then continued, his eyes still fixed
on the ceiling. “He was the school
bully. Two years older than me…and
fairly cruel for a ten year old boy.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “You were bullied?”
“Mm. Quite mercilessly for nearly a year. Mum had to argue with me every morning to get me to go to
school. For a long time she thought it
had to do with Ewen being sick.”
Buffy was quiet for a moment,
her fingers lightly stroking his chest.
“What happened?”
“One day he pushed me too
hard. And…I pushed back.” He swallowed and met Buffy’s eyes. “He learned fairly quickly that he was not
to discuss my brother in any shape, form, or fashion. A few months after that, I was sent to the Academy to begin my
training.”
“Do you know whatever happened
to Marty? And… ‘Marty
Charmichael’? That’s a name that just
asking for the child to have problems later in life.”
To her surprise, Giles gave a
soft chuckle. “Yes, quite.”
A small smile played on Buffy’s
lips. “So, what became of him?”
“Hm? Oh…” He cleared his
throat and brushed a strand of hair back from her face. “Because he was so humiliated that a nine
year old gave his eleven year old arse a complete thrashing…he fell into a
rougher crowd in an attempt to regain his status as school bully.”
Buffy’s smile grew
slightly. “Yeah?”
“The gang that he joined…and I
use the term ‘gang’ very loosely. They
were merely a small group of roughneck youths whose greatest feat was to steal
bread and lollies from the corner store.
They wouldn’t know how to deal with a true gang if they met one. Anyway, the gang that he joined had an
initiation process.”
When he hesitated for a moment,
Buffy’s smile began to fade.
“Part of this,
uh…initiation…consisted of spending an entire night in the cemetery.” Giles licked his dry lips and then continued
softly. “Marty’s body was found the
next morning. A…pack of dogs, they
said…had mauled him to death.”
Buffy’s mouth dropped open.
“My best friend at the time…my
roommate at the Academy, Clive Croydon…he staked Marty when he attacked us as
we were walking back to the dorms from the football field one evening.”
“Giles…”
He coughed lightly and exhaled
slowly. “Clive saved my life that
night. From a demon that I was
responsible for creating.”
Buffy shook her head
quickly. “You can’t possibly think
that!”
He offered her a warm
smile. “Oh, not now. But, it’s amazing what a ten year old can
blame himself for when he’s pushed into a life that he doesn’t want.”
Buffy thought over the story he
had just told and inhaled sharply. “You
think that Lucas is being bullied?”
“I’m not sure. I think that we should talk to him…because
him grumbling about going to school in uncharacteristic of him.”
The words had barely left his
mouth when their bedroom door swung open.
As two well-rested children jumped onto the bed, Giles gave his wife a
smile that said they would finish the discussion later. Buffy gave him a nod and laughed as Evan
launched himself at her.
“You sleeped too?”
Buffy chuckled and kissed his
cheek. “Slept. And yes…Daddy and I needed a nap as much as
you and Haddie did.”
Callie jumped onto the bed and
joined in the fun, playfully knocking Evan down to the mattress. Buffy met Giles’ eyes and smiled.
Sure they had to make sure they
were dressed when they were in bed…but, would she trade that luxury for this?
She laughed heartily as Haddie
blew a raspberry on her father’s chest.
No, she wouldn’t. Not in a million years.
Haddie and Evan jumped up and
down excitedly when they saw the school bus at the end of the street. Haddie turned and grinned at her parents,
who were sitting on the front steps of the house.
“Do I get to ride the bus with
them when I go to school every day next year?”
Buffy laughed at the horrified
expression on Giles’ face and then gave her daughter a wink. “We’ll talk about it when it gets closer to
time, okay?”
Haddie nodded quickly and glanced
at Callie, who was lying calmly next to Giles with her head on his thigh. “How come Callie doesn’t want to jump around
with us?”
Giles smiled softly. “Oh, she wants to. But, we’re teaching her that it’s better manners to wait.”
Evan stopped jumping immediately
and looked at Giles. “Better not ta
jump?”
Giles chuckled and shook his
head. “It’s quite alright for you to
jump…not so much for a dog.”
Evan laughed brightly and
resumed his jumping. He pointed at the
approaching bus and giggled.
“Is gettin’ closer!”
Giles chuckled and leaned back,
resting his back against the wooden handrail post. He looked down as Buffy slid closer to him and placed her hand on
his thigh, her fingers brushing along the inner seam of his jeans.
“Buffy…”
“Huh?” She asked, genuinely puzzled at the warning tone of his
voice. “What’s wrong?”
It was then that he realized
that she wasn’t aware of what she was doing.
He smiled and covered her hand with his, stilling her movement.
“Probably shouldn’t be doing that
right now…”
She glanced down at their hands,
a smile forming on her face when her eyes wandered to his groin. “Sorry…I didn’t realize I was…um…”
“It doesn’t take much,
love.” He whispered, giving her hand a
gentle squeeze before releasing it. “Come
on, now…the bus is almost here.”
“Is here! Is here!”
Evan shouted in excitement.
Giles arched an eyebrow as he
smiled. “See?”
Buffy laughed and removed her
hand from his thigh, turning her eyes to watch their two youngest children
greet their two oldest. Braden rolled
his eyes as he jumped off the last step and into the yard, but laughed as Evan
tackled him. Lucas handed something to
Haddie, who smiled brightly at him, before dropping his bag and joining in on
the wrestling match with his two brothers.
Haddie ran over to her parents,
waving the construction paper covered piece of posterboard. “Look what Lucas made for me!”
Buffy smiled as she looked at
the artwork. Lucas had obviously put a
lot of effort into it. It was basically
a snapshot of what was going on in the front yard right now…made from
construction paper.
Buffy traced Haddie’s image with
her finger, sighing softly. “Haddie?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you ever wish you had a
sister?”
Giles cast a quick glance at his
wife, who was looking intently at their daughter. Haddie met Buffy’s eyes and furrowed her brow.
“Is that what you and Daddy were
doing? Making a sister for us?”
Giles coughed heavily and
Buffy’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
Haddie shrugged a shoulder and
ran her tiny hand through her golden locks.
“Braden said that sometimes when a Mummy and Daddy lay down for a nap,
they make a baby. You and Daddy had a
nap, did you make another baby?”
Before either Buffy or Giles
could answer that question, she quickly asked another.
“How do you make a baby
anyway? Braden wouldn’t tell me that
part. Is it magic?”
“Magic?” Buffy asked, smiling at Giles’ panicked
expression.
“Yeah, like…is it a doll and
then you make a real baby from it?”
“Not exactly.” Buffy offered, curling a strand of Haddie’s
hair around her finger.
That seemed to satisfy her
curiosity for the moment, a fact that surprised both Buffy and Giles. She took a deep breath and smiled as she
watched her brothers play.
“I don’t think I want a sister,
Mummy.”
“Why’s that, sweetie?”
Haddie looked up at her and gave
her a brilliant smile…the smile she had inherited from her father. “If I have a sister, then I won’t be the
only princess anymore.”
She handed the handmade portrait
to Buffy and climbed down the stairs, running off to play with the boys. Buffy watched her, leaning against Giles and
placing her hand back on his thigh.
Giles cleared his throat,
causing her to look up at him. She
smiled sweetly and rubbed his leg.
“You okay?”
“Hm? Oh…yes.” He smiled gently
and took a deep breath. “That was…a
little closer than I was expecting.”
Buffy chuckled, lightly scraping
her nails over the denim. “You know
that she’s going to ask soon, right?”
He sighed heavily, placing his
hand over hers and, once again, stopping her movement. “Yes.
Which means you’ll finally have a turn at ‘the talk’.”
“But…you’re so good at it.” Buffy protested playfully. “I mean, you’ve done it twice already…you’re
like a pro or something.”
He gave her a mock-glare and
shook his head. “That was the
deal. I’d talk to the boys, you’d talk
to the girls. You’re not getting out of
it, Buffy.”
She laughed heartily, leaning up
to give his lips a light kiss before settling against him and watching their
children…and Callie…play happily in the front yard.
* * *
After a quick afternoon snack,
all four children ran off to the backyard to finish their banner for Ethan and
Michael. Buffy had gone outside to
supervise the use of the paint that the children were using. Giles pulled a bottle of beer from the
refrigerator and sat down on the couch, smiling as Callie jumped up beside of
him.
“Just us for right now,
Cal.” He spoke softly as he lovingly
rubbed her head.
Taking a long drink from the bottle,
he allowed his eyes to roam over the pictures lining the mantle. He sighed softly as his gaze rested on the
most recent family portrait. It had
been a fairly relaxed shoot…and it showed.
It was probably one of Giles’ favourite pictures of his family.
They were all sitting on the
floor, Buffy and Giles smiling at one another…their four children surrounding
them, playing with one another…Callie sitting next to Giles, her paw resting on
his thigh. For a professional
photograph, it was extremely candid.
And that’s what he loved about
it.
He smiled as he looked down at
Callie and rubbed his thumb over one of her ears. Her brown eyes were bright, her tail thumping against the
cushions, as she smiled back up at him.
Giles chuckled, remembering how long it took for Buffy to believe him
that Callie was indeed smiling.
Suddenly, Callie looked towards
the front door. Giles chuckled again as
he stood up and drained the bottle, finishing just as the doorbell rang.
She jumped off the couch and
followed him to the door, sitting obediently as he swung the door open. Her tail began wagging even harder when she
saw the visitors.
Ethan’s smile disappeared
quickly as he saw the large bruise on the left side of Giles’ head. “What the hell happened?”
“It looks worse than it
is.” He stepped back from the door and
smiled warmly as Ethan rushed in, Michael right behind him. “How was your trip?”
“Yeah, good.” Ethan muttered. “Tell me what happened.”
Giles sighed and glanced down at
Callie, who was still sitting but becoming impatient. “Would you please say hello to Callie? I’ll grab a few beers and then…I’ll explain why I look such a
state.”
* * *
Giles rolled his eyes as Ethan
carefully slipped his fingers into his hair.
“Ethan…”
Ethan ignored him, parting the
hair to get a better look at the laceration.
Narrowing his eyes, he glanced at Buffy. “He didn’t need stitches?”
Buffy snorted a laugh and took a
sip of her husband’s beer as she leaned back in the chair. “Oh, it probably did. But, he was being difficult. The bleeding stopped on its own though…I’ve
been checking it for any signs of infection.”
Giles pulled away from Ethan and
gave him a glare. “I told you…I’m
fine.”
Ethan arched an eyebrow as Giles
grimaced from the movement. “Yeah…I
always look like I’m in pain when I’m fine.
Ask Michael…it happens all the time.”
Michael tilted his head
slightly, carefully regarding Giles.
“You hurt your shoulder as well?”
“Mm.” Giles mumbled, taking his beer back from Buffy and glancing at
the children playing happily in the yard.
“I landed on a rock or something when I fell.”
“Brick.” Buffy stated, causing Giles to look at
her. “You landed on a brick. Well, more like a cinder block than a brick. You’re lucky you didn’t break something.”
Michael bit his lip as he
thought. He caught Ethan’s eye and
asked a silent question, turning back to Giles when Ethan had given a silent
answer.
“Would you mind if I had a look
at it?” At Giles’ questioning look,
Michael continued. “I…well, I was in
medical school for a couple of years before I decided to become an accountant.”
Buffy smiled. “Doctor, accountant…pretty big change
there.”
Michael returned her smile. “Not so much. I still take things apart and fix them…it’s just numbers instead
of bodies.”
Giles chuckled at that and
slowly unbuttoned his shirt. As the
material fell from his injured shoulder and Michael knelt on the floor to get a
better look, Ethan gasped.
“Jesus…”
Buffy nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I tried to get him to let me
take him to the hospital…”
Giles winced as Michael gently
prodded the bruised and swollen flesh.
“I didn’t want – ”
His sentence was interrupted by
footsteps clambering up the stairs to the porch, followed by a sharp gasp.
“Dad?”
Giles turned his head quickly,
finding Lucas’ eyes brimming with tears as he stared at his father’s
shoulder. “Lucas…I’m alright. Come here.”
Lucas moved slowly, his eyes not
straying from the purplish-black colored skin.
“I…I don’t remember it looking like this.”
Ethan’s brow furrowed. “What’s that, mate?”
Lucas swallowed and glanced at
Ethan, shrugging his shoulder. “It
didn’t look this bad in my dream.” His
eyes darted to Michael, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Is it going to be okay?”
Michael nodded slowly, offering
the boy a tender smile. “I’m pretty
sure it’s just bruised, Lucas. It’s
bruised badly…”
Giles sighed in
exasperation. “I’ve always bruised
badly.”
Ethan thought for a second and
then smiled. “Yeah, that’s true
enough.”
“Is it broke?” Lucas asked, gliding his fingertips over the
top of his father’s shoulder.
“Broken.” Giles corrected automatically in a gentle
tone. “And, no…I’m fairly certain that
it isn’t broken. But, why don’t we ask
Dr. Michael?”
Lucas looked at Michael
expectantly. “Is it broken?”
Michael shook his head, his
smile growing. “No, just swollen and
sore. Basically, it means that he won’t
be able to throw a ball with you for a while.”
Lucas looked confused. “Why not?
He’s left-handed…like me and Haddie.”
Michael chuckled. “My mistake. I forgot that he’s left-handed.
In that case, it just means that he’ll be a bit sore for a while.”
“Okay.” Lucas took a deep breath and looked into
Giles’ eyes and smiled. “I love you.”
Giles’ eyes twinkled. “I love you too. Oh…how was school today?”
Lucas grinned, his green eyes
sparkling with excitement. “Great! Miss Quigley said I’d make a good drummer.”
Giles narrowed his eyes in
confusion. “I’m sorry?”
“Oh, we were having music class
and I was hitting my pencil against the desk.
She said it sounded good and that I should talk to you about it. ‘Specially since Bay plays guitar…and she
knows you used to be in a band.”
Buffy’s eyebrows rose. “And how does she know that?”
Lucas smiled shyly. “I kinda told her. Can I? Tommy’s learning
piano. Can I learn drums? Please?”
Buffy and Giles exchanged a
quick glance, a decision made within seconds.
Giles nodded slowly, his fingers buttoning his shirt back up but leaving
the top three buttons undone.
“On one condition.”
Lucas grinned. “What?”
“Will you tell me why you wanted
to come to work with me yesterday instead of going to school?”
Lucas’ grin faded and he took a
deep breath. “I thought maybe if I stayed
with you…you wouldn’t get hurt.”
Giles breathed a sigh of relief
and quickly pulled his son into his arms.
Michael noticed the tears in Giles’ eyes and looked at Ethan. Ethan arched an eyebrow at his husband,
plainly stating that he wasn’t sure what was going on, and then looked at
Buffy. Buffy looked from Giles to
Ethan, her own eyes glistening.
Gently rubbing Giles’ back,
Buffy cleared her throat and answered Ethan’s unspoken question. “We’ll explain a little later, okay?”
Ethan nodded slowly and sat back
in his chair, running his fingers through Michael’s hair when Michael lowered
himself to the porch floor and leaned his back against Ethan’s leg. “Everything’s alright though, yeah?”
Buffy smiled warmly, watching
her husband kiss their son’s cheek.
“Yeah…everything’s okay.”
“Some would say ‘nearly
perfect’.” Giles added, lifting his
head and nudging Lucas. “Go on…go
play.”
Lucas grinned and took off back
into the yard, stumbling on the last step.
He picked himself back up, dusted the loose dirt from his jeans, and
took off again…without even the slightest whimper.
Ethan chuckled, causing Michael
to turn his head upwards to look at him.
Ethan laughed again and shook his head in amusement.
“He’s a clumsy kid. I’m pretty sure I know what side of the
family that came from.”
Buffy snorted as Ethan started
chuckling once more. Even Michael
grinned as Giles narrowed his eyes and stared at his best friend.
It was only a few seconds before
his glare softened and his own laughter joined the mix. Any residual concern about his memory loss
slowly dissipated. What was nine hours
compared to a lifetime? It still
bothered him that he wasn’t able to remember certain aspects of the missing
nine hours, but there was nothing he could do about it.
He glanced at Buffy, his smile
widening as she laughed at Ethan’s retelling of one of his travelling
adventures with Michael.
He’d just have to make more
memories tonight to take the place of those he’d lost. He relaxed in his chair and rested his hand
on her thigh. She looked up at him with
desire in her hazel eyes as she covered his hand with hers.
He gave her a slight nod and
gently squeezed her leg as he turned his attention back to Ethan and
Michael.
Yes, he’d do what he could
tonight.
~ End