Title: Unravelled
Author: Froxyn
Rating: FRAO
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Timeline: Five months after Thirty.
Synopsis: Patience isn’t always a good thing.
Giles woke to the
sensation of Buffy’s tongue circling his nipple. He groaned softly and opened his eyes when he
felt her warm fingers slip underneath the waistband of his pajama pants and
wrap around his erection. Buffy lifted
her head and smiled.
“Sorry…I just
couldn’t help myself.”
He returned her
smile, his breath catching as she began to stroke him. “What…what time is it?”
“A little after
three.” She rubbed her thumb over the
head of his cock as she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “Had a dream…woke up.”
His right hand slid
under the shirt she had worn to bed, gliding across her skin until it covered
her left breast. “Good dream, I hope.”
“Mm.” She sighed as he gently massaged the firm
flesh. “Oh yeah…great dream.”
He rolled her nipple
between his thumb and forefinger, smiling as she gasped. “So, you woke up aroused and decided to
molest me?”
She stared into his
eyes, tightening her grip on his erection and giving it a firm stroke. “Something like that. Is that okay with you?”
His hips thrust of
their own accord as he nodded. “God,
yes.”
She grinned as he
whimpered in protest when she suddenly released him. Placing a kiss on his chin, she hooked her
fingers under his waistband.
“Relax. I just need you naked.”
He swallowed, lifting
his hips as she tugged his pants down his legs.
He watched her closely as she moved down the bed, pulling his pants
completely off and tossing them to the floor.
When she lowered her head and flicked her tongue against the head of his
erection, he inhaled sharply.
“Christ…”
Her eyes sparkled in
the moonlight shining through the bedroom window as she took him into her
mouth. He reached out, running his
fingers through her hair to move it out of the way. He loved the current length of her hair, but
it did have the tendency to obscure his view.
And, oh how he loved to watch her lips slide up and down his hard shaft.
When he whispered her
name, Buffy met his eyes but continued bobbing her head. He licked his lips and moved his hand to her
cheek, his thumb brushing her upper lip.
“Come here.”
She mumbled an
incoherent sound that he took as her saying ‘no’.
“Please.” Giles whispered urgently. “Please come here.”
She sucked hard as
she moved her mouth up his length, allowing it to slip from her lips when she
reached the glans. She licked her lips
as he groaned loudly.
“How close are you?”
“Close enough.” He panted heavily, grabbing her arm and
pulling her up his body. “I’m hoping you
woke me to make love, because I desperately want to be inside of you.”
She nodded quickly,
straddling his hips and pressing her wet core against his erection. “I definitely want to make love with you.”
He took hold of her right
hand and brought it to his lips, kissing and then licking her fingers. He met her eyes and smiled when he tasted her
essence on her middle finger.
“Did you make
yourself come?”
“Nearly.” She whispered, rubbing her core along his
cock. “Decided I wanted you to make me
come instead.”
“How?” He asked softly, slipping his hands
underneath her shirt and slowly pushing it up.
“How do you want me to make you come?”
She raised her arms,
allowing him to remove the shirt, leaving her completely naked on top of
him. “I want it slow…nice and slow…”
He smiled and dropped
the shirt from his hands before carefully pushing himself up. He ran his fingers through her hair as he
leaned back against the headboard.
“You are so
beautiful.” Giles whispered as he leaned
forward, dropping a soft kiss onto her lips.
“I’m sure I’ll never know what I did to deserve your love, but every
single day I thank whoever is listening for the fact that you’re mine.”
“You know what you
did, Giles.” She lifted her hand, tracing
his cheek with her fingertips. “You
loved me…unconditionally. I screwed up
so many times when I was younger…”
“We all do,
love. It’s part of being young.”
She shook her head
slowly, moving her fingers to his lips.
“I gave you so many reasons to not like me, to be disappointed in
me. And you only gave me your support,
your shoulder to cry on if needed.”
“I’m your Watcher,
Buffy. That is a small part of my duty
to you.”
She smiled and kissed
him slowly, combing her fingers through his hair. She nipped his bottom lip with her teeth as
she ended the kiss with a sigh of contentment.
“
Giles smiled,
covering her right breast with his left hand.
“
She arched against
his hand, moaning softly as he increased the pressure of his
ministrations. “God, that feels good…”
“Did I ever tell you
about the dream I had after one particular ice cream fest?”
She shook her head as
he rolled her hardened nipple between his fingers. She could feel the fingers of his right hand
tracing indistinct shapes over her ribcage.
“No. When?”
He wet his lips with
the tip of his tongue before he began.
“Your father had
cancelled your birthday plans…for the third year in a row. I felt so badly for you. And you ranted and raved over a carton and a
half of chocolate chip cookie dough.”
She shifted on his
lap, sighing when she felt the head of his erection brush across her
abdomen. “I remember that. You were so patient…listening to me bitch
about how men were just stupid and – ”
He chuckled softly,
nodding as he gently pinched her nipple.
“I remember stating that not all men were stupid.”
“Uh-huh.” She moaned, scratching her nails against the
back of his neck. “Your dream?”
“Christ, I love it
when you do that…”
She stared into his
eyes and grinned. “If you don’t tell me
about your dream, I’m not doing it again.”
A smile played at his
lips as his right hand moved to her left breast. He gently massaged both, his eyes darkening
as she gave a pleasurable growl.
“You were having a
bad day, I’m unable to recall the reason.”
He smiled as she arched an eyebrow at him. “Of course, the reasoning isn’t important in
this instance.”
She reached between
their bodies and rubbed the hard shaft pressed against her stomach. “Get to the good part, Rupert.”
He smiled, moving his
hands to her back and rolling their bodies until she was on her back and he was
kneeling between her thighs. “The ice
cream had melted in the time we had spent kissing, touching, and undressing
each other.”
He glanced at her
chest as his hands caressed her inner thighs.
“I drizzled it onto your nipples…down your stomach…covered your golden
curls with it.”
He leaned over her,
flicking his tongue against her nipple.
A grin formed as she groaned. “I
started with gentle licks…like this.” He
carefully circled the hardened nub with the tip of his tongue. “And then…”
She grabbed at his
back as his mouth closed over her nipple.
He sucked, licked, nibbled at the sensitive flesh until he felt her
nails claw at his skin. He lifted his
head and gave her a smile before following the imaginary trail down her
stomach.
“Giles…”
“It was so sweet,
almost too sweet. And so very
sticky.” He gently parted her lower lips
with his thumb and forefinger. “There
wasn’t much left, but what remained I poured over your clit. Your hips arched towards me, begging me to
taste you…”
He lay down between
her legs and kissed her inner thigh before whispering huskily to her. “And so I did.”
The words had barely
left his lips before he sucked her clitoris into his mouth. Her hand flew to his head, holding him to her
as he pushed two fingers inside of her.
He didn’t thrust, just enjoyed the sensation of being inside of her as he
sucked and nibbled at the throbbing flesh in his mouth.
Her head thrashed against
the pillow as his tongue laved her clit.
“God, Giles!”
Giles felt her inner
muscles tighten around his fingers. He
moved quickly, removing his fingers from her and sliding up her body. He covered her mouth with his, nudging his
tongue between her lips as he slowly pushed his hard cock into her.
He gently rocked his
hips against her, breaking the kiss and smiling down at her. “My cock was so hard when I woke up from that
dream.”
She raised her legs,
resting her knees against his sides.
“What did…oh, yes…just like that…”
He supported his
weight with his left hand on the mattress, using his right to tenderly play
with her nipple. “What did I do?”
“Uh-huh.” She mumbled as he lengthened his strokes, but
kept his slow pace.
“Masturbated as I fantasized
about precisely what we’re doing now.”
He looked into her darkened eyes and sighed. “Christ, how I wanted to make love with you
then.”
“Should’ve…should’ve
told me…” She whispered, lifting her
hips to meet his thrusts.
He shook his head slowly,
sliding his right hand down her body.
“You were barely nineteen…and seemingly happy to be in someone else’s
arms at that time.”
She gazed at him
through passion-glazed eyes, sliding her hand over his sweat-dampened
chest. “Seemingly…key word…”
“I love you so very
much, Buffy.”
At his thickly
whispered admission, her orgasm crashed over her. He rode it out, increasing his pace as her
inner walls spasmed around him. He
groaned and lowered his mouth to her collarbone.
Buffy gripped his
back with her right hand, using her left to lovingly stroke the back of his
head. “Loved you then…love you now. Giles…oh, God…yes, baby…”
He grunted against
her skin, feeling his own orgasm quickly approaching. When she wrapped her legs around him and
whispered for him to move faster, he lifted his head and groaned her name.
He complied with her
request, pushing harder…faster into her.
When he felt her nails scrape across his back, he shuddered and came
deep within her as her fluids bathed his cock for a second time.
He slowed his thrusts
gradually, lowering his mouth to hers.
Just as their lips touched, the phone rang. She whimpered, his groan rumbled in his
chest. He rolled to the side and grabbed
the offending object on the third ring.
“H’lo?”
He smiled as Buffy
curled her leg over him and ran her fingers through the hair on his chest as
she kissed his shoulder. His smile faded
as the caller began to speak.
“Mr. Giles, I do
apologize for calling so late. This is
John Franklin, head of your surveillance team in Camrose.”
“Yes? Is there a problem?” He pushed himself up and reached over to the
bedside table, flicking the lamp on.
Buffy sat up quickly,
concern etched on her face.
John Franklin sighed
heavily. “Yes, there is, sir. You are aware of the obliteration of Three
Hills that took place five months ago?”
Giles narrowed his
eyes. “I vaguely remember something
about that. A factory exploded, setting
off a chain reaction within the town, right?”
John cleared his
throat. “That was the initial report,
sir. We sent a team down to
investigate. It’s normal procedure when
something of this magnitude takes place so close to a Hellmouth.”
“You said ‘initial
report’. Did your investigation find
something else?” Giles asked warily.
“Yes, sir, it
did. We found evidence that shows magick
was involved.” John hesitated for a
moment before continuing. “We tracked it
back to Camrose.”
“Dear Lord.” Giles whispered, swallowing thickly. “
John exhaled
deeply. “That is another issue,
sir. Three hours ago, he left his
residence. I sent two men to follow him,
as per our orders. My men came back and
reported that Mr. Stockton had driven his car off a cliff. I have a search team out there now
investigating the wreckage.”
Giles cleared his
throat. “Search, but no rescue team?”
John hesitated for a
moment. “There was no way he could have
survived the crash, Mr. Giles. We’ve
just searched his residence and found a suicide note. It also stated that he was behind the Three
Hills tragedy.”
Giles’ eyes widened,
alarming Buffy. “Did he give a reason
for obliterating an entire town?”
“No, sir.” John sighed softly.
“Call Brooks and
advise him. Keep me updated with any
further details.” Giles requested
softly, but with authority.
“Yes, sir.”
Giles stared at the
phone as John disconnected the line. He
cleared his throat and slowly met Buffy’s eyes.
“Mitchell Stockton is
presumed dead.”
Buffy stared at him
in shock as he conveyed the entire conversation to her. Neither of them were able to get any more
sleep that night.
Two days later, Giles
was in his office organizing a new Watcher for the Slayer stationed in
Giles sighed
sadly. Kyle Perry had been two years
behind him in the Academy. Giles always
found it difficult when a Watcher or Slayer were killed, but it was even harder
when it was a friend.
He signed his name to
the bottom of the form and walked over to the fax machine. Jalaja, Kyle’s Slayer, was purported to be in
a state of shock. She and Kyle had been
well-matched and their bond had formed quickly.
Bryan Vance would never take Kyle’s place in Jalaja’s soul, but he would
train her well.
As he turned towards
his desk, he noticed a figure standing in the doorway. He looked up and stopped his movement, his
mouth dropping open slightly.
Mitchell Stockton
chuckled and pushed himself from the doorframe and entered the office. “I look pretty good for a dead guy, huh?”
Giles studied the man
carefully before shaking his head.
“You’re not dead.”
“You killed over
three thousand people five months ago.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“I’m rather sure that
mass murder wouldn’t have been my first choice.” Giles responded, narrowing his eyes.
“But, I’m not
you.”
“I suppose you’re
going to tell me whether I say yes or no.”
Giles didn’t move,
didn’t allow his sudden panic to be seen.
But, he felt it rush through him.
And he felt his heart begin to race when Mitchell Stockton pulled a gun
out of his pocket and pointed it at him.
* * *
Ethan laughed as he
held the door to the stairwell open for Michael. “Rupert offered me a job one time, but I
turned it down. I’m…just not the nine to
five type.”
Michael walked
through the door and hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. “I don’t really have that much experience
with…” He gestured vaguely. “All of this.
I didn’t even know this stuff existed until I met you.”
Ethan smiled and
placed his hand on Michael’s back in a supportive gesture as they climbed the
stairs. “I doubt that you’d have many
dealings with the demons themselves.
Rupert needs a good accountant on his team…one that he can trust. You’re one of the best in
“How much money are we
talking about here?” Michael asked
quietly.
Ethan grinned as they
reached the second floor. “More than – ”
He jumped back,
pulling Michael with him as the stairwell door slammed open. A man roughly pushed Ethan out of the way
before running down the stairs at top speed.
Michael grabbed Ethan to steady him.
“Was…did he have a
gun?”
Before Ethan could
answer him, sirens sounded within the Council walls. Ethan’s eyes widened.
“Shit! Rupert!”
He rushed out of the stairwell and ran down the hall towards Giles’
office, Michael right on his heels.
Michael stopped just
inside the office doors, his mouth dropping open in shock. Ethan cursed loudly and ran to the centre of
the room where Giles was laying, the midnight blue of the carpet taking on a purplish
hue as the blood soaked into it.
“Fuck! Rupert…”
He fell to his knees at his friend’s side and pointed towards the
desk. “Michael, scissors…now!”
Michael got his feet moving
and rummaged through the desk, quickly locating a pair of scissors which he
handed to Ethan. As Ethan cut Giles’
shirt open, Giles opened his eyes.
“Buffy…protect…”
“God, Rupert…what the
hell happened?” He glanced down,
immediately seeing the wound on the right side of Giles’ chest. “That fucker shot you?”
“Ethan…you…you need
to listen.”
Ethan looked into
Giles’ eyes and shook his head.
“No…don’t you fucking die on me now, you bastard.”
Giles ignored him,
continuing to speak…wanting to get things out before he passed out. And he could quickly feel himself becoming
lightheaded.
“Protect Buffy and
the children. She…she’ll want to give me
her blood…it must be purified before the transfusion.
Ethan swallowed
thickly and spoke three words in an ancient language as he pressed his hand
over the wound. Michael’s eyes widened
as a shimmering light appeared on the opposite side of the room.
“What the hell?”
“It’s a portal. I need you to go through it.” Ethan answered quickly.
Michael stared at
him. “What?”
“It’ll open in their
living room. Tell Buffy you’ll watch the
kids. She needs to be here now.” He reached into his pocket with his free hand
and pulled out his mobile phone. As he
flipped it open and punched in
“Michael, you’ll be
safe.”
Michael glanced from
Ethan to the portal and back to Ethan.
“Are you sure?”
Ethan nodded
quickly. “I’d never put you in harm’s
way, Michael. Please, we need Buffy here
now.”
“Rupert’s been
shot.” He sighed softly as Michael took
a deep breath and stepped into the portal.
“Oh my God! Is he…”
“He’s alive, but he’s
lost a lot of blood.” He cursed as Giles
closed his eyes. “Fucking wake up,
Ripper!”
“Ethan?”
“
“I do. I’ll be right there.”
Before he could say
anything else,
“Come on,
Rupert…don’t do this. Just…just hold on,
okay?”
“Buffy…” Giles mumbled almost inaudibly.
“She’s coming. Stay with me here.” Ethan whispered, fear gripping his heart.
* * *
Buffy had just
checked on Haddie and Evan. They were
sleeping peacefully, their afternoon nap.
She’d made herself a cup of tea and was heading back into the living
room. She bit back her startled scream
as Michael walked out of a portal in front of her. Michael glanced around the room, seemingly
surprised. But, Buffy also saw the panic
in his eyes.
“Michael? What’s going on?”
“I…Ethan sent me to watch
the children. You…” He gestured at the portal behind him. “You need to go through that. Rupert’s been hurt.”
Buffy dropped the mug
of tea she was holding. “Is he…”
“You need to
hurry. Please.”
Hearing the urgency
in his voice, she jumped into the portal.
Michael sat down on the couch and fought back his tears. “God, I hope it’s not too late.”
* * *
Ethan looked up as
Buffy screamed her husband’s name. He moved to kneel above Giles’ head,
maintaining the pressure on the hole in his chest.
“I’ve called the
doctor.”
Buffy fell to the
floor and gently stroked Giles’ cheek with her trembling fingers. “Giles?
Baby, wake up for me.”
When he didn’t stir,
she turned her tear-filled eyes up to Ethan’s.
“What happened?”
“I’m not exactly
sure. He mentioned a name…
“Oh, God. The kids – ”
Ethan shook his head
quickly. “As soon as the doctor gets
here, I’ll put a protection spell on you and the children. Rupert’s orders.”
Hearing a shocked
gasp, they both looked to the door to find a teary
Only when Ethan
looked down at his blood-covered hands did he allow his tears to finally
fall. He tried to listen to the others,
but found he could only catch snippets of the frenzied conversations.
As Giles’ unconscious
body was transported onto a gurney and pushed out of the room, Ethan raised his
eyes towards the ceiling and whispered a heartfelt prayer to anyone who might
be listening.
“Please, don’t let
him die.”
He felt a warm hand
on his shoulder and met Xander’s concerned eyes. “You can ride with us.”
Ethan slowly shook
his head. “I…I have to place a
protection spell on their home…their children.”
Anya gestured towards
the portal. “This is to their house,
right?” When Ethan nodded, Anya took a
deep breath. “It’ll only take you a few
minutes, we’ll wait.”
“Michael’s with the
children.” He whispered as he
stood. “I…should stay with him.”
Without another word,
he walked into the portal and vanished from the room. Anya took Xander’s hand and led him to the door.
“Do you think he’s
going to be okay?”
Xander sighed heavily
and glanced back and the dark patch on the carpet. “I don’t know.”
* * *
Michael looked up as
a bloodstained Ethan came out of the portal.
He stood up quickly and pulled Ethan into his arms.
“Are you okay?”
Ethan bit his lip and
glanced down at his ruined clothing. “A
lot of blood, this is. Where are the
children?”
“Braden and Lucas are
at school. Haddie and Evan are taking a
nap.” He answered as he placed his hand
on the side of Ethan’s face. “Is he
going to be okay?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.
If they can get Buffy’s blood into him in time, he’ll have a better
chance.” He leaned into Michael’s touch
and closed his eyes. “I…should get
cleaned up. We’ll pick up Braden and
Lucas…and then I’ll call…someone…to see if they want us to bring them to the
hospital.”
Michael sighed
softly. “Ethan, are you okay?”
A tear rolled down
Ethan’s cheek. “Not at the moment, no.”
Michael leaned
forward, placing a tender kiss on Ethan’s lips. “I love you.”
“I love you
too.” He swallowed the lump in his
throat. “Do you think…well, would you
mind coming with me? I’d like to talk to
you while I’m in the shower.”
“Of course,
love. I’ll just check on Haddie and Evan
first, okay?”
Ethan nodded numbly
and headed towards the bathroom. Michael
watched him and then exhaled deeply. He
knew about Ethan’s past with Giles. He
knew that Ethan was in love with Giles at one time. He also knew that Ethan still loved Giles to
some extent. He couldn’t imagine what
Ethan was going through, but he did know that he would do whatever he needed to
do to help Ethan.
The blood glowed
brightly for a few moments, just like Giles had said it would. When the glow dissipated, she knew that the
purification spell had been successful.
She looked up at the
Council medic and smiled softly. “It’s
ready.”
The young man raised
an eyebrow. “And why did it need to be
purified?”
“If a Slayer and her
Watcher have formed their bond, there is a side effect that comes with the
healing powers when the Slayer’s blood is given to the Watcher. We’ve been there, done that…really don’t
wanna go there again.”
“Oh.” He answered uncertainly.
She gestured to the
two bags of blood. “You need to go with
that now.”
“Right.” He replied nervously, grabbing the bags and
running from the room.
Xander was whispering
to an obviously upset Anya. Xander’s
eyes were red,
“Hey.”
Buffy’s hand trembled
as she reached up to wipe the tears from her face. “I’m scared, Will.”
“I know, Buffy. We all are.
Listen, the medic just took your donation into the operating room.”
Buffy turned to her
friend. “The purification…does it lessen
the potency of the healing aspect?”
“What if he doesn’t
make it, Will? What am I supposed to
do?” Buffy whispered as fresh tears ran
down her cheeks.
“The kids! Oh, God…what if
Buffy was interrupted
by the ringing of her mobile phone.
Seeing the caller ID display Ethan’s name, she quickly answered.
“Ethan, are they – ”
“They’re fine,
Buffy. I’ve placed the protection spell
on the house…and the children, as well as you.”
He exhaled slowly, hesitating slightly before continuing. “How is he?”
“He’s in surgery
now. They just took two pints of my
blood in…I just hope I wasn’t too late.”
“Buffy…we’re…Michael
and I…we’re getting ready to pick up Braden and Lucas from school. Haddie’s already asking where the two of you
are. I…what do you want us to tell
them?”
Buffy thought for a
second, running her hand through her hair.
“Tell them Daddy’s had an accident.
And…and then bring them here.”
“Okay.” He replied softly, handing the car keys to
Michael. “We’ll have to take your car.”
Buffy nodded
absently, the tone of Ethan’s voice registering finally. “Ethan?
Are you okay?”
“Probably a little
better than you, but not by much.” He
cleared his throat. “We’ll be there in
about thirty minutes.”
“Ethan?”
“Yes, Buffy?”
She bit her bottom
lip and stared at the glass of juice in her hand. “Thank you for being there with him. For…for staying with him.”
“I couldn’t leave
him.”
With nothing more to
say, they whispered their goodbyes and ended the call.
“What are you going
to tell them? You know they’ll want to
see him.”
“I don’t know.” She turned her eyes back to the window and
shook her head. “I really don’t know.”
* * *
Braden’s eyes
glistened as he stared at his mother.
“Is…he’s going to be okay, though.
Right?”
When Buffy hesitated,
a tear rolled down his cheek.
“Mummy? Daddy’s going to be
okay?”
“I hope so, Ru. He was hurt pretty badly. But, the doctors are working really hard to
make him all better.” She reached out
and ran her fingers through his hair.
“Please don’t cry.”
Haddie looked up from
the picture book she was sharing with Evan, smiling brightly when she noticed
someone standing in the corner of the waiting room. She dropped the book and stood up, quickly
running across the room.
“Daddy!”
Buffy looked up
sharply, gasping as Haddie stopped suddenly and looked up, confusion etched on
her face. “Oh, God…no.”
Giles looked at Buffy
and sighed. He had meant to stay out of
his daughter’s sight, but he had momentarily forgotten that she was drawn to
spirits much the same way her mother was drawn to demonic activity.
He knelt quickly and
looked into Haddie’s eyes. “Hadley, I
need you to tell Mummy something very quickly, yes?”
Haddie reached out,
narrowing her eyes when she couldn’t touch him.
“Daddy?”
He glanced at Buffy
again, his heart breaking to see the tears stream down her face. He looked at their friends and realized all
of them were staring at Haddie with a look of shock on their faces. Braden’s bottom lip was quivering, Lucas was
asking Buffy what was wrong, and he heard Evan state that he couldn’t see
Daddy.
“Haddie, please. Listen to me.
Tell Mummy to remember that not all spirits are ghosts. Please, tell her now.”
Haddie gave him a
quick nod and looked over at her mother.
“Daddy says to ‘member that not all sprits are ghoses.”
When Buffy calmed a
little, he cleared his throat and smiled at Haddie. “I’m going to need your help, Haddie. I need you to tell Mummy some things, okay?”
Haddie smiled back at
him and nodded. “Okay. What?”
Giles sighed and
looked around the room. “Ask her to come
here, but I want you to talk quietly, okay?”
Haddie turned and
whispered softly. “Mummy, come here.”
Buffy took a deep
breath and pushed herself from the chair.
She made her way across the room and knelt at Haddie’s left side.
“Where’s Daddy?”
Haddie smiled and
pointed directly to her right. “Here.”
Giles spoke
quickly. “Tell her I’m alright. This is an O-O-B experience.”
“He’s aight. Is O-O-B
sperience.”
“Giles?”
Haddie looked to her
right and listened carefully before speaking.
“Daddy’s gonna dance with you on your anversry. An’ I need elcution lessons.”
Buffy chuckled as she
wiped her face. “I love you so
much. I got so scared when…” She glanced at Haddie and shook her head. “Earlier.”
“He knows. He loves you too.” Her brow furrowed. “Stod…stok…”
“
“He had enough time
to hit a buddon.”
Buffy swallowed and
looked into her daughter’s eyes. “How
does he look, Haddie?”
Haddie studied the
seemingly empty space and then shrugged a shoulder. “He looks like Daddy.”
Giles smiled and took
a deep breath, glancing over at the nine other people staring in their
direction. “Hadley? I need to go now, but…would you be able to
tell everyone something for me?”
Haddie nodded quickly
and listened intently.
* * *
Haddie smiled at
Ethan and Michael, the last two people her father said to give a message
to. “Daddy said thank you.”
Ethan closed his eyes
briefly, inhaling deeply as Michael gently rubbed his thigh. “Is he still here?”
Haddie looked around
quickly before shaking her head. “No,
said he had to go back.”
He glanced at Buffy,
reaching out to gently touch her arm.
“Are you okay, Buffy?”
“After the initial
feeling of fear? Yeah, I’m…” She trailed off as the doors leading to the
operating room swung open.
She stood up slowly,
wiping her suddenly damp palms against her jeans. She opened her mouth, but no words
formed. Instead, she waited until the
doctor stood in front of her.
“It took a lot of
work, but…he’s going to be okay, Mrs. Giles.”
He smiled as Buffy exhaled a deep sigh of relief even as tears filled
her eyes. “He’ll need some time to
recover, though we’ve been monitoring him for the past thirty minutes. His inner tissues seems to be knitting back
together quite rapidly.”
“My blood…” Buffy whispered quietly.
The doctor smiled and
nodded. “We’ve given him something to
keep him quiet for at least twenty-four hours.
Though the healing properties of the transfusion are seemingly successful,
he’s going to be in a fair amount of pain.”
Buffy furrowed her
brow. “Keep him quiet?”
The doctor looked
into Buffy’s eyes. “He’s in a
drug-induced coma for the time being.
It’s merely for his own protection.
He’ll fight the process if he’s awake.
This way, his body can heal without having to be in constant turmoil
with his mind.”
“Can…can I see him?”
“Of course.” He leaned forward and whispered softly in
Buffy’s ear. “Your children can come as
well, if you’d like. There’s nothing
that would frighten them. He simply looks
as if he’s asleep.”
“Thank you.”
* * *
Braden gripped his
mother’s hand tightly as they walked into the room. Buffy looked down and offered him a
reassuring smile.
“It’s okay, Ru. Daddy’s just resting.”
Lucas was the first
to make it to the bedside. He stared at
his father, studying him closely. “He’s
asleep.”
Buffy nodded as she
sat down in the chair next to the bed, Evan in her arms. “Yeah, he needs to rest. That’s the best way for the body to heal when
it’s been hurt.”
Lucas looked at her
curiously. “Like when you’re sick?”
Buffy smiled,
watching Braden as he made his way to the side of the bed. “Yeah, just like when you’re sick.”
Braden reached out
and gently stroked his father’s forehead.
He released a deep breath when he felt the warmth of Giles’ skin. As Haddie carefully climbed onto the bed,
Braden leaned over and kissed his father’s cheek.
“I love you, Daddy.”
Buffy held back her
tears. If the children saw her cry, it
would bring more questions than she had answers for at the moment.
* * *
Forty-five minutes
later Ethan and Michael quietly walked into the room. Xander, Anya,
“Hey.”
Ethan smiled
softly. “Hi. It’s getting late…I thought maybe you should
get the kids home.”
Buffy glanced at the
children, biting her lip as she looked at Giles’ face. “I should.
They’re all tired, but…I don’t want to leave him.”
Ethan nodded in
understanding. “Michael could take them
home and get them some dinner and ready for bed.”
“Yeah…”
Ethan gave Michael a
nod, sighing when each of the children gave their father a goodbye kiss. The process took another fifteen minutes and
Ethan smiled as Buffy promised them that she’d be home in time to read them a
bedtime story and tuck them in.
Michael picked up
Evan, rubbing the boy’s back as he laid his head on Michael’s shoulder. He looked at Ethan and gently kissed his
cheek.
“I’ll see you later.”
Ethan nodded
slowly. “Be careful. I love you.”
Michael smiled warmly
before returning the sentiment and ushering the children out of the room. Ethan cleared his throat and sat down in the
chair vacated by Braden and Lucas. He
glanced at Giles and then looked over the bed, meeting Buffy’s eyes.
“You could stay for a
while longer. I can…well, I can open a
portal here. You could be home in two
seconds…back just as quickly.”
“I don’t want to
leave him.” Buffy spoke quietly, moving
her gaze to her husband’s face. “What if
he wakes up and I’m not here?”
Ethan sighed and
shook his head. “Buffy, you heard the
doctor. He’s not going to wake up until
they let him. Your children need you
right now.”
“I know. And I need them as well. It’s just…”
Tears filled her eyes as she looked back up. “I don’t want to leave him here alone. What if
“There’s a manhunt
going on right now for
“Are you sure?”
Ethan nodded
slowly. “Of course, I’m sure. I’ll leave the portal open.”
“Thank you.” She looked back at Giles and sighed
sadly.
Nearly ninety minutes
later, Buffy sighed heavily. She reached
over and tenderly ran her fingers through Giles’ hair.
“I need to go home,
honey. Ethan has a portal open that
leads straight to our house, so I can get here pretty damn quick if I need
to. I don’t want to go, but…Michael’s
with the kids and I promised them I’d be home in time to read them a story.”
She watched him
carefully for any sign of acknowledgement.
Seeing none, she leaned over him and kissed his forehead.
“I think you can hear
me. I know you can’t tell me if you can,
but…” She swallowed the lump in her
throat. “Ethan’s going to stay here with
you. I’ll be back in a little while, okay? I love you, Giles. I love you so much.”
She pressed her lips
to his, a tear spilling onto her cheek when she felt no reaction from him. Ethan placed his hand on her back and
whispered her name.
She didn’t take her
eyes off of Giles as she spoke. “He’s
never not kissed me back. Even…even when
he’s been sick or sound asleep…he always kisses me back.”
“This is a little
different, love.” Ethan offered.
She nodded and slowly
lifted her eyes to Ethan’s. “I know,
it’s just…even though I know, I wasn’t expecting it. It just looks like he’s asleep, you know?”
“Theoretically, he
is. It’s just a deep sleep, is all.”
“You’ll let me know
if anything changes?” She asked in a
worried tone as she lovingly stroked Giles’ cheek.
“I promise, Buffy.”
She nodded absently
and kissed Giles’ forehead before whispering a soft ‘good night’ to him. Ethan sat down in the chair, watching as
Buffy moved towards the portal. With one
last look back at the bed, she breathed a heavy sigh and stepped into the
shimmering light.
Ethan leaned forward
and rested his arms on the edge of the bed.
“The doctor says everything’s gonna be okay, Rupert. Says the healing aspects of Buffy’s blood are
doing as they should. But, I have to
admit…I’m scared.”
He lifted his hand
and gently stroked Giles’ forehead with his fingertips. “I’m not used to seeing you this still. Even when you were unconscious when you were
coming down from your high on drugs and magicks, you were never this still.”
He watched for any
signs of movement, sighing when he saw none.
“I hope the doctor’s right, because…Buffy and the children need
you. And if I’m perfectly honest…I need
you too.”
Just as Michael
stepped through the portal and into the room, a grimace took over Giles’
features. Michael narrowed his eyes in
concern and quickly made his way to Ethan’s side.
“Is he alright?”
Ethan nodded and then
spoke softly. “I need you to help me
move him.”
“What?” Michael’s eyes widened. “We shouldn’t move him…he’s been shot and
spent three hours in surgery.”
“He’s having a
nightmare.” Ethan exhaled slowly and
looked up at his partner. “He always has
nightmares when he sleeps on his back. I
need you to help me move him onto his side.”
When Michael merely
stared at him, Ethan continued quietly.
“His right side would be ideal, but considering where he was…shot…his
left will have to do. We can…we can
place a few pillows behind him to keep him from rolling onto his back…”
Michael reached out,
lovingly caressing Ethan’s cheek as he whispered. “How many times did you share a bed with him
before you figured this out?”
“Four.” Ethan answered before standing. “He never would tell me what the nightmares
were about. But, after I figured it out
I was able to help him get a good night’s rest.”
Michael gave him a
nod and moved to the wardrobe in search of more pillows. Ethan watched him,
finding himself thankful to have him in his life. And even more thankful that Michael was
understanding when it came to his past.
Specifically, the past he shared with Giles.
“Michael?”
“Yeah?” Michael turned around with three pillows in
his arms.
Ethan hesitated and
then licked his dry lips. “Would
you…would you spend the rest of my life with me?”
Michael smiled,
grabbing a fourth pillow from the top shelf.
“I’d spend the rest of my life
with you.”
Ethan took a deep
breath and looked into Michael’s blue eyes.
“Will you marry me?”
Michael dropped the
pillows to the floor and stared at Ethan in shock. “Did you…did you just propose to me? In the middle of a hospital room where your
best friend is lying in a drug-induced coma?”
Ethan cleared his
throat and nodded slowly. “I’m rather
sure that I did. I know it isn’t
terribly romantic or – ”
“No, it’s not.” Michael agreed before a smile appeared in his
eyes. “But, it’s you. It’s purely an Ethan Rayne type of thing to
do. And…my answer is yes.”
Ethan released the
breath he’d been holding and smiled as Michael moved into his arms. “I do love you so, Michael.”
* * *
Somewhere deep in his
drug-filled mind, Giles laughed. Michael
was right…it was an Ethan thing to do.
His laughter ebbed as the nightmare began to form again. Hopefully, Ethan and Michael would remember
their task of turning him.
He wasn’t sure if he
could handle watching Mitchell Stockton shoot down his family again.
* * *
Four hours later,
Buffy walked back through the portal.
The children were sound asleep, but sleep couldn’t find her. She smiled softly. Ethan had remembered. She shook her head, knowing that it didn’t
surprise her.
The two chairs had
been placed side by side on the left side of Giles’ bed. Michael was sleeping, his head resting on
Ethan’s shoulder. Ethan was awake,
watching Giles as he continued to sleep.
“Hey.”
Ethan looked up
quickly, clearly startled. “Buffy,
hi. He’s…we moved him onto his side…”
“Nightmares, I
know. Thank you for thinking of
it.” She moved to the side of the bed
and combed her fingers through her husband’s hair. “No changes?”
“No.” Ethan gently shook Michael to wake him. “The kids?”
“Worried, but
asleep. I…have trouble sleeping if he’s
not there.”
Michael roused and
yawned as he stretched. “Ethan and I
will head over to your house. That way
you can spend some time with Giles and we’ll keep an eye on the children.”
Buffy smiled
appreciatively. “Thank you. There are fresh sheets on the bed in the
guest room. Sometimes Lucas has
nightmares, but…he’s like his father.”
“Does his right or
left side work better for him?” Ethan
asked as he stood up, slipping his hand into Michael’s.
“His right, just like
Giles.”
Ethan glanced down at
Giles and rubbed his hand over his weary eyes.
“Do you need anything before we leave?”
Buffy tilted her head
slightly as she looked at Giles. “Would
you be able to help me shift him over just a little? I can do it, but I’m worried about hurting
him.”
Ethan smiled
warmly. “I can do that.”
* * *
Buffy and Ethan had
been able to move Giles without much hassle and, seconds after Ethan and
Michael had slipped through the portal, Buffy carefully climbed into bed with
Giles. She wanted to wrap his arms
around her, but the various i.v. needles and tubings made that extremely
difficult. Instead, she snuggled as
close as she could and listened to the steady beeping of the heart monitor.
He looked peaceful,
and that helped her to relax. She bit
her lip when she thought back to the fact that his first thought was of the
safety of her and their children. He had
nearly died, lying on the carpet in a puddle of his own blood…and the first
thing he had thought of was his family’s safety.
It didn’t surprise her,
he had always put her well-being ahead of his…from the very beginning. She reached up and traced his lips with her
fingertips.
“We’re all okay,
Giles. Braden asked a lot of questions,
so did Lucas. I told them as much as I
could without really freaking them out.
Haddie and Evan just think that there was an accident and you were
hurt. Evan misses you…and doesn’t really
understand why Haddie could see you and he couldn’t.”
Her eyes filled with
tears as her fingers moved to his cheek.
“I was so scared when
I saw you lying there. I thought I’d
lost you. I know that with our lives and
everything, things happen. But,
Giles…this was a calculated attack on your life. He tried to kill you. And…”
She sniffled as a
tear rolled from the corner of her eye and fell to the pillow underneath her
head. “God, he almost took you from
us. They’re looking for him and I
honestly don’t know what to do when they find him. I mean…this is attempted murder, and I want
him to pay dearly for what he did to you.
But, then…if he’s terminated…in the Council way…he won’t remember what
he’s done.”
She sighed and moved
her hand from his cheek to rest lightly on top of the bandaged wound. “I just want you to wake up. I mean, I guess it’s for the best right now. The doctor’s right, you would fight
it…unintentionally, but you would. But,
I just want to see your eyes…hear your voice.
I love you, Giles.”
She inhaled deeply
and then watched him sleep for a while longer.
She felt her exhaustion creeping up on her and allowed her eyes to
close.
The drugs kept Giles’
body asleep, but not his mind. He had
heard every word she had said to him.
And more than anything, he wanted to hold her. He hoped that her sleep would be
restful. Unable to see her, he settled
for listening to her breathing change as she fell asleep next to him.
He could feel the
wound healing…stretching and pulling as the tissues knitted back together. It wasn’t painful, as such. It did itch, much like a scab itches when the
skin repairs itself at a slower rate.
When he felt Buffy’s
arm carefully slide over his side, he decided that it would be best just to go
back to sleep. Maybe once the doctor
checked his wound tomorrow, they would allow him to wake up.
He wanted to see his
family again.
Ethan sighed as
Michael placed a line of warm kisses down his torso. “I…I’m not sure we should do this here…”
Michael lifted his
head and smiled. “Kids are asleep, EJ.”
“I like it when you
call me that.” Ethan smiled back, running
his hand through Michael’s hair. “And,
it’s not so much that there are kids in close proximity…it’s just…this is
Rupert and Buffy’s house.”
“Mm-hm.” Michael mumbled as he slipped his hand under
the waistband of Ethan’s pajama pants.
“And you asked me to marry you, to which I said yes.”
Ethan groaned softly
as Michael’s hand wrapped around his erection.
“God, Mike…”
“You are the only
person I’ve ever allowed to call me ‘Mike’.”
Michael grinned as he slowly stroked the hardened flesh. “I want to make love with you, Ethan. And I want you inside of me so badly right
now.”
Ethan lifted his
hips, allowing Michael to pull his pants down his legs. When he felt Michael’s warm mouth slide down
his hard cock, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop. As Michael’s tongue flicked against the
glans, Ethan also knew that he didn’t want to stop.
Michael smiled
inwardly as Ethan’s fingers wound in his hair, Michael’s name leaving Ethan’s
lips on a hoarse whisper.
* * *
Buffy woke when the
nurse came in to check Giles’ blood pressure.
The nurse narrowed her eyes when she noticed Giles’ position on the bed.
Buffy smiled and met
the nurse’s eyes. “He sleeps better on
his side.”
The nurse returned
the smile and nodded. “Has he stirred at
all, Mrs. Giles?”
Buffy sighed softly
and shook her head. “No.”
Seeing the
disappointment in Buffy’s eyes, the nurse spoke softly. “It’s for the best at the moment. A fair amount of damage was inflicted by the
bullet, from what I understand.”
“Yeah, there
was.” Buffy replied in a whisper as she
looked at her husband’s face. “But, he’s
going to be okay.”
“He’s a very lucky
man.” The nurse stated as she recorded
the numbers onto Giles’ chart. “If it
were a little further to the left – ”
“I know.” Buffy sniffed back her tears. “Trust me, I know.”
The nurse sighed
softly. “Can I get you anything?”
“No. No, I’m good.”
The nurse nodded and
adjusted one of Giles’ i.v. drips. “If
you need anything at all, just let me know.”
“Thank you.” Buffy replied before placing a soft kiss on
Giles’ lips and settling back down next to him.
* * *
Ethan leaned over
Michael, flicking his tongue against Michael’s hardened nipple as he knelt
between Michael’s legs. Michael groaned
and reached down, grasping Ethan’s erection and stroking firmly.
Ethan’s head shot up
at the contact, thrusting his hips against Michael’s hand. “God, I love you…”
“I love you
too.” Michael whispered, shuddering
lightly as Ethan lowered his mouth to Michael’s neck. “Feels so good, Ethan…you feel so good…”
As Ethan nipped and
sucked at Michael’s skin, Michael grabbed the foil packet lying on the bed next
to their bodies. Ethan lifted his head
and whimpered as Michael let go of his cock.
“Relax, baby.” Michael grinned up at him as he ripped the
packet open. He quickly rolled the
condom onto Ethan’s erection and gave him another firm stroke. “I want you inside of me…”
Ethan shook his head
as he thrust his hips against Michael’s hand again. “We…have no lubrication, Mike…”
Michael’s smile
faded, he had completely forgotten that they weren’t in their own bedroom. “Oh…”
Ethan caressed
Michael’s cheek and dropped a tender kiss on his lips. “God knows how much I want to be inside of
you right now…I want to fuck you so badly…”
Michael groaned
softly at Ethan’s words.
“But, I…I can’t…not
without proper preparation.” Ethan
whispered softly.
Michael’s eyes
glistened, alarming Ethan somewhat.
“What is it?”
Michael shook his
head, placing his hand on Ethan’s neck. “Do
you know how many men that doesn’t matter to?”
“Yes.” Ethan replied sadly. “And if this were just sex…preferably rough
sex…it probably wouldn’t matter to me either.
But…I’m in love with you, Michael.
I want you, but I won’t hurt you in order to have you.”
Michael smiled
warmly, reaching down and carefully removing the condom. “There are other things we can do, EJ…”
Ethan closed his eyes
and gave a soft groan of pleasure as Michael pressed their erections against
one another.
* * *
Buffy had just begun
to doze back off when her mobile phone rang, alerting her to an incoming
call. She grabbed it from the table next
to the bed and flipped it open.
“Hello?”
“Mrs. Giles? This is John Franklin. Sorry to call so late, but I was told to
report to you while Mr. Giles recovers.”
Buffy sat up quickly
and glanced at a still sleeping Giles.
“Yeah, you’re the head of the surveillance team, right?”
“Yes, ma’am, I
am. Mr. Giles…is he alright?”
A brief smile
appeared on Buffy’s face at the sincere concern in the man’s voice. “He will be, thank you for asking. Have you found Mitchell Stockton?”
“Um, yes. Yes, we have.”
Buffy furrowed her
brow. “What’s going on, John?”
John cleared his
throat before continuing. “We had
“Had?” Buffy asked quickly.
“As we were loading
him into the van, he resisted quite violently.
He wrestled a gun from one of my men.”
John exhaled deeply. “We had no
choice but to take him down, ma’am.”
“He’s…dead?”
“I’m afraid so. I will be awaiting the Council investigation
team. I assume that you’ll want a full
investigation into
Buffy wasn’t sure
whether to be upset or relieved. She had
wanted to look the man in the eyes…she had wanted answers. Now those answers would never be given.
“I’ll make the
necessary arrangements. Have the body
sent to Council HQ as soon as possible.”
“Are you sure, Mrs.
Giles?”
“I’m positive.” Buffy answered with authority.
“Very well. I’ll have the body crated for transport as
soon as the investigation team releases it.”
“Thank you…for
everything, John.”
“You’re welcome, Mrs.
Giles. Send our well wishes to your
husband.”
As the line disconnected,
Buffy leaned over and kissed her husband’s forehead. “It’s over, honey. It’s over.”
The heart monitor
registered a slight change in Giles’ heartbeat as Buffy punched in Alan Brooks’
number. As next in command, he had the
authority to send the investigation unit out to meet Franklin and his team.
* * *
Ethan groaned as
Michael flipped him onto his back, taking his turn at thrusting his hips
against Ethan’s. He reached up and
gently pinched Ethan’s nipple.
“Ethan…”
“Mm…”
Michael smiled and
ground his erection against Ethan’s. “I
love the way your cock feels against mine…”
“Jesus, Mike…”
“I want to make you
come like this.” He leaned down and
flicked his tongue against Ethan’s bottom lip.
“And then…I want to come in your mouth.”
Ethan stared at him
through lust-glazed eyes. “Yes…oh yes…”
Michael lightly
nipped at Ethan’s lip with his teeth.
“How close are you? Are you going
to come for me soon?”
“Mike…” Ethan moaned, raking his short nails down
Michael’s ribcage.
“I only ask…because…God,
Ethan, I’m going to come soon…so soon.”
Ethan thrust his hips
up, increasing the pressure between them.
Three hard and fast thrusts later, Ethan cried out in ecstasy as his
orgasm hit. Michael looked down quickly,
watching Ethan’s semen splatter against his abdomen.
“God…” Michael moved down Ethan’s body quickly,
lapping at the thick fluid with his tongue.
Once he had cleaned
the come from Ethan’s skin, he pushed himself back up and covered Ethan’s mouth
with his own. Ethan plundered Michael’s
mouth with his tongue as he reached down and grasped Michael’s throbbing
erection.
Michael broke the
kiss quickly, realizing how close he was to his own orgasm. He straddled Ethan’s chest and gripped the
headboard.
“Now, EJ…please,
now…”
As Ethan slid his
lips around Michael’s cock, Michael thrust forward gently, pushing himself
further into Ethan’s mouth. Ethan sucked
hungrily, scraping his teeth against the sensitive flesh in his mouth.
Michael dropped his
right hand to Ethan’s head, winding his fingers in Ethan’s hair. “That’s it, baby…God, I’m going to come…”
Feeling Michael’s
cock thicken, Ethan sucked harder. Ethan
groaned when he tasted the salty sweetness of Michael’s come as he erupted in
his mouth. He swallowed quickly, grunting
around Michael’s softening cock as he felt a second, less violent, orgasm crash
over him.
Michael breathed
heavily as he pulled his flesh from Ethan’s mouth and collapsed beside of
him. He murmured softly as he rubbed
Ethan’s stomach lovingly.
“I’ve never been with
a man who could come more than once.”
Ethan stroked
Michael’s cheek with trembling fingers.
“You…are only the second person to make me come more than once…”
Michael didn’t have
to ask who the other person was. He knew
that Ethan was referring to Rupert.
Instead, he smiled and turned his head slightly to kiss Ethan’s palm.
“I love you, Ethan.”
Ethan smiled as he
pulled Michael into his arms. “I love
you too, Michael.”
Michael glanced at
the clock on the bedside table and sighed.
“We should get some sleep. I know
four children who will be up in a few hours demanding to see their parents.”
Ethan exhaled deeply
and nodded. “We should probably get
dressed as well. Just in case they
should come in to wake us up.”
Michael agreed and
climbed out of bed, grabbing both pairs of pajama pants that had been thrown to
the floor earlier. As he watched Ethan
slip into his, he smiled.
“EJ?”
“Hm?”
“Would you be opposed
to…well, I was thinking…”
Ethan raised an eyebrow
as Michael stammered slightly. “What is
it, Mike?”
Michael sat down on
the bed next to Ethan and placed his hand on Ethan’s thigh. “It’s stupid.”
Ethan tilted his head
and placed two fingers on the side of Michael’s face, gently turning it until
he was looking into Michael’s eyes.
“Tell me.”
Michael took a deep
breath and sighed. “I was thinking…of
maybe…changing my name.”
Ethan narrowed his
eyes in confusion. “What’s wrong with
‘Michael’?”
Michael chuckled
nervously. “No, Ethan. I was thinking of changing ‘Statler’ to
‘Rayne’.”
When Ethan’s eyes
widened in surprise, Michael began to speak quickly. “I mean, if you…well, if you don’t want me
to, I – ”
Ethan cut him off
with a kiss, pushing him down onto the mattress. He made it very clear to Michael that he had
no issues with him becoming a ‘Rayne’.
Ethan groaned as the
phone rang. He blindly reached over to
the bedside table and lifted the handset to his ear.
“ ‘Ello?”
“Hey.”
Ethan’s eyes opened
and he pushed himself up, immediately noticing that he was alone in bed. “Buffy.
Is everything – ”
Buffy cut him off
quickly with a small chuckle.
“Everything’s fine, Ethan. The
doctor is going to wake him up soon…apparently, his wound healed a lot
overnight.”
As Ethan breathed a
sigh of relief, Buffy continued. “Are
the kids up?”
Ethan listened and
heard the distinct sound of a child laughing.
“I believe so. I guess Michael
got up with them and left me to sleep.”
“He’ll want to see
them, but I was wondering if you would mind driving them instead of bringing
them through the portal.”
Ethan smiled
softly. “I wouldn’t mind at all,
Buffy. What time do you want us there?”
* * *
Giles opened his
eyes, squinting against the light.
“Buffy?”
“I’m here, honey.” Buffy whispered as she placed her hand on the
side of his face. “How are you feeling?”
He licked his dry
lips and leaned into her touch.
“Thirsty.”
“What do you
remember, Mr. Giles?” The doctor asked
as he removed the bandage on Giles’ chest.
He looked up as Buffy held a glass of water with a straw in it to Giles’
lips. “Small sips. I know you’re thirsty, but if you start
gulping you’ll make yourself sick.”
Giles took a sip of
the water, relishing the sensation of the cool liquid on his tongue. “I remember little of the actual
incident. I remember most of what
happened afterwards.”
Buffy furrowed her
brow. “What do you mean?”
Giles took another
sip and reached for Buffy’s hand. “I
remember much of what was said while I was sleeping.”
“Oh…”
Giles gently rubbed
his thumb over the back of Buffy’s hand and smiled. “I’m sorry I frightened you. I…I didn’t intend for Haddie to see me. But, once she did…I only wanted to reassure
you.”
The doctor raised an eyebrow,
but didn’t comment on that statement.
Instead, he inspected the nearly healed wound. “Everything looks wonderful, Mr. Giles. However, I would like you to have at least a
week’s rest. Your body has been through
a lot in the last twenty-four hours.”
“I feel fine.” Giles protested softly, looking up at the
doctor.
“No…humming?” Buffy whispered as she gently squeezed Giles’
hand.
Giles turned his head
slowly and looked into Buffy’s eyes. “No
humming. The purification worked as it
should have.”
He glanced across the
room and narrowed his eyes. “Why is
there a portal open in here?”
Buffy reached up and
ran her fingers through his slightly mussed hair. “Quicker to get here. Ethan and Michael are bringing the kids in a
little while.”
No sooner than the
words had left her lips, the shimmer disappeared. Giles smiled and exhaled deeply. “Looks as though they’re on their way.”
“I’ll probably
discharge you today, Mr. Giles…providing that you agree to adhere to the
discharge instructions.”
Giles chuckled and
met the doctor’s eyes. “I’d probably
agree to just about anything in order to go home.”
The doctor grinned
and placed a fresh bandage on the wound.
“Very well. I’ll come back to
check on you again after my rounds.
Until then…rest.”
Giles nodded and
uttered a soft ‘thank you’. As the
doctor left the room and closed the door behind him, Giles gently pulled Buffy
towards him.
“What are you
doing?”
He smiled, reaching
up to run his fingers through her hair.
“I believe I’m going to kiss you.”
She leaned into him,
sighing softly. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you
too.” He whispered moments before their
lips touched.
When his tongue
nudged its way into her mouth, she whimpered and moved closer to him. He held her in his arms, allowing his tongue
to caress hers. When he carefully pulled
her onto his lap, she broke the kiss and looked into his eyes.
“Giles…you’re
supposed to be resting.”
He nodded slowly, his
hands lovingly rubbing her back. “I am.”
She raised an eyebrow
and glanced down. “Doesn’t really feel
like you’re resting. You sure you’re not
humming?”
He chuckled
warmly. Buffy thought it was one of the
most beautiful sounds she had heard in a while.
“I assure you…this
reaction is entirely due to you.”
Buffy grinned for a
moment and then sighed, her grin fading.
“
Giles moved his hands
to Buffy’s hips, but made no effort to move her. “I had a feeling that’s what you meant by
‘it’s over’. What happened?”
Buffy told him
everything that she knew. A tear escaped
the corner of her left eye when she admitted that she felt relief at the
news. He reached up and tenderly brushed
the moisture away with his thumb.
“That is a perfectly
normal reaction, Buffy.” He sighed
softly and shook his head. “It seems as
though his mind unravelled. I’d like to
get medical confirmation of that, however.
If that is the truth, then…it wasn’t his fault. But, had he hurt you or the children…”
“I know.” She whispered before leaning forward and
kissing him again.
* * *
Giles smiled
brightly, folding the newspaper he was reading and dropping it to the bed as
the door to his room opened. Braden was
the first to peek his head around the door, a slow grin appearing on his face
when he found his father smiling.
“Dad!” Braden ran into the room and jumped onto the
bed without thinking. As he leaned
forward to give Giles a hug, he stopped.
“Oh…”
Giles chuckled and
grabbed his oldest son, pulling him into his arms. “It’s okay, Ru. I’m alright.”
Evan stood by the
side of the bed, his fingers gripping the blanket as he watched Lucas and
Haddie follow Braden onto the bed. Ethan
grinned and lifted the boy up.
“There you go,
mate. Go give Daddy a cuddle, yeah?”
Buffy laughed as the children
swarmed over their father. “Come on,
guys…be careful.”
Giles’ eyes glistened
as he hugged and kissed each of them.
“They’re fine, Buffy. Even if I
was still in pain, they’d be fine.”
Michael arched an
eyebrow. “No pain at all? Even after…everything that happened?”
Giles grinned as
Haddie traced the thorned circle scar on the left side of his chest. “No.
Buffy has extremely rapid healing power…she would’ve healed a little
faster than this.” He narrowed his eyes
and glanced at his wife. “However, I
remember the last time taking a little longer…”
Buffy nodded in
agreement and then shrugged a shoulder.
“Maybe it has to do with the purification ritual as well. Speedier healing, no humming.”
“Humming?” Michael questioned.
Ethan chuckled softly. “I’ll explain that one to you later.”
Michael nodded,
offering Ethan a smile. Buffy cleared
her throat and caught Ethan’s eye.
“The doctor said he
might release Giles after his rounds.”
Hearing Giles snort, she grinned.
“Which means he’ll be leaving once the doctor comes back after
rounds. I was wondering…would the two of
you be able to watch the kids this afternoon?
Just until I get everything settled at home…and Giles all comfy in bed…”
“Buffy…” Giles started to protest.
Buffy shook her head
and glared at her husband. “You heard
the doctor. At least one week’s
rest. You go home…you rest. Understood?”
Ethan snorted a
laugh, earning him a Ripperish glare from Giles.
* * *
Giles rolled his eyes
as Buffy fluffed a pillow and slid it behind his head as he rested his back
against the headboard. They’d been home
less than ten minutes before Buffy had ordered him to bed.
“Buffy, is this
really necessary? I feel – ”
“Fine, I know. I know you feel fine, but…I plan on following
the doctor’s orders.” She leaned forward
and dropped a kiss onto his lips. “Too
close this time, Giles.”
He carefully pulled
her onto his lap, much the same way as he had in the hospital bed. His voice lowered to a whisper as he threaded
his fingers through her hair.
“I know, love. But, it’s over now.”
“I thought I was
going to lose you. Seeing you on the
floor…” She shook her head as the
painful images flashed through her mind.
He took her hand and
placed it over his heart. “Everything is
going to be alright, Buffy.”
She was quiet for a
moment, feeling his heart thump under her touch. “I told
Giles nodded slowly,
dropping his left hand to her thigh. She
felt his heart rate quicken, watched as his eyes darkened a shade.
“Giles…”
“I want you, Buffy.”
“You just got out of
the hospital.” She argued lightly.
“Doesn’t
matter.” He whispered, sliding his hands
to her hips. “I need you…”
“The doctor said – ”
He cut her off
quickly with a kiss, tightening his hold on her hips as his tongue pushed into
her mouth. Her groan rumbled in her
chest as he held her tight against his quickly growing erection.
When she attempted to
break the kiss, he moved his left hand to the back of her head, holding her
mouth to his as he carefully rolled until she was on her back underneath
him. Only when he pulled the button free
on her jeans did he end the kiss.
As he pulled the
zipper down, he gently rubbed his pajama-covered groin against her knee. “If you want me to stop, I will. But, please know…I don’t want to.”
She whimpered as he
slipped his hand into her jeans, under her silk underwear, and stroked her soft
curls. “Giles…the doctor…rest…”
He rubbed the tip of
his middle finger over her clitoris as he leaned down and nipped at her nipple
through the cotton of her shirt. “I can
rest later, and I promise I will.”
Her hips arched of
their own accord, increasing the pressure of his finger against her. He smiled and thrust his hips once more.
“You’re not wearing a
bra…”
She shook her head,
staring into his darkened eyes. “Was
gonna lay down with you…took it off while I was…Jesus, that feels…so good…”
He moved down her
body, pushing her shirt up with his teeth before placing a warm, wet kiss on
her abdomen. “Let me love you, Buffy.”
She remembered
nodding her permission, she remembered his warm lips trailing over her
skin. She didn’t remember him undressing
her or himself, but as he knelt between her thighs, she knew that he had at
some point. She could only blame the
fact that his mouth had preoccupied her, keeping her from noticing.
She lifted her hand,
her fingers lightly tracing the puckered flesh that would leave another scar on
his body. “I love you.”
He exhaled deeply as
he leaned over her, supporting most of his weight with his left hand on the
mattress next to her shoulder as he slowly pushed his erection into her. “I love you…”
His thrusts were long
and slow, giving him time to watch her skin flush with passion. If he were asked about his favourite part of
making love to his wife, he’d be hard pressed to choose between this very
moment and the sight of watching her body thrash beneath him as she reached
orgasm.
As her skin began to
glisten with a light sheen of sweat, he steadily increased his pace. Her hands gripped his back as she wrapped her
legs around his hips.
“God, Giles…”
He smiled and lowered
his mouth to her neck. He traced a path
from her throat to her earlobe with the tip of his tongue. When he reached the fleshy part of her ear,
he pulled it into his mouth and nibbled lightly. Her breath was hot against his neck as she
moaned.
He released her lobe
and shortened his strokes, though maintained his current pace. “I’ve read that a near-death experience
instils an intense urge in men to procreate…”
Her legs tightened
around him, her hands moving to his sides as she met each of his thrusts with
her own. “Wh…what?”
He slid his right
hand between their bodies and gently massaged her left breast. “I’m not sure I agree. Procreation is not the desired
outcome…feeling life is.”
She threw her head
against the pillow, baring her throat to him.
He took immediate advantage of the opportunity, latching his mouth onto
her throat and sucking hard. His name
left her lips on a guttural groan.
He placed a series of
hot, sucking kisses up her throat to her chin and smiled. “This…having a beautiful woman thrash beneath
a man as he makes love to her…this is life in its rawest form. This is what a man wants to feel after he has
neared death and survived. This…is what
I want…I need…I love…”
She shuddered under
the onslaught of his words and motion, her inner muscles beginning to spasm
around him. “Giles!”
His hand tightened on
her breast as he quickened his thrusts.
“To feel your heat flow over my cock as I’m moving within you…forward,
back…fast, slow…to feel your muscles grip me as you come…”
He brushed his lips
across hers, nipping her bottom lip lightly with his teeth. “This is life…this is beauty…this is us.”
He groaned loudly as
she screamed his name, her orgasm crashing over her violently. The heat of her fluids, the contracting of
her inner walls, proved to be too much for him this time. With a cry of her name, he trembled and
emptied himself within her.
Her hands clutched at
his sweat-drenched back, her nails clawing at his skin as she came once more
before he collapsed on top of her. As he
rolled onto his back and pulled her into his arms, he smiled at her in
adoration.
“You…and your
words…” She panted as she rested her
head on his shoulder.
“Only the truth,
love. You…are my life, Buffy. You and our children…I live for you.”
When he shifted uncomfortably,
she raised her head and looked at him.
“Are you okay?”
“Mm…little twinge,
nothing major. Lay with me, Buffy.”
“Too soon…I knew it
was too soon. I – ”
He placed two fingers
over her lips and shook his head. “We
both needed this, darling. And,
seriously…it was only a twinge. I’m
fine. Lay with me.”
Seeing the truth in
his eyes, she sighed heavily and settled down next to him. He rubbed her back soothingly as she draped
her leg over his.
“Okay, but…we rest
now.”
He chuckled softly
and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.
“Yes, we rest.”
There would be time
later to deal with the Council red tape of the attempted murder and of Mitchell
Stockton’s death. There would also be
time later to put forth his ideas of Watcher promotions to the Board.
For now…he wanted
nothing more than to sleep with his arms around his wife. And so he closed his eyes, as did she…the
sounds of their breathing lulling one another to sleep.
They had won
again. A sleepy smile played on Giles’
lips as he held Buffy against him.
~ End