Willow headed straight for the living room when she came home from college, knowing Xander would be there watching TV before his shift at the restaurant of the "Sunnydale New Hotel". Considering it was the only hotel in town that could be described as a hotel instead of a dingy motel Willow always thought the name was a bit of a con, but it seemed to impress the guests.
"We need to talk," she announced as she entered the room.
"What have I done?" Xander asked immediately. "I didn't know I'd done some that needs a 'talk'. I-"
"About Buffy and Giles," she interrupted before he could start rambling.
Giles was not due home for hours yet thanks to the Faculty meeting and Buffy was visiting her mother, so Willow knew this was the only time they might be able to talk without interruption.
Xander waited for her to carry on, knowing his best friend well enough to know there was something big on her mind.
"Has Buffy talked to you at all?" He shook his head. "And Giles?"
"Not much," he replied, unusually seriously for him. "He's totally in love with her though."
"I know," Willow replied. "She's head over heels with him too. We just have to make them see it."
"How? I'm sensing a plan in the making."
"Not a plan with actual . . . plans, but I have a sort of plan."
"There's sense in there somewhere," Xander teased her, unable to be totally serious for long.
"Out of the two of them which is most likely to make a move?" Willow asked, knowing the answer but wanting Xander to work it out too. It was much easier to persuade him of something this way.
He thought for a moment, weighing things up. "Buffy, but not by much."
"Exactly. We work on Buffy, make her ready to do anything to keep him and it'll all work out," Willow pronounced proudly.
"The hard part will be making her see she's in love with him," Xander warned.
"Actually that's the easy bit. She's almost there anyway. The hard part is going to be getting past her fear of rejection and making her desperate enough to try anything."
"Almost more than I needed to know."
"Xander!"
***
The door to the house opened just as Buffy put her hand on the handle and Xander rushed out.
"Hi Buff, bye Buff, see ya later!" he called over his shoulder.
The Slayer grinned and began taking off her coat as she walked down the hall to the kitchen where she could hear a radio playing, a bounce in her step that had not been there a few days ago.
"Hi Will! Watcha cooking? Is Xander ever going to be on time to work?" Buffy was definitely cheerful.
Willow started and turned, looking guilty. A knife clattered to the table from where it had been chopping tomatoes.
"Giles isn't around so don't worry. I won't tell him you're using your powers to chop vegetables."
"It's not that it's - uh, how did the visit go?" Willow cut herself off mid-thought, not wanting to tell Buffy she had been trying to plan how to get her to talk to Giles.
"Fine," Buffy replied, deliberately casually. "I explained, we talked rationally for a few minutes, then we traded a few insults and accusations, she told me to get a divorce, I told her I'm in love with Giles and then I left. Went better than I thought it would."
"She told you to get a divorce?" Willow asked, incredulous.
Buffy paused, trying to shift mental gears. She had been completely prepared for Willow's surprise at her admitting she loved Giles but not this. "Didn't you notice the rest? The 'I love Giles' part?"
"Of course. I already knew that. I can't believe she told you to get a divorce." The witch was enjoying her friend's shocked expression.
"How did you know? I didn't know until today."
"It's pretty obvious to anyone who knows you," Willow told her, handing Buffy a knife and gesturing to her to chop the rest of the tomatoes.
"Oh." Buffy was slightly disappointed. She had been looking forward to shocking Willow. That did not last too long though, her joy at finally working out her feelings was too great.
"So, what are you going to do?" Willow asked as she resumed chopping some mushrooms.
"I don't know yet. I don't even know if he feels the same way."
Willow 'looked' at her. "Of course he does."
"Under the spell thing he was very . . . affectionate, but normally? I don't know," Buffy said. "Will, why I am I chopping enough tomatoes to feed an army?"
"Spaghetti sauce," the witch told her proudly. "There's enough here to reheat on Xander's day to cook."
"Ah." Buffy chopped for while, thinking. "I guess I need to talk to Giles sometime."
"Soon." Willow added. "Or you'll back out and neither of you will talk."
"When we've sorted things out," Buffy amended.
Willow frowned. "Don't leave things too long, Buffy, or he'll have time to think and come up with reasons why you shouldn't be together."
***
** Buffy woke up feeling better. It was not just that the sickness had gone, but she felt lighter, as though a weight had lifted from her shoulders. She felt as though for the first time ever she was seeing things clearly and the guilt that always dogged her was gone.
She rolled over and stretched, enjoying the warmth of the sun shining down on her through the window. Her stomach growled. < Food. I need food. I wonder if there's any of that chocolate cake left? > Her robe was lying on the floor where she had dropped it a couple of hours before so she picked it up, put it on and wandered downstairs. The fridge was her first destination and she began to put together a snack. Briefly she wondered whether Giles would want anything. She always seemed to know whether or not he was in the house. < Must be a side-affect of being in love with him. In love? Yeah. I love him. > The knowledge gave her a warm glowy feeling and she forgot all about her hunger. < I'll just go and see if he's alright. >
Buffy peeked around his bedroom door and grinned when she saw him lying huddled beneath the covers, facing away from the door. < He looks lonely > she thought to herself wickedly. < Maybe he'd like some company. >
As she walked over to the bed she dropped her robe on the floor and crawled under the covers behind him. She was slightly surprised by her boldness, but put it down the relief of finally admitting to herself how she felt. He felt so warm and she cuddled up against his back, wrapping an arm around his waist. She could not help sighing as his warmth penetrated her thin pyjamas. For several minutes she lay there, enjoying the feeling of being close to him. Then she got a little bored. Closeness was great, but she wanted to be closer and he had not noticed she was in his bed!
This called for new tactics. The hand that had been round his waist now moved and began stroking his chest. Buffy sat up on her other elbow and looked down at him, contemplating her next move. < He's so cute asleep, but awake would be better. > Now that she had admitted her feelings for him she could acknowledge the desire she felt when she looked at him. Looking down at him the temptation to kiss him was more overwhelming than it had ever been, so she decided to act on it. She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. He shifted a little but did not wake up. She was feeling close to offended now at his lack of attention. < I finally work out I'm totally in love with him, and he can't even be bothered to wake up! Why do I do this to myself? I'm not taking it anymore. He's going to wake up, whether he wants to or not. I want him! >
With that decision made she slipped her hand under the pyjama shirt he was wearing before she lost her confidence. The feel of his flesh, lightly sprinkled with hair, almost distracted her from her mission, but not quite. She began trailing kisses down his cheek, along his jaw and down his neck. He began to stir and she grinned to herself before lightly nibbling on his ear lobe.
That woke him up and his eyes snapped open. For a moment he looked around, confused, then his gaze focused on Buffy.
"Buffy! What are you doing here?" he asked, his sleepy mind not processing information well.
"I thought you might like some company. You know, this bed is much too big for only one person." As she spoke her fingers were busy working the buttons on his shirt.
"I-I-I . . . but . . . what are you doing?" His voice almost squeaked when she began lightly running her nails up and down his exposed chest.
"Getting comfortable," she whispered in his ear before she placed another kiss just below it.
"You-you . . . ah . . . don't . . . why?" Giles was finding it difficult to concentrate. And he was not even sure why he was arguing. After all, this was what he had wanted for a long time.
"Because," was Buffy's simple reply.
He rolled over to face her and tried to work out what was happening.
Buffy's face lit up. "Much better."
"Buffy, are you . . . ah . . . alright? You . . . mmm . . . don't usually . . . oh god . . . act like . . . aah . . . this?" Buffy was trailing kisses down his chest, pausing to nibble and lick his nipples, and then moving down to his stomach, and Giles was almost unable to remember why he was protesting.
She looked up at him, happiness and laughter sparkling in her hazel eyes, and said, "I know. It's crazy, isn't it? I spent all that time obsessing over a guy I can't have when the guy I really want is here all the time. I'm so blind sometimes."
"You want me?" Giles asked, hope flaring for the first time in a long time.
Buffy hooked one leg over his hip and rolled them so that she sat on his stomach, his erection pressed against her butt. "I want you, I love you and I need you. And now I've finally figured that out . . . well, you seem to want me as well."
For an answer he rolled them so that he was lying cradled between her legs, holding himself propped up on his elbows so that he could look down into her lovely face. He gently brushed a few strands of golden hair away from her face and told her, "I love you more than anything. I just never thought-"
Buffy silenced him by reaching up and kissing him. The kiss was gentle for around two seconds, and then the pent-up passion overcame them. Their mouths moved together, trying to claim each other's taste and show how much they felt for each other. He ran his tongue over the seam of her lips, asking for entry, and she gave it willingly. The flames of their desire burned even higher as their tongues began a sensual dance and their hands moved to try to feel every inch of each other.
They explored and caressed, both wanting to know each other's bodies as well as they knew each other's hearts. Finally it became too much to bear and they both soared to the heavens and found the stars waiting there for them. And then they lay together, still connected, just taking the time to enjoy their new-found closeness.
"Wow," Buffy finally whispered.
"Indeed," Giles agreed.
He held his love to him as he rolled them so that she was lying on him, her head pillowed on his chest. She sighed contentedly and snuggled closer to him.
"We should have done this a long time ago," Buffy said quietly.
"And I would have been sent to prison, and probably deported for it," Giles reminded her.
"Oh. That would have been a bad thing. Good thing I waited to work out how much I love you." She placed a soft kiss on his lips, and smiled when he began to respond.
Grrruggh.
Buffy smiled in embarrassment at the rumble of her stomach. "Way to ruin the moment Buffy," she commented.
"Have you eaten today?" Giles asked her.
"Not in the sense of actually eating. I made a snack downstairs, only I got distracted."
"By what?"
She kissed him. < I could definitely get used to this, > she thought happily.
"Ah," he said when they came up for air. Her stomach growled again. "We'd best get you something to eat."
He planted a quick kiss on her lips, and then they untangled themselves and got out of bed. Buffy picked up a shirt that was lying on a chair and put it on, enjoying the smell of Giles on it. She watched in undisguised admiration of her lover as he pulled on a pair of jeans.
He looked up and his breath caught at the soft expression of love and happiness on her face. She looked more beautiful than he had ever thought possible with the sun lighting her golden hair so it shone like a halo and her face glowing from their loving. < This is how I always want to remember her >
"I will always love you," she told him softly.
Words escaped him so he simply picked her up and kissed her. **
Giles woke up breathing heavily, almost overcome by the memories. They had . . . and he had . . . Bloody hell. How am I meant to sleep now? Did she really mean all that?
He got up and made his way to the kitchen to make himself a soothing cup of tea.
***
Buffy also woke up breathing heavily. We . . . and we . . . oh wow. Oh my god. He was . . . oh my god. Wow. Did he really mean all that?
She got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen to get a drink, sure she would never sleep after that. She stopped in the doorway, surprised to see Giles staring out of the kitchen window with a steaming cup in his hand. Ok, he doesn't know what you dreamed . . . or remembered, or whatever. Just calmly get some water and go back upstairs. With that thought she went over to a cupboard and got out a glass.
The noise startled Giles, who had been lost in thought, and he jumped sending his mug crashing into the sink.
"B-Buffy, are you . . . uh, alright?" he asked shakily.
"Better than you," Buffy replied, looking smashed mug.
"Yes, well, I was, uh, thinking." He began picking up the fragments of china so he did not have to look at her. He could feel a steady flush running up his face as he remembered what he had just dreamed.
"What else is new," she muttered under breath.
"Pardon?"
"Nothing."
He carried on clearing up the mess, and Buffy could not help noticing that he refused to look at her. After a while she made a guess at what was wrong. "You had a flashback thingy, didn't you?"
He still could not look at her. "I-yes, yes I did. I'm sorry, I-"
"You didn't like it? 'Cos a totally enjoyed mine." Buffy flushed as she realised what she had said. "Note to self; deep breath before speaking saves embarrassment."
Finally he looked at her and smiled his shy smile. "I . . . I couldn't regret it, ever."
Hope flared in Buffy at his admission and she knew it was time they tried to talk about things. "We haven't talked about what happened. Or at least, talk in the sense of talking and not stuttering and blushing at each other."
"I wasn't sure what to say."
They sat down at the kitchen table and tried to decide what to say. Buffy's first question, however, startled him. "When you were, uh, *with* mom, why . . . I mean, why . . . I don't know what I mean."
Giles thought he did, and tried to reassure her. "That damned candy. It . . . when I was that age, I would sleep with anyone as long as she was willing and female. I was not a nice person."
"Strangely that makes me feel better." Buffy told him. He doesn't feel that way about mom! I'm sick to be happy about that.
They exchanged shy smiles. "So," Buffy began after a while, "what was it about?"
"Pardon?"
"The flashback. Must have been a goody."
"Buffy, I don't think-"
"You made me tell you mine."
"But-"
"Spill."
"Sounds pretty familiar," Buffy mused. "You left a few bits out, and I still can't believe I was so, uh, pushy, but it's definitely familiar."
He gaped at her, amazed that after that she was still speaking to him and able to look him the eye.
Then she surprised herself. She planted a quick kiss on his lips and said, "I can never regret anything that happened either."
She ran out of the room and to her bed, a pleased smile on her face.
*finis*