Title: Texas Tea (29 of ?)
Authors: Mrsdrake and Ladyforash
Rating: FRAO
Pairing: Giles/OFC
Summary: Giles travels to Texas.
Disclaimer: These are not my characters. They belong to Joss, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB & Mutant Enemy. This is purely for fun.
Jessie belongs to Ladyforash.
Spoilers: Takes plase after season seven.
Jessie had a nightmare. She was running down a dark street, an alley, a parking lot, walking in the dark barn...flashes...everywhere there were vampires. They pulled at her ankles. They grabbed at her hair. Their fangs glistened in the dark, drool and blood dripping from their teeth. Then they pounced, and they bit.
Silently, Jessie's eyes sprang open. She didn't make a sound. She was too scared to even scream. Her heart was racing. She didn't remember where she was! Then she felt Rupert's warm arm around her. She heard his easy breathing, and then...she finally relaxed.
Jessie just lay there for awhile, thinking about the nightmare. She didn't want to be a victim. Not ever. Looking down at Rupert sleeping, she knew she had too much to live for now. The feelings she felt with him...it was as if she was born to love him.
Gently Jessie climbed out of bed. She tip toed into the bathroom and peeled back the bandage. It looked much better. Yellow bruising. It was ugly and looked painful, and was obviously from fangs. She put the bandage back in place and stared at herself in the mirror with a sigh. "I need to get some clothes over here," she muttered.
Giles woke not long after Jessie. He heard he leave the bedroom. After waiting a few minutes, he decided to check on her.
"You don't like wearing my clothes?" he asked from the doorway.
Jessie turned around and smiled at him. "I loved sleeping in your shirt. But you have to admit, I have no pants, and it's a little big for me." She walked over and kissed him gently. "I'm going to run next door and get some clothes, grab us something for breakfast, and then I want you to show me some self defense moves. Is that okay? Or...did you have other plans?"
"Whatever makes you happy, Love." He kissed her forehead. "But should you go outside wearing that?"
Jessie frowned, looking down at herself. "I didn't think about that." Her frown deepened. She didn't want to put that dress back on. It sort of unnerved her now.
He smiled down at her. "I have a long bathrobe you could put on. It's a short walk to the main house. I'm sure you'll be fine. Unless you want me to go for you."
Jessie smiled again. She knew he'd never been to her room. Plus, would he even know what to get? "I think it would be faster if I went. Besides, it would be better if I ran into Pa then you." She kissed his cheek and walked past him back into the bedroom and found his robe. "I'll be right back."
After dressing, Giles paced, waiting for her to return. Several times, he thought of walking to the main house and checking on her. "She can take care of herself," he muttered.
Jessie had crept into the house and into her room without being seen. She put on some black jeans and a tank top, brushed her hair, and put on her work boots. Then she grabbed some pastries from the kitchen and a thermos of coffee. She didn't want to spend time making tea, so she hoped Rupert would be okay with that.
Somehow, by some miracle, Jessie had avoided seeing her Pa. She hurried back to the guest house and smiled when she entered. "I'm back."
Giles stopped when he heard Jessie. "Your father?" he asked. "Was there trouble?"
He took the thermos from her and headed into the kitchen to get cups.
"I didn't even see him," Jessie announced. She gave him a look. "Rupert, are you okay?"
"Fine," he said. "I just worried about you seeing your father. I didn't want any trouble." He poured coffee for each of them.
Jessie frowned. She was starting to worry. This wasn't like the Rupert she'd known the past few days. Had she done something wrong?
"There was no trouble. It will be okay with him. Please don't worry." Jessie looked down at the rolls, suddenly not at all hungry. "So...you'll teach me like the others? The Slayers, I mean?"
Jessie's words snapped him out of the haze he was in. "Jessie, I can't help but worry about you. You could have died last night, and I would never forgive myself if that happened."
He pulled her into his arms. "You'd better eat if I'm to train you. You'll need the strength." He grabbed a cinnamon roll and held it to her lips.
Jessie looked up at him and tried to smile. She took a bite of the roll and relaxed. Licking the frosting off her lips she leaned in to kiss him gently. "It was close, but...close only counts in horse shoes." She smiled again and picked up her coffee. "Okay, so, tell me about this self-defense stuff."
He smiled down at her. "We'd start with the basics, getting out of holds, using a stake, basic hand to hand combat."
He took a sip of his coffee. "Later, I could teach you to use a sword."
Jessie broke out into a huge grin. "Cool!" She quickly worked on her roll and another cup of coffee. Then she jumped up out of her chair. "I'm ready. Should we work outside or do you not want others to see, and...we could move the table out of the other room and work in there." Jessie was excited to get started.
"In here would be better," he said. He helped her move the furniture out of the way. "The carpet will be softer than the ground, too."
Jessie pulled off her boots and socks and rolled up the bottoms of her jeans. They moved the table out of the way and then she stood there looking at him, waiting for his instructions. "Show me how to get away, Rupert. Show me how to not let a vampire grab me like that ever again."
"First, you need to know how to recognize a vampire," he told her. He pointed to a mirror. "They won't have a reflection. Unless they've just fed, they will feel cold." He grabbed a few things from a bag he had nearby. "This is Holy water. If you splash it on them, it will burn." He handed the bottle to her and held up a cross. "The cross will also burn." He gave it to her as well. "You should always try to run first if you can."
Jessie nodded. "The best self defense is to run very fast. I can do that." She smiled at him. She could tell he was different now. He was in work mode. She'd try her best to focus. She wanted to make him proud.
Jake paused as he approached the guest house. He could see his daughter and Giles facing each other in the living room. The floor was clear. Giles was showing her how to stand, how to block a kick, how to hold a stake. Something clicked inside of Jake.
"You're in good hands," he said softly, and then turned and left, not wanting to disturb the lesson. He had a month left, and then, Jake knew he'd have to say goodbye.
Giles showed Jessie how to find the heart from the front and the back. "Remember that the size of the stake doesn't matter. If even the smallest piece if wood pierces the heart, it will kill the vampire."
He took the stake from her and set it aside. "You can use their weight against them." He grabbed her from behind. He leaned close to her ear and explained what she would need to do. "Now try it. Use my weight and momentum against me." He released her, backed up a few steps, and came at her from behind.
Jessie felt his approach and stuck out her hip like he'd explained. She was off balance, however, and missed. "Dang, do it again." He repeated the move and this time Jessie did better. She moved her hip in between his legs and tried to dislodge her body from his.
Jessie almost had him on her second try. "Throw your weight forward. Force me to follow you," he told her.
On the third try, she succeeded. However, he threw her a surprise when he kicked her feet out from under her. He caught her as she fell on top of him.
"Oof!" Jessie landed on his chest and knocked the wind out of herself. She took a few deep breaths as soon as she could, and then tilted her head up to look at him. "Aren't you the tricky one," she teased.
Giles smiled at her but didn't answer. Instead, he took her face in his hands and kissed her.