Title: Trusted Foe 6/21
Author: Eaglewolf
Feedback: Yummy
Disclaimer: Joss and his playmates in the sandbox own it. It's getting crowded in there.

“Do your prophetic dreams always come true, Buffy?” Lauren asked quietly from the edge of her bed.

Buffy nodded slowly, “But we can change them, can’t we Giles?”

Giles nodded, “We’ll just have to be extra careful.  Lauren, do you have any way of getting in touch with Nick?”

Lauren looked up at Giles and frowned.  “Would this count as a life or death situation?”

Giles nodded gravely, “I think it would.”

Lauren sighed.  “Are we still snowed in?”

Giles walked to the window and looked out to see just how high the snow had piled.  He gasped.  “I knew this wasn’t natural.”  He pulled the curtain back and indicated the white wall of snow blocking the second story window.

Buffy felt the panic starting to rise, "Giles?"

"Yes?"

"I… don't like being in closed in. It was okay when it was night but… Giles. I need to get out." Buffy started to hyperventilate. "Really need out. NOW."

Giles was shocked to see his slayer in such a condition. He put his hand on her back, and was relieved when her breathing slowed. "Buffy?"

“I’m okay.  I just get a little claustrophobic now and then.  I think it’s from…”  Buffy took a deep breath.

“I know.” Giles made soothing motions, and was relieved to see some colour coming back into her face.

Lauren frowned.

“From clawing my way out of my grave.” Buffy supplied.  “Not the most pleasant experience.”  Buffy looked at the window and started to hyperventilate again.  “Giles, do you think you could close the curtains?  I’m okay if I don’t see it.”

Giles jumped up and shut the curtains.  “Sorry Buffy, I didn’t think.”

“No, it’s okay Giles.  You didn’t know.” Buffy dropped her voice to a whisper, “No one does.  I’m usually okay.”  Buffy smiled up at him, “I’m glad you’re here… I feel a little safer.” 

Lauren hid a smile behind her hand, she was going to make sure these two got together whether she died or not.  “He has that affect on people.”

Giles reached out and squeezed Lauren’s hand.  “Well find a way around this.”

“Well if you want me to call Nick the first thing is to get out of here.  Got a shovel somewhere inside?  We need to start digging.”

Giles frowned, “I have a shovel yes.  It’s in the shed.”

Buffy sighed.  “I think we need a new plan.  My new plan is have a shower, and then think of a new plan.”

“I like that plan.” Lauren smiled, “I’ll have one after you.”

“You sure?  I don’t mind waiting…” Buffy said half wishing she hadn’t dropped such a big bomb shell on Lauren’s head.

“No, that’s fine.  You go ahead Buffy.”  Lauren’s smile faded, “Do you have any idea when the prophecy will come to pass?”

“Next week.”  Buffy cringed, “So that gives us a week to research and stop it.”

“Okay.  I can work with that.” Lauren replied, “Go have your shower.”

“I’ll go research.” Giles said walking absentmindedly from the room, his mind already a million miles away.  Ras was Lauren’s Nick.  Somehow he knew the demon had a hand in bringing them together.  He’d wondered why he’d had the good fortune to find her after so much else in his life had gone wrong. Now he knew.

Lauren watched his retreating back and turned to Buffy.  “You take care of him for me won’t you?  If something does…” she choked on the words and looked at the floor.

“Nothing is going to happen, Lauren.  Look at me.” Buffy waited until Lauren’s eyes were on her own.  “Look at me – I’ve died twice and I’m still here.  You are going to be fine.  You are going to live for a long time and make lots of babies with Giles.  I’ve never seen him look so happy Lauren.  Not for a long time.”

“He still gets sad Buffy.  He misses you all.  He talks about you all the time.  You and the others.  The Scoobies? I think he called them.”

“We miss him too.”  Buffy smiled sadly, “But I’m so glad he found you.” 

“I’m glad I found him too.” Lauren’s smile reflected Buffy’s.  “Thank you for letting him come home.”

Home.  The world hung in the air between them.  Buffy wondered if anywhere but Bath could ever be home for him again.  Lauren wondered if Giles realised just how many times he referred to Sunnydale as home.

“Lauren?” Buffy said softly.

“Hmm?”

“Are you okay? You seem… sad.” Buffy asked gently.

“Yeah.  It’s just a lot to take in you know?  Plus seeing Nick again… I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

“I understand.  We’ll help you.  Support you in anyway we can.” Buffy said.

“I know.” Lauren wondered if Buffy even realised she was talking as if Giles was her partner.  In a way she guessed he was.  They’d told her of Watchers and Slayers last night, how the Watcher trained the Slayer hoping that would give her just enough of an edge to get through another night.  “It must be hard.”

“Sorry?”

“It must be hard.  Knowing that every night when you go out you could die.” 

“It can be.  But – then anyone could go outside and get hit by a bus.  I just have higher odds to compete with.”

“How do you cope?”  Lauren just accepted Buffy’s premonition without blinking an eyelid, as if she had some kind of sixth sense telling her it was true.

Buffy shrugged, “When you don’t have much of a choice you just do.”

Lauren nodded.  “Was there fire?”

Buffy knew exactly what she was talking about.  She nodded.  “Fire and blood.  Everywhere.” She tilted her head with a questioning expression.

Lauren sighed.  “It’s what Nick was trying to save me from.  He thought that by leaving he could… stop it from happening.  He wouldn’t listen to me.”

“You still love him deeply don’t you?” Buffy questioned, knowing the answer already and feeling the ache in her heart expand for Giles.

“Yes.” Lauren let out a heavy sigh.  “I do.”

“What about Giles?”  Buffy questioned.

“I love Giles.” Lauren replied and shrugged.  “Not the same way you do, I know.”

They were interrupted when Giles screamed “Eureka!” from his study.  He ran to the front door, swung it open and screamed “Derretimento Da Neve!”  He then jumped as a deluge of water flooded in.  “Damn it I’m gonna have to mop that up. Unless…” Giles looked down at the book in his hand and flipped forward to the next page.  “Oh good.  Evapore a água!”  Giles looked rather pleased with himself as the two girls came running down the stairs.

“All fixed.” He said with a smile and snapped the book shut.  He spun to face them with a grin and bowed.  “No more wall of snow.”

Lauren and Buffy applauded from the stairs.  “Go Giles!”

“Okay.  I’m going to have my shower now.” Buffy turned and climbed back up the stairs.  “Although it would be better if I actually had clean clothes here.”

“Oh.  You can borrow some of mine, Buffy.  They may be a little big for you but they’ll be clean.”

“Thanks Lauren.” Buffy smiled, once again glad that if Giles had found someone to be happy with it was someone who deserved him.  “That’s really nice of you.”

“Not at all.”  Lauren smiled and took Buffy up to choose a t-shirt, jeans and a belt.

Buffy looked at the clothes in her hand and back at Lauren, then she turned to face the mirror.  “We could be sisters you know.”

Lauren smiled, “The resemblance is striking isn’t it?  If I was just 6 inches shorter – or you were 6 inches taller…”

Buffy tilted her head as she looked at the reflection, her eyes sought out Lauren’s, “You know… this could come in handy.”

Lauren raised her eyebrows, “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Buffy nodded.  “Anyway, I still feel icky.  It’s time for a shower.”  She headed towards the bathroom.  “Thank you.”

“Any time.”

Lauren walked back downstairs to where Giles was putting the book back on the shelf.  She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him.  Her cheek was resting on her back when she commented.  “You know, you’d think with all these books here I would twig there was something special about you Mr. Giles.”

“Yes well, you didn’t come in here very often.”  Giles blushed as he remembered the first time she had, he turned around to wrap his arms around her.

Lauren giggled, “I wasn’t very concerned with the books in here that time.”

Giles smiled, and leaned down to kiss her.  “Neither was I.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.  Then he sighed.  “I’ll miss you.”

Lauren smiled sadly and put her finger against his lips, much as she had the night before.  “Not for long.  I’ll be okay, Giles.  I promise.  I’m not afraid of death.”

Giles closed his eyes and pulled Lauren closer to him.  “I love you.” He whispered.

Lauren smiled, “I love you too.”  She looked up into his shining green eyes and kissed him gently.  “Buffy will look after you.  She loves you, more than you think.”  Lauren rested her cheek against his chest and let his heart beat soothe her.

“Lauren?” Giles said holding her even tighter.

“Mmm?”

“If Nick wasn’t coming back would you still leave me?”

Lauren took a step back and looked up at him, “Yes.”  Her eyes welled with tears.

“If Buffy wasn’t here and Nick wasn’t coming back into your life would you?”

Lauren took a deep breath.  “No.”

Giles let out a heavy sigh, and pulled Lauren back into his arms.

“You belong to her, Giles.  You know you do.  Even now with your arms around me, your lips on mine you can feel her calling to you.  I know you can.”  Lauren buried her head in his chest. 

Giles sighed, he couldn’t dispute the fact – no matter how far away he went from Buffy he could always feel her calling him back to her.  He had always imagined it was something to do with being bound to her as her Watcher, but as time went on he realised it was something more than that.  “It’s just…”

Again Lauren shushed him with a finger to the lips.  “Shhh.”

They stood there for a time just holding each other, and both wishing in some small way that things were different.  That they weren’t who they were and that they could live happily ever after together.  But they were who they were and no amount of wishing was going to change that, not without the right ritual anyway.

“Giles?” Lauren murmured a few minutes later.

“Yes?”

“Do we have to do anything tonight?  Buffy said it’s not until next week at least right?”

“I don’t know… It’s probably better if we get in contact with Ras… Nick as soon as we can.”

“How about after your set tonight we do?”  Lauren looked up at him with pleading eyes.

He knew that he could deny her nothing.  She had the same power over him that Buffy held at times.  He was really going to have to do something about that.  It wasn’t good to always be putty in someone’s hands.  “Very well.” He sighed.

“Giles? Lauren?” Buffy called as she walked down the stairs.

“In the study, Buffy.” Giles replied.

“Which is…” Buffy called back.

“Just behind the stairs.” Lauren replied laughing, she kissed Giles once more and pulled away from him.  “I’m going to go have my shower.”  She looked up at the clock, “and then I’m going to work.”

Giles frowned, and then saw the steely determination in her eyes, “Okay.  I think I’ll take Buffy down to London to get her stuff.  It will give me a chance to have a long talk with her about everything.”

“Everything?” Lauren queried as she heard Buffy take the last stair.

“Well.  Almost everything.” Giles smiled wryly.

“Here I am, all squeaky clean.”  Buffy announced as she reached the doorway.

“Right my turn.  I have to get ready for work.” Lauren informed Buffy as she brushed past her.

“Work? Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Buffy frowned, “Giles?”

Giles shrugged, “She listens to me about as much as you do.”  He said it with a smile so Buffy would know he didn’t mean anything by it.

“Oh.” Buffy laughed.  “Not much then hey?”

“Indeed.  Buffy, are you up for a drive into London?  We could go get your suitcases and you could stay here until it’s time to return if you wish?”  Giles smiled gently.

“Sounds like a plan.  I could do with some clean underwear.”  Buffy blushed as she realised what she’d said.

“Right.  I’ll meet you in the car.” Giles said beating a hasty exit.

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