Title: Tumblin' Down 17/?
Author: Elisabeth
Email: dragonydreams@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.dragonydreams.com/
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Willow/Giles
Summary: What if Riley hadn't been there to pull Willow out of harm's way during "Wild at Heart"?
Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over these characters. I am merely borrowing them from Joss et al. The song As The World Falls Down is from the movie Labyrinth and belongs to David Bowie, no copyright infringement is intended.
Distribution: My site, the usual lists, anyone with previous permission. Anyone else - please ask.
Feedback: Yes please! It makes me happy and keeps me writing.
Author's Note: Thanks to my wonderful Betas for all your help and encouragement. Emmy, thanks for the last minute questions and support.
Two days after her appointment with Dr. Ashman, Willow met him, and her PT for additional tests. She had waited to do her strengthening spell until an hour before her appointment to make sure she passed her tests with flying colors.
They had her do resistance tests, weight lifting tests, bending exercises, and finally the test of all tests, the Stairmaster. Willow patiently and diligently performed each new exercise, easily completing each task as desired.
When she returned from changing back into her street clothes, the doctor and physical therapist were deep in conversation. Cautiously, she approached them.
Dr. Ashman noticed Willow's approach and moved to speak privately with her.
"Well?" Willow asked, trying to keep the hope out of her voice.
"Well," Dr. Ashman slowly began, "For some reason that I can not fathom, your body seems to have healed itself in half of the time that I expected. I would caution you to continue to take things slowly, but I don't see any reason to delay intimate relations."
This time Willow impulsively wrapped her arms around the doctor, hugging him tightly for several seconds before regaining her composure. "Thank you so much, Dr. Ashman."
"I didn't do anything," he denied. "It's your body that worked overtime to heal itself. I don't know what you were doing at home, but keep it up."
"Oh, I will," Willow grinned.
Before she had a chance to leave, Dr. Ashman cautioned, "Willow, pardon me for saying this, but even though I said it should be okay for you to resume intimate relations, I need to caution you to be careful. Your hip, despite its apparent health, is still mending. You should try not to put undue pressure on it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Willow was blushing furiously by now. "Yeah, I think so." She lowered her voice and leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. "You're suggesting I should be on top."
Dr. Ashman needed to clear his throat before he was able to nod his agreement. "Ah, yes."
"I think I can manage that," Willow quietly said.
She picked up her bag and would have skipped down the hallway if the doctor hadn't been watching her. Instead she settled for walking with a bounce in her step to meet Buffy. They had some serious planning to do.
In anticipation of a positive outcome of Willow's tests, Buffy had booked them an afternoon of pampering at the one and only spa in town. They got facials, manicures, pedicures, leg and bikini waxings, and massages.
They discussed the best possible ways to tell Giles what the doctor had said. Buffy, pretending that it wasn't her watcher they were talking about, suggested not telling him anything and simply jumping his bones when Willow walked in the door. As tempting as that sounded to the redhead, she thought something a bit more romantic was in order.
Despite all of the relaxing they were doing, Willow was internally a jangled bunch of nerves. Not only was there the lingering concern that she didn't want to do anything to damage her hip, but she was going to make love with Giles. It was something she had always fantasized about, even before she had a practical understanding of what sex involved. While she hoped his body ached for hers as much as hers did him, there was that girlish fear that when the time came he wouldn't want to. If that was the case, she'd just have to convince him, she thought, an impish grin spreading across her face.
Willow entered the apartment through the back door, alone. Buffy knew better than to attempt to come inside with the amount of sexual energy radiating off her best friend. As she neared the living room she could hear music. Her eyes opened wide when she saw Giles sitting on the couch, playing a guitar.
Giles was so absorbed in practicing his song, humming along softly to it, that he hadn't heard Willow enter the apartment. He knew her appointment with her doctor and physical therapist was today and he was dying to know how it had gone. He'd gone so far as to pull his old guitar from the back of a closet in order to calm his nerves.
He'd always found music to be a wonderful way to focus his nervous energy. Instead of fidgeting he plucked the strings, lovingly coaxing favorite songs out of the instrument. He'd been so busy in the last several months that he hadn't had time to practice, but today he strongly felt the need for some consolation from his old friend.
"That's beautiful," Willow said, interrupting his train of thought. "I didn't know you played."
Giles sheepishly looked up at Willow. "I'm really not very good," he said.
"Nonsense," Willow contradicted. She entered the room and sat down next to Giles on the couch. "You were playing wonderfully. The song sounded familiar, what was it?"
"Oh, um, David Bowie's As The World Falls Down."
"The title doesn't ring any bells. Play it for me?" Willow sweetly asked.
Giles was nervous about playing for Willow as he usually only played alone, but she was looking at him with such love and trust that he found himself unable to deny her. "All right."
Willow sat back against the arm of the couch so that she could watch Giles as he played for her.
There's such a sad love
Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel
Open and closed within your eyes
I'll place the sky within your eyes
There's such a fooled heart
Beating so fast in search of new dreams
A love that will last within your heart
I'll place the moon within your heart
As the pain sweeps through
Makes no sense for you
Every thrill has gone
Wasn't too much fun at all
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo
As the world falls down
Falling
(As the world) Falling down
Falling in love
Memories of watching Oz play flitted through Willow's mind. She had spent countless hours watching him practice with the other Dingoes or on stage at the Bronze. But she couldn't remember him ever sitting down to play for just her. Maybe it was because he was a guitarist and not the singer for the band. She wouldn't have cared if his voice had been terrible though, so long as it was directed at her.
But Giles, her Rupert, was singing for her and her alone. He was sharing with her his voice and his music, which she could see he liked to keep to himself. Heck, she had been living with him for two months and she'd had no idea he knew how to play the guitar, let alone so well or with such confidence.
I'll paint you mornings of gold
I'll spin you Valentine evenings
Though we're strangers till now
We're choosing the path between the stars
I'll leave my love between the stars
As the pain sweeps through
Makes no sense for you
Every thrill has gone
Wasn't too much fun at all
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo
As the world falls down
Falling
As the world falls down.
Falling
As the world falls down.
Falling.
Falling.
Falling.
Falling in love
As the world falls down.
Falling.
Falling.
Falling.
Falling.
Falling in love
As the world falls down.
Makes no sense at all.
Makes no sense to fall.
Falling
As the world falls down.
Falling.
Falling in love
As the world falls down.
Falling.
Falling
Falling in love
As the world falls down.
It was Willow's sigh of contentment that drew Giles' eyes to her face as he broke off the song. He hadn't allowed himself to watch her as he'd bared his soul, instead closing his eyes, concentrating on the notes and words.
Giles had to swallow around the sudden lump in his throat at the look on Willow's face. It was a radiant mixture of surprise, happiness, love and lust.
"You have a beautiful voice," she huskily whispered, licking her suddenly dry lips.
"Thank you. I don't get a chance to practice very often," he shyly admitted.
"No one's ever sung to me like that before," Willow said with a shy smile.
Giles looked surprised. "Not even Oz?"
Willow shook her head. "He always said that he was only good when playing with the others. He also said he couldn't sing, and what's the point of playing just the guitar parts without the words."
"Oz was a fool," Giles said.
"Lucky for you," Willow grinned, sliding next to her current boyfriend. "And me."
Giles set the guitar on the coffee table and welcomed Willow into his arms.
"Di-did you ever sing for Olivia?" Willow couldn't help asking.
"No," Giles softly said, running a hand through Willow's hair. "I haven't played for a woman since before I left England."
Willow grinned, unbelievably happy with that idea. It was selfish she knew, but this was her man and right now she didn't want to think about anyone else hearing his voice so full of love and music as she just had.
"I'm glad," she admitted. "Makes it more special. Just for us."
"Anything for you," Giles agreed.
Willow finally gave in to temptation and gently pressed her lips against Giles'. She slowly moved her lips against his, savoring the feel of them against her own. His mouth was soft and pliable, welcoming her teasing pressure.
Giles groaned into the sensual kiss. He wanted to pull Willow closer, take control and ravage her mouth, but he was enjoying this kiss way too much to change it. Even so, he managed to pull Willow onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her body.
Willow was surprised to realize she was now sitting on top of Giles instead of next to him when she pulled back so that they could take a couple of deep breaths, but she wasn't about to complain. When she kissed him again she allowed her tongue to tease his mouth open before finally sliding inside to mate with Giles'.
Giles' hands caressed every inch of Willow's back from her silky hair to her luscious bottom. On one upward trek he slipped his hands beneath her shirt, reveling in the feeling of heated flesh against his hands. Willow moaned into his mouth at the touch as well.
The next time they separated for air Giles panted, "What did the doctor say?"
"He said I should be on top." Willow wriggled on his lap, just in case he had any doubts as to what the doctor had meant.