Title: Tumblin' Down 20/20
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.
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, encouragement and patience.
It was days before Willow heard a peep from her friends again. She assumed that Buffy had told Xander about the doctor's green light and they were giving her and Rupert some privacy. The new lovers were content to stay wrapped in each other's arms and bodies, feeling as if time itself had stopped to show its support of this new stage in the their relationship. Willow and Giles only left her bed to visit the bathroom and/or kitchen.
After three days of luxury they convinced themselves that they should get dressed and try to get back to working on Giles' notes. This time, however, they made no pretenses that they needed to keep their distance. They knew well enough that they were still way too physically dependant upon the other to deny themselves the other's touch. Not that they wanted to anyway. As they had learned from experience, denying themselves permission to be near one another only drew them together.
They were deep into deciphering Giles' notes when there was a hesitant knock on the door. If they hadn't been sitting near the door they might not have heard it. After exchanging a startled look, they grinned and said, "Buffy."
Willow moved to answer the door, a big grin lighting her face, knowing her best friend would be dying for answers. She was surprised to see Xander standing outside the door next to Buffy, looking equally nervous.
"Hey guys, what brings you here?" Willow asked, standing back to allow them to enter.
"Hey, Wills," Xander greeted her.
Peering around her, Buffy asked in a not-so-subtle whisper, "We're not interrupting anything are we?"
The look on Xander's face at what he thought he could be interrupting only made her want to tease him. She called back over her shoulder, "Rupert, Buffy and Xander are here; you might want to put some clothes on."
As hoped, her friends visibly paled until Giles joined her at the door, fully dressed. "Did you need something, dear?" he asked, wrapping Willow in his arms.
"That was just mean," Xander pouted.
"Yeah, but you should have seen the looks on your faces."
"If you're coming in, come on in," Giles invited, moving back to his seat.
"Well if you weren't in the middle of… what were you doing?" Xander asked.
Willow closed the door behind her friends and resumed her place beside Giles at the table. "We were working," she answered, gesturing at the books and papers surrounding her laptop.
"Is there some big bad coming that I need to worry about?" Buffy asked, perching herself on the back of the couch. "Do you have a new prophecy?"
"None that occur in this century," Giles said. When met with Buffy's questioning eyes that seemed to say, 'Then what are you bothering looking at it for?' Giles turned to meet Willow's eyes. She silently told him that whatever he chose to tell the others she would support.
Clearing his throat, Giles admitted, "Willow has been helping me with a project during the time that she has been living here."
"Yeah, we know," Xander mumbled.
"Not that," Willow denied with a blush.
"I am writing a book," Giles announced in hopes of distracting the conversation from returning to his love life.
It worked.
"A book?" "Don't you have enough here, why add to them?" "Is it about me?"
Answering the last question first, Giles said, "No, Buffy, it's not about you."
Buffy sighed with relief. It was bad enough being one of the oldest living slayers. But she didn't need the pressure of having her triumphs and failures, not that there were many, laid out for the world to criticize.
"Then what's it about?" she asked.
"Well, you know all those prophecies we've uncovered over the years that didn't seem to take place for many years, and sometimes centuries, to come?" Giles paused for them to nod their heads in acknowledgement. "Willow has been helping me to compile them into a book."
"You mean you saved them?" Xander asked in astonishment.
"Of course, I did." Giles said. "What would you have me do with them? Forget about them so that in fifty years when a certain prophecy is coming to pass the watcher for that slayer can scramble to find out what is happening? No, I saved all of my notes and notations with the hope that some day they could prove useful to someone."
"I caught him going over some of his notes one day after I started staying here and he told me about his idea for the book and I kinda encouraged him to actually do it." Willow looked affectionately at Giles.
"With Willow's generous offer to type up my notes on her computer, I couldn't find any reason to delay at least organizing my notes."
"So that's what you guys have been doing every time we stopped by when you weren't making with the smoochies." Xander stated.
"Yes," Giles agreed, choosing to ignore Xander's teasing comments.
"How's it coming?" Buffy asked, glad that Giles had found something to do with his time. Now she didn't need to feel so guilty about not calling round very often.
"Remarkably well," Giles said. "Willow's skills with that machine have been wonderful in reorganizing my notes."
"See," Willow teased him, "computers do have their uses."
"Yes, dear," Giles responded affectionately, kissing the top of her head.
Xander made gagging noises. "Enough with the sickly-sweet lovey-dovey stuff."
"We're in love, so there," Willow stuck her tongue out at her oldest friend.
"Please, don't remind us," he playfully whined before waggling his eyebrows and leering at his best friend. "So, I hear the doc gave you a clean bill of health."
"Xander!" Buffy chided him, slapping his arm. "You weren't supposed to say anything."
"First, ow. Second, why not? It's not like we don't know they'd make with the nasty as soon as they got the chance."
Still blushing, Willow said, "Yes, Xander, the doctor gave me a clean enough bill of health, and yes, we took advantage, and that's all I'm gonna say."
"Well, good for you." Xander said and let the subject drop.
Giles cleared his throat, relieved at the apparent acceptance of the new stage in his relationship with Willow by their friends. "Might I ask what brings you two by today?"
"We hadn't seen you for a few days and wanted to make sure you were still alive in here," Buffy answered with a shrug. She left unsaid that they purposely stayed away to give them some 'alone time.'
"So nothing on the slayage front that we need worry about?" Willow asked, glad to have the attention drawn away from her sex life.
"Not really," Buffy sighed. "The frat-vamps seem to have closed up shop and moved on, and so has Spike. There was one thing… but I don't think it's demony."
"Let's hear it and I'll be the judge," Giles suggested.
"Well, when I was out on patrol, I crossed paths with these guys dressed all in black carrying guns. I saw them back around Halloween, but I thought they were just in costume."
"Do you think they might be the commandos that chipped Spike," Willow asked.
"Could be," Buffy agreed. "I'm just not sure if they're anything we need to worry about though. I mean, if they're capturing vampires and making them all non-bitey, they can't be bad, right?"
"I'm with the Buffster," Xander said. "Anyone looking to do damage to the demon population has gotta be on the side of good."
Willow and Giles shared a doubtful look.
"While the idea sounds wonderful, the ethics of it are rather shady," Willow hesitantly suggested.
"What ethics?" Xander rebutted. "They're demons, Will. Ethics don't apply."
"So you're saying that if a group of demons captured you and made it so that you couldn't eat your favorite foods anymore, that would be okay because to them you are something to be toyed with?" Giles proposed.
"No, that's not…" Xander started to say. "I'd end up starving."
"Exactly," Willow agreed. "Isn't that what these commandos did to Spike? Make him unable to feed himself, regardless of the fact that his favorite food happens to be people?"
"Yeah, staking them is much better," Buffy agreed.
"Buffy, the next time you notice these soldiers, I want you to try to follow them, see where their base of operations is. You too Xander, keep an eye out. Willow, can you see what you can find out on the net about them?"
"Sure, but what about our project?" Willow gestured to the papers strewn about the desk.
"We can work on both of them, darling," Giles said, wrapping an arm around Willow.
Willow pouted. Leaning closer, she whispered in his ear, "But what about… you know. Our new pastime?"
"Oh, I don't think we'll have trouble finding time for that," Giles purred in her ear, capturing the lobe between his teeth, giving it a playful tug.
"Gah, stop it you two," Xander exclaimed, covering his eyes. "I don't know what you're saying, but get those looks off your faces."
"If you have a problem with our behavior in our home, you don't have to stay to watch," Giles pointed out.
With an insistent tug on Xander's sleeve, Buffy said, "C'mon Xan. I guess three days wasn't enough time."
Not looking away from Giles, Willow said, "Sorry guys, but you know how it is…"
"It's okay, Will. You two kids have fun, and don't do anything too strenuous," Buffy winked.
"We'll try to keep the acrobatics to a minimum," Giles grinned.
"On that scary note… Let's get outta here," Xander said with a shudder.
"Bye guys," Willow called to the closing door.
"Thank goodness they're gone," Giles said. Unable to resist kissing Willow any longer, he closed the small distance between them and did just that. Willow eagerly wrapped her arms around Giles and returned the kiss hungrily.
"So, you up for something different?" Willow panted when they broke the kiss.
"Darling, I'm up for anything you have in mind," Giles moved her hand to rest on his growing erection. "What are you planning?"
With an impish smile and a quick kiss, Willow stood and offered her hand to Giles. "You'll see."
Giles was on his feet in a flash, placing his hand in Willow's, eager to see what she had up her sleeve. Expecting her to lead him towards her bedroom, Giles was surprised when Willow turned towards the staircase.
As she slowly started to climb the stairs, Giles remained rooted at the bottom. Willow turned back to look at him when she realized he wasn't following her.
"Something wrong?" she asked, taking in his surprised expression.
"Are you certain? It's just, you've never been to my room before." Giles tried to explain.
"I know. I really want us to be about us, not just me and my recovery." Willow moved back down the stairs until she was eye level with Giles. "You've been amazing, spending every night for months in the guest room with me. But this is your home, and you haven't spent a single night in your bed, with your girlfriend, in two months. Well, you will no longer be a guest in your own home mister."
Giles' heart swelled at Willow's words. A small part of him still feared that she was with him because he was convenient and would no longer want to be with him when their lives returned to what went for 'normal'. Their entire courtship, for lack of a better word, had taken place on the main level of his home, Willow's bedroom their sanctuary – a place out of time and reality. Now that they once again had slayer-related research to perform and Willow was walking around virtually pain-free, instead of her pushing him away, she was leading him to his bedroom.
Giles hadn't minded that the loft was more like his closet than his boudoir for the past couple of months. He would much prefer to spend his nights asleep beside his beautiful Willow than in his cold bed. Granted, it was slightly inconvenient for when he needed to get dressed in the morning, but something that he was happy to live with.
"I-is this just for now, to do something different? Or will you be moving upstairs with me, permanently?" Giles hesitantly asked.
Willow's eyes widened slightly. "Permanently?"
"I, uh, well, yes," Giles stuttered. "I can't imagine living here without you. I want to fall asleep with you in my arms every night and wake with you still there every morning. I don't want you to leave now that you don't need me anymore."
"I do need you," Willow insisted, wrapping her arms around Giles and kissing him. "It never even occurred to me that I could move out now that I'm better. I don't want to sleep without you either. I love you, Rupert. I'm not going anywhere."
"Except upstairs," Giles corrected her, a wicked gleam in his eyes. Leaning down, Giles swept Willow into his arms and began carrying her up to the loft.
"I can walk you know," Willow giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Humor me. You can walk up next time."
"I like the sound of that," Willow sighed, resting her head against his shoulder.
"Me too," Giles agreed.
The End