Title: Shudder 1/4 (sequel to Shiver)
Author: Elle
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Buffy and the others belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy,
and some old guys in suits (probably).
Spoilers: Season 6
Summary: After their tryst Buffy tries to find out why Giles pushed
her away.
Note: Sorry this took so long in coming. My muse moved to Guam…to
raise penguins…with Bob Dole…
Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
As Giles closed the door behind them Buffy smiled. Placing her hands on his chest, she said, "I told them I hid in a crypt during the storm. I don't think they know." She grinned wickedly. "I suppose we'll have to be more careful in the future—"
Giles removed her hands and pushed her away gently, but firmly. "I apologize for what happened last night," he said coldly. "I will make sure in the future, as you said, that we keep a good distance between us."
He left without another word.
Buffy stood speechless, and crushed.
Willow watched the two skeptically as they left the store, one walking out silently after the other. Turning back to the text she realized her mistake. The male afflicted by the demon blood wouldn't turn to the first female he came into contact with after, but rather the one he was already in love with. Which ruled out Buffy, and eased Willow's mind. She put the book away, and let out a sigh of relief.
Two Days Later…
In the back of Buffy's journal she had written the heading `Bastards.' Over the years she had kept a list of the men in her life that fell into that category. Chewing on the end of her pen she read her previous notes:
Dad- Forgets my birthday. Never calls. Left Mom etc.
Principal Snyder- Devil incarnate. Got ate by a snake, though.
Owen- Liked the funeral home a bit too much…
Angel- Only has one facial expression, but has soul. Turned evil after we slept together. My fault for dating a vampire anyway.
Parker- More than one facial expression. No soul. Hope he burns in a terrible fire, then spends months in the hospital undergoing painful recovery, only to get hit by a truck and die the day he is finally discharged.
Riley- Nice. Boring. Gone.
Spike- Wanted to kill me. Now wants to snuggle. ???????
Buffy uncapped her pen and added another entry to the list.
Giles- Broke my heart.
She put the pen down and snapped the diary closed.
Giles sipped his whiskey, his sixth in the past hour. He had begun with a glass and ice. After one the ice was abandoned. Now he was seriously considering forgoing the glass as well.
He tried to escape it; the image of her in his mind, nude and glistening with sweat, writhing beneath his body. Her smile followed him into his dreams, the lover's smile he had only imaged before.
Before he had seduced her.
Giles squeezed his eyes closed and shut out that terrible word. Seduced. It was only slightly more delicate than used. Prettier than fucked. Oh, God, and he had done that, hadn't he? Took her body, took his pleasure, never considering that she was still vulnerable and confused. He old Buffy would have been disgusted at the thought of sleeping with him, but this Buffy was still unsure and afraid. When she slipped back into the rhythm of her old life she would realize what had transpired, would realize that her most trusted friend had taken advantage of her while her body was numb and her mind foggy.
She might even kill him, he thought. He deserved it.
Giles tossed the whiskey down his throat. He would leave. He would fly back to England, back to Bath where his friends were his age. He would go to the airport.
At least he would once he was sober enough to stand.
Spike sat cross-legged in his crypt painting his nails black with slow, sure strokes.
Giles had fooled the witch, made her think that he hadn't touched Buffy. Spike knew better, though; even on the Watcher's rain-soaked porch he could smell sex permeating from his house.
He could smell Buffy, or rather a variation of her, musky and primitive.
Spell or no spell, Giles had used Buffy. And Spike was going to kill him for it.