Title: A Change in Perspective 4/5
Author: Kim
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to Joss, ME, Fox etc. Although I'm sure they have more fun in my world. Feedback: Thanks, I'd love some! Please don't make me beg. I would especially love constructive criticism. Anything to make the final product better.

"Hey guys," he said, bouncing excitedly. "Sorry I'm late. But I had to do some research on the computer, then I had to organize my magic books, and then I had to stop at the Espresso Pump. Have I missed anything?" he babbled.

Dead silence met his question. No one could speak as they tried to take his costume in. As if his long sleeve t-shirt, overalls, and Vans weren't enough, he actually had a red wig that matched Willow's hair perfectly. As terrifying as the costume was, what was scarier was the sheer perkiness radiating off of him. Spike could be called many things, but perky had never been one of them. And there he stood, bouncing slightly like Willow on a caffeine buzz, with a huge grin on his face.

Dawn was the first to recover. She walked over to Spike and took his hand. "Sweetie, I thought we talked about caffeine. How many mochas have you had today?"

"I only had one," Spike replied. "And about ten candy bars, which I knew were for the trick or treaters, but then I remembered we were going to be over here, so we wouldn't need to hand them out, and you know I love chocolate and Halloween, so I just ate them." Pausing for a breath he exclaimed, "I'm babbling. You're supposed to stop me when I do that."

"I think the Hellmouth has opened and swallowed us," Buffy said. "Or this is a sure sign of the apocalypse."

"The Hellmouth?" Spike replied. "I've been practicing a new spell just for the occasion."

Tara couldn't help it, she started to laugh. Soon everyone was laughing and telling "Willow" the party could finally really get started.

While Dawn turned the music back up, Willow signaled Tara that it was time for round two. "Say Giles, do you think we could do a little training later tonight?" she asked Tara.

"Of course Buffy," Tara replied. "You know, I'm your Watcher and it's my duty to train you. But I must tell you that I find it incredibly distracting when you wear clothes that don't leave anything to the imagination."

"Well, maybe I find it distracting that you are too gorgeous for words sometimes," Willow shot back. "Especially when you sing. Did you ever think of that?"

"I know, Buffy," Tara said. "Sometimes you could cut the sexual tension between us with a broadsword. Everyone else must be blind not to see it."

"Oh well, let's dance some more," Willow suggested.

Buffy felt like her face was on fire. Suddenly, she couldn't look Giles in the eye.

"Um, I think I'll go and bring some drinks out for everyone," Giles said suddenly. "I'll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me."

Buffy sat down heavily on the couch. Is that what everyone else saw between her and Giles? Were they the only ones who didn't see it? Buffy was the first person to admit that Giles was important to her. Probably the most important person in her life. And she definitely had feelings for him. She had just never tried to define what those feelings were. Although, if they were in anyway related to the feelings she had been experiencing while they were dancing, they were definitely the low down tingly kind of feelings that she hadn't felt in a long time.

Giles walked in to the kitchen with his thoughts in a whirl. He hadn't realized that his feelings for Buffy were so transparent. Although, the gang certainly could be perceptive when they wanted to be. `I wonder if Buffy's figured it out? And if she has, how does she feel about it?'

He was so lost in thought for a moment that he didn't pay attention to the scene in front of him. Finally he realized that Anya was sitting on the counter with Xander standing between her legs. The two of them were kissing madly. Unfortunately, the visual image they presented was of Spike and a very hairy Dawn kissing.

"This is disturbing to watch on a number of levels, you realize that, right?" He asked the two of them.

Breaking apart, Xander looked sheepish. "Well, we haven't seen each other all day because we were putting our costumes together, and she looks really hot in this outfit."

"Xander, I'm not even going to ask why you find Anya dressed as Spike to be *hot,*" Giles said. "You do realize, however, that this disqualifies the both of you from the contest, as Spike and Dawn don't really go around kissing one another."

"That you know of," Anya replied, hopping down from the counter.

"Be a spoil-sport then, G-Man," Xander said. "Although, if you want to be in the running, you and Buffy had better do a little bit better job of acting like Anya and me. After all, we can't keep our hands off each other for more than ten minutes, as you just witnessed." With that, Xander winked on his way out of the kitchen.

Giles thought about it for a minute. Obviously no one else had a problem with him and Buffy being together. Telling himself that it was for the good of the contest, Giles called out into the living room, "Oh Xander, could you come here for a minute?"

Buffy entered the kitchen, "Yes, Anya darling?"

Giles stuck out his lower lip in an approximation of a pout. "Don't you love me?"

`Now we're treading in dangerous territory,' Buffy thought. "Of course I love you sweetie, why would you think I don't?"

"Well, you haven't kissed me all evening?"

"Kissed you?" Buffy's voice was a high-pitched squeak. "You want me to kiss you?"

"Well, I am your fiancée. And if you don't kiss me, I'm going to feel scorned. You know what I used to do to men who scorned their fiancées? I remember one woman, who found out her boyfriend was sleeping with the downstairs chambermaid, and let me tell you, when I was through with him, certain parts of him never made it *upstairs* again.

"Aah, I'm not really sure I want to know about that. Of course I want to kiss you. Come here."

Admitting to herself that she did want to kiss Giles, just as an experiment of course, Buffy grabbed Giles by the hand and pulled him closer to her. She put her other hand at the back of his neck and pulled his head down for a kiss. His lips lightly brushed against hers, tentative at first. A breathy moan escaped her and Giles took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. He pressed his lips more firmly against hers and decided that he had died and gone to heaven. In his 47 years, Giles had kissed a number of women. None had instantly set him on fire like Buffy did.

Buffy couldn't believe how soft his lips were, nor could she believe the jolt that shot through her. `Oh god, I'm kissing Giles. I'm enjoying kissing Giles. Why haven't I kissed Giles before?' she thought. After a few moments, Giles pulled back. Keeping up the charade of the contest, he looked at Buffy. "Do you want to kiss me again, Xander?"

Buffy looked up at him through eyes heavy with desire. He felt his breath catch in his chest at the look she gave him. "Giles, I'm Buffy, and I want *you* to kiss me again."

Giles gave up all pretenses and slipped his arm about Buffy's waist. Pulling her firmly against him, he tangled his hand in her hair as he brought his lips down on hers again. This time, the kiss was anything but tentative. Giles kissed Buffy like a man drinking from a well after days without water. He couldn't get enough of her. His tongue reached out and traced the outline of her lower lip. Buffy moaned again and opened her mouth to let his tongue in. He memorized every contour of her mouth, amazed that he had lived this long without her.

For her part, Buffy felt like a tidal wave of sensation was rushing through her to sweep her away. She raised both hands to either side of Giles' head and pulled his mouth harder against hers. She let Giles back her against the island in the kitchen and used it as leverage to wrap her legs around his waist.

Giles trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck. As he moved to kiss her ear, his hot breath caused her to shiver. "I can't wait for the orgasms later," he growled in her ear.

"Giles," Buffy giggled, "I thought we dropped the Anya/Xander bit."

When he lifted his head to look in her eyes, Buffy's eyes widened at the desire reflected in his. "That wasn't a bit."

"Oh," was all she could say weakly before his mouth claimed hers again.

At that moment, Buffy heard a huge crash in the living room. `That sounded like the picture window,' she thought idly, not really caring to stop Giles' kisses.

"Uh, guys," Xander yelled in a panic. "Could we get some help in here?"

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