Title: Betrayal
Author: LadyForASH
Rated: NC17
Disclaimer: You know that nothing belongs to me. Joss created it all. Please don't sue!
Feedback is a great motivator...
It was almost noon when Giles returned to the small little cabin. His feet had carried him far down the beach while he was lost in thought. When he returned, he found that Buffy had moved back to her room and was sleeping once again. He watched her from the doorway for a moment. He was glad she was getting rest. Exhaustion was never helpful and could harm you in more ways then one.
He fixed himself a light lunch and sat down to read. He also called his favorite little Bistro in the village and made reservations for dinner that night. He thought Buffy might like that.
It was getting close to the dinner hour when Giles first heard her. She was crying out in her sleep. He put his book down and went over to the door. It was still open a crack. "No…no…let me out. Let me out!"
Giles opened the door and went over to the bed. He sat down and gently put his hands on her shoulders. "Buffy. Buffy, wake up. It's only a nightmare."
Buffy immediately opened her eyes. For a moment, he saw the horror reflected there before she realized where she was. Her body relaxed.
"Sorry," she mumbled. "Bad nightmare. I get them sometimes."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Giles asked gently. His hands were still on her shoulders.
Buffy shrugged. "Not really. Just the same thing over and over. I'm in a box and I can't get out. It's dark. Climbing out of my coffin…"
Giles' expression was sympathetic. He moved to hug her gently. "That must be terrible, Buffy. I'm so sorry."
For a moment Buffy was stiff in his embrace. Then she hugged him back, hard. Then, to Giles' surprise, she was kissing him. Her hands were on the back of his head and her mouth was grinding against his. At first, without thinking, he responded. His mouth opened against her probing tongue. His body reacted and she could feel his arousal against her leg. That just spurred her on.
Then something inside Giles clicked and his senses came back to him. He pulled away. "No, Buffy…no."
Buffy grunted when his mouth came free and she glared at him. "Don't you want me?" She moved her leg against him. "I can tell you do…"
Giles let out a sigh of frustration. "I've wanted you for a long time now, but not like this!"
"Why not? It's just sex!" Buffy moved closer once again but Giles pulled away, anger flashing on his face.
"Precisely! I won't be a replacement for Spike!" Giles stood up so fast that Buffy almost fell off the bed. He looked at her with a hard expression upon his face that was unreadable except for the torment he felt. His hands clenched at his sides. Did he want her? God yes, he wanted her, but not like this.
Buffy just gaped at him for a moment. His expression softened. "Buffy, I love you too much for that." He took another step away from her and ran his hands through his hair. "I made reservations for dinner. Why don't you get changed and then we'll go. You missed lunch and should eat something." Then he turned on his heels and left the room.
While Buffy got ready, Giles went into his own room. He scrubbed his face with cold water. Inside, he was seething. His body was still responding to her kiss. His desire for her was just as strong as ever, maybe even more so. But he couldn't be that for her. Anything but that.
He changed into a button down black shirt and khaki pants and waited for her out on the porch. When she came outside he noted her eyes were red and swollen from crying, but otherwise she looked beautiful. She'd changed into an ivory colored sweater and jeans. "You look lovely," he said gently.
Buffy could barely look at him. "Thanks," she said softly.
"We can walk to the Bistro from here." Giles started down the sidewalk and Buffy soon joined him by his side. They walked in silence the few blocks to the little Bistro. Giles commented that this was his favorite place and he ate there a lot when he'd stay at the beach. The hostess seemed to recognize him and showed him to a little table in the corner near the back. It was quaint and quiet and cozy.
Buffy watched him from over the top of her menu. He was struggling to make small talk but she wasn't really responding. He seemed not to worry about it, providing her with a little commentary about the village and surrounding areas.
When the waitress arrived, Buffy ordered a shrimp salad and Giles ordered a lemon chicken dish. They were both sipping on their water when Buffy finally looked up and made eye contact with him.
He waited to see what she was going to say. He could tell that she was struggling with something. He saw her take a deep breath as she made her decision to speak.
"Did you mean it?" Buffy asked softly. "Do you really love me like that?"
They both knew what she meant by `like that'.
Giles searched her face. He saw her wariness, and her wonder. Her hand was resting on the table and he slowly reached out and covered her fingers with his own, squeezing them gently. "More then."