Title: Coming Home 1/2
Author: Sav
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: Strong R
Disclaimer: All belongs to Joss but the story
Distribution: Dusty, ASH
Dedication: For JAC Happy Birthday
Warning: Violence , but a happy ending
Special thanks to Koala !
(Buffy’s Home – Bathroom)
Buffy hadn’t meant to doze off. She only closed her eyes for a short rest, when before she knew it, she was fast asleep. Her sore body was still soaking in the now warm bubble bath as she felt something under her chin. She opened her eyes slowly and saw Giles smiling at her.
His smile was warm, his eyes gentle.
“Giles?”
He was holding her chin with his fingers as she started to slip under the water.
“Hi.”
“Oh my god, Giles!” she sat up and covered her chest with her arms as she glared at him. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all," he said with a smile.
“What the hell are you doing in here?!”
“I just got in from patrol and I wanted to take a shower. Since the lights were off, I didn’t think anyone was in here, so, I started to undress when I saw you”
She looked at him now and saw he wasn’t wearing a shirt. For the first time, in a long time, she remembered why she used to have such a crush on him.
“Well I am! In here that is. And the lights were off cause my head was hurting. So, please leave”
“I’m sorry, Buffy. I would have just walked out after seeing you, however I didn’t want you to drown.”
“I think I would have woken up.”
“I hope so, but I didn’t want to take the chance.”
“Well, thank you, now please leave! This is getting way to creepy having you in here with me.”
Buffy watched something shift in his eyes as he lowered his gaze to the ground then stood.
“Of course. I am sorry”
She watched him walk out with slumped shoulders. Then a commotion in the hall way got her attention as she heard Giles' voice raise in anger.
“Back off, Spike!”
“Me? Oh that’s bloody rich! Just because you’re brassed off that you have no control over her anymore-“
“I never did. I never tried to! I was her watcher, her friend-“
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t think I don’t know, watcher. Don’t think I-“
“It would do you well *not* to finish that sentence, Spike!”
“Hey.”
Buffy’s voice interrupted them as she glared at Giles.
“What is wrong with you? Are you still pissed you didn’t kill him so now-“
“Oh bloody hell!” Giles turned angrily from Buffy and headed downstairs, his shirt in his hand as he ran into Dawn.
“Oh, sorry. Hey, Giles.”
“Hello, sorry Dawn.
“It’s ok. Where are you going? And why aren’t you in a shirt? Eww, Giles get a tan!”
Sighing, Giles felt like shit. No matter what he did, no matter how much he tried to please Buffy and the others, they still refused to respect him or treat him as a human being.
“Yes, well...” He just pushed past her as Dawn called to him but he didn’t stop. In fact he slammed the door behind him.
“Let him go, Dawn”
Dawn turned to see Spike nuzzling her sister’s neck.
“I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings. I was just kidding.”
“I’m sure he’s fine. Giles is tough. Did you do your homework?”
“Yeah but Buffy, Giles-“
“Is *fine.* Now get to bed, it’s late”
Dawn sighed as she headed upstairs to her room. The look on Giles’ face made her feel horrible as she tried to drift off to sleep.
She really was only kidding with him.
**
(Three days later)
Faith patrolled Rest Field cemetery, deciding to take one last pass by the three fresh graves she saw earlier. Considering the occupants had yet to rise, she took care of a few demons near by before returning to dust these.
Reaching the graves, she saw the figure of a man she knew well, sitting on top of one of the head stones above the demons tombs.
“Need to work off some extra energy to, huh G?”
He didn’t jump like she expected him to. He just continued to stare at the fresh graves as his fingers lightly played with a stake in his hands.
“You could say that.”
She walked closer and took a seat by his side, wondering what was wrong.
“Everything ok?”
“Of course.”
Faith nodded then looked around.
“B here?”
“Why would she be?”
“Oh, I don’t know, 'cause you’re her watcher and she’s the slayer, and there seems to be some slaying that needs done here?”
“I’m nothing to her anymore, Faith”
The rogue slayer frowned as she took a closer look at the watcher. From the light off the street lamp she could see the hard lines around his eyes, the 5 o’clock shadow he was sporting, coming in heavier now.
He looked tired and defeated.
“Yeah, how come?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Well, I think B might say –“
“The same thing, Faith. Just drop it" he growled at her, looking at her for the first time since she arrived. Faith didn’t like the look in his eyes.
“Giles, you sure you're ok?”
“Do you honestly care?”
“What?”
“Do you? Do any of you honestly give a rat’s ass what happens to me?”
“Hey, look I don’t know what’s crawled up your English Channel, pal, but-“
“Just leave it alone, Faith.” Giles eyes went back to fresh graves as his hand tightened on the stake.
“Is this a suicide mission?”
“No”
“Just a kick ass one?”
“Leave me alone.”
“I won’t let them turn you”
“I didn’t say I wanted turned.”
“Then what do want?”
Giles half-laughed bitterly.
“Lord is that a complicated question.”
“Could be, though you know me, I didn’t intentionally ask it that way.”
Giles half-smiled as Faith leaned her shoulder to his.
“Hey, is that smile I see there? Huh?” she teased him as Giles looked at her. She wasn’t sure what it was exactly that she saw, but there was something in his eyes. Something…was different about him. Before she knew what he was intending to do, Giles leaned into Faith and kissed her.
**
(Buffy’s Home)
Buffy made dinner for herself and Dawn as they now sat on the couch eating it.
“Buffy, have you seen Giles lately?”
“Yeah…um, I mean, no. Not since, well…”
“You can’t remember when you saw him last?!”
“Of course I can!”
After a moment of waiting for her to answer, Dawn asked, “Well?!”
“Look! I have a lot going on in my life right now! How come you're giving me the third degree here?!”
“It’s just…I just realized when I looked over at the chair that Giles' jacket is there. Then I started thinking about why he wasn’t here eating with us like he has been, and then, well, I realized I hadn’t seen him in a few days.”
“You haven’t seen him either?” Buffy asked, now she was beginning to worry. She just thought Giles was avoiding her for acting like such a bitch to him.
“What do you mean 'either'? I thought you said you could remember-“
“He’s fine,” Spike said as he came into the room from the front door.
“How do you know” Dawn asked a little snippy. She had *no* idea what Buffy saw in Spike.
Especially after he tried to rape her.
“I just saw him, in the graveyard,” Spike smirked as he took a seat by Buffy
and kissed her. “Evening, Luv.”
“Hey. What was he doing in the graveyard?”
“Kissing Faith,” Spike said, matter-of-fact wise as he dipped his index finger into Buffy’s egg yoke and licked it off.
“Excuse me?” Buffy was in shock. Giles was kissing Faith? In a graveyard!
“Yeah, who would have guessed huh?” Spike started snacking on her food, though he didn’t normally eat human food anymore. He did it just to get closer to Buffy.
Dawn was in shock too as she watched Buffy’s eyes narrow. If her
sister would just tell Giles how much she cared about him, instead of shacking
up with Spike, then things would be *so* much better for everyone!
**
(Rest Field Cemetery)
The kiss was soft at first, almost questioningly so. As if he was silently
asking permission to carry on. When it was clear she wasn’t going to hit him
or kill him for kissing her, Giles deepened the kiss. His left hand went to
the side of her neck, first holding her to his lips then pulling her closer
as he slipped his tongue into Faith’s mouth.
Once they touched, their tongues mated with one another passionately.
Both, Watcher and Slayer let out a low growl as Giles pulled Faith from beside
him, on to his lap. She straddled him, rubbing herself against his hardening
shaft, as Faith’s tongue slid against Giles’ hungrily.
Both lost track of time, as rain began to sprinkle down on them.
Faith grinned against Giles’ desirable mouth, and pulled away. He moaned at
the lost of her, but quickly laid his lips to her neck and began to kiss, lick
and nip at her throat.
“Damn you're good at this, G.”
She felt him smile against her skin.
“But you know, I’m not her.”
“I don’t know what you mean," he mumbled against the base of
her throat.
“Yes, you do.” She pulled his head up to look at her.
“Then why did you let me kiss you?”
“Because I wanted you to.”
Giles leaned into her again but this time Faith stopped him. Her
fingers resting against his lips.
“But… I won't ever be her Giles. I can't. We’re just, too different.”
Giles swallowed and closed his eyes; Faith rested her forehead to
his as he sighed.
“She hates me.”
“No, she doesn’t. “
“She does and don’t patronize me.”
“Oooh. I like it when you get cranky.”
He lifted his eyes to see her smiling.
“Stop provoking me.”
“Vixen.”
“Oh my god…”
At the sound of Buffy’s stunned voice, Giles turned his head to see
his slayer watching them. She looked completely shocked, then royally pissed.
Faith tried to move off his lap, but Giles held her tighter.
Turning his head back to Faith, Giles spoke.
“Good evening, Buffy”
“Giles, *what* the hell are you doing?!”
“I’m quite sure you saw enough to figure it out.”
Faith was wondering as she watched him, what he was up to. Since
she knew how much he loved Buffy, and she knew how badly his slayer treated
him, Faith let Giles lead this anyway he wanted. It was time B stood up and
admitted her feelings.
“Did you hit your head or something?”
Sighing, Giles leaned his forehead against Faith's.
“It’s ok, big guy. You tell me how you want this to go and I’ll be
there.”
He smiled at her warmly before laying a kiss to her lips.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve your loyalty but Buffy needs
you more than she needs me. I don’t want you on her bad side. Maybe you should
go.”
“Don’t worry about –“
“I need *her* more than you?! How can you say that! And hello, I’m
standing *right* here!”
Giles took a deep breath before answering her.
“Yes, I know you are. However I wasn’t speaking to you.”
Buffy took a step back as if he slapped her.
“Excuse me?”
“G, if ever want a shot with her, I wouldn’t carry on with this.”
“I can’t have what she’ll never give.”
Faith touched his cheek sadly as Buffy stood in front of him.
“Get away from my watcher.”
Giles pulled Faith to his side and glared at Buffy.
“Since when do I belong to you?”
“What the hell are you talking about?! You have always-“
“Not in years--two in fact--have I been your watcher.”
“That wasn’t my choice!”
“I certainly hope you aren’t implying that it was mine.”
“Oh no, why would I do that? I mean, you're *Giles*. You *never*
do anything wrong.”
Standing Giles got in her face as Buffy refused to back down.
“Don’t start this with me tonight, Buffy. You won't like the outcome.”
“Is that a threat?” she spat at him, daring him to go on.
“Take it as you will.”
“Oh, I think I’ll take it as such then. But you know what, *watcher*,
oh sorry *ex-* watcher -“
She saw hurt flash across his expressive eyes before they turned
to anger again.
“Did you even know I was gone?!”
“What?”
“Did you?!”
Buffy looked at him for a moment when she didn’t answer he knew.
“Oh, that’s bloody priceless!”
“I thought you were just avoiding me!” Buffy growled, defending herself.
“Avoiding…I rather thought that was your job, dear slayer.
You seem to do it quite well these days.”
Giles thought Vampires hit hard. He was wrong. Slayers hit *much*
harder. He felt the warm, sticky blood in his mouth before he tasted it. Faith
started to go to him, to help him off the ground but before she could, Buffy
was grabbed by a hand that came up from the grave she was standing on.
“Buffy!”
Giles called to her as the creature got out of his grave faster than
Giles had ever scene before, and lunged at his slayer. Knocking her to the ground
as she struggled to throw him off. Giles took his stake from out of the back
of jeans and charged at the demon.
Faith started to go to Buffy and Giles to help them when the second
Vamp rose, and then the third. Spike who was hiding in the shadows, took the
third vampire on as Faith took the second. The battle carried on for much longer
than it should have. Giles could tell right away these Vampires weren’t normal.
They much stronger than any they had faced before.
When he charged at the one holding Buffy down, he could tell
his slayer was having a difficult time getting it off of her. The thing had
his hands around his Slayer’s throat trying to choke her as she struggled to
get free. Giles lifted the stake in his hand and slammed it through the Vampires
back, but it didn’t dust. In fact, it barely went through its skin.
“Gi..les..” Buffy was trying to call to him for help as she started
to feel light headed. The watcher stood to the side of the vamp and slammed
his foot into the vampire's side. The demon growled in pain but refused to let
go of Buffy. Giles did it again and still nothing. He looked over quickly to
see Faith and Spike having a hard time with their demons as well.
“What the bloody hell is going on!” Spike growled as he slammed the
vamp that was attacking him to the ground. The thing got right back up and charged
him.
“Giles, they won’t die! What the hell is going on ?!” Faith yelled
to him before slamming another right hook across the demons jaw.
“I...I don’t know” Giles answered as he franticly looked around for
something to help Buffy. “Damn it!” he growled angrily. There wasn’t anything
for him to use! It was then Giles got a look at the vampires face. It was one
of the ubervamps [Turok-Hans] Buffy had told him about last week. Giles knew
they were almost impossible to kill so he did the only thing he could think
of as Buffy closed her eyes, starting to loose consciousness.
“Hey! Look at me!” he called to the vampire as he removed his shirt
and stood in front of it. “LOOK AT ME!” The watched growled at the top of his
voice to the demon. It lifted its head to Giles as the watcher angrily told
him, “Take me! Drain me!”
The vamp snarled, then forgetting Buffy, lunged at Giles. The watcher
fell to the ground, the wind getting knocked out of him, as the vampire straddled
him and quickly sank his fangs into Giles’ neck. Giles grunted in excruciating
agony as the creature’s teeth started ripping the flesh in his throat. He tried
pushing the demon off of him, but it wouldn’t budge.
Giles just didn’t have the strength.
He started running ways through his mind to get the vampire off of him, but
the demon was draining his blood to fast. He started feeling lightheaded as
his thoughts jumbled together. His unfocused eyes saw Faith and Spike had teamed,
trying to kill the vamps that had their attention.
“Why (hit) wont (kick) they (hit and kick) die!” Faith growled as
she beat the living hell, or rather, un-living hell out of the vamp in front
of her.
“We need a sword or, or something-“ Spike was cut off as the vamp
he was fighting lunged at him and pinned him to the ground. “Ow!” Spike grimaced
as he hit the vamp with a right then a left hook.
Buffy meanwhile was starting to come out of her haze as she tilted
her head to the side to look for Giles. She saw him on the ground not to far
from her side.
He was being drained.
His hand tightly gripping the uber’s shoulder as he struggle to get
free.
“Giles…” She tried calling to him but her throat was too raw. She
barely whispered his name as she closed her eyes, trying to shake the dizziness.
She was still sore from her earlier patrol a few nights ago, that her body hadn’t
fully recovered yet.
Even with her Slayer healing, these uber vamps were going to be the
death of her yet…
Giles hadn’t heard Buffy as he realized while he watched Faith and Spike fighting,
that The first must have planted the ubers there to attack Buffy. Probably thinking
she would be patrolling alone tonight. Which, thank god she wasn’t. She was
still hurt from their last attack earlier in the week….
“Giles, get up!” Faith yelled at him as she caught sight of the watcher
on the ground. She tried to run to his side to help him but the Vamp she was
fighting, grabbed her and slammed her back to the ground.
“Faith!” Giles’ voice was all ready weak as the vampire continued
drinking him. He knew it was stupid, throwing himself to the dogs, sort of thing.
But Buffy needed help and this was all he could think of. There was no way he
was going to let her die.
He just hoped Buffy could recover in time before this thing killed
him… or worse.
“Faith, look out!” Spike managed to call out to her before getting
knocked to the ground, again, as the slayer noticed the Vamp she was fighting,
was about to sink his teeth into her neck. He had knocked her down so hard,
she hadn’t realized it was above her and ready to strike till Spike called out
to her.
Faith managed to get enough strength together, and knocked the thing off of
her.
“God I hate this town!” She mumbled agilely as the vamp she knocked
down, lifted his hands and snarled. Before Faith knew what he was doing, he
snapped her necklace that Wesley gave her, of a stake through a cross, in half.
Faith touched her neck and realized he must of ripped it from her during the
fight. “Oh, no you just didn’t…” Faith growled then stood up and charged at
the Vampire. ”You’re going down, Buddy!” She tackled the Vampire as he was starting
to stand again, and knocked him back down.
With a fury the demon never knew before, Faith began laying into him. Spike
was also starting to get the upper hand as well. The creatures seemed to be
tiring as Faith and Spike continued to kick some un-dead ass.
Giles was still struggling, though not as hard as he tried to get
a look at Buffy to see if she was all right. Buffy began to move again, realizing
Faith and Spike weren’t able to help Giles as her eyes found and locked with
her watcher’s.
“Giles…hold, on…” She whispered. Buffy couldn’t believe how sore
her throat was. She pushed herself up, cringing from the pain from the previous
attack, and sat on her knees. She heard Giles’ weak tone fill the night.
“You can do it, Buffy”
After closing and opening her eyes several times, trying to wake
up, she saw Giles' grip starting to lessen. He was dying. She was going to lose
him before they had a chance to make things right between them….
“Get, off…my...watcher!” Her voice was low as she tried to sound
threatening, but her throat was killing her
Seeing Giles’ eyes starting to close set something off inside her.
There was no way she was going to loose him. Not now. Not when they had so much
to talk about, to make right. She angrily got up, forcing the wave of dizziness
that hit her, aside after falling to her knees. Then shaking it off, she stood
again, and ran to the vamp drinking Giles, grabbing it by the head and yanking
off her watcher.
She used all the strength she had and threw the demon into a
tree, slamming a piece of the broken wood along the side of the large oak, through
his heart.
It dusted.
“I said… leave him… alone,” Buffy growled angrily, her throat hurting
like hell. Giles looked up at her in shock as Buffy saw his blood pouring down
his neck, pumping out of the two little puncture wounds in his throat. He was
breathing heavier as he tried to sit up and reach out to his slayer. Though
it felt like forever till she was able to save him, he knew it had only been
a few short minutes.
“Buffy…are you-“
She fell to her knees; feeling completely drained and closed her
eyes. She was trying to shake the dizziness in her head again as she felt Giles
hand slid to the side of her face. She swallowed painfully trying to talk to
him but couldn’t.
“Shh. It’s all right. Take it easy," he whispered, trying to comfort her
as Spike and Faith finally got the upper hand and killed the last two remaining
vamps.
“G, you ok?” Faith turned to him as Spike followed.
“Buffy?!”
Spike ran to her, seeing her on her knees with her head bowed and
took her into his arms. He was kissing her forehead and cheek as Giles glared
at him with rage in his eyes. Faith went the watcher's side and removed her
tank top, leaving her in a sports bra as she laid it over his wound in on his
neck.
If looks could kill, Faith thought…
“Giles, we should get you and B to the ER.”
Giles looked at her and shook his head.
“Take Buffy, but I’m going home.” He stood up but fell back into
Faiths arms as she caught him.
“Yeah right, you're going where again?” she joked, as Giles watched Spike pick
Buffy up and started caring her in the direction of the hospital.
“I can’t, Faith,” he whispered sadly as she watched his eyes
follow Buffy and Spike.
“Look, I know this hard on you, but if you think I’m going to let
you die just cause you cant stand to be near him-“
“Fine, but I don’t want to talk about it, l just want to make
sure Buffy’s all right.”
Faith nodded and helped Giles to the ER.
” Why? It got you to smile. A little. And G, I gotta tell you, you have one
hell of smile gorgeous.”