Title: An Honest Man 3/4
Author: Sweetdoggie (stirling_summer@yahoo.com)
Disclaimer: No permission has been granted to use the characters.. They are owned by their creator, Joss Whedon, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB, and Mutant Enemy. This story is non-profit and is intended solely as entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.

Giles was sitting on the couch, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake by not letting Buffy come to him in her own time. He dismissed his fears, realizing that if he waited for her to make the first move, he’d be a hundred before she even noticed he was male. Looking up, he saw Dawn coming down stairs. She gave him a tiny wave. “Buffy will be down in a second. She needed to gather up some courage.”

He smiled. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. It’s myself I’m worried about now. What if I mess things up? What if she wasn’t ready for this move? I really did force her to accompany me. It’s just, well, I love her so very much and I can’t bear the thought of her being alone. She should marry, have children. Live life to the fullest.”

Dawn looked at him speculatively. “So, you want kids, huh? That’s cool. I figure I’ll make a great aunt.”

He looked alarmed. “Me? A father? Why, I don’t know…”

“Who were you expecting to father Buffy’s mythical children, then? You’d better not plan on leaving her or I will help her kick your ass,” the girl warned him.

“If she’ll have me, I intend to be in her life forever. I suppose I just never thought it might be possible that she would want me in that way.” He smiled softly. “I would love to have children with her. They would be so very pretty. I can see them now, tiny little girls with big, loving hearts and the courage of lions.”

“How about big, strapping boys with enough brains to do whatever they wanted?”

“I’ve never thought about sons, probably the Watcher in me is conditioned to want daughters. How very strange.”

“Would you raise your kids to be Watchers?”

“If they wanted to. I wouldn’t force them.”

She was going to make another comment when they heard Buffy on the stairs. Dawn did a quick check on her sister, satisfied that she was absolutely gorgeous and then turned her attention to the Watcher.

He had stood up at the first sound of Buffy’s tread and the expression on his face was priceless. He looked absolutely stunned; gob-smacked as Humphrey would later tell her when he heard the story.

“B, B, Buffy!”

“Will I pass muster?”

“M, m, my God! Woman, you’re beautiful!” He just stood there staring at her. “Are you sure we need to go out? I’m going to be fending off drooling men all evening.”

“Hey! This was your idea. It serves you right!” She finished coming down the stairs and held out her wrap for him to drape across her bare shoulders. He gulped as he saw her back, bare except for the criss-crossing of straps that held her dress on.

Unable to help himself, he put out his hand and touched the warmth of her lower back. He felt her shiver and suddenly, he was overwhelmed with emotions. His beautiful Buffy was actually going out on a date with him. The woman he had loved for years had consented to share her time with him outside of business. He wanted to sweep her into his arms and kiss her till she was faint, but realized that he had to make a good impression on her so that she would do this again.

He slipped the stole over her shoulders and sighed to cover such beauty. He walked to the door and opened it for her. She glided past him, a smile of deep satisfaction on her lips. Buffy told Dawn not to wait up; she’d talk to her tomorrow. Dawn just grinned and wished them both a nice time.

Giles escorted her to his car wishing he were driving a limo for her. She deserved the absolute best.

“Next time, I’ll get a car and driver from the Council so I can look my fill at you. I feel quite cheated having to drive tonight.”

“We’ll see,” she told him primly.

The restaurant was full, but a table had been held for him. He followed the staff across the room to their table, Buffy on his arm. He knew the exact moment that the men in the room became aware of her because conversations stopped. He glared fiercely at any man whose gaze lingered on her for more than a moment. She was his and he wasn’t sharing!

Buffy was enjoying herself. It felt nice to have men look at her, especially when they weren’t thinking she was just a very strange girl. It was fun to watch Rupert go into possessive mode too. Who’d have ever thought it?

Dinner was good, though Buffy avoided the messier dishes. With her luck, she’d get a glop of something down her dress if she wasn’t careful. She ate lightly, but the food was excellent. She’d like to come here again without the pressure of a first date on her shoulders.

After they had finished eating, Giles ordered coffee for them both and they sat at the table and chatted about their day.

“I understand you gave Robson a start.”

“I knew he’d beat a path to your door. Tattle-tale.”

Giles grinned. “He was simply concerned that you were so upset.. I must say, I think things have gone well so far, don’t you?”

She gave him a limpid gaze. “So far.”

“This place has a small dance floor. Would you care to indulge?”

“I’d like that.”

They got up and walked to the room where a few other couples danced slowly around. Buffy stepped into his embrace and sighed at the sensation of being held in his strong arms.

Somebody tapped Giles on the shoulder for permission to cut in. He turned around and saw a fresh-faced young man standing there with a hopeful look on his face.

“May I cut in?”

“No.” Giles didn’t mince any words.

Buffy smiled at the young man. “I’m sorry, but this is a special night for us.”

“Oh, sorry.” They watched him walk away, dejected.

“Prat,” Giles murmured. “As if I’d let anyone within ten feet of you tonight!”

They danced for another half hour before Giles asked her if she were tired.

“Just a little.”

“Would you go on a drive with me tomorrow? We can go into the countryside and I can show you around.”

“That sounds fun.”

“Shall we go home now?”

“Alright.”

He escorted her back to his car and tenderly tucked her into the passenger side. She was so tiny; it was sometimes hard for him to believe that she was so much stronger than he was. She brought out all his protective instincts and he wanted to cherish her.

They didn’t speak as he drove them home. He opened her car door for her and gently helped her from the vehicle, tucking her arm into his as they walked up to the house. He unlocked the door and they stepped inside together.

Buffy was suddenly very nervous. The time when he would kiss her was rapidly approaching and she wasn’t sure how to handle it. On the one hand, she was really curious about how it would feel. She had mentally played with the idea of kissing him since she was sixteen years old, but the timing had never been right. Now, suddenly it was a possibility and she was torn. If she had come to him all those years ago, before she learned that men are betrayers and that any relationship that involved love also involved pain, she would have thrown herself into a full-fledged affair with him without a qualm.

Now, she was older, perhaps no wiser, but at least more experienced and she was so very tired of being hurt. If she let him in, he would hurt her—she would hurt him too. It was just the way that things worked. But the potential for happiness was so great that she was sorely tempted. The only real consideration still holding her back was the knowledge that when he left her, she wouldn’t survive it. Oh, her heart would continue to beat, but the essential part of her that made her Buffy would be crushed beyond redemption. The only question she needed to ask herself now was, was it worth the risk?

“Would you care for a cup of tea?” His soft voice intruded into her thoughts.

She smiled up at him, charmed by his fall back on the one thing guaranteed to comfort both of them.

“Tea sounds lovely. Do you need any help?”

She watched the Adam’s apple bobble up and down in his throat for a moment.

“N, no. I believe, er, that is, I’m fairly sure, ah, I can, do it myself.”

Buffy hadn’t heard that level of babble from him in nearly a decade. She remembered how sweetly nervous he had been while rehearsing his dating speech to Jenny. It went straight through her heart like a hot knife through butter. Smiling serenely, she nodded at him.

“Then, I’ll just wait for you on the couch.”

“Ah, y, yes. G, g, good idea.” He beat a hasty retreat to the kitchen, panting as if he had just finished a marathon.

Giles prepared the tea with hands that shook slightly. In a very few minutes, he intended on entering the living room and kissing the woman he had been in love with for at least six years and he was so nervous he felt like he might vomit. This was the most important moment of his life to date and it had to be done just right. He somehow had to persuade Buffy that she really wanted to date him. Once she agreed to that, he would up the ante till she was completely his. He wondered how long before he could safely ask her to marry him.

He selected a peppermint flavored tea because Buffy had expressed an opinion once that it was good. Assembling the tea paraphernalia on the tray took about thirty seconds. The kettle whistled, signaling that his short reprieve was nearly over. He poured the boiling water over the leaves in the pot and breathed the aromatic steam in with a smile. Buffy didn’t care for strong tea, so it wouldn’t need to steep long. He picked up the tray and carried it into the living room.

Buffy looked up at him with a smile. She smelled the peppermint from across the room, her Slayer senses having lost none of their acuity since her retirement.

“Oh, peppermint. I love that flavor. Do you remember the first time you made it for me?”

“We were in Sunnydale. I believe we had just finished dealing with Catherine Madison, the insane cheerleading witch.” He shook his head. “What a very strange obsession, to be sure.”

“If I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that people are very strange creatures.”

He nodded his agreement and handed her a cup of hot tea, lightly flavored with a lump of sugar that he bought especially for her. They sipped the hot beverage for a few minutes before Giles put down his cup and leaned over, removing hers from her hands. The moment of truth was upon them.

“May I kiss you?”

“I’m still not convinced that this is a good move, but yes, you may.”

He smiled softly at her words and stroked the ringlet of hair back from her cheek as he cupped it gently with his hand. Giles looked deeply into her eyes, his own reflecting the love and desire he had felt for her for such a very long time. He leaned in and carefully let his lips brush hers.

Even though she had been expecting it, the contact startled her and her mouth opened very slightly to draw in a gasp of air. He latched on to the opportunity and let his tongue play against her lips, begging for entrance. She hesitated, but he tasted so very good that she couldn’t resist. Her lips opened to him and he entered her with his mouth.

For Buffy, it was as if she had found succor against the harsh vicissitudes of life. He was the One; there wasn’t a doubt in her mind. His hand slipped behind her back and pressed her into his body. God! She was such a contrast. Sweet, strong, soft, lovely, and he could taste her desire on her lips. Of their own accord, her hands rose and laced through his hair. He growled, deep in his throat and pulled her carefully onto his lap. When they finally broke the kiss, he looked down into her eyes that were only half open and passion-glazed. He wondered if she’d look like this after making love and determined to see for himself at the earliest opportunity.

Buffy lay back in his arms, held against his chest. Her head rested comfortably on his shoulder, one of her hands behind his neck, the other on his chest. She sighed comfortably.

“I knew this was a bad idea.”

“What? I thought it went rather well, myself.”

She looked at him earnestly. “Giles, it was great. Perfect, in fact.”

“Then why is it a bad idea?”

“You know my track record with men almost better than I do. I meet somebody, we date, I fall in love, we develop our relationship, he dumps me and goes away.”

“But, don’t you see, with us, that pattern has already been broken. We’ve known each other for years, loved each other that long, at least, I’ve loved you since you yelled at me the first day we met. We have already established our relationship. Now, we are merely altering the parameters a bit. We’ve already played out the scenario where I am forced to leave—I regret doing that, by the way.”

She raised one eyebrow. “Wow! Lots of stuff in that statement that has to be dealt with. First off, I love you too. It wasn’t day one, but by that evening I already liked the heck out of you. My turning point was Catherine Madison, I think. You carried me and even though I was sick as a dog, I remember thinking how safe I felt in your arms. I do love you—more than anybody else in my entire life, I love you. I don’t want to lose the relationship we have. It’s valuable, more valuable than gold to me. And I agree, by the way, you were wrong to leave me.”

He held her close for a moment before relaxing his grip and gazing down at her. “You see, we already agree on so many things…”

“I’m deathly afraid of this, Rupert.” She raised her hand and stroked his cheek. I don’t want to lose you.”

“We could make a, a pact, I suppose. Swear to remain friends, no matter what?”

“Do you honestly think that would work? I won’t lose you. I won’t!”

“We can make it work. We love each other. We can make it work,” he almost chanted the words like a magic spell.

Buffy was mesmerized by the look in his beautiful eyes, the way his lips moved. She could still taste him in her mouth and feel the heat from his body rising up to meet hers. She wanted him with a passion so fierce that her tiny frame shook with desire. She could have him, but the price would be high. She would have to surrender her heart one last time. Could she do it?

“OK. We can try this. But we have to be careful.”

He let out the breath he’d been holding. “Thank you, Buffy.” He hugged her so tightly that if she’d been anyone but the Slayer it would have hurt.

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