Title: The Assistant 6/?
Author: Sweetdoggie
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.

Buffy had been running since sun up so swinging by the Watcher’s house at seven was not a problem. Giles, being Giles, was ready and they set off at a brisk pace. Buffy only let him run for about five miles before she made sure they were back home. “I need to head home and get cleaned up, Giles. See you in school.” She waved and trotted away.

Merrick watched Giles come in dripping sweat and gasping for air. “Apparently, I am more out of shape than I had assumed.” He told the older man when he was able to stop struggling to breath.

“How far did you go?” Merrick asked with a grin.

“She made me stop at five miles. I suspect she didn’t want to carry me back to the house.” Giles admitted ruefully.

“I have some good news.” Merrick told him. “The Council has begun preparations for the acceptance spell on Buffy’s mother. When it’s complete, she won’t refuse to allow you to marry her girl.”

Giles sighed. “I wish there were another way, but I honestly don’t see how. Buffy can never know about this. She would never forgive either of us for allowing magic to be practiced on Mrs. Summers.”

“Yes.” Merrick nodded. “I have no doubt that you’re right about that.” He paused. “We need to talk about what’s going to happen, Rupert. Do you want me to leave?”

“No! Of course I don’t want you to leave, John. I don’t see why we can’t all live here together, you, Buffy and I.” He looked momentarily sad. “Unless it will be too distressful for you to see your Slayer with me?”

Merrick sighed. “Yes and no, my friend. The bond has slackened considerably for me since the injury. It knows that Buffy can’t be tied to a man so deeply incapacitated as I. The direction of my affections for our dear girl seem to have taken on a paternal aspect that I can only say I’m deeply grateful for.”

Giles signaled his understanding with a nod. “Then what seems to be the problem, John?”

“You’ll think its silly, and I suppose it is, but I feel like my daughter is being compromised by a young lout who ought to be horse-whipped for even looking at her in a sexual way. My mind knows you are a very good man, Rupert, but my heart remembers Ripper and well, I just would never want him for my little girl.” He looked away, ashamed of his foolish reaction.

Giles took his hand. “It’s not foolish at all, John. I wouldn’t want that rounder for Buffy either. I hope I never experience him again, but he is part of me and no matter how much I deny him, he’s there.”

Merrick squeezed the hand that held his and said that he might go visit his family when Rupert married Buffy. “I wouldn’t be gone forever, but I haven’t seen my sister or her children for years. It would give you a bit of time to bond with your new wife.”

Giles smiled and went to make them tea. “My wife. I can hardly believe it.” He looked at the older man. “You know, despite the bond and the Calling of the Watcher, I never thought it would apply to me, somehow. I thought I would be alone forever and now, to have her in my life…” He brushed away a tear.

“I assume you’ve taken care of, er, precautions?” Merrick flushed a bit.

“I had a vasectomy when you contacted me in London. She won’t be exposed to the dangers of pregnancy.” Giles vowed.

“Are you going to tell her that she can never have children?” Merrick asked curiously.

“Perhaps she won’t ask.” Giles prayed. “She’s had to adapt to so much and then to have that be a final blow…” He shook his head. “I don’t know if I can tell her.”

Meanwhile, Buffy was wondering how to break the news to the Scoobies. Finally, she decided to meet them at the Bronze for a night of dancing and carefree fun. They had all danced several times and headed back to the table when Buffy decided she needed to break the news.

“Uhm, you guys? You know that I’ve been running and training an awful lot lately?” Buffy began. “Well, the Watchers say there’s a reason for it. And I need to tell you so you don’t wig.”

They looked at her seriously. Willow leaned over and hugged her. “You know you can tell us anything, Buffy. We won’t wig, I promise.”

Xander nodded his agreement. “Yeah, if we can take the rest of the package, whatever you have to tell us tonight isn’t going to freak us.”

Buffy sighed mightily and began. “Apparently when a Slayer reaches a certain level of maturity, her body starts to undergo changes. She develops certain urges that have to be acted on. I’ve been exercising a lot because it keeps the urges at bay and lets me live a relatively normal life—I mean, if you count running thirty miles a day, working out for hours at a time, and barely sleeping, normal. Merrick and Giles said that this is normal for Slayers and it’s tied into our accelerated healing. Apparently there’s only one way of permanently getting rid of the excess energy.” She hesitated and looked seriously at them both. “I have to do it with Giles.”

They looked at her blankly. “Do what?” Willow asked naively.

“IT. I have to do IT with him, Will. In fact, he’s making arrangements for me to marry him. The Council is going to take care of getting Mom’s permission. I don’t know how, and I’m fairly sure I don’t want to know. As soon as all that’s in place, it’s up to me to tell him I’m ready.”

The Scoobies looked at her with open mouths. “Eeeeuw.” Xander yelped when the reality of what she was telling them sank in. Willow whacked him across the chest and he closed his mouth. “Buffy, I love Giles but he’s twenty years older than you.”

Buffy shrugged. “Better than forty years older.”

“What do you mean?” Willow said blankly.

“I’m saying that if Giles hadn’t shown up, it would have been Merrick.”

This left all of them feeling stunned and momentarily silenced. In the scheme of things, this made Giles look pretty good to all of them.

“D, do you want this, Buff?” Xander asked.

“It’s not about what I want, Xander. It’s about what I need. Do I want to marry Giles? No, of course not. He’s a great guy, but he lectures me all the time. It’s going to be like being in school for the rest of my life.” She looked glum.

“Well, he is kind of cute.” Willow noted hopefully.

“Yeah, that’s a benefit.” Buffy agreed.

“Uh, he really is a nice guy.” Xander put in.

“No doubt about it.” Buffy nodded.

“Have you kissed him?” Willow wanted to know.

“No! I think we came close a couple of times, but no. Maybe you’ve noticed that I’ve been big avoiding girl lately? He wants me; you can see it in his eyes every time he’s around me. I think the waiting is a lot harder on him than it is on me.”

“Maybe you guys should do that before you get married. I mean, what if you marry him and then it turns out its Merrick you need?” Willow mused.

Buffy shuddered but saw her point. “Yeah, you’re right.” She looked up and smiled at her friends. “But for tonight, let’s party!”

She danced with every boy in the Bronze, teasing and flirting as if her life depended on it. She was so busy, in fact, that she didn’t see Giles and Merrick enter the club.

Giles watched her gallivanting around the dance floor with a college boy. He saw the boy put his hand on Buffy’s hip and then slide it around to her buttock. Buffy ground herself against him briefly and then stepped back, laughing. The boy looked angry but Buffy simply shrugged and headed back to her table. She stopped when she saw Giles sitting there with his fists clenched. Deciding to be nonchalant she pulled up her chair.

“Hi! I wasn’t expecting to see you guys tonight.” She said brightly.

“Is this what you normally do when you’re not with me?” Giles asked her, jealousy burning deeply in his green eyes.

“No, I just wanted to party. Last fling and all.” She shrugged her shoulders and tossed her head.

His large hand reached out and grasped her by the wrist. “You belong to me!” Ripper had been aroused and there was no putting him back in the cupboard.

Buffy didn’t struggle, she was too surprised. She looked at her Watcher and tilted her head sideways. “So, you wanna dance?” She asked him silkily.

He got up and pulled her to her feet. He wrapped her in his arms and moved them slowly around the dance floor. She rubbed her hips against him and he growled at her. “You will never dance with anyone but me again, Buffy. You belong only to me and if I see someone else’s hands on you, I will kill him.” He was sincere.

“You know, you’ve never even kissed me. How was I supposed to know you’d be jealous?” She protested.

He looked around and spied the stairway to the deserted overlook. He dragged her up the stairs with a firm tread. When they reached the top he pushed her back against a support pillar and pressed his hips into her. She could feel his arousal pressing into her belly. “Look up at me, little Slayer,” his voice husky with desire.

She tilted her face up to his and looked into his eyes. His kiss devoured her. He was like a man deprived of water and then suddenly given an ocean’s worth to drink. He feasted on her lips then slipped down to her neck and the deep V of her blouse. He didn’t know or care that his hands had bruised her shoulders. He would have taken her there against the wall if Merrick hadn’t interrupted him.

“Rupert! This isn’t the place. Stop it! Stop it!” The older man finally yanked Giles head away from Buffy by his hair. The younger man turned on him with a snarl then saw who his assailant was and slowly calmed down.

“She’s mine.” He ground out.

“Nobody is disputing that, Rupert, but you can not take her here. Come along now, we need to go home.”

“Home.” Giles agreed hoarsely.

Merrick turned to Buffy and her friends now standing in the background. “Buffy, you can not push him like this. I was barely able to stop him. Next time, I won’t be able to do so. If you don’t wish your union to be consummated on a table in a bar, I would recommend that you go home as well.”

Rupert roused at that. “She comes with us.” He stated firmly.

Merrick sighed. “You’ve created this situation, my girl. You had better call your mother and tell her you’re staying with friends. I doubt Rupert will be able to let you out of his sight tonight.”

Buffy, shocked and deeply excited by her normally staid Watcher, nodded. Willow stepped forward and handed her a cell phone.

Buffy dialed with a shaking hand. “Mom. It’s Buffy. I’m at the Bronze and I’m going to spend the night with Willow when we leave here. She’s having boy trouble and we need to do a little more bonding.”

She mouthed a silent apology to Willow.

“Buffy, I know you want to help your friend, but it’s late. Can’t you girls talk tomorrow?” Joyce asked her.

“Well, we were going to do that too, but tonight is brownies and junk food comfort. Will you be OK by yourself?” Buffy asked.

“Oh, all right. I’ll be fine. Have fun with Willow.” Joyce smiled to think her daughter was such a good friend.

The group exited the Bronze, Merrick carefully supervising Giles, keeping him away from Buffy. Willow and Xander walked close by their friend. Merrick got them all to the car and put the three teens in the back seat, Giles in front while he himself drove. He dropped Willow and Xander at their respective homes and then took his other charges back to his home.

He ushered them both into the house and locked the door behind them. Pointing to the couch, he told Buffy in no uncertain terms to sit. She dropped as if her feet had been cut out from under her.

Next, he turned to Rupert and pointed at the opposite end of the couch. The younger man took his place where appointed. Merrick began pacing in front of them, back and forth across the living room floor. “Buffy. I believe that you need to understand more of what the Bond means for the Watcher. Your actions tonight caused Rupert a great deal of suffering. He is drawn to you and lives for you, quite literally. The sexual attraction he feels for you grows greater every day. When he sees you with other men, he can’t help his response. I realize that you resent the Bonding. Perhaps if you talked about it to us, we could help you deal with your feelings better.”

Buffy grabbed a couch pillow and held it firmly in her arms. “I don’t want to be “bonded.” I want to be courted. I want to be loved. Not just because of some stupid destiny thing but because the guy really cares about me. Do you know how many dates I’ve been on since I became the Slayer? Two. Two dates in two years. I used to be popular. Guys used to ask me out all the time. Now, my big fun is talking to the vamps before I kill them. This just sucks! I want a boyfriend, damnit. I want to date and go places with my significant other. I want an occasional compliment. ‘Buffy your hair looks nice or that dress is pretty on you. Not, Buffy you need to swing harder on the upthrust, or you’re dropping your left shoulder again.’ I want flowers and valentines and kisses. What I don’t want is to hear that this is my crappy destiny again.”

Giles sat there on the couch looking at her, mouth open. What ever he had been expecting, it wasn’t this outburst. “You never indicated that you wanted any of that from me.” He began. “How was I supposed to know you wished to be courted?”

She gave him a look that could have sliced through stone. “Duh! Because you’re a guy! Didn’t you ever date a girl before? I’m not your freaking entitlement, you know!”

Even Merrick was stunned. It had simply never occurred to him that Buffy felt this way. He and Giles had been trained from childhood to see the Bond as a physical manifestation of the practicality of Watchers and Slayers becoming a pair. It had never crossed his mind that a young woman would want more than the commitment and dedication that she would receive from her Watcher.

“I don’t see why you can’t start dating Rupert, Buffy. You will have to be discreet, but I’m sure something can be worked out.” Merrick cleared his throat. “You both are going to have to learn to control yourselves, however. You can’t consummate this union until the Council has everything in place. Buffy is still too young and the bond needs to grow and firm itself up between you. Rupert, I believe we both owe Buffy an apology.”

Giles looked at the girl/woman he wanted with all his heart. He had nearly been pushed to the edge this evening. He couldn’t take much of that sort of thing. Stretching his hand out till it was touching hers, he met her angry gaze. “I am sorry, Buffy. If you want to be courted, that is your right and I will do everything in my power to make you satisfied with me.” He sighed. “I just didn’t know you felt this way.”

She took his hand and held it, looking at it in amazement. It was so large and strong, yet this big, capable man was weak because of her. “’S’ OK, I guess. I didn’t really think about what was bothering me either. I know you can’t read my mind and I’ll try to talk more. Maybe, maybe we should get to know each other better? On a non-Slayer/Watcher basis, I mean?”

He took the proffered olive branch with alacrity. “Thank you, Buffy. It’s too late to do anything this evening, but perhaps you would allow me to take you to dinner tomorrow night?”

She looked at him silently for a moment. He was trying. “Yes. Thanks. That would be fun.” She thought for a minute. “Are we going to tell my mom? If I tell her I have a date, she’s going to want to know all about him.”

Merrick and Giles looked at each other in dismay. “Perhaps it is time to tell your mother the truth about your life, Buffy.” Merrick suggested with a tired sigh. “The Council hasn’t finished the Acceptance spell yet, so I don’t know how she will take the news.”

Buffy moaned slightly and curled into the pillow she still held. Giles moved along the couch till he could put his arm around her body. “We will, all three of us, talk to her, love. We’ll make her understand.”

She gazed up into his face, surprised. “You never did that before.”

He looked down at her bemused. “Did what?”

“C, called me ‘love’.” She felt her face getting red and looked down.

He tilted her face up with his free hand. “But you are, you know that, don’t you? You are and have been my love since practically the first day we met. I want to take care of you and make everything right in your world. I want to be your partner in all things, your friend, your love, your lover in time. Can you want that too, Buffy?”

She smiled tremulously at him. “I’m not there yet, Gi-Rupert, but I’m not against trying. I do love you but I want to be honest and say I’m not in love with you. I can see that I’m probably going to be, though, and I think that’s going to be OK. I just want to wait until I’m ready.”

He snuggled her more tightly against him. “We can wait till you’re sure, love. I won’t pressure you. Just remember that I’m waiting for you.”

Merrick stepped quietly into the kitchen and began to make tea. Rupert would need it, and Buffy would drink it to make him happy. He still felt a pang that his Slayer was cradled in the arms of another man, but he suppressed it. He was doing what was best for his Buffy and that was all that mattered.

The two sat quietly on the couch till he brought in the tea. They looked up rather sheepishly as they accepted cups of the hot brew. “I guess I need to make up my bed on the couch.” Buffy said as they finished.

Giles gaze sought hers. “Would you sleep in my bed? I don’t mind the couch and I rather like the thought of you there, even if I can’t be with you.”

Buffy blushed and looked shyly at the floor. “Thanks, Rupert. I’d like that. Can I have a shirt or something to sleep in?”

He felt himself grow aroused at the thought of her naked body wrapped in one of his shirts, her bare breasts pressing against the fabric. He gulped and grabbed the couch pillow, holding it firmly against his lap. Merrick looked at him with a knowing smile and he glared back daring the older man to make a comment.

“Well, now that the sleeping arrangements are dealt with, why don’t we all turn in as it’s rather late.” Merrick stood, shook the creases from his pants and headed upstairs. Buffy and Giles sat for a few moments longer on the couch. She felt very shy but gazed up at him with a little smile. “You know, I wouldn’t object if you kissed me a little. Just sort of a trial run, I mean.”

His heart leaped in his breast and his hands began to tremble. He turned towards her and tilted her face towards him a bit. Angling his own head, he brought his lips within a half-inch of hers. “Oh, Buffy.” He whispered.

She felt his warm breath on her face and closed the short distance between them. His lips played over hers lightly, his tongue stroking her, trying to convince her to let him in. Gently parting her lips under his onslaught she returned his ardor with increasing enthusiasm. They broke apart and Buffy sat back. “Wow. That was…just wow!”

He smiled. She was so young. “Yes, it was rather, wasn’t it?”

She stood on shaky legs. “Well, I’d better get to bed. Uhm, Goodnight, Rupert.” She leaned up and kissed him quickly before running up the stairs. He sat on the couch and touched the lips she had just kissed.

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