TITLE: WARLOCK 5/14
AUTHOR: vatwoman
DISCLAIMER: JOSS WHEDON, MUTANT ENEMY AND FOX/UPN OWN EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE ‘BUFFY.’ NO INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. THE CHARACTER OF KOVACS IS MINE.
FEEDBACK: YES PLEASE, TO VATWOMAN@Y...

Jenny pulled the throw a little closer round Willow’s sleeping form before leaving her to find Rupert. He’d disappeared into the stacks almost an hour before and had yet to re-emerge. The main area of the library was quiet again; Buffy had gone on patrol, Jenny had ordered Xander and Cordelia home after they’d both fallen asleep at the large central table. Willow had stayed but even she had succumbed to sheer tiredness. At least she’d found a comfortable spot on which to fall asleep – the big leather armchair in the office. The way she’d curled herself into it led Jenny to suspect that it wasn’t the first time Willow had used it as a substitute for her own bed.

‘THE MIDDLE AGES.’ The sign on the stack in front of Jenny made her smile. <Karma: where else would he be?> “Hey!” He was leaning on the end of the stack, book in hand - he turned his head toward her but Jenny knew that he didn’t see her. He looked instead as if he was staring at eternity – and maybe he was. He’d told her a little about his life; about the weight of history behind everything he did, about the family he’d come from, about the world he’d left behind – and about the world he’d finally embraced. And he’d told her about Slayers and their Watchers: the life never-ending.

“Rupert?”

“It’s late, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Jenny nodded and glancing at her watch confirmed it. ”A quarter after twelve. Willow’s asleep in your office. The others have gone. Time to call it a night, England.” She took the book from his unresisting fingers and replaced it on the shelf above their heads. As she looked up she saw that the unfocussed look was still on his face. “You ok?”

“I can feel it …” His brow furrowed. “There’s a …” He cocked his head as if listening to some inner voice. “… hollowness. A deadness.”

“Giles?” Jenny touched his face, bringing him back to her. She watched, fascinated, as the slow sweep of his lashes cleared his eyes and locked green into brown.

“The spell is active again.”

Jenny’s eyes widened and she found that, quite suddenly, she could barely breathe. “What … where?”

Giles shook his head. “I can’t tell …” His left hand fluttered over his belly and he looked down, surprised by even that amount of insight.

Jenny reached out and clasped his hand then let it go. <Oh God, what is it this time? > Her movements were hesitant as she laid the palms of both hands on his stomach – seeking, searching. <Please, Rupert, let me help. I can help. Just let me in this time. Show me. Show me > “Where? Show me where, ” she breathed. “Here?” Her hands gently massaged him through the soft material of his shirt, sweeping slowly across his belly, sides and chest. His eyes drifted closed and he dropped his head back to rest it on the book-stack behind him, breathing out a quiet, ragged sigh – and in the midst of everything that was happening to them, what had been about comfort became all about want … and need. Her voice whispered around them. “Feel my hands on you. Touching you. Can you feel me touching you? Show me where…” Hands were back on his chest again and she felt his nipples tighten as the pads of her thumbs paid them homage. Reaching for his hands she took them in her own and stretched them above his head exposing the length of his torso to her. Closing her mouth over his right nipple she gently licked, sucked and then bit down on it. She met the reflexive thrust of his hips with one of her own: his harsh gasp of arousal shattering the silence around them.

“Look at me.” Doing as she asked, he opened his eyes to her. Her hands drifted down his body again, soothing him now, finally coming to rest on the spot that he’d almost touched just a few moments before. “Whatever it is we’ll meet it together. Ok?”

“Ok.”

His ready, one-word, almost childlike, agreement made her smile. And maybe even in the depths of this situation there was a promise in that smile. “Then let’s get Willow home and you to bed.”

“Ok.” And he smiled back at her.

***************************

The candle flame flickered to an unfelt draught of air. Giles’s “Turn over” was whispered to that sputtering light: the first words either of them had spoken in hours.

Jenny rolled onto her belly and stretched out full length, arms above her head, languid, boneless. To the touch of his fingers on her back she opened unseeing eyes. The fingers traced the line of moles around her right shoulder blade, claiming them, as he had every other part of her body. Mouth followed fingers, the heat of him closer again as he kissed his way along the line and back, his hands on her ribs, and his chest brushing her ass as he straddled her.

Helplessly burning she bent one arm and dragged away her sweat soaked hair from the back of her neck, seeking the relief of cool air on her skin - and his mouth was there too, his tongue lathing her vertebrae, his lips grazing down the tendon in the side of her neck, kissing away the sweat.

More heat. He stretched out and lowered himself onto her. His chest was wet on her back and she thought again about a spell that allowed him to feel all the arousals of their lovemaking yet not express and release it through erection and ejaculation. ‘Mind-fucking’ he’d dubbed it but she knew that he was dizzy with that lack of physical release – and she knew he didn’t care.

They smelled of sweat and the musk of sex. He’d gone to the bathroom at one point and when he’d climbed back onto the bed had drawled, ‘This place smells like a brothel.’ She’d merely smiled sexily, greedily, and pulled him back into her arms.

They’d long since given up any pretence of sleeping as pillows had followed blankets to the floor. The crumpled sheet beneath them was warm and wet from their bodies.

He’d smiled wickedly when he’d realised what the spell had done to him this time, when he’d realised that none of this was going to be about his cock inside her. Liberated from that distraction he’d proceeded to satisfy her, their, every desire …

>>>… she’d been coming for hours, again and again until she was dazed with it. Her whole body was hot and wet and heavy with sex. Too much. Not enough. She was so aroused that she felt all he had to do was breathe on her to make her come once more. Yet if he stopped now she’d die from the lack of him …

… if he could have drawn her into his body he would have. Wrapped around her like this he was never more aware of her or of himself: everywhere her body touched his he felt tiny pinpricks of electricity. She was hot and wet in his arms and despite the draining effects of the spell he still felt strong. And light-headed. And exhilarated. Yet the purity of this lovemaking calmed him – a calmness that, in spite of being dizzyingly aroused, permeated his whole being. To watch her as she came, again and again … Kovacs had miscalculated badly – a young man’s preoccupation with penetration …<<<

Her body was soft and slick under his lips as he kissed and licked his way down her spine. He could hear again the quiet purr he was sure she wasn’t even aware she was making. Kissed the back of her thighs. Inside them. Hands on her ass, kneading. Needing. Stroked suddenly up the crack of her ass with the blade of his tongue.

“Oh God.” Her hips rocked back, up, into him. Her hands pushed her whole body upwards. Seeking him again.

He caught her in his arms and sat upright with her on his lap, her legs spread across his. She pushed her head against him as he bit and sucked at her shoulder and neck. She reached back and wrapped her arms around his neck, stretching herself against his chest, feeling the hot length of him down her back.

Kissed him. God, kissed him.

His hands ran down her breasts, belly. Her thighs. “Open for me.” And she did, pushing back against him, trying to sear him onto her. Looked down and watched his hand slide over her mons. And suddenly he was there, touching her, moving gently, sweetly. “Show me what you do. How you pleasure yourself. How you make yourself come.” Dropped her hand onto his. Shuddered with each stroke. Each change of pressure. Each new angle. Each remembered angle. His touch now. His touch before. Strange. Not strange. Now familiar. And his free arm tightened around her. And she gripped his neck harder. And closed her eyes as she helplessly turned her face into his neck. “No, watch.” He could barely speak and his words were harsh in her ear. Almost blind with her arousal she looked down at their joined hands. Moved his hand, his fingers and found … she screamed out his name as she came.

Limp, she fell onto the bed looking for calm from her shattering climax. The air seemed to have gone from the room leaving her gasping for breath; Rupert, too. He sat next to her leaning on one hand, his chest pumping.

“Rupert?” Jenny pushed herself upright and pressed a hand onto the one he’d laid on his heart.

“Can’t breathe!” he gasped out, throwing back his head as if he sensed more air just out of reach above him.

“What is it?” Her hand moved to the back of his neck and brought his face down to hers. “What’s wrong?”

His grin was all wrong – and all right. “Too turned on!” He lunged in to kiss her before flopping dramatically onto his back.

Jenny scrambled to retrieve the pillows, tucked them under their heads and settled in beside him, linking their hands together on his chest.

His lungs were burning and his heart was pounding. His body felt so energised he thought he might explode. He was breathing too quickly, and knew he was in dire danger of hyperventilating; he needed to calm down – now. Jenny’s thumb was stroking across his knuckles; a slow sweep intended to soothe. Using it as a focus he centred himself, seeking the calm of a light meditative trance. The stroking slowed and his breathing followed and his heart followed and the fire in his blood burned itself out.

Eyes closed, body slack, he let himself drift. The spell was gone – he’d felt its going as Jenny had screamed his name in her last orgasm – taking with it more of his rapidly dwindling reserves of strength. But perhaps this time he’d, they’d, managed to stem the tide, at least a little? A fool’s optimism? He wasn’t sure. What he was sure of was that the rose quartz crystal Jenny had given him earlier resonated within him, as it had from the moment she’d slipped it around his neck: their protection of him didn’t need to be brilliant, it only needed to be good enough.

“Rupert? Hey, you with me?” Giles slowly brought himself back to full awareness and turned his head towards her voice. She was on her side, waiting for him. They smiled at each other. “Better?”

“I’ve been better since the day I met you.”

Although her smile softened and deepened Jenny still managed to raise a sceptical eyebrow. “Really?” she drawled.

Giles rolled over onto his side and rested his arm across her. “Well, alright, perhaps not the actual day!”

“Or the actual month?”

He laughed, nodding. “Or the actual month!”

“When?” She touched his face and the laughter suddenly stopped.

Giles allowed his eyes to slowly close and reopen and found her beside him still. Did it again … and found her beside him still. “After Buffy … the Hellmouth … and the Master … when … when you danced with me.”

“I would’ve stayed – if you’d asked me.”

“I know. I think, probably, that’s why I didn’t.”

Jenny frowned. “Do you think we’ve wasted time?”

“No,” Giles shook his head, “At least not from my perspective. Eyghon notwithstanding, I wasn’t ready before. I came here to find Buffy.” He smiled again. “I never expected to find you.”

As Jenny leaned in to kiss him the phone rang, making them jump apart. Giles stretched across her and snatched it from its cradle.

“Hello?”

<“Giles? Hi.”>

“Willow? What on earth are you doing calling at …” He squinted over Jenny’s shoulder at the clock on his bedside table. “… quarter to four in the morning?” He looked at Jenny in sudden fright and saw his worry reflected in her face. “Are you alright? Where are you?”

<“I’m ok. I’m in bed.”>

Giles closed his eyes and then opened them again, nodding to Jenny as he did so.

“If you’re in bed why aren’t you asleep? You do remember that’s why we all went home?”

<“Sure I do! But ‘hey!’ research? I think I’ve found something … and anyway, it’s ok … being up late, I mean … ‘cos it’s Sunday and no school so I can be ‘lazy girl’ … ooh, except you’ll probably call out The Scooby Gang so I can’t stay in bed ‘cos you like to get started early … but maybe I can join you late …”>

“Willow!”

<“… you know, like a reward ‘cos I was the one who found the clue …” she tailed off. “Yes?”>

“You’ve found something.”

<“Yeah, I think … maybe …”>

“What? And where?” Jenny touched his chest and mouthed ‘What?’ He held up his free hand asking her to wait.

<“Erotic magic. In Antonius. Something about ‘curse tablets’ … “ There was a small pause, as if she was consulting something, “Defix …”>

“’Defixiones.’”

<“What do you think, Giles?” He was silent for long seconds. “Giles?”>

“I think I need to see the book.” He looked at the clock again and shook his head in frustration, knowing that he couldn’t come knocking at Willow’s door. “Damn!”

<“Uhm, Giles?”>

“Yes?”

<“I’m looking at the scanned copy.”>

“Yes?”

<“Well, if you … uhm … if you had a computer there, say a laptop, maybe … I could … uhm … send over a … uhm … a copy … of, well … of the file …” He heard her take an audible breath before she finished in a rush. “Giles, is Ms. Calendar with you?”>

Not quite believing what he’d just been asked, Giles held the phone away from his ear and blinked at it before bringing it slowly back to his mouth and confirming, “Yes.”

<“Can I speak to her, please?”>

“You want to speak to Ms Calendar?”

<“If that’s ok?”>

“It’s ok.” <And why wouldn’t it be? Oh yes, dignity and privacy. Neither of which I’m left with.> He handed the phone to Jenny, covering the mouthpiece as he did so. “It’s Willow. She wants to speak to you.” Jenny grinned at him, completely unconcerned about the turn of events. “Willow? Hi – what’s up? … You’ve found something?” Giles dropped his head onto her belly – embarrassed as hell, but she could feel his smile. “Yeah …? Ah, hah …” She pushed a hand into his hair and gently tickled his scalp with her nails. The answering kiss on her navel made her squirm slightly. “Ok… I know. It’s cool. I’ve got my laptop here …” Gripping his hair, she pulled his head up to glare at him. He stuck his tongue out at her and lay down again when she grinned and let go of him. “Alright send it and we’ll look at it now. Yes …? Ok, notate the file and we’ll pull them up first. Good … and well done.” Giles sat up quickly nodding vigorously at her. “Rupert says ‘Well done’ too. Now go to sleep.” She laughed. “We will. ‘Cos he needs his beauty sleep, right?” She laughed again. “Yes, later; noon? Here? Ok … Ok, goodnight, Willow.”

Jenny hung up the phone. “Willow says ‘goodnight.’”

Giles rolled over to lie on top of her bracing himself on his arms. “Does she indeed?” He shook his head in rueful amusement. “These children are going to be the death of me!”

The words were out before he’d even realised he was going to say them but Jenny refused to let them be treated any other way than the one that he’d intended –and laughed again in the face of danger. “Nope that’s Kovacs’s turf - the kids are the cavalry coming over the hill!”

“I hate westerns!” And he pulled a face that made Jenny laugh again.

“Come on, get off me.” She pushed at him. “I’ve got a laptop to commune with!”

“God, spurned for a piece of wire and micro-chip filled plastic!”

Jenny grinned as she rolled out from underneath him. She straightened up and sat next to him, laying a warm hand on his heart. “You ok?”

Giles reached down and caught her hand in his. Bringing it to his lips he placed a soft kiss on the back of her wrist. “To be honest, I’m exhausted – I must get some sleep soon.”

“We can do this later. I told Willow to get everyone here for twelve o’clock.” She saw the approving nod of his head. “Gives us a chance to get some sleep and still leaves us time to look at what Willow’s found.” She could see in his eyes the war within him between his desire to research and his need to sleep. So she took the decision out of his hands. “Not going to power up the ‘dread machine’ – sleep now.”

“Jenny …”

She turned away and retrieved the sheets and blankets from the foot of the bed. “Look,” she lifted the alarm clock from the bedside table and fiddled with its settings, “I’ve set the alarm for eight. Four hours. Not a lot but it should take the edge off.” She put the clock back down and settled back into bed beside him. “Ok?”

He looked down at her, head resting on his shoulder – and knew that she was right. “Eight o’clock?”

“Eight o’clock,” she confirmed.

Giles nodded, reached out and switched off the light.

**************************

Jenny bit into her toast and thanked the Goddess yet again for a multi-tasking brain. <Eat breakfast. Read ancient texts. Worry about lover> The phone rang. <And answer phone> She grimaced and snatched it up before it woke Rupert.

“Hello?”

<“Hi, it’s Xander. Willow said you wanted to speak to me?”>

“Hey, Xander. Yes, could you play errand boy for me, please?”

<“Sure. What do you want me to do?”>

“Willow’s found something in one of the books we scanned. Could explain what’s happening to Rupert. I need you to go to the library and get the book.”

<“Cos the G-Man won’t trust the information if he can’t touch it?”>

Jenny smiled, “Something like that.”

<“OK, what is it?”>

“Author’s Antonius. Book’s called ‘De Magica Ars’ Willow thinks it may be in Rupert’s office.”

<“Oooh! Where the ‘naughty’ books live!”>

“Xander.”

<“Sorry.” He apologised but Jenny could hear the smile in his voice. “Antonius. Giles’s office. Donuts.”>

“Donuts?”

<“Donuts.” Xander repeated. “Research party, ergo donuts. Giles likes the jellies.”>

“Jellies?” She was aware that she was parroting his comments but couldn’t seem to stop herself from doing so.

<“Hey, don’t get between him and the last one. The man is way possessive!”>

Jenny chuckled and then quietened as she heard the bed creak above her as Giles moved. “Xander, go to the library.”

<The boy laughed down the phone. “Gone,” and he hung up.>

Jenny replaced the phone on its cradle, rose and climbed the stairs to the loft. She found him lying on his side, eyes closed, rumpled and golden in the morning sunlight splashed across the bed. Lying down with him she pressed herself against his warm back and wrapped an arm around his chest. As she gently drew her fingers up and down his torso she felt the change in his breathing and knew he was awake. She smiled, kissed the nape of his neck, but left alone the peace surrounding them.

“Thank you,” he murmured a while later.

“For what?”

He picked up the little clock from the bedside cabinet and held it above his head so she could read the time, then replaced it.

Jenny smiled against his shoulder. “I did try and wake you earlier – all I got was a grunt!”

“Uhm,” he grunted.

“Very funny!” And she gently bit the skin beneath her mouth.

“Mmm.”

The soft, sleepy, moan made her smile again and she let her hand drift across his body once more, this time with more purpose as she sought to gently arouse him. His nipples tightened under her fingertips. The muscles in his belly clenched and rippled under the firm massage of her palm. He straightened involuntarily, leaning back into her, as her questing hand found his erection.

“Oh, that’s nice!” Jenny groaned, stroking the hot silky flesh.

“Shouldn’t that be my line?” Giles joked as he reached down and closed his hand on hers to apply more pressure to her grip. “Aaaah … good!” he hissed out, his hips starting a rocking motion with the rhythm of their hands.

“Guess the spell’s worn off?”

He heard her voice right in his ear as she raised herself up slightly and leaned over him. She kissed him. Deeply. Hungrily. Messily. Awkwardly – bent over him as she was. Obligingly, he turned onto his back only to pull his mouth away from hers to gasp as their hands moved to find a new grip on his cock. Leaning on her elbow she used her left hand to brush the hair away from his forehead before bending down to touch feather-soft kisses to eyes, cheeks, chin, mouth … and slid her right hand from underneath his to touch the hair-roughened skin on the inside of his thigh. “Open for me.” She demanded of him, unconsciously echoing his earlier demand of her. And he did. And she cupped his balls, rolling their heavy weight, going with him as he arched off the bed, panting.

Desperately seeking his control, he shivered, his Adam’s Apple bobbing, in a not-quite- cold way as a light sweat broke out on his body. He forced his hips back down and his body to relax and his eyes to open – and found himself mesmerised once again by the dark pools of her eyes.

“Hi.” She greeted him.

“Hello.” He answered, smiling.

“Good?” She asked, moving her hand to rejoin the one he still had on his hard cock.

“Hmm …” he sighed to himself, concentrating for a moment on the exquisite sensations radiating out from his groin, “… very good.” Then he laughed, “Even if, regrettably, a lot of this is because I desperately need a pee!”

“Damn!” Jenny laughed with him and looked so disappointed that he could do little else but take her in his arms and hold her tight as they dissolved into helpless giggles.

Side by side, arms around each other, they kissed again - a firm, sure, kiss of confident lovers.

“Who was on the phone?”

“Xander – he’s gone to the library to get the Antonius.”

“Good. Thank you.”

Jenny ran a hand down his chest, idly twirling her fingers in the hairs. “I’ve had a look at the file Willow sent.”

“And?”

“She may be on to something but there’d need to be a helluva lot of ‘creative spell-casting’ in the mix!” Giles nodded. “I know, I was considering that last night. Curse tablets, when used in erotic magic, are more normally a device used by women on men …”

“… and aren’t normally about causing actual physical harm.”

“Quite.”

There was a sudden, deep, silence before Jenny asked, “He’s strong, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is.”

Jenny briefly closed her eyes and then nodded. “Come on, Xander’ll be here soon.” She pushed away from him and stood up, brushing down her hair and clothes as she did so. “I can make you some breakfast while you shower – or d’you want to wait for the donuts?”

“Donuts?” Giles’s expression brightened.

“Yep.”

“Is he bringing jellies?”

She rolled her eyes as she caught the start of his grin. “I’ll make some tea,” drifted up the stairs as she left him to get out of bed.

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