Title: Slayer Central chapter 19
Author: Gileswench
Contact: gileswench@yahoo.com
Feedback: Constructive criticism always welcome. Praise abjectly sought.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc., etc., etc. I just let them have all the fun Joss won't. I own nothing except my twisted mind which you really don't want. Please don't sue.



The Bronze was crowded, yet Xander and Anya had created a large space to dance in due to their exuberant, arm-heavy style of dancing. Willow and Tara, in contrast, swayed in a tiny, self-contained circle. Cordelia had somehow convinced Leo to dance with her. They laughed as he stumbled his way through her instructions in the latest steps.

Wesley's eyes never strayed from his raven-haired love.

When Crystal returned from the ladies' room, she slid into her seat beside the former Watcher. She wanted to say something that would end his mute misery, but had no idea what would do the trick. She felt terribly stupid and inexperienced in that moment.

Then again, words had never been Crystal's strong point. She reached a hesitant hand to his arm.

Wesley started, nearly spilling his mineral water. Then he flashed the girl a wan smile.

"Sorry, Crystal. I didn't realize you'd returned."

"You okay?"

"Just thinking how appropriate this song is."

Over the speakers Alanis Morisette sang.

Isn't it ironic, don't you think

It's like rain on your wedding day It's the free ride when you've already paid It's the good advice that you just didn't take Who would have thought it It figures

Crystal's lips twisted into a matching smirk.

"Was she thinking of us when she wrote this one?"

"Perhaps. Of course in that case, there would be only one thing to do."

Wesley stood and held out his hand.

"Shall we?"

Crystal shrugged and eased herself out of her seat.

"If you don't mind dancing with someone who has to stop and barf every five minutes."

"I'll take my chances."

*****

Buffy lay awake, her hand stroking Giles' chest. It seemed as if she could never get enough of touching him, even when he slept.

He'd certainly earned his rest, she mused. Even when holding back for fear of hurting her or the baby, he'd been strong and passionate in their lovemaking. She found herself truly considering for the first time how much self control Giles possessed.

It wasn't as though she had had no proof of it. His chest and back were littered with the evidence of how much Angelus had put him through without breaking him. As she traced the scars, Buffy's lip began to tremble.

She'd hurt him so many times over the years. She knew she'd been thoughtless most of the time and deliberately cruel on occasion.

And yet he loved her.

She leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his brow.

Still asleep, Giles rolled to her and smiled slightly.

He never saw her answering smile, but slept more peacefully when she wrapped her arms around him.

*****

Angel strode the streets of Sunnydale with no particular goal in mind except to get as far from the house as possible. It did no good. No matter how far and how fast he walked, he could still hear Buffy's breathless cries of pleasure ringing in his ears.

The demon inside told him this was wrong; Buffy couldn't belong to Giles. The soul told him he should be happy that his former love had found the contentment he couldn't give her.

Angel told his soul to take a hike.

Buffy was his. She had told him she would be his forever.

How dare she choose someone else to spend her life with?

And when had he gotten to Willy's Place?

No matter. A bar was just what he needed.

The blonde sitting at the counter seemed vaguely familiar to him, though he couldn't quite place her. Still, he offered to buy her a drink. It was the gentlemanly thing to do.

AB Positive. A frilly, girly beverage in vampire terms.

Still, it beat drinking alone.

*****

Giles stirred to find Buffy looking down at him, stroking his hair softly. He smiled and reached up for a kiss. It was gladly given.

"Sorry, luv," he told her, his voice still husky with sleep. "I'm afraid I dropped off."

"S'okay, sweetie. You sorta earned it. Anyway, you have no idea how cute you are when you're asleep."

Giles chuckled softly.

"Cute, eh? Well, I was hoping for 'ruggedly handsome', but I suppose 'cute' will just have to do."

"Ruggedly handsome is when you're whipping my butt fencing. Or when you're blowing up buildings for me. Asleep, you look like a little kid. I bet you were the cutest kid, Rupert."

"I'm afraid I wasn't. And I haven't been a kid in any sense of the term for a good many years."

"I don't believe there was ever a time when you weren't adorable. And what other sense are you talking about?"

"A kid, properly, is a baby goat."

"Doesn't your inner teacher ever take a summer vacation?"

"Not in December, certainly."

They laughed and kissed a few more times. Finally, Buffy sat up and looked hard at Giles.

"What are you looking for, luv?"

"I was just wondering what you looked like. When you were a kid, I mean. I never got a chance to see."

Probably because I was a month away from my twenty-seventh birthday when you were born, and you didn't meet me for another sixteen years."

"Duh, Mr. Maturity. I just wish I had a picture or something."

"I've a few pictures. Perhaps I'll show you one someday."

"Couldn't today be someday? I'd really love to see what you looked like."

Buffy could see Giles working something out in his mind before he answered. At last, he kissed her temple softly and swung his long legs out of bed. He padded across the room to the closet and pulled down a box from the very top shelf - the one Buffy couldn't reach by herself - and rummaged through it until he found a snapshot to his liking. He then replaced the box on its shelf and returned to the bed.

"Here. This gives you an idea of how adorable I was."

Buffy looked hard at the picture of a miniature Giles in a school uniform. At ten he already wore round-lensed, hornrim glasses, giving him a slightly owlish look. His expression was too serious for a little boy, yet his skinned knees and slightly crooked nose made him seem both rakish and dangerous as well.

"I take it this was after your Mom had to chew out the principal for letting you break you nose playing rugby?"

"Headmaster, luv. And yes. I suppose we should have had it properly set. Still, no help for that now, is there?"

The Slayer reached out a finger and traced the bump on his nose.

"It's not that bad. I didn't even notice it at first. Not that I was exactly observation girl then." She replaced the finger with her lips. "So what about showing me some more? Or are the rest of them embarrassing things like baby you lying naked on a bearskin rug?"

Giles rose to replace the picture in the box. Then he replaced the box once more out of Buffy's reach.

"It isn't that. Well, alright, there is one like that, but I'm not ever going to show you that one. The rest are simply uninteresting family snaps. I'm sure you'd find them quite appallingly boring."

"Great. You don't want me to know what your family looks like. What, are there some sort of mutant freakazoids on your side? I mean, how bad can it be? I met your father, and, okay, so he's not exactly Mr. Personality, but he's not so bad looking for such an old guy. You must look more like your Mom, huh? 'Cause you don't look all that much like him."

"Buffy, please. I'd rather not talk about my family tonight."

His tone was mild, but Buffy knew it from experience as one that meant she'd get nowhere with a frontal assault. Since she had no other plan, she decided to let it drop for the moment.

"Okay, okay. No more questions. But someday you have to show me, if only to prove that the rest of your family isn't all circus freaks." She rubbed her belly softly. "I wonder what this little sprout will look like."

Giles gave a slight sigh of relief and lay down next to his wife with his face near her belly.

"One can assume that the baby will have brown hair and greenish eyes, eventually. I would imagine a fair complexion is to be expected, as well. And lord help us if this child is at all as stubborn as you are."

"Hey! It's not like I'm the only stubborn one in this bed. Now the thing I'm worried about is this," she answered tapping Giles' forehead.

"Buffy, we're both intelligent people. I come from a long line of Watchers who are, by definition, scholars, and your mother is well endowed with brains. Your father aside, I don't think we have much to worry us on that score."

"I didn't mean brains, scholar guy. I meant your head. It's huge. If the baby takes after you, I see a cesarean in my future."

She squealed with laughter as Giles tussled her playfully to her back and began to kiss her deeply.

"You should have thought of that before you let me do this," he told her as he began to make love to her a second time.


:: NEXT :: | :: CHRONICLES INDEX :: | :: AUTHORS PAGE ::