Title: Christmas Resolutions 5/5
Author: Gileswench
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.

Giles sat in bed reading, as was his habit before going to sleep. In honor of the season, he was reading A Christmas Carol. Not that Dickens was his usual first choice of reading matter. When it came to classic novels, Giles preferred the subtlety of Trollope or the savage wit of Thackery. But Simon loved Dickens and had a library full of his works, so Giles had picked the shortest one.

Now he had been made aware, yet again, that Marley was quite dead and that Tiny Tim was arguably the most annoying child in all of literature, when a slight noise startled him.

"If that's the ghost of Christmas Past, could we just give it a miss, this year?"

"Well, I've been dead twice, but I don't think I've ever been a ghost."

"Buffy?"

"Got it in one."

"What brings you here? Come sit down."

She went to the bed and sat next to him. He laid the book carefully on the nightstand.

"To what do I owe the honor of a second nocturnal visit?"

"Well, Lucy did sort of point out who was on the other side of that door, so I thought she might want me to drop in and say hi. Y'know, talk about the weather or maybe what journals we ordered from the monster of the month club."

"And you're so given to taking orders that you decided to do as she said?"

"You can't even keep a straight face when you say that, can you?"

"So why are you here?"

"I thought I'd like some company. Y'know, I can never sleep alone in a new place that first night. What about you?"

Giles raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips. At last he lifted the covers.

"All right, then. Get in."

"Thanks, Giles."

"You're welcome."

"Take off your glasses."

"What have you got against me seeing?"

"Take. Them. Off."

Giles sighed and complied.

"Is that better?"

"Much. Giles?"

"Yes, Buffy?"

"Earlier, when we...uh...with the mistletoe and all..."

"When I kissed you?"

"Yeah. That. Do you need mistletoe to do that again?"

Giles looked at her with curiosity more than hope.

"That rather depends on what you want, Buffy."

"You. I want you. All the yous there are."

Giles retrieved his glasses and put them on again.

"What did you do that for?"

"I need to see you clearly for this. Now tell me, what brought on this sudden resolve?"

"Giles, I came all the way from California to see you because my sister wanted to see some snow. I didn't warn you so you couldn't go away or say you didn't want to see me. I slept with you last night...though, not in a sex way, but you know what I mean. Why do you think I did all that?"

"Because you're quite mad?"

"No, you big dummy! Because I love you. Okay, so my head didn't figure it out until just now, but I think my heart knew all along. Or at least for a long time. And I already figured out you love me, so what are we waiting for? Slayer here. Maybe not with the final expiration date of a Cheeto."

"You'll have that long expiration date if I have anything at all to say about it."

Buffy felt the pinprick of tears in her eyes as Giles leaned down to kiss her gently. He gathered her into his arms and held her close as she cried on his shirtfront.

"I do hope you don't plan on crying every time I take you to bed," he teased.

"Stop laughing at me," Buffy huffed through her tears as she swatted him lightly. "This is me being happy."

"If this is you being happy, how on earth am I meant to tell it from you being miserable?"

"Miserable takes more ice cream to fix."

"What stops you crying now?"

"Well, it's kinda hard to cry if you're kissing me."

Giles smiled as he put his glasses back on the nightstand and turned back to Buffy. He ran his fingers over her cheeks softly, wiping away the stray tears. She leaned into his caress and closed her eyes in anticipation. At last, he bent his face to hers and brushed his lips over her eyelids, her cheeks, her chin, and her forehead.

"Come on, Giles," Buffy complained half-heartedly, "I'm not your Aunt Mathilda."

His lips pressed against hers tenderly. The kiss was slow and sweet. It was followed by another, just as sweet, but more passionate. With the third, he parted his lips slightly, and the fourth introduced the tip of his tongue to the proceedings.

Instead of a fifth kiss, Giles rolled to his back and pulled Buffy to his side, nestling her head against his shoulder.

"Why did you stop?"

"Because this is going too fast. I felt a need to slow things down."

"Why? We're both grown ups. We've both had sex before."

"But that's just it, you see. I don't want to have sex with you."

"Huh? Y - you don't?"

"No. I want to make love with you."

"Okay...I thought that was pretty much what having sex was."

"Oh, but there's a big difference. See...having sex is just dealing with one's animal instincts. Getting off. Making love, that's sharing yourself through the physical. Opening up to your partner. And that, my love, takes time."

"So you're not unwrapping your Christmas present tonight?"

"Didn't you say that's bad luck?"

"Just so I know, you do plan to unwrap me before next Christmas, right?"

Giles chuckled and kissed her hair.

"I've no doubt that we shall unwrap one another well before then."

"And I can stay here tonight, right?"

"I'd be delighted if you did."

"Is it okay if I squeeze the package to try to figure out what's under the paper? You could do it back?"

Giles laughed out loud and pulled Buffy atop him. He kissed her soundly.

"I do adore you, Buffy," he told her.

"I'm sorta crazy about you, too, Giles."

This time, Buffy initiated the kiss. Giles groaned when her tongue slipped between his lips. He welcomed her explorations, and indulged in some of his own. By the time they broke apart, both were panting and flushed.

Buffy snuggled down against Giles' side and rubbed his chest through his tee shirt.

"I have another Christmas resolution," she announced.

"What might that be?"

"That I spend every Christmas for the rest of my life with you. Wherever you go, whatever you're up to, I plan to be right there, too."

"I like that resolution. But how can we be sure it won't be broken?"

Buffy kissed his cheek softly and smiled at him.

"Silly. It's a Christmas resolution. They can't be broken."

"I think I shall also make a Christmas resolution, in that case."

"What is it?"

"To spend every Christmas with you, and with our family, at home."

"Our family? Home?"

"Dawn, Willow, Xander, Anya, Tara, and whoever may be added over time."

"And where exactly is home?"

"Where you are. Sunnydale."

Buffy's eyes filled with tears yet again.

This time, Giles knew just what to do to stop them.

And he did.

THE END

UNWRAPPING (sequel)