And Now This

Part 1


“Giles is just going to have to have sex, and with his soul mate.” Anya exclaimed with a smile. The Scoobies just gaped at her. They were all gathered in Giles’ living room: Anya, Xander, Willow, Tara, and Buffy of course. Riley was already out of the picture, and Buffy still wondered why she didn’t really feel all that sad about it.

And now this. Giles’ had been accompanying her on patrol that night. He didn’t do that often now, but ever since the Dracula thing, when she asked him to be her Watcher again, he had ventured out with her a time or two. She didn’t always like him to come with her. This puzzled her. She used to love it when he came with her, but it was different now. She didn’t want him to get hurt. She knew he could protect himself. He had proven that many times over. But still…she just liked the idea of him being at home, waiting for her after patrol with her hot cocoa ready, to hear that she was safe. She wanted him safe, and patrol was not that kind of environment. Tonight had proven her right.

They had been walking in the woods, heading back to his place, when the demon had jumped them. Before she could even react to her spidey sense that was kicking in, the demon had stuck out it’s claw and scraped Giles down his back. He fell to the ground in silence. That silence really scared her. No moaning, or crying out from her Watcher. He just fell to the ground in silence. She turned all her fury on the demon and tore his head off his shoulders with her bare hands. It crumpled and died at her feet. She looked around to make sure there was nothing else lurking around and then she knelt down to try and waken Giles. But he didn’t wake up. The wound on his back didn’t really look that bad, but he was unconscious, and getting feverish. She picked him up in her arms, using her Slayer strength, and carried him all the way back to his apartment. By the time she deposited him on his bed, he was burning up. She grabbed his phone off his dresser next to the bed and dialed Willow’s number. Willow assembled the gang quickly for research. They had to know what the demon was before they would know how to help Giles.

Buffy had stayed in his room with him, holding a damp cloth to his head. His fever continued to climb, and he still had not gained consciousness. Buffy was terrified. She couldn’t lose him. She needed him, now more than ever. Why did everyone she love leave her?

She chocked on the sob in her throat. Love? Is that what she felt? Yes, she knew it was. She had known it even before Riley had left. But she had found Olivia in his shirt that day, and he had told her to figure things out on her own. He made it apparent that he didn’t want her in his life anymore. So she had turned to Riley. He was a boy she never loved, but in turn she thought he would be safe, and not tear her heart out. Yet, he had left her too.

Then Giles and her had started to reconnect again. She was beginning to toy with the idea of telling him her feelings, but she always stopped short. Something always seemed to come up to distract her, or she got scared, or she was afraid he would laugh at her, or leave her, or scold her. She couldn’t bare any of those things, so she just decided to keep quiet. And now this.

She was sitting there by his bedside, holding his hand with tears streaming down her face, when Willow had knocked at the door. “Buffy? We found something.”

She had placed his hand on his chest, stood quietly, brushed a lock of hair off of his forehead, and crept downstairs leaving his bedroom door open in case he woke up.

“What did you find?” She asked.

Willow held a book out to her. “Is this the demon you saw? It fits your description.”

“Yes. That’s it. God…If only I had killed it sooner.” She almost broke down again.

“Shhh, Buffy…it’s okay. This isn’t your fault. And besides, Anya knows what the cure is.”

“Tell me.” Buffy turned her Slayer gaze onto Anya.

“It’s a Farpnnne demon. I’ve met them before.”

“And?” Asked Buffy impatiently.

“Giles is just going to have to have sex, and with his soul mate.” Anya exclaimed with a smile.

“What??!!” They all exclaimed at once, after they had recovered from their shock.

“The fever is of a sexual nature. Once Giles has orgasms with his true love, he’ll be back to normal.”

“Gee, talk about your classic case of blue balls.” Xander said with a grimace. Buffy elbowed him hard in his side. “OUCH! Hey, be nice.”

“There has to be another way. Is there anything else we can do?”

“Yeah” agreed Willow. “Besides, Olivia left after the Gentleman scared her away.”

Buffy felt her heart squeeze at the name, and jealousy knifed through her, but she tried not to let the others notice. They didn’t.

“Well, Olivia wouldn’t work anyway,” Anya continued. “She was just an orgasm partner, and not his soul mate.”

“And how do you know that, oh lady love of mine?” piped up Xander.

“Well, it was obvious he didn’t love her. Besides, she’d still be her if she was in love with him.”

Tara shyly raised her hand to ask a question, and all eyes turned her way. “Are you sure this has to be done? There is no other way?”

Anya shrugged. “Nope. He has to mate, or he’ll die. It is quite serious actually. And we don’t have much time.”

They all swallowed in silence before Tara added. “I know a spell we can do to find his soul mate.” All eyes turned to her, and Willow took hold of her hand, bidding her to continue. “The book is in my room, and I’ll have to gather some things from the magic shop. But we could do everything right here tonight.”

Buffy was torn. She wanted to save Giles’, of course. That went without saying. But to have him be with another woman? And not just any woman, but his soul mate? And what if it was Olivia? Or Jenny? What if it was Jenny? Jenny was dead, would that mean that Giles’ had no one else?”

“What if it was Jenny?” She whispered, tears streaking her cheeks again.

But Anya just shook her head. “There is someone out there just for Giles. We might not know who they are, but there is someone out there growing just for him, as he is growing just for her. And when they meet, it will be worth all the waiting. It will be right, and true.”

Again the Scoobies just gaped at her. Was this the blunt Anya they knew?

“And then they’ll share orgasms, just like Xander and I.”

Yup, it was still Anya.

Buffy resolutely stood up. “Ok, Tara and Willow, you go get the book, and Xander and Anya, head over to the magic shop and get the needed supplies. And then everyone come back here. I’m going to go sit with him until you get back.”

Once they all left to fulfill their duties, Buffy gathered up as many ice bags as she could and went back up to sit with Giles. She placed the ice bags all around his body, hoping to get his fever to come down. It was while she was placing the bags around his legs that she noticed it. Or rather, him. At full erection.

She had removed his shirt before tucking him in earlier. A flush had spread across his chest, and his nipples were erect. He was breathing quite hard, but still seemed to be out of it. She was mesmerized by the coarse hairs sprinkling his chest, and she almost ached to run her fingers through it.

She was afraid to wake him in this state, but part of her wanted nothing more than to throw off her own clothes and climb in with him. She paced around the room, cursing the demon that had done this to them. Her Watcher just lay there, helpless, and there was nothing she could do for him. Someone else, his “true love”, his “soul mate” was what he needed now. She hated whoever it was with all that she could hate with, but the other part of her wished for whoever it was to fervently hurrd ard arrive, and save him. She just wanted him safe. That was all that mattered to her now.

TBC