Impact

Non the them could believe that they would be returning to what was left of the Sunnydale Hellmouth so soon. They thought that was their past. The crater that was left as Sunnydale had presented closure to that part of their lives. But now they had to return.

Once the decision was made to follow Drusilla to Sunnydale and intercept her before she could start the ritual and turn Spike, they all wanted to go. Including Giles. He would not be left behind, and no one could deter him.

Angel left them to hunt around at the hospital to see if he could find Bunny, or perhaps Lilly could lead him to the Blimey demon. But they feared that since the mercenary’s work was done, that it would disappear. However, if Angel could track it down, they were sure it could provide answers to the many questions they had about the ritual, and Drusilla’s current whereabouts and plan. Angel took to the sewers. He would smell her out if she was anywhere beneath the city.

Gunn, Fred, and Lorne would remain behind at Angel’s investigations. It would be the original Scoobies back on the job, along with Wesley. They would leave first thing in the morning, whether Angel was able to find out anything or not.

Buffy’s slayer healing had kicked in, and she was mended after her conflict with the yellow beast. Giles was not faring so well, however. His previous injuries had been jarred badly when he was tossed from the bed and impacted with the far wall. His ribs that had been healing had cracked again, and his arm felt as if it was swelling within it’s cast. His neck was sore and whip lashed, and he appeared to have a permanent headache. There was no way he could go on like this without being a burden, and he wanted, and needed, to be an active participant in stopping Drusilla. He felt that his entire future with Buffy depended on it. It was time for Willow to step in.

Willow held no fear in her magic anymore. When she performed the spell to call all the slayers into the world, she channeled all that was good and pure from the Powers that Be. She also understood now what she didn’t before. There was a time for magic, and a time for natural order. Magic was not to be used as a short cut, or to be lazy, but as a tool to aid the Powers that Be. This time when Willow performed the healing spell on Giles, instead of her eyes turning black, her red hair turning raven, and ugly veins popping under her skin, Willow was transformed into a glowing, bright light. The room was filled with the light, and a comforting heat. Giles felt like he was being immersed in a hot bath, the water soaking his tired muscles, massaging all the pain and stiffness out. In mere minutes, his body was again whole.

“Thank you, Willow.” He didn’t quite know what else to say. “I kind of wished I hadn’t suffered for so long now. Seems idiotic now in retrospect.” Willow smiled at him, and squeezed his shoulder affectionately. “It wasn’t time then. But now there is a reason, and a purpose.”

Giles was dumbfounded by this young Wicca. There was a time when he was her teacher and mentor, and a time where he was frightened and enraged by her obsession with the dark magics. Now he knew that she would teach him. He was humbled before her.

Everyone excused themselves to prepare for the morning trip. Wesley wanted to consult as many books as possible while he waited for Angel to return. Willow offered to help, and he accepted graciously with a smile. Dawn offered to help too, but the big yawn that interrupted her speech caused Xander to pull her upstairs to tuck her into bed. He was sleeping too. He was food guy, and tonight there was no need for a donut run.

Buffy thought they would never leave. Finally she was alone with Giles. She shut the door behind Xander and Dawn, and turned to look at him, a small shy smile on her face. But he didn’t meet her gaze. Instead, he was looking out the window.

She frowned, and approached the bed, sitting on the edge of it. “What’s wrong?”

He turned and looked at her, and she saw the fear in his eyes. She took his now healed right hand in her own. “Please Giles, you are scaring me. What is it?”

“I’m afraid.”

She gripped his hand tighter. “Afraid of what? Going back there?”

“It’s not that.” He looked down at their clasped hands. He thought this issue had been resolved between them the moment he heard Buffy and Angel’s discussion in his hospital bed when they thought he was still in a coma. He had even been researching the Shanshu Prophecy to see if there was a chance to bring Spike back. He’d do that for her. But he also couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. Not now.

She watched the emotions flicker on his face, and suddenly she understood. “Giles, look at me.” He raised his gaze to her own, seeing the resolve on her features. “No matter what happens,” she began, “I am where I want to be. With you. I love you. You are the one that completes me in everything. Angel told me he saw you during our..uh..conversation in your hospital room.” Giles looked aghast at that, now knowing he had been caught eavesdropping on that particular conversation. But Buffy just smiled and pushed his chin up with her free hand to hold his gaze with her again. “I’m not cookie dough with you, remember?” He smiled in return at that.

“Seriously, Giles. I love you, I a I always will. Even if Spike walked in the door right now as human as me or you or Xander, I would not love you less. And I would not love Spike more. He will always be a friend to me. He saved us all, many times. He protected Dawn before.”

“Yes, and he also tried to rape you.” Giles eyes were dark and cold at that admission.

Buffy sighed. She didn’t know how to make him understand. Finally she just shrugged. “That was before he had a soul, and it was a mixed up time for all of us.”

“There is never any excuse for what he did, or tried to do.” Now he clutched her hand fiercely, and it would have been painful if not for her slayer strength. “If I had known before, if I had been there…” tears began to leak from the corners of his eyes. “It’s just as much my fault Buffy. I should have never left. You were right about that.”

Buffy could take it no longer and pulled him into a fierce hug. They just both held each other like that for awhile, clinging to each other as if to keep from drowning. “No, Giles, it’s not your fault.” After a time she pulled back and looked into his face. “I think that from now on, neither one of us are allowed to take the blame for anything. It is not our fault. None of it is. Not yours, and not mine. Deal?”

He looked into her big eyes, losing himself in their depths. How could he deny her anything? “Deal” he whispered, and then softly kissed her mouth. They still held each other close, but the kiss was soft and tender at first. Soon it built into a powerful crescendo of passion. Buffy parted her lips to give Giles access with his tongue, and he drank deeply from her, putting all of his pain and love in that single kiss. When he had to break the kiss to breathe, he resumed nuzzling her neck, tasting her soft skin, feeling her heart race in the pulse at her neck.

Buffy moved so she was straddling his lap, and that contact drove Giles almost over the edge. “God, Buffy.” She silenced him with another long kiss. His hands roamed over her back, up her neck, through her hair, and back down her sides, lightly over the swell of her breasts. She moaned into his mouth. When the kiss broke this time, they both stopped to look into each other’s eyes. Giles smiled at her, his green eyes dark with his passion. Just that look in his eyes caused Buffy’s stomach to flutter. “I love you, Buffy. That is the only thing I wanted to say to you when I couldn’t. I love you.”

She leaned her forehead against his. “Say it again.”

“I love you, Buffy.”

“I love you too.” She sat back on his lap, and pulled off her shirt. He looked at her in the moonlight. His eyes roamed from her face, down her neck, and took in her beautiful breasts, and down her stomach. She just sat still, watching him intently, her insides quivering at the desire she saw on his face.

“It’s so different with you.” His eyes met her gaze again. “With you, I feel so at peace, like I was meant to be here with you. All the other times…” she swallowed, and he urged her to go on, holding her to him but not taking his eyes off of her face. “I was shy, or scared, or angry, or selfish before. But with you, it just feels…..right.

“Giles, I do love you, with all my heart, but more than that, I need you. I want you. Only you.”

He crushed her to him again, vowing that he would never let her go. Within moments their passion had grown to a fever pitch. Soon they were skin on skin, all clothing removed. He turned her over so that he was on top and could cover every inch of her skin beneath him. He wanted to devour every inch of her. Their hands never ceased feeling and squeezing and memorizing every inch of each other. And when he pushed himself inside her, they became one, not knowing where one began and the other ended. Their flesh melded perfectly together, as if they were made for each other. Giles moved slowly within her at first, not wanting to hurt her with his size, but soon she was writhing beneath him, pulling him in deeper and tighter. They rocked together faster and faster, until the lights went off behind their eyes as they came up together, and then back down.

Finally their breathing began to slow, and Giles went to move off of her so as not to crush her, but she wouldn’t have it. “Stay,” she commanded. “I want you inside me as long as possible.” He didn’t fear crushing his slayer, so he stayed, and they fell asleep together just like that.


TBC