Who, What, Why, Where, When?

CHAPTER 16

They woke early the next morning still wrapped in each other's arms. He kissed the top of her head and she scrunched round to meet his lips with her own.

"I don't think I ever want to wake up without you" he sighed as he held her tightly.

"Mmm it is nice to see you last thing at night and first thing in the morning" she mumbled and kissed the arm that was draped over her shoulder.

"I'm serious" he said and turned her to face him. "I know this may be precipitate but I need to have you here, will you move in with me?" As soon as he heard the words leave his mouth he was startled but knew that he wanted her to agree.

She looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure?" she asked as she pulled back to get a good look at his face. "Maybe it is a little quick?" she suggested then saw the sadness hit his eyes. "I mean I would love to but perhaps we should leave it another week or two?" she pleaded.

"Of course" he nodded and tried to keep the disappointment from his voice. What on earth had he been thinking? He chastised himself as he headed for the bathroom and turned the shower on. "Why don't you just ask her to have your name tattooed on her forehead you idiot!" he mumbled to himself and stood under the cool water to try and relieve the hard on he had woken with.

She lay in the bed and stared at the bathroom door. She wondered where the hell had that come from and turned her gaze to the ceiling. She started running through her feelings and realised that the emotional reaction she had experienced yesterday morning was intensified today. She couldn’t remember what it was like to wake up without him and didn’t know that she wanted to experience it first hand any time soon. She shook her head and got out of bed, striding to the bathroom door and pulling back the shower curtain without breaking her step. "If you can spare some tihis his morning I'll need to pick up some stuff from the dorm" she announced and climbed into the tub with him.

He had backed against the tiled wall and was holding a small face cloth over his groin. She leaned against him and he yelped as the cold tiles hit his buttocks. He finally got his priorities sorted out and dropped the cloth to put his arms around her. "I'm sorry" he said in a slightly choked voice. "I didn't mean to surprise you, it just sort of slipped out before I was completely awake"

She stood back a little and watched as the water spray hit his chest and ran down his abdomen. "Are you having second thoughts now you're wide awake?" she asked as her fingers traced several drops to their destination. "Because I could just visit a couple of times a week and stay for the occasional weekend as a trial run?" her fingers continued their exploration of his stomach muscles.


"I, well, perhaps we could…." He ground to a halt as she picked up the face cloth and began lathering his chest and stomach. He reached out and stopped the motion of her hands. "Before we lose the ability for coherent thought, are you sure about this?"

"Yes" she said impatiently. "You just caught me off guard" she smiled. "Anyway, I'll have you know I never stop having coherent thoughts!" Her hands started their circular movements again.

"We'll see" he sighed enigmatically and pulled her against his chest, bringing her under the water spray.

Half an hour later the bathroom floor was soaking wet and little puddles of water stretched from the doorway to the bed. The duvet and pillows had been thrown to the floor and two damp bodies were slowly disentangling themselves. "Now I'll need to have another shower" Giles grumbled and looked across to gaze at her. "I'm sorry I sprang that on you earlier" he sighed.

She giggled uncontrollably and turned to face him. "It's on a spring?" she asked incredulously and started giggling again.

He shook his head and turned towards the bathroom again. "This time I want to finish a shower on my own" he grinned.

She reached over the side of the bed and pulled a couple of pillows under her head. Gently she traced a finger down her stomach until it reached her pubic hair. She could still feel the deep muscle tingle of her recent orgasm and pressed gently on her pelvis. A deep groan escaped her lips and she closed her eyes for several minutes, remembering the frantic gasps that had escaped her as he had lifted her legs to rest over his shoulders, deepening his penetration and allowing him easier access with his incredibly precise fingers. She could still feel him gently tugging on her clitoris and the incredible feeling of her entire blood supply rushing to engorge the tissue around his hand.

He came back into the room ready to ask if she wanted to go out for breakfast and found her still lying on the bed, gently rubbing the muscles of her abdomen with one hand while the other traced a spiral pattern around her breast. Her eyes were closed and she had a look of such utter contentment and arousal on her face that he blushed while he stood watching her. He knew that she wasn't aware of him and quietly went back into the bathroom. He finished drying himself and shouted her name before entering the bedroom again. She was just getting off the bed, slightly flushed and her breathing still returning to normal.


"You shouted?" she asked and moved past him to the shower.

He smiled and started dressing. "It was nothing really, I just wondered if you wanted to get some breakfast at the diin tin town before I dropped you off for classes?"

"Sounds great but I don't have any classes this morning" she shouted as she stood under the water. "I was serious when I said that we should trial living together, maybe for a couple of weeks to see how we get on. We could pick up some of my stuff and bring it back here before I have to go in this afternoon"

He sat in the chair and tied his shoelaces, watching her through the bathroom door as she finished drying herself and fixed her hair. He leaned back and sighed, he hadn't felt this content and happy in years. A small voice at the back of his head reminded him of Jenny and Olivia but he knew that neither of them had caused such deep emotional currents, the former because it had ended before it had really begun and the latter because Olivia couldn’t accept his life choice. Now he had found someone who had already dedicated her life to the same causes and intrinsically seemed to understand his deepest needs.

She smiled as she came into the room and rummaged through her overnight bag to find underwear and a sweater. "Things will be easier when I don’t have to live out of a suitcase" she murmured and quickly got dressed. Willow watched his eyes follow her every movement and felt her temperature rise as she reveled in his scrutiny. "I guess your back is feeling a lot better this morning?" she asked as she finally pulled her sweater on and his eyes returned to her face.

"What, oh yes" he admitted shyly as he realised that she had been aware of his admiring gaze. "It usually clears up after a few days and I noticed a big improvement when I woke up earlier"

"Me too!" she announced. "I'm starving let's get some breakfast" she grinned at him as she saw him begin to blush. "I love it when you blush like that" she teased him as they headed for the front door.

They decided to walk to the diner and were holding hands. Willow was laughing at his description of the training exercise of the previous day when Mrs Leech met them. She smiled indulgently and put down her shopping bag wWillWillow stopped and wished her a good morning.

"Good morning dear" she nodded to Willow. "Good morning Mr Giles" she added as he put his arm round Willow's shoulder.


"Good morning Mrs Leech" Giles said. "Any more trouble with the trash cans?" he asked pleasantly.

"No, I haven't heard anything else. I expect you were right about them moving on after a few days dear" she suggested to Willow.

"I'm glad to hear it Mrs Leech" Willow smiled in reply. "Can I help you with your shopping bag?" she asked as she noticed the heavy bag. "Rupert would have offered but he's hurt his back you see" she continued with a mischievous grin.

Giles sighed a little and pulled his arm from her shoulder. "Mrs Leech doesn't want to hear about my aches and pains" he said quickly and bent to pick up the grocery bag. "I'm sure I can manage this for you"

The groan as he lifted the bag from the sidewalk could have been heard several blocks away but he manfully tried to pretend nothing was wrong. "Don't you dare" Willow ordered and took the bag from his hand. "Wait here with Mrs Leech and get your breath back" she nodded to Mrs Leech and headed for the apartment block. "I'll be back in a minute"

Mrs Leech smiled gently at him. "Are you OK?"

He grinned ruefully. "Just my pride and several vertebrae hurting right now" he said and gently rubbed his lower back.

"She's a lovely girl" Mrs Leech said, looking towards Willow's rapidly departing back. "She seems to make you very happy?"

He also turned to watch her and only answered when she had disappeared round the corner. "Happier than I ever thought I could be and certainly more than I deserve" he smiled and then remembered that he was opening his heart to an elderly neighbour and blushed slightly.

She sighed nostalgically and put her hand on his shoulder. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You will remember these moments for the rest of your life and there will be times when they will be the only things to keep your heart beating and your feet moving on some of the journeys you have ahead of you"

He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. "Mr Leech?" he said quietly and she shook her head and smiled at him.


"No" she whispered and suddenly looked very old indeed. The moment passed and she returned to her mid sixties persona. "Cherish every moment" she looked him straight in the eye and then turned. "Thank you dear" she smiled at Willow who had just arrived at his side. "I hope your back gets better" she said to Giles and moved off up thed.
d.

He stood rooted to the spot and only heard Willow when she said his name for the third time. "Rupert what on earth is the matter with you?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

"Nothing" he murmured quietly and pulled her into his arms.

The hug lasted for half a minute and Willow eventually emerged from his grasp a little red in the face. "Thank God you've given up wearing tweed or I would have suffocated in there" she said and stared up at him. "What were you and Mrs Leech talking about?" she asked.

He shook his head and put his arm back round her shoulder, starting towards the diner again. "Nothing important" he shrugged and she knew she wouldn't get any more out of him.

By the time Buffy and Xander had helped Willow to his car with several cases and boxes Giles' patience and sense of humour were deserting him. Buffy knew that another joke about his back injury and its causes would probably bring them to the end of his tether and she hugged Willow in preparation to letting her get in the car.

"Buffy" Willow finally managed to say over the slayer's shoulder. "I'm only going to Giles' place and I'll see you in class in an hour"

Xander joined the hug. "It's just difficult for the parents to cut the apron strings and let the youngest leave the nest" he sighed and stood back to shake Gile's hand.

"If there is a metaphor to be mixed you are the man to do it" Giles pronounced gravely and shook Xander's hand.

"You still haven't told me what your intentions towards Willow are" Xander ignored his comment and looked seriously at him. "I mean what exactly are your prospects?"

Giles sighed and rolled his eyes while Willow giggled and got in the passenger side of the car. "Cut it out you two, I'll see you tonight at the Bronze Xander?"


"Sure" he smiled at the red head. "You bringing hip and groovy G-Man?" he asked and Buffy grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the car as Giles started to get back out.

Willow carried the heaviest boxes to the apartment but he managed a few of the suitcases and insisted on unpacking for her. "Great" she giggled as she kissed him in the doorway. "I've always wanted my socks filed alphabetically and cross referenced with my shoes"

It took him the rest of the afternoon as he had to half-empty the boxes before he could lift them. By the end of the task he was sweating profusely and decided that a cool shower would be better before he settled down to study the manuscript again.

Willow arrived home at six o'clock and found him in jogging pants and a t-shirt, his hair still damp and scrunched up from being rubbed with a towel. He was sitting in the armchair, a cup of tea by his side and his glasses halfway down his nose as he concentrated on the text in his hands.

She closed the door behind her and sighed. He looked up and smiled at her. "Hard day at work honey?" he asked as he put the book down and moved towards her.

"It's a rat race out there" she pronounced sternly and wrinkled her forehead. He spent several minutes kissing his way along the wrinkles and rubbing his hands up and down her back before standing back and taking her bag from her. She stood, swaying slightly and with an incredibly sloppy grin on her face. When he moved towards the kitchen she took a deep breath and let it out. "Every time I think I love you more than is possible you find another way to make me love you more"

He put a mug of tea in front of her. "I've given up trying to quantify how much I love you, big numbers always confused me" he smiled. "How did your classes go this afternoon?" he asked and moved back to his chair.

"Pretty well" she answered and stretched out on the sofa. "But I was a little distracted by the entire 'living in sin' thing I'm doing at the moment with this incredibly sexy English guy"

"You shouldn't let a fabulous sex life and perfectly filed socks get in the way of your education!" he said in his best 'father knows best' voice.


She giggled and jumped up from the sofa. "I totally forgot, how did you get on with the unpacking?" she asked as she ran up the stairs to the bedroom. "Oh … my …. God" he heard, quickly followed by howls of laughter. When she finally descended she was wiping tears of laughter from her face and still chuckling. "You actually put clothes away in colour order?" she asked incredulously.

He frowned slightly and headed for the kitchen. "How else would you know which top half to wear with which bottom half?" he stated reasonably and started preparations for dinner. "I thought I would make shepherds pie, is that OK?" he asked.

As he turned to hear her response she kissed him and pushed him gently against the counter. "I don’t have to go out tonight you know?" she suggested as her hands wandered under his t-shirt.

"Yes you do" he laughed and slapped her hands away. "I need to finish the translation on those texts and I've got several other books to catch up on. For some reason I can’t concentrate when you’re around at the moment" He kissed her quickly and pushed her from the kitchen. "Now go and disarrange your carefully organised wardrobe and get changed to go out while I make dinner"

They were doing the dishes when Buffy arrived to meet Willow. After a whispered conversation they disappeared upstairs and he sighed as he finished putting the dishes away and took his mug of coffee to the table. He was studiously pretending to read a book when Buffy came back downstairs and he tried to ignore the sniggers and coughs as she waited for Willow to collect her jacket.

Buffy sidled round behind him and pretended to read the book over his shoulder. "I've never seen her this happy" she quietly whispered in his ear as she leaned over.

"If I'd known I would have organised her wardrobe years ago" he observed dryly and took a sip of his coffee.

She put her hand on his shoulder. "You know what I mean" she laughed. "Although you will be ragged about the sweaters for several decades to come, especially when Xander finds out". Her hand was still resting on his shoulder and she squeezed it gently. "This is going to sound really weird but I think I'm glad you got that last shot to the head, it seems to have made the difference for both of you"


He put his hand on hers and she moved round to lean on the table next to him. "I know what you mean" he acknowledged. "But I like to think we would have finally sorted things out between us without my having to spend three weeks unconscious". She shook her head and was going to say something when he put his hand on hers again. "However, I think you played a large part in getting us to finally admit our feelings for each other and I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you"

She smiled fondly at him and they both turned when Willow coughed from the foot of the stairs. "Hey" she said as she smiled at them both. "Get your own English librarian guy, this one's taken"

Buffy laughed and headed out the door with Willow. She turned back and grinned at Giles. "I'll think of something suitable with which you can repay me"

"Enjoy yourselves" he shouted after them as they shut the door and he settled down to finish his work on the manuscript. After two hours he had a worried look on his face. His latest findings were leading him in a very different direction as to the best way to hunt down and destroy the demon which still hung over all of them. He paced for several minutes as he pondered his next move and finally settled down on the sofa with a glass of whisky as he dialled the LA number from memory.

He was lying on the sofa listening to music and reading a magazine when Willow and Buffy returned. He sat up and kissed Willow briefly before going to look outside the door. "What are you looking for?" Buffy asked as she accepted a glass of orange juice from Willow.

"I thought you were going to bring Xander for the wardrobe exhibition?" he asked and smiled at them as they giggled.

"He wanted to come but Anya whispered something in his ear and he went a bit red and said he would see it another time" Buffy rolled her eyes and finished her drink. "I'm going to patrol for a couple of hours before heading home, I'll see you in class tomorrow Will?"

Willow nodded and Giles moved to open the door for her, following her outside. "Anything wrong?" he asked.

"Nope, just need to work off some extra energy from the club tonight. I don't want to take it out on you at training tomorrow morning!" she laughed and headed up the stairs.


"Be careful" he said and took a final look around before heading back inside and locking the door. He turned to find Willow in the armchair nursing a large glass of orange juice and flicking through his magazine. "Did you have a good time tonight?" he asked as he movedk tok to the sofa.

"Uhuh" she murmured then looked up at him. "I had no idea you read Cosmo" she said incredulously and held the magazine up for him to see.

"Oh that" he said. "Fraser left it last time he was here, it seems he leaves them in his office waiting room to make women think he's sensitive, or something like that" he shrugged and smiled when she started to look righteously indignant. "I suppose this means I've got my revenge over the bet he made with you?"

She shook her head and moved over to sit next to him. "I think I'd rather try to win the money back double or nothing" she pouted and lifted his glass from his hand before leaning in to kiss him. They kissed for several minutes until he pushed her back and retrieved his glass. "I'm waiting for a long distance call and I don’t want to start anything that's not interruptible" he sighed and took a long pull on his whisky.

She sighed and moved back to the armchair. "I don’t think that's a word" she suggested and smiled at him. "So what's the identity of the mystery caller who's wrecking my love life?" she asked and raised her eyebrows over her glass as she took a drink.

He looked a little vague and she put her glass down and turned away from him. "Olivia?" she asked, trying not to sound miffed.

"What?" he looked surprised. "Of course not darling" he moved to her side and bent down to kiss her head. "Angel is checking some things for me in LA and said he'd call back as quickly as he could". He tilted her head so that she was looking into his eyes. "Why on earth did you think it was Olivia?" he asked gently.

"You just looked kind of shifty, as if you didn't want to tell me who it was and I thought the worst. Not that Olivia's that bad, I mean she dumped you but that doesn't make her a bad person. Well actually it does but not really bad in the normal sense, just incredibly bad taste really. Not that I think she had bad taste when she first started going out with you….." She finally ground to a halt when she lost track of the point she was trying to make and just looked up into his eyes with a miserable look on her face. "Not really the way I planned our first 'living in sin' night going" she sighed.


He looked a little bemused. "OK, now that you've got that out of your system we need to get some things straight" he took her hand and led her back to the sofa to sit next to him. She turned to put one leg under her and faced him from one end, looking embarrassed. "First of all, I may have to speak to Olivia at some point in the future but it will be as an old friend and nothing else" he looked at her until she nodded. "Secondly, tha the the second time you've used the phrase 'living in sin' and I'm beginning to think you're concerned about it and, if you are, then you can move back to the dorm whenever you wish and it won't mean I think any less of you, OK". She was looking thoroughly miserable by now and he took pity on her. "I thought you understood that I wanted to be with you more than I've ever wanted to be with anyone else in my life and I plan to remain by your side for the rest of our lives" he leaned forward to take her hand in his. "I could always come by and rearrange your clothes in the closet at the dorm for you" he suggested and was relieved to see her smile.

"I'm sorry for being stupid about the phone call" she began and squeezed his hand. "I know I don't have anything to worry about with Olivia or anyone else. I think I've just been kind of worried since we finally got together that you would change your mind and end up with someone nearer your own age" she met his gaze and was a little surprised when he grinned.

"I've been expecting you to do the same thing" he shook his head. "At least we have our insecurities in common" he laughed as he pulled her into his arms and held onto her until he felt the tension leaving her body and she relaxed against him.

"The 'living in sin' thing is just a novelty" she finally admitted. "I used to read books which made it sound terribly grown up and risque and I've always had a secret hankering to try it" she turned her head to look at his face. "I'm sorry it bothers you, but it doesn’t mean I want to move out again"

He hugged her tightly and smiled. "I'm glad because I'm too knackered to move all of those bloody books again"

They were still kissing when the phone rang, shattering the quiet and making Willow jump in his arms. "Tell Angel to get the exposition done quickly" she murmured huskily in his ear and headed for the bedroom.

He watched her walk quickly up the stairs and cleared his throat before answering the phone. "Angel" he said in a distracted way. "What, no I wasn't asleep, just reading a magazine" he smiled.


The call took thirty minutes and Willow was sitting up in bed reading a large textbook when he finally appeared.

He lifted the book from her hands and placed it on the bedside table, raising his eyebrows at the title. "I expected to find you immersed in a Jackie Collins bodice ripper" he smiled. "You know the one about the handsome, dashing Englishman who lures young American women to his bed to ravish them"

She snuggled down and pulled him on top of her. "Is that the one where he spends half an hour chatting to a vampire while the young damsel in distress awaits his pleasure in her boudoir?" she pouted.

"Damsel in distress?" he asked and sat up to remove his t-shirt. She watched as he removed his jogging pants and socks before sliding under the covers with her. "Is there anything I can help you with?' he asked as he ducked his head under the covers and kissed her breasts.

"Distress levels dropping already" she smiled and pulled the covers over her head as she moved to kiss him.