STANDING: CHAPTER FIVE
Giles opened up the door to his apartment, ushering Buffy in. She looked around and saw that he was completely unpacked, his apartment as clean as the one in Sunnydale had always been.
Giles suddenly felt extremely nervous, something he hadn't felt since the flight back to Sunnydale after Willow had told him about Buffy being back.
He turned to see her looking at him. She blushed slightly at being caught out. He smiled and sat down on the sofa, patting the space next to him.
She sat down and curled up, leaning her head against his shoulder. He put his arm around her, bringing her closer.
"I still can't believe you're here," he whispered into her hair.
She smiled and nestled in closer to him.
"Neither can I. I was so afraid I'd get lost. I swear, I wrote down your address at least five times so I wouldn't lose it."
She pulled up the leg of her pants and he saw she had written his address on the inside of her ankle. He smiled at her and brushed her hair off her face.
"You could have called me to say you were coming. What if I had have been away?" he asked.
She grimaced and looked up at him. "Well, unless I have a really good imagination, you're not away, so I don't have to worry about that."
He grinned and sighed happily. "I've missed you so much," he confessed. "I almost hopped on a plane back so many times. I hated how I'd left things between us."
Buffy smiled and shook her head. "As much as I hate to admit it.you did the right thing. I was being a complete bitch to you Giles."
He went to protest on her behalf but Buffy held her fingers to his lips. "I was. Don't defend me to me, okay?"
He smiled and nodded, gently kissing her fingertips.
She felt her heart skip a beat at his gentle touch.
"I missed you so much," she said. "But.I knew that I could only ask you to come back if my life was sorted out. So.I sorted it out. I got a job. And, uh.Dawn and I are getting on really well. Uh.things are still a bit.fragile with the gang, but.things are getting better. Some days are better than others, but.I'm dealing."
He smiled, thankful that she was getting back on track. He had worried that she would spiral out of control once he had left, but obviously, his Slayer had surprised him once more.
"And patrolling?" he asked. "How's that going?"
She shrugged. "Same old, same old. Killing vamps and beheading demons. Much fun," she said sarcastically. "It's alright. Spike helps out some nights. He patrols alone on Friday nights cos I have to work. I tried to get out of it, but Phil, the manager at the Bronze, said that the only way to get out of work on Friday nights would be to quit, so.Spike volunteered."
Giles tensed up at the mention of the blonde vampire. As much as he had faith in his Slayer to be cautious where the vampire was concerned, Giles did have to admit that the British vampire did have a certain charm to him. He wondered exactly how close Buffy and Spike had become whilst he had been away.
"And Spike? How's he doing?"
Buffy smiled and laughed a little. "He's good. Like, really good. Don't ask me how, but we got him to the beach the other day. I was pretty amazed when he agreed to come."
Giles began panicking a little at the smile on his Slayer's face when she spoke of Spike.
"Ah, and.and you and he." he trailed off, not wanting to even think the words let alone say them.
Buffy looked at him and understanding finally dawned. "You wanna know if.if me and Spike are.together?" she asked.
He nodded, holding his breath.
She raised her eyebrows, wondering if he was jealous or just concerned.
"Well.if he and I were together," she began.
Giles nearly felt his heart completely shatter at what he thought Buffy was about to say.
"Why would I be here?" she finished.
He sighed in relief when he realised that Spike and Buffy had nothing between them. He suddenly put together what she was actually saying.
"And you and Spike have never.been together?" Giles asked, just making sure he wasn't misunderstanding anything.
"Well," Buffy said slowly, wondering if he truly was jealous. "We kinda kissed."
Giles eyes flashed angrily. He tried to calm down. "Oh," he said, with mild interest.
Buffy grinned. She could feel Giles' heart racing beneath his chest, and idly wondered if giving him a heart attack was a good thing or not.
"But that was ages ago. We both kinda got over it," she said.
He nodded, not entirely trusting his voice. "So uh.how long ago was it?"
She grinned and looked up at him. "Bout two and a half years ago," she replied.
He looked a little startled at her confession and then finally realised. Willow's spell. Buffy and Spike's engagement and the consequent mauling of each other in his apartment.
He calmed down considerably until he felt Buffy shift in his arms, bringing her face closer to his. He could feel her breath on his lips and it seemed as though the entire world just stopped.
He leant forward slowly, his lips barely touching hers, letting her back away if she wanted to. He nearly leapt for joy when she leant into him instead of away from him.
He brought his hand up to her face, a little startled to find a tear running down her cheek.
"You're crying," he whispered.
She smiled and kissed him again gently. "They're good tears. Promise."
He smiled and held her tightly in his arms. He chuckled a little as a random thought passed through his mind.
"What?" she asked tiredly, her eyes closed, hr head resting against his chest.
"I was just thinking that I'm going to have to repack everything. I only just finished unpacking everything today," he said, stroking her hair softly.
She smiled and burrowed further into him.
"So you're gonna come home?" she asked.
He nodded and kissed her hair. "How could I not?"
"But what about Daniel and Emma?" she asked, not wanting to be completely selfish.
"Buffy, I've known you for six years. I've known them for maybe three months, most of which I was in Sunnydale for. I'm not about to stay here just for them. Don't get me wrong, I'm rather fond of them both but.I'm in love with you. So.where you go, I go," he said.
She smiled and finally felt completely relaxed in his embrace.
"Thank you," she whispered.
He just leant his head on hers and listened to her breath as she fell asleep in his arms. Maybe leaving had been a good idea after all.
END
Giles opened up the door to his apartment, ushering Buffy in. She looked around and saw that he was completely unpacked, his apartment as clean as the one in Sunnydale had always been.
Giles suddenly felt extremely nervous, something he hadn't felt since the flight back to Sunnydale after Willow had told him about Buffy being back.
He turned to see her looking at him. She blushed slightly at being caught out. He smiled and sat down on the sofa, patting the space next to him.
She sat down and curled up, leaning her head against his shoulder. He put his arm around her, bringing her closer.
"I still can't believe you're here," he whispered into her hair.
She smiled and nestled in closer to him.
"Neither can I. I was so afraid I'd get lost. I swear, I wrote down your address at least five times so I wouldn't lose it."
She pulled up the leg of her pants and he saw she had written his address on the inside of her ankle. He smiled at her and brushed her hair off her face.
"You could have called me to say you were coming. What if I had have been away?" he asked.
She grimaced and looked up at him. "Well, unless I have a really good imagination, you're not away, so I don't have to worry about that."
He grinned and sighed happily. "I've missed you so much," he confessed. "I almost hopped on a plane back so many times. I hated how I'd left things between us."
Buffy smiled and shook her head. "As much as I hate to admit it.you did the right thing. I was being a complete bitch to you Giles."
He went to protest on her behalf but Buffy held her fingers to his lips. "I was. Don't defend me to me, okay?"
He smiled and nodded, gently kissing her fingertips.
She felt her heart skip a beat at his gentle touch.
"I missed you so much," she said. "But.I knew that I could only ask you to come back if my life was sorted out. So.I sorted it out. I got a job. And, uh.Dawn and I are getting on really well. Uh.things are still a bit.fragile with the gang, but.things are getting better. Some days are better than others, but.I'm dealing."
He smiled, thankful that she was getting back on track. He had worried that she would spiral out of control once he had left, but obviously, his Slayer had surprised him once more.
"And patrolling?" he asked. "How's that going?"
She shrugged. "Same old, same old. Killing vamps and beheading demons. Much fun," she said sarcastically. "It's alright. Spike helps out some nights. He patrols alone on Friday nights cos I have to work. I tried to get out of it, but Phil, the manager at the Bronze, said that the only way to get out of work on Friday nights would be to quit, so.Spike volunteered."
Giles tensed up at the mention of the blonde vampire. As much as he had faith in his Slayer to be cautious where the vampire was concerned, Giles did have to admit that the British vampire did have a certain charm to him. He wondered exactly how close Buffy and Spike had become whilst he had been away.
"And Spike? How's he doing?"
Buffy smiled and laughed a little. "He's good. Like, really good. Don't ask me how, but we got him to the beach the other day. I was pretty amazed when he agreed to come."
Giles began panicking a little at the smile on his Slayer's face when she spoke of Spike.
"Ah, and.and you and he." he trailed off, not wanting to even think the words let alone say them.
Buffy looked at him and understanding finally dawned. "You wanna know if.if me and Spike are.together?" she asked.
He nodded, holding his breath.
She raised her eyebrows, wondering if he was jealous or just concerned.
"Well.if he and I were together," she began.
Giles nearly felt his heart completely shatter at what he thought Buffy was about to say.
"Why would I be here?" she finished.
He sighed in relief when he realised that Spike and Buffy had nothing between them. He suddenly put together what she was actually saying.
"And you and Spike have never.been together?" Giles asked, just making sure he wasn't misunderstanding anything.
"Well," Buffy said slowly, wondering if he truly was jealous. "We kinda kissed."
Giles eyes flashed angrily. He tried to calm down. "Oh," he said, with mild interest.
Buffy grinned. She could feel Giles' heart racing beneath his chest, and idly wondered if giving him a heart attack was a good thing or not.
"But that was ages ago. We both kinda got over it," she said.
He nodded, not entirely trusting his voice. "So uh.how long ago was it?"
She grinned and looked up at him. "Bout two and a half years ago," she replied.
He looked a little startled at her confession and then finally realised. Willow's spell. Buffy and Spike's engagement and the consequent mauling of each other in his apartment.
He calmed down considerably until he felt Buffy shift in his arms, bringing her face closer to his. He could feel her breath on his lips and it seemed as though the entire world just stopped.
He leant forward slowly, his lips barely touching hers, letting her back away if she wanted to. He nearly leapt for joy when she leant into him instead of away from him.
He brought his hand up to her face, a little startled to find a tear running down her cheek.
"You're crying," he whispered.
She smiled and kissed him again gently. "They're good tears. Promise."
He smiled and held her tightly in his arms. He chuckled a little as a random thought passed through his mind.
"What?" she asked tiredly, her eyes closed, hr head resting against his chest.
"I was just thinking that I'm going to have to repack everything. I only just finished unpacking everything today," he said, stroking her hair softly.
She smiled and burrowed further into him.
"So you're gonna come home?" she asked.
He nodded and kissed her hair. "How could I not?"
"But what about Daniel and Emma?" she asked, not wanting to be completely selfish.
"Buffy, I've known you for six years. I've known them for maybe three months, most of which I was in Sunnydale for. I'm not about to stay here just for them. Don't get me wrong, I'm rather fond of them both but.I'm in love with you. So.where you go, I go," he said.
She smiled and finally felt completely relaxed in his embrace.
"Thank you," she whispered.
He just leant his head on hers and listened to her breath as she fell asleep in his arms. Maybe leaving had been a good idea after all.
END