Chapter 5

Bloody hell, he hated to fly. Giles always tried to get an aisle seat, so he could at least stretch his long legs out in front of him part of the time. His long frame did not fold up nicely in the coach seat. His back hurt, his neck had a kink in it, his eyes were grainy from lack of sleep, and he had a slight headache from the wailing baby in the rear of the plane. Yet, through it all, the small smile would never leave his face. Giles was excited, and nervous, and happier than he had ever been. He was flying to Rome, to be with Buffy.

It had taken him a few weeks to get his affairs in order. In some ways they had been the longest weeks in his life. He could hardly breathe knowing she was across the ocean, waiting for him. He wished he had the Coven's powers so he could just teleport over to her immediately. He didn't want to wait even a moment longer. He burned for the waiting.

But, in the time that passed, there had been joy and laughter too. Every single night he had phoned her, and they had talked and shared themselves like never before. Thank God for the Councils funds, or he'd be in a homeless shelter by now due to the phone bills. But she was worth every penny.

Other passengers must think him quite a sight, as he sat there with a grin glued on his face. He felt like a teenager in love. Colors were brighter, the sun was warmer, and the birds were constantly singing.

They had both decided to take it slow. He didn't want to scare her off, now that he held her heart. He always knew that she was a part of him, but now he knew that he was a part of her as well. Their connection ran deeper now than Watcher and Slayer, or even as friends. She was his other half. Her light filled all the corners of his soul, and every beat of his heart was for her. That had always been so, but in the past his heart had been heavy, and ached with the lonliness that came from a love in vain. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever thought she would return his love. But she said she did. And he believed her. He would take it slow, for her, and savor every moment. She was worth the wait.

He bent his legs in order for the dinner cart to get through the aisle, but the flight attendant banged his knee on it as she went by anyway. He winced and rubbed his kneecap.

"Oh, sir, I'm so sorry." The poor girl looked aghast at the handsome man with the dark emerald eyes. His nod and small smile gave her stomach the butterflies. "It's quite all right. I'm fine, I assure you." She smiled broadly at him, and would have flirted and talked with him more if she wasn't in the middle of serving dinner to the flight guests, not that he would have noticed. All his thoughts were on his Buffy.

His Buffy. He smiled again.

Meanwhile, in Rome, Buffy was driving Dawn crazy!

"Are you going to leave that backpack there? I've been cleaning all day, and you just come in and dump your junk on the floor." Buffy picked up the book filled pack and flung it at her sister. Dawn tried to catch it and almost was knocked down to the ground. "HEY! Unlike you, I don't have the slayer strength. Would you just calm down already!"

"I'll calm down when you contribute."

"It's just Giles. He's seen plenty of books and backpacks. Really, Buffy, he's not going to care. I'm sure he'll only be noticing you anyway."

That made Buffy pause in her tracks, and the anxiety seemed to leave her face for a moment. She broke out into a grin and turned to Dawn. "You think?"

Dawn smiled back. "I know." Dawn put the backpack over her shoulder, and only then did Buffy notice that she had another over night bag in her other hand. She frowned at her sister. "Where are you going?"

"I'm staying with Sarah for a few days. Her mom is cool with it. I thought you and Giles would like some alone time." Buffy was stunned by her sister's thoughtfulness. Dawn, on the other hand, wasn't sure if the look on Buffy's face meant she was about to yell and scream at her or not. Then Buffy stepped forward and gave Dawn a small hug. "Thank you." She pulled back out of the hug and looked into her sister's eyes. "When did you become such an adult?"

Dawn flung her long brown hair over her shoulder. "Oh, you know, there was this apocalypse, an epic battle of good versus evil, just a small event that helped me to grow up pretty fast."

Buffy hugged her sister closer then. There was a beat of silence. Then Buffy whispered into her only sister's ear. "I love you."

Dawn hugged back. "I love you too. Now, let me go. Sarah's mom was all excited about teaching me to cook this gourmet Italian meal tonight. I'll probably just get stuck washing the dishes though."

Buffy laughed and released her sister. "Well, you do need the practice at washing and drying."

"Very funny!" Dawn shouted over her shoulder, and then slammed the door on her way out. Her older sister could not see the huge grin that broke over Dawn's face. Yay! Giles was coming to stay! Finally they would be a family like they should be. Dawn skipped the rest of the way to her friends' house.

Buffy stood there for a moment in the middle of the living room, soaking up the silence and in careful reflection of her sister's coming womanhood. Then she shook herself and returned to cleaning the house.

Buffy had never been the best at domesticity, but she wanted to show Giles she had grown up too. She wanted everything to be perfect. She was still a bit miffed that he wouldn't let her meet him at the airport, but he said it would just be easier for her if he came straight to her house. He'd take a cab and be there in no time. He insisted. So she tried to burn her nervous energy by dusting and re-dusting the entire house from top to bottom.

If the truth were told, she was very nervous. What would seeing him again, after all that had been said and passed between them, be like? She felt closer to him now than ever before, had communicated to him over the phone all her thoughts and feelings and really opened up to him like she had never been able to do in the past. So why was she so nervous to finally see him again? She knew he would not reject her, and that he loved her as much as she loved him. Yet, she was nervous.

It was because this would be the most important moment in her life. He was her future, and she didn't want to mess it up. They had discussed that a bit. She had told him she was afraid that she'd say or do something to upset him, turn him off, or hurt him again. He had laughed and told her not to worry, that her anxiety was silly, and that he loved her now more than ever before. At first she was a bit put out by his laughter but in the end his good humor had been infectious. Then he had said the thing that had calmed her down. "Buffy, luv, that's what love is all about. Real love is unconditional. When you love someone more than you love yourself, it can be painful. That's when you know it's real. And, everything you've said or done in the past that was hurtful I have done and more. That's what growing up is. We all make poor choices in life, Buffy, but now, we'll make all our choices together. No more thinking of the past, remember? Like in your letters? Only think of now, and the future, and of us."

He always accepted her, no matter what. She loved him even more for that.

He had also promised her that he would be patient in all things. They would go at her pace. He told her that she had all the control, and that she held his heart.

She knew, for the first time in her life, that he was the one. This time, when she gave herself to a man, she was giving all of herself completely. No, she would not have any control then. Yet, she trusted Giles completely, even enough to be out of control. That's part of what real love was, she thought, being out of control, yet trusting completely in the one you loved.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

She knew it would be him. It was time.

Buffy took a deep breath, stood up from the sofa, straightened her clothes as best she could, and slowly stepped to the door. She didn't need to look through the peephole to know it was Giles. She could feel him through the door. Her heart was pumping furiously; she could feel all her veins rushing with her blood. She slowly opened the door.

He didn't say a word. He just smiled, the light and love shining out of his eyes. His bags sat on the stoop, his arms opened for her, and she ran into them. In his arms, she felt like she truly belonged for the first time in a long time.

"Hello." He whispered into the crown of her hair, and then placed a gentle kiss where his words had caressed her. He could feel her heart pounding as fast as his.

Finally she released him, but kept a hold of one hand. "Hello to you too. Come on, let's get you inside before the neighbors get a show." He blushed a little at that thought, and then bent down to grab up one of his bags, as she already had clamped down on the larger of the two.

"Where's Dawn?" Giles asked after he had set his bags down in the living room, and Buffy had closed the door. Buffy turned and smiled, flicking her blonde locks over her shoulder, just as Dawn had done with her own hair earlier. "She's staying with a friend tonight. She'll be over tomorrow afternoon to welcome you home."

Giles looked around the room. Suddenly, Buffy became very nervous again. Was that a spider web in the corner of the fireplace? Perhaps he wouldn't like to live here after all. His eyes met hers then, and he saw her anxiety. He took a small step towards her. "Home. Yes, I am home, now that I'm with you."

His eyes were like magnets, pulling her in. Suddenly, she was again in his arms, and she brought her mouth up to his. Their first kiss started soft and gentle, but soon they were devouring one another, tasting their passion for one another for the first time. Buffy moaned, and ran her hands up and down his back, until she rested them at his hips and pulled him close to her. She could feel that he was powerfully aroused.

All thoughts left Giles mind at her touch and taste. The last coherent thought he had was, "So much for going slow."

Buffy left one hand on his hip, pressing him closer to her, and then slipped her other hand underneath his suit jacket. She could feel his strong back muscles underneath his blue silk shirt.

He released her mouth when breathing became an issue. "Buffy," he moaned her name like a prayer. She helped him take of his jacket then, a wanting smile on her face. He threw the jacket on the sofa, never moving an inch from her. Every inch of his skin was singing and tingling from her touch. His eyes met hers again. "Are you sure about this?" She nodded, desire over flowing from her eyes. "I've never been more sure about anything."

He cupped her cheek with his hand. "Shall we go and lie down then?"

At his words, her stomach dropped to the floor, her midsection flooded with heat, which was still in contact with his waist, and her knees trembled with excitement. As an answer, she took his hand in her smaller one, and led him upstairs.

His bags could wait.

He had fantasized about undressing her so many times, that he wasn't sure this moment was real, or again a dream. But as her fingertips ran up his chest, and rubbed at his tight nipples, he knew this was no dream. Reality was better than he had ever imagined.

"I love you, Giles. You know that, right?" Her lips grazed his.

"Yes, I know. I love you completely, and I'll never leave you again."

He gave her another searing kiss, and backed her up against the bed. He lowered her down, covering her naked body with his own. He worshipped every inch of her for hours. He went slow after all, savoring their first time, memorizing her soft skin, her tangy taste, and her cries of joy.

When he finally pushed his full length inside of her, he stopped to savor their oneness. He looked down on her flushed face. "Now I'm home." Buffy ran her fingers down his neck and back, lifted her hips up to him, and urged him on. "I love you, Giles. I love you, Giles." She kept up her mantra until speaking was no longer possible. Giles increased his thrusting, faster and faster, until he felt her coming all around him, and then he too crashed into that sea of ecstasy.

He stayed inside of her as their heartbeats slowed, and their minds spiraled back down to Earth. She kept her arms around him, holding him tightly to her chest, running her fingers up and down his spine. After a spell, he lifted his head from her shoulder to look down onto her lovely face. The smile still had not left either of their faces. He kissed the top of her nose. "That was amazing."

"Yes, it was. You were amazing, Giles. So worth the wait."

He laughed softly at that, and then again gently brushed his lips against hers. "Just think, my love," he stated. "This all started with a letter from Rome."

Her arms tightened a bit around him. "No, this started many years before that. I'm sorry I pushed you away for so long."

"Don't be, Buffy. Everything has come together just as it should. Neither one of us was ready then. The time was not right. But now we have forever ahead of us."

"Together forever. I like the sound of that."

"So do I." He kissed her again, his tongue entwining with hers. She felt him stir inside of her, and the rest of the world fell away. Their past was erased, their future was here, and now, together, they'd be forever.

The End

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