Chapter 20

The sun was beginning to set when Giles finally opened his eyes. He found himself in a hospital room. The shades were pulled, and his room was in shadows with the impending night. His arm was bandaged close to his chest. He had suffered a severe shoulder wound and they had to immobilize his left arm as well as they could.

He turned his head slightly and found Buffy curled up in a chair beside his bed. She was asleep. He smiled softly at her. He moved his good arm to reach out and touch her face, but stopped suddenly as pain engulfed him, causing him to moan.

Buffy was instantly awake. "Giles? Giles, you're awake!"

"Ah yes, the pain tells me so." He groaned again and pushed himself down into his pillow.

"Are you okay? Here, I'll buzz the nurse." Buffy pushed the call button to summon the nurse, and then fussed with Giles' pillow, trying to help him get more comfortable. "I was so worried about you. I thought…I thought I might lose you. Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?" Buffy bit her lip, and Giles smiled at her. "I'm going to be fine Buffy, really."

He settled back into the bed as well as he could, then turned his head and looked at her again. "Buffy, do you remember? I mean…uh…has your memory fully returned?"

Buffy sat back down in the chair, taking his good hand in her own and squeezing it. "Yes, Giles. I remember everything." She returned his smile, caressing his hand in both of hers. "Angel took Riley to the offices to question him and Graham. But I wanted to stay here with you. He said he'd let us know as soon as he knows anything."

"I just want you to be safe, Buffy." The love and concern for her shown in his eyes, and it brought her almost to tears.

"I know. I was stupid, Giles. I shouldn't have left alone. I always act first, and think later. I'll try and be better, okay?"

He just nodded at her as the nurse came in. They'd talk about that, and so much more. But it would have to be later, when he was out of this bloody awful place.

The nurse brought the doctor, and soon they were poking and prodding him. He hated every second of it, except for the fact that Buffy had refused to leave his side. She was always touching him and holding his hand as often as she could. Whenever she was in the doctor's way, she'd step back, but her eyes would never leave his own.

Finally the examination was over, and the doctor excused himself saying that Giles was free to leave in the morning.

"Good, I can't wait to go home." Giles grumbled. Buffy's eyes lit up and she exclaimed. "Me, either. England, here we come!"

Giles, surprised, turned towards Buffy. "England? You want to go back to England?"

"Of course! That's where our home is now, isn't it?" The smile just couldn't leave her face, now that she knew he was safe. "Now, scoot over. You need to get some sleep, and this chair is not that comfortable." Before he could object, not that he would, Buffy had made a spot for herself on his bed underneath his good arm. He held her close as they slept through the night. He was never going to let her go again. Knowing that she wanted to be with him in England suffused him with a glow that wouldn't leave as he too fell into a blissful sleep.

Willow and Xander had insisted on borrowing a car and picking up Giles and Buffy at the hospital the next morning. When Buffy informed them that she and Giles were ready to return to England, Willow and Xander each shared a grin.

"Well, Buffy, I think I would like to stay here and help Angel. There are so many magic books and potions and mystical items for me to study. I just have too much here to investigate to return to England. I think I'll stay here awhile." Then Willow elbowed Xander in the side. "Oof! Hey, why did you...oh, right, uh…Yes, I think I'll stay here too. To watch Willow, I mean, to help Willow." Willow again elbowed Xander in the side, much to Giles' amusement. Xander scowled at her and rubbed his side, but soon found Buffy running up to him and giving him a tight hug and kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Xander." Then she jumped over and hugged Willow as well. "And thank you, Willow. Thanks to both of you, for coming, and helping, and…."

Willow raised her eyebrow at her friend. "And giving you and Giles some alone time in England?" Buffy blushed and nodded. Giles was too preoccupied signing his release papers to have heard the entire conversation, but he knew something was up by all the hugging and blushing. He'd have to ask Buffy later.

Harmony phoned the airport and booked a flight for that evening for Giles and Buffy. She was happy to do it. She jumped up and gave Buffy a huge hug. Buffy didn't return the hug, but didn't push Harmony away either. She just rolled her eyes at Giles, and he tried not to laugh. Harmony was ecstatic knowing that Buffy would be a continent away from Spike!

Before they were to leave for the airport, however, they all gathered in Angel's office to hear the news about Riley and Graham. Spike was the last to arrive. As he entered, he saw Buffy and Giles sitting together on the leather sofa in the rear of the room. Giles had his good arm around Buffy's shoulders, and she had her hand on his leg. Spike had a momentary twinge of jealousy, but then he steeled himself, straightened his shoulders, and made his way over to stand in front of them.

Buffy was looking at him warmly. Spike saw that it was a look of a grateful friend, and nothing more. Giles, for the first time in a long time, did not give him a Ripperish glare. The Watcher's expression was calm, and void of any real feeling. Spike couldn't read him, but it didn't really matter. He only had a few things left to say to them both, in any event.

"I wanted to thank you, Giles, for taking that blow for me and sparing my life."

Giles looked into the vampire's eyes, and for the first time, he truly believed he saw the good in Spike. He saw the regret there, and the torment. He nodded at him. "I know I won't regret it, Spike. You've proven time and time again that there is good in you. Even before you got your soul. I won't forget that again."

Spike was surprised, and pleased. It was the best compliment he could have hoped for coming from the Watcher. He grinned his cocky grin at them both. "Yes, well. You two don't do anything I wouldn't do now." He winked at them, and Buffy began to giggle as Giles' ears slowly turned red. Spike smirked one last time, gave them a little bow, and then backed up to lean against the wall, acknowledging the floor to Angel.

Angel clenched his hands behind his back and paced the floor as he told the story of Riley's dissent into darkness. Most of what he had learned had been harangued out of Graham, but some had been gathered by a little bit of mind control wielded on Riley by Wolfram and Hart's psychics.

After Riley lost his wife, he had traveled into the African jungle in search of a shaman he had heard about that delved into dark magics. He was intent on bringing his wife back to life. He found the shaman, and was put to the test to see if he was worthy to ask the shaman to perform such a spell. During this conversation, Spike kept quiet, but he remembered his own trials and suffrage by the hands of perhaps the same shaman in order to regain his soul. Spike said nothing, however. What could he say?

Riley failed the test. By rights, the shaman should have taken Riley's life, but instead, he had suffused Riley's soul with darkness, to void Riley's pain and take love from him. This void, this emptiness where his love for his wife had been, was now nothing but cold, and black, and anger. Riley had left the shaman and returned back to base camp. But he was not the same Riley that they had all known. It wasn't long after that when news reached them about the demise of Sunnydale. Riley had then begun to fixate on Buffy. He had to know if she had made it. His investigations had revealed that Buffy was alive and in England, and also that Angel Investigations had now taken over the offices of Wolfram and Hart.

Graham had then told Riley that he had a relative working in Wolfram and Hart. It wasn't hard then for Riley to put his plan into action to have Buffy for himself. Especially when he had heard about the Toxin.

Everyone initially felt bad for Riley and all he had been through in losing his wife, especially Buffy. Perhaps it wasn't all Riley's fault. Angel then vowed to find the African Shaman and put an end to his dark magics. Surprising everyone, Spike volunteered to leave for Africa immediately. No one objected. Riley and Graham, in the meantime, would be held at Wolfram and Hart, and then eventually turned over to the government. They were both now wanted for desertion. It didn't look good for either of them.

It wasn't a neat and tidy package, and they probably would never really understand Riley's motivation or obsession with Buffy. Grief did things to a person. They all could understand that. Buffy and Giles shared a look and held each other tighter. More than ever, they were ready to go and leave LA behind them. If only they could leave the evil behind them too, but it always seemed to have a way of following a person. It never stopped.

* * *

One month later…

The horses grazed in the field under a clear blue English sky. Buffy and Giles had just shared a wonderful picnic basket lunch on a blanket, which was shaded by a huge oak tree. Buffy was relaxing, stretched out on her stomach on the blanket. She watched as Giles packed up their gear. She saw him wince and rub his shoulder as he lifted up the basket. "Poor baby. Still sore?" Her tone was teasing, but he saw the concern in her face. He gave her a small smile as he joined her on the blanket. His bandages had all been removed just the other day, but he still felt a twinge now and then. "Just a bit stiff, luv. I'm fine."

Her smile grew as she sat up and began to unbutton his shirt. "I know a way to loosen you up." She removed his shirt and told him to lie down on his stomach. She straddled him, and firmly began to massage his stiff and sore shoulder muscles. He soon turned to jelly underneath her ministrations, groaning with delight. She worked her fingers down his spine, pleased with herself at the noises he was making. Soon, she had worked her hands down to his lower back, and under his waistband. Before long, his breathing quickened. "Buffy?"

"Hmm?" she asked as she rubbed and massaged beneath his waistband.

"If you were trying to take the stiffness away, I'm afraid you are failing."

"What?" She was confused, and startled when he turned over, almost throwing her off of him. But he caught her firmly, and held her still straddling him, only now around his waist. Her eyebrows rose, and she started to giggle as she realized now what he had meant about being stiff.

She leaned down and kissed him. Their mouths melted into each other, hot and wet. Giles ran his hands up Buffy's back beneath her shirt, lifting it up and over her head as their mouths parted.

She reached back and undid her bra and threw it over by their shirts. His emerald eyes drank her in, never leaving her face as he reached up and cupped her breasts, rolling her nipples underneath each thumb. Her head fell back and she closed her eyes. The sun warmed her skin. The tilt of her body made her press against his manhood, and he ground himself up into her. "Buffy," he was panting now, and so was she. She reached down and unbuckled his belt, pushing his jeans down and off, along with his white cotton boxers. Then she removed her own jeans as swiftly as she could. His hands never left her breasts, molding them with his fingers and palms, until she impaled herself onto him. Then his hands flew down to her waist, holding her close as she rocked up and down taking him deeply into her, and then pulling him almost all the way out, before slamming him up into her again. They both reached the pinnacle of their lovemaking at the same time, shaking and rushing up together into ecstasy. Buffy, when spent, fell down onto Giles' chest, and he held her their tightly as both of their crashing heartbeats slowed and their muscles stretched and relaxed.

They both dozed under the warm sun. The neighing of the horses, and the slight breeze finally woke them, but both were reluctant to move.

Giles ran his fingers through Buffy's hair, and down her back. She smiled against his chest.

"What are you thinking?" he asked her softly.

"I'm thinking about what I want to do with my life, now that I'm sort of retired."

"More of this, I hope?" he teased her, kissing the top of her head.

"Actually, yes, but also…I was thinking of something more."

"More?" He laid his head back down on the blanket and matched his breathing with her own, their stomachs rising and falling together. He never wanted this moment to end.

"Yeah. More. I was thinking I'd like us to have a little Giles, or Gilesette. What do you think about that idea?"

She lifted her head and looked down onto his face. His eyes had grown huge, and she thought he had stopped breathing. He moved his hands from her back, and placed them on either side of her face, caressing her cheeks. "On one condition."

That confused her, and now she stopped breathing too. "Condition?" she said in a small voice.

"Yes. On the condition that you marry me first? Buffy, will you be my wife?" He looked up at her expectantly, hoping he wasn't rushing her.

Her face split into a huge grin, and she squealed with delight, falling down onto his chest again, crushing herself around him, holding him tight. "Yes!" she screamed, laughing with delight. He rolled over on top of her, trapping her beneath him and captured her mouth into a deep kiss.

The brilliant sun shown down on them, as if it too was smiling with delight.

The End

Completed 1/23/2004

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