Title: Completion
Author: Coast2Coast

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

Willow looked up when the dorm room door opened. "Hey, Buffy. Where have you been all..." she trailed off and jumped up from her desk chair, approaching her friend. She narrowed her eyes and searched Buffy's expression and demeanor -- then bounced up and down, clapping her hands. "You had sex!" she shouted.

Buffy winced. "Uh, thanks for the news broadcast, Will, but do you think you could keep it down just a little?"

Willow quieted down a bit but couldn't stop beaming. She grabbed Buffy's upper arm and dragged her over to her bed. She pushed Buffy into a seated position and plopped down next to her.

"You had sex!" she repeated. "This is major. Was it good? It must have been good. You're all... glowy. Does Riley need CPR or anything... Hey!" Suddenly, Willow frowned.

"What?" Buffy asked, wondering if, or rather how, she was going to break the *real* news to her friend.

Willow responded slowly. "Riley was here about an hour ago, looking for you. He *definitely* did not have a happy, glowy thing going on." Willow looked back up at her friend. "But, you had sex. I can tell."

Buffy nodded.

"But not with Riley?"

"No," Buffy confirmed. "Not with Riley."

When Buffy did not go on Willow tapped her chin with an index finger in thought, then gasped. "You didn't," Willow began, a stricken look on her face. "You didn't sleep with Parker Abrams, did you?"

Willow had seen Parker sniffing around Buffy. He was a womanizing jerk and Willow was pretty sure Buffy knew that. Still... if she had had a fight with Riley or something...

"God, Will. How could you even *think* that! I should make you wash your mind out with soap," Buffy chided.

"You're right, you're right. I'm sorry," Willow apologized. "But if it wasn't Riley or Parker..."

Just then the two of them heard Xander and Anya's voices from the hallway, arguing about something in their typical fashion - not exactly angry but loud nonetheless.

Buffy jumped up off the bed. "We'll have to talk about this later."

"Buffy!" Willow objected strenuously. "You can't just..."

Buffy opened the door in anticipation of Xander and Anya's knock and the couple stepped into the doorway. At the sight of Willow's 'resolve face', Buffy spoke up. "Not now, Will. I mean it," she warned her.

"Okay," Willow relented. "But we're going to continue this conversation later."

"Which conversation are we going to continue?" Anya asked. "And why does Buffy smell like Giles?"

The squeal Willow emitted nearly deafened all four of them.

**** **** **** **** **** ****

When they reached the pizza parlor, Buffy excused herself and almost ran for the pay phones.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Giles."

"Buffy. Are you all right?"

Buffy smiled at the concern in his voice. Did he *ever* stop worrying about her? "I'm fine, Giles. Terrific, actually. I just called to warn you that the guys know."

"How did they find out?" Giles asked.

"I had my face with me when I got back to my room," Buffy informed him.

"Willow knew you had sex?" Giles inquired.

"Yup."

"With me?"

"Not until Anya asked why I smelled like you."

Giles sighed. "And you're all right? With them knowing?"

"I told you, Giles, it will be okay. I just wanted to tell you that there's no need to be Stealth-Guy. The cat is definitely out of the bag. Besides, you should be prepared in case Xander regains the power of speech. He might, I don't know, decide to get in your face and ask you what your intentions are."

Giles chuckled. Xander had always demonstrated a severe antipathy toward any male who showed the slightest interest in Buffy. Originally, it had been prompted by jealousy. Now, it seemed to be more in the manner of an older brother; although it still irked Anya no end. "I think I can handle Xander," Giles said.

"I know you can. I'd better get back to the group. Bye now," Buffy said.

"Good-bye, Buffy."

**** **** **** **** **** ****

After the initial adjustment the group experienced at learning of the encounter between Buffy and Giles, things seemed to settle down into normality, considering they lived on an active Hellmouth.

As days passed since the event, Giles grew more restless and concerned that some of the possible negative effects of having had sex with Buffy might be coming to pass.

On the surface, she appeared calm and her interactions with him seemed to be the same as they had been before their intimacy had occurred but Giles was unable to shake a sense of unease.

As the following week went by, he found himself, understandably, recounting their liaison in his mind countless times. He sometimes woke from incredibly intense and realistic dreams to find himself fully aroused; and, while he was adept at releasing his immediate need, he found that a more vital yearning remained unsatisfied.

Giles prayed that these reactions would fade over time if it turned out that this one episode with Buffy was all he would be allowed. Whatever else they were or might be to each other he could not tolerate any emotion or action on his part to damage their relationship as Watcher and Slayer. The only thing that encouraged him to hold out hope for something more was the news that Buffy had broken up with Riley. Giles' brain told him that this didn't mean she would turn to him, but his heart could not be tamed when it came to his deepest desire.

**** **** **** **** **** ****

Buffy was having a similar, but more intense, reaction to the aftermath of having slept with Giles. She found herself thinking about him all the time and was surprised to realize that, while the joyous memories of their sexual union persisted, she found herself more often musing on the more mundane aspects of their relationship.

One day, nearly two weeks later, Buffy sat in class daydreaming about her Watcher. As she had become accustomed, the majority of her thoughts were centered on the normal, everyday interactions that made up the bulk of their history together; training, researching, patrolling, relaxing in the library - sometimes along with Willow and Xander, more often just the two of them. She let her memory drift to all the times he had helped her, tended her wounds, given her a word of encouragement or relied on her to bring the group together to solve a problem or defeat an enemy. A dreamy smile lit her face as the image of his face, laughing at some silly joke she had told, rose foremost in her mind.

Suddenly, out of the blue, she recalled with perfect clarity a conversation she'd had with her mother years ago. She had asked, with the innocence only an eleven year old girl could muster, when she would know she was in love. "Well," her mother had replied with a gentle smile. "When you meet someone who loves you for who you truly are, you're close. If you can tell that person anything, even your deepest, darkest secret you'll know you're almost there. If you find that you like yourself more when you're with that person than when you're with anyone else or by yourself, that's when you'll know you've found the one. That's when you'll know you're in love."

Buffy stiffened in her chair and mentally ticked off the criteria her mother had outlined. There was no question that each applied to the way Giles treated her and the way she felt about him. She was in love - with Giles.

She was so stunned by the realization that she sat in a daze, the next awareness of her surroundings being Willow shaking her arm.

"Buffy, are you okay? Class has been over for five minutes," her friend told her, a concerned look on her face.

Buffy turned a shocked expression to her. "I'm in love with Giles," she informed Willow in a grave tone.

"Well, duh," Willow replied. "But, unless you want that to be the discussion topic for the next lecture we should probably leave."

Buffy now noticed the students filing into the room. She gathered her belongings and followed Willow out into the hallway. "What do you mean: 'Well, duh'? You knew this? You knew I was in love with Giles?" Buffy demanded.

"I was pretty sure. Ever since you two, uh, got cozy you've been daydreaming more and more. And you, um, say his name in your sleep," at this comment Willow blushed and Buffy suspected Giles' name probably wasn't the only thing she vocalized while sleeping.

"And you didn't say anything to me because?" Buffy prompted.

Willow made a dismissive noise. "Because you would have gone all defensive and denied it. That would have just made you more stubborn about admitting it, to yourself or anyone else."

"You really have been paying attention in Psychology, haven't you?"

"Well, yes. But this is more a matter of knowing you, Buffy," Willow said.

"What am I gonna do, Will?" Buffy wailed, dropping onto a bench outside the building they had just exited.

"Tell him," Willow replied.

"Just like that? I can't just walk up to him and say 'Hi, Giles. Guess what? I'm in love with you.'"

"Okay, that might be a little blunt. But you have to tell him, Buff."

"What if he doesn't feel the same way? I mean, we only got, uh, cozy because I asked him to help me. What if he did it because he saw it as his duty as a Watcher, or as a favor to a friend? It's not like he's ever said or done anything to suggest he feels... that he might..."

"Hello! British guy, remember? This is Giles we're talking about; somewhat reserved, not big with the sharing and the emotional displays," Willow reminded her. "If he is in love with you do you think he'd tell you? Or do you think he'd be worried he was putting you in an uncomfortable situation or jeopardizing the Watcher/Slayer thing?"

Buffy bit her lip and considered this. "He'd be all noble and self- sacrificing," she decided.

"That's our Giles," Willow agreed.

"The big jerk."

"If you say so," Willow said breezily.

"Willow!" Buffy grinned, then sobered. "So I have to tell him, huh?"

Willow nodded. "And the sooner, the better. We do live on the Hellmouth, you know - best not to put these things off."

Buffy looked at her watch. "But we have a Scooby meeting tonight. Giles is going to tell us about that new info on the Initiative he got from Spike."

Willow turned Buffy's wrist toward herself. "You've got time if you hurry. The rest of us won't be there for nearly an hour." She tugged Buffy to her feet, turned her toward the sidewalk and gave her a gentle shove. "Go on. I'll slow Xander and Anya down to give you a little more time."

**** **** **** **** **** ****

At the knock on his door, Giles glanced at the clock. He wasn't expecting anyone for at least half an hour. When he opened the door he found Buffy fidgeting nervously on his doorstep. "Buffy, you're early," he exclaimed.

Both the comment and his tone earned him a grin. "Relax, Giles," she said as she entered. "I don't think it's a portent of the next apocalypse."

He snorted. "I bloody well hope not. Come to help me with the refreshments, then?"

"If you'd like, but I really came to talk."

"Oh?" Giles asked lightly, trying to quell his nerves. "About what?"

Buffy followed him into the kitchen and began setting up the tea tray. "I walked around the block about a thousand times going over this in my head, Giles, and I can't think of a subtle way to approach it so I'm just gonna come right out and say it."

Giles froze as the familiarity of her words penetrated his brain. Slowly, he turned to her, valiantly attempting to maintain a neutral expression. "What is it, Buffy?"

Buffy took a deep breath and let it out. She met Giles' gaze steadily and spoke. "I'm in love with you, Giles. I know this is probably a shock and I don't expect you to feel the same way but I knew I had to tell you. This doesn't have to change us being a really good Watcher/Slayer team. I won't expect you to..."

Giles pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his, cutting off her inane chatter. Silly girl. As if he could do anything *but* love her more than life itself.

Buffy relaxed into his embrace, joy leaping in her heart at his eloquent response to her clumsy pronouncement. When the need for air became acute, the pair ended the kiss but remained in each other's arms.

In response to his giddy smile, Buffy felt that a bit of reality needed to be introduced into the situation.

"You realize we still have to tell my mother about us," she reminded him.

Giles groaned and dropped his head to rest against her hair.

"We can handle it together," Buffy reassured him, burying her face in his chest and sighing contentedly.

Giles closed his eyes and hugged her a little tighter. Everything was turning out much better than he had ever hoped. If only he could take her in his arms and carry her upstairs...

At that moment, the front door swung open and Anya, Xander and Willow entered, coming to a halt when they came abreast of the counter and caught sight of Buffy and Giles, locked in each other's arms. When the couple showed no sign of releasing their embrace, Anya spoke up.

"Should we leave now so you can give each other more orgasms?"

Giles bit off the sharp retort he was about to deliver and pondered the situation for a moment. In the end he smiled at Anya. "Yes, please," he responded politely.

Anya grinned back and nodded. She made an abrupt about-face and herded Xander and Willow out the door, which she shut behind her.

Giles and Buffy looked at one another and burst into a fit of giggling.

~ Fin ~