(notes and disclaimer with part one)

Buffy smiled as Giles moved his kisses from her neck to her cleavage. She blinked away the start of tears that she wasn't about to let fall and make the moment awkward. She could hardly believe how miserable she had been just a few days ago, and how now, here in Giles' arms, everything was finally okay. More than okay. Almost too wonderful to even accept.

She gasped slightly as she felt Giles move the straps of her dress down her arms. He pushed the material down to almost her waist, exposing her breasts to his questing mouth.

In the role of lover, Giles was proving more and more surprising. He had always seemed tentative with any kind of physical contact with her, and now, his hands knew no shame or hesitation in what they sought to conquer. Even as his mouth worked her nipple into the highest realm of sensitivity, his hand slid up the silky expanse of her inner thigh.

Not wanting him to think her any less enthusiastic than he was, she began to unbutton his shirt. She felt him smile against her skin. He moved his hand from her leg and Buffy stopped opening his shirt, suddenly worried that she had maybe moved too fast for him. Soon, she heard the sound of a zipper being lowered. He looked up and his playful green eyes locked on hers. Seeming to sense her confusion, he took her hand in his and brought it down to the front of his trousers. Besides the evidence of his passion, she could feel that he had unfastened his pants to allow her access. She quirked a smile and, not taking her eyes from his, slipped her hand through the gap in the material, wrapping her fingers around his solid length.

Just as their lips touched for another kiss, the sound off the front door being kicked open caused them to jump apart.

Stunned for the moment, they simply watched the entryway for the intruder to reveal themselves. Not even living in Sunnydale for 6 years could have prepared Buffy for seeing the man sitting beside her also entering the room.

"You get the hell away from her!"

This Giles sounded so angry. so protective of her. Her natural suspicion of things that made her happy began to reinstate itself. She covered up her bare breasts with her hands as the truth of the situation slowly became obvious.

The Giles on the couch scowled at the newcomer. "What the hell are you? Some kind of doppelganger?"

Already somewhat flustered as it began to sink in that he'd just seen Buffy half-naked, Giles blinked at this accusation. "Doppelganger? I'm not. You' re the bloody doppelganger."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Buffy cleared her throat. "Um boys?"

"I said I'm no doppelganger!" The Giles beside Buffy stood up. As he did so, his unfastened pants slid a little ways down his thigh, exposing him to the room's inhabitants.

Buffy peeked out of the corner of her eye, hoping it didn't look like she was looking. The real Giles gawked at the other him's exposed organ with an expression something akin to horror.

"It's a robot! A bloody robot! You couldn't even tell the difference between me and a robot?!"

"Well." Buffy shrugged as best she could and still keep herself covered.

Gilesbot quickly pulled up his pants and refastened them. "I've had enough of this." He strode forward determinedly. Giles punched him in the face as soon as he got close enough. The robot quickly shook that off and delivered a blow of his own.

Giles flew back across the room, a potted plant in the corner breaking his fall. He stood carefully, brushing off shards from the shattered pot. The robot advanced.

"Hey just a minute!" Buffy called, holding one arm across her chest as she tried to put her dress back on.

"Don't worry Love, I'll handle this," the Gilesbot said.

"Don't call her Love you tin-plated bilgebin!" Giles picked up the straight wooden chair from the desk and broke it over the robot's head. It went down, but almost as suddenly, it stood right back up again.

"Bu-Buffy? What's going on down there?" A voice called from upstairs.

"Dawn?" Buffy ran over to the bottom of the stairs and yelled up. "Get back in the room and lock the door! Don't come out until I come up and get you!" Once she heard the door slam shut and the sound of the lock clicking into place, Buffy jogged back into the living room.

Giles managed to hit the robot with what was left of the chair two more times before it completely fell apart. Buffy rolled her eyes, trying to focus on Giles not going the way of the chair but silently totaling how much the repair bill was going to be this time.

As Giles looked around for something else to hit him with, the Gilesbot took advantage of the momentary lull and grabbed hold of the front of his shirt. He again threw Giles to the other side of the room.

"Oh look out for the...!" Buffy covered her eyes as she heard the crash. "Tree," she finished quietly as she looked between her fingers. The decorated fir that had cheered up the room was definitely DOA. She only hoped that her Watcher had fared better.

Taking a few steps for momentum, she landed a spin-kick to the Gilesbot's chest. It looked shocked and just a little hurt. "Buffy! Why are you defending that creature?!"

She forced herself to look away from that face that both was and wasn't Giles. "That creature is my Watcher!"

"Thanks," Giles quipped as he staggered to his feet.

"Sorry," Buffy said. She faced the Gilesbot with her fists raised. "He's the real Giles. My Giles. And I won't let you take him away from me. I won't let anyone do that ever again!" She kicked him in the chest. The robot staggered backwards, placing it directly in range of Giles

Buffy watched as her Giles delivered an impressive jump kick to the Gilesbot 's torso and sent it sprawling backwards into the banister. It hit its head on the rail and as the wood splintered beneath it, blue crackles of energy began to spiderweb across its skin. When it finally slid to the ground, its eyes slowly closed and it was motionless.

They fell into step side by side and stood looking over it. "Well... doesn' t that look familiar?"

Unbidden, a tear rolled past Buffy's lashes. "It's horrible. It looks too real." She turned and walked back into the living room. Giles followed. Unnoticed by either, Buffy's jacket slipped from the broken railing and landed over the Gilesbot's head.

Buffy kicked at the star from the top of the tree, now lying broken on the floor. "So much for the happy holidays." Giles walked past her. "How um. how did you know it was a robot Giles?"

He spun on her, furious. "How did you bloody well not?!"

She took a step back at his unexpected anger. "I."

"For god's sake Buffy, I'm here for six years. six bloody years and in all that time you let me know in no uncertain terms where I belong in your life. Neutered and only to be taken out at your convenience. and that damned. monstrosity is here what? How long?" When she didn't answer, he moved forward quickly and grabbed her arms. "How long Buffy?"

"A day," she said in a small voice.

His eyes widened in surprise and he forced himself to release her. "One day.one. and I find you here half-naked with him all over you."

With difficulty, she met his eyes. "You."

"What?"

"Not him. You. I thought he was you. I thought it was you who I was letting... nevermind." She turned to leave the room.

He stepped into her path. "Why? Why him and not me?"

"He...he said I was beautiful. He kissed me, and held me, and told me he wouldn't leave me again. He made me think that you...he," she met his eyes again, "that you loved me."

"Would that be so very hard to believe?"

"You left me Giles," she said softly. "You left me. And I understand why you felt I was mistreating you. I know when I came back I was all screwed up and I acted wrongly. But you were wrong too. I needed you so badly. I needed you so much that I couldn't even formulate the right words to say it."

"You needed me to take care of you."

"Yes. I needed you to take care of me. And to help me. And to give me a reason to care that I was brought back. I asked for you all the time those first few days back, did you know that? All I wanted was to have you here. And then you came and I was happy, for a little while. But as my sense of who I'd been came back to me, it conflicted with who I knew I was now. I was confused and I handled everything wrong.but you didn't give me a chance Giles. You left.you just left me."

"Buffy."

"And then suddenly you were back and I had the chance to not just tell you I loved you, but to prove it to you so that you'd believe me when I said the words. And the way you act.it acted. I let myself believe that you loved me too."

Giles swallowed around the tightness in his throat. "And you think that I don't?" He bent his head and slowly kissed her lips. At first, she responded. Then she pulled away, putting her hand over her mouth as though her lips had been burned. Tearing up, she ran for the kitchen.

Giles pursued her and stopped her before she reached the back door. He gently held her arms and turned her towards him, leading her away from the door and near the counter. "Buffy."

"Don't. Please. I can't. I can't let myself start to believe this just so that you can leave me again. Don't say these things just to make me feel better."

"I'm not," he whispered and kissed her again. This time, she put her hands on his chest, curling her fingers into his shirt at first, then pushing him away.

"I love you so much Giles." His heart soared at the words. She took a deep breath, tears free-flowing now. She didn't even care if she sounded as desperate as she felt. None of that mattered now as long as he knew the truth. "When you went away, I didn't care anymore. I didn't care if I lived or died or what happened to me. I knew that if you'd finally given up on me I must be so horrible that."

"No," he said, his hands caressing her face. "I never gave up on you. I was terrified. I was terrified you'd give up on yourself. Having you alive, even half a world away.it was all that counted for anything. The idea of losing you again. I couldn't bear it. The more you depended on me, the less you relied on yourself. That scared me away. Not you. Not ever you."

"I'm sorry."

"No." He kissed her. "No. I am. We're so stupid both of us. Stupid and bloody-minded and unwavering in our ability to screw up happiness the minute it's within our reach. We were both so wrong."

She smiled. "The perfect pair."

He grinned and brushed her tears away with his fingertips. This time when he kissed her, she held him to her. He put his arms around her and lifted. She wrapped her legs around his waist and laced her fingers through his hair. With a single swipe, he cleared the countertop by backhanding the contents to the floor. Metal bowls and cooking utensils clanged noisily to the ground as he sat her on the counter. She pulled away and smiled. Even as she worked to open his shirt, she didn't loose the grip she had on him with her legs.

******

Dawn looked at Tara gloomily. "They're not are they? I mean, you don't suppose. Not in the kitchen? I mean, I thought they were fighting. She told me to stay up here and lock the door and. Oh."

Tara smiled and patted her hand. "I think there's still a sleeping bag in the closet if you want to stay in here tonight Dawnie."

******

Giles threw off his opened shirt and smiled at Buffy as she started to unfasten his belt. For his part, he had removed her shoes, taken down her hair, and now teased them both by toying with the straps of her dress. He brought his mouth to her shoulder, alternating kisses, licks and gentle bites. He loved listening to the way her breathing changed depending on what he did.

She moved her hand to the button on his pants, opening it and tugging down the zipper. Finally, he lowered her straps and pressed their bared chests together, taking her mouth with his own once more. She smiled beneath his kisses then opened her eyes. "Mrrrphle."

He broke the kiss and blinked at her. "Pardon," he said with a sly grin.

"I have to know. How did you realize it was a robot and not a doppelganger?"

He raised one eyebrow. "And you have to know this now?"

"Well you seemed to think that I should have known and I want to know how I should have known it."

He sighed, trying not to laugh at the ridiculous sexiness of the determined expression on Buffy's face as she sat topless on the kitchen counter with her legs wrapped around him.

"Very well. A doppelganger, Buffy, is an exact copy of the original. Every hair, every dimple, every last DNA strand," Giles said.

She smiled. She was half-naked and she managed to work a lecture out of him. This was definitely her Giles. "So you noticed something that was different from you on him?"

He blushed a little. "Y-yes."

"Well don't keep me in suspense. What was it?"

He cleared his throat and looked away. After taking a deep breath, he met her eyes again. Gently, he took her hand in his and guided it down the front of his open trousers.

As her slim fingers curled around exhibit A, her eyes grew very wide. "Oh," she said simply.

Giles' grin was feral. He quickly kissed her again. She closed her eyes and tightened her hold of his member. He moaned against her mouth as she began to stroke him.

He pulled away from her and carefully removed her hand from his pants. At her confused look, he spoke softly. "Lie back."

She grinned and did as he said. As she did so, he disentangled himself from her legs and guided her dress the rest of the way off of her body. Taking only the briefest moment to appreciate the barely there black lace panties she wore, he slipped his fingers beneath the waistband and tugged them down her shapely legs. He shoved his pants to the floor and stepped out of them, kicking them away.

Giles pulled himself up onto the counter and placed his knees between Buffy' s legs. A tingle of desire spread through his bloodstream as she rubbed his bare hips with the inside of her knee and raised her arms to beckon him down to her.

Balancing his weight on his knees and elbows, he lowered himself until his body covered hers completely. She curled her leg behind him, trying to pull his pelvis closer to her own.

He kissed her lips then moved on to her chin and neck, before stopping at her breasts. As his mouth closed over one nipple, his hand came up to tease the other.

"Giles?" Buffy breathed in his ear. "Giles do you love me?"

That she even had to ask nearly broke his heart. He looked her in the eyes. "How could you ever doubt it?"

"Maybe because. because you've never actually."

He closed his eyes for a moment. "You're right. And I'm sorry. I love you Buffy. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone or anything in my life. I love you more than I ever knew I could. I feel like I've loved you as long as I can remember. and I know that I will love you with my dying breath."

She kissed him and once again brought her lips to his ear. "Boy when you say something, you really say it right don't you."

He laughed against her cheek. She raised her hips until his tip rested against her opening. He looked to her and she smiled at him. "I love you Giles."

Kissing her again, he pushed forward into her. She gasped at the sensation of fullness. She gazed into his eyes and found a perfect mirror of what she was feeling. It was as if she was finally being made whole after having been broken for so long.

Giles kissed the end of her nose and tilted his head until his forehead rested upon her own. She brought her hands up into his hair as he pulled back and began to thrust into her again.

Buffy ran her hands down his back, beginning to press him closer, encouraging him to let her support more of his weight. She loved the feel of him so completely shielding her. He accommodated her as much as his chivalry would allow him to.

Moment by moment, the sweet friction he created within her began to build in intensity. At first, she merely felt it. Then she was surrounded by it. Then it pulled her helplessly into an earth-shaking climax.

"Breathe Buffy," a soft English voice in her ear instructed. She obeyed and managed to open her eyes just in time to see that same tsunami of pleasure wash over the face of her Watcher.

Panting in each other's arms, they nuzzled and kissed as the sweat on their bodies caught the room's cool air.

"Guys?" Dawn's voice drifted to them from the upstairs hall. "Everyone's all snuggled into Willow's room for the night. so no one would notice if certain people wanted to take certain other people to their room to do certain things with them that shouldn't be done in a kitchen where other people have to eat!"

Giles and Buffy's eyes locked on each other. The door to Willow's bedroom slammed shut. Immediately, they fell apart laughing.

When their breathing was, again, somewhat back to normal, Giles hopped down to the floor and lifted Buffy to stand beside him. She sighed. "I won't be able to get her to eat food from this kitchen for a month now." As she put her panties on, Buffy caught his eye. "I'll go up and talk to her."

"Perhaps I should.?"

"Nah." Buffy picked up her dress and slipped it over her head. "Vwahla, I' m already dressed. You just finish covering up that gorgeous tushie. and I' ll take care of Dawn and then think up ways to uncover it again."

Stealing a quick kiss from a helplessly smiling Giles, Buffy left the room. Picking his clothing up item by item from the floor, Giles dressed himself as quickly as he could, worried Willow might come down to give Dawn and Buffy some sister time. He was just starting to button his shirt when Buffy re-entered the room with a strange expression on her face.

"Buffy? What is it?"

"The um. the Gilesbot."

"Yes?"

"It's gone Giles."