Title: Friends and Lovers
Author: Rari

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

Friends and Lovers: Part 2

January, 2000

Giles stepped outside the hotel room to watch Ethan get manhandled into a vehicle. Riley stepped closer to Buffy and she smiled up at him. "Thanks."

"I told you I'd help."

"You did. If I'd gotten here any later and if Giles had killed Ethan, I …never would have gotten him back."

Riley looked at her. "You'd find some other way." He paused. "You're really strong. Like Spiderman strong."

"Yeah. But I don't stick to stuff. But …yeah."

"And you're in charge. You're like, make the plan, execute the plan. No one giving you orders."

Buffy hesitated for a second, nervous about his reaction, but then she simply spoke the truth. "I'm the Slayer."

"I like it."

Buffy smiled. "Yeah?"

Riley smiled back. "But give me another …oh …week to get ready. And I'll take you down."

Buffy gave him a look, letting him know that she got the double meaning. She rose on her tiptoes and kissed him. "Let me get Giles home, and then I'll come over, okay?"

Riley nodded. "Don't be long."

"I'll be there as fast as I can." Buffy headed out the door and went to stand next to Giles. He was watching the car holding Ethan drive away down the street. She looked up at him. "Hey."

Giles looked down at her, his face still holding traces of his embarrassment. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

She moved a little closer. "And that wraps up another fun filled Ethan Rayne episode."

Giles let out a small groan. "He really is a pillock. And I'm a fool for letting him into my flat and drinking with him."

Buffy tilted her head to the side, considering him. "Why did you, anyway?"

Giles shook his head. "I don't know. We used to be friends, long ago. He said he had some information for me about the Initiative." Giles looked speculative for a moment. "Which surprisingly, he did. Not that I'm at all sure he should be considered a reliable source of information." He glanced down at Buffy. "Nevertheless, it was a mistake."

Buffy touched his arm lightly, her face tight. "I could have killed you. If that letter opener had been silver, you'd be dead right now."

"Yes, well, let's be grateful for cheap knock offs." When he saw that Buffy was not amused he spoke again. "I'm sorry I put you through that."

"What do you have to be sorry for? I'm the one who should be sorry, I almost killed you."

"You thought you were killing a demon, one that had killed me. There was no way that you could have known. And I'm sorry that I didn't exhibit greater wisdom as regards my drinking companion." He looked at her for a moment, his lips pursed. "Do I really spend that much time looking annoyed with you?"

Buffy looked at him, at his eyes. "No. I just said that to get us through the awkward moment there." She smiled at him. "But I do know them, your eyes. I know them as well as my own. As soon as I got a look at them I knew it was you." She scowled. "I just wish I'd looked a few seconds earlier."

Giles touched his chest where the letter opener had entered him. The wound had gone away once he was human again but the sensation of pain remained. "I'm just grateful you recognized me at all. It was a very unpleasant sensation having no one know it was me." He rolled his eyes. "Except Spike. That's irony for you." He looked around. "I wonder where he got to, anyway. He has my car."

"Knowing Spike he's probably on his way to Tijuana."

Giles let out a sigh and then shook his head, shaking the care away. "Well, he did find Ethan for me so I suppose I ought to be grateful to him." He looked down at Buffy again. "And to you."

"Hey, that's what Slayers are for." She furrowed her brow. "By the way, where's Jenny been in all the excitement? We tried to call her when we found your apartment all trashed, hoping maybe you were there."

"She's out of town at some computer convention. She's due back in tonight and was planning on stopping by."

Buffy looked at the ground. "That was bad."

Giles wasn't sure he followed. "I'm sorry? Jenny's leaving?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, finding your apartment that way. Thinking you were dead."

He lifted her chin with the side of his hand. "I'm sorry, Buffy. I really am sorry I put you through that."

Buffy gave in to her impulse and hugged him. Giles was surprised but he held her close for a minute. Buffy mumbled against his chest. "I'm just glad you're alive."

Giles chuckled and Buffy could feel the vibration beneath her cheek. "As am I."

Buffy pulled back and glanced up at him, feeling a little shy. She decided to go for an offensive move to help get things back in balance. She frowned and shook her finger at him. "No more drinking with Ethan."

Giles flashed her a quick grin and he acquiesced to her command with a slight dip of his head. "I promise."

Buffy nodded, satisfied. Then she looked worried. "What time is Jenny supposed to be getting to your place? She's gonna freak when she sees the apartment if you're not there."

Giles looked at his watch. "She could be arriving any time. I'd best be getting back." He glanced down at Buffy. "Of course, she has become somewhat used to my surroundings being in a bit of an uproar."

Buffy gave him a wry smile. "The joys of being my Watcher."

Giles spoke sincerely. "It is a joy." He grinned. "Most of the time."

"Yeah, well, I don't think Jenny will be thinking it's a joy when she hears about this." She grinned at him though, delighted at his words.

"There is no way she can blame you for my poor judgment, Buffy. Ethan was my friend, and my enemy, long before I met you. I should have known better."

Buffy flashed him an impish look. "Hey, you can make this all her fault. Tell her if she'd stayed in town this never would have happened."

Giles gave her one of his looks. He shook his head. "You know as well as I do, that Jenny and I do not spend every night together."

"I know. I know you still spend most of your time doing Watchery things."

"That's because being a Watcher is what I am. Jenny understands that."

"Well, I'm glad she does because I'd hate to have to slay her if she didn't. You're my Watcher first."

Giles smiled at her and then he glanced at the hotel. "And are you my Slayer first?" He wasn't quite sure why he suddenly felt the need to know that.

Buffy smiled one of her lopsided smiles. "You'll notice I'm out here, and not in there, right?"

Giles smiled softly back. "Point taken." He looked down again at his shirt, touching it distastefully. "I really need to get home. My stint as a Fyarl demon has left me with a strong desire for a long hot shower."

Buffy grinned at him. "Probably all that mucus, huh?"

Giles looked affronted. "Can you believe it? Of all the demons Ethan could turn me into he turns me into one that sprays mucus. Why didn't he turn me into something that could shoot flames of fire, or …?" Giles tried to think of another equally worthy trait but he came up empty. "Mucus." Shaking his head in disgust he shivered. "The whole thing was just appalling."

Buffy laughed. "Well, come on mucus guy. Let me get you home." She started to head off. They actually weren't too far from Giles' home.

Giles glared at her. "Stop calling me that, immediately."

Buffy just laughed again and the two of them headed off companionably into the night.

Riley watched from the hotel room until he couldn't see them anymore.

***

Jenny pulled up and parked in front of Giles' apartment. As she was about to open the car door she saw Buffy and Giles approaching, deep in conversation. Her first instinct was to get out and greet them but something in their demeanor kept her inside her car, watching them.

Buffy stopped once they got outside his place. She looked up at Giles. "Here you are, safe and sound."

Giles flashed a grin at her. "Yes, well, thank you." He took a step towards the door. "Would you like to come in?"

She shook her head. "Nah. I've spent enough time with that shirt."

"Ha ha. Very funny."

They stared at one another for a moment and then Giles, in an uncharacteristically intimate gesture touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Thank you for recognizing me."

Buffy closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the closeness. When he pulled his fingers away she opened her eyes and smiled. "Sure. Thanks for not dying. Really, I mean that."

Giles let out a soft laugh. "You're quite welcome."

"I don't want to ever have to do this alone."

"You're not alone, Buffy. You have Willow and Xander."

"It's not the same. When I say not alone I mean you, you and me. It's always been us, no matter who else gets involved." She gestured between them with her hand. "The buck stops here."

He smiled softly at her. "I suppose it does. It is our duty, after all."

A look of sadness flashed across Buffy's face. "Is that all it is?"

Giles' eyes widened, shocked that she even felt the need to ask the question. "No, no, of course not. It never has been, from the moment I met you."

Buffy let out the breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Not just my Watcher then?"

"No, your friend, too. As I hope that you are mine as well."

"You are. My friend. You and me, friends."

Giles smiled down at her. "Friends it is." He glanced at the door. "I'd best get in." He paused. "Buffy, until we know a bit more about the Initiative, would you be careful?"

"I will." Buffy took a step away. "Oh, and don't forget to tell Jenny all about the mucus."

Giles glared at her. "Must you keep bringing that up?"

Buffy giggled. "I can't help it."

"Do try."

Buffy giggled again. Giles sent her a final glare, coupled with a brief smile and he turned away and headed inside. Buffy watched until he got in safely and then she turned around and headed to Riley's.

Jenny sat in the car for another minute and then she slowly opened the door. Retrieving her suitcase she glanced down the street where Buffy had disappeared and then, shaking off her mood, she hurried the rest of the way in.

***

After they had made love Giles lay in bed, Jenny nestled against his side, her head on his shoulder. The hateful shirt was wadded up in the trash. Jenny ran a hand over his heart, where the letter opener had pierced him. "She almost killed you."

"No, you mustn't say that. She didn't know it was me when she did that. Buffy would never hurt me."

Jenny found herself annoyed with Buffy for some reason, or perhaps her annoyance lay with Giles' constant need to defend her. "You get hurt all the time when you're with her."

"None of it is intentional. She's the Slayer. Her life is filled with danger and my place is beside her."

"Must you place yourself in danger as well? Can't you be her Watcher from afar?"

Giles let out a sigh. "Like my father before me, like most Watchers have been and will probably be?" He ran a hand down Jenny's arm. "I suppose I could be, but I don't choose to be that way. My place is with her, helping her any way I can." He rolled on his side facing Jenny. "You know that. You know my thoughts on this. I've never misled you, Jenny. She must come first. If something happened to her because I wasn't there with her I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"And if something happens to you? Would she be able to live with that? Have you asked her? Maybe she'd rather have you someplace safe." Jenny ran her hand over his chest again. She longed to keep Rupert safe, to keep him alive and by her side.

Giles cocked his head a little to the side. "She probably would. In fact, I know she would. She's told me as much herself. Just as I would choose to keep her safe, keep her home, with her mother, with her friends, instead of facing death every night."

"Are you sure you don't make it more difficult for her by being with her? Isn't her life difficult enough without her having to be afraid for your safety every night as well?"

Giles pursed his lips, considering Jenny's words. Doubt started to wiggle its way into his heart. Maybe he was making it harder for her. He let out a sigh. "I'll talk to her about it, all right?"

Jenny nodded. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. I love you." Giles pulled her closer to him and he caught her lips in a kiss. Jenny allowed herself to be distracted but it didn't escape her attention that he hadn't told her that he loved her as well. He never did. She knew that he loved her; he showed her that he did. He called her love, and touched her so tenderly, but the actual words never passed his lips. The I'm in love with you words. The words that, as time passed, Jenny found herself more and more desperate to hear.

***

Riley held Buffy in his arms as they both cooled down from their lovemaking. She wore him out. He grinned at her. "You are so amazing."

She grinned back at him. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Buffy snuggled in closer. "Tell me more."

Riley laughed. "Okay. First of all, you're like a superhero. Then, you're beautiful, with this knockout figure, and you're great in bed. And then you're caring, and smart."

Buffy rolled up on an elbow and looked down at him. "You were doing so great but you lost me on the smart part. Giles is the smart one. He's the brains, I'm the brawn."

Riley frowned. "You are smart, Buffy. Does Giles tell you you're not smart?"

"God no, he's always scolding me whenever I say that I'm dumb." She grinned. "He's the one who helped me study for my SATs and I completely aced those."

"So why don't you think you're smart?"

"It's not so much that I don't think I'm smart, I just know that Giles is smarter. He's kind of a genius guy."

"Who is he, anyway? I mean, I can guess by what you're saying that he helps you with the Slaying, but what is he?"

"He's my Watcher. Every Slayer has a Watcher."

"And what does a Watcher do? What does Giles do?"

"He trains me, he teaches me to fight." At the look on Riley's face she grinned. "I know he's kind of old, but he's good. He knows a gazillion types of martial arts, and how to use every kind of weapon there is. Plus he's a whiz with a sword."

Riley wasn't quite sure he believed her but he wanted to move on. "What else does he do?"

"He knows tons of stuff about demons and reads a bunch of languages, and has a huge library of books filled with info about the stuff I fight. So he researches a lot, finds out how to kill the demons, finds prophecies of bad things coming up." Her eyes grew bleak for a second.

"What's the matter?"

She shook off her mood. "Nothing. Just some of those prophecies suck, big time." She thought about Giles again. "He patches me up when I get hurt, and makes me feel better when bad stuff happens. He's sort of like the other half of me. Slayer and Watcher." A flash of pain crossed her eyes again. "I had a Watcher before him."

Riley's eyebrows rose. "What happened to him?"

"He died. I got him killed. I froze up with this uber bad vampire and he tried to protect me and he died." She looked at Riley. "I killed the vampire, I got it together enough to do that, but it was too late. Merrick was dead."

"Were you as close to him as you are to Giles?"

She shook her head. "No. I mean, he wasn't my Watcher for long, less than a year, but we just never connected that way. Not the way Giles and I am. Connected, that is."

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"Connected?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah." He was annoyed at how jealous he was feeling. Jealous of a man old enough to be Buffy's dad.

"I don't know. It's like we can read each other's thoughts. We always know when the other one is upset, or angry. He just knows me, inside and out. I can't imagine doing this without him. I get so afraid sometimes, that something is gonna happen to him, like it did to Merrick, like it almost did tonight." Buffy rested her head on Riley's chest and her voice was muffled. "I almost killed him tonight." Buffy was having a hard time getting past that.

"But you didn't."

"He gets hurt so often, and it's always my fault."

"Why does he get hurt so much?"

"Because he's with me so much." She lifted her head and smiled ruefully at Riley. "You should know that it's an occupational hazard if you're going to hang with me."

"I'm willing to take the risk."

Buffy kissed him softly. "That's what Giles always says."

Riley was tired of talking about Giles. He rolled over until he was on top of Buffy. "Well, we're all safe now, so let's get back to the business at hand, all right?"

Buffy could feel his erection against her leg. She reached down and grabbed him. "Consider it well in hand."

Riley grinned and started kissing her.

End of Part 2