Title: Friends and Lovers
Author: Rari

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

Friends and Lovers: Part 6

Joyce sat down next to Jenny, across from Riley. Jenny looked at her, and then at the door. "Where's Rupert?"

"He's still with Buffy."

"Wouldn't they allow you both to stay?"

Joyce frowned. "The doctor only wanted one person in there, and Buffy chose Giles." She knew she sounded sulky about it but she couldn't help it. She glanced up at Riley. "Aren't you two still dating?"

Riley's eyes narrowed. "Yes, why?"

Joyce looked at Jenny. "And you're still with Rupert?"

Jenny nodded, her eyes narrowing as well. "Why?"

Joyce shook her head and leaned back. She must have imagined it. "It's nothing." Jenny and Riley exchanged a look.

A few minutes later, Giles appeared in the doorway. "Joyce, she's asking for you."

Joyce stood quickly and giving everyone a small smile she headed back to her daughter, relieved beyond measure that Buffy had requested her presence.

Giles moved to sit next to Jenny. Jenny took his hand. "Is she all right?"

Giles smiled. "She's fine. The doctor is quite amazed at her recovery. I imagine she'll be able to go home tomorrow."

Jenny smiled in relief. "That is good news." She squeezed Giles' hand. "Can we go home, then, if Riley and her mom are going to be here?"

Giles shook his head. "I'm sorry, Jenny. Buffy asked me to stay." He turned to her. "But, please, feel free to go. I can always get a taxi home."

Jenny's jaw clenched for a second. "May I speak to you outside for a moment?"

Giles nodded and rose. When they got outside he turned to her. "What is it?"

"You let her depend on you too much."

Giles' eyes grew dark. "Excuse me?"

"She doesn't need you here tonight. Her boyfriend is here and her mother is here. Why do you need to stay?"

"She asked me to."

"And so you just say yes? You don't tell her that she'll be fine, that you'll call her in the morning, that Riley and Joyce will be here if she needs something?"

Giles shook his head. "No, I don't tell her that." Giles took a few steps away and turned to face her. "Jenny, she could have died tonight."

"She could almost die every night, Rupert."

Giles' eyes closed in pain. "I know that. But, tonight she did get hurt. And it was only luck that kept her from being killed."

"But she didn't. She's fine."

Giles ran a hand through his hair. "Jenny, go home. I'm staying. If she wants me to stay, I'll stay."

"And if she wanted you to leap off a cliff, would you do that?" Giles didn't answer her and Jenny let out a short mirthless laugh. "You would, wouldn't you?" She pointed back inside. "Does she know how much she owns you?"

"She doesn't own me, Jenny. But I am her Watcher, and I am responsible for her."

"What about me? Do you feel responsible for me, for us, at all?"

Giles looked at her sadly. "You know I do, but …"

Jenny turned her head away. "I know, but she comes first, even when she doesn't really need you and I do." Jenny fished in her purse and took out Giles' keys and she handed them to him. "It's your car. I'll get a cab."

"Jenny."

"I'll talk to you tomorrow." Without another word Jenny left him standing there.

***

Joyce sat by Buffy's side in the emergency room. They were waiting for a room upstairs. Joyce looked at her daughter. "So, explain it to me."

Buffy frowned at her mom. "What?"

"Explain why you had Rupert stay instead of your own mother."

Buffy took a deep breath and winced at the sharp pain. "He was freaking more than you."

"Excuse me?"

"Giles, he was freaking out, big time."

Joyce mentally reviewed how Rupert had looked. He had appeared to be his usual calm and unflappable self. "He looked fine to me, Buffy. And didn't it matter to you that I was concerned?"

Buffy really didn't want to have this conversation but she knew she had brought it on herself. "Yes, of course it mattered. And I know Giles looked calm but he wasn't. I know him. He was freaked. He needed to stay. You just need to trust me on this one." She reached out a hand to her mom. "I knew you'd be okay. Please, Mom, don't be mad at me."

Joyce frowned but let it go. She changed to another topic. "Do you want to see Riley?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"Buffy."

Buffy turned her head towards her mom. "What?"

"Maybe he'd like to see you."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Oh, okay." As her mom left Buffy winced. She hadn't even thought of seeing Riley. Some girlfriend she was. Waves of guilt washed through her as she realized that she'd much rather have Giles come back. She just felt whole when she was with him. She never had to think about what she was saying, or to be anything but what she was. She could just be Buffy, and know that that was all he ever wanted her to be.

Joyce followed Riley in. Riley smiled at Buffy and crossed the room, leaning down and giving her a kiss. Buffy cut the kiss off before Riley wanted to because for some reason it felt weird to be kissing him. Riley gracefully gave up that fight but then he held her hand to his chest just like Giles had. Buffy didn't know what was wrong with her but she felt like grabbing her hand back. Riley spoke. "How are you?"

Buffy smiled at him. "I'm fine. You know me, Slayer girl."

"You scared me."

Buffy wasn't sure what to say so she just smiled again. Joyce watched the two of them, mostly noticing the difference between this scene and the one she'd interrupted between her daughter and Giles.

Riley leaned over to kiss her again. "I love you so much."

Buffy closed her eyes and found herself wishing she were anywhere else but here. She squeezed Riley's hand and then glanced up at him. "Thank you for taking such good care of me tonight."

Riley's lips tightened. "Should I tell Giles he can go home? There's really no reason for him to stay."

Buffy's eyes flashed, just for a second. "No, I want him to stay."

"Why? I'm here, your mom's here."

"Riley, I just want him to stay. He doesn't mind."

"No, but he does have a life outside of you. He and Jenny got into an argument when he told her he was planning on staying."

Joyce cut in when she saw the worried look on Buffy's face. Part of her agreed with Riley, but a larger part was annoyed that Riley was making Buffy feel badly when she was hurt. "Buffy, do you need anything?"

Buffy looked gratefully at her mom, recognizing a distraction when she saw one. "Can you help me get to the bathroom?"

Joyce stepped up next to Buffy. "Are you sure you should get off the stretcher?" She turned to Riley. "Would you go get the nurse?"

Riley nodded. "Sure." He pushed the curtain aside and left to fulfill his charge.

Buffy let out a sigh of relief when he left. "Thanks, Mom."

"He does have a point." Joyce knew she being irrational, doing the very thing that she had gotten annoyed with Riley for, but she was Buffy's mother and that gave her certain inalienable rights.

Buffy turned her head away. "I know. I didn't mean for them to fight."

Joyce was about to speak again when the nurse entered. Buffy insisted on using a real bathroom so the nurse got her out of bed and helped her across the room. Joyce hovered nervously. Riley stood out in the hall. He glanced into the waiting room to find Giles standing by the window, looking out into the darkness. He knew it was ridiculous but somehow he felt that he was losing Buffy to this man. No matter what Riley did, he couldn't compete.

The nurse left the room and Riley assumed it was safe to go back in. Despite Buffy's protestations that she was fine, it was clear that she was in some pain after the exertion. Riley rushed to her side, glancing at Joyce. "Is the nurse getting her some pain medication?"

Buffy shook her head. "I don't want any."

Joyce frowned at her. "Buffy, you're in pain. I think you should let them give you something."

Buffy just shook her head again. Joyce sighed and then she had a thought. Whatever annoying connection existed between her daughter and her Watcher, Joyce could make it work for her in this situation. Joyce snuck out and called for Rupert. He entered the room, Riley scowling when he saw him. Joyce whispered to him as he approached the bed. Joyce and Riley both watched as Buffy's eyes followed Giles as if he was the only one present. Walking up to the bed he smiled at her. "Are you still hurting?"

Buffy shook her head. Giles just looked at her, not saying a word. Buffy caved under the third degree. "Yes, I'm still hurting." She glared at him.

Giles bit back a smile. "Then perhaps some pain medication might be in order. Yes?"

Buffy grabbed his hand. "Will you stay with me?"

Giles looked at her in some surprise. He saw a bit of fear in her eyes. "I'll not leave your side until you wake up." Giles turned to Joyce and nodded and then he turned back to Buffy. He saw that her eyes were bright with unshed tears. "Buffy, what's the matter?"

"I'm sorry if I got you and Jenny into a fight."

Giles glanced up at Riley, his eyes angry. Riley found himself taking a step back. Giles took a deep breath and got himself back under control. He smiled at Buffy. "It doesn't matter."

Buffy's lips trembled. "It does matter. I always come between you."

"You know where I stand on this, Buffy."

Buffy did but she needed to hear him say it. "Do you want to leave and patch things up with Jenny? I know I'm being selfish asking you to stay."

"My place is here with you as long as you need me, however you need me."

"So you don't mind staying?"

Giles let out a soft sigh as he looked down at her. "You know I don't."

"I don't deserve you. You're too good to me."

Giles flashed her a quick grin. "Ah. At last you see the truth."

Buffy laughed and then winced. "Don't make me laugh. It hurts."

It seemed as if a group of people walked in the room at the same time, the nurse with Buffy's medicine, a transporter to take her to her room, and the unit secretary with some papers for her to sign. Joyce still had Buffy on her insurance plan so Joyce signed the papers. Giles moved away to allow the nurse access to Buffy's IV. The transporter started getting things organized.

In the shuffle, Riley moved back to Buffy's side and took her hand. The medicine was already starting to kick in and Buffy had her eyes closed and made a small sound of sleepy comfort. She pulled Riley's hand in closer to her and smiled. Riley smiled back down at her and kept pace with the stretcher as it started heading down the corridor. Giles walked behind the stretcher with Joyce.

Buffy's pain was going away but so was her ability to defend herself and that feeling made her nervous. She held onto the hand holding hers as if it was a lifeline. She moved it to her face, holding it against her, rubbing it against her cheek. Riley smiled tenderly down at her. Buffy mumbled something. Riley leaned down to hear her better. "What did you say, Buffy?"

Buffy's eyes opened in alarm. Her vision was blurry at first but eventually Riley came into focus. She realized the hand she was holding was Riley's and not Giles'. Her drug-affected mind knew only that it was supposed to be Giles. She called his name. "Giles?"

He called from behind the stretcher. "I'm right here, Buffy."

It wasn't good enough. "Giles?"

Giles increased his stride until he was walking on Buffy's other side. "Here, I'm here."

Buffy let go of Riley's hand and reached instead for Giles'. Riley stopped walking and let the stretcher move on without him. Joyce stopped as well, knowing, despite her own personal reservations about Rupert, that her daughter was in the very best of hands for the time being.

Riley looked at Joyce, his eyes hurt. "Did you see that? I might as well be invisible when he's around."

Joyce let out a soft consoling laugh. "She doesn't only do it to you, Riley. We all tend to be a little invisible when he's around."

"Are they together?" The idea seemed inconceivable to him.

She shook her head. "No. I don't believe they are, at least not romantically."

"I'm supposed to be her boyfriend." He glanced at Joyce again. "What did you see in there when you came out and asked me if I was still her boyfriend?"

Joyce shook her head again. "It's not important."

"It is to me. What did you see?"

"What you just saw. The two of them, as if they were all alone, as if everyone else could just fall away and they wouldn't even notice."

"I don't understand. What's so special about him?"

Joyce blushed as a random thought of how it felt to have Rupert on top of her flashed through her brain. She banished it, just as she'd banished those thoughts a thousand times before. "He's her Watcher."

"What the hell does that mean?" Riley knew he was losing it but he loved Buffy and it was hard to stay calm.

"I don't know. I've never understood their relationship. Except that I know it's important to her. Probably more important to her than any other."

"She didn't even want to be with me tonight."

Joyce had seen that. "She's hurt."

"I've been with her when she's been hurt before. Something's different. She's changed." He looked up at Joyce, his eyes anguished. "I've lost her somehow."

"Oh, Riley. Don't jump to any conclusions. Come by tomorrow. Things might be very different then."

Riley grabbed on to the slim hope with both hands. "You think so?"

Joyce didn't think so but she was too kind to say it. "The two of you can talk when she feels better, clear the air. That's often all it takes."

Riley let out a long breath. "Okay. I'll come back tomorrow." He turned to leave but then turned back. "Call me if she needs anything."

Joyce nodded, although she was pretty sure that all Buffy needed was already up in her room with her. She watched as Riley walked away. Joyce shook her head. Riley gone, his heart in tatters, Jenny gone, apparently in a huff, and Giles and Buffy, in a world of their own. Joyce thought about the merits of clearing the air. She squared her shoulders. It was time to have a talk with Rupert.

End of Part 6