Title: Jealousy
Author: Rari

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

Jealousy: Part 4

Buffy heard the door open and she sat up. She looked at the clock. It was one in the morning. She turned on a light and watched as Giles walked in. He sent her a tentative smile. "Buffy."

"Giles."

Giles stood there behind the chair. "We need to talk."

"So talk."

Giles looked down at something in his hand. It was hidden behind the chair so Buffy couldn't see what it was. "It's time to call it quits."

"What?"

"You and me. It's over."

Buffy gasped. "You're leaving me? You're going back to England?" This was too horrible for words. "You're not going to be my Watcher anymore?"

Giles frowned and looked down again. "No, I mean the sex part."

Buffy's eyes widened. "What…how…?"

Giles pressed on. "It's been fun. But, it just won't last. Now that Sally's back I realize that I need someone older and more mature. I just don't love you that way. You're too young."

"I am not too young, if you…if you figure my age in Slayer years. I mean, there's got to be some sort of conversion factor, like there is for dogs. I'm probably older than you."

"I need someone more experienced. Someone who can be more exciting in bed, more creative. I love Sally."

Buffy felt like Giles had plunged a knife in her chest. "You love…?" She couldn’t even finish that unbearable sentence. Buffy switched tactics. "Hey, I'm creative." Buffy winced. "What do you mean, exactly, by creative?"

The script didn’t lend itself to extemporaneous banter. "Let's just be adults about this and move on. It just won't work between us."

Buffy was about to argue some more when she finally realized what she was arguing about. She waved her hand to try and start over. "So, let me get this straight, you're breaking up with me?"

"Yes."

"And we can't have sex anymore?"

"No."

Buffy leaned back against the couch, flummoxed. She'd missed a few chapters somewhere along the way. The front door opened and her eyes widened as Giles walked in. His jaw dropped as he saw himself standing there. "Buffy, what's going on?" He warily started making his way over to the couch.

"You got me." She pointed at the Giles standing behind the chair. "This Giles isn't quite dealing with a full deck."

This the demon hadn't counted on. Spike had told him that the man would be gone all night. He bolted. Giles lunged for him but he eluded him and was out the door slamming it shut behind him.

Giles opened it back up but he was gone from sight. Giles took off his glasses. "What the…?" He turned back to Buffy. "What did he want? What were you talking about?" Buffy shifted uncomfortably. Giles waited and when no answer was forthcoming he moved to sit next to her. "Buffy, what did he say?" He laid a hand on his chest. "You know I'm me, right?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, I got that."

"Well, what did he say?"

Buffy took a deep breath. "He said that he wanted to break up with me and that we couldn't have sex anymore."

Giles' jaw dropped. "Good Lord." He looked at the door where his other self had run out. "Why on earth would someone that looks like me come here and say that to you?"

"Good question. In fact, I have a few more questions."

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. "As do I."

Buffy meant that she had questions to ask Giles. So she started to ask them. And once she started she couldn't stop. "Where have you been? What have you been doing? Did you have sex with Sally? Would you rather have sex with Sally than with me? Do you love her? If we were dating would you be breaking up with me now that Sally's back? Do you really think I'm too young and boring? Don't you think I could be exciting in bed?" When she took in Giles' stunned look Buffy snapped her mouth shut.

Giles answered her the only way he could. "Would you like some tea?" He stood and headed for the kitchen.

Buffy padded after him. "Now that I've totally embarrassed myself asking all those questions, I want you to answer them."

"Yes, well, perhaps we could take them one by one. I'd hate to answer the wrong question with the wrong answer." He grimaced. "And perhaps we could skip over a few of them." He looked at Buffy. "What exactly did I say to you?"

Buffy blushed. "You said that I was young and you wanted someone older and more mature. Someone experienced, more exciting and creative. Creative? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She practically spit the question out. "You said it'd been fun, but it wouldn't last. That you didn't love me like that." Giles had to strain to hear her next sentence. "You said you loved Sally." She raised stricken eyes to him. "Do you? Do you love her?"

Giles returned her gaze with puzzled eyes. "I'm not sure why you're so upset. That wasn't me. I didn't say those things. We're not involved that way."

Buffy didn't want to be distracted. "Just answer the question."

"You're the only one allowed to ask questions?" At Buffy’s glare he acquiesced. "Yes, I love Sally." He paused. "As a friend."

"Where is she now?"

"Back at her hotel."

The mention of her hotel made Buffy wince. "Did you sleep with her?"

"Why do you care?"

"I just do."

Giles looked at her carefully. It was quite clear that it did matter to her, it mattered a lot. He smiled softly at her. "No, no I didn't."

Buffy had to fight the urge to get up and dance around the kitchen. Instead she turned unbelieving eyes up to Giles. "You didn't? You didn't have sex?" Giles shook his head. Buffy persisted. "But she wanted to. I know she did."

"Yes, she did."

"Didn't you want to have sex with her?"

Giles sat at the kitchen table and took his glasses off. He threw them on the table. "Yes, I did."

That wasn't the answer Buffy wanted to hear. She tried to keep the quiver out of her voice. "So why didn't you?"

Giles shook his head. "It's not our time anymore."

"Whose time is it?"

Giles couldn't stop the quick glance he sent Buffy's way. But Buffy saw it, and she saw something in his eyes that made her heart start to beat faster. Giles shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"Why didn't it work between you, back in England? Was it because of me?"

Giles reached out and gently touched her hand. "No, not exactly anyway. Sally wanted a home in London, a dependable husband, and children. She knew my calling could take me away and that I would allow it to. We'd already gone our separate ways when I found out I was to be sent here to be your Watcher."

"I think you're dependable." She felt like she needed to defend him.

Giles let out a short laugh. "I suppose I seem that way to you. But, I'm committed to you, in a way I never could be to Sally."

"She seemed to think you were quite the stud muffin." Giles tried to let that comment pass by but Buffy was relentless. "She said you guys had the best sex ever, like in recorded history."

Giles thought about Sally and he couldn't help but grin. He nodded. "She…we…it was rather extraordinary."

"You don't think we could have extraordinary sex?"

Giles' eyebrows almost rose off his forehead. "I…I have no idea how to answer that question."

"Do you think I'd be boring in bed?"

Giles let out another half laugh. "Don’t be absurd. You're a lovely, passionate woman. Nothing about you is remotely boring. I think…I'm sure…I've no doubt you'd be…" The kettle whistled and Giles sprang up to take care of it as if his chair had been spring-loaded. He hung around the stove for a minute, willing his body to calm down. He turned to Buffy. "Would you like some tea?"

Buffy nodded. Giles reached for a second cup. He carried the two mugs over to the table. Buffy wasn't done. "How long is she going to be here?"

"Sally?" Buffy nodded. "She's going back tomorrow."

"Jeez. She came all this way just for one night with you?"

Giles let out a rueful laugh. "Actually, yes she did." He shook his head. It still didn't make any sense to him. "Speaking of which…I'm beginning to think that there's something going on."

"What gave it away? The fact that there are two of you?"

"Ha, ha." Giles took a sip of his tea. "No, I think that Sally was compelled to come here, by a spell." He looked at Buffy. "What Sally and I had was quite special but I don't think it warrants an unexpected trip across the Atlantic Ocean. Plus she knew exactly where I was. We lost touch once I moved here."

Buffy frowned. "And then a second Giles shows up, saying you're in love with her so you're dumping me." She looked thoughtful. "And then there was that night at the Bronze when you got all weird."

Giles glared at her. "I wasn't the one acting oddly that night. I was drunk. I had an excuse."

Buffy stuck her tongue out at him. "Still, weirdness happened."

"I'll grant you that."

Buffy took a sip of her tea. "What’s the point? I don't see how it all adds up."

Giles shook his head. "No, nor do I. But we'd best be alert. Perhaps we should have some sort of code word so you can tell whether it's me or not."

Buffy grinned. "Cool. What should we use?" Buffy took a sip of tea at the same time Giles did.

Giles grinned back. They both spoke at the same time. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Buffy saluted him with her teacup. Then she grew serious. "And just in case, we can make our second code love and friendship."

Giles reached for her hand. "Love and friendship. A noble code, indeed." He withdrew his hand and Buffy had to fight the impulse to grab it back.

Buffy pointed into the living room. "Want to go watch some TV?"

Giles stood. "I'd like that." He held out his hand and she placed hers in his. He pulled her hand through his arm and covered it with his own. Giles escorted her into the living room and they situated themselves on the couch. Buffy sat quite close to him, and Giles was glad she did. Buffy reached for the remote and flicked the television on.

When Spike looked in the window a couple of hours later, he couldn't believe his eyes. There they were, Giles and Buffy, snug as a couple of bugs, asleep on the couch. They were lying down and Giles was spooned behind her, her head resting on one of his arms, his other wrapped around her. Spike cursed. "Fine. That's it. No more Mister Nice Guy. The Watcher is going down." Spike flicked his cigarette away with an angry gesture and then stomped off. Buffy and Giles slept on, unaware.

End of Part 4