Title: Love Heals All
Author: Rari

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

Love Heals All: Part 5

Buffy came into the living room, her hair still wet from a shower. She watched as Giles slowly hung up the phone, a pensive look on his face. Buffy frowned. "What's the matter? You have a look on your face."

Giles took off his glasses. "Yes, well, that was the leasing agent. I'm afraid there's been a serious hitch in the…" He thought for a moment, "…well, in one of the forever plans." He grinned. "I'm afraid I've lost track."

Buffy walked across the room and sat next to him. "I thought we had this place as long as we wanted it."

"I thought so too, but apparently that was only because she didn't have any other clients. But now she has and they arrive on Saturday."

Buffy let out a worried sound. "But that's only four days from now."

"Actually three. We need to be out on Friday."

Buffy whined. "I don't want to leave." She sent a pleading look Giles' way. "Can't we just find another place?"

"Yes, I suppose we could but…" Giles put his glasses back on. "We've been here nine days already. The last five of which have been the best of my life, but perhaps it's time to think about going home."

"What, you didn't like the first four days?"

Giles rolled his eyes. "No, until I started having sex with you I couldn't stand you. I'm surprised it's taken you this long to figure that out."

Buffy stuck her tongue out at him. Then she just looked depressed. The past five days had been the best of her life too. She leaned into Giles and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. Buffy let out a long sigh.

Giles' lips tightened. "Buffy, I want to ask you a question and I want you to just answer it as quickly as you can, without thinking about it too much. All right?" Buffy nodded. "What's the main reason you don't want to go home? Answer quickly now."

"Will…" Buffy stopped the rest of the word from leaving her lips, old habits of protecting her best friend still taking over.

Giles held her shoulders and gently pushed her away from him so he could see her face. "Willow? And the other three?" Buffy couldn't look at him but she nodded.

Giles spoke gently, almost fearing her answer to his next question. "Is it still so horrible to be alive again?"

Buffy did raise her eyes to his then, concern for him on her face. "No, no, it's not that. Giles, I'm glad I'm alive. You need to believe me."

Giles gently smiled. "I'm relieved to hear you say that." He pursed his lips. "Why then? Why is it still so hard for you to face them…her?"

Buffy thought for a moment, trying to sort out what she was feeling. "That they did it for themselves. That they didn't even think that maybe I could be in heaven. That once I was back, no one even tried to figure it out, just kept waiting for me to be so grateful." She touched Giles' cheek. "I mean, I guess things have worked out, but I don't know how to be with them anymore. They were my best friends and now everything's a lie."

"I think you may be judging them too harshly."

Buffy snorted. "This from the man who ripped Willow a new one."

"I…I yelled at Willow for the magic she did. It was dangerous and foolhardy. But, Buffy, I don't believe they only did it for themselves. There was reason to believe that you had been sucked into a demon dimension, similar to Angel being sucked into the vortex that Acathla created. A demon did create the rift you threw yourself into. I believe they honestly thought they were delivering you from eternal torment. And they also brought you back because they love you, and they were miserable and lost without you."

"Weren't you miserable and lost?"

Giles kissed her quickly on the lips. "As miserable and lost as I could be."

"But you didn't do a spell to bring me back."

"No, I didn't. But I thought of it. I was tempted for a few moments. But I am a bit wiser about magic than Willow at this stage of my life, and a bit wiser about the fact that I understand that we sometimes lose people we love. And we generally can't get them back."

"But, couldn't they have done some sort of séance thing first, tried to talk to me, see how I was doing?"

Giles bit back a smile. "I doubt they'd have been successful. And you and I both know that once Willow makes up her mind to do something there isn't much that will deter her."

"So you're saying this is one whole big love thing."

"No, it's not quite that simple. It was certainly born of love, with a dash of stubbornness and arrogance and youth thrown in. And some selfishness as well. But none of them would have purposefully hurt you, nor if they'd known, would have taken you from your well deserved rest."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why did you leave? I mean, didn't you think they'd need you? How did you think they'd survive on the Hellmouth without you? I don’t get that."

Giles let out a long breath. "That's a fair question. Although I think you overrate my usefulness."

"You kept me alive."

"Yes, but you were the Slayer. I was trained to keep you alive. We were a team, you and I. Spike and Willow are almost as formidable a team. Spike with his vampire strength and Willow with her powers. They were bailing me out of danger more often than not." Giles' eyes grew sad. "I knew Willow and Tara could protect Dawn better than I could, until they reached your father. Anya couldn't get rid of me fast enough." Giles grinned a little at that, and then he lost the grin. "I don't know why I left, Buffy. I…I was lost without you. Rudderless. I was tired." He grinned again, but Buffy could see the pain there. "I was trying to bond with your…with the Buffybot. It all got to be too much. I lost my perspective. I wanted to be home, my home, my homeland. I really believed they'd be all right without me." He barked out a laugh. "Then the day I leave they bring you back. Perfect bloody timing."

"So, you're not feeling tired and rudderless now?"

Giles cupped her cheek with his hand. "I've never been less tired or more clear about what I'm doing in my entire life."

"Ready to go back and be my Watcher, help me slay the bad guys?"

"I'd do that forever, as long as you need me."

Buffy's lips trembled a little. "I need you now more than ever." Giles captured her lips in a kiss and they embraced. Her voice was muffled against his neck when she spoke again. "You know I'll probably die again." She pulled back, her eyes dark and serious. "You know that right? Can you go through that again?"

Giles' eyes closed in pain at the thought. "No. I can't. When next you die, it will be my time too."

Buffy's voice was nervous. "What does that mean?"

"You know exactly what that means."

Buffy did know what he meant. "But, you'd be really, really sure I was dead before you did anything, right?"

Giles barked out another laugh. "Yes, I'd be really, really sure you were dead, including a thorough interrogation of Willow. I have no desire to enact our own adaptation of Romeo and Juliet."

"Okay, so a new and grisly version of the forever plan." She grimaced at the thought. "I guess it would be best if I just don't die again."

Giles looked at her with all the love in his heart. "Yes, that would be best." He cocked his head to the side. "But, back to Willow. You have a couple of choices ahead of you."

"You mean to tell or not to tell?"

Giles smiled. "Succinctly put."

"I was succinct? Cool." She frowned. "What do you think I should do?"

"You need to make your own decision about it, but I can tell you that I don't believe the friendships will survive if you keep this hidden. Friendships seldom survive painful secrets of this magnitude."

"Won't Willow, like, totally freak out?"

"Yes, I believe she will, as you say, freak out. But I think that may be a good thing. It may really teach her that none of this is a game. That the truth is seldom clear, that great harm can be caused by the use of such powerful magic. This may convince her more than anything I could ever say." Giles smiled at Buffy. "It will, I think, be easier for her to hear it now, when you seem happier, and can perhaps…well…" Giles hesitated.

Buffy picked up his sentence. "Can perhaps tell Willow that I'm glad she brought me back, that I'm glad I have another chance?" At Giles' shy nod she moved to straddle him. "That if she hadn't done the spell that I would have never figured out how wonderful you are and how great a lover you are?" She rubbed herself against him and grinned as he groaned. "Maybe tell her that without her I'd never have fallen in love with you or you with me, that I'd have missed out on this forever love of ours?"

Giles was nibbling on one of her breasts through her shirt. "Yes, something like that."

"Don't you think she'll be crowing like a rooster if I tell her all of that?"

Giles pulled back from his nibbling. "Hmmm. Perhaps you're right. Best tone it down a bit." He resumed his new favorite pastime. Buffy laughed and stood. Giles looked like someone had taken his toys away.

She reached out a hand. "Come on. I think it's bedtime." Giles grinned and taking her hand he rose and they headed for the bedroom.

When they got to the bedroom, Buffy hesitated. She was frowning. He looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face. "What’s the matter?"

"What did you mean when you said you'd made a new acquaintance?"

Giles' eyebrows rose. "Excuse me?"

"When you first got back, you said you'd made a new acquaintance, which was statistically impossible, or something like that. It was a woman, wasn't it?"

Giles' eyes widened. "You can't possibly be jealous." He started to grin.

Buffy started to pout. "Was she pretty?"

Giles laughed and he pulled her in close. "Oh Buffy. I don't even remember her name. How could I, with you here next to me?"

"You sure?" Giles laughed again and proceeded to show her just how sure he was.

End of Part 5