Title: One Wish
Author: Rari

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

One Wish: Part 5

Buffy went by his condo every day in hopes he would be there. Other than the trip to his place and to the Magic Box she stuck pretty close to home. She knew the spell was gone but the world was still feeling pretty creepy to her, especially with Giles unavailable to her. Xander and Willow had tried to talk her into going to the Bronze but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She knew that it was irrational but she was not going to the Bronze again unless Giles was with her. At least for the first time.

It had been a week and Buffy was starting to feel nervous. He hadn't called anyone, hadn't even checked in with Anya. And even Anya wanted him back. Things were beginning to pile up at the store that she didn't know how to take care of. They all sat around the shop as they had every night since Giles had left, keeping each other company. They wondered where he was, how he was doing. Using her computer hacking skills Willow had been able to determine that he had made a cash withdrawal from an ATM in San Francisco the day after he'd left Sunnydale but that was all she'd been able to find. Buffy was afraid that maybe he'd decided not to come back. Maybe he was living it up somewhere, delighted for the opportunity to embrace his old life, free of the responsibility of caring for a slayer and a Hellmouth.

She went out patrolling and then she stopped by his place again. Buffy let herself in and closed the door behind her. Moving into the kitchen she went through the ritual of making tea as if that might pull her Giles back home, back to claim his nighttime cup of tea. She actually took out two cups and arranged a tray as if he was there. Then the tray with both cups on it made her feel so lonely for him that she took one of the cups off, and that made her even sadder. She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor, her heart aching for his return, whole and safe.

Even with the spell's removal, her longing to be with him, to touch him, hadn't abated. In fact, it had grown stronger, enhanced by the knowledge that she had seen in his mind that he wanted her too. A part of her was sick at the thought that wherever he was, that maybe Ripper was with other women. She had no doubts about Giles but she had no such hopes that Ripper would stay true to her, would in fact even give it a thought.

She sat there with her arms wrapped tightly around her drawn up knees. Then, she heard the key in the door. Before Giles even got all the way inside she threw herself into his arms. Giles let out an oomph at the impact. Without dislodging her he moved them forwards so he could shut the door behind them. Then he hugged her back tightly, his cheek resting against her hair.

She never wanted to let him go. He felt so good to her. She took a deep breath and then wrinkled her nose. She sniffed at him. "Hey, you're kind of stinky."

He responded with a small silent laugh. She could feel the vibration through his chest. "I'm not surprised. I've been wearing these same clothes for a week."

She pulled back and looked at him, taking in his week's growth of beard, his messy hair, and his tired eyes. "You want to go take a shower?"

He nodded. "Desperately. Do you mind?"

She shook her head and touched her nose. "No. That would be a good thing." She grinned at him. "I'll make some fresh tea."

He let out a sigh, sort of happy and sort of sad. "That would be lovely." He pulled completely away from her and walked upstairs. She watched the tired droop of his shoulders. Still worried but tremendously relieved that he was back she headed towards the kitchen and her tea tray. She smiled as she picked up the cup she had removed and replaced it on the tray.

He took a long shower. Just as Buffy was afraid she might have to warm the water up again he finally came out of the bathroom. He was dressed in sweats, his feet bare, his face clean-shaven. Giles sat down on the couch next to Buffy. He watched her as she poured tea for the both of them. When she was finished he gently touched her knee to get her attention. He scrutinized her closely when she looked at him. "Buffy, how are you feeling?"

She shrugged and then smiled a small smile. "Better now that you're back." She paused and he waited. She spoke again. "I'm okay. I mean, I still haven't gone back to the Bronze, I still feel a little wigged about the whole thing."

Giles put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm not surprised. Nothing really prepares you to deal with this sort of evil, especially when it's directed at you. It will take some time, I expect."

"I was sort of hoping that maybe you could go with me."

"To the Bronze?" She nodded. He smiled at her. "If you think that would help I'd be glad to."

He reached for a cup of tea and this time she put a hand on his knee. "Giles, how are you doing? Where did you go?"

He picked up his tea and took a sip. "I just drove. I really didn't have a destination in mind. Then, at some point I realized that I wanted rain. So, I kept driving until I found a place where it was raining."

"Where was that?"

"Washington."

"You drove to Washington?"

He nodded and let out a sigh. "I just let it rain on me for the longest time." He gave her a rueful smile. "And then I drove home."

"And are you…I mean is…?" She wasn't quite sure how to put it.

He knew what she was asking. He took his glasses off, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I am better, but I expect it will take some time for me as well." He took another sip of his tea and then he stood, replacing his glasses. He straightened out a picture on the wall and ran his fingers over a few of his possessions. "I haven't quite…" His lips tightened as he also fought for words. He changed his direction. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I'm not." She shook her head. "I mean, I am, in a way. But only because of what it did to you. I saw him in your mind. He hated us. I can't believe how much he hated us, hated me. If you hadn't stopped him he'd have done something else. Maybe something even worse." He nodded. What she said was true. He had felt that hatred in Ethan's mind. It was why he hadn't stopped even after he'd gotten the information he had needed. She spoke again. "Can you…is he still sort of inside you? Can you still feel him?"

He nodded again. "Yes, but it's fading."

Buffy lowered her head and spoke softly. "Does it make you hate me too?"

Giles' eyes widened. "Good Lord, no." He walked back to the couch, sitting next to her again. He lifted her face up by her chin making her look at him. "I know the thoughts he had, the way he felt, but they aren't mine, the thoughts or the feelings. They don't have the power to make me think or feel like him." She lowered her gaze and he called her name to make her look at him again. "Buffy, I could never hate you."

She let out a sigh of relief. That had also been bothering her, wondering if Ethan could have affected him, making his feelings for her change. She asked the other question on her mind. "How about Ripper? Could he make you do stuff?"

Giles looked puzzled. "Do stuff? What do you mean?"

Buffy blushed. "You know, while you were gone. This week, whatever you did. Was it Ripper making your choices for you?" She knew she wasn't asking clearly but she was too embarrassed to simply ask him if he'd slept with anyone.

Giles' eyebrows furrowed as he mentally worked his way through her question. Then he grinned. There was enough of Ripper still active to find the question amusing. "Are you asking me whether I made my way up the coast by robbing banks and taking advantage of willing women?"

Buffy's jaw dropped. "You robbed banks when you were younger?"

It was Giles turn to blush. "Forget I said that."

Buffy snapped her jaw shut, her eyes still wide. She just stared at Giles. "Yikes." Then she looked worried again. "So, how many did you sleep with?"

Giles couldn't resist teasing her. "Then or now?" Buffy gasped. Giles smiled, shaking his head. "Buffy. Who I slept with before doesn't matter. And I was dealing with enough people in my head this last week without making things even more complicated by involving someone else."

Buffy's heart unclenched. "So, you've been alone this whole week?"

Giles nodded. "Yes, quite alone. And I used my ATM card when I needed cash." He ran a finger down her cheek. "Feel better?"

She nodded, a wry smile on her face. "Actually we traced you to San Francisco, or at least Willow did."

Giles rolled his eyes. "That young woman is a menace. I'll have to remember that if I ever need to hide from you lot."

Buffy grinned and then squinched her face up. "Do you want to know what we did with Ethan?"

Giles' face grew hard and his eyes darkened. "No." He took a deep breath and blew it out. His lips tightened as he looked at Buffy. "Sorry, I'm still a bit…I'm still hating him quite a lot."

Buffy moved closer to Giles and put her arms around him. She murmured into his chest. "Thank you. Thank you for everything you did for me."

Giles kissed the top of her head and ran his hand down her hair. "You're welcome. I'm just sorry it happened at all, that once again my past put you at such risk."

He could feel her shake her head. "No, it's not your fault. Besides, I'm always almost getting you killed." She lifted her head up to see his face. She raised a hand to his forehead, running her fingers over the furrows there. "Really, Giles, all I'm feeling here is good stuff."

He smiled and they sat there for a minute, looking at each other. He touched her cheek again, his touch feather light. "That night, when you knew I was affected by the spell, and you kissed me. Why did you do that? What were you looking for?"

She bit her bottom lip looking away for a minute. Then she looked back at him. "This." She leaned forwards and kissed him again. It was a soft kiss, but clearly a kiss meant to be shared between a man and a woman, one filled with love and desire. Giles felt a tension ease in his chest that he hadn't even known was there and he kissed her back the same way, his arms holding her to him. The kiss stayed gentle. Neither one of them was ready for a heated, frenzied embrace. But the kiss was full of promise and filled with tomorrows.

In time they separated and Buffy snuggled into his chest again, sighing happily. He ran his hand through her hair, the other hand holding one of her hands, their fingers laced. They stayed like that for a long time.

Finally Giles spoke. "I…I love you Buffy. And I've wanted you for a while now. But…" He disengaged his hand from hers and ran it through his hair.

Buffy sat up straight, nervous at what he might be trying to say. "But what?"

He reached for her hand again and brought it to his mouth, kissing the back of it. "Can we move slowly on this, Buffy? I want to know that when we make love that it's just me, just loving you. I don't want there to be any darkness as a part of it."

Buffy closed her eyes against the emotion his request created in her. Giles waited, wondering what she was thinking. She opened her eyes back up and in her eyes was such a look of love that Giles felt it like a physical caress. She smiled softly. "I'd like that. And me too. I'd like to know that it's just me, with none of the weirdness left over from the spell. That all the fear is gone, so it's just you and me." She cupped his face with her hands. "And I love you too."

They kissed again. And then they sat for a while longer, just holding each other. Giles let out a yawn and she giggled. "Am I keeping you awake?"

Giles flashed her a sheepish look. "So it appears." He grinned at her. "I haven't slept much this week."

Buffy bit her lips again. "Would you mind…can I stay here with you? I mean not to have sex or anything." She looked at him, filled with her love for him. "I just want you there when I wake up in the middle of the night. I want to know that you're back and that we're together." She looked up at him. "Would that be all right?"

He cocked his head to the side and smiled back at her. "I can't imagine anything I'd like more." He stood and held out his hand to her. She took his hand and let him pull her up. Arms wrapped around each other they headed up the stairs, to his bed, and to their future.

The End
October 10, 2001