Paycheck: Part 6

The next four days were sheer torture for Giles. Every day she looked more beautiful, and more desirable. And the moments of sexual tension between them were growing rather than fading. Every meal seemed to be some sort of exercise in sensual misery as Giles watched Buffy’s tongue clean her lips or as she licked her fingers to taste something. The most innocuous of touches seemed to get his heart pounding.

Buffy thought she might explode with wanting him. They way he watched her, the way his eyes watched her lips, or the way she occasionally caught him looking at her body, it all set her on fire. She couldn’t ever remember wanting someone more. Buffy hadn’t thought it was possible to want someone this much. The only other thing she had wanted like this was to return to heaven. And a part of her was thinking that she might get to experience that again if Giles would only push past his resistance and grab her. She was running out of patience, and time.

She had called home earlier and had been relieved to hear that everything was fine. Spike was helping out with patrol and Dawn was behaving. When Buffy heard that she decided that she would stay longer if she had to. Whatever had shifted inside of her towards Giles wasn’t going to go away, and she knew she couldn’t leave him behind, and go back to a life without him in it.

Giles needed to go to the Council the next day to drop off his research and pick up some different books. He had extended an invitation to Buffy to go with him. She had been nervous at the thought of going to the Council and had been mulling it over all evening.

As they got back to Giles’ flat she spoke about it, taking a seat on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her. “Will they do anything, do you think?”

Giles stayed standing, leaning against the fireplace mantel. He shook his head. “I’m very much afraid that unless I tell them who you are, they won’t even know you’re the Slayer. We could probably traverse the whole of the Council and back without anyone knowing you’re there.”

“No one knows I’m the Slayer?” She was outraged.

“Oh, they know your name, but they don’t know what you look like, or most of them don’t, at any rate. Running into one of the few who do seems unlikely.”

“And you'll be with me the whole time?”

“I’ll never leave your side.”

Buffy sent him an impertinent glare. “I’ve heard that before.”

He frowned at her and then realized that she had the right to challenge him as she had. Giles dropped his gaze, putting his hands in his pocket, and he sighed. “I’m sorry, Buffy. But I think I can manage to keep my promise this time.” He wouldn’t meet her eyes, and his expression was crestfallen.

Buffy couldn’t stand the sadness on his face. She stood and walked over to him quickly, putting her arms around him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

Giles closed his arms around her, resting his head on the top of hers, relishing the feel of her. His hands started to caress her hair and then her back. She pressed against him a little tighter and her hands moved too, running up and down the span of his back, stopping just shy of his butt. Buffy longed to touch him there but a line was still drawn in the sand and she didn’t want to step over it, not until she was invited to.

Giles lifted his head and looked down at her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and after a moment, on the end of her nose. Then he kissed her cheek, and her eyelids. Buffy couldn’t help letting out a little moan. Giles stopped and stared at her for a moment. It would be so easy, so easy to touch her lips, to pick her up and carry her to his bed. The man in him knew she wanted it and knew that it was what he wanted too, so where was the harm in it? But Giles was still hesitant. Despite the ache in his body he took a step to the side. “I wish I didn’t need to go but they won’t allow me to postpone anymore. I was supposed to be there three days ago.” He touched her cheek, taking that small pleasure. "I’d like you to come with me. I…I don’t really want to spend the day away from you."

Buffy smiled. "Then I’ll go. I don’t want to not be with you either."

Giles ran his hand down her face, his hand ending up on her shoulder. "We’d best get some sleep then, we have to get started quite early."

Buffy clenched her fists behind her back to keep herself from grabbing him. All she wanted was to throw him on the couch, crawl on top of him and rip his clothes off, letting him pierce her with the hardened cock she had felt pressed against her for too brief a moment. Instead she smiled tightly at him and took a step backwards. "Okay."

Without another word Giles went into his bedroom and shut the door. Despite going to bed fairly early, neither of them got much sleep.

***

Giles could tell she was nervous. He stayed close to her, often touching her gently to reassure her. Buffy smiled up at him gratefully. She knew she was being paranoid but with the exception of Giles, the Council had never done her any favors. She followed Giles as he strode down the corridors. They passed very few people and the ones they did paid them little attention. Giles opened the door to the Council library and Buffy’s jaw dropped at the size of it. "Wow, this must have been your favorite place."

Giles let out a soft chuckle. "Yes, it was, still is."

Buffy was craning her head, looking at the multiple levels, tier after tier of books, the wooden ladders placed intermittently, the curving staircases that would take you from floor to floor. She barely noticed that Giles had left her side and was at the desk speaking with a man. When she glanced around and saw that she was standing alone she let out a startled eep and then she eyed Giles with some relief. Moving to stand next to him she wove her arm through his. Giles smiled down at her.

The librarian raised his eyebrows. "Rupert, who’s your friend?"

Giles looked down at Buffy, as if asking for permission. Buffy shrugged and nodded. Giles smiled at her and then looked at the man. "This is Buffy."

The librarian pursed his lips. "Buffy. That name seems familiar."

Giles saw the look in Buffy's eyes. She hated it when vampires didn’t know she was the Slayer. Giles didn’t imagine that Council members would get off any easier. He spoke again. "Buffy Summers."

The man thought for another minute. "Hmm. It’s right on the tip of my tongue."

Buffy scowled at him. "Vampire Slayer. Ringing any bells now?"

The man gaped at her. "You’re the Slayer?"

She rolled her eyes and glanced up at Giles. "Give the man a prize."

Giles bit back a grin at the disgust on her face, not wanting to feel the bite of her temper. Instead he smiled down at her proudly and then at the librarian. "Yes, this is she." He pointed to the man. "This is Gregory Simpson. He’s been the librarian for as long as I’ve been a Watcher."

"You’re the Slayer?"

Buffy looked up at Giles. "He’s stuck. Hit him or something."

That comment snapped him out of it. Gregory came out from behind his counter and walked up next to Buffy. He gave her a long look from her toes to the top of her head. There was nothing sexual about it, simply appraising but Giles frowned. Gregory leaned towards Buffy. "You’re so small."

Buffy sighed. "I get that a lot."

"You’re also quite beautiful."

Buffy looked over at Giles and grinned at him, the grin affectionate and flirty. "I don’t get that enough." Gregory didn’t miss the grin, or the look that Giles shot her back, a look equally full of affection with a bit of pleading thrown in for good measure. Gregory wondered what the pleading was for.

Then he saw the naughty grin Buffy had on her face and he had to bite back a grin of his own. Gregory had no doubt that Rupert had his hands full with this one. Again, he assessed Buffy. "None of us could believe it when we heard you were alive again."

Buffy gave him that mocking grin of hers. "Neither could I."

The door swung open and two people walked in, a man and a woman. Gregory grinned at them and pointed at Buffy. "It’s her, the Slayer, Buffy Summers."

Their mouths opened wide in disbelief. Meanwhile Gregory had scooted behind the counter and was picking up the phone. Giles leaned down and spoke softly in her ear. "They’re Watchers. Beth and Winston."

She looked up at him. "Are they evil?"

He shook his head, grinning. "No, they’re fine."

Buffy still moved a little closer to Giles and then she smiled at them. Beth finally found her voice. "You’re the Slayer?"

Buffy nodded, feeling almost shy now but Beth was clearly delighted and began asking her all sorts of questions. Soon Winston was as well. Gregory was still making phone calls and people were starting to show up in response to his calls. Giles kept a careful eye on the arrivals. He knew that the rank and file of the Council had probably never met a Slayer and knowing her would only increase the level of support she’d receive from them.

Buffy was obviously enjoying herself, basking in the attention, and Giles thought that it was long overdue. She deserved to have these people fawn over her. As more and more people came in, Giles found himself crowded out, he clearly not being the attraction. He good-naturedly moved over to the counter and leaned against it, chatting with Gregory, all the while watching Buffy.

She kept him in her line of vision as well. They all saw it, the looks that passed between the two of them. They had all heard about the Watcher/Slayer bond, but none of them had seen it, or felt it. A few of them thought that it might be a bit more than that, but they kept that opinion to themselves. Everyone just wanted to visit with the Slayer.

***

Quentin Travers was fuming as he headed towards the library. He was annoyed that he’d been interrupted, he was irritated that he was going to have to face Rupert and his infuriating Slayer, and he was furious that he hadn’t been informed they were coming, or that they were even here. He only knew because he had overheard two staff people talking about it, as they headed for the library to gawp at the Slayer.

Quentin could never work out how, but every time one of Rupert’s journals appeared, xeroxed copies of it ended up all over the Council within hours. Most of the staff, everyone from the caretaker to the Watchers read them, hanging on every word, as if it were the latest episode from their favorite soap opera. The tradition of Watchers was always to be bluntly honest about everything that happened to their Slayers, so the next Watchers could learn from his or her experience. Buffy was so different from the usual Slayer, and her civilian friendships and romantic liaisons so far from the norm, that everyone was captivated by her. Giles made her so human, so real. They gasped at her audacity, laughed with relief at the close calls, and had wept when she had died. Then, against all belief, she had risen from the dead, and her Watcher had returned to her. They had all waited breathlessly for the journals to start arriving again.

Then suddenly he was back, living in Bath, Buffy apparently no longer requiring a Watcher, and the journals had stopped. Most of the Council had been bereft. It was as if their favorite television show had been cancelled. Some, such as Quentin Travers, and his cronies, had been delighted. She’d had too much power for too long. Let her see what it felt like to operate without a Watcher, without the support of the Council.

Quentin entered the library and anyone watching either Buffy or Giles was taken aback at the change in them. Their faces grew guarded and they both headed for one another. There was a brief skirmish as the two of them quietly fought over who was going to protect whom. Finally Buffy won, and she stood in front of her Watcher, his hands on her shoulders.

Quentin kept moving until he stood in front of them both, everyone reluctantly clearing a path for him. "Rupert, Miss Summers."

Only Giles spoke. "Quentin."

"This is an unexpected visit."

"Yes, well, we were hoping to just drop off my reports and leave, without disturbing anyone." Giles briefly glanced at the crowd in the room.

So did Quentin. He glared at them all. "Perhaps you all have work to attend to?" The less senior staff took the hint, but most of the Watchers stayed. Quentin let out an angry breath. "What brings you to town, Miss Summers? I was under the impression you no longer required a Watcher."

Buffy frowned. "I changed my mind."

"Then the Council would be only too glad to appoint another Watcher to assist you." Quentin began looking at the Watchers assembled in the room. At first, a few of them had a moment of excitement, thinking that perhaps they might actually be assigned to a Slayer. Then they saw the look on Giles’ face and they all tried to hide behind each other, hoping Quentin wouldn’t call their name.

Buffy frowned even more. "I have a Watcher." She pointed behind her. "Remember him?"

Quentin smiled in a condescending manner. "He lives in Bath. He can’t possibly be your Watcher if he lives in England. You need to be assigned a Watcher who can be in Sunnydale with you."

Buffy took a step towards Quentin. "I already have a Watcher, and he will always be my Watcher, no matter where he lives."

"I’m sorry, but that just isn’t acceptable."

Buffy turned her back on Quentin and looked up at Giles. Some of the people who had left were starting to sneak back in. This was better than the journals. Buffy took Giles’ hands in hers and spoke softly. Everyone strained to hear. "Giles, come back with me. I want you with me. I always want you to be with me."

Giles stared down at her, trying to read her eyes, trying to fathom her emotions. "Buffy."

"I’m in love with you." A few gasps followed her declaration and a generalized murmuring swept the room.

Buffy and Giles might as well have been on a desert island, all their attention solely focused on the other. "Buffy, are you sure? Do you know what you’re asking?"

Buffy smiled softly at him. "I’m asking for forever, I’m asking for there to be a you and me for as long as I’m alive. I can’t do this without you, I never could, and I don’t ever want to have to again."

Giles’ eyes blazed with love as he smiled back at her. Then he glanced up at Quentin who was looking distractedly around the room. Giles waited until he had his attention again. "It would appear that I’m moving back to Sunnydale."

There were a couple of quiet cheers from the back of the room. Quentin could tell he was missing something. Buffy had turned around again and was facing him but she was now holding one of Giles’ hands. Quentin’s eyes narrowed as he took in the clasped hands and the look on her face. "What are you doing?"

Buffy leaned against Giles. "Marrying my Watcher." As Giles stiffened behind her Buffy tilted her head back and looked at Giles. At the stunned look on his face she pulled away from him and turned to him, looking at him nervously. "At least I thought that’s what I was doing, you know, proposing to you." When he still didn’t say anything she pulled his hand. "Hey, Watcher man. Are you there?"

Giles was beyond flummoxed. "You just asked me to marry you?"

Buffy nodded. "And I'm pretty sure you said yes."

Giles stared down at her, and slowly a smile started to form on his face. "You want to marry me?"

Quentin had had enough of this travesty. "You cannot marry your Watcher. I absolutely forbid it."

Giles shot him a look that made Quentin take a step backwards. "I beg your pardon?"

Quentin put on his best conciliatory smile. "Rupert, may I speak with you for a moment, privately?"

Giles made as if to move away from Buffy but Buffy wouldn’t let him go. She glared at Quentin. "Anything you have to say to him, you can say to me. But before you open your mouth let me just remind you that for three years you’ve been trying to take him away from me and I’m sick of it. You’ve fired him, replaced him, threatened to deport him and it stops now. He’s my Watcher, I’m his Slayer, two halves of a whole." Buffy smiled up at Giles as she used his phrase. He smiled back.

Buffy continued. "Oh, and you know this pesky dying thing? I should warn you that I’m still a little cranky. I’m guessing that your plan is to talk Giles out of marrying me, to make him feel guilty about it. Well, let me just make it clear that if you do anything, or say anything, that makes him change his mind, makes him not come home with me, I will quit the Council again, and you can all go back to watching Masterpiece Theatre without me." She took a step towards Quentin. "Got it?"

Quentin clenched his teeth and looked up at Rupert. And he saw the look that he hated. It had been on Giles’ face after Buffy had forced Quentin to capitulate, when he'd last gone to Sunnydale. Not everyone would recognize it, but Quentin did. The slightest rise of his eyebrows, the smallest twitch of his lips, the look of feigned innocence. It all screamed smug bastard, and it screamed ‘I’m with her and you can’t do anything about it’. It made Quentin crazy because he was right; there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

Giles looked at him and spoke. "Did you have something you wanted to say, Quentin?"

Quentin forced himself to relax so his voice would sound normal. It didn’t help much. His voice was still tight. "When are you and Miss Summers leaving London?"

"We’ll be spending the night and leaving tomorrow."

Quentin frowned. "Is your business here almost completed?" He couldn’t get rid of them fast enough.

Giles’ eyes darkened. "It will be completed when the tasks I came here to do are finished. Is there some reason why we would not be welcome here?"

Quentin could have gone into a litany of reasons, but given the sizable audience he had, he held his tongue. "Please have someone inform me when you are leaving." He turned to head out.

Giles spoke again. "There is one favor you could do for me, Quentin."

Quentin turned, puzzled. "And what would that be?"

"I think it’s time that Buffy started receiving a paycheck from the Council. I think that she deserves some financial remuneration for all the years she’s served both the Council and the world, risking her life, over and over again. It seems the least we could do. Wouldn’t you agree?"

Quentin gritted his teeth. He could already hear the murmurs behind him, knew there were people here from payroll, knew that there was no way he was going to be able to refuse this request. He snapped at Giles. "Fine. Just how much are you expecting us to pay Miss Summers?"

"Oh, I’m sure you’ll come to a more than equitable amount, considering what she’s given up for her Calling over the last six years."

Quentin shot Giles a look of sheer frustration and stormed out of the room. When the door closed behind him Buffy let out a shriek of delight and threw her arms around Giles. Everyone started talking at the same time and there was general pandemonium in the room, the events just witnessed providing material for days, if not weeks, of gossip.

Giles clasped his hands behind Buffy’s back and looked down at her. "Once again, you’ve managed to set Council protocol on its ear."

"You didn’t do so badly yourself.” Buffy frowned. “Or were you just angling for a way to not have to share your paycheck with me?"

Giles grinned. "After watching you go shopping I decided we’d better have two paychecks to live on."

"So does that mean you’re saying yes?"

Giles smiled. "Yes. That means I’m saying yes." Buffy pulled his head down and kissed him, just a short kiss, but one that smacked of promise. There were a few audible sighs in the room. Giles touched her cheek. "Let me finish up here and then we can go. We still have plenty of time to do some sightseeing."

Buffy stood on her toes and whispered in his ear. "There’s only one sort of sightseeing I want to do today, and all we need is a hotel room for that."

Giles blushed and Buffy giggled. When Giles spoke he kept stuttering which only made Buffy giggle more. Giles moved back over to Gregory while her Council fans once more approached Buffy.

End Part 6