Title: Home For The Holidays
Author: Gileswench

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

It was past noon when Giles woke the next day. He turned his head to find Buffy nestled up beside him in his bed. Giles smiled. It had been too long since he'd woken up with a beautiful woman. He promised himself that the next time he woke up next to Buffy, it would be after they made love for the first time. As if compelled, he reached out one hand to caress her bare arm. Her skin was so soft, so smooth. He couldn't resist leaning over to drop a kiss on her shoulder.

Buffy made a pleased sound as she stirred.

"Hey," she smiled up at Giles. "You're awake."

"At long last."

"We did have sort of a long night," Buffy said as she wound her arms around his neck. She ruffled the curls at the back of his neck, delighting in the small shiver that ran down his spine at the sensation. "But I've already been up."

"And what have you been up to?"

"Shower, breakfast, this and that."

Giles rolled atop Buffy and did his best to look sternly at her. He failed miserably.

"You showered and you didn't wait for me?" he complained. "Think of all the water you wasted, you wicked girl."

Buffy giggled as Giles ravaged her throat with kisses.

"Somehow I don't think water conservation would have been high on the agenda," she laughed.

She pulled him up for a proper kiss. They both groaned when the phone rang.

"If it's a telemarketer, can I slay them?" Buffy pled.

Giles just chuckled as he rolled of her and hurried to the sitting room, barefooted and pajama-clad. She watched him go, a happy smile playing about her lips. A moment later, she rolled off the bed and pulled new clothes for the day out of her suitcase.

"Yes, hello?"

"Rupert, it's Donald. Just wanted to make certain all is well after last night."

Giles smiled.

"Yes, I think I can safely say everything is as it should be today."

"Bloody hell, Rupert!" Donald exclaimed. "Already?"

"I'm not entirely sure I take your meaning, Donald."

"Mary was sure you and Buffy would work it out before too long, but neither one of us predicted it would be so soon." There was a pause on the line. "When are you going back to California?"

"As soon as I can arrange it."

Donald sighed.

"I had the feeling as soon as I laid eyes on her. 'That one can make him do anything', I said to myself. And you always did like a bossy woman. Dammit, Rupert we just got you back and now you're off again. If she wasn't so obviously head over heels for you I'd be pretty annoyed with her about now."

"I'm not leaving tonight, Donald," Giles reminded his friend. "And perhaps you and Mary can visit us sometime. Sunnydale's...not such a bad place, actually."

"When you first got back you said Sunnydale was Hell."

"I've had time to reflect since then."

"What you've had is a gorgeous bird half your age come and throw herself at your feet."

"Oh, not my feet," Giles chuckled. "Never my fee - " He blinked as he looked down. "My feet. Donald, would you mind terribly if I rang you back later?"

"Meet us for a drink tonight," he urged. "About seven."

"I think that might be arranged."

Giles hung up the phone and stared down at his toes again.

"Buffy!" he roared.

"What is it, sweetie?" she called innocently from the bedroom.

"What the hell have you done to my toenails?"

He glowered as she sauntered into the room, still brushing her hair.

"Now they match mine," she explained. "I think they look cute all blue."

"So part of your 'this and that' this morning consisted of varnishing my toenails as I slept?"

"Repeat after me, Giles: po-lish-ing," she grinned. "Varnish is for furniture. And yeah. I thought at first you'd wake up pretty quickly, but you slept right through it. You look pretty adorable when you're asleep, did you know that?"

Giles pursed his lips, but couldn't quite keep from laughing.

"Whatever shall I do with you?" he wondered.

"Well," Buffy pouted, "I can think of one or two things we haven't done yet that couples do. Things that might tire me out so I don't decide to do your fingernails, too."

Giles pulled her close and kissed her deeply. When they broke apart to breathe, he cupped her cheeks in his hands.

"I adore you, Buffy," he told her. "Everything about you captivates me. But if you ever do that again, my revenge will be swift, terrible, and completely unexpected."

She giggled and nestled closer to him.

"It was a one time thing," she promised. "I just...I wanted to do something to show you're mine. And that I'm yours. Like when I used to wear Angel's jacket, but more...us. Something for both of us, so we match. And the nail polish was right there...and your toes were so darn cute...I couldn't help myself. And you'll be wearing shoes anytime anyone else might see us, so it's not like I'm making the world think you're into wearing dresses or something. This is just for...us. Or me, anyway."

"Are you that uncertain of me?" Giles asked. His sad voice distressed Buffy more than she could say.

"No," she assured him. "No. If there's any man on this planet I trust, it's you. I just...I have sort of a lousy track record."

"As do I," Giles reminded her. "But look at it this way, Buffy: all the others dated you and then left. I've already got that out of my system. I'm coming back to you so we can be together."

"And I promise not to freak and go be someone boring," Buffy said. "Besides, I already did the go try to live a boring, normal life being a waitress and not slaying undead evil things thing. I came back, too. I came back to you."

Lost for words, Giles wrapped Buffy in his arms and held her close.

They spent the next couple hours engaged in small domesticities. Buffy made lunch while Giles showered, shaved and dressed. After lunch came a quiet discussion of the more practical aspects of Giles' return to Sunnydale. This was quickly followed by a bit of happy daydreaming mixed with long, slow, exploratory kisses.

"So," Buffy said at last as she drew lazy circles on Giles' chest, "what time are we meeting Donald and Mary?"

"About seven."

"It's three now. How are we going to fill up all that time?"

"Why don't you come up with something for tea?" Giles suggested.

Buffy frowned.

"Am I gonna be stuck doing all the cooking now? 'Cause I may just start listening to you the way I used to when we first met. You know, the kind of listening that isn't."

"If I promise you breakfast in bed tomorrow, will you take care of tea while I go down to the shops?"

"What shops? There's shopping and I'm not invited? You are so not making any points here, Giles."

"It's just...there are a few necessities I find I've run out of. I'll be back in no time."

She pinned him to the sofa and pouted down at him.

"But...shopping. Pretty things."

Giles chuckled and kissed her quickly.

"It's no good pouting," he told her. "And you wouldn't find many pretty things where I'm going. But, if you're very, very good, I might bring you back some chocolates. Would you like that?"

"Chocolates? Really?"

"Really," he confirmed.

"Okay, I guess," she decided grudgingly. "But it better be good chocolate."

She started to move off his lap, but Giles pulled her closer and kissed her passionately. As their tongues mingled, Giles moved his hands a bit hesitantly until they rested on Buffy's posterior.

"Are you sure you need to go shopping?" Buffy purred as she wriggled her backside to increase the pressure of his caress.

"Very sure," Giles groaned. With a kiss, he lifted Buffy off his lap and stood, pulling her into another tight embrace. "I'll be back as quickly as I can."

"I'll be waiting," Buffy assured him.

Giles gave her one last kiss, grabbed his coat and headed out the door before he could change his mind and carry her to the bedroom.

This time when they got to the pub, Buffy had Giles' arm slung casually - but posessively - around her shoulder. When she looked up, he was wearing a smile that made his face practically glow, and she knew hers was a perfect match for it. Donald waved them over and rose to kiss Buffy's cheek when they got to the table.

"So you're taking him away from us, are you?" he asked in a slightly regretful tone.

"'Fraid so," she apologized. "I'm selfish that way."

"Well I, for one, am delighted for you both," Mary said.

"You'll have the usual?" Giles asked his friends.

"Sit down and put your money away," Donald ordered. "This is my round. Buffy, what would you like?"

"Well, I saw something about cider," she said. "I could go for some of that right now."

Giles leaned in and spoke quietly to her.

"This isn't what you're thinking, Buffy."

"What? Not hot appley goodness?"

"Well, it is made from apples and it will warm you, but no, it's not what you're used to."

"So, it's something with a kick?"

"Yes."

"Is it something you like?"

"Every now and again, yes."

Buffy shrugged.

"Then that's good enough for me. I'll give it a shot."

Donald headed for the bar and Buffy stood.

"I gotta...y'know," she said pointing to the restroom. "For real, this time. I'll be right back."

She shot Giles an adoring look, then headed off. He watched her go with a small smile on his face. When she was out of sight, he turned back to find Mary smiling indulgently at him.

"I like her," she said.

"I'm glad. She's...a rather extraordinary person."

"Spoken like a man in love," Mary laughed. "Just be happy, Rupert. And make her happy, too. I get the impression there hasn't been enough joy in her life."

"What did she say?"

"It's not so much what she said as how she said it," Mary explained. "And part of it was what she didn't say. Call it a mothers' intuition, but I can tell that girl has had far more than her share of loss and misery. She deserves some good times. And so do you."

Giles took Mary's hand across the table.

"I only wish I didn't have to leave you and Donald behind. It isn't easy to go, but it's what I have to do. He's not happy about this, is he?"

"He's jealous," Mary said, "but you'll never get him to admit it. You know how Donald is. Everything's a joke, but underneath he's bleeding quietly. Still, he'll survive, and he'll be happy for you. If it's any help, I'm already more pleased than I can say."

"Take good care of him, Mary," Giles said. "I'll miss you both more than I can say."

Buffy returned and slid into her seat next to Giles. She wrapped a hand around his arm and rested her head on his shoulder briefly.

"Should I be asking what you two are talking about, or should I just assume it's me?" she asked.

Both women grinned when Giles blushed a bit and ducked his head. Before either could tease him, though, Donald arrived with the drinks.

The rest of the evening was spent joking and laughing with Donald and Mary. If there was a slight undercurrent of sadness, nobody commented on it. Eventually, though, the evening grew late and Mary suggested they call it an evening. Buffy, who had been leaning sleepily against Giles for the past half hour attempted to protest, but it was of no avail. As they gathered up their coats and scarves against the chill December night, Donald asked Buffy if he could speak to her privately.

When they got to the corner, Donald looked seriously at her. Buffy braced herself for a lecture on the age difference between her and Giles and accusations that she was doing him irreparable harm by taking Giles back to California. Instead, Donald smiled softly at her.

"It's all right, Buffy. I'm not going to eat you, you know," he said. His eyes turned serious. "Look, Buffy, Rupert is my best and oldest friend, and he's a good man. You can trust him with your life."

"I do," Buffy said. "I have for a long time."

"But there are things in this world he doesn't know about," Donald continued. "Things that...you may not believe exist. I want you to be careful of them. Don't take foolish chances and don't let Rupert take them, either."

"Um...okay," Buffy said. "What things?"

"You'd think me daft if I told you."

"No, I wouldn't," Buffy protested. "And not just because I don't know what that means. Whatever it is, it sounds bad, so I couldn't think it. About you."

"It means insane," Donald explained.

"Oh. Well, if it helps, I don't think you are."

"I hope you won't think this presumptuous of me," Donald said as he rummaged in his pocket, "but I've got something I'd like you to have." He pulled a small, tissue-wrapped package out of his pocket and handed it to Buffy. "Happy Christmas, Buffy."

Buffy turned the package over in her fingers several times. At last she looked at Donald quizzically.

"Thanks," She said. "I didn't get you anything. Sorry."

"Go on," Donald urged. "Open it."

With only a moment's hesitation, Buffy did as she was told. Inside the tissue paper, there was a gold cross on a delicate chain.

"It's beautiful. Donald, I can't take this..."

"Yes you can and you will," he told her in no uncertain terms. "I don't know if you're religious, but even if you're not, wear it. It'll do more good than you know."

He patted her shoulder awkwardly and pulled back. Buffy knew their moment was over when Donald deliberately lit a cigarette. For once, she had the grace not to push for more.

"So," she said, "think we should get back there before Giles and Mary think we've abandoned them?"

"It'll do her some good not to be so sure of me," he joked with a small wink.

"As if," Buffy scoffed, rolling her eyes.