Title: Home For The Holidays
Author: Gileswench

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

As she showered, Buffy wondered what Giles had planned for the night. She assumed that his preparations included condoms - after all, she was about to sleep with Mr. Safety - but she had no idea what else he might have decided was necessary for the event. Her mind insisted on revisiting some of the things Spike had liked in bed. Handcuffs. Spanking. Calling Buffy ugly names, and having her do the same to him.

Suddenly, she felt she could never be clean.

Not clean enough to be with Giles.

And there was the tiny part of her brain that wondered if Giles liked any of those things. If he did, she wasn't sure what she would do. She didn't want to do those things anymore. They'd been part of her punishment.

For the first time in a long time, she didn't want to be punished anymore.

Worst of all, every unexpected sound made her jump. That was nothing new. It was what she'd felt every time she was alone in a bathroom since that day.

She kept waiting for Spike to pounce.

By the time she got out of the shower, Buffy's stomach was tied in knots of fear and nervous anticipation. She took some deep, calming breaths as she dried herself off and quickly blowdried her hair. She jumped when she heard a quiet knock on the door.

"Buffy?" came Giles' voice. "Are you almost finished in there?"

"Um, yeah," she said, "almost."

"Would it be all right if I came in?" he asked. "I'd like a shower, too."

Her heart sped and her throat went dry.

"This is Giles," she reminded herself. "This isn't Spike. It'll be okay."

Stopping only to take one last deep breath, Buffy unlocked and opened the door. She looked up with wide, nervous eyes that didn't quite focus on him. Giles' smile at seeing her faded almost immediately into a puzzled, concerned expression.

"Whatever's the matter, Buffy?" he asked. "You look as if I'm going to..." He closed his eyes and furrowed his brow. "Buffy, when Spike attacked you...where were you?"

She looked at the floor and folded her arms around herself.

"The bathroom," she said at last. "I was just about to take a bath."

"Buffy, dearest," Giles breathed, "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize."

He wrapped her in his arms and held her close. At first she held herself rigid, waiting for something bad to happen. After a moment, though, when all that happened was Giles holding her, comforting her, she began to relax. She allowed herself to accept his gentle caresses.

"It's not your fault," she said, her words slightly muffled by his shirtfront. "You didn't know. I feel so stupid, freaking out like that."

Giles pulled back slightly and cupped her cheeks in his large hands.

"There is nothing remotely stupid how you reacted, Buffy," he told her. "You've been badly frightened. It's understandable you'd still be...a bit uneasy."

"But it's been months. And you're not Spike."

Giles didn't answer with words. He just leaned down and kissed her.

"Now," he said, "I desperately need a shower before we do anything. I know you just took one, but if you'd care to join me, you're more than welcome. If you'd rather not, you can wait for me in either the sitting room or the bedroom. It's entirely up to you."

He kissed her softly again and began to unbutton his shirt.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked nervously.

"I just told you," Giles said as he took off his glasses and set them down on the counter. "The only thing that remains to be seen is what you do." He shrugged his shirt off.

Buffy couldn't tear her eyes away from his chest. It wasn't as well defined as those of the other men she'd been with. There was a patch of dark tawny curls across it and she could see the start of another patch peeking over the top of his trousers. She wondered how it would feel to touch his body hair. His hands moved to his belt buckle. Her brain shut down entirely. Giles stopped for a moment.

"Buffy?" he asked. "What do you want to do?"

She looked in his eyes - really looked - for the first time since he'd walked in the door. Suddenly she wondered what she'd been so frightened of. A few butterflies continued their formation flight in her stomach, but the dread was virtually gone. This was Giles, she reminded herself. A half naked Giles, but still Giles. He was alive and breathing, with just a touch of middle aged spread at the waistline. His skin wasn't unblemished, either. Here and there she could see scars and wrinkles and even an occasional gray hair. She took in every flaw with her eyes and knew he was perfect. She knew she was safe.

Her trembling hands made their way to the belt of the robe she wore and undid it. As she slipped the robe from her shoulders, he continued to gaze into her eyes. After a brief moment, his eyes flickered up and down her body. His lips quirked into a tiny smile.

"I take it, then, you're staying?" he asked.

"You take it right," she told him. "Wise ass."

His smile broadened as he leaned down to kiss her again. Buffy placed a hand on his chest to stop him. She looked at him quizzically.

"You...you haven't even looked yet. At me."

"Yes I have," he said. "And I intend looking a good deal more." He held her at arm's length a moment, greedily drinking in the details of her form. She was too thin. The scars at her throat from vampire bites, and lower from close calls made him want to wrap her in cotton wool and take her someplace she'd never be in danger again. His eyes returned to hers. "You're beautiful."

"So are you," she sighed. When she realized what she'd just said, she immediately began to backtrack. "I mean...good looking. In a guy way."

Giles just laughed and held her to his bare chest. One hand cradled the back of her head while the other traveled the length of her back. The combination of his callused fingers and his gentle touch made Buffy shiver. His hand stopped its journey.

"Did you want me to stop?" he asked.

"No," Buffy said. "Don't stop. It's...it's nice. I want it."

"I feel as if I've been waiting years to hear you say that," he breathed.

"I feel like I've been waiting years to say it."

Then he was kissing her again with that combination of fierce passion and incredible tenderness that made both her heart and her knees melt. When he pulled back, her eyes were already beginning to glaze over with desire. Giles smiled slightly at the sight.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Shower. Shall we have one?"

Buffy shook her head to clear it.

"Yeah," she said. "Shower. That'd be good. You know, you're some amazing kisser."

She was surprised when he blushed. Before she could comment on that, he turned and started the taps. He adjusted them slightly, then turned back and calmly dropped his trousers.

"You know, you're also a deeply weird human being," Buffy said.

Giles blinked and raised his eyebrow.

"Deeply what?"

"Weird," Buffy reiterated. "You, with the strangeness. You get all blushy when I say you're a great kisser, but you don't when you take off your pants in front of a woman for the first time."

"I've taken my clothes off in front of women before, Buffy."

"But not in front of me," she protested. "You never took anything off in front of me before but your glasses and your coat. Now all of a sudden you're Exhibitionist Man."

"Now that's a superhero I'd like to see," Giles chuckled. "Exhibitionist Man."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Buffy giggled, "He wears nothing but a see-through cape and he likes to work big events. Like the Superbowl."

"Or the World Cup."

"Or Hullabalooza."

"What on Earth is that?"

"Giant rock concert. What's a World Cup?"

"Giant football match."

"That's what I said: the Superbowl."

"Proper football, Buffy. Not the version you lot play in America. All that protective gear just gets in the way."

Buffy's eyes narrowed.

"You're just lucky I'm not a football fan. Ice skating," she went on, "is my sport of choice."

"How can you call it a sport when half the scoring is determined by how many sequins one wears?"

Buffy just laughed as she got back in the shower. Behind her, she could tell Giles was sliding his boxers off his hips. She couldn't help looking back. She drew in a deep breath at the sight of his bare buttocks and lean, long legs. She bit her lip to stop from whimpering and retreated to the humor that had so often been her friend when she was nervous about something.

"I still say Brian Boitano skating Carmen is a lifechanger," she teased him. "And Tara Lipinski skating Anastasia? To die for."

"If you're looking for a lifechanger, that would be Torville and Dean skating Bolero," Giles said as he stepped into the shower behind her.

Buffy's jaw dropped.

"How do you know about that?" she demanded.

"They were world champions and Olympic champions, and they competed for Great Britain," Giles reminded her. He began to soap himself. "I do know a little of what's gone on in the world since the Bronze Age."

Buffy turned around and took the soap from him. She lathered his chest and arms. It was more an excuse to explore his body than any real concern as to his cleanliness.

"So when we get back to Sunnydale, you won't mind watching Ice Castles with me?"

Giles groaned. It was only partly at the idea of the film. Buffy was, by this time, lathering his belly and he was having some difficulty concentrating on the conversation. His hands moved to her waist to steady himself, and to return her caresses.

"Has there ever been a film about ice skaters that had any artistic merit whatsoever?" he asked. His left hand moved almost involuntarily to her breast and squeezed gently. At her happy sigh, he lifted his hand to touch her cheek. She nuzzled into his palm.

"Probably not," she said cheerfully. "And if Riley had to put up with the ice skating movies, so do you."

Her hands had now found his groin. His penis was growing large and hard as she fondled him with the soap.

"At least I've had practice," Giles gasped. "My father was a huge fan of Sonja Henie."

He decided it was time to stop the fondling unless he wanted his first time with Buffy to be in the shower. Her current edginess in bathrooms aside, there couldn't possibly be enough hot water.

He took the soap back and placed it in the dish so he could rinse off. With a quick kiss, he reached for the shampoo.

"You're kidding," she said. "Even I can't sit through too many of her movies. Is being strange a Giles family trait? I only ask this in case we ever have kids."

Giles froze in his tracks.

"Kids?" he asked. "You...you mean...children...?"

"Breathe, Giles," Buffy instructed. "I was joking. I don't think motherhood is exactly in the cards for a Slayer."

"Not as a rule, no," he agreed. "But then again, you've never been much of one for following rules. Just please warn me in advance if you ever do want to...to try it."

He lathered his hair even as he glared at Buffy. She burst into laughter.

"Okay, there is no way I'm ever caving in to that look again," she gasped between giggles.

To her continued surprise, Giles pulled her into a close embrace for a brief moment. Suddenly, he was pushing her away.