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Buffy huffed in exasperation as the front door of the Magic Shop opened easily. The welcome bell jingled as she gritted her teeth and vowed silently to make Mister I'm-Not-Worried-For-My-Own-Safety regret his lack of attention to locks.
She stomped into the room, stopping short as she surveyed the scene. Giles wasn't alone. Willow and Xander were sitting with him around the Tarot table; the three of them slumped bonelessly in their chairs. She stared at the exhausted trio, trying not to lose her ire at Giles' carelessness. The man in question barely raised his head from the back of the chair as he said weakly, "Hello, Buffy. You should have checked in hours ago."
"You should have locked the front door when you closed up."
Xander took a deep breath and wheezed, "I don't think any of us had the energy, Buff. We're beat."
Giles opened his mouth, realized at once that he wasn't going to win the point, and pointed limply to a chair next to him. Buffy plopped down, still miffed, but concerned about her Watcher. She gave him an appraising glance. "Why are you all so noodle-y?"
"Not all of us are noodle-y," Anya commented from behind the counter as she counted money. She seemed fresh and energetic, unlike her boyfriend. "I'm doing inventory. We're out of crystal balls."
Buffy looked taken aback. "We??"
Xander rolled his head in Buffy's general direction. "Anya's working for Giles now. She's some kind of financial genius."
"Not only that, but she can wrap a purchase faster than you can say, 'I'm an ex-vengeance demon,'" Willow added.
Xander caught Anya's eye and grinned broadly. "That's my girl."
Anya beamed at Xander's praise. She closed the register with a satisfied clang and deposited the day's take in a zippered bank bag. "There! You have to take this to the bank tomorrow, Giles. It isn't safe here. Someone could come in and steal your money, and I've worked too hard for that to happen."
"First thing in the morning, Anya, I promise."
"Good."
Buffy stared blankly at Anya for a few seconds, and then turned her gaze to Giles. "You hired someone the first day? And it wasn't me?"
"Oooo. I detect a note of jealousy, Buff. You might have been under consideration if you'd been here for the rush," Willow stated, pointing a shaky finger at her best friend.
"I would've, but Mom was sick, and there was Slayer business to do."
Giles managed to smile comfortingly. "I know you would have been here if you could. How is your mother feeling?"
"About the same. I have to talk to you later about that."
Giles sat up with a loud sigh. "All right. Did you find out anything about the Dagon Sphere?"
"Um. yeah, and I need to talk to you about that, too." She ignored the stares from the other tired people around the table.
Giles' voice turned from tired to serious. "You found something? Then why."
"Giles." Buffy's voice was bordering on desperate. ".later, okay? I'm not really sure of everything myself, but I need your input before I share with the class."
He looked into her eyes for a long moment, reading her nervousness and discomfort. So, this was both dangerous and personal, and that was a frightening combination. "Whatever you say, Buffy." He stood, his body language clearly dismissing the others. "I think we all should get a good night's sleep. You all were a tremendous help to me today, and I thank you."
Anya moved to Xander's side and took his arm. "You hired me to work. That would seem to indicate you want me to come back. When do I have to be here? Whenever it is, it's too early, the hours are too long, you're not paying me enough, and I don't do windows." She smiled at the group's shocked expressions. "I'm learning to be assertive in the workplace already."
Giles smiled tolerantly. "This morning wasn't very busy. Would two o'clock tomorrow be suitable for you?"
The wheels turned in the girl's mind for a bit, and she nodded happily. "We have a deal." She stuck her hand out awkwardly, and Giles shook it with a straight face. "Now, goodbye. Xander, we're going home to bed."
Xander's eyes brightened and he turned and gave his friends a quick wave. "Bye." They were out the door before anyone could add their comments.
Willow shook her head. "Giles, you're a brave man."
He nodded ruefully. "Or a foolish one."
"Seeing Anya in action today, I don't think so. She was amazing."
Giles closed his eyes and rubbed his neck. "She truly was. I have the makings of a first-rate assistant there, I do believe. She's not easily intimidated, she knows the merchandise, and she has a mind like an adding machine."
"Calculator."
He turned to look at Buffy, taking in her almost invisible pout. "Beg pardon?"
"You said adding machine. We call them calculators now, oh Ancient One."
Willow suppressed a giggle. "Um, hey, Giles, I'm gonna go. Tara's probably waiting up." She pulled herself to her feet with a groan and hobbled towards the door. "'Night, Buffy."
"'Night, Will."
Buffy waited until Willow was out of sight, then dashed to the front and threw the deadbolt with a flourish. Giles followed slowly, fatigue obvious in his movements. She spent a few seconds looking around the doorway before turning to him. "I wish you'd kept that alarm system I got you."
"Buffy, a cackling, electronic voice intoning 'double, double, toil and trouble' every time someone opened the door was just too much, even for me."
Buffy gave him a slight smile. "I coulda set it to croak like a frog or bark like a dog."
"Either of those would be equally appalling."
"Giles," she wheedled shamelessly, slinking up to him and stroking his lapel. "You need. *we* need. to know when someone comes in here. You know. if we're, um. preoccupied. In the back."
He reached above her and tapped the new bell, which rang merrily. "The bell is quite sufficient."
"Yeah, maybe most of the time, but when we're training." She ran a finger along the placard of his shirt, tantalizing the skin beneath. ".you know things sometimes get loud, what with all the swords clanging, crossbows twanging, and quarter staves smacking." She popped his top shirt button open, grinning at his sharp intake of breath. "It might not be loud enough." She rose on tiptoe and kissed the skin she'd exposed.
Suddenly, Giles decided he didn't want to be tired any more. He pulled her against him with a growl, fastening his lips to hers without preamble. Exhaustion turned to something that fed strength into his limbs and made his heart race madly. The room fell silent except for the occasional moan and the rustle of clothing.
Buffy tore herself away from him when the lights from a passing car reminded her that they could be seen through the shop windows. "Giles. Rupert. we need to get off the showroom floor if we're gonna keep this up."
"Oh. right. you're quite right." He took her hand and led her to the training room, breathing heavily. Once they were inside, he pushed her against the door to close it, and continued attacking her with his lips and hands. She reciprocated with equal enthusiasm, unseating his glasses as she ran her fingers through his soft hair.
It was his turn to break for air, and he rested his forehead against hers while he gathered the shreds of his control. She turned her face up until she was looking straight into his eyes. She smiled at his passion-glazed expression.
"Hi," she said.
"Buffy. Oh God, I love you."
"Rupert."
He silenced her with yet another passionate kiss. He reigned in his enthusiasm, and the kisses went from demanding to soft and loving. Instead of holding her against the door, he turned slowly, not releasing her lips as he moved. He moved her towards the narrow staircase, wishing he could simply carry her to the next floor. Her small hand moved willingly into his as he released her lips and smiled down at her.
"Come upstairs with me?" His voice was soft and full of longing, but she knew if she refused, he would respect her wishes.
"Are you fully furnished now? I remember a lot of bare floor in a certain room."
"Oh, I've been busy, love. All the comforts of home."
She smiled warily. "I'll believe it when I see it."
She hesitated at the first step, and he immediately turned back to her, concern on his face. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "It's okay, but I do need to talk to you about stuff."
"Then, come upstairs and let's get comfortable. We can talk all you want."
"I wanna do more than talk, Mister Giles." She pulled his hand to her lips and kissed his fingers sweetly.
"So do I, Love."
********
Late that night, the telephone at the Magic Box rang, disturbing the sleeping occupants of the upstairs apartment.
Buffy groaned, "You gotta get an extension up here."
"I know, I know. there hasn't been time."
The phone rang again, echoing through the empty shop.
"Giles. let it ring." Buffy snuggled closer, not willing to give up his warmth.
"There could be trouble."
"It's probably some punk kid calling numbers at random and saying, 'Is your refrigerator running?'"
"Why on earth would someone say that?"
Buffy groaned and pulled the covers over her head. Giles found a pair of jeans, then fished around for his shirt and slid it on, not bothering to button up. He dashed down the stairs, taking them two at a time, and caught the phone on the fifth ring. "Hello?" he panted.
"Mister Giles?"
Giles was instantly at alert. "Joyce? What's wrong?"
"Mister Giles, is Buffy there?" The woman's voice sounded disjointed and weak.
"Yes, she's here. What's wrong? Are you ill?" He leaned back and called his lover's name loudly. He knew she'd be down in seconds.
"I need to talk to Buffy."
"Joyce, please try and tell me what's wrong." Buffy ran to his side, dressed in one of his shirts. He put his hand over the receiver and said, "It's your mother, and she sounds distressed."
Buffy grabbed the phone. "Mom? What is it?"
"Buffy? It's all so strange."
"What's strange? Mom, you're not making any sense." Something tugged at her awareness. "Mom, are you okay? Where's Dawn?"
"That's just it, honey. I don't know. I went into her room. it keeps changing."
"Oh, God." Quick tears sprang into Buffy's eyes. She'd hoped the illusion would hold. "Mom, listen to me. You need to find Dawn and keep her there until I get home, okay?"
"I don't know where she is."
"You'll find her, just keep looking around the house. It'll be okay, Mom. Giles is coming with me."
"Okay, honey. Maybe he'll know why my pictures keep changing."
"I'm sure he will. You find Dawn and stay inside the house, okay?"
"Okay. Hurry."
"I will. Bye." She hung up, her eyes huge.
Giles pulled her into a comforting embrace and rested his head against her hair. "What you told me earlier. about The Key."
"Yeah. Somehow, the illusion is breaking up. That may be what's wrong with Mom."
"I have several good books on group trances and alternate realities. I'll get them."
"Good." She looked down at herself. "I better change. This looks mighty suspicious."
He thought she looked marvelous, and told her so.
********
The trip to the Summers' home took ten minutes. Buffy fielded questions from Giles and asked a few of her own. When they pulled into the driveway, Giles grabbed his briefcase full of ancient writings and followed Buffy into the house.
Giles had never seen Joyce looking so frightened. "Oh, thank God you're here. she keeps disappearing." She pointed to the sofa, where Dawn was sitting with her arms wrapped around herself.
The slender teen was shifting from solid to nearly transparent. Her face was bewildered. and equally as scared as Joyce's. "What's happening to me?"
"I don't know for sure, yet, but we're gonna find out, okay?" Buffy knelt to stroke the girl's dark hair, and gasped as her fingers passed through it instead.
"Dear Lord." Giles plopped down in the nearest chair and began pulling books out of his valise.
Buffy's eyes filled with sympathetic tears. She asked the younger girl softly, "Does it hurt, Munchkin?"
Dawn was too preoccupied to react to the hated pet name. "No, but it feels really weird."
"Giles'll find something. He always does."
"Aha!" Giles sat up suddenly, holding a finger in the book he'd been perusing. "The Sphere!"
"That Dragon Ball Z thing?"
"The Dagon Sphere, yes. It is a talisman of protection. It may be what we need."
"It's back at the store!"
"I'll go and get it." He stood, a triumphant look on his face. "It may not be a cure, but it will give us time to find one."
Buffy followed him to the door, hoping her mother would stay in the living room and out of sight. "Do you think the sphere-thing will help?"
He turned to her and smiled reassuringly. "I believe it will, Buffy. I won 't be long."
She leaned closer and whispered, "Sorta ruined our nice, quiet night, didn't it?"
He touched her arm and said softly, "No. I've already had more happiness than I deserve."
She gave him an exasperated glare. "Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Put yourself down like that. If you were that bad, I wouldn't be in love with you."
His eyes softened with gratitude. He wanted to sweep her up into his arms and hold her close, but the presence of the two people in the next room made it impossible. He settled for a quick kiss on the forehead. "I love you, sweet Buffy."
Her heart melted into her shoes. She didn't respond right away, couldn't respond for the emotion choking her throat. Finally, she said regretfully, "I better stay here tonight, just in case."
Nodding, he opened the door before turning back to her. "It's all right. You're needed here."
Her heart in her eyes, she said softly, "So are you. Hurry back. Bye."
She closed the door gently and went back into the living room. Joyce's caught a fleeting glimpse of the expression on her daughter's face, and she felt a pang of worry and surprise. Buffy returned to her place on the opposite side of Dawn and continued stroking the girl's hair, deliberately ignoring the moments when there was nothing substantial to touch.
********
An hour later, with the mysterious orb safely installed in Dawn's room, the two elder Summers women stood and watched the exhausted teen sleep. They turned as one and started down the hall, Buffy stopping at her mother's room for a goodnight kiss.
"Do you need anything, honey? That cut on your head looks bad."
"I'm fine, Mom. It'll be gone in the morning. Get some sleep."
Buffy moved towards her room, stopping when Joyce said, "Um. honey, can I ask you something serious?"
"Now? It's almost three in the morning." Buffy turned, noting her mother's drawn face. "But I'm used to it. Sure, ask away."
They entered Buffy's old room and sat on the small bed. Buffy tossed her hair back casually, wondering what her mom felt was so urgent. "So, what's the seriousness?"
"I was wondering about. this may sound silly, and if I'm wrong, it probably will."
"Mom, what?"
Joyce took a deep breath and blurted, "What's going on with you and Mr. Giles?"
Buffy stared at her for a moment, then forced her face to remain blank as she replied, "Well, I told you I asked him to be my Watcher again, right?"
"Yes, you did."
"Well, we're getting back into training, and he even converted the back of his store into a gym for me. I thought that was sweet. I've been going there a lot this week."
"And that's not exactly what I meant."
"Okay, I'm not really sure what you meant." Buffy laughed nervously.
Joyce reached over and brushed the hair back from Buffy's neck. "This sorta validates my question." She traced the still-livid bruise on her daughter's neck. "I don't think you got that fighting vampires."
Buffy flushed. Shot down by a hickey! "I'm. well, I wasn't really ready to talk about that, but we're. uh, sorta. more than sorta. together."
"What about Riley?" Joyce pulled the hair back over Buffy's shoulder and smoothed it. "Does he know?"
Buffy closed her eyes. Saying it was hard. harder than she'd imagined. "He probably doesn't. I mean he knows we're over, but not the why. Actually, I 'm not sure of all of the why. He's just not the same Riley anymore." She smiled sadly and opened her eyes. "I'm not the same Buffy, either. I wasn' t looking for something else, really, I wasn't. it just."
".happened. I know how that is. Unfortunately, I was on the receiving end of the 'looking for something else' business. I hope you weren't cruel."
"I tried not to be. He's so caught up in the whole 'I'm just a regular Joe now' that he's forgotten about the people around him. He won't go to his former Initiative buddies, and I wanted to be there for him, but he didn't want me around, either. He just doesn't know me any more. He doesn't even want to. And, then. there's Giles..."
Joyce tilted her head and gave her daughter a thorough visual examination. ".who knows you better than anyone, even your poor deluded Mom?"
Buffy snorted at that. "You're fishing, now. I just mean. Giles is so. I don't know. I'm his whole life, his reason for being here. He's completely devoted to me. He just. accepts me. That's kinda hard to compete with, y' know?"
"I know it is. You've told me how he feels about you, but you haven't told me how you feel about him."
Buffy stared at the carpet for a few seconds, trying to bring clarity to the turmoil in her head. "I. well, I love him. I always did, I think, but this is different. We can just be sitting on the couch reading moldy old books, with just our shoulders touching, and it's so. peaceful. He makes me happy, just by being there. When I'm with him, I can relax and be Buffy."
"He's older than I am." Joyce tried not to sound judgmental, but failed.
"I know. I think that's why I fought this for so long. I mean, I felt like a. what do you call young girls who go after rich older guys?"
"Smart?" Joyce smiled innocently.
"Oh, ha, ha. I was thinking of something derogatory. But he's not rich. He's not exactly poor, either. he bought that store after being off work for a year! And a new car, too. Cash. He does pretty well, although he doesn' t live like it. It doesn't matter to me, anyway."
"Most likely, all the teachers got a pretty hefty severance package when the school blew up, and you said once he's done some consulting."
"Mom, I'm way too tired to talk about Giles' finances right now."
Joyce sighed heavily. "And I'm too tired to give you the 'be sure you know what you're doing' lecture. I'll save it for tomorrow."
"Good." She gave her mother another kiss on the cheek, followed by a hug that brought tears to both of their eyes.
As Joyce rose to leave the room, Buffy asked, "How did you know about me and Giles? Before the hickey, I mean. We were careful."
Joyce smiled a slightly saucy smile. "Both of my daughters are transparent from time to time."
Buffy groaned. "That was a terrible joke."
"Good night, Buffy. Sweet dreams."
As soon as she heard her mother's door close, Buffy grabbed the extension and dialed. She waited through several rings, counting the seconds in her head until a familiar, weary voice answered, mumbling something that resembled a greeting.
"I just wanted to tell you Mom knows and I really, really, love you. Now you can go back to bed."
"B-b-buffy?"
"You better hope so, 'cause you're gonna be in big trouble if there are other women calling you up at three in the morning and telling you that."
He started chuckling, still overwhelmed. "Just the one, I promise."
"Good. 'Night, Rupert."
"Goodnight, my love."
The End