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"I'm sorry, Giles. Me moving home sorta cramped our style, didn't it?"
"No, no, it's all right. All for the best, really. I don't mind."
"I hear a distinct echo of 'poor little me' in there, Mister. I'm suffering, too, y'know!"
"I'm sure you are, Love, but you have your mother and sister there with you, and I'm here all alone, with only desiccated monkey heads and pastel-dyed rabbit's feet to keep me company."
Buffy giggled at his piteous tone. "You poor baby!"
"I suppose it can't be helped. It's my lot in life."
"What happened to, 'I've already had more happiness than I deserve'?"
"A certain young lady told me, and quite firmly, to 'stop that', and I did. How do you like the new me?"
They both chuckled heartily. Even though he wasn't with her, his voice could still comfort her like nothing else. On the nights they couldn't be together, she made it a point to call him before she went to bed. Just hearing his voice made her sleep better.
She rolled over on her back, enjoying the familiar feel of her own bed again. She pictured him in his silk boxers and robe, and growled sensuously. "You're kinda spoiled, Rupert Giles."
"If I am, 'tis you who did the spoiling, Buffy Summers."
"Just get ready for some more spoiling Friday night, then, buddy, because I' m gonna spoil you to within an inch of your life."
The happy hum on the other end told her he was amenable to that idea.
A knock at her bedroom door made her look up. "Hey, I gotta go. See you after school?"
"You know where to find me." His voice was amused, but she could hear the longing underneath.
"I do, indeed, Mister Magic Shop Owner. Sleep tight. I love you."
She heard his voice catch as he echoed her last three words. The connection went dead, and she called out softly, "It's okay, you can come in."
The door opened slightly, and Joyce peered in, fatigue and pain clear on her face. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Nah, I'm all done. Just checking up on Giles. He hired Anya to work for him, and I wanted to make sure he was still sane."
Joyce laughed quietly. "Anya certainly seems to be good for Xander. He deserves that."
"Yep, he sure does. He's been through a lot of. . . stuff. Is Dawn asleep?"
"Yes. That crystal ball is working wonders."
"It's not exactly a crystal ball, but I'm glad it's working. Giles thought it would, and he's usually right about mystical stuff."
Joyce's smile was forced. She still wasn't happy with Buffy's new relationship, but she couldn't deny that her daughter was acting like a girl in love. "Um. . . did he happen to mention why this. . . problem. . . started with Dawn?"
Buffy launched into their carefully crafted explanation. . . just enough truth to be plausible, but with no mention of Dawn's real origins. They'd agreed to keep her supernatural creation a secret. "He has theories. Someone, maybe that new wacko chick I ran into the other night, could've tried to cast a spell on me, and because I'm the Slayer, it sorta. . . bounced off and hit Dawn. Except she wasn't the target, so it didn't work all the way, which is a good thing. Or, it could've been a spell to try and get to me through my family. . ." She stopped at Joyce's concerned expression. "I didn't mean. . . I don't think. . . I'm sure the headaches are just migraines."
"Buffy, I know you think I'm clueless old Mom, but I can put two and two together at least twice a month and come up with four. I've considered the fact that one, or both, of us might be used get to you."
Buffy said swiftly, "But I don't think you're even involved, really. I. . . we. . . um, well there was this trance thingy that was supposed to show if you were under an evil spell, and when I looked at you, there was nothing there. I mean, you were there, but the evil wasn't. You were clean, evil-wise."
Joyce looked down at her hands, clasped tightly on her lap. "Buffy, we have to face it. . . these headaches could be symptoms of something serious."
"No way, Mom! Once they figure out what medicine to give you, you'll be good as new. I'm sure of it!"
"You're so optimistic, honey, but illness is something even a Slayer can't fight."
Buffy's eyes began to well up with tears, and she shook her head stubbornly. "No, I refuse to think that way! You're gonna be fine!"
"I agree with you on principle, kiddo." Joyce gave her daughter a gentle kiss on the forehead. "But I'm not gonna be fine if I don't get some sleep. You need some, too, Slayer or not. You have classes tomorrow."
"I know. I'm ready for beddie right now. Night, Mom."
Joyce was almost out the door when Buffy said in a tiny, childlike voice, "I love you, Mommy."
Without looking around, she smiled through her tears. "Love you back, Buffy baby."
Buffy decided with a sniff that she needed to call Giles again.
********
The welcome bell rang as Buffy let herself into the store. She was beginning to like the place. It reminded her of the old library. The scents were similar. . . sage, rosemary, dust, leather, and knowledge. She was sure knowledge had a scent all its own.
Just as she was about to call his name, she spotted Giles in the front display area helping three young, giggling girls. They were picking through a bin of herbs, holding each one up for his inspection. His polite, shop owner smile only seemed to fuel their flirting. He seemed oblivious.
Buffy immediately saw green, but she stifled her impulse to rush over and get between her man and the trio's grabby hands. The boldest of the three raised a hand and stroked his arm, probably saying something about the 'nice material' of his jacket. His sudden blush told her he'd recognized what was going on.
Instead of getting madder, she started chuckling in sympathy. He was probably horrified. the girl couldn't have been over 16. 'I was *never* that bold when I was 16. Heck, I wasn't *that* bold when I was 19, which I still am.' She strolled over to Anya, who was firmly entrenched in her spot behind the cash register. Giles had told Buffy about Anya's refusal to do anything but take people's money, and she thought it was hilarious.
"Hey, Anya, did you have a good night tonight?"
"Yes! Very good! We unloaded some really overpriced talismans, not to mention that ugly carved spirit mask. I would've given the mask away, if it had been my decision. But, a man actually gave us money for it, and Giles seemed pleased. I probably should ask for a raise while he's in a good mood."
Buffy grinned slightly, fighting her urge to laugh in the other girl's face. "I think you should at least wait until you get your first paycheck before you do that."
Anya considered that recommendation carefully. "You're right. I shouldn't appear too eager."
"I'd run it by Xander, too, just so it won't be a surprise." It was better to let Xander explain the facts of working life to his girlfriend!
Anya nodded happily, then waved Buffy aside for a paying customer. Buffy turned and recognized two of the girls that had Giles cornered earlier. She looked around for the third, and saw her slowly backing the Englishman up against the display case. He looked completely flummoxed, but was still trying to be politely professional. Buffy decided to give him a hand.
She sauntered around the little hussy, smiling. The moment he saw her, Giles' face broadcast his relief and happiness. She slid an arm around him and leaned up for a kiss. He hesitated for only a second before providing one, and a thorough one, at that. He followed it by several shorter, but equally affectionate kisses, causing the wanna-be-seductress to give them a wide-eyed stare.
Buffy hummed happily and broke away enough to say, "Hi, sweetie. Hard day at work?"
"Not bad. Hard day at college, Love?"
"Not bad," she echoed, grinning from ear to ear. "Day's getting better all the time, though."
"Yes, it certainly is. Um. . . Buffy, this is. . . I'm sorry, what was your name?"
The hussy knew when she'd been blown off the map. "Sharlene. Nice to meet you, Buffy. . . Well. . . thanks for explaining about the herbs, Mister Giles."
"My pleasure, of course. Thank you for shopping with us." He gave her a sincere smile, and Buffy felt sorry for the girl. She knew first hand the power of that smile. When given with full force, it was capable of melting female hearts at twenty paces.
Sharlene began to stammer, backing toward the door. "Uh. . . S-sure. Uh, I g-gotta go. . . my friends are leaving. . . bye."
The girl made a beeline for the exit, leaving Giles and Buffy gazing at each other in relief. He gave a loud sigh, separating slightly but still exuding togetherness. They turned to go back to the register, but before they could take a step, they were faced with three very surprised friends. Anya was ignoring the whole scene, busy with counting her latest take.
Buffy gave Xander, Willow and Tara a half-hearted wave and bleated, "Hi, guys! When did you get here?"
********
Buffy squirmed uncomfortably. The gang had marched her into the back and pulled her into a chair in the center of the room, surrounding her with stern faces. All that was missing was an interrogation lamp and the veil of darkness and they had a scene from 'The Untouchables.'
Arms crossed, Xander started the questioning. "Sooooooo. something you wanna tell us, Buff?"
Willow backhanded him across the chest. "Is that the best you can do, Xander? What happened to 'Let me handle this, Willow, I remember basic training!'"
Tara giggled, which earned her a scowl from the only guy in the room.
"Hey! That hurt! Ego and chest-wise both! If you can do better, *you* ask one!"
"Okay, I will!"
Willow focused her 'resolve face' on Buffy, who wilted before the redhead could say a word. "Willow, stop it! If you wanna know something, ask! Just don't look at me with that tone of voice!"
Willow relaxed slightly. "Buffy, we're not mad. . ."
Xander poked her. "We are so!"
"No, we're not! Not exactly, we're more. . ."
"Shocked? Surprised?" Tara offered softly.
"Well, yeah! Kinda, I mean. Not that we haven't seen the body language going on, but you were with Riley, so we. . ."
"Body language?" Buffy interrupted.
"Well, yeah. . ."
"I don't remember any body language! There was body language?"
"Well. . . yeah! You're like 'in the zone' when you're together, even when you're not talking."
"Body language." Buffy's voice dropped to a soft murmur.
"I'm surprised there wasn't static electricity jumping between you two sometimes, but that's not the point. The point is. . ."
"How long?"
"Buffy! I can't interrogate you if you keep interrupting! How long what?"
"The body language. How long have you noticed?"
Willow looked blankly at Xander. He shrugged. She turned back to Buffy, frowning. "I don't know! Months. . . maybe even years."
Tara nodded in agreement. "It was there when I started coming around."
Willow pointed at Tara triumphantly. "Ah! See? It was there. Even Tara noticed. We all just learned to ignore it."
"Years?" Buffy heard the front bell, letting her know Giles was finished with his customer. She had to get things cleared up before the gang turned on him.
"Could be years," Willow conceded. "But that's not what we wanna know! We wanna know how long this has been going on! You! Giles! Lips! Smoochies! Hands! All that!" She waved her hands expressively as Xander and Tara nodded in agreement.
Buffy smiled as her new lover came through the doorway. The look on her face said plainly, 'There's the one I love.' She answered Willow's question the only way she could. "How long? Months. . . maybe even years."
Willow scowled at her best friend. "Using my own words against me? That's not fair!"
"Everything all right?" Giles' soft voice broke the tension in the room. The interrogation ceased, and the gang parted to allow him to join the circle. This was Giles, after all, not some stranger off the street. Buffy watched, amused, as her friends responded to him with warm, if slightly confused smiles.
His eyes searched hers. She read the unspoken question behind them, and reached out. He moved to her side instantly, capturing her hand with his much larger one.
"It's okay, Rupert."
He relaxed with a sigh. "Oh, good."
Xander wagged a finger at the older man. "Don't think you're gonna get off scott-free, buster. You and me are gonna have a little talk about this, and soon."
"Oh, not so good," Giles complained mildly.
Tara giggled again. "Congratulations, Mister Giles. I always thought you were too nice to be alone."
Giles favored her with one of his rare, genuine smiles. "Thank you, Tara. That's very kind of you."
The girl beamed. Buffy marveled to herself once again at his ability to put people at ease when he was at ease himself.
Xander still wasn't quite ready to let the subject go. "Um, Buffy, I really am glad, and all, but I have to ask, because there was a guy solidarity forming there, before all this. . . what about Riley?"
Buffy sighed unhappily at the mention of his name. "Did you see him at Tara 's birthday party, Xand?"
"No, was he there?"
"Yeah. Drunk. Slobbering. Almost begging for another chance, giving the evil eye to any guy that even walked by me. Graham came in with a couple of the guys and got him. Before they left, he said Riley's been like that for weeks."
Giles' eyebrows shot up. "You didn't tell me he was there."
She gave him a stare. "Duh, Giles. I wanted him to live. I was going to tell you later that night, but. . ."
He thought about the events that occurred just after they left the Bronze, and smiled suddenly. "Oh."
It was obviously a juicy memory, judging by the goofy grins on the two lovers' faces. Xander shivered. Willow and Tara sighed.
"I didn't know about the drinking," Buffy continued. "And fighting. There were bar fights. Some of it was before we broke up. . . before they did that operation-thing on him. He was like he was before, when he stopped taking the Initiative drugs." She gazed up at Giles, her eyes pleading and sincere. "If I had known, I would've tried to talk to him, just to help him deal. I didn't want there to be bad feelings."
"I would've agreed. Reluctantly, perhaps, but you are a compassionate person, and I would've supported you."
She gave him a grateful smile, and they drifted off together, lost in each other's eyes until Xander cleared his throat pointedly.
"Now is obviously not the time for the man-to-man talk we're gonna have, Giles, so I think I'll go get some dinner. An, you coming?"
Anya nodded, then thought of something and turned to Giles. "Boss, may I have an hour off for dinner?"
He smiled and nodded, and she danced away, hand firmly in Xander's. Giles turned to the two young witches, giving them a warm look. "And you two. You're fine with our relationship?"
Tara nodded, smiling gently. "It's. . . it's good."
"Way good. I'm so happy for you!" Willow hugged both of them in turn, blushing a little when she pulled away from Giles. Her schoolgirl crush was still a powerful memory in her mind, but she loved Giles for entirely different reasons now. "We're gonna go study now, so you two behave, okay?"
"Not promising anything!" Buffy called as Willow and Tara left. She turned to Giles and hugged him, relishing the feel of his arms around her. He started to pull away, but she refused to let him go. "No moving, just holding," she murmured into his shirtfront.
"As you wish." He tightened his arms around her and held her while contentment seeped into every pore. They stood there until the jangle of the welcome bell broke the quiet moment.
"I think I hate that bell." She let him go with a quick kiss.
"You have to admit, it can be heard quite plainly back here."
"You still need an alarm system."
He gave a snort and started for the front, pausing to check his appearance in the floor-length mirror Buffy had placed on the back of the door.
"No priming necessary, Rupert. You already look good enough to eat."
"Thank you, but I need to look good enough to sell."
She giggled and followed him out, stopping to look at the sale racks at the back of the store.
She was leafing through a spell book, mostly looking at the pictures, when one of them caught her eye. It was a ghostly dog, teeth bared, appearing out of nothing to defend a frightened little girl. The spell was called "Invisible Protection". But it wasn't the spell itself that started the wheels turning in her head.
It was the dog.
She thought back to her high school days. Snippets of a long-ago conversation with Willow came to mind, during their hunt for the werewolf that turned out to be Oz. . .
"He needs to get a pet."
A pet!
A protector!
An early warning system with legs!
Buffy smiled.
********
"Don't touch that blindfold, Mister, or you're gonna be in sooo much trouble!" Buffy smiled at the sight of her very proper Watcher standing awkwardly in the middle of the Summers' dining room, an uncertain look on his face. Buffy had been strangely secretive for over a week, and he was wondering just what he'd gotten himself into.
Giles held his hands out in front of him, searching for something to steady himself against. "You're trying to get revenge on me for using this as a training method, aren't you?"
She giggled. "No, silly. I have something for you. Consider it an early Christmas present!" She could barely contain her nervousness. what if he hated her idea? What if he wasn't an animal person? What would she do with it if he didn't want it? She could just see herself begging her Mom to keep it. . . that never worked when she was a kid, and she doubted it would work now. The only reason it was allowed in the Summers' house the past few days was Buffy's firm promise that Giles would be the primary care-giver.
Dawn came in carrying the tiny black and tan puppy, her eyes shining. Buffy put a finger to her lips and motioned her to stand in front of Giles. The puppy, seeing a new person to play with, immediately started trying to get down. Before he started whining, Buffy whipped Giles' blindfold away, and stepped back to see what would happen.
"Merry Christmas, Mister Giles!" Dawn cried proudly, and held out the wiggling animal to him.
"Wha. . . what on earth?" He stared at it for a moment, dumbfounded, then automatically reached for the tiny thing. He was instantly bathed in happy puppy kisses, and he began to smile.
"Good Lord, Buffy, you've gotten me a dog!"
"Told ya he was the smartest man in Sunnydale, Munchkin," Buffy said matter-of-factly to her sister. "You hand him a dog, and he recognizes it immediately!"
"Yes, well, I. . ." He chuckled as the puppy struggled to lick his face. ". . . how on earth did you know. . .?"
Dawn offered, "He's a Doberman. Full blood. We have papers somewhere."
Buffy added with an amused scowl, "We have papers *everywhere*!!"
Giles laughed again and held the chubby pup back for a better view. "He's beautiful." His voice was soft and full of wonder. "I can't believe it."
Buffy moved to his side to pet the dog. "So, I did good?"
He held the dog against his chest and pulled her close. "You did very good, Love."
"I helped," Dawn insisted, and Giles favored her with a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Dawn."
The girl smiled. "Buffy doesn't even know how to take care of a puppy. I read stuff, so I know all about it. If you need to know anything, just call me."
Buffy snorted, but Giles acknowledged her statements seriously. "If I have any questions, I will certainly call."
They took the still nameless puppy out to the back yard and watched him run and play. Giles sat on the deck steps, admiring the animal's clean lines. He was definitely a fine specimen.
"What are you gonna call him?"
Giles looked back at Dawn, surprised. "I hadn't even thought that far ahead. Something appropriate for my current occupation, I suppose."
"Name him something tough. He's gonna protect you and the shop when he grows up," Buffy suggested.
"I think you should call him Augustus," Dawn offered.
Buffy looked at her sister with horror. "That's an awful name. Wasn't there a dictator by that name?"
"He was one of the Caesars. Actually, two of them." Giles began, but was interrupted by sibling rivalry.
"What's wrong with Augustus? You could call him Gus for short," Dawn challenged.
Buffy shot back, "I could name him Alphonso and call him Alf, too, but that' s just as awful!"
"You're not naming him! Giles is! What do *you* wanna call him, Mister Giles?"
The puppy paused in his enthusiastic circuit of the yard and attached himself to Giles' shoe, attacking it with youthful fervor.
"Ouch! I should call him Destroyer, because that's what he will do to my shoes. stop that, dog! No!"
To Giles' surprise, the puppy immediately stopped chewing his shoelace and plopped into a gangly sitting position. His expectant little face, with its lolling tongue, caused them all to laugh.
"He's a quick one, this fellow." He gave the pup an affectionate pat. "Come here." He patted his leg, and the puppy jumped to Giles' side.
Dawn stared at the man in wonder. "Wow! That's just amazing! The dog books said it would be a lot harder that that!" She watched in amazement as Giles pulled the pup into his lap. It curled up happily, spent from its frolic. In seconds, it was asleep.
"Looks like you've got a friend, Rupert," Buffy said softly, leaning against him to stroke the pup's shiny black coat.
"I've got more than one." He leaned down and gave her a grateful kiss.
"Eww, PDA," Dawn complained. They ignored her, continuing to smooch gently. Finally, the youngster had had enough. "You guys are grossing me out. I'm gonna go watch TV."
She stomped towards the back door, stopping when she heard Giles say her name.
"I think I shall take your suggestion. Caesar Augustus it is."
She whirled and beamed at him. "You really like it?"
"Both the first and the last of the Roman Emperors were called Augustus. It 's quite a kingly title."
"Thanks, Mister Giles."
"And you may come and visit him as often as you like, within reason."
"Oh, wow, thanks!" She practically bounced into the house, grinning widely.
Buffy gave Giles an amused grin. "Suck up," she accused.
He laughed and kissed her again. "Caesar Augustus is mentioned in the Christmas story, remember? 'And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. . .' Since Gus is an 'early Christmas present', I think the name's appropriate."
Buffy shook her head in amazement. "You can quote the Bible, too? You are too smart to live."
He smiled smugly. "Did you know that Augustus' real name was Octavian?"
"Smarty. Don't even *think* of adding that to his name. He's just a poor defenseless puppy!"
Giles looked down at his new companion. "Not for long, I'll warrant."
"Gus." Buffy tried the name out thoughtfully. "I guess it doesn't sound too bad."
Giles chuckled softly. "I love you. I love my present. You constantly astonish me."
"You must've really wanted a dog. . . I've never seen you react so strongly to a present."
His eyes took on a faraway look. "I was a countryside lad, always surrounded by animals. Dogs, horses, cattle, cats. and the wildlife were plentiful, as well. When I first arrived in the States, I was so busy acclimating myself and building a relationship with you that I forgot how much I missed having them underfoot. . . until last year."
"When I started ignoring you?" Her voice was sad and regretful.
"When I was unemployed, both in calling and career. I thought of going out and getting a pet, but I never followed through." He put a gentle hand on the puppy's back, watching his skin twitch in response before Gus settled back into slumber. "Now I have it all back. a job, my Slayer, friends, and a proper dog."
"What's a 'proper' dog?"
Giles laughed self-consciously. "One of my father's expressions. A 'proper ' dog was one that was big enough to hold his own against the various foxes, badgers, and other wild creatures that lived around our farm. Mother had small dogs in the house, but they were never 'proper' dogs. He loved Alsatians and Dobermans, consequently I'm a bit partial to them myself."
"So I got you a 'proper' dog?"
He hugged her happily. "Oh, yes, you did."
"Then, are you very grateful?"
"Very, very grateful." He kissed her again, a slow, sensuous, and appreciative kiss that left her slightly breathless.
"This present thing definitely has its perks."
"It is better to give than to receive, remember."
"Does that mean you're gonna retaliate?" She smiled broadly.
"Oh, yes, indeed, I am."
Buffy shivered, overcome with anticipation. "Goody for me."
The End