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In the alley behind the Magic Box, Buffy eased the private door open carefully, scouting ahead for signs of life. She didn't want to awaken the inhabitant. Moving slowly, she looked from side to side, keeping the door opening blocked with her legs as she slid inside. She was closing the door when a tiny, metallic squeak caused her to freeze.
'Darn,' she thought, steeling herself for impact against the door, feeling the latch click into place.
A small, dark shape hurled itself at her, and she slid to the floor, laughing as a wet tongue proceeded to remove the makeup from the lower portion her face. Sharp, staccato vocalizations accompanied the assault.
"Gus! Dog! Down, get off, you maniac!" The pup was still small, but what he lacked in size he made up for in sheer enthusiasm. He always managed to reduce her to gasping hysterics with his ardent welcome. He bounced around her, barking joyfully, occasionally landing on her stomach or side with all four feet, causing her to add yelp of true discomfort to her protests. He managed to get in several slobbery swipes in as she fended him off.
"Okay! Okay! I give up! Quit licking me!" She bellowed, as she rolled to a crouch and gave the fawning Doberman a quick hug. "You're only three months old, and you're already rotten!"
"You've quite succeeded in spoiling the both of us, Love." Giles came through the training room door, hearing the scuffle from the shop beyond. "Gus! Sit!"
The budding protector obeyed instantly, his eyes snapping to his true master in complete concentration.
"Good lad. Stay." Giles passed him and gave him a brief head-rub before greeting Buffy with a wide grin. He affected an ominous accent as he intoned, "Hello, there, miscreant. I see my fearsome guard dog has effectively subdued you. You'll not be getting away with my valuables today."
She smirked up at him at him, a seductive look on her face. "Why should I steal what you give me willingly? Bring your valuables over here and gimme a kiss." He complied instantly, and very much to her satisfaction.
Gus whined softly, but stayed put. The kiss lasted long enough that the dog began to squirm, not quite rising off his hindquarters, but rocking from side to side like a small child in need of the closest restroom.
When Giles finally broke for air, he laughed breathlessly as Buffy ran her fingers through his hair.
"You have entirely too much fun with role-playing, Mr. Giles. Very naughty."
"Perhaps next time I'll portray the intruder."
Gus whined louder.
Giles finally had mercy on the animal, and released him with a snap of his fingers. Gus bounded to their side, barking and prancing. He respected and loved Giles, but he simply adored Buffy. She squatted gracefully and cooed baby talk at the fawning pup. He tried desperately to turn himself inside out in response.
"You're so cute, you stupid beast, yes, you are," she crooned with a giggle, as Giles chuckled behind her. She looked up at him, smiling happily. "He's twelve weeks old now. The vet says you're supposed to crop his ears at twelve weeks."
Giles looked startled. "Crop his. why on earth would I do that? It's bad enough they docked his tail before you bought him."
"You don't want his ears to stand up?" Buffy ruffled the dog's head, causing his ears to flap noisily.
"Buffy, the practice of docking tails and cropping ears is a show ring affectation. Not everyone follows it. I don't think they even allow it in England anymore."
Buffy watched thoughtfully as Gus tried to eat her fingers. "Ouch, dog!" She pulled away when he grew too enthusiastic. Gus looked at her sorrowfully, wagging his stumpy tail in apology. She looked back up at Giles. "Despite the fact that he keeps trying to reduce me to a legless, armless torso," she grinned at the pup, and he whined in response, "I agree with you. No cropping. I didn't even know about the tail docking thing." She shuddered. "I don't even want to think about that. poor little guy."
"Gus probably doesn't remember it, anyway, Love. He was very young when they did that." Giles crossed the room and stood close to the door, listening for the bell. "Gus, come." He patted his legs invitingly, and the pup bounded to him with a gleeful bark. He launched himself into Giles' arms, panting happily as his master caught him easily. "You're a good lad, aren't you?" Gus responded with a sloppy puppy kiss.
"He's growing pretty fast, Rupert. Won't be long until he'll be too big to do that."
"Nonsense. I'll just have to brace myself. . ."
The bell jingled from the front of the store, and Giles reluctantly put the pup down. As he turned to the door, Buffy commented, "When are you gonna give him the run of the store? He's not much good to you locked away back here."
Giles chuckled. "All in good time. First, I have to teach him not to chew on the bat wings."
********
While her Watcher tended the store, Buffy changed into her workout clothes and began her warm-up routine. Gus dutifully watched as she stretched, bent, and flexed, his head tilted at a comical angle as he tried to figure out why his Mistress contorted her body so. More than once Buffy had to laugh at his solemn expression.
During the more active part of the workout, she had to scold Gus several times as he tried to join her on the treadmill or on the stationary bike. He finally sprawled out on the old couch in the corner and fell asleep. He opened one eye when she started working on the sparring dummy, then sighed and dozed off again.
Giles came back to check on them both several times, his eyes concerned as he watched Buffy train. He knew she was hiding something, but she seemed unwilling to talk for the moment, so he let her be. She was breathing fairly heavily when he finally locked up and came back into the cavernous room.
He moved calmly to her side, soothing her with his presence. "Bad day, Love?"
"How'd you guess?"
He stared pointedly at the dummy, which was scattered across the room in several parts. She followed his gaze, and then slumped slightly. "Oh."
He gave her a gentle squeeze. "Care to share? Or shall I just make tea and act supportive?"
She laughed in spite of her doldrums. "Tea and support both would be nice."
"Right after I take Gus for a walk."
"Right after WE take Gus for a walk."
He gave her a kiss in agreement.
********
Later.
The teakettle whistled an insistent tune as Giles set teacups and cookies on a tray. He turned in time to see Buffy give a heavy sigh and slump farther into the cushions of the overstuffed couch. The kitchen in his little upstairs apartment was a few short steps from the 'living room', so he was beside her before she could straighten.
She smiled as he deposited the tray on the coffee table in front of her. "Ooo! Oreos! I'll have to give you a raise for that." She reached for a cookie and munched it happily.
"I'm so glad you approve." He sat next to her and pulled her close, sighing as her body conformed to his. Quiet, private moments like this one were few and far between. He had quickly learned to cherish them when they came.
He leaned into her slightly, giving her an undemanding kiss on the side of the head. She hummed softly in response, pressing against his lips. Below them, they could hear the sound of whining and scratching as Gus attempted to navigate the stairs.
"When are you gonna let him come up here?" Buffy said, full of sympathy for the little animal.
"When he's big enough to negotiate the stairs on his own. I'll not be carrying a seventy-five pound dog up and down like a baby."
"But he sounds so pitiful."
"He'll be fine, trust me, Love. He'll be up here dismantling the place before you know it." Pure affection for the dog was plain on his face.
Buffy giggled. "Face it, you're Gus-whipped. You know that, don't you?"
"Dog-whipped, Slayer-whipped, I'm just generally whipped, I suppose. I should put that on my business card."
She laughed and gave him a chocolaty smooch. "You are just so cute, I could eat you up." Lunging at him, she attacked his neck with relish, growling ferociously. They tussled briefly, laughing, and he was unable to stifle a yelp as her teeth pinched the sensitive skin below his chin.
>From downstairs, Gus began to bark in alarm.
Giles began to laugh loudly, holding Buffy at bay. "Stop it, you're disturbing the dog!"
"It's okay, Gus," Buffy shouted. "I'm just beating up your daddy. You'll get used to it."
Gus barked again, not quite so upset as before. If Buffy said it was okay, then it must be.
She resumed her assault on her lover's neck, amid his protests and involuntary moans. It was only a few minutes before he gave in completely and pulled her into his arms. Obviously, she intended to distract him from asking about what was bothering her.
He decided to allow the distraction, and its pleasant promise, and talk to her later.
Much later.
********
"I have to go home in a few minutes. Dawn had a school Christmas thing tonight, and Mom was feeling pretty good, so she went. They should be back any time."
"All right." He shifted, cradling her against him comfortably. "But, before you go, I think we have a conversation to complete."
She almost shook her head, stubborn to the last. Something in his quiet voice stopped her. She opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't know what to say. The words were jumbled around in her head, snatches of conversations with the strange orderly and the nutcase in the hospital hall, bouts of arguing and explaining with Dawn, words of comfort from her friends. . . and Giles. His presence, more than words, kept her calm and relatively sane as she was immersed in one nightmare after another.
She finally admitted, "I don't know where to start."
He stroked her hair gently, reassuring her. "Anywhere you like. The middle, or the end, if it's easier."
She laughed. "Anybody else would've told me to start at the beginning."
"Ah, but as you well know, I'm not just anybody."
She sat up slightly and kissed him. "Thank God."
"Buffy. . ."
"I know. The stuff." She sighed, knowing he'd wait all night if she wanted him to, but feeling the need to be home with her family, keeping them safe. "Mom had that big honking tumor, remember?"
"Yes, but she seems to be recovering from the surgery now, doesn't she?"
"Yeah, she's doing good. She's tired of wearing scarves to hide her bald spot, though."
With a gentle hand, he turned her head until he could see her face. "Darling, please. If it isn't your mother, then what is it?" He brushed her face with his thumbs. "A burden shared is a burden halved, you know."
Her frown morphed into a smile. "That's sounds like some kind of an ism."
He stared at her for a brief moment, then laughed heartily. "I suppose it is." He kissed her softly. "Talk to me."
She looked down for an instant, then nodded. "Okay." Her trusting eyes lifted to his, and she gave him a tiny smile. "Mom knows about Dawn. I didn't say anything, really. She just knew. Right before the surgery, she knew. I can't help wondering if this thing the monk guys did is starting to wear off."
He thought about the idea, feeling a sudden chill. "The dying monk told you that Dawn was a portal and a key to another dimension, right?" She nodded, and he continued. "The demon woman you encountered may not be the only one to try to access that dimension. Is that what you fear?" Again, he received a sorrowful nod. "The sect that those monks belonged to is obscure and secretive. It's entirely possible that the three murdered monks were the last of their kind. If that is the case. . ."
". . . then nobody knows how to fix her, right?" Buffy's eyes filled with tears. "Rupert, she's just a kid. She doesn't understand any of this. And, to be honest, neither do I. I just know she feels like my little sister, and I don't know what to do. I just want to protect her, but I don' t know how."
"I know, Love, I know." He tucked her head under his chin and held her, transmitting as much comfort and support as he could. "I will try, once again, to decipher what you've told me about Dawn's creation and find some answers. There has to be something written somewhere. No serious gatekeepers would leave the inheriting of such a sacred task to chance. There has to be. . ."
". . . an instruction manual?" Buffy finished, trying to lighten the mood. "Ten Steps to Creating and Maintaining Your Own Human Key?"
He gave a soft half-laugh at that. "Well, yes, of some sort."
"My loyal researcher," she murmured, her words muffled against his chest.
*As always*, he thought to himself wryly.
She rose gracefully, bent to grab her gym bag, and started downstairs. He followed her, wishing she didn't have to leave so soon. . . or, at all.
At the bottom of the stairs, after being greeted by an ecstatic Gus, Buffy turned to her Watcher, her eyes wistful.
"I wish. . ."
"Yes, so do I." He replied, instantly understanding.
She raised a hand to his face, tracing his lips carefully. "Soon."
He kissed her fingers. "Yes."
"Bye."
Gus followed her to the door, whining as she let herself out. He waited for a minute or two, hoping she would return, then with a sad expression on his face, turned and came back to Giles, rearing up on his leg. He bumped his head against his master's hand, begging for attention.
Giles sat on the steps and gathered the dog into his lap. They sat there, desolate, missing her already.
Gus whined again, then sighed.
Giles said softly, "I know just what you mean."
The End