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Teacher's Pet: Part 3
As Giles and Heather headed off to patrol, Buffy snuggled up on the couch with a legal pad. She had been sort of surprised that Giles hadn't asked her to go with them. She would have liked to offer but she didn't want Giles to think that she wanted to interfere with his training.
She let go of that train of thought and focused on her pad of paper. Her deadline was looming and she needed to organize her thoughts. She knew what she wanted to write about; in fact the topic would cover several stories. The tragic love story, the angst, the drama, the soap opera-ness that was Angel and Buffy. Oh yeah, that would cover a few months in a continuing saga. Her leaving five years ago had been the best thing that could have happened. It hadn't taken her long to put him behind her and now, looking back, five years after the fact, the whole thing seemed to be about the anguish of being a teenager. It would be laughable if the damage done because of it hadn't been quite so horrific.
She scribbled notes for about an hour and then her eyes grew heavy. She really wanted to wait up for Giles and Heather. Buffy tried to focus again but her need for sleep grew too demanding and she curled up on the couch and fell asleep.
***
Giles was glad their last fight had taken place so close to where the car was parked. He honestly didn't know if he could have made it any further. It had been a bad night. Too many vampires and him already tired and hurting. He had come within seconds of dying and would have if Heather hadn't managed to pull it together enough to come to his rescue. He put his fingers up to his neck. When he pulled them back, even in the dark, he could see the blood on his fingers. He'd been bitten. Only for a second, but still, it had been that close.
When the dust had rained down on him he had seen Heather standing there, a stake in her hand, tears running down her dirt smeared face, her posture a mixture of anger and fear. She had thrown herself on him and cried her heart out. Fortunately the vampire she had dusted had been the last of them or they'd both probably be dead. Neither of them had been in any shape to put up any sort of resistance.
Giles pulled into his garage and turned the car off. He leaned his head against the headrest and closed his eyes. His body was craving sleep and, if he was honest, a short hospital stay, but he had to get Heather to bed. Giles turned to her and found her quietly sitting, running her hands over the stake she still had in her hands. "Heather, are you all right?"
She looked up at him, her eyes huge and still bright with tears. "Are you going to get rid of me?"
Giles' heart clenched in his chest. He reached for her and pulled her close. "Never. I'll never get rid of you." He pushed her back just a little so he could see her face. "Heather, I love you. You're my family. You and Buffy. As long as I'm alive, I'll be your Watcher."
Her eyes still held some anxiety. "You promise?"
He softly smiled at her. "I promise." He chucked her under the chin. "You saved my life tonight." He looked at her very seriously. "Thank you for that."
She gave him a tremulous smile. "Can I have some hot chocolate?"
Giles let out a silent chuckle. "Yes, you can have some hot chocolate." He gestured towards the door. "Come on, let's go inside." She was already in the house before he'd managed to pull himself from the car. He knew that any part of him that hadn't gotten bruised over the last month, had gotten bruised tonight.
Giles was met at the door by Heather with a finger over her lips. Then she pointed towards the couch to where Buffy lay sleeping. Giles smiled and nodded. He whispered. "Maybe we should pass on the hot chocolate."
Heather nodded and whispered back. "Will you read to me then?"
Giles nodded. "Go up and get in your pajamas and brush your teeth. I'll be up in a minute."
Heather bounded up the stairs and her energy made Giles feel as if he was 200 years old. He walked over to the couch and sat on the coffee table, across from Buffy. He shifted and pulled out the legal pad he had inadvertently sat on. He glanced at her notes and his eyebrows lifted. Angel. The memories were so old at this point that they had no more power over him but it was odd to see his name. He admired Buffy for being willing to drag that all up again for the sake of her writing. Giles read a note she had penciled in the corner of one page. 'Ask Giles how he feels about having Jenny and torture bits in the story'. Giles put the pad down and looked at Buffy for a minute.
She had gotten even more beautiful, her teenage features completely overwritten by that of a young woman. He had always loved her so much. From that first night she'd gone out to find Jesse and he had sat in the library looking at the clock, willing her to come back safely. She had crawled inside his heart and was planted there so firmly it felt as if she was an extension of him. He'd have sat and watched her sleep all night but his own need for sleep still beckoned. Giles gently touched her shoulder. "Buffy, wake up."
Buffy started awake and then smiled when she saw it was Giles. "Oh, sorry. I wanted to wait up for you guys." She yawned. "How did you do that every night? You were always awake whenever I showed up."
Giles smiled but didn't respond. "I wouldn't have woken you at all but I thought you'd be more comfortable in your own bed." He stood. "I need to tuck Heather in."
Buffy sat up and stretched. "How was patrol?"
"There was a lot of activity tonight."
Buffy's eyes gleamed at the thought. "Did you get them all?"
"Yes, I believe we did." He headed for the stairs and then he turned back. "Sleep well, Buffy. I'll see you in the morning."
Buffy nodded as she ran a hand through her hair. She watched Giles as he made his way upstairs. She frowned and then almost gasped as it looked like he might miss a step and fall. Frowning, she watched him ascend the rest of the way. He looked tired. More tired than she could remember him being. It must have been busy tonight. She yawned again and headed upstairs herself, entering her room and shutting the door behind her.
As she got ready for bed she found herself smiling. Heather's room was right next door to hers and she could hear her giggling. And she could hear the soothing tones of Giles' voice. He must be reading to her. After a while it grew quiet but she didn't hear Giles leave. Her curiosity got the best of her and she went back into the hallway and peaked in Heather's door. Giles was asleep and Heather was leaning over him with a sad look on her face.
Buffy walked into the room. "Why so sad?" Heather pointed at Giles' neck. Buffy headed over to the bed and this time she did gasp when she saw the bite marks on his neck. "When did that happen? Tonight?" She looked up at Heather and saw that she was fighting back tears. Buffy had to ask one more question. "How long? How long did the vampire have him?"
Heather shook her head, her voice laced with fear. "I don't know." She glanced up at Buffy. "Is he gonna be okay?"
Buffy sat on the bed and spoke his name. "Giles." When he didn't respond she spoke it louder. "Giles."
He opened his eyes. "What. Did I fall asleep? I'm sorry." He looked down at the book in his hand. He turned to Heather. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
Buffy reached up and turned his head to the side, baring his neck. "Why didn't you tell me you were someone's snack tonight?" She let go of his head. "How much did they get? Should I take you to the hospital?"
Giles shook his head. "No, he'd just bitten me when Heather staked him." He smiled at Heather and then back at Buffy. "You should have seen her."
Heather glowed but she was willing to share the glory. "Giles killed a bunch of vampires. He's really good."
Buffy grinned at Heather. "That he is." Then she frowned as she looked back at Giles. "But you Mister, either it's the ER for you or it's bedtime."
Giles lifted the book. "I don't even think I finished the chapter."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Listen super guy, I'm sure Heather would rather have you get a good night's sleep than finish the chapter." She sent a meaningful look at Heather. "Right?"
Heather nodded and she took the book from Giles. "I'll save our place."
Giles sighed. "Yes, well some sleep would be good. I am a bit tired." Buffy grasped his arm and helped him stand. Giles complained. "I'm perfectly capable of getting to my room unassisted."
Buffy kept her grip on his arm. "Nothing doing. Dr. Buffy has you under strict TLC orders. Come on." As she headed Giles towards the door she looked back at Heather. "I'll come back and tuck you in after I tuck him in. Okay?"
Heather giggled at the thought of Buffy tucking Giles in. "Okay."
Buffy grinned back. She had Giles in the hallway. "She has got the cutest damn giggle." Giles answered her back with a grin. Buffy got him to his room and sat him on the bed. She knelt at his feet and slipped his shoes off.
Again he complained. "Buffy, I can undress myself."
Buffy ignored him and began to parrot their conversation downstairs. "So, Giles, how was patrol? Fine Buffy, there was a lot of activity. But you got them all? Oh yes, we got them all. Oh and by the way, one of them almost killed me and maybe sucked most of my blood out of my body but, nah, no need to tell Buffy that, it's not important." She glared up at Giles.
"I'm fine, Buffy."
Buffy looked up at Giles. She had an uncomfortable thought. "When's the last time you had someone fuss over you?"
Giles frowned. "What difference…"
"When's the last time?"
Giles thought for a moment, and then he thought a little longer, trying to remember the last time someone had taken care of him. He shook his head. "I can't…it doesn't matter."
Buffy felt tears prick her eyelids. "It does matter." She looked up at him again and saw that he was practically asleep sitting up. She stood and slowly laid him down, covering him with his blankets. She sat at his side and gently ran her fingers through his hair, softly speaking to him about sleeping, and sheep, and whatever soothing nonsense she could think of.
Long after he had fallen asleep she continued to run her hand through his hair. Her heart was pounding in her chest. He could have died tonight. Her breezy goodbye to him as he left her on the couch might have been the last thing she ever got to say to him. That seemed unbearably sad to her. His loss, his death, not even something she wanted to think about. It had made her braver, these last five years, even before her mom had died, to know that he was here. That she had someone here for her. Someone completely on her side.
She sighed and ran her hand through his hair again. His hair was so soft. She ran her hand down his face, her fingers catching on the stubble of his beard. The sensation caused those butterflies again. And then the bite marks caused her gut to clench. Buffy rose, aware that she had told Heather she'd be back in to see her. She whispered to Giles. "I'll be back in a minute." With that, she left his room.
Heather was waiting for her, her eyes still wide with anxiety. "Is he okay?"
Buffy grinned and sat in bed with her. "All tucked in." She took in Heather's look. "Heather, listen, he got hurt when I was the Slayer here. He got hurt all the time. He won't blame you; he'll never blame you for anything. Trust me on this one."
"I just don't want anything to happen to him."
"Well, now he's got both of us watching out for him and we'll make sure nothing does happen to him." Buffy stood and pulled the covers down encouraging Heather to snuggle down. She drew the covers up and sat again. "I have an idea. Maybe just you and me could go out patrolling tomorrow night and give Giles a night off. What do you think about that?"
"Really, you'd go patrolling with me?"
"Sure, it'll be fun. The two Slayers, taking on the world. What could be more right than that? We'll let Giles lay on the couch with his feet up, with a cup of hot tea and some boring book and make him relax. Okay?"
Heather looked at Buffy with worshipful eyes. "Okay."
"You want me to read to you?"
Heather shook her head. "I like to listen to Giles."
"I don't blame you. I may have to join you from now on."
Heather giggled and Buffy grinned. "That's better. You ready for sleep?" Heather nodded and snuggled down even further until she was all but buried by the blankets. Buffy leaned down and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Sleep tight, don't let the…" Buffy frowned, the usual way she finished that sentence seeming somewhat inappropriate this evening.
"…vampires bite?" Heather peeked her head out, her eyes mischievous. At Buffy's surprised look she giggled. "Xander taught me that one."
"Why am I not surprised?" Buffy put her hand on Heather's cheek. "He'll be okay, I promise."
Heather nodded and then she turned on her side and closed her eyes. Buffy shut the light off and left the room, taking one last look before she closed the door.
Buffy walked back to Giles' room. She carefully got on the bed, not wanting to wake him up. He was muttering and his body was restless. He looked like he was having a nightmare. Buffy started running her fingers through his hair and he quieted. Now that she'd started touching him, Buffy found that she didn't want to stop. Heather definitely had the right idea. A few hugs during her high school years would have been a good thing. But the thought of hugs now sounded even better. Giles shifted again and Buffy softly spoke to him. Again he quieted. Buffy's eyes grew heavy and soon she fell asleep.
End Part 3
Teacher's Pet: Part 4
When Giles woke up he glanced at the alarm clock. When he saw the time his eyes opened wide. He tried to figure out what day it was. When he realized it was Saturday he relaxed. The shop opened up late, Heather didn't have to be at school, and he didn't have to hit the floor running trying to catch up. He actually felt better. Not great, he never felt great anymore, but he'd slept all night, which was unusual for him. He began to stretch and then realized that someone was holding his hand.
He grinned and turned, fully expecting to find Heather next to him. His eyebrows rose when he found Buffy instead. She was holding his hand and she had it clasped tightly between her breasts. Giles couldn't stop the thought that raced through his mind. All he'd have to do is reach out his fingers and he'd feel her softness. Giles tried to stamp down that thought but his body was ignoring his entreaties and he felt himself harden. Not that this was the first time he'd been hard around Buffy, but it was certainly the first time he'd been in that condition and had her in his bed.
Giles glanced down at himself to make sure that the blankets were covering any sign of his body's longings. He called her name. "Buffy." He didn't even try and take his hand away. Too much moving around would put him in dangerous territory. "Buffy."
Buffy's eyes opened slowly and then they opened wide. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I must have fallen asleep." She realized she was holding Giles' hand, and where she was holding it. She let go of his hand and blushed, sitting up. "Sorry."
Giles grinned. "It's okay." At the embarrassed look on her face he repeated himself. "Really, it's all right. It was sort of nice, actually." Giles could feel himself blushing now. "I mean, having you here." He pressed on. "Although I don't remember you being here when I went to sleep." He frowned. "In fact, I don't remember going to sleep."
Buffy frowned back. "Big surprise. A vampire bit you, remember? I put you to bed after you fell asleep on Heather. I was worried about you." She put a hand on his cheek. "So, I decided to fuss over you." She gestured at the bed. "I guess I fussed myself to sleep." She couldn't resist it and she lay back down and put her head on his shoulder, resting her arm across his middle. "I'm thinking I really like this whole Watcher hugging stuff that Heather's got going here."
"Yes, well, she's hard to resist."
"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I'm easy to resist?"
Giles couldn't stop himself from burying his face in her hair, breathing in her essence. He whispered in her ear. "No, you're impossible to resist."
The butterflies were back. Big time. All she had to do was turn her face and they'd be practically kissing. She slowly started to turn her head when Giles suddenly turned his head away and sneezed, twice. He reached for a tissue and as he wiped his nose he glared at Buffy. "What was that you said about not being contagious?"
Buffy flashed him a guilty look. Then she got a determined look. "Well, this is as sick as you're getting. Heather and I already talked about it. I'll take her patrolling tonight. I'll call Anya and tell her you're sick." She ignored any protests Giles might have made. "I'll take care of Heather today so you can rest." She looked at him fondly. "And if anyone ever asks you when the last time someone fussed over you was, you just show them this date on your calendar, okay?"
Giles let out a long breath. "Okay." He sneezed again. He realized that despite waking up feeling better that he could almost feel this cold attacking him. His chest felt tight and his head was pounding. He lay back down.
The fact that he wasn't arguing made Buffy nervous. She'd seen how sick her friends had gotten with this thing. "Do you want some tea?"
He nodded, his eyes closed. "Maybe some aspirin too if you can find it."
"You got it." Buffy got up and walking over to his side of the bed she kissed him on the forehead. A small smile appeared on his face. "I'll be right back."
Buffy headed down the hall and peeked into Heather's room. She was already up. Buffy could hear the TV on downstairs, could hear the beeping of the roadrunner. Buffy grinned and headed down the stairs. The first thing she did was call Anya to let her know that Giles was staying home. Heather watched Buffy as she hung up. "Giles is sick?"
Buffy frowned. "Yes, I think he caught my cold." She pointed upstairs. "He's sneezing."
Heather was relieved it was just a cold. "But, he's okay?"
"He's okay." Buffy yawned and moved back to the kitchen to start making Giles some tea. "What do you usually do on Saturdays?"
Heather shrugged. "Play with my friends, or me and Giles go do something."
"Well, doing something with Giles is a no-go today and I think I ought to hang around here and fuss over him." She liked the idea of fussing over Giles. He had a lot of non-fussing time to make up for. "Do you want to call one of your friends and see if they want to do something?"
Heather joined Buffy in the kitchen. "Yeah, I'll call in a while. Will you make me breakfast?"
"Does Giles make you breakfast every day?"
Heather shook her head. "Just on the weekends. During the week we have cereal or toast or something."
"What, Mrs. Ferguson doesn't bring you by tea and scones every day?" Heather giggled. Buffy grinned. "What does he make?"
"Pancakes, or French Toast, or these yummy crepe things."
"Well, the yummy crepe things are out but I think I could manage pancakes. Yes." She pulled a pancake mix out of the cupboard. "I can definitely do pancakes. Let me make his tea and bring it up to him and we'll be pancake bound, okay?"
At Heather's happy nod Buffy turned back to her tea making apparatus. It had been a long time since she'd made Giles a cup of tea but it felt like it was yesterday. Her hands knew just what to do. She started going through the cabinets to try and figure out where he kept the aspirin. As the water heated she headed for the downstairs bathroom and found a bottle in the medicine cabinet. She made his tea and headed upstairs. He sat up when Giles saw her enter. "I really think I feel well enough to go to the store."
"Nothing doing. I already called Anya and Xander's going to go help her. She says she hopes you feel better." She carefully placed the tray on the bed, not wanting to spill the tea. "And I'll cancel my outing with Xander and Willow tonight so I can take Heather out patrolling."
Giles shook his head. "Buffy, don't cancel your plans. I'll be fine for a few hours. I would appreciate you taking Heather out patrolling though. Maybe you could just cut your evening plans short."
Buffy looked at Giles. "We'll see how you feel." As he opened his mouth to protest she put her fingers over his lips. "Shh. I said we'll see. Don't argue. I'm not going anywhere. I have lots of time to see Xander and Willow."
Giles reached up and pulled her fingers off his lips, holding her hand. "I'm glad. I'm glad you're not going anywhere."
The memory of how close she'd come to kissing Giles shot through her lower body. Their gazes held. Then Giles sneezed. Buffy rolled her eyes and muttered. "Your sneezes have very bad timing."
Giles didn't hear her. Each sneeze was making every bruise in his body ache. He reached for the tea and wrapped his hands around the cup. The warmth was soothing. He smiled at Buffy. "Thanks for the tea."
She held up the aspirin bottle. "How many?"
"Three."
Buffy poured out three into his hand and he took them, followed by a swallow of tea. "Will you be okay for a while? Heather has insisted that I take your place this morning and make pancakes."
"Buffy, you don't need to…"
"No, I want to. It will be fun." She rose and looked down at him. "Do you want any pancakes?"
Giles shook his head. "No, the tea is fine. I might try and get some sleep."
"Good idea. I'll check on you later."
Giles nodded. "I'm glad you're home, Buffy."
"Me too."
***
Heather went off to play with Nancy Ferguson. Giles continued to get sicker and sicker. Giles knew it was due to the fact that he was so run down but knowing that didn't make him feel any better. Buffy had gone out and bought him some cold medicine and that made him feel intermittently better but he mostly was just grateful when he could sleep.
Buffy sat with him most of the time and scribbled on her note pad. Giles was watching her at one point and when he spoke she let out a squeak. "It's all right, you know."
Buffy put her hand on her heart. "Jeez, Giles, you scared me to death. I thought you were asleep." She frowned. "And what's all right?"
"Putting Jenny in your story, putting me in your story. I don't mind."
Buffy stared down at her legal pad and then up at Giles. "Are you reading my mind or something?"
Giles laughed a little which turned into a vicious cough. When he was able to stop coughing he spoke again. "No, I saw your notes downstairs. I hope you don't mind that I looked at them."
"No, I don't mind at all. Are you sure you don't mind?"
Giles shook his head. "I really don't mind."
"Even if I change things a little?"
"You may do whatever you like with those memories. I've no doubt you'll kill me off, or perhaps have Angel turn Jenny into a vampire or something horrible like that." At the concerned look on Buffy's face, Giles smiled and repeated himself. "I really don't mind. I love your stories. I'm sure it will be wonderful."
Buffy scowled. "Well if it is, it will be the only thing wonderful about the whole thing. And are you sure you're not reading my mind?" She had just written down the idea of turning Jenny into a vampire.
Giles shook his head. "I've been reading your stories for a long time. I've learned which events you tend to take dramatic license with." Giles rubbed his temples. "Is it time for more aspirin?"
Buffy put her pad down and moved to sit on the side of the bed. "No, you just had some thirty minutes ago. Here, let me rub your head." Giles lowered his hand and rolled on to his stomach. Buffy had given him those directions earlier when she had rubbed his head. It had felt like heaven so he was more than willing to have her do it again.
He let out a sigh as soon as her hands touched him and she smiled. She worked her way down his scalp, moving in small circles, and she didn't stop until she could see that he had fallen asleep again. And even then she played with his hair, noting all the places it curled and where it was straight. She still couldn't get over how soft it was.
In time her story called to her and she got out her laptop. She pulled her chair over to the desk in Giles' room and started writing.
Buffy lost all track of time and it wasn't until she heard the front door open that she looked at her watch. Her eyes opened wide when she realized she hadn't even given dinner a thought. Heather came bolting up the stairs and skidded into Giles' room. When she saw he was sleeping she spoke in a loud whisper. "How is he?"
Buffy scrunched up her face. "He feels lousy."
"Mrs. Ferguson is here. When I told her he was sick she made us some more food. She wants to see him."
Buffy couldn't stop the flash of annoyance that went through her or the feeling that this woman was trespassing on her property. She stood and nodded. "I'll go talk with her."
Heather nodded and bolted back downstairs. Buffy followed her down a little slower, wishing she were dressed in something a bit…less frumpy. Especially when she saw Mrs. Ferguson. Somehow the Mrs. had made her seem safe, like that meant she was old and matronly. Instead Buffy saw that she was quite pretty, and dressed much more attractively than Buffy was, even on a good day. Buffy squared her shoulders and walked over to her. She put her hands on Heather's shoulder. "Thank you for taking care of Heather today."
Mrs. Ferguson smiled. "We love having Heather over. She's such a sweet girl. I understand Rupert is ill?"
Buffy nodded. "Yes, he is. I'm afraid I gave him my cold." Buffy watched that comment register.
"Is he up to having company?"
"No, he's asleep. I've been sitting up there with him most of the day."
Another furrow appeared on Mrs. Ferguson's brow. "And you are?"
Heather spoke up. "This is Buffy. The one I told you about. She's living with us now." Buffy could have hugged her.
"Are you one of Rupert's charges too?"
Buffy smiled. "No, I'm a …", she hesitated on purpose, "…good friend." Buffy felt as if she'd gotten her point across. Time to be nice. "Giles said that you've been great about supplying him with food. We finished off a casserole of yours last night. It was wonderful." She looked down at Heather and Heather enthusiastically nodded.
Mrs. Ferguson looked down at the casserole dish she was carrying. "Well, I thought I'd drop something else off, once I heard he was ill. I don't remember him ever getting sick before."
Buffy heard the implied criticism and winced. "I know. But Heather and I will take good care of him." She reached for the dish. "Especially with all this great food." She looked down at Heather. "Heather, why don't you get Mrs. Ferguson's dish from last night." Heather nodded and bolted for the kitchen. Buffy looked after her and grinned. "She has so much energy, she makes me tired just watching her."
Mrs. Ferguson laughed. "I know what you mean. Would you like us to have her over tomorrow as well?"
Buffy smiled. "Would you mind? I'm afraid we're not paying much attention to her." Heather had bolted back. "Would you like that? To go back over to play with Nancy again tomorrow?"
Heather nodded. "Course, Nancy's my best friend."
Mrs. Ferguson took the dish from Heather. She looked at Buffy. "I notice that you call him Giles as well. Why is that?"
"I don't know. I've always called him Giles. Most of the people I know call him Giles. It always seems odd to hear someone call him Rupert. I don't think he cares either way."
Mrs. Ferguson pursed her lips but didn't say anything else about it. "Well, tell him I dropped by."
"I will. And thank you again. This was very kind of you."
"I hope he feels better soon. And just send Heather over anytime."
Buffy gave her one of her genuine smiles. "Thank you so much. It's nice to know she's someplace where she feels so loved."
Mrs. Ferguson laughed. "Well, she's pretty hard to resist."
Buffy looked down at Heather who was busily chatting with Nancy about tomorrow's plans. "Yes, she is."
"Come on, Nancy, time to go. You'll see Heather tomorrow." The two of them headed off into the night and Buffy closed the door behind her.
Heather followed Buffy into the kitchen and perched on one of the counters. She watched as Buffy lifted up the aluminum foil to see what was inside. It looked like lasagna. "Yum." She looked at Heather. "Any idea how to cook this?"
"400 degrees and cook it for 30 minutes."
Buffy looked at Heather admiringly. "I'm impressed. How do you know that?"
"We've had a lot of Mrs. Ferguson's casseroles." Heather swung her legs as Buffy turned the oven on. "I think she wants to be Giles' girlfriend."
Buffy frowned. She looked at Heather. "Leave the aluminum foil on?" Heather nodded. Buffy put her finger up to pause her as the phone rang. "Hello?"
"Buffy, it's Xander. I thought I'd check in and see if the festivities are still on for the night with the big guy being sick and all."
"Oh, God, Xander, thanks for calling. I meant to give you a call. I think I better stay home. He's really feeling crappy. How about if you and Willow come over for lunch tomorrow? That way I can be close if he needs me but he'll be upstairs so won't hear if we talk about him." Buffy winked at Heather. "I'll make lasagna." Heather giggled at that.
"I'll check with Will. If you don't hear from us, expect us about noonish."
"Sounds great. Thanks for checking in."
"Tell him we hope he feels better."
"I will. See you tomorrow." Buffy hung up. She looked at Heather. "I figure I better milk this lasagna for all its worth. Something tells me we won't be getting any more casseroles from Mrs. Ferguson." She felt sort of guilty for pumping a twelve year old for information but she couldn't resist. "Do you think Giles wants her to be his girlfriend?" Buffy didn't want to examine her feelings too closely right now but she knew she wanted the answer to her question to be no.
Heather shook her head. "No. He doesn't ever want anyone to be his girlfriend. You're the only one he even sort of acts that way with."
Buffy's eyebrows rose. "What do you mean?"
"You know. He smiles at you and says nice things to you and acts like he likes having you around. He's never like that when all those other ladies are here."
"All those other ladies?" Buffy's voice sounded ominous.
"Yeah, there's a bunch of them who want to be Giles' girlfriend." Heather grinned. "They think he's handsome."
"Don't you think he's handsome?"
"He's the handsomest." Heather let out a sigh.
Buffy laughed again. "That's right. He's the handsomest, the smartest, the bravest, the everythingest." She frowned at Heather. "And he belongs to us. Right?"
Heather gave Buffy back a huge nod. "Right. He's ours and nobody else's."
"That's my girl." The light went off signifying the oven was preheated. Buffy slid the lasagna in and set the timer. "Let's go check on Giles."
The two of them ran upstairs and then more quietly entered Giles' room. He looked like he was still asleep. They stared down at him and then they both tiptoed back out, Buffy snagging her laptop on the way out.
He was awake the next time she went up after Heather and she had eaten Mrs. Ferguson's lasagna. Giles was sitting up in bed sounding like he was trying to cough his lungs out. Buffy measured out some cough medicine for him and when he was able to draw a breath she had him drink it. She patted him on the back. He flinched away from her touch. He hastened to reassure her. "I'm a little sore back there, from last night."
"Maybe I should take a look."
"No, no need."
Buffy frowned. "Why are you up anyway?"
"I needed to use the bathroom. Once I got back to bed I couldn't stop coughing." He looked at the clock. "Good grief. I've been sleeping almost all day. Did Heather eat?"
Buffy grinned. "Courtesy of Mrs. Ferguson. She brought over some more food when she brought Heather home."
"Ah, Heather went to play with Nancy?"
"Yes, she's going over there tomorrow too."
"Well, I'm sure I'll be up and about by tomorrow."
Buffy snorted. "No way, Jose. You're on strict bed rest until the weekend is over and maybe longer." She glared at Giles. "Remember me? Master fusser?"
"Shouldn't you be meeting Willow and Xander now?"
"I cancelled. And before you start to scold me, they're coming over for lunch tomorrow. That way I can keep an eye on you and visit all at the same time."
Giles smiled at Buffy. "I appreciate everything you're doing. I do have to admit that I don't feel very well."
"Well, if I interpret that correctly from Giles speak to normal person speak that means that you feel like death warmed over and you wish someone would just shoot you."
Giles let out a laugh and that got him coughing again. He ended the coughing fit on a half laugh. "You know me too well."
"Well, I'm a little out of practice, but I'm getting there."
Giles turned to Buffy. "On patrol tonight. You need to watch her. You need to watch her all the time. She gets…overwhelmed. She's so young, I think it's all a bit much for her sometimes." He smiled. "She amazes me, how cheerful she is, even with the slaying."
"You mean compared to what a whiny brat I was most of the time?"
Giles' eyes opened wide. "Buffy, I never felt that way about you."
"Only because you have conveniently forgotten every annoying thing I've ever done."
Giles laughed softly. "I've never forgotten anything you've ever done, Buffy. I just remember it differently than you do." He touched her arm. "You'll watch out for her?"
"I will." Buffy could see how this whole conversation was wearing Giles out. "Come on, lie down. Time to get some more sleep. I'll check in as soon as we get back."
"Be careful, Buffy. Be careful of both of you. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to either of you."
"Tell me about it." She ran her hand gently down his face to where the bite marks were still clearly evident on his neck. "You came so close to dying last night."
Giles reached up and held her hand. "But I didn't."
"No, you didn't. Thank God. I don't ever want to lose you."
Giles squeezed her hand and again they just looked at each other. Buffy saw his eyes start to crinkle up and she just reached for the tissue box. Buffy was way ready for the sneezing to be done with. Giles sneezed several times and when he was done Buffy gestured with her hand. "Roll over again. I'll rub your head before I go." Giles turned over and smiled as he drifted off to sleep.
End of Part 4