Fic: A Welcome Distraction (Buffy/Giles) FRAO

[froxyn.livejournal.com]

Sorry for the lateness...I've been fairly sick all day. :(

Anyway, here's chapter two.

Title: A Welcome Distraction - Chapter Two
Author: Froxyn
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: FRAO
Timeline: Four months after Unconditional.
Synopsis: Work has been getting in Giles' way and Braden has some more training to do.
Author’s Note: Part XXXIII of the Giles Family Series.



"Dad?"

"Yes?" Giles replied, slowing to a stop for a red light.

"Are you sure it doesn’t bother you that I didn’t take my Oath?"

Giles’ eyes darted to the rearview mirror, quickly catching his second child’s eye. "I’m positive, Lucas. It’s your decision...I thought that we made that perfectly clear."

"Yeah, but...you could still be disappointed, I guess." Lucas responded, shrugging a shoulder.

"Are you comfortable with your decision?" Giles asked, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth as Lucas nodded. "Are you happy with your decision?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Then how could I be disappointed in that? All I’ve ever wanted..."

"We’ve wanted." Buffy corrected quickly.

"Right, yes...of course. All we’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy." Giles amended, turning his eyes to the road when the light turned green. "And you know that if you change your mind, I might be able to do something about it."

Braden playfully nudged his younger brother. " ‘Cause, you know...Dad knows the Head of Council..."

Lucas laughed and rolled his eyes, knowing that he was being teased. "Really? Are they pretty good friends?"

"Sometimes." Buffy chimed in, chuckling. "I’ve heard the Head of Council can be kinda...hard...when he wants to be."

Giles gave her a sideways stare as he turned onto the road that led to Joyce’s house. He cleared his throat, refusing to verbally acknowledge Buffy’s statement.

"My point is...it’s a choice. And choices can be changed depending on the situation or how a person’s views change." Giles glanced back at Lucas and smiled. "Happiness is paramount, Luke. Never forget that."

Lucas returned the smile and then looked over at his older brother. "What about you, Bay? Are you upset that I’m not going to be a Watcher too?"

Braden scoffed. "Why would I be upset? Don’t I have to put up with you enough at home?"

Declan giggled maniacally…even though there was no way he could understand the conversation. Giles pulled into Joyce’s driveway and killed the engine before turning around to grin at his youngest child.

"And what are you laughing at, young man?"

Declan giggled even harder and pointed at Braden. "Den!"

"Yeah, Braden’s a regular comedian…" Lucas chuckled good-naturedly.

"An’ Lugie!"

Lucas’ chuckle faltered. "Lukie. Kuh, not guh…"

"Yeah…Lugie!"

Braden snorted as he opened his door. "Lugie!"

Declan shook his head furiously. "No! Not Lugie…Lugie!"

"Lukie…" Buffy confirmed.

Declan nodded and grinned. "Yep! Lugie!"

"Dear Lord…this could go on all night…" Giles stated, shaking his head in amusement.

"Great…my baby brother is calling me a big ball of gross spit." Lucas grumbled as he opened his door.

Giles climbed out of the car and ruffled Lucas’ hair. "If it’s any consolation, he thinks he’s saying ‘Lukie’."

"Yeah, it’s a lot of consolation." Lucas sighed. "You try having a name that your brother can’t pronounce."

Giles laughed, unbuckling Declan from the car seat and lifting him out of the car. "You think ‘Rupert’ would be easy for a little kid to say?"

Lucas thought for a second and then his green eyes lit up. "What did your brother call you?"

Giles gave Lucas a wink and then carefully placed Declan on the ground. "Better get inside…you know Declan likes to race you for Grandma’s first hug."

Lucas smirked, knowing that his father was just avoiding the question. He’d get the answer out of him one day. Right now, his baby brother was running towards the front door as fast as he could.

As Lucas took off after Declan, Buffy slipped her hand into Giles’. Giles looked down at her as Braden ran after Lucas and Declan, easily catching up to them and playfully bumping Lucas out of Declan’s way.

"That was smooth…"

"Hm? What’s that?" He asked, letting go of her hand so that he could wrap his arm around her shoulders.

"What did Ewan call you?" She asked, leaning into him.

"I think…" He started and then lowered his voice…just in case anyone happened to be listening. "I want you on your hands and knees in front of me tonight."

He tightened his arm around her as she stumbled.

"I think…" He continued, pretending that he didn’t hear her sharp gasp. "I want to be inside you from behind…buried deep inside of you when you come."

"Giles…"

He stopped suddenly and moved in front of her, cradling her face in his large hands as he stared into her eyes. "And then I want you to fuck me until I come."

She shuddered and curled her fingers in the front of his shirt. "And I’m supposed to go into my mother’s house now and pretend that everything is all cool and shit?"

He grinned and leaned down, running the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip. "It is all ‘cool and shit’…isn’t it?"

"Yeah…" She breathed, swallowing hard as he moved back to her side. "Giles?"

"Mm?"

"Is everything okay?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why wouldn’t it be?"

"I don’t know. It’s just…" She shook her head as if to clear it. "This is a huge change in you. I mean…for the past few weeks you’ve been coming up with reason after reason to not make love to me. And now…I get this. And I just want to make sure that you’re okay…we’re okay…things are okay. You know?"

"It’s not such a huge change, love." He disagreed with a sigh. "The thoughts and desires have been there daily, nightly. I’ve woken in the middle of the night and just watched you sleep…thinking about all of the things I wanted to do to you and what I wanted you to do to me. The timing has just been really, very horrible. And I’m sorry that I allowed work to take me away from you…I’ll endeavour to not let that happen again."

"Are you sure that no one’s put a spell on you or anything?" Buffy asked.

Giles nearly laughed, but realized that she was serious. That she was truly worried.

"Oh, Buffy…I’m so sorry." He whispered, pulling her against his chest and pressed a kiss into her hair.

"Daddy!"

Giles looked over, unable to stop his smile from appearing as his daughter ran across the front lawn. "Hello, Princess!"

Buffy moved to Giles’ side, smiling as Haddie launched herself at her father. "Definitely her Daddy’s girl…"

Haddie kissed Giles’ cheek and then grinned at her mother. "And yours!"

Giles chuckled and lowered Haddie back to the ground. "What have you been doing today?"

Haddie wrapped her arms around her mother in a tight hug. "Helping Grandma make biscuits."

Buffy ran her fingers through her daughter’s hair. "What kind?"

"Raspberry and sultana." Haddie replied happily. "Evan helped too…and made a mess. A huge mess! Katie thought it was so funny…"

"Katie?" Giles’ smile softened. "How is she, sweetheart?"

"She’s good. She said that you’re working too much and that Mummy worries too much and that both of the problems are unnecessary."

Buffy arched an eyebrow. "What did she mean by that?"

"Well…Daddy could let other people do some of the work and Katie says that you have nothing to worry about because Daddy thinks about you all the time." Haddie’s brow furrowed slightly and then she shrugged her shoulders. "Not really sure what she meant by that though."

Giles glanced at Buffy. Buffy merely smiled at Haddie.

"I think I get it, Hads." She stated quietly.

Haddie’s smile returned and she turned her bright green eyes to her father again. "Oh! And she told me to make sure to tell you that she loves you."

Giles swallowed as his eyes glistened lightly. "When you see her again, would you tell her that I love her as well?"

Haddie nodded emphatically. "Yep! Oh…you know how I said that Evvie made a huge mess? Well..."

She moved in between her parents and reached for her mother with her left hand and her father with her right. She took great pleasure in swinging their joined hands back and forth as she led them to the house, telling them all about the flour and eggs that she and her grandmother had had to clean off the floor, counters, and walls that afternoon.

Giles glanced at Buffy again.

This time he was met with a warm, loving smile which he returned instantly.

* * *

"So…apparently, Katie thinks you’ve been worrying."

Buffy sighed as she looked at her mother, a vegetable peeler in one hand and a carrot in the other. "You know…most normal people would be freaked out if their granddaughter told them about a conversation she’d had with her sister’s spirit."

Joyce shrugged a shoulder and lifted her mug of tea. "I’m not most people…and my family is certainly not what most people would consider normal."

"Mom!"

Joyce blew across the top of her mug and then took a sip. Lowering her mug back to the countertop, she tilted her head questioningly.

"Is everything okay? With you and Rupert, I mean?"

"Yeah, it is." Buffy replied, quickly and carefully peeling the carrot. "It’s just…he’s been working a lot and we haven’t…um…spent much time together in the past few weeks."

Joyce considered her words and then, realizing there was no good way to ask it, she let them fall from her lips. "And you were worried that he was cheating on you?"

"No, not at all!" Buffy answered without thought. "I was worried that he didn’t find me…"

She trailed off and cleared her throat, diverting her gaze from her mother. Joyce sighed in understanding.

"You thought he didn’t find you…desirable?"

"Yeah…" Buffy admitted softly after a moment. "Turns out he was just tired and overworked…stress of the job and such. But, yeah…I was really starting to worry."

"Buffy…" Joyce started, reaching out to stroke her daughter’s hair. "You know that’s not…I mean…I see how he looks at you."

Buffy blushed lightly. "I know…he…we…um…yeah, I know, Mom."

Joyce smiled and exhaled slowly. "Leave the kids here tonight, sweetheart."

"Mom – "

"We can’t ask you to take five children with little notice, Joyce." Giles stated, causing both women to look at him.

He offered them a small smile and rubbed the side of his neck. "I, uh…just came in for a cup of tea."

Joyce’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she reached over and flipped the switch on the kettle. "Tea’s easy…and you didn’t ask, I offered."

Giles’ gaze shifted to his wife. Buffy bit off a piece of the carrot and chewed thoughtfully. She met her husband’s eyes and swallowed.

"It’s not like we have five toddlers. Braden and Lucas can help with the younger ones…and Haddie can keep Evan out of trouble."

Giles’ eyes darkened a shade and then he cleared his throat. "Are, uh…are you sure, Joyce?"

"I’m their grandmother, Rupert…I’m more than happy to have them stay the night." She answered with a gentle laugh. "Besides, you two obviously need some alone time to talk all of this through."

The tips of Giles’ ears reddened slightly, but he nodded in agreement. "Yes, well…um…thank you."

Buffy nearly laughed at the fact that her mother had volunteered to watch their five children so that they could have a night of uninterrupted sex.

But, then she realized it was more than that. It wasn’t so that they could have sex. Well, not for the most part. Mostly it was so Giles could be free to show Buffy, without question, that Katie was right. She had nothing to worry about.

She swallowed her laughter and offered Giles a bite of her carrot, which he accepted with no question.

She’d thank her mother later.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Giles took a deep breath and exhaled softly as he held the front door open for his wife. It had been a long, nearly distracting, ride home and, as he allowed his eyes to roam down to her backside, he knew he wanted nothing more than to push her onto the closest stationary object and bury himself within her.

He also knew that would be the biggest mistake he could make. If he allowed that scenario to play out, all it would show her was that he was...horny. His brow furrowed at that particular thought.

Buffy turned around and looked up at him, her smile fading slightly when she saw his furrowed brow. "What’s wrong?"

"I’m sorry?"

"You’re looking...concerned." She stated, lifting her hand to his chest. "Concern is not what I want you to be feeling right now."

"Oh...oh, no. I’m not concerned, really. It’s more that..." He paused, glancing at her hand as her fingers rubbed against his shirt. "I want you."

He shook his head as she grinned, continuing before she had a chance to say anything.

"But, it needs to be more than sex." He sighed as he lifted his hand and gently ran his fingers through her hair. "Do you know what I mean?"

"How about we open a bottle of red and just see where the evening takes us?" She replied after a moment.

He smiled softly, the pad of his thumb caressing her cheek. "That would be lovely."

Buffy grinned as she heard an annoyed bark come from the back porch. "You take care of the dogs, I take care of wine and glasses?"

Giles chuckled when Zephyr joined Callie in demanding to be let in. "I doubt they’d be content to stay outside..."

She snorted and gently nudged him towards the kitchen door. "Not when they know someone’s home."

"We could...pretend we’re not home."

Buffy laughed as Callie let out a howl, which was echoed by Zephyr. "Oh, yeah...I’m sure they’d believe that."

Giles joined in with Buffy’s laughter and made his way into the kitchen. His eyes sparkled with amusement when he saw that Callie was standing on her back paws, her front paws resting on the ledge of the kitchen window as she peered inside.

He couldn’t actually see her tail, but judging by the excitement he could easily see in her eyes, he assumed that it was wagging wildly. He snorted another laugh when Zephyr’s head popped into view for just a second as he jumped up to see what Callie was looking at.

"Second best thing to come home to..." He murmured happily as he made his way to the back door.

Buffy smiled as she carefully pulled two wine glasses from the cupboard.


To Be Continued...