Christmas in the Buffyverse, part 8

With a ripple of excitement, Buffy opened her eyes and realized it was Christmas morning. The ripple turn into a tidal wave when she realized she was laying in Giles' arms, in his bed. She snuggled deeper into his embrace. He mumbled something cute and hugged her closer.

She smiled. For the first time since arriving at Giles' house she didn't have to scramble out of bed at the crack of dawn to return to the couch.

The night before, without thinking, they kissed for a little longer than they meant to when everyone was saying goodnight.  When they reluctantly broke apart, they turned and their friends standing, open-mouthed with surprise and shock.

"Whoa." Oz said. "I mean... whoa."

"Um, is this some Watcher/Slayer Christmas tradition we don't know about?" Xander asked.

"Oh, dear," Giles said.

"Buffy, you and Giles were kissing? Did you know that?" Willow asked.

"Vaguely aware, yes," Buffy nodded.

"I KNEW IT!" Anya shouted triumphantly.

"No you didn't," Xander said.

"Ok, no I didn't, but I couldn't think of anything else to say." she shrugged.

"Well, let me be the first to offer my um, congratulations," Oz said. "I hope you guys are happy together. Come on, Will, let's go to bed."

"Not even keeping up the facade of propriety, eh?" Giles said saracastically as Oz and Willow went up the stairs.

"Well, you're not anymore, so, uh, why should we?" Oz asked, grinning.

"Does this mean I don't have to stay quiet tonight?" Xander asked.

"Guess not," Anya shrugged.

"Yippee!" he clapped his hands excitedly and slung Anya over his shoulder. He stopped half-way up the stairs and said in his best cockneyed accent. "God Bless Us, Everyone!"

Buffy lay in bed, watching Giles chest rise and fall in the early morning light.  She grinned and reached into the night table drawer.  She pulled out a huge bright red bow and stuck it just above her bare navel.

"Giles," she whispered, nuzzling his neck.  "It's Christmas."

He blinked awake and smiled. He kissed her. She moved his hand along her body until he reached the bow.

"You wanna open your present?" she whispered slyly.

Suddenly, there was a pounding at the door.

"Buffy!" Willow shouted. "Buffy!! Wake up, it's Christmas!!!!"

"Becuase it's Christmas and she's my best friend, in the Yuletide spirit of forgiveness and charity- I'm not going to kill her." Buffy giggled. She kissed him and grabbed their robes. In a few minutes, everyone was gathered downstairs, sleep-haired but happy.

"Well, I think Willow and Anya should open a gift first, this being their first Christmas." Giles said.

Anya unwrapped the pendant from Buffy. Willow opened a book from Giles on undoing transformation spells.

"Thank you, Giles!" Willow squealed.

"I thought perhaps Amy would appreciate it," Giles smiled.  Buffy leaned back against his knees.

"Buffy, this is beautiful," Anya said.

"A new kind of charm for a new kind of magic," Buffy said, fasteninng the clasp behind her neck.

"Thank you," Anya smiled warmly. She hugged Buffy tight just before Giles tapped her on the shoulder.

He placed a large box in Buffy's lap.

"The keys to your car?" she asked. He grinned and shrugged. She unwrapped it.

"A drawer." she said. "Okay, next time you go gift shopping TAKE SOMEONE WITH YOU!"

Their friends burst into laughter.

"You'll notice this drawer goes in my dresser," he said, tucking his finger
under his chin. "I want you to fill it with clothes so you can stay over
whenever you like.  This is your drawer."

"That's sweet, Giles," she said, giving him a smooch. "Wierd, but sweet."

Xander gave Anya a large album filled with pictures of them in a big
collage. Pictures of Anya at school. With the Gang. Her graduation. One of
them at the prom with the ticket stuck in the corner under the glass.
Another was them at the graveyard, cuddled up on a headstone. Them at the
beach.  Xander standing in front of the theater where they their first movie
together. The marquee had been changed to show the title.

"Xander, this is so nice." she said.

"You worry so much about not having a history, well this is yours. Your
history with us, as a mortal."

Lots of hugging ensued.

"Will, do you want your present now?" Oz asked.

"Sure, can it top the werewolf Pez I found for you?" she asked.

"I'd like to think so," he said. He handed her a box, a ring-sized box. She
smiled and opened it. It was lovely antique silver ring that held a small
moonstone in an ornately carved setting.

"Oz, it's so beautiful."

"It's a promise ring, as in I promise to get you a diamond later," he said.
"But what it means is I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I love
you. I can't afford a fancy engagement ring right now and we have three
years of college left but after that-"

She stopped him by grabbing his face between her hands and kissing him until
he was red-faced and dizzy.

"Is that a yes?" he asked, breathless.

"YES!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, this was a fabulous Christmas," Buffy said, settling into Giles' lap
as their friends cleaned up the breakfast dishes.

"Yes it was," he said. "I got the best present ever."

"Thank you."

"You have one more gift, would you like to open it?" he asked.

"Of course," she grinned.

He lugged a refrigerator-sized box out of the coat closet.  It was wrapped
in bright green paper with a huge red bow. She laughed and ripped at the
paper. In that box was a slightly smaller box wrapped in silver and blue
paper. She looked at little annoyed and opened that box, another box with
shiny red paper and a gold bow. And another and another.

"Okay, this stopped being cute three boxes ago," she said, flatly.

Finally, she got down to a ring-sized box.


"I'm so not falling for this again!" she laughed. "What is it? The key to
your liquor cabinet?  The tool shed?"

"Just open it," he pulled her back into his lap.

She unwrapped the light blue paper to find a black velvet ring box. She
opened the box, inside was gold claddaugh ring.  An Irish wedding band.
Smiled and looked at him, her eyes full of questiions.

"When I bought this," he said, putting the ring on her finger. "It was
intended to be a token of my undying friendship. But now, it's a token of my
undying love."

"Giles-"

"Don't interupt your elders," he grinned. "Not to plagerize Oz, but I want
you in my life for as long as I can have you. For a day, a week, an
eternity. As long as I have you it doesn't matter. Love me? Marry me?"

"Yes, to both," she smiled. "I love you."

"Good," he said. "Now let's go help with the dishes before Xander breaks
everything I hold dear."

"Everything?" she asked, slapping his rear.

"Well, maybe not everything. I think you could take him."

"I'd like to think so," she giggled. "Merry Christmas, Watcher."

"Merry Christmas, Slayer."

END