May I Have This Dance?
By Renee

PLOT - Buffy plucks up the courage to ask Giles to escort her to a dance, someone lurking nearby has other plans however.
TITLE- May I Have This Dance?
AUTHOR - Renee
RATING - PG13
DISCLAIMER - If I own anything it's the naughty dreams I have about Giles.
SPOILERS- Set sometime during season 5 ignoring the whole wrongness of the Riley relationship.

"I'm s...s..sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly." She'd only seen Giles flustered more one time and he'd walked face first into a tree then.
"I said, would you take me to the dance they're having at UC Sunnydale next Friday night?" She stared at him trying with all her might not to show the desperation she was feeling.
"B..b..but w..w..why me?" He hastened to rephrase that thought at the quiver of Buffy's lower lip. "I mean to say s..s..surely there's some boy you'd rather ask."
"Nope, can't think of anyone I'd rather spend the evening with."

If he hadn't placed his cup carefully on the coffee table just moments before he would swear under oath he'd have a lap full of steaming hot tea right now. He took a moment to stare at Buffy's sweet face, he could spend hours just looking at her like this. Suddenly he realised she'd probably soon be looking for an answer to her proposition. Gathering every ounce of courage he could find he gently took her hands in his own. "Buffy I'm going to ask you a question and the answer to this is quite possibly the most important one I'll ever ask of you." Taking a deep breath prepared for just about anything Buffy told him to shoot.

"Am I really the one person you want to take or am I just available when you need an arm to walk in on?"
She took a few moments to make sure he was looking directly into her eyes, she wanted him to see the depth of her sincerity.
"Giles there's no one I'd rather be with." He pulled her closer to him until their faces were mere centimeters apart. His voice was husky with emotion and she had to concentrate to hear him,
"And why is that?" She opened her mouth once but only a croak escaped, blushing she cleared her throat and tried again.
"Because I love you Giles." It was so soft and so small a phrase that he wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly, in fact if asked he'd have had money riding on her saying something entirely different.

"I'm sorry could you repeat that I thought for the briefest of moments you said it was because you erm, you love me."
She brushed her lips softly, achingly across his before replying "I did." His face lit up, it was the happiest she'd ever seen him but his expression quickly transformed into a blank stare before he slid from the chair and landed at her feet. Screaming Buffy flung herself towards him.

She shook him and called his name but received no response. The world was spinning around her like a dream, consequently it took her a few moments to realise they were no longer alone.
"Well that took a little longer than I had thought but at least I got a floor show, no pun intended well maybe just a little one." The force of the glare she threw his way caused a moment of doubt in Ethan. The slayer was one to watch out for on a normal basis but a pissed off slayer now there was something you wanted to avoid if at all possible. Seeing as how the capture of Giles was his buisness for the day though he didn't see any way around it.

"What did you do to him?" She threw herself towards him fists bared but was repelled by some kind of barrier.
"What, you thought I'd be stupid enough to go up against you without a little protection this time? Don't think so luv." She paced him like a cougar ready to pounce at his first sign of weakness.
"Just tell me what you want and get out of here you bastard."
"Now now is that any kind of language for a lady?" He laughed aloud as she attempted to tackle him once more only suceeding to end up sprawled on the floor at his feet.
"It's simple my dear, I want Ripper, the way he was, not the house trained watcher you've turned him into. So I placed a little sleeping potion in his tea and figured when he drifted off I'd perform a simple ritual and we'd be on our way like old times. Somehow I wasn't expecting you to show up and throw a spanner in the works. Doesn't matter, you can't hurt me and if you don't let me get to him soon then he'll die. That's the problem with a sleeping potion like this, the longer you let it run through someone's system the less likely they are to wake up."

Buffy let out an involuntary cry but managed to pull herself together long enough to make a deal with Ethan. "Fine do what you need to, I'd rather see him as Ripper than dead." The smile on his face did little to reassure her that she was right.
"I knew you'd see things my way, you see Buffy that's your problem you've never been smart enough to know when......" He hit the floor before he'd had a chance to finish that thought. Looking where he'd stood seconds before Buffy was thrilled to see Willow. "Idiot, you'd think he'd seen enough movies to know you don't stand around and gloat, you get in do what you have to do and get out. Didn't even bother to make his shield impenetrable to magic, amateur!" With that said Willow walked out the door only taking the time to call over her shoulder, "Don't worry I used a counter spell to wake Giles up too so hurry up and ask him to the dance."

Buffy smiled and said thanks but Willow was already gone. Buffy crawled to where Giles lay and placed his head in her lap, sure enough he started to rouse and was warmed by the sight that greeted him. Buffy was staring down at him with love in her eyes and for a moment he forgot why he was on the floor. Knowing that his hearts desire truly loved him caused him to forget anything else exsisted and he was perfectly happy to stay that way. She leaned forward and kissed him tentatively at first but her fear at what almost happened caused her to greedily take possesion of his mouth. Giles pulled her to him and without breaking the kiss managed to switch their positions so she was lying beneath him, her head craddled on his forearm.

He lazily trailed a finger down her cheek as they slowly, unwillingly broke apart, "Dear God how I love you Buffy." She smiled wishing to hear him say that every moment for the rest of her life.
"I love you too Giles." He swooped in for another kiss and they continued in their bliss until a grunt from Ethan stirred them back into reality.
"What's that git doing here?"
"Oh he's the reason we're in this position."
"I'd rather thought the reason was because I have a passion burning so deeply within for you that I can no longer deny it." She melted at his words and began to kiss him more ferverently making her way to his earlobe.

When Ethan groaned they decided it was best to throw out the trash before continuing in their newly found joy. "What are you gonna do with him?" Buffy asked as they drug Ethan, none too carefully I might add, out the back of Giles' flat. "Just a simple levitation spell should do nicely, it's irreversible and only lasts a week, I'm sure that will give him plenty of time to think." She snuggled into his side and marveled at the way his chest heaved as he laughed. They watched Ethan rise steadily until he was out of sight.
"Well Miss Summer's shall we pick up where we left off?"
"Oh you mean when my lips were permanently attached to yours?"
"Hmmm precisely." She squealed in delight when his hand found it's way to her bum whilst escourting her back inside.