A Mile In His Moccasins
By Gileswench

Title: A Mile In His Moccasins
Author: Gileswench
Contact: gileswench@yahoo.com
Date: 4/22/02
Spoilers: Through As You Were
Summary: When Buffy and Giles switch bodies, they both learn to see things from a different perspective
Rating: NC17
Pairing: Buffy/Giles, mention of B/S, but it's over at this point
Category: Romance
Distribution: If you've had my permission in the past, you have it now. All others, ask and ye shall receive.
Feedback: Constructive criticism always welcome. Praise abjectly sought.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc., etc., etc. I just let them have all the fun Joss won't. I own nothing except my twisted mind which you really don't want. Please don't sue.
Notes: This story comes to you courtesy of Ragna's welcome back Gloveslap #103, which reads as follows: "And for Da Wench, if she should return. I will not be evil, and make you write Riley/Angelus.
Lord knows that's *my* punishment. However, I want something...different...from your normal Giles/Buffy fare. I want Giles and Buffy to switch bodies. They have to hook up, too, while in each other's bodies. I mean I want an explicit sex scene in which the sensations of being a female in a male's body during sex are described in lurid detail."
DEDICATION: To Ragna, for tempting me back to the Stoners fold with this enticing challenge, and to all my fellow Stoners, especially THE fabulous Collie whose insane idea YGTS? was in the first place. And last, but not least, to Rari for her occasionally brutal, but always insightful (or is that inciteful?) betaing.

She picked up the teapot and hurried to the kitchen. When she got there, she leaned against a counter, her heart racing. Togetherness with Giles. She wanted it desperately. But now that she was faced with it, she found herself almost panicked at the strangeness of the concept.

Turning resolutely, she lit the burner and put the kettle on. There really wasn't anything to be scared of, she reminded herself. Giles knew her at her worst as well as her best and he still cared. And she could say the same of herself about Giles. She'd seen him well and ill, drunk and sober, determined and defeatist. Hell, at this point she'd even seen him both flaccid and erect.

Which was sort of the problem, wasn't it?

As much as she'd been curious about making love as a man, there was still the fact that she wasn't sure she wanted to make love to a woman. Herself, in fact. She wasn't even sure if the fact that it was her body she was considering making love with made it more or less skanky.

Meanwhile, out in the living room, Giles was in a twin panic.

As much as he wanted to be with Buffy, and as curious as he was about lovemaking from a female point of view, he wasn't entirely sure he could perform when faced with a penis instead of a vagina to pleasure. The fact that it would be his own penis only made matters more confusing rather than less.

And what if he got carried away as he sometimes did in bed? What if he hurt Buffy since he couldn't judge Slayer strength accurately?

What about birth control? What if she got him pregnant?

Giles sat heavily and tried to calm himself.

Making love was a completely natural thing. He loved Buffy. She loved him, as difficult as it was for him to really grasp the concept.

But she'd been with two different vampires. They had super strength and centuries of sexual experience. Even when he got back into his own skin, might she not find him a bit...disappointing?

*****

Buffy groaned. She wasn't sure she could do this. She didn't know how to control a penis. What if she couldn't find where to put it? What if she missed? What if he wanted her to try oral sex on him? Her stomach filled with a battalion of butterflies.

The kettle boiled.

*****

Giles began to pace. What if he froze up in bed? What if he didn't come for her? What if she wanted to try something...exotic?

He nibbled a cookie absently as he tried to think what Buffy might consider normal sex, considering some of the fairly abnormal partners she'd had.

*****

Buffy swallowed hard as she remembered the night of the band candy spree. Her mother had had sex with Giles that night and she'd ended up with a pair of handcuffs. Was that the sort of thing Giles liked in bed? Would he expect her to want something like that, too? And she hadn't slept with anyone but Spike since her return from the grave, so unless Giles had some condoms hidden in his suitcase, she wasn't sure what they would do about birth control.

She picked up the teapot and headed back out to the living room.

Now if she could just figure out what to say when she got there.

As Buffy walked through the door, Giles moved to take the teatray from her. Their fingers touched briefly and both started as if hit with an electric shock. Giles nearly spilled the contents of the tray to the floor, but managed to steady himself and move the tray to the coffee table. The two sat next to one another on the sofa and Giles poured the tea.

Buffy took the cup from him gratefully.

"I don't know why I'm so nervous," she laughed.

"If it's any comfort, you're not alone. This all happened so...so suddenly."

"And all backwards, bodywise."

"Which does add to the confusion, I must say."

Buffy put her teacup down and turned to face Giles more squarely.

"So what do we do? About all the stagefright?"

Giles took a sip of tea then set his cup down, too.

"Perhaps it would be best if we took things a little more slowly from now on. Take a bit of time to...adjust before we take the next step."

"Is that what you really want? To take it slow?"

"Don't you?"

"Yes. And no. You?"

"There's no rush, you know."

"No, I guess there really isn't."

Buffy's gaze dropped to her knees. Giles reached out and lifted her chin.

"What is it? Did I say something wrong?"

Buffy took his hand in hers.

"Of course not, Giles."

"But...?"

She smiled wryly.

"You know me way too well. Okay, okay, I just...there's this little piece of me that doesn't want to wait."

"In case something happens to one of us?"

"Well...yeah. That's part of it."

"And the rest would be, what?"

"Sort of really morbid curiosity?"

To her great surprise, Giles began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"You," he told her. "You never fail to surprise me."

"But, in a good way, right?"

"More often than not," he grinned.

Her eyes narrowed, but her lips insisted on curling into a smile. A moment later, they were both laughing. A moment after that, Buffy pulled Giles into her arms and rested her cheek on the top of his head.

"I know this is gonna sound a little funny, but...I want to know what it's like. For you. How it feels."

"Are you sure? Because I have to admit, I'm awfully curious, myself. But it would be fine with me if you wanted to wait until...well until we're more ourselves."

Buffy lifted her head, then looked down at Giles. Her face looked back at her in nervous anticipation.

"Hey," she said, "love is not love which alters when it alteration finds."

She leaned down and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was tentative and a bit hesitant on both sides, but warm and sweet all the same. Her hands moved to cup Giles' cheeks as his slid up to wrap around her neck, his fingers treading through her hair. Buffy pulled back from the kiss and rested her forehead against his.

"It already feels different," she laughed softly.

"Yes, it does," Giles agreed. "I never realized how large I must seem."

"Well, you're a big guy," Buffy said. She blushed deeply when she realized how it must have sounded. "I mean...tall...and...well..."

"Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"I know how big it is. It's mine, remember?"

Buffy stared at Giles for a moment before bursting into laughter. Giles joined in almost immediately. They giggled helplessly for some minutes, holding each other all the while. Whenever one began to calm, the other went into a fresh gale of laughter and set the first off again. At last, they sat sprawled on the sofa, still holding one another, the belly laughs having been reduced to the odd giggle.

Giles wiped away a tear that had formed on Buffy's face.

"That *was* a happy one, wasn't it?"

"I haven't laughed that hard in a long time," she replied. "And yes, happy tear. I can't believe you made a dirty joke."

"It wasn't a joke," he huffed. "It was an observation. And I know a great many more dirty jokes than you might think."

"Okay, okay, you don't have to prove you're not stuffy...as if you could."

"Stuffy I may be, but at least I usually know how to act my age."

"And I don't? When didn't I act my age?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Buffy."

Buffy stared at him.

"Are we having our first fight already?"

Giles sat back and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"If you'll recall, we had our first fight the day we met and we've battled it out ever since. Did you really think that was going to change?"

"Maybe? I thought at least we could get to the afterglow without a squabble."

"I wasn't squabbling."

"So that age acting crack wasn't about me?"

"No. If anything, it was directed at Spike."

"Spike? You're making out with me and thinking about Spike at the same time?"

Giles shrugged.

"I have what you Americans would call 'issues' with him, I suppose."

"Because...?"

Giles sighed. He knew Buffy wouldn't let him off the hook easily.

"He was your last lover, and he's a vampire, and he's...very unlike me."

"And you think you can't measure up? Is that it? Giles, I hated what I was doing with him. It made me feel dirty and sick. Why would I want someone like him? And what does that have to do with acting his age, anyway?"

"How old do you think Spike was when he was turned?"

Buffy shrugged.

"I dunno. I guess I never really thought about it. Thirtyish?"

"Look a bit closer and I think you'll find he looks older than that; probably closer to forty. And he still dresses like Billy sodding Idol."

"And he acts like a punk kid, yeah, yeah, I know. So what?"

"So...he looks like a prat."

Buffy's eyes widened.

"This isn't even about Spike, is it? This is about the leather suit. You think you look like a jerk in it, don't you?"

"I never said that..."

"Yes you did, a million times. And I kept on wearing it. Is it really that important to you?"

"It's just...yes, it bothers me a great deal."

"Then I won't wear it anymore. We can even donate it to Goodwill if you want. But before we go that far, do you think you could tell me what the problem is?"

She reached out to stroke his hair.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me, and I promise I won't tell anyone else. I just want to know. What's the big?"

Giles pressed himself to Buffy's side and wrapped his arms around her waist. Buffy allowed him the time to gather himself despite the growing frustration at not knowing what was going on in his mind. When he finally spoke, he didn't even look up at her.

"It reminds me of a time I'd like very much to forget."

He took her left hand and touched the long fingers gently. Buffy stared at their joined hands. She frowned, trying to connect the dots in her mind. She remembered a sunny spring day when Giles' left hand had been bandaged and splintered and Oz steered Willow in a wheelchair. All at once, she understood and squeezed his hand lightly.

"It's gone," she told him quietly.

"It's really the trousers, more than anything else," he admitted. "The jacket's actually not bad."

"But the pants make you remember. It goes in the morning."

Giles looked up at her, gratitude and relief shining in his eyes. Buffy couldn't help leaning down to kiss him again. This time she lingered longer than she had before.

*****

"You do know," she commented when she pulled back, "life would be a lot easier if you ever told people what you were thinking."

"Says Miss Pot to Mr. Kettle."

"Giles?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

Buffy nibbled softly at Giles' lips, teasing, tasting, exploring. She tentatively snaked the tip of her tongue out to encourage him to open to her. With a tiny, slightly startled sound, he did. The touch of his small, pointed tongue against her now broad one thrilled Buffy even as the confusion rose in her mind again. She pushed away the voice in her head that told her she didn't like girls that way and reminded it firmly that this wasn't a girl, but Giles. Her Giles. She redoubled her efforts, much to Giles' combined confusion and delight.

Warm lips and an insistent tongue filled his senses. His own fingers caressed his as yet unfamiliar body. His nipples stood up and begged for attention as warm desire flooded between his thighs. He pulled his mouth from Buffy's and began to kiss and nibble along her slightly bristled jawline up to her earlobe. He tugged gently at the earring with his teeth. He smiled and did it again when Buffy gasped at the sensation.

She groaned and shifted as she hardened under Giles' ministrations. The combined feeling of power and an odd vulnerability was still strange to her. An erection was such a strong image, and yet so exposed, it frightened her a little bit. She swore she would never laugh again when she saw a hard penis spring out of a man's underwear. Not that she'd ever meant it as a bad thing; just the sight could be vaguely comical despite the erotic pleasure it gave. Still, it couldn't have been very good for Riley's ego that that had been her first reaction.

She hoped Giles wouldn't laugh when the moment came.

Oh great! Buffy could feel herself deflating at the thought. She pushed the unpleasant thought resolutely to the back of her mind and attempted to focus on Giles nibbling her neck.

He certainly knew where all the sensitive spots were. She moaned softly when Giles grazed his teeth just under her ear. She took hold of his face and devoured him with kisses. She could feel herself rehardening. She moved to straddle Giles' lap.

She stopped and looked down at him.

"I'm too big to do this now, aren't I?"

"A bit," Giles giggled. "And I think this might be a good time to move this to a less public venue, don't you?"

"My room?"

She stood and held out her hand to him. He took it and raised his other hand to her cheek. Giles stood on his toes to reach Buffy for a kiss.

"Lovely," he said. "Oh, and before we go much further...how far can we go?"

"That sort of depends," Buffy said. "You didn't happen to pack any condoms, did you?"

"I hadn't any idea I was going to end up in bed with anyone on this trip."

"End up? I thought you wanted to be with me."

"Of course I do. I love you. I simply meant I didn't expect to sleep with anyone when I came here, so I didn't prepare for it. That's all I meant. It's not as if you're any better prepared, is it?"

"No, I'm not," she admitted. "So what do we...prepared..."

She frowned for a moment, then began to smile.

"What is it, Buffy?"

"I'm not prepared, and you're not prepared, but someone here is."

"Surely Willow doesn't have any use for condoms."

"No, not her. Dawn."

Giles' eyes widened.

"Dawn?" he sputtered. "Are you telling me that Dawn has already...good lord, Buffy, she's fifteen!"

"Calm down, Giles, she's not...I don't think. It's just...I know I've blown it with her in a lot of ways, and I don't want her to have to go through what I did. With Mom. She was sure I wouldn't until she found out I had. And what if I'd been going out with some ordinary guy when I decided to just say yes? What if I'd just gotten carried away with someone who could be a daddy? I want to make sure Dawn doesn't have to worry about that, at least."

"I doubt your sister will be so impulsive. She's an intelligent girl."

"So am I, or at least you keep telling me so. Didn't stop me. I'm just making sure that if she makes as rotten choices as I did, she doesn't have to deal with as much fallout as I did. If I learned one thing from you, it's that a ounce of prevention is better than a whole shitload of cure."

"At least you learned something."

"But you don't approve. You don't think I should have given them to her."

"I didn't say that."

"But you're thinking it. A lot."

"What I was thinking was that I ought to have understood both you and Dawn rather better. And I was thinking that since this is really a lucky thing for me, I ought to accept it a bit more gracefully."

Buffy blinked.

"Did you really just admit I was right and you were wrong about something?"

"Don't get used to it."

As she glared down at Giles, Buffy got a wicked idea. She reached down, picked Giles up, and threw him over her shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" he demanded through his giggles.

"I think I'm getting in touch with my inner caveman - without beer this time."

"This is something else you had better not get used to unless you want to try it from the other angle when I get my body back."

"Yeah, yeah, promises, promises."

She carried him to her room and flipped him unceremoniously on her bed. She leaned down and kissed him hard.

"Stay right there, sweetie, while I get the condoms."

She turned to leave, then turned back.

"And if there's a little less in the way of clothes in the way when I get back, I wouldn't hate that."

Giles grinned and pulled his blouse off. He stilled when he realized Buffy had only crossed the room rather than leaving it. She was rooting around in a grocery bag.

"Buffy? I thought you said..."

Buffy turned and blushed through a sheepish smile.

"Well...I got them for her. I just hadn't actually given them to her yet."

"Why not?"

"I couldn't figure out what to say. And I couldn't just tell her the condom fairy left them in her room while she was asleep, could I?"

Giles laughed until he rolled to his side clutching his belly. Buffy glared at him.

"Well you try figuring out what to tell your little sister when you give her a box of rubbers!"

"Luckily, I never had to do that." He held out his hand to her. "Come here, Buffy. We can figure that out later."

"We? Really?"

"You'll give the talk, but I'll help you work out what to say, if you like."

"Teamwork?"

She returned to the bed and crawled onto it. Giles got up onto his knees and draped his arms around Buffy's neck.

"Now come here," he said, "and let's not worry about that for tonight. Dawn's out, and Willow's...where is Willow, anyway?"

"Out for the rest of the night. It's just you and me."

"This smells of a setup."

"Only a little bit of one. Dawn didn't know."

Giles rolled his eyes.

"Wonderful."

Buffy grinned at him.

"Y'know, you kinda are. So tell me, Giles, have you been going braless this whole time? Or was tonight a special occasion?"

"I - I haven't really got the hang of them, I'm afraid."

"They're sort of a pain, I know. I'm not wearing one, either."

"Good. I know things aren't as firm as once they were, but, well..it's good to know I don't require that level of support yet."

"You're doing just fine in that department, stud guy. Check it out."

She began to unbutton her shirt as Giles leaned forward to kiss her again. Soon both were shirtless and Buffy lay back. Giles followed her down, kissing her all the while. Buffy wrapped her arms around Giles and kissed him back with everything she had. She couldn't believe how tiny - how fragile - he seemed in her body. Nor could she believe how large she felt. The whole situation still felt odd, but being with Giles, in whatever form, also seemed very right.

And his kisses were making it difficult to think at all.

"Buffy," he murmured as he nipped her earlobe.

"Uh huh?" she breathed in reply.

"Touch me, please."

"I thought I was touching you. See? Hands on you, attached to me."

Giles snorted and plucked the glasses off her nose to put them out of the way.

"Then use them a bit. Don't be afraid to show me how your body likes to be touched; how you like to be kissed. I want to know what excites you most and this is the perfect opportunity to show me."

She ruffled his hair affectionately.

"You never stop with the research, do you?"

"Not so long as it does you any good."

Buffy rolled them over so she was on top and bent to nuzzle at his throat. She ground her awakening length against Giles' thigh. She gasped when she felt small, soft fingers deftly rolling one nipple and then the other. It was amazing to her how similar the sensation was to the familiar feeling when she was in her own body. It gave her the nerve to cup one of the small breasts below her and give the nipple a gentle tweak.

When Giles whimpered and kissed her harder, Buffy smiled and repeated the caress.

Buffy felt her confidence surge. She moved her kisses from Giles' lips to his throat, and then to his ear. At last she rolled them to their sides and nibbled on the nape of Giles' neck.

He squeaked.

Giles felt a flood of desire as well as embarrassment. Buffy pulled back and rubbed her nose against his.

"Like that?" she grinned.

"Do you always make that noise when somebody does that to you?"

"Every single time. But it feels so good."

"It certainly does. Though I imagine it's a bit alarming to men."

"But it won't alarm you now, right?"

"Would you do it again?"

Buffy grinned as she leaned over to make Giles squeak some more.

*****

Soon both grew too heated to continue wearing pants. Giles stripped his off and turned to help Buffy remove her jeans. She couldn't wait to get them off. Her erection had gone from somewhat uncomfortable to actually painful in the confines of the form fitting denim. Giles quirked an eyebrow at her when he saw the straining briefs underneath.

"Tiger stripes?"

"I thought they were more manly for bedtime fun than zebra stripes. Anyway, you're wearing my purple thong so you don't get to complain."

"You need to do some laundry," he told her as he slipped them down his legs. "They're not terribly comfortable."

"I could have told you that. And these were fine when I started out, but they're pretty anti-comfortable now."

She hooked her thumbs into the elastic at her hips and removed her underwear, too. She stifled a giggle as her penis sprang out. Giles leaned over and kissed her.

"I love to hear you laugh," he said.

"So you're not mad? That I laughed?"

"Of course not. If you're laughing, you're enjoying this. I want you to enjoy it. Besides, I sometimes have to stop myself laughing when I take off my underwear. It looks a bit silly."

"So you don't have a problem if I laugh at your dick?"

"Is it a particularly laughable one?"

"No. It really isn't."

"Then I assume it was the moment rather than my privates."

"Yeah, it's kind of a moment thing. You really don't mind?"

Giles smiled and took Buffy's hand in his.

"Will you just relax? Laughter is fine, so long as it isn't meant as an insult. Now, are you ready for the condom, or do you want to play a bit yet?"

"I - I don't know how much more I can play if you want...y'know...to...I mean...this still feels really weird."

"Do you want to stop?" Giles asked levelly, though every nerve in him screamed both yes and no at the same time.

Buffy shook her head.

"No. I want to. It's just sorta of the freaksome. I think maybe I better put it on. If you still want to, that is."

"Yes, yes I do," he answered a bit quickly.

"You're sure? 'Cause we could stop if you aren't."

She bit her lip, a little unsure what she wanted his answer to be.

"I'm sure," he said with more confidence. "Just..."

"Just?" she prompted.

"I know this is a dreadful cliché, but...be gentle with me?"

"I'll do my best," Buffy promised. "But you might need to give me a couple pointers. Are you ready?"

Giles took her hand and guided it to the triangle of curls that hid his sex. She found him wet and willing.

"You tell me."

"I think you're ready," she said wryly as she slipped her thumb over the tiny bump of his clitoris. At Giles' answering gasp of pleasure, she smiled and rubbed again. "Like that?"

Giles ground himself against Buffy's hand wantonly. As strange and confusing as the very internal sensations of female pleasure were to him, he knew what was about to happen. He wondered vaguely if Buffy was multi-orgasmic before his mind clouded entirely with need. A moment later, he shouted his release. Another whimper followed each pulse of his sex.

Buffy pulled him into her arms and held him as he trembled with the unfamiliar feelings he'd just experienced.

"That was...that was...I have no words for it," Giles breathed.

"You don't need them," Buffy reminded him. "I know exactly how you feel right now."

She kissed his sweating brow and reached for a foil packet. Giles stilled her hand.

"Allow me."

"Ever the gentleman, huh? Even when you're the lady."

Buffy lay back and allowed Giles to take over. He worked Buffy's foreskin back and swiped his thumb over the head of her cock, coating it with the large drop of precum. Buffy gasped and thrust her hips involuntarily. Somehow she'd never been able to grasp the idea that something that big could be so sensitive. Giles gently urged her back down with a few soothing words and a hand on her hip. He ripped open the packet and rolled the condom onto Buffy. She frowned slightly.

"These really aren't all that comfortable, are they? In fact, this is one tight squeeze."

"It's a bit like a sausage casing. Then again, if they were roomy enough to be comfortable, they wouldn't work, would they?"

"All I know is I'm going on the pill ASAP. Hey, you could take the exam for me. Ever wanted to know what a visit to the gynecologist is like?" she grinned at him.

"I leave that pleasure entirely up to you," he giggled in return. "So we'd best find a cure soon."

"Coward."

She stuck her tongue out at Giles. He licked it with his own and pulled her into a deep kiss. Buffy rolled to lie atop him, cradling him between her thighs. They stopped kissing and looked down where their hips met.

"I think we're a little backwards again," Buffy said with a slight frown.

They repositioned so Giles cradled Buffy. They kissed again and again, raising their mutual desire to fever pitch. Giles pulled his knees up in silent invitation. Buffy drew up slightly on her hands and knees. Their eyes met. Buffy could see her own nervousness reflected in Giles' eyes. She smiled at him.

"I love you," she told him. "No matter what."

"I love you, too."

Buffy balanced on one hand and took her cock in the other to guide it into Giles waiting depths. She froze.

"And just so you know, I've never had anything this big in there. I hope it fits."

"Thank you for putting me so entirely at my ease."

He braced himself as Buffy moved the tip of her cock to the cleft of his core. She rubbed it against his entrance, looking for the right spot. When she found it, she tried to move forward, but found Giles had tensed so much that it was almost impossible to gain entry.

"Hey," she soothed him, "it's okay. I won't hurt you, Giles."

"I - I want it, but..." he turned his head to hide his frustration.

"But it's not easy for you to open up this way. You're not used to letting anyone in, are you? Giles, this is what love's all about; letting someone in. It's just...a lot more literal for a girl than for a guy."

"I do love you, Buffy," he told her softly. "I want to let you in, figuratively as well as literally. I just...perhaps we could..."

"Do you want to wait after all? I mean, we could, if you need to."

"No, I don't want to wait. I know exactly how you feel right now, and I wouldn't wish that frustration on anyone. And I want this; I honestly do. I want you. But I'm having a little trouble with...I think it's the position that's the trouble."

"So you just want to change positions? We could do that. So...um...how do you want it? Do you want to be on top?"

"Or possibly...like this."

Giles rolled to his stomach and pulled up onto his knees. He took hold of the headboard. Buffy moved behind him and kissed his back.

"Doggie style, huh? Okay, if it works for you. But I just want to remind you when your knees start to give out, this was all your idea."

Giles spread his legs a bit more in preparation as Buffy caressed him gently from behind.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

She ran her fingers across Giles' sopping nether lips. She smiled at his groan. He still flinched slightly, though. Buffy continued touching him until she felt him begin to relax under her ministrations. Soon he was thrusting back against her hand. She gently spread the swollen pink lips and inserted a finger into his waiting warmth. Giles mewled at the welcome invasion and clutched the headboard tightly. Buffy pressed a kiss to each soft buttock before her and slipped the finger out. She repositioned herself and placed her cockhead at Giles' tight entrance.

As the tip slipped in, Buffy groaned. She held Giles hips as he pushed back against her. Even through the latex, she could feel how snug and warm it was to be inside Giles. No wonder so many guys were in too big a hurry to get to this part. It was dominance and homecoming in one sweet thrust. She surged forward until her groin was pressed firmly against Giles soft rump. Her balls hung down, heavy and exposed, against Giles' hungry vaginal lips.

"How's that?" she asked a bit breathlessly.

"Very strange," Giles admitted, "but wonderful."

"I know what you mean."

She began to thrust, gently as she could manage at first. Giles met her every stroke with one of his own. The swing of Buffy's balls felt strange to both, but Giles soon decided he enjoyed the way they caressed his clitoris on every stroke. What he was having the most trouble getting used to was the way his breasts swayed as well.

Then again, with the wonderful feeling of fullness Buffy's cock was providing, and the constant stimulation to his clitoris, Giles soon found he didn't much care what his breasts were up to. He pushed back against Buffy wantonly and began to vocalize.

Buffy couldn't believe how much it excited her to hear Giles moan, whimper, and beg her to fuck him harder. She sped up the pace and did some talking of her own. She told him how good it felt to be inside him, how much she wanted to make him come Her words only made Giles move faster and cry out more.

He clutched the headboard harder as his cries turned incoherent. Buffy moved as fast as she could, drilling into Giles fiercely. She could feel her balls swelling and then contracting as the first wave of sperm surged through her penis. She yelled at the strange, yet exciting sensation. As the second wave hit, she could feel Giles begin to come, too, milking her with his internal muscles. Wave after wave coursed through both. Then, as suddenly as it had arrived, the fury left.

Giles' knees gave out and he fell to the mattress in a sweaty heap taking Buffy with him. They lay there, utterly drained, until Buffy somehow found the strength to roll off of Giles and pull him into a tight embrace.

"So," she panted. "Was it good for you?"

"Good? I think I broke your bed."

Buffy looked over his shoulder at the piece of her headboard on the pillow and laughed.

"You're paying to replace that, buster."

She bent down and kissed him deeply. He returned the kiss eagerly. At last, Buffy pulled away gently.

"I think I need to take this thing off before it falls off," she observed. "Then I think I need to fall seriously asleep."

"If I might recommend," Giles said, "I think a shower might be a good idea for both of us."

"Sounds yummy," she agreed. "Then sleep."

"You're all alike," Giles huffed in a mock aggrieved tone. "Once you've had your way, you can't be bothered to stay up and talk."

"Hey, it takes a lot out of a guy," Buffy protested teasingly. "Besides, I was up for a long time and we talked then."

"I've been up longer."

"Well, it was my first time. I couldn't help it if I was a little trigger happy. Was I...? Giles, did you get enough?"

"You were wonderful," Giles assured her as he leaned up to kiss her.

The pair moved to the bathroom. Buffy disposed of the used condom while Giles started the water in the shower.

As they cleaned up, they shared kisses and warm caresses. Buffy felt herself begin to stir slightly again. She pulled Giles closer and kissed him deeply. Before things could get any further, though, the front door slammed and deliberately loud footsteps were heard on the stairs. Buffy relaxed her hold on Giles slightly and groaned in frustration.

"I guess Will's home."

"I thought you said she was out for the night."

"Not all the night, the night. Just as long as The Bronze was open the night. I thought you got that."

She reached out and turned off the taps. The pair left the shower and toweled off, then grabbed their robes and scampered into Buffy's room as soon as they were sure the coast was clear.

In her own room, Willow smiled. It was good to hear those two laughing.

*****

The next morning, everybody met up at the Magic Box for another round of research. While Giles immediately threw himself into the work, Buffy found it difficult to concentrate. She couldn't stop her mind from thinking about the night before. And that morning when they had repeated the exercise in a somewhat quieter fashion. Each was still a little awkward with the body parts they were using, a bit hesitant about some things that wouldn't bother them if they were in their own bodies, but the lovemaking was still exceptional. It was warm, and tender, and wildly passionate.

But now that they sat at the tarot table with their friends, she kept waiting for Giles to make some sort of announcement about the change in their status. Either that or for Willow to blurt out something that would force them to blush and admit they were now lovers. Of course Giles made no such statement, and Willow seemed to have drunk deeply from the fountain of discretion. Nothing was said. A small part of Buffy began to panic that she'd dreamed the whole thing.

Suddenly, she felt something under the table around her ankle. She jumped slightly and peeked over to see Giles keeping a careful mask of indifference on his face. She felt the movement again. A smile spread across her face as she realized what was going on: Giles was playing footsies with her.

"Who gave you that happy, Buff?" Xander asked from across the table.

"Huh? H- happy?" Buffy stalled.

"That big ol' smile you had a minute ago. I thought maybe that Watcher whose diary you're reading might have something to do with it. Did he run across this beastie, too?"

"Oh, that. Um...no, *she* didn't. No joy."

"But you were smiling," Anya insisted.

"It was...something other. Not Watcher stuff."

"Oh yes it was," Xander teased. "Admit it, Buffy. It's Giles."

"What do you mean?"

She peeped at Giles who continued to bury his nose in a book, though she could see the color rising in his cheeks.

"Come on, Buff. We're all feeling it. It's like old times in the library. The circumstances may be pretty freaky, but it's great to have the old gang doing the Scooby thing just like we used to. Of course back then, Giles wouldn't have been caught dead in a skirt, and you would have staked yourself before you covered that much skin with clothes of any kind, but still...it feels good. Makes me wonder where we lost this. Having Giles back - even if he's being more Ruthie than Rupert...we're glad you're back, Big Guy. Buffy missed you, y'know."

"Yeah, I did," she agreed.

She smiled warmly at Giles. He looked up from his book and gave her a shy grin.

"Well, it's nice to be back," he agreed. "I missed all of you, as well."

Buffy ducked her head to cover her blushes when she felt Giles' foot against her own again. Nobody else noticed because they had returned to their research.

*****

The day wore on much as the days before it had. The gang engaged in research that seemed to lead nowhere. Various members of the group came and went as they were required to be elsewhere. Even Tara arrived to help, since Willow had informed her of the situation the night before. At last Buffy couldn't sit still anymore and headed for the training room. She needed to work off the frustration in a physical way.

She was still pummeling the punching bag with everything she had when Tara walked into the room half an hour later. She stopped and smiled at her friend.

"Hey, Tara. Taking a break from bookishness?"

"I wanted to talk, if that's okay."

"Sure," Buffy said. She stilled the bag and began to unwrap her knuckles. "I could use a break anyway. Giles is in good shape, but he's not exactly the Slayer."

Tara went to sit on the couch as Buffy got herself a cup of water.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Buffy asked when the silence had stretched on for several seconds.

"How are you doing?" Tara asked. "Really?"

Buffy thought about the question.

"Really? That's hard to say. Frustrated, confused most of the time, mad at that stupid demon, but, at the same time, I can't think of when I've been happier. Having Giles back - even in this really weird way - is great. Tara, can I ask you something really crazy?"

"Hellmouth crazy, or Buffy crazy?" the witch grinned.

"Sorta both crazy."

"Good thing I brought chocolate, then," Tara observed. She pulled out a bar and broke it in two, handing half to Buffy. "Go ahead. Ask."

Buffy took the candy and nibbled at it in a distracted fashion. She paced the room, then returned to the couch and flopped down on it next to her friend.

"Do you think I could be gay?" she blurted out.

Tara blinked. This was not the question she'd been expecting from Buffy.

"Is there a reason you think you might be?"

Buffy stood and began to pace again.

"I don't know. But...it's complicated."

"Is this a Giles question?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"He's here and he's suddenly a girl. It seemed the likeliest reason you'd ask that. Besides, I saw Willow last night. She didn't say anything, but she was smiling way too much. Something happened between you and Giles, didn't it?"

"You could say that," Buffy blushed. "You could say that a lot."

"So you and he...made love?"

"And how."

"And you liked it."

"It was...incredible...like nothing I've ever felt before. But he's a girl, and I never thought I'd want to be with a girl - no offense, Tara, I'm totally okay with it for you...it's just...I'm saying this all wrong."

"I don't think there's a lot of right and wrong in this, Buffy. At least, not an objective kind. There's only what you feel. Do you love Giles?"

"I never knew how much before."

"Will you still love him when he's a man again?"

"He's Giles," Buffy replied simply. "I love him no matter what."

"And you don't have big, burning passion for, say...me or Willow or Anya or Jennifer Lopez?"

"Again, no offense, but not interested. Especially in JLo."

"Then I don't think you're gay, Buffy. You're just really and truly in love."

"That's a relief," Buffy breathed. "Not that...I'm sorry, Tara. Again, I don't have a problem with anyone who is gay...it's just..."

"It's just you want to enjoy the Gilesy goodness when he's back to being Giles again?"

"Something like that."

The two sat on the couch and ate their chocolate happily.

"This is way better," Buffy observed.

"Better?"

"Than the last time I told you I was sleeping with someone. No more tears this time. I like who I'm sleeping with and I like how we're sleeping together. Plus, chocolate. Definitely the superior confessional experience."

"I like it better, too. Happy Buffy is good. I've missed her."

"Speaking of missing...you and Will. What's the what?"

"There's talking. Some talking."

"I know. But is there anything else I should know about? Any looking or, say, touching?"

"Buffy!" Tara blushed despite her smile.

"Hey, I keep on telling you, when are you gonna tell me?"

"When there's something to tell."

"Tara, do you want a piece of advice from probably the single most screwed up source in the world?"

"I don't talk to my father anymore."

"Okay, second most screwed up. As in me."

"Buffy, you're not screwed up. What is it?"

"Am too. And it's this: I know Willow hurt you, and I totally understand why you're afraid to get back together with her. I would be, too. But she's better now. And you guys just seem...so right. I know she wants you back."

"So your advice is forget it and take her?"

"Not forget. Just try to forgive."

"As in 'love means never having to say you're sorry'?"

"No. As in sometimes love means forgiving the unforgivable. Like Giles and me."

"I - I want to. But I don't know if I can."

"Just think about it, will you? She tries not to say, but she's really hurting without you."

Before Tara could answer, the door opened and Xander stuck his head in.

"Guys, I think you need to come out here. We found something."

Buffy and Tara stood.

"What is it, Xand? Did Giles find a way to swap us back?"

"He's triple checking now, but he seems pretty excited. He completely forgot his tea in midsip."

"That's a good sign," Tara said as she squeezed Buffy's hand comfortingly.

*****

Buffy took a deep breath and followed her friends out to the main room where Giles continued to read avidly. He moved from one volume to another with a surety that made Buffy's heart skip a beat. She hated to think that he might not be able to do what he loved best if they didn't find the answer to his eyesight problems.

The others held their breaths and waited for him to glance up from his research. At last he looked up and sought out Buffy's eyes. He smiled warmly.

"I've got it," he told her.

"What? What have you got?" she asked eagerly. She moved to sit next to him.

"I can't quite believe it myself. Here I've been reading and rereading these Watcher diaries for any information I can find, and the answer has been staring at me for two days at least. The first clue was in the diary of Augustus Greer, a Scotsman from Aberdeen with the most appalling handwriting. Anyway, he and his Slayer, Wilhelmina, met up with our fiend in 1856 in Bavaria..."

"Giles. I don't have time for War And Peace, here. Just tell me, already."

"Oh, yes, of course," he stammered. "Well, it seems from several accounts of meetings with the creature, that if the Slayer wasn't killed outright by the spell, it was reversed in a few days on its own. We don't have to do anything. Just wait it out for another day or so and we'll wake up in our own bodies."

"Just like that? No spells, no fuss, no muss?"

"Not even a bit of muss."

Buffy couldn't sit still. She stood and grabbed Giles into a bear hug. Giles glared as his feet dangled a foot off the ground.

"You're enjoying this entirely too much, you realize," he grumbled affectionately.

"Portable Giles. It's a good thing, on a temporary basis."

She held him tighter. After a moment of hesitation, he returned the embrace with enthusiasm. Willow and Tara grinned. Xander goggled. Anya returned to the register as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Okay, this is some sort of victory over the monster thing, right?" Xander asked. "Am I right?"

"No, Xander, as a matter of fact, you're quite wrong," Giles assured him as Buffy lowered him to the ground.

"So...you two are..." Xander gestured vaguely with his hands so as not to have to say the words.

"Breathe, Xand," Buffy advised. "And yes, we are."

"But you're not...not while..." again, Xander used a vague gesture to get his meaning across.

"I really think that's none of your business," Giles said firmly.

"Oh God. That means you are. While you're all backwards."

"I don't see what the problem is," Anya piped up helpfully. "You said you would if it happened to us."

A chorus of raised eyebrows met Xander. He giggled nervously, then turned on his fiancée.

"I said maybe, An. Maybe. Not the same thing as yes."

"Okay, hetero boy, we hear you," Buffy teased. "And we're still doing the one from column A, one from column B thing. We just switched columns is all. Shakespeare wrote a whole poem about it."

"Yes, well, I'm not entirely sure this was the situation he had in mind," Giles corrected her.

"I know, but it works. And hey, if the sonnet fits, I say wear it."

"Come on, Xander," Willow cajoled. "Tell them you're okay with this. You know you will be."

"On one condition," Xander said. He approached Buffy and Giles with a fierce look on his face. "You two are the best friends I have, along with Will. You have to promise never to break up, because I don't think I could ever choose sides, here. Besides, whichever one of you I didn't choose, could hurt me. So, is this a forever thing?"

Giles smiled up at Buffy as she answered for both.

"Yeah, Xand. It's a forever thing."

"Then in that case..."

Xander hugged Buffy tightly. When he finished he turned to Giles and hugged him, as well, lifting him off the ground.

"Whaddya know! Buffy's right. Portable Giles is a cool thing."

"Xander, I may be half your size right now, but I have Slayer strength."

Xander put Giles down. He gave a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, man. I just got carried away in all the good news."

Buffy gave Giles a hard look. He did his best to ignore it, but he found he couldn't. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at the floor. The others watched in consternation.

"There's some not so good news, too, isn't there?" Xander asked.

"You don't have to tell us now if you don't want," Willow assured Giles. "You could wait. Or not tell us at all if it's not our business."

"No, Buffy's right. If I'm to stay, you'll know pretty quickly anyway. You'd better all sit down."

Buffy gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as they all returned to their seats. He smiled tightly at her, but squeezed back gently.

A few minutes later, everybody was scanning books again. Willow sniffled as she read and the others all sent worried looks to Giles when they thought he wasn't looking. When Giles stood to get himself another cup of tea, Buffy followed him into the corner of the room.

"You okay?" she asked him quietly. "I know that was sort of rough, telling them."

Giles poured his tea and added the milk and sugar. Buffy could tell from the set of his shoulders that he was still uncomfortable after the confessions of the last half hour.

"I'm okay," he told Buffy at last. "Or I will be, at any rate."

"Liar. Come on. We need to talk."

Buffy ushered Giles into the training room. The Scoobies watched the couple until the door shut behind them. At last Willow gave in and burst into tears. Tara moved to take her hand.

"It's not fair," Willow declared brokenly. "This shouldn't have to happen to Giles. Not now, when he just got together with Buffy."

"When should it happen, then?" Anya asked tartly.

"An," Xander said, "I don't think that's what Willow means. And we're not gonna let this happen. Giles is gonna be okay. We'll find something."

It was left to Anya to bring up the question nobody wanted to answer.

"What if we don't? What if there isn't anything we can do? If Joyce died, Giles can go blind and we might not be able to stop it. What happens then? He can't be Buffy's Watcher if he can't see."

Tara took one look at the set of Willow's jaw and decided it was time to intervene.

"We'll think about that when the time comes, Anya. Right now, let's just assume there's something we can do and look for it. If there isn't, then we'll all look for ways to help Giles adjust. Willow, I think it might be helpful to check out some medical websites. Maybe there's a new treatment Giles' doctors just haven't heard about."

Willow pulled her laptop out and booted it up as Xander and Anya returned to their books. Tara moved to the counter.

"What are you doing?" Anya asked. "We're all working. Why aren't you reading?"

"Because I have a phone call to make."

"If it's long distance, you'll have to pay for it when the bill comes."

Tara rolled her eyes.

"Okay, Anya. I'll pay for it."

She turned to the phone and dialed.

*****

Buffy sat on the couch and watched Giles prod at the punching bag with a contemplative finger.

"Was I wrong?" she finally asked. "Shouldn't I have said anything? Did I violate the guy code or something?"

"No, no, it's alright," he said in a distracted manner.

Buffy sighed.

"Okay, I obviously screwed up. Could you just tell me how so I don't do it again unless it really, really needs doing?"

Giles didn't answer this time. Buffy stood and moved to his side.

"I know you're not heavy into the sharing, and I know you don't want them to feel sorry for you, but it's not like they wouldn't notice after a while. This way they get to help us look for a cure. And if...if we can't find one..."

"Then Willow can cry every time she sees me and Xander can pull obstacles out of my path while I can still see them, and Anya can shout at me because she doesn't understand that blind and deaf are different things."

Buffy flinched at the bitterness in his tone.

"I'm sorry, Buffy," he sighed. "It really was the right thing to do, I know. It just makes things...so..."

"Real. Yeah, I know," she told him. "I took away your place where you could pretend things were okay, didn't I?"

"With the best of intentions, I know, but yes."

Without another word, Buffy took Giles in her arms and kissed the top of his head. She held him close, hoping that her arms could express what her words never seemed able to convey. From his answering embrace, she knew he'd accepted her apology, and offered one of his own. At her warm caress in return, he relaxed. At last, Buffy pulled back and led Giles to the couch. They sat very close and continued to hold one another.

"I wish I knew what was to be done," Giles said miserably.

"We'll figure it out. It's what we do."

"Now who's lying?"

"Come on, you know it's true. We'll find a way to fix your eyes and kill that stupid demon for making me know the humiliation of wearing your shoes."

"Hey!"

"Shh. I'm lying to you. And then we'll go away somewhere on a nice, long vacation where there's a beach for me and musty museums for you and a five star hotel with big soft beds for when we get together at night. And while we're gone, Faith will be taken out in a prison riot so a new Slayer will be called and sent to the Hellmouth. She'll be majorly kickass, but really dogly so I don't have to worry about her stealing my guy. Then the Council will send me a gold watch and I can retire and make pretty babies by the overflow method with you."

"Really? How many babies is that, precisely?"

"How many would you want it to be?"

"That many? You'll never see your feet again."

"Of course, you get all the diaper changing and butt wiping duties."

"Poor Junior will have to settle for being an only child."

"Thought you'd see it my way," she giggled as she cupped his cheek. "Everything will be great. Honest."

"I almost believe you."

Buffy bent down and kissed Giles softly.

"Whatever happens, it's you and me. Believe that."

"I'm beginning to."

A soft tap came at the door, followed almost immediately by Tara's head peeping into the room.

"Is it okay if I come in for a minute?"

"Sure, Tara. What's up? You guys find something already?"

"Maybe."

Giles blinked.

"That was fast. What have you discovered?"

"It's not so much a what as a who," Tara explained. "Mrs. Wilmot. She was a friend of my mother's, back home. She knows things. Healing things."

"A witch?" Buffy asked.

Tara shook her head quickly.

"An herbalist. She knows how to can cure all sorts of things. And she knows a little magic, too. She helped me learn after my mother died, but mainly she knows herbs and things like that. Depending on the cause, she might be able to fix this."

"Why didn't this come up when my mom got sick?" Buffy wondered. "You all said magic and medicine don't go together. How is this different?"

"We don't know that it is yet," Tara answered. "She might not be able to do anything. She's never been able to cure a tumor with herbs, so I didn't even bring it up then. There were better things to try. Things that worked. This time, it may be the only option we have."

"And you think a pinch of tarragon will fix Giles' eyes?" Buffy asked skeptically. "I was thinking more there might be an operation or a pill. Or a chant. Chants work for some things."

Giles' hand moved to his nose to remove his glasses. He fluttered his fingers in frustration when he found, once again, they weren't there. He stood, ran his hand through his hair and began to pace.

"Of course!" he exclaimed. "I ought to have thought of this avenue of inquiry before."

"Sticking spices in your eyes? No offense, Tara, but I don't get how this is gonna work when medical science is baffled."

Giles returned to Buffy's side and gave her a bemused smile.

"I know this seems a bit strange, Buffy," he told her, "but some folk remedies have been found to have a solid medical basis. Not everything, of course, but a surprising number of the old poultices and mixtures can be quite effective when used properly. This just might work."

"Then we'll try it," Buffy said quietly. "If you think it can work, I think it can, too. And hey, if it doesn't cure you, maybe it'll be yummy on a salad."

"I rather doubt it; most of these concoctions taste quite foul," Giles said with a smile. He turned to Tara. "Can you get in touch with your friend?"

"I already did. She's on her way. She'll be here in a few hours."

"That fast?" Buffy asked. "How's she getting here? Magic carpet?"

Tara shook her head.

"Private jet. Her son made a killing in real estate in the eighties. Not a literal killing, though. Nobody died for real."

"It's sad we have to spell that out, isn't it?" Buffy mused.

*****

That evening, while they awaited the arrival of Mrs. Wilmot, Buffy and Giles caught Dawn up on what had been going on. She took the news of her sister's new romance calmly.

"I knew that already," she said. "You guys have been sleeping together since Giles got here. It's about time you said something."

"We weren't..." Giles sputtered. Then his eyebrows raised and he gave a silent laugh. "Alright, we were, but not like that, Dawn."

"We only just figured it out last night," Buffy clarified. "So are you cool with it? Think you can stand to have Giles around a lot more?"

"You're not gonna go away again, are you?" Dawn asked.

"I'll have to for a short time, to tie up loose ends in England and get all the red tape cleared away so I can stay here legally, but after that, I intend to stay...indefinitely."

"So are you guys getting married or what?"

Buffy and Giles looked at one another, twin expressions of startled confusion on their faces.

"I - I don't know," Buffy said at last. "I hadn't really thought about it. What about you?"

"I...hadn't really thought about it either. Did you want to?"

"I dunno. You want to?"

"Well I suppose we could, if you like."

"But we don't have to," Buffy added hastily. "I mean, it's no big deal if we don't."

"No, no, I suppose it isn't. People do stay together without it, don't they?"

"Yeah. Like...okay, I can't think of anyone, but I know it happens. Not that there's anything wrong with getting married."

"Nothing wrong with it at all."

"Except when it doesn't work out. That can get ugly."

"Oh yes, very ugly, as you say."

"Like Mom and Dad. I don't want that to happen to us."

"So is that a yes or a no?"

"Did you ask yet?"

"I think I may have done."

"Um...okay."

"So that's a yes?"

"I think it was."

"Well, then, that's settled."

The pair hugged gently. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"If anyone ever asks you about the proposal, make something up," she recommended. "They'll never believe this."

*****

Xander and Tara stood leaning against the wall at Sunnydale airport outside the area for passengers and personnel only. Just beyond the turnstile they could see a coffee bar, but there was no way to reach it. They had no idea how much longer they would have to stand there, waiting for Mrs. Wilmot to arrive. Rock, paper, scissors and thumb wrestling had long ago worn out their power to amuse. At last they had turned to reciting lines from movies and guessing the source.

"Um...laugh while you can, monkey boy," Tara said.

"The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension. Duh!" Xander returned. "You can't go home again, but you can shop there."

"Was that your quote, or are you being extra Dada today?"

"In the words of Grandpa Simpson, a little from column a, a little from column b. Didn't you ever see Grosse Pointe Blank?"

"Wasn't that about a hit man?"

"No, it was about two hit men. And a girl. And Eighties rock. And the humiliation of high school reunions. Your turn."

"Okay...his recipe for duck a la banana goes with him to the grave."

"Now who's being Dada?"

"Didn't you ever see Four Weddings and a Funeral?"

"Please! As if! That's a chick flick, and I don't do chick flicks."

"What makes it a chick flick?"

"If it's got Hugh Grant in it, or there's a wedding in the title, that pretty much makes it wrong for a man to see it. Or if it stars Susan Sarandon."

"So The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a chick flick?"

"Ah, no. See, that's Susan Sarandon in her pre-Thelma and Louise period, so that's alright."

"So a movie about a man who can't understand marriage is a chick flick, but one about a mad scientist in women's underwear building a muscle man as his personal snugglebear is manly?"

Xander took a breath to answer, then paused.

"You've changed, Tara."

"I - I have?"

"It's not a bad thing. Actually, it's a good one. I like this Tara. You're confident now, but you're still nice. It's cool. Not that you weren't cool before, just...it's easier to get to know you now."

"Well, I think I learned a lot with you guys. It's hard to hang with the Scoobies and stay too shy."

"I think there's something about Buffy that brings out the inner exhibitionist. Okay, in my case, that didn't take much, but you should have seen Willow in the old days."

"Shy?"

"The shyest. Almost as shy as you used to be."

There didn't seem to be much to say to that, so Tara stayed quiet. The silence stretched out, but not uncomfortably. At last, Tara stood straighter and craned her neck. Xander followed suit, despite the fact that he didn't know what he was looking for.

"What is it, Tara?"

The girl grinned and pointed.

"There she is. Mrs. Wilmot." She waved wildly to her friend.

Xander peered in the direction Tara was waving. He started slightly.

He goggled at the woman. She was very short, and very nearly as wide as she was tall. Her thinning hair had obviously been dyed that vivid shade of red and was permed within an inch of its life. She was dressed in black polyester stretch pants and an oversized chambray shirt with the American flag sequined over the breast pocket. She strode firmly, her small, wheeled suitcase following obediently in her wake.

"That's your herbalist friend? Are you sure?"

Tara rolled her eyes and moved closer to the turnstile.

"Mrs. Wilmot!" she called. "Over here!"

The strange little woman smiled broadly when she saw Tara and hurried over, wheezing as she went. With her free hand, she was already opening her pocket to draw out a cigarette. Xander could now see nicotine-stained fingers and worried anew.

"How do, Miss McClay," the woman muttered around her cigarette as she pulled the girl into a bear hug. She pointed to Xander. "That your young man?"

"No, he's not."

"In fact, I'm marrying someone else entirely on Saturday," Xander hurried to explain. "I'm just a friend. Xander. Xander Harris."

Mrs. Wilmot shook her head.

"That's too bad, Tara honey. He's good looking. So, where's the patient?"

"We'll take you to him," Tara said. "Oh, and there's a slight complication I should probably tell you about, but not until we get to the car. People around here, they wouldn't understand."

"Can I take your suitcase?" Xander offered.

"Thank you kindly, but if it's all the same to you, I'll keep it myself," Mrs. Wilmot insisted. "I don't let nobody but nobody touch my medicine cabinet. Let's go, children. Time's a-wasting."

She marched out the door with Tara and Xander following behind. For a moment, Xander worried he'd be blinded when they got out the door and the sun hit the huge Old Glory sequined to the back of Mrs. Wilmot's shirt. He waved away a plume of smoke from her cigarette when she stopped to light up.

"I really hope she knows what she's doing," he muttered under his breath. "And what the hell is Giles gonna make of her?"

*****

Buffy, Giles, Dawn, Willow and Anya sat in the living room nervously awaiting Mrs. Wilmot's arrival. Conversation was at a minimum among the group. Buffy kept an arm around Giles as much for her security as his. The fact that he leaned against her in front of their friends told her just how worried he was. If this didn't work, they knew there were few likely possibilities for a cure. Willow's research had turned up nothing in the conventional medical community.

When the kettle began to whistle, Willow headed for the kitchen to make some tea. Dawn followed saying something about getting out some cookies. A moment later, Dawn stuck her head into the room to ask Anya to help her. A few hand gestures and raised eyebrows later, Anya got the hint and left the room. Buffy smiled wryly after her.

"That was in no way unsubtle," she observed. "Those guys should never consider a career in spydom."

"Still, they meant well, one assumes."

"One knows. How're you doing? Really?"

"Really? I feel as if I might be sick."

Buffy smoothed his hair and held him a bit tighter - but not too tightly.

"Need a bucket?"

"If I need to, I imagine I'll be able to make it to the toilet."

They sat quietly for a moment. Buffy stroked his head the way she had always found comforting when her mother had done it for her. Giles felt his stomach settle a bit. He took a deep breath and pulled back.

"You gonna be okay now?" Buffy asked.

"I think I'll manage."

He squeezed her hand gratefully, then grimaced when Buffy winced.

"Sorry. I'm afraid I don't know my own strength."

"It's okay," she told him as she flexed her injured hand. "It takes getting used to. You've really done a pretty amazing job of not breaking stuff...most of the time."

Just then the door opened and Tara and Xander led Mrs. Wilmot into the room.

Buffy tried not to let her heart sink at the sight of the strange little woman, but lost the battle when Mrs. Wilmot lit up a cigarette and sat heavily in one of the armchairs.

"So you're her and she's you?" Mrs. Wilmot asked.

Buffy and Giles looked at one another, then at their visitor.

"Um...yeah, that's about it," Buffy replied. "Um...look, not to be all bossy, but...the smoking? We...don't have any ashtrays. Sorry."

"Oh don't worry about that, honey," Mrs. Wilmot said with a wave of her pudgy hand. She rooted around in a pocket of her suitcase and pulled out a small aluminum tray. "I always carry my own, just in case."

Buffy and Giles exchanged a worried look. They turned as one to Tara.

"Could we talk to you a minute?" Buffy asked. "Alone?"

"Um...sure."

"We'll be right back," Giles assured Mrs. Wilmot as he and Buffy ushered Tara out of the room.

When they got to the kitchen, Willow was just putting the teapot on the tray.

"So, Buffy? What do you think? Can she help?"

"We're not sure yet. Tara, I don't want to make you think we aren't grateful, but this woman...I have to ask..."

Tara smiled.

"She's a little off putting, I know, but she really knows a lot. If you just give her a chance, she can probably help."

Buffy looked to Giles.

"What do you want to do, Giles? They're your peepers. Think you can trust her with them?"

Giles leaned back against the counter and put his hands in his pockets. He frowned at the floor for a moment. At last he looked at Tara.

"Has Mrs. Wilmot ever dealt with anyone with my particular condition before?"

"Not exactly, but she helped people who were losing their sight from other things. She couldn't cure them all, but even the ones she couldn't save their sight entirely kept their vision a lot longer than the doctors expected. I think she can at least buy you some time."

"How much time?"

"I don't know. Maybe a few weeks. Maybe even a few months. Or she might be able to cure you entirely. I really don't know."

"Has she ever made things worse? I don't mean to be rude, but I have to ask."

"Not that I've ever seen or heard. She won't take cases she doesn't think she can help with."

Giles nodded and looked at the floor again.

"Since it would seem that this is my only option for the moment, I'll take it."

"Okay," Buffy nodded. "We try it. But I don't want a housefull of smoke. She takes her cigarettes outside."

*****

The group returned to the living room as a nervous clump. Willow put the tray down on the coffee table and retreated to Tara's side. Anya sat on the arm of Xander's chair and Dawn took a spot on the floor next to them. Giles took a deep breath and moved to Mrs. Wilmot's chair with Buffy.

"I assume you'd like to perform an examination, Mrs. Wilmot?"

She shook her head emphatically.

"Not you, her," she said pointing at Buffy. "She's got your eyes, so she's the one I have to look at. Come here, girl."

Buffy looked nervously at Giles. He nodded encouragingly. She removed her glasses and knelt on the floor before Mrs. Wilmot. She was relived when Mrs. Wilmot stubbed out her cigarette, but tensed when the odd woman began to touch various spots on her face and throat with a look of intense concentration in her watery gray eyes. Giles put a comforting hand on Buffy's shoulder as he watched the proceedings anxiously.

The rest of the group instinctively leaned toward Buffy and took up similar protective positions with those nearest them. Every nerve in the room was taut.

At last Mrs. Wilmot nodded and settled back in her seat. She indicated she was finished. Buffy moved to the sofa and Giles sat beside her.

"You're getting headaches, aren't you?"

"Some," Buffy replied.

"Blurry vision?"

"Once in a while," she admitted. "Not much unless I read too long."

"And you do a lot of that, don't you?"

"The last couple days. Most of the time, I can resist the temptation to do brainy stuff, but Giles is research guy, so I know he did it a lot even when he wasn't here."

Mrs. Wilmot glared at Giles.

"You've done a lot of damage you didn't need to. Makes this harder to fix."

"Can you fix it?" Giles asked.

Buffy took his hand as they waited for the answer. Mrs. Wilmot contemplated the pair for a further moment in which Buffy thought she might need the bucket she'd so cavalierly offered to Giles earlier.

"Not a damn thing I can do until you both get back where you belong," Mrs. Wilmot answered at last. "I'll probably be able to do it then, but when your energy is this divided, it's tricky. I might blind you in one go, this way. How long until you unswitch?"

"Perhaps a day or two," Giles told her. "Can you stay that long?"

"Long as you've got a bed for me to sleep in and good coffee in the morning," she said with a laugh. "Nowhere I need to be most of the time. And I can watch my stories anywhere. Any of you watch Passions?"

*****

Later that night, Buffy and Giles lay curled in one anothers' arms. Mrs. Wilmot had been given Willow's bed and Willow was camping out in Dawn's room in a sleeping bag. Buffy sighed and pulled Giles closer.

"Don't worry so, Buffy," Giles told her softly. "It'll be okay."

"But what if it's not?"

"It will be. It happens to every man once in a while."

"Great. I get to be the world's first impotent woman."

"You're not impotent, Buffy. You're merely distracted."

He leaned up and kissed her warmly. Buffy tried not to react, but couldn't resist kissing Giles back. When his lips parted, she took the invitation eagerly. They kissed and petted for long minutes. At last Giles pulled back and smiled at Buffy.

"Still feeling impotent?"

"You know exactly how impotent I'm not feeling, Giles. Wanna test drive it?"

"Can I be on top this time?"

"I think something could be arranged."

They giggled and went back to their caresses.

*****

The morning sun streamed through the peach colored curtains. Out in the hall, Buffy could hear voices and movement. She pulled the covers more firmly over her head to block out all knowledge of the fact that day had dawned. She snuggled further into her pillow.

It was furry.

It wasn't furry when she went to sleep the night before.

It was also now fleshy and making a regular thumping sound under her ear.

Buffy sat up hurriedly. She looked down at Giles still asleep next to her. She greedily took in all the details of his rumpled brown hair and unshaven jaw. With a tiny, excited squeal, she decided to wake him up.

"Giles? Giles?" she whispered. No response. "Wake up, Giles. Sweetie? Rupert?"

He blinked at the sound. He tried repeatedly, but couldn't get his eyes to focus properly. A pair of glasses found their way into his hand and he put them on. He found his fiancée grinning down at him.

"Buffy...? The spell wore off in the night, then," he mused. "I must say, I like waking up to this particular vision," he added as he pulled Buffy close. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"

"Nope. And I'm sure a guy with your impressive vocabulary can come up with lots and lots of words to tell me," she laughed. "Oh, and let me take this opportunity to tell you that I like waking up to a naked Watcher. You're all cute and rumpley in the morning."

"Cute and rumpley? Oh, and is your interest specific to the particular naked Watcher in your bed, or will any naked Watcher do?"

"Well, I can't imagine Wesley getting as rumpley as this, and pretty much every other Watcher I've ever met is either dead or a friend of Travers', so I guess I'm stuck with you."

Giles pulled Buffy down for a deep kiss. She reveled in the feel of his strong arms around her, his soft lips against hers, the sheer bulk of him. This felt right.

"I've decided something," she said when she finally pulled back. "It's good to be me."

"Not as good as it is to be me," Giles told her as he rolled them over. "Because if I'm me, I get to have you."

"Just so we're clear," Buffy said, "this having would consist of...what exactly?"

She looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes and softly ruffled his chest hair with her fingertips. Giles groaned and kissed her again.

Soon their kisses and caresses had grown fevered. Each explored the other with a confidence they never had with any other lover. Each knew what the other wanted, what would please them best. By the time Giles was inside her, Buffy had already decided this was her best sexual experience of all time, and it was far from over. She moaned as Giles gave a firm thrust. Both stiffened when a knock came on the door.

"Buffy? Giles? Are you up yet?" came Dawn's voice.

"Um...yeah," Buffy managed as Giles dissolved into giggles against her neck.

"Hurry up. Tara's here and she's making pancakes."

"Tell her we'll come as soon as we can," Buffy said a bit breathlessly.

As soon as her sister's footsteps had retreated, Buffy wriggled against her lover.

"Better get a move on, big boy," she grinned.

"Hang on, then," he said, "and we'll be eating pancakes all too soon. Finesse will just have to wait."

With that he began to pump fiercely into Buffy. She gasped and held him as close as she could. They kissed to swallow their mutual cries of passion. Soon Buffy could feel the wild need for release growing in her. She could see the same need in Giles' face as he pounded harder than ever inside her. His hips moved even faster.

The fury hit them both at the same time. Buffy wondered at the sight of Giles, her cool, in control Giles, in the throes of orgasm. His flushed face and pounding heartbeat delighted her. His soft cries as he did his best not to let the rest of the house know what they were up to seemed the sexiest thing she'd ever heard. Even through the haze of her own climax she found his intoxicating.

At last, it was done. Giles stroked Buffy's cheek gently and smiled down at her. She closed her eyes and leaned into his caress.

"That was fantastic," he panted.

"And no breakage this time," she grinned back. "Come on, we'd better hit the showers and go eat breakfast."

She gave him one last, lingering kiss before he rolled off her and dealt with the condom.

"At least this answers one question," Buffy said as she chose clothes for the day.

"What's that?"

"The hot sex wasn't all about the switch. This bodes well for married life."

*****

During breakfast it became clear that, hard as they'd tried to be discreet, everybody knew exactly what Buffy and Giles had been up to. Between the merry giggles Willow and Dawn shared, the disapproving sniffs of Mrs. Wilmot, and Tara's gentle, sympathetic smiles, they felt a bit awkward. All in all, they were relieved when breakfast was done.

Buffy moved to clear the table, but Tara stopped her.

"I have a clean up crew already," she said. "I think Mrs. Wilmot will be able to do something for Giles today. You should be with him."

Buffy turned at a sound behind her only to see Dawn clearing plates while Willow filled the sink with hot, soapy water.

"Thanks guys," she breathed in relief. "I really do want to be with Giles today. Sort of hold his hand."

"Or maybe other body parts I don't want to think about Giles having," Dawn piped up.

"In front of Mrs. Wilmot?" Buffy replied with a withering glare. "Eeiw. Willow, you have the soap. Feel free to wash my sister's mouth out."

She turned on her heel and went into the back yard where Mrs. Wilmot had already dragged Giles for another consultation. Buffy moved to Giles' side and took his hand. He smiled tightly and gave her hand a slight squeeze in return.

Mrs. Wilmot, in the meantime, muttered to herself as she scanned a tattered notebook and organized jars of herbs. Buffy and Giles watched her nervously. At last, Buffy couldn't take the not knowing anymore.

"Find anything?" she asked.

The old woman grunted and nodded, but said nothing. Buffy waited as patiently as she knew how, but had to ask another question when several more minutes had passed without further information.

"What is it? Is it gonna work?"

"Not much of a one for waiting, is she?" Mrs. Wilmot asked Giles. "That's the trouble with young folks now. Rush, rush, rush. Can't be bothered to take their time over anything. Instant gratification, that's what they're after. Well, Missy, this takes as long as it takes and your questions only make it take longer."

Giles pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes.

"I'd like an answer to Buffy's question, myself," he said in a dangerous tone.

Mrs. Wilmot met his eye with amusement.

"So there's a backbone in there, after all. I was beginning to wonder. Yes, I've got something. It'll take a couple hours to prepare. Why don't you take your girl somewhere else for a while? But no caffeine for the next two hours."

"Will it mess up the cure?" Buffy asked.

"Nah. It's just bad for you."

*****

Buffy couldn't believe she was strolling down the street with her honey on a sunny day. It had been a long time since she'd done that. She'd forgotten how good - how normal - it felt. So there'd been a few odd looks from the passers by and a couple comments about cradle robbers and gold diggers that Buffy wouldn't have heard without her enhanced Slayer hearing, but there'd been some approving and even jealous looks as well. On balance, Buffy decided to exert her famous powers of denial to deal with anyone who didn't like her choice of partner. If she was happy, and he was happy, what did it matter what anyone else thought? She slipped her arm around Giles' elbow and leaned closer to him.

"So where're we going?" she asked at last.

"Somewhere I think you'll like."

"Cryptic guy," Buffy grumbled. "Can you give me a hint? Is it bigger than a breadbox?"

"Yes."

"Yes which?"

"Yes, it's bigger than a breadbox. And yes, that is your hint."

"Are we getting anywhere near it?"

"You're really not much of a one for waiting, are you?" he teased. "It's not far. We'll be there soon."

Buffy tried to glare at him, but Giles looked so happy, even boyish, she couldn't help smiling instead.

"You're lucky I love you so much," she informed him, "'cause you're about the biggest pain in the butt I've ever met."

Giles just grinned at her and led her into Weatherly Park.

"Okay, I know this place already," Buffy said impatiently. "Killed about a zillion nasties here, caught that aspect of the demon, found Hansel and Gretel. This place has sort of lost its charm for me."

"Trust me, Buffy, there's something you'll like a bit further on."

"I've been over this whole park I don't know how many times on patrol. There's nothing here I haven't seen."

Giles just took her hand and walked faster until Buffy almost had to trot to keep up with him.

"It's just over here," Giles told her when they reached a row of trees near the back of the park.

"I've seen these trees, Giles. Pretty standard tree-like things. Bark, leaves that fall off in the aptly named Fall, an occasional bit of sap in the spring. Trees. Nothing special."

"Not the trees, Buffy. Behind them."

Giles parted some low-hanging branches and indicated to Buffy that she should step through them. She did, though she raised her eyebrows at Giles as she followed his instructions.

Once through the line of trees, though, her eyes went wide at the sight before her. There was a tiny clearing surrounded by the trees that everyone else thought marked the edge of the park. In this small place, wildflowers bloomed in abundance. Everywhere she looked, Buffy saw more flowers.

"When did this get here?" she asked.

"I can't tell you that," Giles said, "but I found it shortly after you and Willow went off to college. I had a lot of time to myself, then, and I went wandering one day. I was feeling a bit lonely and sorry for myself, so I just went wherever my feet took me, as it were. The next thing I knew, I was at the back of Weatherly Park, and I saw a flash of something behind one of the trees. When I went to investigate, I found myself surrounded by poppies. It all looked so cheerful..."

"It made you feel better?" Buffy guessed. "When we were staying away in droves?"

"Actually, that first time, if anything, it made me feel worse. I was a bit offended that anything dared to look so bright and happy when I wasn't. But after a time, I found myself wanting to come back. It became something of a ritual to come here about once a week and just daydream for a while."

"What did you dream about?" Buffy asked as she wrapped her arms around Giles' waist.

"Any number of things. What I might have done with my life if I hadn't been born a Watcher, changes I would make if I was head of the Council, how good it would feel to hold you and kiss you...and how satisfying it would be to turn you over my knee and give you a good spanking. I thought about chucking it all and going back to England. And I wished with all my heart that we were back in the library at Sunnydale High. Silly, really. One can't turn back the clock."

"If you could, would you do it?" Buffy asked curiously.

Giles looked down at Buffy. He drank in her sweet face filled with both affection and concern. He smiled and shook his head.

"No," he answered, "I don't believe I would."

"But if we went back, maybe I wouldn't do so many stupid things that hurt you."

"There were mistakes enough on both sides, Buffy. And most of yours were a result of having a great deal of growing up to do. I had some of that to do as well."

"Giles, you're grown up. You've been grown up as long as I've known you. You were grown up way before you came here."

"In some ways," he said. "In others...I feel as if I put that on hold along with my studies when I was twenty one. Of course, I went back to Oxford. But for the rest...I'm not entirely sure I ever picked that up again until I came to Sunnydale. In some ways I feel as if I've been growing up alongside you."

"Is that why you did it?" she asked, her hand rubbing involuntarily across his left forearm. "Because you decided you were too grown up for Eyghon now?"

"What...? Oh, that! It was silly, really. I just looked at it one day and it hurt too damn much. I thought of you and I thought of...of Jenny, and how much both of you were harmed by it. How I'd lost you both before I'd ever really had you. I just couldn't bear to look at it again."

"You still miss her, don't you?"

"Don't you miss Angel?"

"Yeah. Sometimes." She snuggled closer to his chest. "And sometimes not. Right now, I'm really not. But it's okay if you are. Missing her, that is. I don't think you miss Angel all that often."

"Not that often," he admitted as he wrapped his arms tighter around Buffy. "And this is most definitely not one of those times."

*****

Willow and Tara both decided to skip classes so they could watch over Giles' cure. Dawn complained when she was told she had to go to school anyway, but she did finally go. About an hour after her departure, the doorbell rang and Willow found Xander and Anya on the doorstep.

"Don't you guys have to work?" Willow asked as she ushered them in.

"I tried," Xander said. "But after the fifth time I hammered my thumb instead of the nail I was aiming for, the boss sent me home to sleep it off."

"Couldn't concentrate, huh?" Willow smiled wryly.

"That's a much better way of putting it than the one Carlos came up with. You don't even want to know what that was."

"Construction workers can be very crude," Anya supplied helpfully. "They often ridicule their co-workers' sexuality."

"What about the Magic Box?" Tara asked, as much to change the subject as to learn the answer.

"Oh, that," Anya said with a wave of her hand. "It's closed for illness in the family. Giles is family. He's ill."

She glowered fiercely, daring anyone to argue the point. Nobody did.

The four went into the dining room and sat around the table. After a moment, Tara got up to make tea for those who wanted it. By mutual unspoken consent, they stayed away from the topic on all their minds. The conversation flitted from one inconsequential matter to another.

"This is silly," Anya said at last. "None of us is saying what we want to. We're all worried about Giles, but nobody will come out and talk about it. I want to talk about it. I need to talk about it. I feel bad. Like I might throw up."

"I know," Xander told her, "We all feel like that, An. That's why we're not talking about it. So we don't feel quite so barfy."

"That's stupid. Not talking about things doesn't make them go away."

"Talking about them doesn't do that either," he reminded her.

"No," Tara agreed, "it doesn't make them go away. But sometimes it helps anyway. What did you want to say, Anya?"

The former demon looked around the table a bit sheepishly.

"That I felt bad. I said that already. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one."

"You're really not," Willow said. "I feel all tumbley in my tummy, too."

"Good."

The others shared bemused looks. They understood what Anya meant, even if she did phrase it badly.

The door opened and every head turned to watch Buffy and Giles file through it into the house.

"What are all of you doing here?" Giles asked.

"Circling the wagons," Xander told him. "We wanted to be here for you, big guy."

Anya launched herself across the room and pinned Giles' arms to his sides with a fierce bear hug.

"Yes...well...thank you all," Giles said as he carefully extracted himself from Anya's embrace. "But I can manage if you have other things to do - as I'm sure you all do. There's really no need to stay."

"It's gonna be pretty boring from what Mrs. Wilmot said, anyway," Buffy added. "And you know what they say: a watched poultice never heals."

"Who says that?" Willow asked.

"They...do. People who do say that."

Tara got the hint.

"In that case, why don't we go get some lunch and come back later?" she suggested. "We could have a pizza party tonight in honor of Giles' recovery."

"What if he doesn't recover?" Anya asked.

"We'll see you later. I'll bring the pizza and the beer," Xander volunteered as he steered his tactless love out the door. Tara and Willow followed in their wake. Soon the house was empty except for Buffy and Giles. Giles heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank you for that," he said to Buffy.

"I know you wanted to be fuss-free, but you'll have to get used to it if you're staying. They're pretty crazy about you, y'know."

"I'd forgotten how...intense they can be."

"I'm not going anywhere," Buffy told him in no uncertain terms.

"Buffy..." he began.

"Uh uh. No way. Honestly, Giles, you're just like a cat sometimes."

"A cat?"

"When I was a little girl, we had a pet cat once. Every time it got sick, it disappeared and my dad would have to drag it out from under the bed or something to take it to the vet. This one time, it vanished into thin air and we didn't find it for a week. That was when the stink started coming from under the house. Mom never let me have another pet. If I let you, you'd duck out of this and disappear, wouldn't you?"

"I would not!" he protested. When she raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest, he caved. "I might think about it, but I wouldn't do it. You'd find me and hurt me and make me do this anyway."

"Scratch the hurting part. I think I've done enough of that already. But the finding and making, definitely."

"All right. Lead me to my doom," he joked dryly.

Together they went into the back yard to find Mrs. Wilmot. The lady in question was mixing herbs rapidly and muttering to herself. When she saw Giles, she took a deep puff on her cigarette and smiled.

"Almost ready," she told him. "Now, Buffy, you spread out some old newspapers around that lounge chair. Mr. Giles, take your shirt off."

"I - I beg your pardon?"

"Go on, honey, you ain't got nothing I haven't seen before. I been married. Go on, this gets a little messy. You don't want to ruin that shirt."

Buffy and Giles shared a long, nervous look. At last, they both gave a mental shrug. There wasn't a lot of choice. Buffy began strewing newspapers around the chair and Giles unbuttoned his shirt.

Within minutes, Giles was ensconced, topless, in the lounge chair with a nearly scalding poultice over his eyes. As Mrs. Wilmot had predicted, glops of the rank herbal mess seeped from the cloth they'd been bound in, dripping onto the chair and down Giles cheeks. At first, Buffy did her best to keep the rivulets of herb juice from running down his throat to his shoulders, but even she had to give up after a while. She finally draped an old towel across his shoulders to soak up the mess as it fell.

Later, she could just throw the towel away. She was sure she'd never get the smell out in the laundry.

In the meantime, she stayed with Giles, holding his hand and talking to him.

Every half hour, Mrs. Wilmot removed the poultice and replaced it with a fresh one.

The day dragged on tediously. Giles did his best not to get snappish, but that was difficult between the smell, the wretched heat across his face, the growing chill across his towel-draped chest, the enforced immobility and the complete deprivation of his sight. He held onto Buffy's hand as if it was an anchor, keeping him from floating off his emotional moorings.

Buffy talked of everything she could think of until she was hoarse from the exercise. She stroked Giles' hair and held on tightly to his hand. All she wanted to do was to find something to hit - or at least scream at - but she knew Giles needed her to be strong and adult. She could hit something later. Or maybe Giles would need some help in the shower after this.

That was something to hang onto in her mind.

Eventually Dawn returned from school. She offered to relieve her sister from Gileswatch duty, but Buffy would have none of it.

"You need a break, Buffy," Giles told her. "You've been at this so long you're making my throat sore when you speak."

Buffy shook her head stubbornly.

"Not moving," she croaked. "Not shutting up, either. Dawn can get me a drink and we can take turns talking to you, but I'm not leaving. I'm staying right here with you."

Just then, Mrs. Wilmot puffed her way out of the kitchen and handed Buffy a mug.

"Drink up, dearie. It's lemon tea with honey for your throat. You'll sound better when you've had that. Probably feel better, too," she said kindly.

Buffy took the mug with a grateful smile. Maybe Mrs. Wilmot had some redeeming features after all.

"Thanks. Now I don't have to go at all."

"Just drink it, Buffy," Dawn told her. "You sound like a frog."

"A frog who can ground you for life."

"Did I say a frog? I meant a supermodel."

The sisters smiled at one another. Dawn took up talking, telling Giles about her day at school. Buffy sipped her tea but never let go of Giles' hand.

It was nearly nightfall when Mrs. Wilmot removed the final poultice and told Giles the treatment was over for the day.

"Just for the day?" Buffy squeaked. "Isn't it done for...ever?"

"We'll see," Mrs. Wilmot said. "But he probably needs another couple treatments and then a little follow up down the road. It took a long time to get things to this point, it'll take a while to fix completely. Don't you fret. He'll be good as new in a short time - if this today did any good at all."

Giles toweled the remaining gunk off his face silently. He reached for his glasses and his discarded shirt. He put his glasses on and took them off several times, changing his focus from things as close as his hand to as far as could be seen from the garden.

Buffy and Dawn watched nervously from the sidelines. Mrs. Wilmot lit up yet another cigarette. Buffy fumed at the thought that she could be so unconcerned with how her cure had worked. She watched as Giles blinked one last time and shook his head. At last, he placed his glasses firmly on his nose and turned toward Buffy.

"I'd best shower before the others get here," he said quietly.

Buffy moved to his side and put her hand on his arm. She looked up at him with large, worried eyes. His demeanor didn't seem right if he was any better.

"Are you okay? Didn't it do anything?"

He smiled down at her softly.

"I think we may just have something to celebrate after all," he told her.

Buffy launched herself into his arms and squeezed as tightly as she dared without hurting his ribs.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, you creep!" she admonished him. A moment later, she pulled back and made a wry face. "Okay, into the shower with you, pronto. You smell gross."

She dragged him into the house, both grinning widely. Dawn followed, almost dancing in her excitement. Mrs. Wilmot shook her head and laughed under her breath at the comical display. Then she set about cleaning up. This was what she had set up as a healer to do. She took a satisfying drag on her cigarette and looked up at the darkening sky.

"Did you see that, Abel? Another couple like that and maybe I'll be found worthy to see you in the hereafter. Just you wait for me, hear?"

*****

That night passed merrily with the Scoobies. Everybody ate too much pizza - including Buffy who found herself remarkably hungry on her return to her own body. She limited herself to only one beer, however. The Slayer metabolism that allowed her to keep trim on a high calorie diet and to heal at astonishing speed had the unfortunate side effect of lowering her resistance to alcohol. Still, she had plenty to be thankful for, she decided. She was alive and well and herself again, Giles was home with her and his eyesight had already improved, Dawn was rapidly losing the angry, slightly desperate edge that had been her trademark for so long, and Willow and Tara were talking again. She began to wonder how she had gone so long without appreciating the miracles around her.

Giles smiled warmly at her. He reached over with a napkin to wipe a stray bit of cheese from the side of her lip as she leaned in to steal a kiss. Xander made a rude sound and told them to get a room.

"Xand!" Willow admonished him.

"What? I'm kidding," Xander said. "You know me, I kid. So, Buffy, Giles, when's the wedding?" he joked.

"As soon as I get my affairs in England settled," Giles informed the room calmly. "That is, unless Buffy wants to wait."

"Why wait?" Buffy asked. "We're not getting any younger. I say let's do this thing."

The Scoobies stared with their mouths open, except for Dawn who grinned wider than the Cheshire Cat. Even Mrs. Wilmot looked surprised.

At last Willow gave a shriek of joy.

"Really? No way, you guys are really gonna do it? Get married?"

"Sure are, oh maid of honor," Buffy grinned.

Xander continued to stare, shellshocked.

"You guys aren't kidding, are you?" he asked at last.

"We're not kidding," Giles confirmed.

"And it's really gonna be as soon as you can do it?"

"Yup," Buffy agreed. "Are you gonna be cool with this?"

A dangerous grin spread across Xander's face.

"Can I plan the bachelor's party?"

Buffy and Giles looked dubiously at one another. A few changes of expression later, Giles turned to Xander.

"You may plan the bachelor's party - so long as you keep it within reason,"

"What's within reason?"

"No hookers, no strippers, no cigars, and minimum booze," Buffy ordered.

"That sounds quite reasonable," Anya agreed.

"Excuse me, but I believe this is my bachelor's party we're planning," Giles objected. "I agree to no strippers, hookers, or cigars, since I don't want any of those, but I reserve the right to get stinking drunk if I so desire."

"Darn tootin'!" Xander added.

Buffy glared at Giles, signaling her disapproval. Giles returned her look with a raised eyebrow and pursed lips. At last Buffy backed down with a grudging look.

"Okay, okay, you can drink like a fish if you want," Buffy agreed. "And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to kill things and make the world safe for humanity. Coming, Giles?"

"Of course," he replied.

As soon as the two were out the door, the rest of the Scoobies huddled closer together. They had wedding night pranks to plan. They were all amazed at how fiendish Mrs. Wilmot could be.

*****

It was a quiet night on patrol. Buffy and Giles had wandered through four graveyards without encountering a single vampire, demon, or necking couple. They decided to take a turn through Weatherly Park before returning home.

That was when their luck changed.

A woman, huddled in terror, was being pinned against a picnic table by a scaly demon. Buffy recognized it immediately as the one who had zapped her and Giles a few nights before. The beast had its back to them. Buffy gestured to Giles that he should move left while she took the right flank. Giles drew a sword silently from its sheath. He nodded to Buffy. She moved boldly into the creature's line of vision.

"Hey! Scaly!" she called. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

The demon unfolded to its full height. It stood nearly seven feet tall. It hissed and extended a claw at Buffy. She rolled swiftly, barely managing to duck the bolt of magic that spat forth from the beasts' claw. Before the creature could regroup. Giles had swung his sword in a wide arc. The blade sliced cleanly through the demon's neck and sent its head tumbling to the ground. A moment later, the rest of the body followed with a loud thump.

"Huh," Buffy said. "I guess the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

She and Giles turned their attention to the terrified woman at the table.

"Are you alright?" Giles asked.

"I - I think so," the woman said. "What was that?"

Buffy and Giles looked at one another. At last, Buffy spoke.

"A...stunt man. We're rehearsing for a new independent horror film, called...uh..."

"Sunnydale Swamp Creatures," Giles supplied with an ingratiating smile.

"Well...we'd better make sure Fred here is okay," Buffy added. "What with the...stunt and all. We'll take it from here. You don't have to stay."

The woman backed off slowly, then turned and broke into a run. As soon as she was gone, Giles turned to Buffy.

"An independent horror film?"

"It wasn't so bad until you came out with that lame title."

"Well what did you expect? I thought I did pretty well for the spur of the moment."

Buffy shook her head.

"You are so out of excuse practice. How are you on grave digging detail?"

"I beheaded it. I rather think it's your job to bury the damn thing."

"Hey, I was decoy. That should earn hazard pay."

The pair bickered amicably as they disposed of the defunct demon.

*****

The next couple of months passed in a whirl for Buffy. Xander and Anya were married successfully, despite the attempt of a demon to ruin their big day. Giles' treatments continued daily for a week, after which Tara was taught how to make the poultices and told to administer them once a week until Giles' eyesight was fully restored. The regimen was so successful that soon Giles only needed glasses when he was reading. He and Buffy were both pleased with the result; Buffy because she got to see Giles' eyes more fully more often, and Giles because, while he appreciated the clear vision tremendously, he never quite knew what to do with his hands if he didn't have glasses to use as a prop.

Within a few weeks, Willow and Tara began to date again. Everyone had high hopes that this time they could make it work.

Mrs. Wilmot returned home, but promised to come back for Buffy and Giles' wedding. Despite the rocky start they'd all gotten off to, everyone was sorry to see her go.

Spike showed up sporadically for a few weeks, but once he was certain Buffy was serious in her refusal to see him, he disappeared. Rumor had it that he was on his way to Prague and that Drusilla had been sighted there. Buffy wasn't sure whether to hope Spike found her or not.

Buffy spent a week in abject misery when Giles had to go back to England to make suitable arrangements for his permanent return to Sunnydale. Since he was to go back as her Watcher, the Council did all in their considerable power to speed things along. What ought to have taken several weeks, was accomplished in one.

When Giles came home, he and Buffy spent a whirlwind two weeks organizing their wedding. The affair was kept quite small; virtually Scooby only. The honeymoon destination was kept secret from even the best man - Xander, and the maid of honor - Willow. The honeymoon suite was prank free.

*****

Quentin Travers sat at his desk going through his morning mail. He methodically dealt with Council business from all over the world. One query after another was answered. One dispatch after another read. At last there was only one piece of mail unopened: a small package from Sunnydale. Travers wondered what on earth Giles could have sent him.

Remembering his reception the last time he was in Sunnydale, he considered asking the bomb squad to take a look at it.

At last, he gingerly opened the package himself. Inside was a smaller box, an envelope, and something wrapped in bright pink tissue. He decided to start with the box.

Inside that was a small slice of cake, such as might be served at a wedding. Travers wondered at the meaning. He opened the tissue-wrapped package.

Inside that was a small silver picture frame. Inside the frame was a photograph of the Slayer and her Watcher in formalwear looking entirely too affectionate.

Travers turned to the envelope, hoping against hope that it wouldn't be what he thought it was.

It was what he feared.

A wedding announcement for Buffy and Rupert Giles who had been married a week ago.

A personal note had been added to the bottom of the card.

Quentin (it read),

We couldn't have done this without you. Thank you for all your help.

RG

ps: Buffy sends her usual regards.

The color drained from Travers' face. In the entire history of the Watcher's Council, a Watcher had never openly married his Slayer.

He poured himself a stiff drink.

*****

Buffy lay in bed drawing lazy circles on her husband's bare chest.

"I wish we could stay here another day or two," she sighed. "This has been of the blissful."

Giles pressed a light kiss to her forehead.

"I wish we could stay here forever, but we can't."

"I know. Lots of responsibilities to resume. And I'm ready to resume them. Besides, I start my new job next week, remember?"

"My wife, the aerobics instructor. Are you going to play that appalling noise you call music for classes?"

"Anyone who actually owns Bay City Roller albums does not get the right to criticize my taste in music."

"We still have a few hours of honeymoon left. Are we really going to spend them arguing about music?"

Buffy shrugged.

"That or something else...unless you have any better ideas...?"

Giles growled and rolled atop Buffy. She shrieked with laughter.

Moments later, the room was filled with the sound of Buffy squeaking.

THE END