Title: Full Of Love 8/10
Author: Gileswench
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.
The creature smirked at Giles with Angelus' face.
"What's the matter, Rupert? Cat got your tongue? You know, I didn't even slice it to ribbons last time. Some silly thing about you needing it to betray your Slayer with. But this time..." he broke into a sardonic laugh. "You should see the look on your face. It's really something."
"Get out. You're not real."
"Of course I'm real. I'm your worst nightmare. Actually, I'm a lot of people's worst nightmare, but pretty much all of them are dead."
"You can't manipulate me anymore. I know who you are."
The entity shrugged.
"But you're so fun to play with," it said. "A challenge. So smart, so strong...and yet, so fragile. You're just like her. You come off like nothing gets to you, like you've got no emotions, but you're both so needy inside. You need approval, unconditional love...and neither one of you ever gets it. And you never will."
The creature disappeared.
Buffy squirmed a bit in Giles' arms. He realized how hard he'd been holding her, and did his best to relax his grip. Still, it wasn't enough. She blinked sleepily up at him.
"Wha's wrong?" she asked. "Can't you sleep?"
"I - I'm sorry," he said. "Bad dream. I didn't mean to wake you."
She pulled back slightly from his chest and made a face.
"You're all sweaty, and your heart's going a mile a minute. Must have been a doozy. You want to talk about it?"
"Not especially."
With a small frown of determination, Buffy reached over and turned on the bedside lamp. She pushed her pillows up so she could prop herself upright against them, and wriggled into a sitting position.
"Tough. Talk."
"Buffy...do we really need to go into this now? It's three in the bloody morning."
"Was it something to do with what's going on with the First?"
He sighed and sat up next to her.
"Actually," he said, "it was a visit from the First."
"Who was it?"
"Who wasn't it? It...it started out as Jenny. Then it became Ben, then Snyder."
"Ick. No wonder you're freaked. Anybody else?"
"It saved the best for last. Angelus. Not Angel, mind, but...Angelus."
"Wait a minute, I thought it could only show up as someone who's dead. Angel's alive, last I heard, and Angelus is...not really him, but he can't exactly be here if Angel isn't. Every sighting we know about, the person has been dead. Are you saying it can be anyone at all, like Artemus Gordon? That we can't be sure who it is until we put our hands straight through them?"
"Angel is alive," Giles said slowly, "but he hasn't always been, has he? He died. He died and was reborn as a vampire, and then he died and was brought back from Hell. Perhaps...all it takes is having been dead. We know it appeared to Willow as Cassie, and it may or may not have manifested itself to Dawn as your mother. All the Potentials saw it as Eve. Who did it appear to Spike as?"
"You know, I don't think he ever said. Every time it came up, he sorta skirted the issue and we never pushed him on it. We never used to be that sloppy about clues. When we get home, we'll grill him and we won't stop until we get an answer." She reached out to smooth his hair and quirked a wry smile at him. "So, do I want to know what it said to you? Did it...did it say stuff about me at all?"
"It was all lies," he said softly as he took her hand. "That and truths twisted out of recognition."
She nodded and looked down at their linked hands.
"I'll take that as a big yes," she said. "It said you can't trust this, didn't it? That I'll let you down and hurt you, like I always have before?"
"You haven't," he protested.
"I have. And you've hurt me. Doesn't matter. That's all the past. We're here now, and we're together. I'm not saying I'll never do anything stupid again; I can't say that without poking my nose through the opposite wall. But I'm going to do my best." She leaned in and touched her lips gently to his. "It's you and me all the way, from now on, no matter what."
"Unconditional love," he breathed softly.
"The unconditionalest. Is that a word?"
"Perhaps not officially, but I rather think it should be. And you kissed me."
"Took you long enough to say anything about it," she grinned. "It's okay I did that, right?"
"It was...um...very okay." He traced the curve of her cheek with his fingers. "Would it be okay if I kissed you back?"
"I think it would be very okay if you did."
His hand moved to the back of her head as he leaned in. She moved one arm around his neck and touched the other to his chest. Their lips met for the second time, still gently, a bit curiously. This kiss lasted longer than the first. When he pulled reluctantly back, she made a small sound of protest and brought his lips to hers again. Soon he was kissing and nuzzling her entire face and throat hungrily. She met his caresses with obvious pleasure and mounting passion.
"Please," she whispered. "Please, Giles, don't ever stop."
*****
"Weapons!" Xander yelled. "Now!"
Dawn raced for the stairs as Xander hurled the nearest lamp at one of the eyeless attackers. Potentials scattered, grabbing whatever objects they could find to hand. More girls tumbled down to the living room to join the battle. Andrew screamed and scrambled for the relative safety behind the couch. As a Bringer moved in for the kill, Kennedy threw herself on the creature, grappling desperately with it.
*****
Buffy took Giles' hand and placed it firmly over the fullness of her breast. He groaned at the delicious sensation. His kisses trailed down her throat to the swell of her bosom until he could swirl his tongue over the hardened nipple through her nightgown. She gasped and whimpered in pleasure.
"Stop that right now, young lady!"
"What...?" Buffy said breathlessly. She stiffened and sat up.
"I can't believe you're doing that with a man old enough to be your father. And one I'd already been with. Didn't I raise you better than that?"
"Buffy? What's wrong?" Giles asked. "Have you changed your mind?"
She shook her head to clear it. Her mother was still visible over her lover's shoulder.
"You're not her," she told the apparition. "You're not my mother."
Giles turned, but saw nothing. He took Buffy's hand.
"It's the First," he said. "Don't listen to it."
"Well duh!" She said. "I had that figured out."
Despite her careless words, she clung to him and squeezed her eyes shut.
"He always told you not to listen to me. He always got between us," the creature continued. "If it hadn't been for him, we would never have fought as much as we did. He drove a wedge between us for so long, honey. He didn't want you to have anyone but him in your life. He stole your childhood, your future, your life. And he lied to you. He almost got us both killed that time, remember? How can you trust this man? He'll just hurt you again, like every other man in your life."
"He won't," Buffy said shakily. "He won't hurt me again."
"Yes he will, and it's what you want," the First morphed and there stood Spike. She shrank further into Giles' arms as the false image of the vampire approached. "He doesn't know, but you won't think he's a man unless he causes you some pain. You say you want it gentle, but you don't. You want it to hurt. You want it to be punishment, just like it's been ever since the first time. That's why you couldn't ever really give yourself to your pretty, poncey soldier boy. And this one'll hate you if he ever learns exactly what a perverted little slut you are. He'll leave you, just like all the others...and then you'll be mine."
*****
"Duck!" Amanda yelled.
She swung her axe. Rona dropped to the floor. A second later, the Bringers' head landed next to her. The two girls shared a relieved smile and moved on to their next targets.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" demanded a voice from the kitchen. "Can't a fellow brood in peace around here?"
Spike appeared in the doorway.
"Grab a weapon, or get the hell out," Xander gritted out. He managed to shove a Bringer away, but more seemed to come every second. "You want me to tell Buffy you wouldn't fight?"
"Well, if you put it that way," the vampire shrugged. A moment later, he'd set fire to one Bringer with his cigarette lighter and kneed a second one in the groin. "Beats sitting about brooding."
"Where are they coming from?" Molly asked. "How can we kill them all?"
"Keep swinging," Kennedy ordered. "Every one we kill is one more we're done with."
"Why are they doing this?" Willow asked. "I've never seen so many in one place before."
She cast an immobilization spell on a pair of Bringers. Two Potentials moved in for the killing blow with kitchen knives.
"Who cares why they're here?" Kennedy yelled. "Keep hitting them!"
"We must be doing something right," Xander surmised as he fought off another Bringer. "This feels like Custer's last stand, and I really hope we're not Custer."