*POOF!*

    Another job for the dustbuster, Buffy thought snidely as she spun her stake around, then blew the dust off the tip like an old cowgirl from the wild west. She smiled, thinking of the movie she had seen last night with the Scoobies - "A Fistful of Dollars". They had been doing that a lot lately, getting together at the Summer's, or at Giles', to watch classic flicks,  or sometimes just to talk. So much had happened in the past year, mainly the breaking up of the Fab Four - Giles, Willow, Xander and herself. It was almost as if they had been sent to the four corners of the Earth, and had not seen of talked to each other, save for a few disjointed phone calls. Thankfully, they were finally back together, sharing their adventures.

   "Hey gorgeous!"

   Buffy spun around to face the jackass vampire.

   "Whoa, hey, sorry! I didn't realize you was the Slayer!" he stuttered, visibly afraid. "Hey, really, man, er, ah, lady...I swear it! You know I ain't into causing trouble, right? I'll, ah, just be leaving now, 'K?"

   "You wish." Buffy jumped up and kicked him in the face, sending the vampire flying against a headstone. Before he could regain his composure (or what composure he had in the first place), she slammed the stake home.

   The vampire disappeared in the familiar cloud of dust. Buffy sighed. She really should've let him live longer. He had only been the second vamp she'd seen tonight, and frankly, she was bored.

   Buffy looked at her watch, a beautiful gift from Giles, on her eighteenth birthday. He had felt so bad for betraying her, he had gone all out on a gift. He had also gone to the ice show.

   It was quarter to eleven. She wondered what Giles was doing right now. Probably reading. She smiled, picturing him at his desk, pouring over ancient texts, or long lost prophecies. He'd make sure that they would be prepared for any vampire uprisings or dedications to long dead demon princes. It was also possible that he was reading one of his Latin mthology books, filled with fabulous stories of the Slayer, that could easily rival any summer blockbuster for action.

   These days, when the Scoobies weren't having a vidfest, Buffy would go to Giles', where he would teach her about those wonderful Slayer "myths", stories his father had told him as a child. He even gave her some simple Latin lessons. She remembered one night, he had asked her to say a sentence using some of the Latin he had taught her. Remembering an old episode of "Frasier" she had seen the day before, she answered, "Semper ubi sub ubi", or "always wear underwear". He had laughed out loud, and she loved it.

   Buffy suddenly realized how much she'd been thinking about Giles lately. With Riley gone (undergoing tests in Washington, making sure Professer Walsh's experiments didn't do permanent damage), she was lonely for companionship. Giles had filled this void perfectly, better than Riley, actually. With all the time she spent with Giles, she had begun to wonder what she saw in Riley. He wasn't nearly as brave, intlligent, witty, resourceful, loyal, loving, caring or even...handsome as Giles.

   buffy plopped down onto a stone bench. *Handsome*? Where had *that* come from?? Sure, she knew that Giles *must* be fairly good-looking - Ms. Calendar, Olivia, the entire female staff at SHS (she had heard them talking one day), and hell, even her mother had seen something in him that had made them want to...Whoa! Holdup, Buffy! Stop thinking like *that*! She thought frantically. You know Giles is a, uh, a sexual being, BUT...The reasonable Buffy was lost again as visions of Rupert Giles danced in her head.

   A rustle in the bushes to her right threw Buffy back into reality, Slayer-sense in high gear. She stood up to investigate.

   A squirrel ran out of the underbrush. Buffy rolled her eyes. She was *desperate* for something to do.

   She sat back down on the bench, and stared at a Latin inscription on a headstone. Then her eyes lit up. Now she knew what she was going to do.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   Giles, as Buffy thought, was sitting at his desk reading, when there was a knock at the door. Sighing, because he wasn't very happy about being disturbed, he got up to answer it.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

   The door opened. For a minute, Buffy couldn't breathe. Giles stood there, in fairly tight sweat shorts and a t-shirt.

   "I..ah..umm..wha..." Was all she could manage.

   Puzzled, Giles glanced down a his attire, then back up at Buffy.

   "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Buffy, my, ah, air conditioning has broken down and the man said he couldn't come until at least Friday. Really, you would think-"

   "No, no, it's fine!" Buffy shouted, startling Giles. She had managed to unglue her eyes from his long, muscular legs. "It's good..oh! I mean, I can completely understand." She began nodding her head and smiling like an idiot.

   "Buffy, are you alright?" Giles looked concerned. "Why don't you come in?"

   Buffy, still smiling and nodding, entered the arpartment.

   Then there was badness. Giles turned around and bent down to pick up a fallen book. And Buffy stared.

   "Buffy?"

   "Huh?" Oh smooth one, Buffy, she thought.

   Giles frowned. "I asked you if you wanted any iced tea."

   "Oh, sure, thanks." Buffy let out a high pitched giggle. Mentally, she smacked herself upside the head. What a ditz. *Every* other time she was around him, she was fine. But now that she realized how much she...

   He was staring at her, with a goofy smile on his face.

   "Giles?"

   "Hmmmm? Oh, yes, the iced tea..." He bent over again to look in the refridgerator.

   "Ahhhhhh! Giles, STOP!" It was like he was doing it on purpose! The clothes, the actions, the goofy smile. It was like he knew, and he was tempting her!

   "What? What's the matter?" He rushed to her side, and touched her arm, looking visibly concerned.

   An electric shock passed throught Buffy when his hand made contact with her shoulder.

   "Can we just do some Latin stuff? OK?" Buffy asked weakly.

   Giles nodded, still frowning.

   She sighed. "Smile, Giles, *smile*! You look much better when you're smiling!"

   He laughed, "Oh, really? I thought you never noticed how I look?"

   He *knows*!! Buffy thought frantically. But how? "Ah, I...umm.."

   Giles' smiled broadened, like getting Buffy speechless was his goal. He sat her down on the couch, got his books, and sat down next to her. Closely.

   Buffy gulped. Well, what are you nervous about? This is what you wanted, isn't it, she thought.

   Giles began the lesson, occasionally glancing up at her and smiling.

   Buffy completely ignored the Latin, and stared at his perfectly kissable lips, and listened to his beautiful, clear British voice. Finally, she couldn't stand it any longer.

   "Giles!"

   "Yes, Buffy?" He looked expectantly at her, like she was about to tell him a closely guarded secret. And she was.

   "Look, Giles, I didn't really come her for a lesson."

   "Oh?" Curiosity was getting the better of the former Watcher. Giles knew something was up, and he was going to find out what.

   "I came here to..." Buffy drew in a big breathe of air, preparing to spill her secret. "I'm going to tell you something, and then I'm going to do something. You can either react or you can pretend it never happened and finish with the Latin and never *ever* talk about it again. OK?"

   Giles stared at her for a moment, then nodded.

   Buffy closed her eyes, smiled nervously to herself, and said "I love you, Rupert Giles." Then she kissed him.

   It was long and passionate, as if she was using the kiss to tell him just how much she loved him and why. When she finished, she sat against the couch, and stared straight ahead, at the fireplace.

   Giles was silent, thinking, for a long time. Then he leaned over in front of her to grab a book. Buffy felt like crying. He didn't love her back, and now their friendship was going to go to hell, and he probably hated her. Why had she been so *stupid*?!?

   Just as Giles was about to pick up the book, he turned to look at Buffy's face. Then he kissed it.

   For a split second, Buffy was too shocked to move. Then she kissed him back, opening her mouth to him.

   When they had finished, they looked at each other. And laughed in relief.

   "Buffy, I'm so glad you told me. I've felt this way about you for a long time, but I didn't think you felt the same about me. Well, what with Angel, and Riley..." Giles trailed off.

   Buffy shook her head. "I'm so sorry. I was too blind to see that what I really wanted, what I really needed, was right in front of me the whole time. But I do now. Even if I sound kinda sappy saying it."

   He smiled at her, knowing perfectly well now, why she had made the "smile" comment.

   "Actually, I just thought of something." Buffy smiled back. "It was these Latin lessons that helped me get closer to you, and realize how much I love you."

   Giles laughed. "Well, I'm glad they were good for something!"

   Buffy laughed too, and looked up, towards the bedroom loft. He followed her gaze.

   "Hey Giles," she whispered in his ear, her eyes still on the loft. "Hope you don't *semper* ubi sub ubi!"