Her breathing was ragged, and her heart beat frantically, but she raised her eyes to his in a final act of defiance.

"Yes."

"Why?" He asked as he stroked her jaw gently, his eyes filled with love for her.

"You will destroy me, I know this." She whispered.

"Yes." He replied "I will destroy you, but I will always love you. I never thought I was capable of this, you have shown me the way. You've given me your heart." He whispered as he put his hand into her chest, and pulled out the heart that had once beat so strongly.

Her body fell forward and he raised her bloodied heart to his mouth and bit down, reveling in the blood dripping down his chin. "You looked good enough to eat love."

***

Giles sat up straight in bed, his bed sheets soaked in sweat. His heart was beating at a million miles a minute, the sweat was still pouring off him and his whole body was shaking. He wasn't surprised when he realized tears were rolling down his face. He stood and sat down quickly as his knees buckled. What did the dreams mean? What was his subconscious trying to tell him?

He glanced at the clock, and sighed. It was three am and he knew he wouldn't be sleeping again this night. He reached for the phone, knowing somehow that Buffy was still awake, knowing she was worried about him.

"Giles?" She already knew it was him.

"Buffy, I had another dream. They are getting more intense. I'm worried about what they could mean. Each one is more violent than the last; I'm going to research but.."

"I'll be right over Giles." She smiled into the phone, she knew he wouldn't be comfortable until he saw her. As yet he hadn't told her what was happening in his dreams, only that he killed her in rather violent ways.

"Thank you." He whispered as he hung up the phone. He didn't know why he was having these dreams, and he didn't know how to stop them, but he knew until he saw her, until he could touch her he wouldn't believe it was real, that she was still alive. Every dream had involved Buffys heart in someway; he just couldn't understand what it meant.

A year ago he wouldn't have bothered her, would have just sat up and hoped she was okay, but they'd become much closer in the past twelve months and they'd learnt just how important it was for them to trust each other, to be open with the other. He was so proud of how far Buffy had come. She'd become a beautiful young woman, and he was proud to not only be her Watcher, but to be her friend. Now whenever they needed each other they just called, although if it weren't important it would wait until they saw each other again. They no longer let weeks pass by without a glimpse of the other and rarely even days.

"Giles?" Buffy called out as she opened the front door with her key. Each time she opened the door she remembered how he'd pressed the key into her hand, and kissed her on the forehead that night. In some ways it was as if he'd marked her, the place where he'd kissed her burning every time she walked through that door.

"Up here Buffy." He called down, willing his voice to be strong. He'd tried to stand again in the 10 minutes it had taken her to get there, and found his legs still weren't steady enough to hold him.

"Shall I come up?" She called up gently, worried now, every other time she'd come around after one of his nightmares he'd been waiting with a couple of cups of tea and a plate cookies.

"I'm afraid you are going to have to." He called back down.

"Giles?" Her voice was shaking with fear now, as she ran up the stairs to her Watchers bedroom.

"Hello Buffy." Giles said as she reached the door.

"Giles? What's wrong?" She bit her lip, as she moved forward and gasped. Giles was still soaked in sweat and he looked scared.

"I seem to be having trouble standing up." He told her.

Buffy moved forward, her eyes taking in the form of her Watcher sitting upright on his bed. He gazed as her, as if his eyes could drink her. She reached out to touch him on the shoulder and found his skin cold and clammy, he shivered at her touch.

"You need a shower. You'll catch a cold."

Giles tried rise again and grabbed onto Buffy for support. "I'm afraid I may need help getting in there." And in a much lower voice he muttered, "and out of there." He raised his voice again, "as I said I'm having trouble standing."

"Giles sit down." She said as she eased him back onto the bed as she looked in his eyes, searching for answers.

Buffy sat down next to him, and drew him to her in a tight embrace. "It's okay. I'm here, I'm alive and we both know you would never hurt me." Somehow she knew he just needed to be held. "We'll figure it out. We always do, okay?"

As Giles felt his strength returning, he held his Slayer tighter. As if the tighter he held her the safer she would be. He was appalled when he realized a lump had formed in his throat and when Buffy started to stroke his hair he realized that he had nothing to hide. Buffy loved him just as much as he loved her, and if she was the one having the dreams she would be just as scared. He let out a long sigh, and didn't stop the tears from falling. Buffy felt his salty tears falling on her skin and it shook her a little, she hadn't seen him cry since... well not for a very long time.

"Shh Giles, It's okay.. Let it out. It's just me. You trust me, don't you? Trust me to hold you while you cry." Buffy felt her own eyes well with tears as she felt the older man start to shake with sobs. "It's okay, I'm here." This was a part of himself that he kept so well hidden from everyone. She found herself wondering if he ever let it out, if he ever cried when no one was watching, or if he just held it in until he snapped and could take no more.

Giles allowed the sobs to rack his body; he'd held it in too long and now safe in his Slayers arms he knew it was time to let it out. He took a deep breath and whimpered into Buffys shoulder. "I'm sorry, Buffy I..."

"NO! Don't do that Giles, don't you apologize for letting me see that you are human. You need a good cry, you know you do. And," Buffy choked back a sob, "so do I." She let the tears fall down her cheek. "So cry Watcher man, cry for everything we've lost and everything we are going to lose. Just now let us share a moment of weakness... Giles." She pushed him away slightly so she could look into his eyes. Her own were blurry with unshed tears as she reached up to wipe away his tears with her thumb. Buffy then leaned over to kiss him on the forehead and pull his head back onto her shoulder as she whispered. "I love you."

He smiled through his tears as his heart soared, as it did any time Buffy was so open emotionally with him. "I love you, too." He whispered against her shoulder. They sat there for a long time, taking and giving strength, holding the other and feeling them relax more and more as the tears started to stop for both of them.

Buffy slowly pulled back, and looked at him again. "Okay?"

Giles grinned ruefully. "Yes. Buffy?" And her raised eyebrow he continued, "Thank you."

Buffy smiled gently at him and replied. "Anytime. I'll always be here for you if you need me. Go take a shower." She playfully shoved him away from her.

Giles chuckled as he stood with no difficulty. "Yes I think I might. Would you mind making us a pot of tea?"

"Sure thing, go shower." Buffy pushed him out the door towards the bathroom, laughing as she realized just *why* he had fought her so hard as she pushed him, "Oh. You want clean clothes right? Do I get to pick seeing I'm here at almost four in the morning?"

Giles was worried by the evil grin on her face, which was combined with a pout. He rolled his eyes heavenwards - what chance did he have? "Very well."

"Goodie!" Buffy bounced over to his drawers and pulled out a pair of black silk boxers and a gray t-shirt. "Here you go." She said handing the clothing to the amused Watcher.

"Buffy?"

"I like to look at your legs, is that a crime?"

Giles just shook his head and wandered off the bathroom, so glad now that their friendship could handle some gentle flirting. Things had changed in the past year that was for sure. Giles shook his head as an image from his dream gripped him again. There must be a reason, after the shower he would research; it was the only thing he could think to do.

"Giillllles. What have you done to me?" Buffy's head was cast down, and he could see her white dress was covered in blood.

"Making you mine, Slayer. I have your heart." Giles tossed her heart from one hand to the other and laughed as Buffy raised her head. Where her eyes had once been were gaping holes, blood poured out as if she were crying tears of blood.

"I always thought you were blind, luv." he laughed as he picked one of her eyeballs up and threw it against the wall, where it bounced and rolled to a stop in front of Buffy's barefeet. She took a step forward reaching out towards him, when she stepped on it. Buffy felt the eyeball splatter underneath her foot.

Giles laughed as she opened her mouth to scream, and a cockroach flew out. "Here luv, you look hungry." Giles said as he brought her heart to her mouth.

****

"BUFFY!" Giles gasped as he woke. His heart was beating at a trillion miles an hour, this dream had been the worst of all. He shuddered as he remembered how he had pulled Buffy's eyes out with his bare hands. He looked at his hands in the moonlight, sat up, and rested his head in them. He sat there quietly sobbing for a few minutes, all the while trying to calm himself down enough to pick up the phone.

Suddenly he felt her arms around him rocking him gently and her voice soothing him.

"Shh It's okay Giles, I'm here." She had run all the way from her place when she'd felt him "call" her. She'd been laying in bed thinking of him, when she'd felt like something was wrong, without even looking at the clock she'd gotten dressed and ran to him.

It was the third time this week he'd had one of these dreams, before they had been at least a week apart. She rubbed her hands over his back as she held him, letting him cry. These dreams of his scared her, it was also the third time he'd cried in her arms. How bad could the dreams be? He still hadn't told her, every time she'd asked he'd gotten a haunted look in his eyes and whispered, "Please Buffy.. I can't." So she'd let it go. But if this went on much longer she would be demanding to know more.

It wasn't that she minded coming over in the middle of the night to hold him, she'd come to enjoy it. It not only made her feel like there *was* something she could do for him, but she could run her hands all over him. She felt a little guilty, but he was none the wiser, and she couldn't figure out how to tell him. How do you tell you're ex-watcher you're in love with him? She let him cry until she felt the sobs subside, and then she pulled away and took his face in her hands.

"Giles?" she looked into his eyes, and suddenly realised what she needed to do.

"I'm sorry Buffy, I'm afraid that dream was worse than all the other ones put together. The way I treated you, I just can't understand.."

His words were cut off as her lips touched his own gently, carrassing them, and trying to convey just how much she cared about him. Buffy's hands slipped around the back of his head, as he tried to pull away in shock, but she didn't let him she just kept kissing him until he responded. It wasn't a passionate kiss, it was all about comfort and feeling. Buffy pulled back from the kiss, tilted her head to the side and smiled at Giles before she kissed him on the forehead and pulled him back into her embrace.

Giles mind was whirling, Buffy had kissed him. He closed his eyes, and the visions from the dreams all played in front of him, in every dream he'd hurt Buffy violently. His heartbeat sped up again, as he remembered tearing her heart from her body. The tears started to flow again as he thought of that day on her 18th birthday when he'd betrayed her for the first time.

"Oh god, Giles." He realised he could feel Buffy's tears falling on his shoulder, but she kept him in place with her strong grip when he tried to let go and look in her eyes. "That's what you've been dreaming?" she gasped, as her senses were assaulted with the images as Giles saw them. "Oh you poor baby." She pulled him closer and held him as tight as she could while still letting him breathe. Suddenly she let go of him, and jumped off the bed turning to pace.

"Buffy?" Giles asked, afraid somehow he'd upset her.

Buffy stopped her pacing, sat back down in front of Giles and smiled. "Giles, the cruciamentum I forgave you for so long ago. Why do you still carry that burden?"

Giles opened his mouth to answer and realised something was different. He didn't have to ask Buffy any questions because he could feel what she was feeling, and what she was feeling now was complete acceptance. In the back of his mind, he had always felt that Buffy could never forgive him for such betrayal. But here now he realised what she said was true, to her it was just one of those things that had happened in her childhood. She'd wrestled with it for a long time, and she'd realised if anyone else had done it to her it wouldnt hurt as badly. But Giles, Giles she trusted with her life. Giles couldn't hear her thoughts but he could feel her feelings, just as Buffy could feel his.

He looked her in the eyes as his own widened and whispered, "Absolute trust." He'd heard of it before, but never expected it to happen to him, especially not with the woman he loved more than life itself. He raised his hand to stroke her cheek gently, and electricity gently hummed between the two. His eyes crinkled as he smiled at her and said in a louder voice, "Absolute trust."

"Giles?" she questioned, feeling his excitment and joy. In answer he simply covered her lips with his own, and gently coaxed a response out of her. He smiled against her lips, as he felt her reaction to him. She felt his smugness and pulled back. "Giles? I want to know and I want to know NOW!"

He just shook his head, pouted at her, and whispered, "Later. You want to kiss me now." Buffy laughed softly and said "No. I. Want. To. Know. Now." every word was emphasised with a kiss.
"Later."
"Now."
Both knew that they'd talk later, but for now they just gave themselves up to the sweetness the kisses.