__The Choice__
By Gibberish
**Buffy felt everything stop, as she watched in horror. The vampire plunged the sword into Giles chest. "Nooo!!!!!" She screamed. "Giles!!!"**
Willow shook her friend awake. "Buffy? Buffy!"
Buffy's eyes snapped open and she saw Willow looking down at her concerned. She wiped her tears away and sat up. She ignored Willow and picked up the phone, able to dial the number in the dark. She closed her eyes as she waited.
"Hello." Giles' sleepy voice reached her.
"Giles." Buffy said in a tearful voice. "Thank God."
"Another one?" Giles asked more awake now. "Buffy that's the third one this week. Is something bothering you?"
"Just the nightmares." Buffy told him. "Can I come over?"
Giles looked at the clock, 3am. "Of course." He told her, even though he knew what would happen.
"I'll be right there." Buffy said. She hung up the phone.
Willow watched her dress and pack a bag quickly. "Buffy?"
"I have to see him Will." Buffy explained. "I have to make sure he's okay."
"But you talked to him." Willow pointed out.
"I know." Buffy agreed. "I can't explain it. I just ... I have to see him."
Willow watched her. There was something that Buffy wasn't telling her, she knew it. Once Buffy left, she tried to go back to sleep.
Buffy let herself into Giles house. She walked up to the bedroom and looked in. She smiled, Giles had dozed back off. She dropped her bag inside the door and shed her clothes as she went to the bed. Naked, she climbed into the bed and snuggled up to him.
Giles felt the warm body snuggle against him and enclosed her in his arms. "Was it bad?"
"You were killed." Buffy told him. "How could it be good?" She wrapped her arms around him.
"Why do I keep dreaming this? It can't be prophetic Giles, it can't be." Her words were desperate.
"They aren't always the same, are they?" Giles asked as he stroked her hair.
"Sword this time." Buffy told him. "Last time it was a stake. The one before that, a broken neck."
"Is it always the same vampire?" Giles asked next. He was disconcerted at discussing his own death, even in dream form, but he hid it.
"Not always a vampire." Buffy said. Her hand rubbed his stomach and chest. "I can't stand it. I don't want to go to sleep anymore." She looked at him. "I don't know what to do. Why won't they stop?"
He rubbed her back with soft, gentle strokes. "I don't know, Buffy."
"Are you going to die?" Buffy asked him.
"We all do eventually." Giles said and she glared at him. "They don't sound prophetic. Too clear. They sound more like fears manifesting themselves in nightmares." He gasped as Buffy's hand began to gently stroke his penis. After every nightmare, Buffy had come here. Every time to make love. It was how she dealt with the nightmares, by reaffirming that he was, indeed, very much alive. That they both were. He leaned over and kissed her. He had his own fears about their mortality. He brushed his hand over her breast and down her stomach. When he reached his goal he found her already wet with need. His fingers tested her.
Buffy felt his hand explore her. In one quick move she maneuvered them so that he was on his back and she straddled him. She sank onto his erection in the same move. They both moaned.
Giles knew from experience that she preferred it hard and fast after her nightmares, so he gave it to her. He thrust into her, while at the same time he held her hips still. He rolled them over and he pounded into her.
Buffy clutched him with her arms and legs and met him thrust for thrust. In no time at all she cried out, followed quickly by his own shout. When he collapsed on top of her, she held him to her.
Giles' breathing was harsh as he leaned his forehead against Buffy's chest. When his breathing returned to close to normal, he rolled them so that she was once again on top. Her arms were tight around him, so he just held her to him. After a few minutes of this, he realized that she had fallen asleep. He smiled to himself and pulled the covers up and over them.
Giles walked into his kitchen the next morning to find Buffy already making breakfast. He moved up behind her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Feeling better this morning?" He asked, his mouth to her ear.
Buffy shivered at the sensation. "Better, not good." She turned in his arms. "I can't take these nightmares much longer. They're terrible, Giles."
"I know." Giles told her. "I just don't know what to tell you. I really don't believe that they are prophetic."
"Why won't they stop?" Buffy asked. "I can't stand watching you die night after night."
"I'll do some research on dreams. All right?" Giles asked. "See what I can find out." He kissed the tip of her nose. "You'd best eat. You don't have long before your first class."
Buffy nodded in resignation. "I'll be back after English." She looked up at him, frightened. "You'll be careful?"
"Research is hardly dangerous, Buffy." Giles said with some humor. He could see that she wasn't amused. "I'll be careful. Xander will be by in an hour or two, he can help."
Buffy was subdued in Psych class. Willow kept looking at her, but Buffy couldn't explain it to her. She hadn't told Willow about her and Giles. They hadn't told anyone.
Xander arrived at Giles' to find him already deep in research. Giles barely glanced at him, just reached over and handed him a book. "Buffy's having nightmares about me dying. I don't think they're prophetic, however, Buffy is extremely upset."
"Gee, I wonder why?" Xander said ruefully. "What do you think it is?" He opened his book and began his research.
"Simple fear." Giles said. He never looked up from his book.
"But she's not buyin' that, huh?" Xander asked.
"She's frightened." Giles said, without really answering. "Each nightmare is different. The only thing that remains the same, is that I die."
"So, what are we looking for?" Xander asked.
"Anything that could help." Giles told him.
They read silently for a long time. "Here's something on specific methods of death." Xander said. "How did you die in these dreams?"
"Sword, stake, broken neck." Giles said succinctly.
"Oh." Xander said deflated. "Uh, who killed you?" He asked next.
"Sometimes, it's a vampire." Giles told him. "Sometimes, a demon. And sometimes, a human."
"Ooh, variety." Xander said.
Giles did look at him at that point. "Just research. I'd like to be able to tell Buffy something when she returns." He massaged the bridge of his nose.
Xander went back to the research.
A couple of hours later, they still hadn't found anything. They looked up when Buffy and Willow came in.
Giles looked at Buffy's hopeful face and shook his head. Buffy's face fell and her shoulders slumped. Buffy dropped onto the couch next to Giles and took the book he handed her. Willow sat next to Buffy and took the book that Xander handed her. Silence descended.
An hour later, Buffy closed her book in frustration. "Nothing." She looked at Giles. "We're not going to find anything, are we?"
Giles met her eyes with sympathy. "I really don't think so. I don't know what's causing these nightmares, but I don't think they're anything to worry about. "
"I can't help it Giles." Buffy told him. "I can't lose you."
Xander watched with an amused little smile, Willow looked confused.
They found nothing. They called a halt to the research when Buffy fell asleep on the couch. Giles sent the others home, then looked down at her. He thought about waking her and sending her back to her dorm, but if she had another nightmare, she'd be right back to his place. He picked her up and carried her upstairs.
**Buffy was at the Mansion, it was dark and gloomy, it had an unused quality to it. "Buffy?" She heard the voice and swung to it. "Angel?"
"Buffy?" Another voice.
"Angel, you can't hurt him." Buffy said desperately. Suddenly she could see, Angel was shackled to the wall and Giles was tied to a chair. She ran to Giles and dropped to her knees in front of him. "Giles? What happened?" He was hurt badly.
Giles looked as if his eye weren't quite focused. "Buffy you have to get out of here." He told her. "It's Angelus."
Buffy looked at him confused, then to Angel, still shackled to the wall.
"You have to get us out of here." Angel told her.
Buffy looked at Angel, he didn't have a mark on him. She looked back to Giles. "I have to ..."
"No!" Giles told her. "You have to leave. He'll be back."
"He's right, I will." Angelus said from behind her.
"Run Buffy!" Giles yelled.
"Yes, do run, Buffy." Angelus said, mockingly.
Buffy looked from Angel to Angelus. Angelus moved around Buffy to Giles and hit him. Buffy grabbed him and he threw her across the room. He hit Giles again, then he looked at Buffy. "There's only one way to kill me. I'm willing to bet that you can't do it." He sneered.
"He's right Buffy." Angel said. "You can only kill him by killing me."
"Buffy, run while you can." Giles told her.
"No!" Buffy screamed. She ran at Angelus again, only to be sent across the room again.
Angelus gave her a nasty grin. "You have to choose."
Buffy looked at Giles, tears ran down her face. "Giles!"
Giles looked at her. "It's all right Buffy. I understand. You love him."
"I love you too, Giles." Buffy said softly.
Angelus struck him again. "But do you love him enough?"
Buffy looked at the stake that was now in her hand, then Angelus, then Angel. Angelus backhanded Giles. "Nooo!" She ran up to Angel, stake poised.
"Can you do it Buffy?" Angel asked gently. "Can you love him more than me? Because if you can't, you'll hurt him more than I ever could."
Buffy flinched as she heard Angelus hit Giles again. "Good-bye Angel." Buffy rammed the stake into Angel's heart.**
Buffy sat up, confused and frightened. She looked next to her in the bed and there was Giles. She threw herself onto his chest and cried.
Giles woke up to something landing on his chest. It took only a moment to realize that it was Buffy. He wrapped his arms around her. "Buffy? Buffy, what is it? Another nightmare?"
Buffy nodded against his chest. "It was Angelus. He was hurting you."
"Angelus can't hurt me anymore, Buffy." Giles told her.
Buffy pulled back and an odd calm settled over her. She looked into his eyes and knew he was saying that for her benefit, but that it was true. Angelus couldn't hurt him anymore, she took away that power. She chose Giles and knew that she would again in a heartbeat. If it came down to Giles or Angel, it would be Giles. She gently touched his cheek.
Giles became concerned. "Buffy?" He didn't know what to make of the look on her face.
Buffy looked at him. She was shook by one thought - How was she going to tell him that she was in love with him?
* * *