__Hitch__
By GylzGirl



Buffy woke up just as the sun was beginning to rise. Her eyes drifted fondly to the large hand that rested on her bare stomach. She turned slowly to face its owner and sighed. As much as she loved the way Giles looked when he was awake, she had a special place in her heart for the way he looked in his sleep. He always seemed to find in slumber the peace that eluded them both in their waking hours. She was often glad that he was a sound sleeper, as she would frequently find herself tearing up beside him. Sometimes she cried for all the things they couldn't have because of who they were. More often, she cried for all the things they could have because they were together. She couldn't believe how something as simple as watching this beautiful man sleep could stir so much deep inside her.

She leaned forward and brushed a kiss over his forehead. It was so often furrowed in concern or complex thought when he was awake and now it was carefree and smooth. Buffy kissed the end of his nose, smiling when he unconsciously reached his hand up and tried to brush away the tickle. She took the feathery end of her long blonde hair and ran it slowly around his nipple, loving the way he squirmed. She leisurely kissed his mouth, nibbling slightly on his lower lip before releasing him.

With a sigh, she realized that if she didn't hit the shower soon, she was going to be late for her morning class. She gently lifted Giles' hand from her body, kissing each fingertip before she set it lightly on his stomach. Being careful not to jar the bed, she got out and headed downstairs to use the shower.

After her shower, Buffy returned to their loft bedroom. Glancing with a smile to her still sleeping lover, she quickly shed her towel in favor of some comfortable jeans and a white v-neck blouse. Making sure her homework was secured inside her book bag, she crawled across the bed and lay down beside Giles once again. She lightly ran her finger in a circle around his bellybutton. This time, his arms moved quickly to capture her and hug her giggling body tightly against him.

Eyes still closed, he nuzzled her hair. "Mmm you smell like summer jasmine."

"That's my shampoo."

"No, that's you. That smell always reminds me of you."

She smiled and kissed his chest. "I think you're still dreaming."

"I think I've been dreaming since your Prom. And I hope I never wake up."

"We never did get back to the beach."

"Wicked girl."

"My weekend's free."

"Well I'm certainly game. Just don't complain to me when you wind up with sand in places you didn't know you had."

"Spoilsport."

"Shh... I'm dreaming, remember? Don't upset me. You'll wake me up."

Buffy cast a glance to the clock. "I gotta get going." He snuggled her closer and whimpered in protest. She kissed him slowly. "Love you Sleepy Guy." He squeezed her backside and then released her. She crawled off the bed, collected her backpack, and left for the University.

******

Rupert Giles stepped out of the still steamy bathroom wearing gray dress pants, his braces hanging loosely at his waist. His bare feet left slightly damp footprints across the carpet as he crossed the living room. As he reached for the white shirt that hung over the back of the sofa, there was a knock on the door.

"Just a minute," he called out, putting the shirt on quickly. He opened the door as he buttoned it up.

Giles blinked twice when he saw who was standing outside. Then he smiled and pulled his visitor in for a hug. "Xander! When did you get back?"

"Late last night."

"How was your trip?" Giles stepped back and motioned for him to enter.

"Long and eventful. And spent mostly broke. But there were some times when I wasn't broke, and was thinking of my poor friends trapped back here in their roach-free houses with well-fed bellies and I said to myself, 'Self. What would your good friends want most in the world?'" Xander sat on Giles' sofa. Soon the older man joined him. "Unfortunately for you guys my self seemed to think that was cheap plastic tourist crap so I've got a whole bag of it at home just waiting to go to its new owners."

"How touching." Giles smiled. "Um... Xander. I know you just got back, but I'm going to the mall in a little while here and I'd love to take you to lunch and hear all about your trip ...in exchange for a little help with a purchase I want to make."

"Sure. Buying some new duds?"

"No..." Giles stood and paced a few steps away from the couch. "A-a-a ring actually."

"Ring?" Xander tried to hide his smile. "What kind of ring?"

"Um," he scratched behind his ear nervously. "An engagement ring."

"Engagement? You? Really? Wow!" He jumped up and gave Giles a huge hug. "Who's the lucky lady?" When Xander got no immediate reply, he pulled back to look at him.

"Buffy."

"Buffy? You're kidding right?" Giles just shook his head. "Are you crazy?! That's just sick! You're too perfect for one another! What the hell are you thinking?!"

"Now see here Xand...." Giles stopped mid-sentence and processed what exactly his young friend had said. "Did you say we were perfect for one another?"

Xander grinned ear to ear. "Willow told me all about it way back in June."

"So you just let me sweat it out for nothing?"

"Pretty much. I mean, I was kinda freaked out at first. I won't deny it. But, in a strange way, it seemed right to me. Besides, who am I to judge? You know that Anya girl?"

"The former vengeance demon?"

"That's the one. She tracked me down on the road."

"Oh? Any trouble from her?"

"Oh yeah."

"Did you have to kill her?"

"Worse."

"Worse?"

"Yeah. We're kinda dating."

Giles smiled. "Ah."

Xander sighed. "Yep. Hey, I figure demons are my fate. Why fight it anymore? At least this one is adorable."

"Indeed." Giles sat and quickly put on his socks and shoes. "So, are you willing to help me select Buffy's ring?"

"Lead on."

******

"Quite the rock there G-Man," Xander said before taking a big bite of hamburger.

"I know." Giles sighed, having long ago given up on correcting Xander's favorite nickname for him. He snapped shut the velvet covered clamshell box and carefully tucked it into his pocket. "I'll have a hard time paying for the ceremony after this... but it will be worth it to see the look in Buffy's eyes."

"And with a stone that big, Buffy can always use it to knock the vampires out when she runs out of stakes."

"Do you think I went overboard?"

"Nah. It's not like it's Mrs. Howell big or anything. Relax Giles, she'll love it."

"I was hoping for your opinion on something else too."

"Fire away."

"Where should I ask her do you think? I mean, quite honestly I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what would be the most romantic setting for someone raised in your..."

"Generation?" Xander's smile was teasing.

"Culture... if one might venture that boldly."

"Why didn't you ask Willow?"

"Xander, have you ever asked Willow to keep a secret from Buffy?"

"Good point. Well, I don't know. Um... the place where you first met?"

"That would be the library at Sunnydale High."

"Okay, let's try for something a little less demolishy. Why don't you just wait for inspiration to come? Do it when it feels right."

"Yes Xander. Thank you for the well phrased cop-out."

"My pleasure," he smiled. "You gonna eat those fries?"

******

"Well this has been a boring night." Buffy sighed as she sat down next to Giles on the park bench.

"Thanks so much," he teased with a smile.

"That's not what I meant. I meant no signs of big evil. No signs tonight of even slightly naughty. I was in no way referring to the company. In fact, I was just thinking about other things we could be doing," she smiled back.

"Yes, well unfortunately one can never judge whether patrol was a waste of time until the morning in Sunnydale."

"I can think of better ways to waste our time." Buffy jumped out of the way of Giles' impending tickle.

"You're so single-minded."

"I like to think of it as focused."

"Focused on what though?"

"If I told you in public, I'd be arrested for indecency."

"Now be serious Buffy. If that blouse hasn't gotten you arrested yet..."

"Giles!" She giggled and moved close enough to slap at his arm. "Now you be serious." She walked a few steps away and twirled to face him, the moonlight catching her light-colored hair. She put her hands on her knees and leaned forward to make the most of her blouse's neckline. "Tell me that you don't approve."

He stood, towering over her, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. His hands firmly grasped her arms and pulled her closer to him. The promise of the predatory movement made her pulse quicken with anticipation. He brushed her mouth lightly, the merest ghost of a kiss. He pulled back to look at her; eyes closed, cheeks flushed with excitement, her breath panting between her slightly parted lips. Amongst the myriad things he was feeling right now was the inspiration Xander had mentioned earlier in the day.

Giles turned her and sat her back down on the park bench. She blinked open her eyes, her confusion evident as she sought his eyes for answers. He smiled enigmatically and knelt before her. His eyes never left hers as he took her hand in one of his and began to kiss it thoroughly. She smiled almost shyly. As Giles' other hand dug in his pants pocket for the ring box, he saw her eyes drift just to the right of his face and then widen.

"Giles down!" She wrested her hand from his and grabbed him by the jacket lapels. She pushed him until he landed on his back. Maintaining her grip of him, the momentum helped her to flip over her lover and land on her feet behind him.

Giles blinked up in enough time to see a tall vampire standing before her. He carried a baseball bat. No sooner had Buffy's feet touched down then he had landed a blow to her head with the weapon. The Slayer went down but just as quickly staggered to her feet, stake drawn and at the ready.

Giles scrambled up, more than distressed by the considerable bloodflow now causing Buffy's hair to stick to the side of her face. Worrying wouldn't help her now and he knew better than most that head wounds tended to bleed profusely even if only minor.

The vampire looked smug at having caused such apparent damage with his first blow. "You know I was told that it was cowardly to take on the Slayer with weapons. I was told that killing a Slayer was a mark of strength and power and that for it to be accomplished with anything but tooth and claw defeated the whole purpose." He shrugged. "But then I thought to myself, fuck it. As long as the bitch is dead, I'm not going to quibble over the details."

"And your weapon would be what? Your attempt at boring me to death? If you came here to do something, let's go."

The vampire lunged at her sloppily. She easily ducked out of his reach. Giles pulled a stake from his pocket and took a run at him. The creature turned and hit Giles in the stomach with the bat. Giles dropped the stake and sank to the ground, clutching his stomach.

"Baby!" Buffy flipped forward and unleashed on the vampire; punching and kicking furiously. In the scuffle, vampire and Slayer both were disarmed. The vampire disentangled himself from Buffy and ran into the bushes. Rather than following, Buffy dropped to her knees next to Giles. "You okay?"

He nodded, grimacing as he sat up. "Just winded... and feeling very very old."

"Hey I'm just glad you're around to be very very very old," she smiled.

"I believe there were only supposed to be two verys."

She hugged him. "Whatever you say. Yoda."

Just as he was about to chastise her, he looked past her at the vampire that had returned. "BUFFY!" was all he could manage. At his alarm, she turned just in time to see the knife slip into her side, just under her ribs. She groaned and stood, pulling the knife from her body and throwing it into the back of the again-retreating vampire. He dropped to the ground. She ran at his prone body. As she neared, he rolled out of the way and over to his fallen bat.

Moving quickly, Buffy charged him. He brought the bat up and once again caught the side of her head with an upswing. She stumbled, even more blood now soaking her blonde hair. As her vision blurred and rippled around the vampire, she saw a stake suddenly appear in his chest and smiled. Giles had been the one to teach her how to throw stakes in the first place so she had no doubt as to where the projectile had originated. She executed a wobbly spin-kick and drove the stake the rest of the way through.

As the vampire crumbled to dust, Buffy sank to her knees on the grass. The next second Giles was at her side, catching her. She blinked pain-clouded blue eyes up at her lover. "Buffy? Hold on. I'm going to get you some help."

She smiled at him, blood-coated fingers reaching out to stroke his cheek. Her arm dropped against her unconscious body before she could make contact.

Giles scooped her into his arms and took off at a run toward the hospital.

* * * * *

Giles dashed into the Emergency Room at Sunnydale General Hospital. It had been all he could do to slow up long enough to not crash into the automatic doors. Buffy remained limp in his embrace. "Somebody help! Help her!"

Orderlies quickly brought a gurney over and Giles lay her down on it. They started to wheel her down the hallway and he attempted to keep up only to be stopped by a red-haired nurse. She was much shorter than him but her demeanor, and Giles' previous experiences with her, let him know better than to try to pass her without some damn good explaining. Even the Slayer would have never taken on that challenge.

"Beth, let me pass! I have to go with her."

She gently put her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry Mr. Giles but you'd just be in the way right now. What I need you to do is tell me what happened. That's how you can help her best." She pulled him into a half-room behind the nurses' station.

"We...we were attacked in the park. There was one man, very big. He had a bat and a knife. He hit her twice in the head with the bat and stabbed her in the side."

"You were both attacked?"

Giles' nod was dismissive. "Yes yes, he hit me in the stomach with the bat. I'm fine."

"I'm going to have the triage nurse check you over. Karen! Can you come here please?"

"I said I'm fine!"

"And I said Karen is going to determine how fine you are before you get so much as get a peek as to Miss Summers' condition. Don't argue with me or I'll have you wandering the halls in a gown with no back in under an hour. And you know I'd do it too." She smiled at him and he reluctantly moved to the triage station.

A taller nurse with dark blonde hair sat down next to Giles, who out of habit had already begun rolling his sleeve back for the blood-pressure cuff. "Oh Mr. Giles!" She patted his hand. "Which one of you is it this time?"

"Buffy."

"And maybe him too," Beth interjected. "Apparently some lunatic decided to take up batting practice using Mr. Giles and Miss Summers as the ball. He says he was hit with the bat in the stomach."

"All right Mr. Giles, shirt off so I can check out your ribs and take pictures to sell to the rest of the nurses to pin up in their lockers."

He started to unbutton his shirt and called after the retreating redhead. "Beth!"

"When I know, you'll know. I promise."

******

"So what's the verdict?"

"Well, you're bruised something awful, which I'm sure you knew. But nothing's broken. You'll live."

"Can I see Buffy now?"

She patted his shoulder. "Not yet. Try not to worry so much Rupert. You've got your two best girls on duty tonight. We will let you know as soon as we have something to tell you."

He nodded sadly as he buttoned his shirt back up. "Thank you Karen." He stood slowly and made his way to the waiting room. Once there, he pulled a chair up to the payphone and reached into his pocket for change, trying not to choke up when his hand brushed against the ringbox still there.

******

An hour later, there had been no word. Xander and Willow had joined Giles minutes after he called them. He'd filled them in on what happened, which took all of a minute, and the rest of the time had been spent in silence.

"I wonder where Buffy's Mom is," Xander asked softly.

"I don't know. I called her first. Not that I'm particularly looking forward to what she'll have to say about all of this. But she has a right to be here. And it isn't as though what she would say isn't true."

"Now Giles..." Willow began.

"I should have known better!" He quieted himself slightly at the stares he had attracted, but continued almost as if he had no other choice. "We were on patrol for a reason for God's sake. The park wasn't safe. I knew it. I knew that. I should have taken her to a restaurant or... I don't know... something else...anything else. The park looked so peaceful. She was so at home there, laughing and smiling. And... and I realized how much time we had spent alone together there through the years. Building things... things that led us to where we are now. She turned her head and smiled at me and the wind blew through her hair and caught the moonlight. Oh God she was so beautiful then I just felt like I had to ask her Xander." The younger man nodded his head, willing himself not to cry when the tears finally spilled over Giles' lashes. "It felt right. I was wrong. God Buffy... If anything happens... it's all my fault."

Xander sat beside him and put his arm around his shoulders. "What is it you're always telling us Giles? Don't borrow trouble when we have enough of our own? Stop worrying about 'what if' and think about 'what is'. Buffy got knocked on her incredibly hard head and she got stuck in the side. We both know she's made it through a hell of a lot worse with barely a pause in her step. Christ, all of us have and we're not even the Slayer. She'll make it. She will. She'll be laughing with you by the end of the day and in a week she'll have barely a scratch to show for all of it."

Willow nodded enthusiastically at Giles. He squeezed the moisture from his eyes and took a deep breath. She stood. "I'll go find you some tea. It'll help you feel better."

He smiled gently at her as Xander squeezed his shoulders. Willow kissed him lightly on the cheek and then walked off down the hall. As she rounded the corner, she saw Joyce Summers wearing an expression of barely repressed rage. "What's all his fault? What exactly did he get her into this time?!"

Willow's eyes narrowed as she pressed her lips together in a thin angry line. She grabbed Joyce's arm none-too-gently and pulled her into the women's bathroom.

"Willow what are you doing? Let go of me!"

She released her and immediately backed her into the corner, one pointed finger angrily making lunges at Buffy's mother with every other word the short redhead uttered. "Look. I know that you are wigged about this whole Buffy and Giles romance thing. I know that's why you're in Terminator Bitch mode and not being the caring Mom that I know you are. But right now, I don't care. Buffy is hurt. Giles is blaming himself because..."

"Because it's his fault!"

If steam could have physically come from Willow's ears right then, she was sure it would have. She took a deep breath. "Because he loves her. And he's showing more proof of loving her than you are right now. She was hurt on patrol. Something might I add you wouldn't even know about if Giles hadn't been caring enough to call."

"How badly?"

Willow calmed a bit. "Likely a concussion. And a stab wound to her side. Giles isn't sure how deep it was because of the blood."

"Oh God."

"Listen, my point is this. I know Buffy will be all right. But she is hurt right now. And the last thing she needs to hear is your non-stop tirades about Giles. And I absolutely will not put up with you attacking him right now as upset as he is..."

"He's upset?! What about me?!"

"Joyce, they're together. Grow up and deal with that. And if you can't be civil in there, then go home because nobody is interested in any of your crap today."

Willow stormed out of the bathroom, leaving Joyce stunned and blinking in her wake.

******

Karen came out from behind the nurses' station. "You can see her now."

"How... how is she?"

"She has a mild concussion. Fortunately the guy must not have hit her all that hard. We'll want to keep her overnight just to be safe." Giles knew better than that but said nothing. "And she has some stitches in her side. The blade didn't go in very deep and it didn't puncture anything vital."

Giles stood and touched her arm. "Yes it did. Buffy."

She smiled at him. "She's had a very lucky night. She's in 8."

He looked back at Xander who was smiling. "I'll tell Willow. And I'll call Buffy's Mom."

Giles nodded and walked down the hallway toward Buffy's room. Karen smiled after him. "She's having a very lucky life if you ask me."

******

Around the corner, Joyce Summers breathed a sigh of relief. Willow glared at her as she came back by, hands full of food. "She's going to be okay Willow."

Her expression softened at that. "Thank goodness."

"Will you... will you tell her I love her for me?"

Willow nodded sadly. "I'll tell her. But I think she'd rather hear it from you."

She shook her head. "I need to think about some things." Joyce walked away from the waiting room.

"Yes. You really do." Willow continued on her way to rejoin Xander.

******

Giles entered Buffy's room and smiled upon finding her awake. She smiled in return and he moved to sit in the chair beside her bed. He took her hand in his and kissed it, making her smile even more.

"How are you feeling Love?"

"Oh little sore, little sleepy. Mostly alive."

"That's good to hear. The alive I mean."

"I kinda figured you did." She sighed. "So did I get him?"

"You don't remember?"

"I remember spinning, and then falling, and then you catching me." She smiled. "I remember thinking that if I had to go, then seeing your face was what I wanted to leave with... only I wished you didn't look so sad."

"Please don't say things like that Love."

"But it's true. Don't misunderstand me. I love my life now. That's just it. I've been angry at being a Slayer for a long time Giles. I know it's a part of me but sometimes it just felt like I was waiting for my life to end before I even had a chance to experience the best parts. But with you, everything is best parts. I look forward to things... little things every day. I have so much more to live for now. But I also have a world worth fighting for, worth risking my life for, worth dying for if I have to. You' ve given me a purpose to being the Slayer."

His eyes were overbright with emotion. He kissed her hand again and held it tightly. Their eyes met and Giles cleared his throat. He took a deep breath and reached into his pocket. "Buffy, in the park there was something I needed to ask you. And after all that happened, it's even more important that I don't put it off."

"Okay."

"We both know the work we share isn't safe. But if I've given meaning to your duty, you've given it to my life. I never knew I could love anyone this much, but all you have to do is smile at me and I feel that love flowing through every part of me. It's such a gift you've given me. You're my gift."

It was Buffy's turn to blink away tears. Giles released her hand for a moment and pulled out the ring box. He opened it in front of her, the sapphire and diamond adorned silver band sparkling even in the dim florescence of the hospital lighting. Now no amount of blinking was going to keep her tears at bay.

"Whether I have an hour left to my life or a hundred years, I've come to realize that I don't want a moment of it spent without you. And I'm selfish enough to want you to spend whatever time you have with only me. Buffy," he lowered himself out of the chair to kneel on the floor. The ring poised at the end of her finger, he met her eyes again. "Will you please marry me?"

"Yes," she said, breaking into soft sobs of happiness. With trembling fingers, he slid the ring onto her hand. He stood and leaned over her, her arms wrapping around his neck as they kissed.

* * *