__Fighting Shape__
By Jolene Beasley
She decided to wait for Rupert to get home before she tried to get anything upstairs. Strong she might be, but maneuvering bulky objects around the bend in the stairway was beyond even her skills.
By the time she had the downstairs fairly well situated, she heard the asthmatic sound of his Citroen pulling into the driveway. The sound of that beat-up old vehicle always made her smile... but he loved the silly thing with a passion that only came with male genes. Wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, she waited in the doorway as her husband gathered his briefcase and a stack of homework and stomped grumpily up the steps.
"Hey, gorgeous." She kissed him carefully, keenly aware that she was covered with sweat and dust.
His frown didn’t go away, even after the kiss. "Buffy, I thought you were going to wait until I got home. You’ll strain yourself, trying to carry this bulky furniture alone."
"Hey, a Slayer’s life is always a strain. Even for retired ones."
"Not for retired married ones. They have overworked husbands to look after." She followed him into the house, and watched with amusement as he tried to find a resting place for the huge stack of papers he was carrying. He finally set them down on the floor beside the staircase. He took his jacket off, but had no place to hang it, so he draped it over the stair rail. He gazed down at the mound of work in front of him, and sighed loudly.
"Remind me, once again, why I returned to teaching? I seem to forget when term papers have to be graded."
"Because you love it, and because you’re soooo good at it. And, because you have a wife at home to feed, clothe, and educate, and you have to have money."
"Ah, yes, thank you. I remember now. The bottomless pit that lives with me must be fed..." He yelped as Buffy slid up behind him and tickled his ribs. It was the only place she had found where her husband was ticklish, and she had explored the territory thoroughly before coming to that conclusion.
He responded by whirling and grabbing her, moving too swiftly for her to step away. He growled at her teasing expression, and kissed her, ignoring her dusty state. Her taste was always intoxicating, even when she was grimy and sweaty. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was helplessly in love with her... that could account for his lack of objectivity.
She gave in and melted against him, moving her hands away from his sides and up his back. Their unique connection pulsed with their feelings, and they forgot all about the fact that they were standing in front of the stairs in full view of the open front door.
"Awww, come on, you two... can’t ya wait until you get a bed set up first?" Xander threw his hands out in front of his face as he came in the doorway. "You’re scarring me for life!" He found an empty spot on the couch, and flopped bonelessly down as only a teenager could. "So, Buffy, I see you started movin’ in without us. Shame on you... what I really mean is, *yippee*!" He giggled happily until Willow snuck up behind him and slapped him sharply on the back of the head. "*OW*! Oh, hi, Will, didn’t hear you come in."
"Obviously." She gave him a look that said, ‘you’re hopeless’ and dropped her purse on the couch next to him. "Now, why don’t you stop loitering and let’s help the Giles family move in, okay?" She started for the door, glancing over at the still smooching pair. With a slight wince, she raised her voice pointedly and said, "Any time this century, okay, you guys? Move now, Bond later!"
Buffy started giggling again, and finally let her husband go. Buffy stepped up to Willow, snapped her heels together, saluted, and barked, "Aye, aye, Cap’n!" Willow stuck her tongue out at Buffy, then smirked, and the two grabbed Xander off the couch and went outside to finish unloading the van.
Giles paused in the doorway, watching the trio for a moment with an air of happy contentment. Willow and Xander were like family to Buffy, and he was proud of the way they were growing up. Then, he shook his head as Xander put a lampshade on his head and started singing "Aloha Oe" while doing the hula. Giles found himself wishing that the maturing process could be hurried along... just a little. When Willow handed Xander the rest of the floor lamp, he managed to do a conga step all the way up the steps without falling down or removing the shade. Giles laughed and moved out of the doorway to let him by, then joined the slightly more sensible people outside.
"Xander sure is in a good mood, Will." Buffy remarked as Willow helped her slide a huge bentwood chest out onto the tailgate of the van. Giles supported from the ground it as they eased it down the ramp.
"Yeah, he actually passed his semester tests. He did great in math and science, which is kinda scary, but he needs work on grammar and spelling, still. He’s really trying hard in Psych 101, but I don’t think he’s gettin’ any of it. I told him I’d help him, but he wants to go solo his first year, to see if he’s ‘got what it takes.’ Silly idea, but that’s Xander."
Giles lifted the chest, balancing it until the girls jumped down to help him carry. "Ooof.... If Xander wants to prove his mettle, then this is the best time to do it. Life rarely gets easier as you go along. A little confidence can go a long way."
Willow moved to the front, holding the unwieldy piece steady. Buffy winked at him as she hefted her end effortlessly. "He said, from his wellspring of vast wisdom."
He staggered, trying to keep from losing his grip on the chest as he tried to back up the steps. "If only I had wisdom enough to get some help with my end..."
Xander caught the other edge of the chest just as Giles’ grip gave way, and couldn’t resist quipping, "And, if you don’t have bunches of confidence, excellent timing goes a long way, too."
"Thank you, Xander. I’ll try to remember that." Giles said, gratefully. The four of them easily carried the chest into the house.
Two bedrooms worth of furniture and three pizzas later, the Giles’ said their good nights to Xander and Willow and trudged upstairs. The house was still in chaos, but at least there was a place to sleep. The master bedroom was fairly large, and Rupert’s furniture from his small apartment looked a little lost in the space. Buffy’s critical eye couldn’t stand the starkness of the room, and she immediately started opening boxes, looking for favorite personal items to warm up the area.
Rupert stood and watched her, feeling grubby, tired, and a little grouchy. He had learned one thing about living with someone who could read your mind... if you were going to grouse, you might as well grouse out loud. "If you want to start unpacking everything at this ungodly hour, go right ahead. I’m going to take a shower." He tried not to sound petulant, but he did, anyway.
Buffy seemed oblivious. "Okay, babe, go ahead, I’ll get mine after yours. Good thing it’s Saturday tomorrow... well, today, actually. We can get all this stuff put up, and still have time to go out."
Go *Out*? He couldn’t believe she was actually planning on partying after two grueling days of moving! He groaned as the hot water hit his face, and closed his eyes, trying to let the fatigue wash off and go down the drain. ‘I asked for it, didn’t I?’ he told himself, ‘marrying a young thing like her will probably be the death of me...’ He jumped slightly as a small hand took possession of the soap and began to lather his chest, bringing a smile to his face. ‘But, what a way to go...’
"Rupert?"
"Mmmmfffsss."
"You asleep?"
"ah... I was."
"I’m, sorry, babe, but I just can’t get to sleep."
He did his best to wake up, but still felt distinctly fuzzy around the edges. He rolled over and pulled her against his chest, feeling her uneasiness. "What is it, love? What’s bothering you?"
She snuggled gratefully against him, feeling safe in his arms despite her anxiety. "It’s probably nothing, but I just noticed today that I’m not feeling as... strong as I used to. It’s not bad, yet, but... I just don’t wanna lose my edge, y’know? We gotta put on a big show for the Watcher’s Retreat this summer, and I just don’t wanna disappoint you."
His arms tightened around her. "You could never disappoint me, dearest. You always do your best, and that’s more than enough." He squinted his eyes in concentration, trying to pull a valid cause out of his memories of their hectic semester. "It could be..." She sat up, looking down at him earnestly. He realized this was really disturbing her. He sat up beside her and leaned against the headboard. "We’ve been on an extraordinarily tight schedule this semester, Buffy. We’ve been too busy to train properly. I’m feeling a bit out of sorts, myself. Perhaps what we need is to get back into fighting shape."
"You think that’s all? I mean, you don’t think I’m losing it, or anything like that?"
"No, I don’t think you’re losing ‘it’. Tell you what, we’ll sit down tomorrow and set up a training schedule that will curl your hair. Would that make you happy?"
She smiled radiantly and nodded. As he slid back under the covers, she rested against him, her head on his chest, her arm around his waist. Her eyes closed contentedly and she sighed, totally confident that Rupert would set things right. He curled his arm around her protectively, basking in her sense of relief until sleep claimed them both.
The family room proved to be the perfect place for martial arts training. There was a central sunken area, perhaps twenty feet square, with steps that transitioned up to the first floor level on either side of an impressive fireplace. The wooden floors gave it a gymnasium feeling that reminded Buffy of the Sunnydale Library. They had selected the house based on this room alone.
There was no furniture in the room, only exercise mats, free weights, and several cabinets and chests that served as equipment lockers. Buffy stood in one corner of the lower level clad in a karate ghi, her foot propped up on the top step. She stretched carefully, folding herself over until her chin touched her leg. In the far corner of the room, similarly dressed, Giles was holding a quarterstaff over his head, warming up his arm, back and chest muscles. He lowered the staff behind him slowly, feeling his body respond to the discipline it was long accustomed to. Dropping the pole behind him, he circled his shoulders, checking for stiffness. To his relief, he found none. ‘We’ve only been at this for three weeks, and I’m feeling better already.’
"Me, too." Buffy had gotten into the habit of answering his thoughts out loud, and he worried that someone would start asking questions if she kept it up.
"I’ll just tell ‘em we moonlight on the Psychic Connection. That’ll shut ‘em up."
He laughed in spite of himself. "So, you think you’ve still ‘got it,’ eh?"
"Is that a challenge, Mr. Giles?"
"Most definitely, Mrs. Giles."
She moved into the center of the sunken area, and he moved to face her, a small smile of anticipation on his face. He felt fantastic, and he was ready for a good workout tonight. His cocky little Slayer had better be on her guard.
After a formal bow, they squared off, each using their favorite starting stances. While Slayer training followed no single discipline, there were distinct elements of Tae Kwon Do and Akeido, as well as Ju Jitsu, Kung Fu, and boxing. Some of it was just good old street fighting. It was genuinely beautiful to watch two well-trained martial artists spar. Giles was well aware that her strength was greater, so he had to be crafty and misleading. Buffy had only to overpower him once, and the match would be over.
Time slipped slowly by as they blocked, feinted, kicked, punched, and rolled. Buffy’s eyes were bright with pure enjoyment as she tried to outwit her teacher using the very techniques he had taught her.
He was breathing heavily, but still easily, and was managing to stay on his feet for a record length of time. It was much easier to fight when you weren’t carrying around an extra fifty pounds of padding, not to mention an extra ten pounds around the middle. He could never have gotten a workout like this at Sunnydale... a high school librarian was expected to work in a suit and tie, not sweats and a T-shirt.
Suddenly, the memory of a championship wrestling match he had watched - briefly - gave him an idea. Before he could telegraph the thought to her he dropped his shoulder, grabbed Buffy under one arm and by one leg, swung her over his back, and dropped hard to his knees. The impact knocked the breath out of her, and she slid off his back and onto the floor, gasping for air.
He knelt beside her, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Are you all right?"
She tried to laugh, but didn’t have the breath for it. "I... will... get... you... for that."
"Anytime you’re ready, Mrs. Giles."
He offered her a bottle of water and a towel, and shrugged out of his top, still breathing hard. His body was shining, slick with sweat, and she thought, between painful inhalations, that he had never looked sexier. He shook his head, sending droplets flying from his wet hair, and sat on the step behind her waiting for her to recover.
Buffy sat up, finally getting enough air into her lungs to complete a sentence. "I bet the guy at the rental store wonders why we wax this floor so much." Due to their strenuous activities, they had rented a commercial buffing machine twice already to refinish the floor. Waxed wooden floors couldn’t take the abuse without a great deal of maintenance. "If we ever buy a house like this, I’m gonna seal the floor with marine varnish instead of wax. Maybe that’ll keep the sweat from eating the floor out from under us."
"You’re becoming quite the discerning consumer, aren’t you?" He smirked, draping his towel around his neck and sliding down to sit on the floor next to her.
"Yep. Lucky you, marrying a shopping wizard like me." She leaned over and rubbed noses with him playfully.
"That isn’t exactly why I’m feel lucky tonight..." He growled in response, and a surge of pure heat hit her through their shared connection. So much for tonight’s practice, she thought.
She ran her hands appreciatively over his chest and stomach, enjoying the feeling of new muscle under his skin. "Y’know, we both could use a shower..." Her heartbeat began climbing back toward double time as he reacted to her touch and began moving towards her. His eyes never leaving hers, he crawled over her, pushing her to the floor with his body against hers.
‘First things first.’ He thought, and attacked her mouth with his.
‘Okay, so we shower later...’ Was all she could think before love took her away.
*-*-*-*-*
Two weeks after the end of the spring semester, the gang decided to do a Friday night at the Bronze, just for old time’s sake. It was their last chance to get together before Buffy and Giles flew to England, Oz left on a three-state tour, Willow went to summer school and Xander started a part-time job in the city.
And it was almost like old times again... Xander was in rare form, telling goofy jokes, toasting Merry Olde England in a pitifully bad British accent, and generally being... Xander. Oz actually had the accent down pretty well, and Buffy heard Rupert’s voice in her head so much that she could mock him without even thinking about it. Willow sat and enjoyed the show, barely able to say two words without giggling. Even Rupert was in a tolerant mood that reminded Buffy of their evening at the pub with his museum buddies..
Several of Buffy’s friends from school came over to the table to chat and meet Giles for the first time. Buffy proudly introduced him, and he began to get the distinct feeling that he was on display. The feeling turned to acute embarrassment when one of the girls said, "It’s great to finally meet you, Professor Giles. To hear Buffy talk, we thought you wore white robes and walked on water."
Xander could *not* let that one pass by without comment. "Giles doesn’t walk on water unless he absolutely *has* to."
Buffy had to add, "He *does* have a white robe... he just doesn’t wear it out much."
Willow felt sorry for Giles... she knew first hand how embarrassing it was to be in the spotlight. She decided to come to his rescue. "Hey, Giles is a regular guy, just like anyone else. I mean, he *would* be a regular guy if he wasn’t a professor, and brilliant. No, that’s not what I meant at all... not that he’s not brilliant, which he *is*... But he’s still a regular guy, even though he’s got this genius IQ, and speaks like *four* languages..."
"Five, and understands two more." Buffy interjected, just to set the record straight.
"Okay, what she said. He’s just a regular, nice guy..."
"Who fences like Zorro." Oz had watched a few sparring matches, and held Giles’ swordsmanship in high regard.
"Oh, yeah, that too. And he’s pretty good with a quarterstaff..."
"He rides a horse as well as Zorro... you should see him sometime." Buffy said, dreamily.
"And he’s got a black belt in some kind of karate... I forget what kind... He’s like Bruce Lee reincarnated." Willow was really warming up to the subject, and Giles felt doomed to being the topic of conversation the rest of the evening.
Xander thought of something else, and raised his hand for attention. "Hey, he can spot a Nigerian death mask at twenty paces... *not*."
"That wasn’t his fault, Xander. He’s more the ancient Egypt type expert guy."
"With all that time at the British Museum... he can’t help knowing the low-down on moldy old stuff."
"That’s for sure! When people want to know about old stuff, they call Giles..." Suddenly, Willow realized that, instead of helping, she was making matters steadily worse. Giles put his head down on the table and covered his ears with his hands. Her face full of apology, she patted his shoulder consolingly. "Oh, I’m sorry, Giles, I was just trying to help."
"Willow?" His voice was muffled.
"What is it?"
"You don’t need to help me anymore."
Two hours later Willow was still apologizing. Oz finally had to drag his girlfriend out the door and toward the van. Xander shooed her along, waving his arms at her like he was herding geese. "Shoo, now, Miss Rosenberg. You’ve exhausted every groveling technique in the book except licking Giles’ boots... which might work, if he ever *wore* boots. Go home. Get lost. Beat it... that means *scram*!"
After one last round of hugs for everyone, Willow finally climbed into Oz’s van, and Xander slammed the door shut, just in case she thought of yet another way to apologize. He waved jovially as the two drove away, then slumped against the building, feigning exhaustion. "Whew, I thought they’d never leave." He wiped his brow, then grinned at his two disparate friends. "And, so, I must also go away. And prepare myself for the workaday world, which I will be entering next week. Pity me, for my carefree days are over."
Buffy ruffled his dark hair sympathetically. "Poor Xander. At least you found a job. I’ve looked for six months, and no one will hire me. I’m uniquely unqualified for every job in the state."
Giles chuckled. "It *would* be nice if you could get a part-time job, Buffy. You’re quite expensive to keep, you know."
"Hey, I’m worth every penny you spend, and you *know* it!"
Xander backed away, hands in the air. "No *way* am I gettin’ in the middle of that. This is me you see beating feet to my car and going home!"
Buffy hugged him, and they watched the young man drive away. She linked her arm with Rupert’s, and smiled up at him, happy with the way the evening had gone. They started home, content to walk in the warm night air. Their new house was just three blocks away.
They were less than halfway there when a familiar sensation gripped them. They instantly took up defensive positions as two vampires emerged from behind a fence and attacked them. Buffy didn’t have time to think - she simply responded as she had been trained to do, and one adversary disappeared in a puff of gray ash within a minute. The second vamp backed away, not willing to tackle them from a disadvantage. Instead of fleeing, he surprised them by putting two fingers in his mouth and whistling.
"How did he do that... with those scummy fangs in the way?" She asked as three more vamps appeared from the shadows.
Giles declined to reply as he moved to protect her back from the circling demons. He took a deep breath, calming himself so the connection between them would remain open, and waited for them to make the first move.
‘We’ve handled four at a time before, babe, we can do it again.’ He heard her clearly, and smiled, hoping the expression would disconcert his enemies. Whether it did or not, the enemies advanced anyway, and the two found themselves fighting for their lives.
The attackers must have been martial arts experts before they were vamped, for their technique was flawless. Only the Watcher and Slayer’s experience and the Bond kept them at bay, and neither one could get a clear shot at staking one of them. They just kept on fighting, and Buffy knew sooner or later she and Rupert would begin to tire. She didn’t want to think about what would happen then.
Suddenly, Giles had a flash of insight, and threw his shoulder into the closest vamp. Buffy was tuned in, so she shifted her stake into her left hand and stabbed backwards. At the same time, Giles grabbed his opponent and swung him around sharply, impaling him on her weapon. He sent a quick thought to her. ‘Together, Buffy... that’s how we’re strongest.’ Stepping through the resultant cloud of dust, he advanced on the next-closest target.
The next-closest target combusted before Giles could get any closer, and he shouted in triumph as Faith appeared where the vamp had been. Grinning from ear to ear, she joined her sister-Slayer and her former Watcher in cleaning up the street. It took less than two minutes.
Buffy paused to get her breath, then grabbed Faith and gave her a rib-crushing hug. "My God, Faith, where did you come from?"
Faith laughed and popped her gum as Buffy let her go. "Down the street. I was out runnin’ my new Watcher’s fat butt off. Heard the commotion, and, you know me... always ready to rrrrrumble!. But you guys were doin’ okay, from what I saw."
"Where *is* your new Watcher?"
"I dunno, two blocks back, last time I looked. Hope he didn’t run into any vamps. He might wet his pants."
"Still wet behind the ears?"
"Oh, yeah, absolutely."
Just then, a young bespectacled man staggered up to them. He stopped beside Faith, chest heaving, and tried to say something. It came out "Haarrr..."
Buffy giggled. Giles looked amused, but stuck out his hand in a gentlemanly fashion. "Hello, again."
The fellow, to his credit, straightened and shook hands properly before collapsing against a nearby tree.
He struggled to get his breath, and finally wheezed, "Mr. Giles... so good to see... you and Mrs. Giles again. I must say... it is an honor... to witness your... combat technique... even though I was... still a half-block away."
"Thank you, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce. It was most certainly good to see Faith again... her timing, as always, was impeccable."
Faith snorted. "There you go with the big words again, Giles. Just say I was *ON*."
Wyndam-Pryce smiled at his Slayer, even though he had no idea what she just said. Then, his face fell.
"Mr. Giles... I’m terribly sorry... I won’t be able to attend the retreat this year. Too new on the field, so to speak, and I’ve got to get on with the job..."
"Yeah, I’m such a hand-full, and all. Can we go?" Faith picked at her fingernails with the end of her stake, bored already with the conversation.
"In a minute, Faith. It’s too bad, really, Mr. Giles. It would be such a treat to see the both of you in action... well, that is, when you weren’t fighting for your lives, of course."
"Thank you, I think." Giles smirked. "Shall we stroll along together for a bit? To allow Mr. Wyndam-Pryce the chance to recover?"
Faith laughed and slapped her new Watcher on the back, almost knocking him down. "Oh, he’ll be okay. I took it easy on him tonight... only 10 miles or so. I’ll have him shaped up by Christmas."
Wyndam-Pryce finally got enough air in his lungs to stand up straight. "Please, everyone, call me Wesley. It’s much less time-consuming than ‘Mr. Wyndam-Pryce.’" He took a couple of quick steps to join them, then managed to match their pace as they walked.
Buffy looked at him with approval. "He has a sense of humor. That’s a plus. Took a while for Giles here to loosen up enough to joke around." She tempered her words with a loving kiss to his cheek, and he smiled at her, not minding the ribbing.
"Yeah, but Giles here had it goin’ on from the first time I saw ‘im. Too hot for tweed, that’s what I thought." Faith skipped around them, walking backwards, then sideways, too charged up from the fighting to simply walk beside them. "Guess I was right, hey, B?"
Buffy blushed a little, to Faith’s surprise. "Uh, yeah, you were, majorly so."
Faith pulled Buffy a few steps behind the men, and whispered, "So... you gotta tell me... what’s it like?"
Buffy grinned. "What’s what like? The Bond, or being married to Giles?"
"Both, dummy!"
Buffy looked down, still grinning.
"Aw, c’mon, B... I wanna know what I got to look forward to... y’know, with Princess Margaret there. He’s kinda cute, ain’t he? Gotta get him in shape, though... otherwise I might kill him the first time we do it."
"There’s no guarantee you guys will have this, this thing, and even if you do, it may take a while to show up. Even years. It did for us."
Faith shrugged. "I’ll take my shot. So, details, and don’t leave anything out!"
The two girls continued in quiet conversation as they walked, laughing periodically despite their attempted secrecy. Wesley kept stealing glances behind him, wondering what was going on. Finally, he could stand it no longer. He looked at Giles and asked, "What on earth are those two going on about?"
Giles just laughed at his successor’s curiosity. "Trust me, Wesley, you don’t want to know."
* * *