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Title: Castaways 14/16 The Scoobies crept quietly down the hall to the room Ethan had booked, looks of steely determination on all their faces. Willow consulted the slip of paper with the room number on it one more time. She crossed the hall and gestured to her friends that she'd found the spot. The others followed. Anya raised her baseball bat on high as Xander adjusted the grip on his wrench. Tara dug into her bag and began to mutter an incantation. Willow stood aside from the door with her fists raised, ready to attack as soon as Ethan showed his face. Xander moved forward and took a deep breath. He kicked the door viciously. He crumpled to the floor wincing in pain. "Owowowowow! Who knew kicking in a door would hurt?" The door opened and Quentin Travers peered disdainfully out into the hallway. "Please come in. I believe the management frowns on uproar in hallway." Willow glared at the Watcher. "No way, mister. We know what you're up to. You want us to go in there quietly and then you and Ethan are gonna turn us all into icky things so you don't have to tell us what you did to Buffy. Well, we brought our own witch so watch it, buster, 'cause we could do something right back to you. And...we would, too." Travers' lips twitched into something resembling a smile. "I assure you, Miss Rosenberg, that Miss Summers is perfectly safe. In fact, unless she proves to be even more remarkably stubborn than I have heretofore believed her to be, she should be returned to you soon." "Okay," Xander said, "I think about half of that was actually in English. Wanna translate the rest for us? Or do you want to get to know Mr. Wrenchy?" "Mr. Wrenchy?" Willow asked, her eyebrow arching impressively. Xander shrugged. "What? Only Buffy gets to name her weapons? Don't undermine the threat, Will." "What did you mean about Buffy being home soon if she isn't too stubborn?" Tara asked. "Where is she and how do you know she's safe?" Travers gestured into the room. "I'll be happy to explain, but not in such a public atmosphere." Anya peered into the room, baseball bat still at the ready. "Is this Ethan person even with you?" "Mr. Rayne has been most cooperative, and will continue to be if he doesn't wish to be sent back to prison. Now please, do let's get out of this hallway. It's rather drafty and I don't care to catch cold." He ushered the bewildered Scoobies into the room. ***** Her lips were sweet and warm against his. Again and again Giles tasted them, reveling in the softness and passion of Buffy. When her lips parted slightly, he took the implied invitation with a will. There was a hunger in her response that thrilled him to his very soul. Her arms twined around his neck, her fingers threaded through his hair, her tongue slipped and slid against his own as he kissed her more and more deeply. At last he pulled back, breathlessly. "What?" Buffy protested. "Why did you stop?" "I'm not stopping," he told her. "Not unless you want me to. But I do need to check something before we go on." He gave her a hard kiss, then stood and moved to where he'd left his clothes. "What are you up to?" Buffy giggled. "I'm over here, y'know." "Yes, but my wallet is over here." "If you offer me money you are in a world of trouble, Mister." "Wha-? Don't be ridiculous, Buffy. Ah, here it is." He pulled his wallet out of his jeans pocket and checked the contents. He fished something out with a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." He returned to her side waving the foil packet triumphantly. "I thought I had one." Buffy raised one eyebrow. "I thought you were sexually frustrated guy. Why did you have that in your wallet?" "A combination of well ingrained caution and natural optimism." "You can't be very optimistic if you only have one." "Well, I've been disappointed and I don't like to waste money, either." "So what do we do when we've used it up?" "That's when we get creative," he nuzzled in her ear. Buffy giggled as a shiver went up her spine. "Creative, huh? Liking the sound of that a whole lot. Just...you're not into the pain thing anymore, are you?" "That was a one time experiment. You?" "So over it. Really not interested in trying that again. So, with pain off the menu, what exactly does creative consist of?" "Virtually anything you like." "And if I don't know what I like?" "In that case, we can try pretty much anything you think you'd like to." "Well, for starters, I think I'd like to try kissing you some more." "I do believe that could be arranged." Giles bent to taste Buffy's lips again. ***** Xander frowned as Travers poured tea. He was tired of waiting. "Look, can we cut to the chase here? Where is Buffy and what have you done with her?" "She's someplace you won't find her, and she's perfectly safe." "You said that before," Tara pointed out. "I think it's time for answers. More specific ones. What's going on?" "How much do you know about the Watcher Slayer bond?" Travers asked. "Hey!" Anya protested. "We're asking the questions here." "Miss...Jenkins, was it?" Travers addressed her. "I think you'll find that this is a necessary diversion if you wish to understand what was done and why. Now, what do you know of the Watcher Slayer bond?" "Well...we know Buffy and Giles were really close before she died," Willow said. "They sort of had their own little world the rest of us couldn't get into. But when she came back...they couldn't seem to get it back." "Understatement much?" Xander asked. "Giles tried, but Buffy was being pushing away girl and then he started being frustrated guy...and is Giles with Buffy, wherever she is?" "Very good," Ethan said. "I felt sure one of you would figure that out eventually. I thought it would be one of the witches, frankly. But perhaps it takes a masculine perspective...in which case I really can't imagine why you would understand." "Okay," Xander said, "was I just insulted or not?" "Yes and no," Anya told him. "So where are they, and what are they expected to do? Is it a test?" "Of a sort," Travers allowed. "When a Slayer loses connection with her Watcher, it can lead to all manner of unpleasant consequences, including a heightened risk of early death. When Rupert suddenly appeared in Bath despite the fact that his Slayer was alive again, we knew something had to be done." "Not that I don't want Buffy to live," Anya started, "I do, but it's never seemed like you care very much about it. Why the sudden concern?" "No Slayer," Willow surmised. "I'm guessing the last time Buffy died no new Slayer was called." "And with Faith in the slammer, there's no way to know how long it will be before another comes along," Xander added. Travers smiled slightly. "You are far more perceptive than I'd given you credit for." "Don't worry about it, Quentin," Ethan smirked. "You underestimate most people." ***** "Oh God, Giles," Buffy moaned as he suckled hungrily at her breast. She arched against his mouth and hummed in pleasure. Her hands caressed his shoulders. Giles' fingers teased her other nipple mercilessly. He smiled when she gave a loud groan. He was delighted with her responsiveness, her sensitivity. She pulled him up for a searing kiss. Her tongue plundered his mouth even as her hands moved to his hips to remove his pants. One of his hands cradled her head, the other helped her divest him of his only covering. As Giles threw his pajama pants across the tent to get them out of the way, Buffy reached down to encircle his erection. "About ready for that condom?" she asked. "That depends. Are you ready for me?" His hand slipped between her thighs, parting her soft curls. He kissed her warmly and smiled. "You're so wet. I wonder if it tastes as good as it feels." "What? Giles, what are you doing?" He grinned and slid down her body. He dropped a series of tiny, nibbling kisses along her hips and thighs. "Taking a taste," he informed her. "But...guys don't like that. Do they?" "Don't you?" Her cheeks turned crimson. "I - I don't know." Giles looked up at her in disbelief. "You mean nobody has ever...?" Buffy shook her head. "Bloody idiots, the lot of them, then. You needn't if you don't like to, but this is something I enjoy, and I think you will, too. May I?" She looked nervously into his eyes and read the sincerity there. His desire took her breath away, and his willingness to put her comfort above his own pleasure made her want to please him all the more. She did her best to relax as she lay back. "Okay." "You're sure?" "Yeah. I trust you." She'd expected Giles to just dive right in, but he surprised her again by taking his time, kissing and touching her all around her most sensitive spot first. Soon she was angling her hips to bring him nearer, urging him to relieve the tension that had grown so achingly sweet. At last, his tongue slid between her nether lips and over the tiny bump of her clitoris. She shuddered at the heady sensation. "That's amazing," she breathed - as soon as she caught her breath. "Don't stop!" Giles was more than happy to comply.
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