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Last Resort	By : NeenaVarscona Category: BtVS AU/AR > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 2641 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
~~~~~
Rupert had never been so grateful to see Revello Drive in his entire life. The long walk back from the cemetery was made infinitely longer by the bickering and name-calling being bandied about by Spike and Buffy. And Rupert was caught in the middle of it. Literally.

On one side he had Spike holding his hand, while on the other, Buffy was stubbornly trying to pretend she didn�t notice. He couldn�t understand why they appeared to despise each other when he could practically taste the sexual tension between them.

What was worse was that all the negative energy seemed to be rubbing off on him�he came very close to snapping at them both just so he could have a moment�s peace. It was like the atmosphere in this dimension was caustic and his good humour was quickly eroding away. As they walked through Buffy�s front door he thought how odd it was to be inside his own house and yet still be so terribly far from home.

A frazzled looking Xander jumped off the couch and bounded towards them, wringing his hands, a nervous twitch in his eye.

�Giles! Great, you�re back!� he said. �And hey�great! You brought Spike!� His forced enthusiasm waned at the sight of the vampire. �You are Spike, right? You�re not like the Spike from his dimension�you�re not gonna try and kiss me, are you?�

�In your dreams, whelp,� said Spike.

�Where�s Anya?� asked Buffy, heading off what would have become a shouting match.

�She�s sleeping,� answered Xander, reluctantly letting Spike get away with his jab. �She said someone had to be awake enough to open the store in the morning.� Xander gave Spike a tiny glare and thought he saw Rupert holding the vampire�s hand. But that was ridiculous�Giles�even the sex-verse Giles�wouldn�t stoop so low.

Spike caught Xander ogling them and decided it was time to give him a show�nothing over the top, just a teeny glimpse of their newfound intimacy. He led Rupert by the hand over to the sofa and sat with him, his arm draped around his shoulders.

Rupert knew exactly what Spike was up to, but he had no intention of letting him turn their new romance into a carnival sideshow. He leaned over and whispered in the vampire�s ear: �Thank-you, Spike. You have no idea how much it means to me to have someone here I can trust implicitly.� He pulled back far enough to make his meaning clear from the look in his eyes.

Spike swallowed hard and blinked back at Rupert, feeling chastised and a bit foolish. He gave him a quick nod�yes, he did understand�and withdrew his arm. So much for the fun, he thought.

Rupert saw the dejection in Spike�s face and then he turned to Xander, who was simply begging to be toyed with. What the hell, he thought, and throwing caution to the wind, he pulled Spike to him and proceeded to snog him to within an inch of his un-life.

�Gah!� Xander convulsed. �That�s just not right!�

�That�s nothing,� said Buffy. �You should have seen what they were up to when I found them.�

�Are you trying to give me nightmares for the rest of my life? �Cause it�s working,� said Xander.

Rupert ended the kiss, satisfied that he�d made Xander squirm almost as much as Spike�if for very different reasons.

Spike arched his scarred brow at him, silently demanding to know what that was all about. Rupert answered with a shrug and tossed his arm around the blond vampire�s shoulders possessively.

It�s not like Spike was about to complain, confused as he may be by Rupert�s behaviour. Watching Xander squirm and turn several shades of pink was even more fun than he�d anticipated. And Buffy looked all cross and bothered, which was also of the good.

�Are you through, or do you want a room?� asked Buffy sarcastically.

�Yeah�a room. We�ll have one of those,� said Spike, enjoying himself immensely.

The front door squeaked open quietly and Willow tiptoed in. She soon realized that the cloak and dagger routine was unnecessary�it looked like everyone was already awake and loitering around the living room. She guessed Buffy must have had a long night of patrolling, and Xander had waited up for her. She had no idea what Spike and Giles were doing there, but�

�Giles!� Willow squealed once it sank in that he was here and not in England where he was supposed to be. She ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck, holding him tight.

�No!� Buffy and Xander yelled in unison.

Willow jumped back in surprise and volleyed her attention between Giles and her two friends who seemed to be freaking over something she couldn�t see.

�What? What is it?� she asked them, here eyes wide with confused worry.

�That�s not Giles,� said Buffy.

�Oh, for God�s sake�you�re acting like I�ve got plague or something,� said Rupert. �Willow, it�s true, I�m not your Rupert; but I doubt I�m all that different from the man you know.�

�Hah!� Xander snorted. �Our Giles is totally different�there�s no way in a million years he�d ever sleep with Spike.�

�I resent that!� said Spike.

�It�s true,� Xander argued.

�Yeah, but I still resent it, all right?� he shot back.

�Umm�can we back up a bit?� asked Willow, looking more than a little lost. �Giles slept with Spike?�

"Giles slept with Spike?!� came a high-pitched shout from the top of the stairs.

�Dawn, how many times have I told you not to eavesdrop?� Buffy demanded.

�About a gazillion,� she answered. �But it�s not like I could help it this time�you guys were practically yelling in my ear. And can we get back to the whole �Giles slept with Spike� thing?�

�He�s not Giles,� Xander said. He was starting to feel like he was caught in a loop.

�He�s not our Giles,� Buffy corrected.

�Well if you all don�t want him, I�ll have him,� said Spike, squeezing Rupert�s knee. Rupert tightened his arm around the vampire like he was hanging on to a life preserver in a storm-tossed sea.

�If he�s not Giles, then who is he? And where�s our Giles? And�did he really sleep with Spike?� asked Willow.

�Giles slept with Spike?� asked Anya, who was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she descended the stairs.

�Here we go again,� Xander muttered.

�Yeah, he slept with me. Can we please get over it already?� said Spike.

�I thought Giles was on his way to England,� said Willow.

�He was,� said Anya, �but I thought he needed a nice vacation� Did I ever tell you about my Uncle Bob?�

�No, no, no, no, no, no�� Xander moaned as Anya proceeded to fill the others in on the whole story�the whole convoluted, logic-impaired tale.

�Why didn�t you tell anyone?� Willow demanded once Anya had finished. �Giles could have ended up anywhere�he could have landed in the middle of a battle or something. And what makes you think he�d even want to go to this other dimension? You had no right.�

�Like you had a right to drag me back from the dead?� Buffy�s voice was flat, clamped tight over her roiling emotions. �All Anya did was send Giles on a nice little getaway�you ripped me out of Heaven.�

�I didn�t know you were in Heaven. I thought you were stuck in some horrible dimension of Hell!� Willow glowered back at her, and Buffy could have sworn she saw something dark coiling behind the young witch�s eyes.

�Stop it!� Rupert shouted from the couch.

All eyes turned as one to the cause of all the fuss�the man who�d remained silent through it all.

�All of you�please just stop,� he pleaded. �I cannot believe how bitter and angry you all are.�

�Maybe things are all peachy back in Smoochie-dale,� said Buffy, �but here in our world it�s not always a frolicking good time. Maybe your Buffy never died, but��

�She did,� Rupert interjected quietly. �She died, and Willow and I brought her back. It wasn�t easy for any of us when we learned we�d taken her out of Heaven, but we got through it. Maybe the real difference is that we got through it together. Or maybe my world isn�t as far from Heaven as yours is. I can�t say I�d be thrilled about being dragged back here.�

Buffy�s eyes filled with tears, which she held back by sheer force of will. �Then maybe you should just leave. That�s all you Gileses are good for,� she said, and then she flew up the stairs and into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

�That went well,� joked Xander. But no one was in the mood to laugh.

~~~~~
Xander approached the master bedroom with trepidation. The family had decided that their skittish guest would respond better to Xander, seeing as they�d already built up a kind of rapport. So they voted him into the job of checking on Giles.

He knocked on the door, wondering belatedly whether he should have got dressed first. There was no answer.

�Giles?� he asked, and gently pushed to door open.

Giles was perched on the end of the bed, his pillow in his lap and his head in his hands.

�Giles� asked Xander again, approaching the older man.

�Please, Xander�I�d like to be alone,� said Giles, his face still buried in his hands.

�No,� Xander said.

�No?� Giles looked up at last. Although he was trying to appear annoyed, it was impossible to hide the redness of his eyes.

�No,� Xander repeated. �I think you�ve been alone too long. Like it or not, you�re a part of this family now, and that means we share everything. So spit it out� What�s wrong?�

�Oh, nothing,� Giles said, his voice bitter with sarcasm. �I�ve only taken the trust of my dearest friends and dashed it to the ground.�

�Why? �Cause of the sex?� asked Xander.

�Yes because of the sex�what did you think?� Giles bit back at him.

�Okaaay�I can see the honeymoon�s over.�

�I�m sorry, Xander,� Giles said, somewhat abashed. �I know this isn�t your fault. But you have no idea what a serious indiscretion I�ve made. Last night I did things that my friends will never forgive me for�all because��

�All because�?� prodded Xander when it became clear he had no intention of finishing the thought.

Giles studied his hands intently, debating on how much he was willing to share with someone who was essentially still a stranger. But then, considering everything they�d already shared, it seemed silly to keep anything hidden. He took a deep breath, letting it out in a slow sigh.

�I was lonely,� he admitted at last.

Xander sat down next to him on the bed, so close that their bare legs brushed against each other. Giles shifted nervously but didn�t move away�what would be the point? It was far too late to act prudish.

�Why were you lonely?� asked Xander. �You had us�or at least versions of us�where you came from.�

Giles glanced sidelong at the dark-eyed young man sitting next to him. He may have looked exactly like Xander, but he was different in so many ways. He�d probably never felt what true loneliness was like.

�Certainly they were my friends. But there�s always been a distance between us. I�m older. I�m Buffy�s watcher. Or at least I was until I outgrew my usefulness. Now they don�t need me at all, really.� Giles thought a moment, then amended; �No�that�s no entirely true�Buffy still needs me. But I can�t be what she wants me to be.�

�And that is�?�

�Her mother,� he answered, a sad smile on his face. �She was feeling vulnerable, and she turned to me to take over where her mother left off. She needed that kind of security. But I couldn�t do it. That wasn�t the life I wanted.�

�Then what did you want?� Xander asked, his hand rubbing softly up and down Giles� back.

Giles swallowed hard�he wanted to say �this�I want this��but he couldn�t admit that out loud. �I wanted a normal life,� he said instead. �I wanted a wife and two point five children and maybe a dog. I was so scared I�d end up old and alone in a foreign country with more regrets than blessings.�

�Wow,� said Xander with a whistle. �You really were lonely. Why did you never hook up with Buffy or Willow�or, well, any of us?�

Giles merely raised a brow at him like the very idea was absurd.

�Right,� said Xander, nodding. ��Cause you think you�re so old and it wouldn�t be proper. Whatever. But why move back to England? Why not find someone else here in Sunnydale?�

�I tried that. More than once. But my duties as Buffy�s watcher made it impossible�they either ended up fleeing in a blind panic, or worse. Much worse.�

�Jenny?� asked Xander softly.

Giles� eyes widened; �Your Rupert dated Jenny as well?�

�He was about to marry into her family when Angelus got to her,� Xander explained, and his features darkened as he mentioned the vampire�s name. �That was when the Scoobies took Rupert into the fold. I don�t know how he would have coped otherwise.�

�It was one of the hardest times I�ve ever had to face,� said Giles, his throat tight with emotion. �Your Rupert was very lucky to have you.�

Xander couldn�t stand to see the pain in Giles� eyes. He was obviously still mourning for her�he�d never moved on. Xander slid his hand up Giles� back to his neck where he gently stroked his thumb along the soft skin of his hairline. He knew how soothing it could be, and to his relief, Giles didn�t fight it. Instead, he leaned into the touch, relaxing into it.

�Well now it�s your turn to be lucky to have us,� said Xander. �I think that�s why you�re here. I think you need us to give you something you were afraid to ask for back home. You don�t have to be lonely anymore. Not while you�re here.�

A tiny whimper snagged at the back of Giles� throat as the young man pulled him into a hug. He knew that right now he�d do anything Xander wanted�anything, just to continue to have the comfort of those arms around him. He waited for the young man to take what he wanted, but Xander pulled away.

�What do you want?� asked Xander, his cheeks flushed from their embrace. His rich brown eyes bored earnestly into Giles�.

�This,� Giles admitted quietly. �I want this.�

Xander waited a beat, searching Giles� eyes for any sign of uncertainty, and when he found none he brought his mouth up to Giles� in a soft kiss.

~~~~~
Rupert tapped lightly on Buffy�s bedroom door. He�d insisted on going to check on her, despite her friends� assurances that she just needed some space. Did they not realize that such apathy was the source of their problems, he wondered? Rupert couldn�t sit by and let Buffy slog her way through her emotional quagmire alone.

He tapped again, more loudly.

�Go away,� came Buffy�s muffled response, followed by an even more muffled sniffling.

�It�s me�Rupert,� he said.

�Oh, well�in that case� go away,� she said.

�Buffy, please. I�d really like to talk to you.�

�You�re not gonna let it drop are you?�

�No, I�m not,� he answered.

The door opened a crack. �Fine,� she said. �Come in. But I�m warning you, I�m not a pretty sight right now.�

Buffy let him in; wiping her tears dry on her sleeve. Rupert surveyed the room, noticing that it was filled with Buffy�s things and no one else�s. All the furnishings and knickknacks were meant to make the room look cheery, but to Rupert it was jarring�like a beautiful piece of music played off-key. He wandered over to her bed and picked up the stuffed pig that held the place of honour on her pillow.

�Ah, Mr. Gordo,� said Rupert to the little pig. �It�s good to see you.�

Buffy raised an eyebrow at him. �Do you always talk to stuffed animals?� she asked, plopping heavily onto the bed, making it squeak in protest.

�No,� he answered. �Only when I can�t think of an intelligent way of starting a proper conversation.�

�Hmm�avoidance through puppetry. You may have something there.� Buffy plucked the little pink pig out of Rupert�s hands and fixed it with a serious expression. �So, Mr. Gordo, do you think Rupert here�s come to lecture me about leadership and responsibility?�

�Lecture you?� asked Rupert. He sat next to Buffy on the bed and rested his large hand over her little one. Buffy�s eyes flickered up to meet his.

�I came here to apologise, not to lecture,� he said. �I fear I behaved badly earlier, and I said some things that were overly harsh. I was out of line, and I apologise.�

Buffy sniffled. �No. I�m the one who should apologise. You didn�t do anything wrong�it�s just�well, it�s like you�re this big, beautiful tropical bird trapped inside a tiny cage. With its wings clipped. You�re just being you�I get that�but it�s gonna take a while to get used to having such a�colourful�Giles around.�

Rupert�s eyes crinkled up in a friendly smile and he wrapped his arms around his slayer.

Buffy stiffened defensively at first, but then she relaxed a bit and found that it was really nice to be hugged. She started to hug him back, burying her cheek against the cotton-covered expanse of his chest. She was reminded of a hug she once shared with Giles not too long ago. Just after he�d come back to her from England. Just after she�d returned from the grave. She remembered how safe she felt in his arms and she hugged him a bit tighter.

Only when the hug had gone on too long to be considered a simple friendly gesture did Buffy pull away.

�Sorry�was that too much?� asked Rupert.

�No, it was perfect. Just what the doctor ordered.�

�In that case, the pharmacy�s always open, whenever you need it,� he said.

�You�ll spoil me. What am I gonna do when you�re gone?�

She was attempting to be light-hearted about it, but Rupert could tell she was half-serious.

�I think you�ll find that hugs go both ways. You should never be afraid of initiating a hug�sometimes it�s a little thing like that that keeps us going.�

She sat quietly for a moment, contemplating what he�d said. �You�re right,� she said. �We don�t hug nearly enough. It�s weird�we fight side by side all the time; we risk our lives together to end apocalypses�I guess I always assumed the hugs went without saying. That�s gonna change, I promise. But I draw the line at Scooby smoochies.�

�Pity. You don�t know what you�re missing,� Rupert teased.

�Don�t push your luck, Romeo,� she teased back.

Rupert got up and headed for the door. He stopped, though, when he realized she hadn�t joined him.

�You go ahead. I need a minute to make myself pretty again,� she said.

�Alright,� he said and was about to leave when he thought of something he�d been meaning to ask for a while. �Buffy, where�s Tara?�

�I think she went back to her old apartment, why?�

�Do you really think that�s such a good idea? She�s due any day now,� said Rupert.

�Due?� she asked, fearing she wasn�t going to like the answer.

�Dear Lord�of course! I hadn�t thought. Your Tara wouldn�t be pregnant�we�re not even married here.�

�Tara�s having your baby?� Buffy squeaked.

�Our baby�yes. And she could have it any time now,� he added anxiously. He hated to think he might miss the blissful event.

It was at that moment that Willow appeared in the doorway, her jaw dangling open. �Tara�s having a baby?�

Rupert and Buffy looked back at her mutely, neither one knowing what to say to the distraught redhead.
- 7
- 8
- 9
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Last Resort