Title: Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
Author: Gileswench

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

A vicious kick to her knee woke Buffy with a start. She knew in the back of her brain that she usually slept alone, and had done so for some months. It took a moment to recognize who the tiny foot belonged to.

Giles was thrashing wildly in the bed making distressed sounds as he flailed at the mattress.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, Rupert," Buffy assured him as she pulled him into her arms. "Nothing can hurt you while I'm here with you."

Giles' eyes flew open. He stiffened for a split second, then buried his face in Buffy's bosom and began to cry again.

"What is it, little guy? What were you dreaming?"

Buffy's query only brought fresh waves of grief from the boy. She rocked him gently until Dawn appeared in the doorway.

"Is he okay? What's wrong with him?"

"Bad dream. I don't know about what. Could you make some cocoa for him?"

"Are you sure? You said after Xander's candy bars you were never gonna give a kid sugar again."

"Cocoa. Marshmallows. Now. And make some for us while you're at it, please."

"Sure. I don't need sleep."

Dawn headed downstairs grumpily. Buffy kissed Giles tousled head and hugged him closer.

"Come on, little guy. Let's get you something to make you feel better. Then, when you've calmed down, you can tell me what's got you so upset."

She carried him down to the kitchen where Dawn was already efficiently heating milk. Despite his misery, Giles raised his head from Buffy's shoulder to watch.

"Do you want marshmallows, Rupert?" Dawn asked him.

"No. I don't like them."

"Me neither."

Buffy looked disgustedly from one to the other.

"You guys realize you're both mutants, don't you?"

"Hey, you're the one who told me they were monkey brains."

Giles shook his head seriously.

"They're not monkey brains. They're a plant."

"Okay, so his grammar was a little shaky at six, but he knew his marshmallows."

Dawn rolled her eyes.

"You're just getting all mushy over him because he's a little kid."

Buffy ignored the comment.

"So, Rupert, are you ready to tell me what's wrong?"

Giles shook his head.

"It was just a dream."

"Yeah, but that dream was pretty bad. I may have bruises. I'd kinda like to know what you were dreaming."

"It's just a dream. Father said."

"Wait a minute," said Dawn. "How could he? Your father isn't here."

"Father said."

Buffy decided to take a different route.

"What exactly did you father say, Rupert? Can you tell me that?"

The boy hesitated, considering. At last he nodded.

"He said I only dreamed it. That those things aren't real. He said I mustn't ever say or they would lock me up."

"Who would lock you up? I don't understand."

"I don't want them to lock me up. I can't be locked up again! I can't!"

"Okay, it's okay. Nobody's going to lock you up anywhere; not while I'm around to stop them. Do you believe me?"

"But Father said they would."

"Listen to me, Rupert. I told you before that I'll never let anything hurt you. I promise you, no matter what you say, I won't let anybody lock you up. I would never let that happen to you. If anybody tried, I would stop them. You matter too much to me to let that happen. I will never let anyone hurt you."

"She won't, either," Dawn said. "She'd hurt them first."

"So what say you tell me what happened that your father said didn't. When were you locked up? Where?"

Giles shook with the war between fear and trust in his heart. At last he looked up at Buffy.

"The cupboard. Under the stairs."

Dawn looked stricken, but Buffy sent her a sympathetic look.

"You couldn't know." She turned her attention back to Giles. "Who locked you in the cupboard?"

"Mummy," he whispered. "She wouldn't let me help."

"Was she in trouble?"

Giles nodded.

"Ugly men. They hurt her. She said I mustn't say a word. Then they hurt her."

"Ugly men? Ugly how? What did they do?"

"Bit her. Made her drink. I couldn't get out. I couldn't help Mummy. Father said I dreamed it when he made her disappear."

The girls shared a horrified look.

"You mean his Mom...wow. That's harsh. And I thought we had it bad."

Buffy just continued to rock Giles as he cried.

*********

The next morning, Buffy got to the Magic Box a bit late.

"Sorry guys. Long night. Did you find anything?"

"You look terrible."

"Thanks, Anya, that's exactly what I didn't need to hear."

"She's right, though, Buff," Willow said. "You've looked better. What happened?"

"Well, sleep didn't. Is there any coffee around?"

"Xander just went to the Espresso Pump," Tara informed her. "He should be back in a minute."

Willow knelt before Giles.

"Hey, Rupert. Who's your friend - Buffy! You gave him Mr. Gordo? You never even let me touch him. I thought I was your best friend."

"Nothing's too good for my little guy. And you had your own beloved stuffed animals."

"I had a teddy bear that wanted to eat me up, remember. Mr. Gordo always seemed a lot more non threatening than that."

"Mr. Gordo's very brave," Giles informed Willow solemnly.

"So, did we figure out how to make Rupert back into Giles yet?"

"I found something," Anya said with pride. "It's a simple ritual. In fact, it's so simple even Buffy could probably do it by herself."

"But Tara and I would be happy to, since you're not magic girl. Don't worry. We'll do it right after class."

"No, it's okay guys. I'll do it."

The others stared at Buffy.

"What? Anya said even I could do it. And I bet Giles wouldn't want too big an audience since he's probably gonna end up pretty naked."

"And you think he wants you to see that?" asked Willow.

"Considering where he made me wash him last night, I don't think he gets to be embarrassed about it."

Xander arrived with coffee, Buffy went over the ritual with Anya, and then everybody left except Buffy and Giles. She led him into the training room and sat him on the couch.

"So, are you ready to be a big boy again?"

"Will it hurt?"

"I don't think so. And anyway, I'll be here. You'll be okay."

She reached out and stoked his curls again. He smiled and crawled into her lap.

"When I'm big, will you still like me?"

"Like? Rupert Giles, don't you know yet that I love you? Big or little, scared or brave, that doesn't matter. You're what matters. You're a pretty special guy, y'know."

"You're pretty," he told her.

"Just hold that thought, Casanova," she told him. "It's time."

Buffy hugged him, taking in his little boy smell and the feel of his thin body. She knew the man would be better in many ways, but the boy had won a piece of her heart in the short time she'd known him.

She instructed him to undress while she gathered the ingredients for the spell and brought out his adult clothes. She laughed slightly at the sight of the red briefs. Then she spread a towel across Giles' lap and set to work.

As Anya had said, the ritual was simple. In mere minutes, Giles sat slightly dazed and full sized again with nothing but a towel draped across him for modesty.

"That was extraordinary."

"Hey, word guy. It's nice to have you back."

She sat next to him on the floor.

"Thank you for the towel. Though, as you say, I gave up all right to modesty with my performance last night."

"So you remember that, huh?"

"Alarmingly vividly."

Buffy sobered.

"I'm sorry. About your Mom. I never knew."

"Yes, well, it was a long time ago."

"Uh uh. No. You don't get to do that."

"Do what?"

"Pretend it doesn't matter. It does."

She took Giles' hand.

"She died, but she saved you. Those vamps would have killed you in a heartbeat. She saved you, Rupert, and I'll always be grateful to her for that."

Giles blinked.

"You're still calling me Rupert?"

"Hey, you sounded pretty sure that was what you wanted me to call you. Still want me to?"

"Answer me a question first. You said just now you loved me. How did you mean it?"

Buffy smiled and moved her hand to smooth back his hair from his brow.

"Like you're a part of me. Like I could maybe live without you, but it would be like cutting off my right hand or something. Like I want to be there to make it all better when you have a nightmare."

His lips quirked into his funny half smile. Buffy's heart did a backflip.

"You do realize in order to do that, you'd have to be in my bed?"

"Or you could be in mine. It works either way."

"You shameless hussy."

"Hey, I'm not the one who decided I needed to wash you underneath certain things."

"I was six. My father had told me if it didn't get cleaned underneath it would turn green and fall off. I'm not certain you understand how traumatic an idea that is for a boy."

"Your father was sick."

"You'll get no argument from me."

"So where do we go from here?"

Giles considered.

"Well, I suppose I ought to get dressed first."

"Do ya' have to?"

"Yes, Buffy, I rather think I do."

"Oh."

Her heart sank and she developed a sudden interest in the stitching on the edge of one of the mats. Giles reached out and cupped her cheek in his large hand.

"Buffy? What's the matter?"

"It's okay, Giles. I just...I thought...and you said...but I was wrong again. I'm sorry."

Giles leaned over and took her face in both his hands.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

Leaning in a bit farther, Giles gently touched his lips to Buffy's.

"You weren't wrong."

"Really?"

"Really."

"So what's with the rush to get all covered up again?"

Giles brushed the backs of his fingers over Buffy's cheek.

"I haven't rushed at all. And I don't intend to rush when I make love to you for the first time."

Buffy shivered at his words. Giles moved his hand to cradle the back of her head as he kissed her again; this time with a bit more passion, a bit more pressure. Her hands moved of their own accord to grip his shoulders. Giles parted his mouth slightly and allowed the tip of his tongue to trace the outline of Buffy's lips. A soft groan rose in her throat as she opened herself to him. They explored one another thoroughly, their tongues meeting and mingling desperately for some minutes.

At last, Giles pulled reluctantly back. He smiled softly at Buffy as he tucked a stray tendril of hair behind her ear.

"You're so beautiful," he told her. He drank in her flushed skin and passion glazed eyes. "So very beautiful."

Buffy laughed.

"When you were a kid you called me a pretty lady."

"I had excellent taste even as a child."

"I think you taste better now," she murmured against his lips. A sudden thought froze her. She pulled back.

"What's wrong, Buffy?"

"How did you end up like that, anyway? Who did it?"

Giles blinked. His brow furrowed in thought, then his eyebrows shot up. At last his face darkened with the rage that only appeared in the wake of one man.

"Ethan?"

"Ethan," he confirmed.

Buffy sprang to her feet.

"Come on, naked guy. You'd better get dressed so we can go beat him up. And do you realize you cost me ten dollars?"

Giles quirked a confused eyebrow at Buffy.

"How did I do that?"

"These," she told him waving the red bikini briefs in his face. "I bet Anya you wore boxers. How did she know you didn't?"

He snatched the underwear from her hand.

"It was sheer guesswork, I can assure you."