But he couldn't.

So he kept going.

Buffy felt an overwhelming numbness. She'd known that he was going to leave, and it had hurt, but it hadn't felt real until that very moment he walked away and out of sight. She couldn't see him; she might never see him again.

Buffy thought she could never feel as much pain as she did when she sent him to Hell, but there was an ache inside her that was so incredible, she knew there was no worse pain. A part of her was missing and she was breaking. All the times she had worked so hard to keep it together for her friends must have overworked her, because she was falling apart now, falling with nothing to grasp onto.

Rupert Giles stood stunned with the others. They all watched as Buffy and Angel gave each other one last longing look, before Angel turned and left. He looked closely as Buffy as the realization of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks.

They'd just stopped the mayor's ascension, leaving Faith, Mayor Wilkins, and many others dead. A few hours earlier, the teens had received their diplomas. So many ups and downs in just a few hours. Giles' heart broke for the young girl he loved so much more than as a daughter. He looked away from her for a moment, silently admonishing himself for thinking such thoughts about her, especially at a time when her world was crashing down around her.

He saw her hands and knees start to shake violently and realized she had reached her breaking point. He was at her side in an instant, trying to support her so she wouldn't fall. Her limbs all gave out at once, and he picked her up in his arms, carrying her swiftly to his car, away from all the fire trucks and ambulances that surrounded what was left of Sunnydale High School.

The rest of the group followed, both Xander and Joyce wisely keeping their mouths shut. Giles was not in the mood for any of Xander's wisecracks or Joyce's moronic comments. He managed to convince everyone that Buffy just needed some rest and would be feeling better tomorrow. They all headed home as Giles drove Joyce and Buffy home.

Giles carried his slayer inside the house and laid her on the couch. Joyce stood uselessly behind him.

The watcher looked worriedly as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face as she stared blankly at the ceiling. Giles noticed her eyes filled with tears that soon over flowed and fell steadily down her face.

Looking up at her mother, he said quietly. 'Why don't we go make Buffy some tea? I think that would help."

Joyce nodded and led him to the kitchen. Once inside, she asked him. "What am I supposed to do? I certainly can't let her go on like this!"

"J-Joyce, her heart is broken. It's not like she broke a nail and is just being melodramatic. She just had to endure more pain than any human being ever should."

"She's eighteen! She doesn't know what love is yet!" Joyce argued. "That man had no right to even entertain the notion of being with her, he let it go way too far!"

"They were in love, you cannot control who you fall in love with!"

Joyce shook her head. "He should have known better. He never should have gone near her. At least he finally did something good for her and left like I told him to."

"You told him to leave?" Buffy asked angrily from the kitchen door. She'd heard Giles and her mother arguing and had gotten up.

Surprised, Joyce looked over at her daughter. "I did it for you, Honey. If he really loved you, he'd do the thing that was best for you. You'll never have a normal life with him."

"Damn it Mom! I will *never* have a normal life! Even if I find a "normal" guy I will have to lie to him. Do you know what it's like having a relationship with a guy and to not be able to tell him about such a huge part of my life? It's impossible!"

Giles remained silent, allowing the mother and daughter to let it all out.

"So, you can tell the boy." Joyce reasoned.

"Mom, it's a *secret* identity! I can't just go around introducing myself as Buffy, The Vampire Slayer to everyone I meet. How could you do this to me?"

"Buffy, you're not old enough to make these kinds of decisions yet! As your mother it is my job to guide you along in life."

"You have no right! I'm not just some lovesick teenager! I have saved the world several times, but I can't decide who I should date?"

"What's done is done, Buffy, move on."

"Move on? Move on? Mom have you ever loved anyone in your life? Angel was, like, a part of me and now he's gone. I can't just go have some ice cream and pretend he never happened!"

"Buffy you are a child, you shouldn't behaving all these adult feelings. I'm so glad he's gone, now you can start over."

Buffy screamed, using her lungs to free all the anger and frustration filling her.

Joyce stared at her, bewildered, as Giles moved to Buffy, hugging her to his chest. Allowing her fiery tears to soak his shirt.

"Giles… please… take me away, before I hurt her or something."

He walked her to the door of the house, when Joyce rushed out of the kitchen and over to them. "Where do you think you're taking her?"

Buffy pulled away from Giles and glared at her mother. "None of your damn business. I am eighteen years old, legally an adult, and old enough to make my own decisions. And you have proved more than once that you are completely incapable of making smart choices about *my* life so keep out!"

And with that, she grabbed Giles' hand and dragged him out the door.

"B-Buffy, was there anywhere specific you wanted me to take you? Willow's?" Giles asked as they drove away from her house.

"Actually," Buffy sniffled as she gazed sadly out the passenger side window, "would it be all right if I stayed with you? It's just that, nobody can understand how I feel like you do."

Giles nodded. "That would be fine."

On the way, Giles had to keep pushing erotic thoughts of how he'd like to comfort her out of his mind. He was a bad bad person. A dirty old man. Here he was, thinking up ways to seduce a young girl that desperately needed him for consolation.

Once inside his apartment he made Buffy a cup of tea and settled her on his couch. He realized she hadn't brought any pajamas, and since the odds of her wanting to go back home that night were practically non-existent he brought her the shirt to one of his pairs of pajamas. It was flannel and would probably go to her knees, so it should keep her warm. Even though it was almost summer, the nights in California were still fairly cold.

She accepted the shirt with a grateful smile. He took her cup and was heading to the kitchen when he heard her call to him in a small voice.

"Giles?"

He turned and looked at her face, sadly noting that he'd never seen her look so sorrowful. "Yes?"

"The pain, does it ever go away?" she asked, her voice cracking.

He sighed an walked back over to her, setting the cup back down on the coffee table as he sat on the couch next to her. "No, it never goes away, but it does… it dulls. It may not seem possible now, but someday you'll be able to go a whole day without thinking about him too much. He'll always be there in the back of your mind, and you'll always wish you could be with him, but someday instead of remembering the way he looked and you felt tonight when he walked away, you'll remember a good time you two shared."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "So I guess it's like that saying 'this too shall pass.'"

Giles nodded. "That about sums it up."

Giles enjoyed the weight of her head on his shoulder as they sat in silence for a few moments. Hearing her yawn, he suggested "Why don't you go upstairs, you can take my bed."

"Oh, no, I couldn't! As it is, I'm barging in on you. I can sleep on the couch."

"Buffy, take my bed. The couch is perfectly fine for me. I spend plenty of nights on it while doing research anyway."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Buffy smiled and got up from the couch. Halfway to the stairs, she stopped and turned around. "Thank you." She said quietly as she walked back over to him and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

Giles' heartbeat double-time as Buffy ran up the stairs. He knew he shouldn't be so...lovesick, after all, it was a perfectly innocent act. Buffy had no idea what kind of feelings he harbored for her.

Unable to sleep, Giles decided the read from some new books he'd just had delivered a few months earlier, but had never had a chance to read while preparing for the ascension. He soon became lost in the words of the book, losing track of time and all the rest of reality until he heard a loud cry.

Buffy! She was calling for Angel. Giles felt his heart ache as he realized she must be having a nightmare. He remembered all the dreams he had of Jenny after Angelus had killed her.

Giles swiftly ran up the stairs and into the bedroom, to find Buffy thrashing about on the bed. He gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his arms. Slowly, Buffy awoke, and realized where she was.

"Oh God… I'm sorry." She told him.

"There's nothing to be sorry for." Giles reassured her.

"Did I wake you?"

"No, I actually got rather engrossed in a book of mine." He replied, smiling self-consciously.

Buffy smiled back at him. "That's my Giles."

Their eyes met and Giles felt a shock course through his body. Before he knew what was happening, she was leaning towards him and...kissing him?!?!

It was a soft kiss at first, gentle and timid, but as Buffy felt Giles respond, her confidence grew. She ran her fingers through his short hair, holding his face to hers as she kissed him more passionately. Giles wrapped his arm around her, stroking her back through his flannel shirt.

"We- we shouldn't be doing this!" Giles gasped, pulling away from her as he encountered a moment of clarity.

"I don't see why not." Buffy replied, delicately placing kisses on the side of his throat.

"B-b-because… you're too young for me!"

Buffy pulled back and rolled her eyes. "Not you too!"

"Buffy, you're very distraught right now."

"Please, Giles, I want you. If I was just distraught I would need *someone*, but I need *you* Giles."

Giles sighed desperately, torn between taking what he wanted, and what she claimed she wanted or by doing the right thing.

He kissed her again, more fiercely this time. All of a sudden, he felt Buffy's skillful fingers briskly unbuttoning his shirt. He helped her yank it out from his trousers before shoving it off his shoulders. Before he knew it, he was left wearing nothing, laying on his back, with Buffy straddling him, wearing only the flannel shirt with nothing underneath.

Her lips curved in a feminine smile, Buffy looked down at him with a heated gaze. He held her hips as she guided herself onto his erection. As he filled her, they both gasped. Buffy closed her eyes and moaned. She felt complete, whole; maybe only temporarily, but she'd take what she could get.

Buffy slowly started to pump her hips as she smiled wickedly down at Giles. Deliberately, she began unbuttoning her shirt from the bottom up. When she was half done, Giles slid his hands up and cupped her breasts in his hands. She moaned as he gently massaged them.

The shirt soon came off, revealing two of the most perfect breasts Giles had ever seen. He pulled her down to him and kissed her deeply, the rough feel of the hair on his chest teasing her already hardened nipples mercilessly.

As their mouths fused together, Giles pulled her legs up, opening her up more for him to move even deeper inside her. As their passion grew, Buffy sat up, leaning back against his bent legs as she threw back her head and moaned.

The sight of her swaying breasts proved too tempting for Giles and he sat up, capturing a nipple between his teeth. He gently bit it and Buffy moaned again, more loudly. As he moved to the other breast he could tell she was close, as was he.

He moved his lips back to her mouth, kissing her with all he had as he wrapped his arms around her and gripped her to him tightly, thrusting as deeply inside her as he could get.

She came, shouting his name and shaking violently. Her vaginal muscles milked him as he exploded inside her, repeating her name over and over in a low mantra.

Giles lay back on the bed, pulling her with him. He kissed her forehead as he stroked her back.

"Giles?"

"Hmm?" He asked, a bit afraid she'd tell him she regretted what they'd just done.

"Stay with me?"

He smiled. "Always."

She turned her head up to kiss him on the lips once more before settling it against his chest. They both soon fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

Together, they could make it. They had always been a force to be reckoned with, but now they were even closer.

And things would never be the same again.

The End

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