the_huffster | Fic: Stormageddon

Title: Stormageddon
Author: the_huffster
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: PG-13
Timeline: Season 3, AU
Synopsis: When Buffy gets a puppy for Christmas, she has the hopes that he can join her on patrols when he gets older. What will Giles have to say about this idea?

“Buffy?” Giles asked as his Slayer walked into his apartment, his eyes on what she was holding in her arms.

“Yeah?” amusement colored her tone as she watched Giles’ reaction.

“Why do you have a baby boxer in your arms?” he looked up at her, a suddenly serious expression on his face. “If this is your way of telling me I need a companion in my apartment…”

“As if I’d buy you a dog,” she rolled her eyes as she held up the puppy, giggling as he let out a small bark at the Watcher. “Mom got me a puppy for Christmas.”

“I see this,” he chuckled as he walked over, scratching behind the puppy’s ear.

“Giles, meet Stormageddon. Stormie, this is Giles.” Buffy made introductions, laughing at the look on her Watcher’s face.

“Stormageddon?” he questioned, taking the pup when he pawed at him.

The Slayer shrugged as she walked into his kitchen, pulling a bowl from one of the cabinets and filling it with water. Giles inspected the dog as he waited for Buffy to explain the name, chuckling when the puppy’s little tongue flicked against his cheek.

“It kinda just popped into my head,” she finally said as she set the bowl in front of the couch. “Not sure why, but it fits.”

Giles just shook his head as he set Stormageddon down, watching as he clumsily ran around his new surroundings and stopped to sniffle random objects. They both stood watching him until the Watcher noticed the puppy sniff the carpet and squat.

“Buffy, please tell me he’s house trained.”

At the sheepish smile the blonde gave him, Giles let out a groan and stomped into the kitchen as the puppy bounce away from the small puddle he left on the carpet.

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“Giles, please!” Buffy begged as she rubbed the top of Stormageddon’s head, giving the dog a smile when he licked her hand.

“Absolutely not!” Giles told her, glaring at the boxer when he let out a soft growl at the raised voice. “Don’t you start,”

The dog lowered his head and cuddled closer to Buffy’s leg. The Slayer patted the dog’s side gently as she glared at the ex-Watcher. Giles rolled his eyes before sitting down in the armchair.

“Why not?” she asked. “I mean, Stormie’s big enough now…”

“I already worry about you on patrol, and I don’t need to worry about him as well.” He explained.

It was no secret what Giles thought of Buffy’s dog. Xander had once joked that Giles would steal the boxer from her while she was on patrol one day, a joke that was met with a glare from the ex-Watcher. And apart from Buffy, the only person Stormageddon was attached to was Giles himself. Which was the result of the Slayer leaving him with Giles whenever she patrolled, stating that she enjoyed seeing her dog first thing after a hard night’s patrol.

“I won’t let him fight any vampires,” she sighed, giggling when the dog jumped up on the couch and stretched across her lap.

“Buffy…” Giles started, stopping when she looked over at him.

“Besides, he’s good at spotting vampires! Did I ever tell you how he growled and barked when Angel was near? He’s helpful,”

“I’m sure he is, but…” he cut himself off when he saw her pout, his eyes glancing down at the look Stormageddon was giving him- something that Willow had called the dog’s version of his owner’s pout. “I’m coming with and making sure nothing happens to either one of you.”

“Yay!” Buffy cheered, kissing the top of the dog’s head. “Go tell Daddy thank you, Stormie.”

Giles laughed as the boxer jumped off the couch and ran over to him, his front paws resting on Giles’ knees. The ex-Watcher leaned forward and patted the dog’s head when Stormageddon let out a loud bark.

“See, Stormie?” Buffy said as the he trotted back over to her. “I told you Daddy would say yes,”

Buffy had begun referring to Giles as Stormageddon’s daddy once she realized how close the two were when the dog was two months old, ignoring Giles’ protests. And four months later, Giles had long given up the battle against being considered the dog’s parent. The sound of a loud bark and an object being dropped at his feet brought the ex-Watcher out of his thoughts.

“Why do you always bring it to me?” he asked the dog as he picked up the leash, clipping it on to the dog’s collar. “What’s wrong with your mum doing this?”

“Don’t complain,” Buffy rolled her eyes as she tossed him his keys, taking the leash from him once he reached the front door.

He rolled his eyes as he watched them run towards his car, a small smile on his face before he locked his apartment door and followed them.

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Once they had reached the cemetery, Giles had let Stormageddon off his leash as they patrolled. Within an hour Buffy had made a comment on it being a slow night, turning to look at Giles and leaned against a headstone. The ex-Watcher raised an eyebrow as his Slayer stared at him. Once he realized the dog was staring at him as well, he sighed and looked at Buffy.

“Yes?” he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“I figured we could talk since it’s a slow night,” Buffy answered as she reached down and scratched behind his ear.

“We talk every day, Buffy.” He chuckled as he moved to lean against the headstone next to her.

“I know, but…” she shrugged a shoulder and looked at him. “It’s always about Slayer/Watcher stuff. We haven’t talked talked in a while,”

“What do you want to talk about?” Giles asked, shaking his head and gently nudging the boxer with his foot when Stormageddon bumped into his legs.

“I don’t know,” the blonde sighed, leaning her head against his arm. “What’s new with you?”

He gave a small chuckle at the question, turning his head to look at her. “You know perfectly well what’s new with me, Buffy. I spend most of my time in my flat, unless I’m out with you lot or buying what I need.”

“Is that your way of saying I…we take up too much of your time and you wanna be left alone?”

“What on earth makes you think that?”

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. “Maybe I just realized that you don’t exactly know anyone outside of me and the gang, and you don’t exactly go on dates. I just thought that maybe you were subtly telling me that…”

“Buffy, stop.” He turned to look at her, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a small squeeze as he smiled. “I’m fine just knowing you lot. And as for the whole dating thing, I’m not going to date someone who will most likely try and keep me from you.”

Buffy opened her mouth to reply when Stormageddon jumped up and began growling, his body tense. Giving Giles a smile when he pulled out his own stake, she pulled out hers and turned to see four vampires making their way towards them.

“Duty calls,” she sighed, preparing for the fight.

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Giles pushed the door to his apartment open and laid Stormageddon on the couch, holding his jacket to the dog's bleeding side. Buffy rushed in after him, biting her lip as tears silently fell. Giles looked at her and sighed.

"It's not your fault, Buffy." he assured her, removing his jacket and sighing once he realized the blood flow had slowed down.

"But it is, Giles!" she cried, quickly grabbing the first aid kit and handing it to him. "I'm the one who convinced you let Stormie come patrol with me, and look what happened! He went after a vamp and got hurt."

"Buffy, calm down." he told her as he began cleaning the wounds on the dog's side, wincing when the boxer let out small whimpers. "He was just trying to protect us. Besides, Stormie will pull through. It isn't as bad as it seems. See?"

Buffy knelt next to Giles and looked at her dog, noticing how shallow the cuts actually were. There was still some blood matted in Stormageddon's fur and he was still whimpering, but it looked as if he would be fine. She let out a small sigh of relief and gently ran her hand along her dog's neck. Stormageddon slowly moved his head and gave her arm a lick, letting out a small whimper as Giles continued taking care of the wounds.

"It's alright, Stormie. Daddy's just cleaning you up," she whispered, kissing the dog's head. "Don't scare me like that again. You are not allowed to attack vamps, mister. Okay?"

Giles smiled as he finished his task, looking at Buffy. "He won't listen to you,"

"Why do you say that?"

"One, he's always going to protect you no matter the danger." Giles began, softly running his hand along Stormageddon's back.

"Much like his daddy," the blonde smiled when she saw the blush creep on Giles' face.

"Right, And two," he gave her a smile as he looked at her. "He completely takes after his mum in the ignoring what he's told department."

Buffy rolled her eyes at Giles' comment, smiling when Stormageddon gave a small bark when he realized the attention was not on him anymore.

"I think your dog is jealous," he muttered as he glanced at the boxer, shaking his head when Stormageddon kicked his back leg out to hit Giles' arm.

"Stormie, stop it." Buffy giggled as she looked at the dog. "You need to rest so you can get better quicker."

They both looked at the dog as he huffed and settled down to sleep. Buffy placed a kiss on his head before turning to Face Giles, a small smile on her face.

"Thanks, Giles." she said as she watched him close the first aid kit.

"It was nothing, Buffy." he gave her a quick smile. "Bandaging up a dog is much simpler than bandaging up you."

"I meant for saving him," Buffy got to her feet and waited until Giles was standing before she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Taking on two vamps is pretty brave."

"Well, I know how much Stormie means to you." he shrugged a shoulder as a blush crept up his neck.

"About as mucha s you mean to me." she said as she looked up at him. "Which is a whole damn lot. Giles..."

"Buffy, don't." he gave her a small smile when she gave him a questioning look. "I don't want you saying anything you're going to take back later. Why don't we go sit out back, give Stormie some quiet so he can rest."

The blonde nodded and went out to the back patio, taking a seat in one of the chairs. As she waited for Giles, she looked up at the star scattered sky. She thought back on this past summer and how close her and Giles had grown. And at some point they seemed to have danced around the line between friends and lovers, a line that Buffy decided she was ready to cross a few weeks ago. But it seemed that as soon as she decided what she wanted, Giles had withdrawn himself. He still flirted with her but the looks she had seen disappeared.

At first she thought it was because he had met someone, but that was almost impossible seeing as how he spent his days with her and the gang, and his nights watching Stormageddon. Then she thought that maybe it was because he was unsure of her feelings, so she upped her ante- she flirted with him more, found any excuse to touch him, and always asked if he wanted to do something during the day. If it had worked, then Giles had a damn good poker face.

The sound of Giles walking out interrupted her thoughts, a smile on her face as he sat next to her.

"I took the liberty of getting you something to drink," he held out a glass of orange juice for her.

"Thanks, Giles." Buffy smiled as she took the glass from him, making sure her fingers brushed his.

She watched him intently for any signs, but, as always, his face remained unreadable. The Slayer went back to looking up at the stars and took a sip of the juice, enjoying the comfortable silence and Giles' presence. Seconds turned into minutes and soon enough, the blonde had finished her drink and glanced over at her ex-Watcher. He was studying the sky just as she had been doing, content and peace showing on his face. The more time she spent with him, the more she noticed the little things about him- the things that made Rupert Giles the man, not Rupert Giles the Watcher. And the more she noticed, the more she fell for him. Buffy let out a soft sigh as she turned her gaze back up at the sky.

"I know something's on your mind, Buffy." his gentle voice made her look back at him, a small smile coming to her face when she saw his smile.

"I...Giles, would ever consider being in a relationship with me?" Buffy asked softly, her gaze focused on her lap as if she was afraid of his answer.

"I have," Giles answered after a pause.

Her head shot up when she heard him, hazel eyes meeting pale green ones as she searched for a hint that she had heard wrong. But the moment she saw his shy smile, she knew she had heard him correctly. The happiness that overcame her was quickly replaced by a small dose of danger.

"Then why haven't you done anything?" she demanded. "I've been giving you signs that I want to be with you. I even tried to tell you just a moment ago and you stopped me."

"Buffy, you're eighteen and I'm old enough to be your father." he began, giving her a sad smile. "I don't want you to subject yourself to the things people will say for some summer romance and misplaced feelings."

"Misplaced feelings?"

"We've been spending a lot of time together this summer, and um...been playing house with your dog. And that's likely to cause you to think you have these feelings for me," the ex-Watcher explained, avoiding Buffy's glare. "I'm sure you have feelings for me, but it's not enough to be anything more than a summer fling."

The Slayer shot to her feet and marched over to stand in front of him, glaring down at him. She couldn't believe the things he was saying. Well, he was about to get a few words about what he had said.

"You have no idea what I feel, Giles, so don't you dare sit there and tell me what I do and don't feel about you. My feelings aren't just some misplaced summer fling fantasy," Buffy told him, determined to tell him how wrong he was. "My feelings had been developing ever since we started spending time together after graduation. I got to see you outside of the role I had seen you in for the last three years. And as for playing house with Stormie, it made me realize how much I want to see you like that every day. And not just with my dog, but with a baby one day in the future."

"Buffy..." he started.

"I want to be with you, Giles, and fuck what other people say." she cut him off, crouching down in front of him. "The people who matter to us will be happy. I know you want to be in a relationship with me, I saw the looks and I've caught on to the flirting. We don't get much happiness living on the Hellmouth, but...this could be as close to normal as we'll get."

Giles looked at her, awe and wonder in his eyes. He took her her hand and entwined their fingers as a soft smile appeared on his face.

"When did you get to be so smart, Buffy?" he asked teasingly.

"I've secretly been listening to you all these years," Buffy giggled as she moved to straddle his lap, draping her arms over his shoulders.

The ex-Watcher grinned as he leaned up and brushed his lips against hers. The Slayer smiled against his lips as she kissed him back, deepening the kiss when she felt his hands on the small of her back. Her fingers toyed with the hair on the back of his head as she began moving against him, moaning softly when she felt the growing bulge. Just as things between Watcher and Slayer were heating up, a muffled bark and scratch at the glass door interrupted them.

Buffy pulled back and laughed at the sight of Stormageddon pawing at the glass door. She hopped off of Giles' lap, giving his crotch an appreciative glance, before going to let her dog out. The boxer bounded over to Giles, barking at him briefly and then heading off to the yard to take care of business.

"I think you just the talk from my dog," Buffy laughed as she walked over to a stunned Giles.

"Yes, well..." Giles cleared his throat and stood up, looking at the blonde and grinning. "Image the talk he'll give me after I lock him downstairs so we can celebrate our new relationship tonight."

It was her turn to be stunned as he winked and entered his apartment, telling her he'd be setting up the baby gate he used to keep Stormageddon from walking up the stairs and then waiting for her in his room. Buffy turned to look at her boxer and couldn't help but grin.

"Hurry up, Stormie. Mommy and Daddy need some alone time, and you're holding us up." she told the dog, laughing as he came running towards her voice. "Alright, you;ll be down here for a while. Try not to ruin Daddy's things."

The dog cocked his head to the side as he watched his owner set down his food and water bowls before patting him on the head and heading up the stairs. It didn't take long for Stormageddon to start hearing Buffy and Giles. A loud huff left his mouth as he jumped up on the couch and settled down for sleep, hoping that by the time he woke they would be back down to pay attention to him.

After all, he was their dog.