Book One: Chapter Thirteen (11,079 words)

[larakailyn]

WARNING: SEXUAL SITUATIONS

“Well, I think we have now fully established that we’re both glad to have the other here. And that’s a good thing since you’re planning to stay in my house for the immediate future. Would be kinda tensiony otherwise.” Buffy held up her hand, seeing the look in Giles’ eyes. “And don’t start with my grammar. It’s been a long day.”

They finished putting the rest of the dishes and cutlery away and were heading into the living room when there was a knock on the front door.

“I need to get keys made for all of you, don’t I?” she said as she crossed over and opened the door. Wesley was there as expected, and as he entered the house, she immediately smelled it. Dust. “Ran into a vamp? Is Dawn okay?”

Wesley limped in through the front door, slightly annoyed. It seemed that some things never changed. They washed vampire dust and blood out of their clothes more than anything.

“Dawn is fine. I waited for her to get inside her friend’s house. This...” Wesley waved to himself. “...was a vampire at your street corner. Git asked me for a light, thought he was being clever,” he scoffed, replacing the stakes in the weapons chest. “Right now, I’m a bit knackered, so I think I’ll check on Fred and turn in.”

“Go ahead, Wes, have Fred take a look at that leg. If you check your bag, I put your painkillers in the front pocket,” Giles told him.

“Night, Wes. Thanks for walking Dawn down and for...everything,” Buffy said with a slight smile as he headed up the stairs. “And good job with the vamp.”

“Any time,” Wesley replied, sincerely meaning that.

He struggled a bit with the stairs but got to the top without falling on his arse. So that was good. Entering the bedroom, he found that Fred had just finished changing and washing up before bed. When he walked in, obviously favoring his injured leg, her worry senses set off and she immediately slid off the bed and hurried over to help him.

“You all right? Too much strain on the leg or did something else happen?” she asked as she helped him to sit on the bed. She started to undo his jeans so she could pull them down. “Let me look at your leg.”

“Fred.” He clasped her hands in his, holding them still. “I’m fine. Leg’s a little sore, but it’s understandable since Rupert and I haven’t had a chance to rest since we got back. And nothing happened. I walked Dawn to her friends and ran into a fledgling vamp on the way back.” He tamped a hand on his shirt, kicking up a little dust. Finally releasing both of her hands, he smiled. “Now, I can take my pants off. No use starting something that neither of us has the energy to finish.”

Fred blushed a bit, looking down and then, upon immediately realizing where her eyes had landed, back up again. “Sorry. I’m just...I saw you limping again and got all worried that something had happened to aggravate it and just reacted. Don’t like seeing you hurt. Never have.”

“I’m starting to grow rather tired of being hurt, myself. But you don’t have to ever apologize for being concerned. It makes times like this worth it.” He smiled at her warmly before lifting his hips and sliding his jeans down long legs.

She sat back a bit so he could take care of his jeans himself and started rummaging through the first aid kit to get out what she would need to redress the wound. “It’s been a hell of day. We get our son, and we end up driving here on a moment’s notice. Do you think Rupert’s all right? He definitely didn’t look happy with Willow. And I can only imagine what poor Buffy went through.”

His face tightened slightly when she brought up Willow, his thoughts immediately going to Buffy. “He’s angry - what Willow did was inexcusable. In her mind, she’s done nothing wrong and is quite arrogant in her belief that we should all bow before her and be grateful.” He shook his head and looked up at Fred. “She got quite defensive when Rupert hid some of his more dangerous magic books. Willow was in the wrong, but Rupert loves the girl. I don’t want to see this come between them.”

“Is there really anything we can do about that, though?” she asked as she carefully peeled the dressing off Wesley’s wound and set about cleaning the area around the stitches she had done earlier. It didn’t look too bad - slightly red, but that was to be expected, all things considered. She carefully wiped it down with some anti-septic. “If Willow is acting that way...isn’t she the one who has to realize what she’s done? If she won’t listen to anyone...”

Trailing off, she shrugged slightly, thinking about their own situation - how no one listening to others had led to what had happened. It wasn’t an easy thing to fix, especially when someone simply refused to believe they had done something wrong. She carefully covered the wound again, taping the dressing down, and then moved back up onto the bed to sit next to Wesley.

“Magic can be even more addicting than the most powerful of drugs. But you’re right, Willow needs to admit she has a problem.” He shook his head.

“I wish there was a way to help all of them more,” she said, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“We can do more than you think,” Wesley commented. He sighed when she looked at him, her eyes curious. “While Rupert was cooking, I talked to Buffy. Something Willow said before made me curious as to the truth. So I pressed Buffy, gently. And she told me the truth.” He took a deep breath. If he couldn’t tell Fred, he sure as hell wouldn’t be able to tell Rupert. “Fred, Buffy wasn’t in hell, she was in heaven, safe. Willow’s spell pulled her out of heaven and brought her back to all of this.”

“She was...?” Fred breathed, feeling her heart aching. She couldn’t imagine that - being pulled out of heaven like that. No wonder she was so lost. Suddenly, the conversation they had had while watching the Harry Potter movie made so much sense. “Oh, God, Wes, that’s...”

“She lied to save Willow from her guilt. She told her she was in hell. She wasn’t. And I have no idea how to tell Rupert without him wanting to take out every ounce of Buffy’s pain on Willow. He’d never forgive himself,” Wesley finally admitted.

She could see why he was so uncertain about this. She knew how personally Rupert took the pain of the people he loved. She remembered the story he had told her about the night Buffy had died - how it had nearly destroyed him. She didn’t like to think about how he might react to the news, but at the same time...

“We have to tell him,” she finally whispered. “We can’t keep this from him, no matter how much it might hurt him to know. He wouldn’t want us to keep it from him just to spare his feelings, and we both know where keeping secrets can lead. Lock the door, tie him down if we have to, but we have to tell him. We love him; we owe him the truth.”

“I know,” Wesley sighed. “Buffy’s clearly traumatized, but she’s taking it extremely well, all things considered. And honestly, I think she wanted Rupert to know but didn’t know how to tell him.” He rubbed both hands over his face, trying to wipe away some of the exhaustion. “I just...Rupert loves both of those girls as if they were his own daughters. I don’t want this to cost him one of them. Or Buffy a best friend. Willow isn’t a bad person; she’s just in a bad place. She’s a very powerful witch addicted to magic, but I know the girl - if she knew the truth of what she did, the guilt might destroy her.” He looked up when the door opened, his heart starting to race as the man in question stepped through the door.

Giles saw the apprehensive looks on the faces of his lovers, and his brow furrowed. “What’s going on? Wes? Is your leg all right?” he asked worriedly. “Fred?”

“Umm...Wes and I were just talking and...” Standing up, she reached out to take his hand and pulled him over to sit on the bed. While Wes got up to lock the door, both to give them some privacy and to keep Giles from running out when he found out what they were about to tell him, she sat down beside him. “There’s something we need to tell you. It’s about Buffy.”

She looked over at Wesley, wondering which one of them should tell him. They locked eyes for a moment, both of them unsure.

“Rupert...Buffy...she...” Fred took his hand as Wesley sat down on the other side of him and took his other hand. “Rupert, you were right...about Buffy...”

Giles frowned when Fred suddenly trailed off and followed her gaze to Wesley. “Wes, what is she talking about?” His anxiety didn’t decrease when he grabbed his hand.

“Fred and I know more than anyone what secrets can do to a family, so we both agreed that we couldn’t keep this from you.” He took a deep breath, gathering his courage. “Something you said to Willow stuck in my mind. What if Buffy hadn’t been in hell?”

“Yes, I was playing devil’s advocate,” Giles told his younger lover.

“It led me to think... Buffy has a loyalty to her friends that is unrivalled, and Willow said Buffy told her she was in hell. I started to wonder if she hadn’t lied to save Willow from her guilt. So while you were cooking dinner, I followed Buffy out to the porch and asked her if she lied. Rupert...Buffy believes she was in heaven.” At this, Wesley paused, waiting for the explosion.

“Oh my God,” Giles gasped.

“Buffy said she felt at peace, warm... She even thinks she was there with Joyce. I think she wanted to tell you, but she didn’t know how.” Wesley felt Giles start to struggle to get up, his entire frame trembling with barely repressed rage. Wesley moved quickly, moving his weight across Giles’ lap to pin him to the bed. “No, Rupert. You’re not leaving, not at least until morning. Give that famous temper a chance to cool off.” Wesley’s eyes widened when Giles still tried to dump him. He reached a hand down between them and gripped the older man’s shaft and squeezed hard. “No, Rupert. Stay here with us tonight.”

Fred moved in closer, wrapping one arms around Rupert’s torso to help Wesley keep him where he was and using the other one to stroke the base of his neck. She could see that he had been fighting the urge to scream and yell and knew that if Wesley hadn’t grabbed him the way he had, he would possible be pulling the door off its hinges, looking for someone - probably Willow - to blame for Buffy’s pain.

“She’s trying to deal with it,” she said softly, whispering in his ear, keeping her voice low to try to calm him, “and I don’t think you rampaging or trying to avenge her will help that. She wouldn’t want that. She needs you to be there for her more than anything, and if you go do something you regret tonight in a fit of anger, hurt someone or God forbid yourself, you won’t be able to do that. In the short time we’ve been here, she’s already opened up more and been more...alive...than she seemed when we first arrived. Don’t risk that. Don’t risk yourself or her.”

“Rupert, look at me,” Wesley instructed, tipping the older man’s head up so that they were eye to eye. “Fred is right. Now isn’t the time. Buffy doesn’t need you to defend her honor. She doesn’t need a knight. She needs you to be the man you are and be here to help her through this.” He cupped the other man’s face in his hands when he saw those green eyes starting to fill with tears. “Rupert, don’t. You’ve done everything you can for now. You moved Willow out because she’s not ready to deal with her yet, and neither are you. Be strong for Buffy; don’t let this rip your family to shreds.” When Wesley felt Giles sag, he kissed him gently.

“I should have protected her,” Giles cried, collapsing against his lovers, feeling shameful tears. “It was my duty.”

“Rupert, no. You couldn’t have known they were going to do this,” Wesley soothed, stroking his hair. “What were you supposed to do, sit vigil at her grave? You do protect her, even now. Before you knew where she was, your instincts regarding Buffy were spot on. You can’t blame yourself.”

“He’s right,” Fred told him, nuzzling his neck, placing gentle kisses on his skin. “You didn’t know that Willow would do what she did. She obviously waited until you were gone for a reason because she knew you would stop her. And you can’t change what happened, so beating yourself up over it isn’t going to help any of you. You have to look to rebuilding now. To helping Buffy the best you can. Don’t dwell on the past. If all of us did that, we’d never be able to do anything. We’d all be stuck...and none of us would be together now.”

Wesley nodded in agreement at what she said. “Rupert, I’m not trying to minimize Buffy’s pain, far from it, but she needs you to be strong for her. I know you’re furious at Willow, but eventually she is going to need our help too. You’re doing everything you can at the moment. You’re here. We’re here. We’re not going to let you or Buffy go through this alone.”

He suddenly realized he and Fred had a lot to offer here. He understood Rupert’s pain and feeling of helplessness, along with the desire to do right by his family, probably more than anyone. And Fred could be a great asset to Buffy, telling the younger girl how she readjusted to this world after so long away. That, along with Connor’s innocence, and they would all pull through this. It would just take time. For now, they just had to get Rupert through tonight.

“Shhhh,” Wesley whispered against Giles’ neck as the older man continued to cry. “We’ll get through this...all of us. You’re not alone.”

Holding Rupert tightly, Fred echoed, “Never alone.”

That had been the scariest thing about living in Pylea - going through it all alone, having to figure out on her own how to escape and how to survive. When the others had brought her back, she didn’t think she would have been able to adjust if it hadn’t been for the others, especially Wesley and the way he kept trying to bring her out of her room in those first few months. It was because of them and her parents that she was still here and not hiding away in another cave or something, far away. The same applied here - Buffy would need Rupert and all the others in her life to get through this, and Rupert would need them to support him.

“We’re part of your family now, Rupert, and we want to help them as much as you,” she added.

Wesley looked into their lover’s eyes, his own sympathetic and loving. They needed to let Rupert know that without a doubt, he was loved. Holding his gaze, he let his hands skim down the other man’s chest to his belt. Long nimble fingers undid the belt and snap, and then he lowered the zipper, allowing the back of his fingers to brush Giles.

“Lift your hips, luv,” he instructed softly. He slipped his fingers under the band of Giles’ boxers and slid both down his legs. Taking a knee on his good leg, he took off Giles’ boots and tossed the clothes onto the chair. Returning to the bed, he lay on his side, facing both of his lovers. “Just relax, tonight, we’ll take care of you.”

Fred followed Wesley’s lead and began unbuttoning Rupert’s shirt, which she slid over his shoulders and down off his arms. She skimmed her fingers up his chest, caressing him lightly as she looked over at Wesley. Both of them knew that none of them were much in the mood to do anything - they were all exhausted and both Wesley and Giles were hurt. But still, this was important.

Reaching over, she unbuttoned Wesley’s shirt as well and slipped it off him before slowly pulling her own nightgown off over her head and tossing it to the floor. Once she had also kicked off her panties, she pressed against Rupert, wrapped her arm over his torso and snuggling against him, just holding him.

“Fred,” Wes called his fiancée before drawing Rupert up for a moment.

It seemed the man was defeated, and that in itself worried him more than anything. The problems of evil were easy to deal with. Evil tried to rip people apart; they destroyed it. But how did they deal when it is their own family trying to rip itself apart? He pulled the sheet and blanket back and allowed Fred to get in first. He waited for her to open her arms before encouraging Rupert to get in next. Once he was settled, Wesley slid his own boxers down and took his own position in the bed, leaving Rupert sandwiched between them.

“Just rest, we’ll be here,” Wesley told him softly, draping an arm around Giles’ waist.

Pillowing her head against Giles’ shoulder, Fred rested her hand over Rupert’s heart, gently moving her index finger back and forth. She kissed the part of his neck in range of her lips, then closed her eyes, listening to both his breathing and Wesley’s. She could feel that Rupert was still tense, but slowly he seemed to relax though she knew that it would be a long while before the edge went away, before he’d be completely able to let go of the anger and worry that he held inside.

*****
Giles opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of the Magic Box. He shivered when he felt the darkness envelop him like a blanket. There were a pair of legs sticking out from behind the counter, and he rushed to it, having to pull up short when he saw who it was. Despite the smashed skull, even saturated with blood, he could see the blonde hair.

“Buffy, no!” he gasped before his lunch came back up with a vengeance.

“You were right - I shouldn’t have taken her from heaven. So I put her back,” a dark voice told him from the doorway. His head snapped toward the voice, and his heart broke at the sight. Willow, but not Willow. The redhead’s hair was now jet black, veins spotted her face. The darkness was here.

“Willow, where are the others?” he asked, standing up, placing his back against the wall.

“Others?” Willow asked, seemingly disinterested. “Don’t know, Xander and Anya are in the training room. They shouldn’t have been playing with the swords. Swords are sharp and can be quite deadly. Tara and Dawn are over there somewhere.”

Taunting with a sick smile, she waved her hands toward the corner display. Giles swallowed the bile that rose up. There were two sets of legs, and the air was thick with the smell of blood.

“Where are Wesley and Fred? Where’s Connor?” he demanded, his voice trembling. “Willow, what did you do?”

“Oh, you mean your new family? The ones that made you forget about us? I needed you too, Giles. But no, between the demands of your Slayer and your lovers, you had nothing left for me. You knew this would happen! I needed you, and you let the darkness take me.” She shrugged and emitted a small giggle. “I just took a page out of your book; I let the darkness take them too. But you were right, Wesley did change. He didn’t scream at all when I skinned him alive.”

“No!” Giles cried, feeling his own magic boiling dangerously toward the surface.

“That’s what I’m talking about, Watcher. Let it come,” she taunted. “You might want to hurry, Giles. I think Connor might still be alive, if you hurry, you can save him.”

“Noooooooooo!” he cried again, letting every ounce of his power flow out of him. He intended to destroy his former friend.

Like a shot, he sat up in bed, panting.

Fred came instantly awake when she felt everything suddenly tilting one moment and then went crashing down onto the bed again the next. Blinking, she tried to get her bearings and figure out what had happened. In the dim light of the room, she saw Rupert sitting up in the bed, breathing heavily, his skin covered in a thin sheen of sweat when she reached out to touch him.

“Rupert? What happened?” she asked, shifting onto her knees and wrapping one arm around his shoulders. The other went up to his face, stroking his cheek with the back of her hand. “Was it another nightmare?”

Wesley’s eyes snapped open when he felt the bed shift next to him. The clock showed him that they had only been asleep a few hours.

“Rupert?” Wesley came up behind him, wrapping his arms around the other man as well. He pressed his lips to the back of Giles’ neck, trying to soothe his trembling.

Giles forced himself back to reality when he felt someone touching his face, and another body behind him. “Bodies...everyone dead,” he rasped before his eyes focused and Fred’s face formed in front of him. “Fred?” She was alive. He drew her against him momentarily, holding her desperately. After several minutes, he pulled back and looked around frantic. “Wesley? Where’s Wesley?”

“I’m right here. Relax,” Wesley told him gently, moving to his side. The panic he heard in his voice worried him.

“Not dead. She didn’t kill you,” he whispered, holding both of them tightly, afraid they would disappear if he let go.

“Didn’t kill us?” Fred asked breathlessly as Rupert’s hug almost crushed the air from her lungs. He was holding them both so close and so tightly that she didn’t think he was ever going to let them go. Even in the dimness, she could see the worry in his eyes. She glanced over at Wesley, who seemed just as concerned and uncertain as she felt. “Rupert, someone killed us in your nightmare? What happened? Please tell us.”

“Willow,” Giles cried, clenching his eyes shut as the memories flitted through his brain. “The darkness took her. She killed everyone, said it was my fault for not being there for her.” He turned his attention to Wesley and began running his hands up and down the other man’s torso. He stopped when Wesley yelped as he hit a bruise.

“Rupert, I’m fine. I’m alive.” Wesley took his hand and placed the older man’s palm over his heart. He saw Giles visibly relax when the other man felt his heart beating.

“Fast,” Giles said, seemingly puzzled when he felt the racing heart.

“Of course, it’s fast. You scared the bloody hell out of me.” He smiled, reaching out a hand to touch the other man’s hair. He wasn’t exactly prepared when Giles leaned forward and kissed him. But his cry of surprise was swallowed when his lover’s lips closed over his.

Willow... He had dreamed that Willow had...? Fred found the idea itself enough to send shivers down her back, considering the things she had seen magic do. And obviously, she had done something particularly bad to Wesley, based on the way Rupert was touching him and kissing him.

Closing her eyes, she rested her cheek against Rupert’s back, holding him and stroking her hand up and down his chest as they kissed. “It hasn’t happened. We’re all right, and we promised that we wouldn’t let that happen. We’ll help Willow any way we can.”

Wesley gasped when Giles finally let him up for air. “Hey,” he soothed, “we’re not going anywhere,” he soothed, looking at Fred worriedly. He had never felt Rupert this shaken. He tried not to think of the way his lover seemed focused on him. As if something particularly bad had happened to him, and he needed the reassurance that he was there.

Giles nodded weakly, turning toward Fred. “You’re okay,” he sighed, pressing his forehead to hers.

“I’m okay,” Fred repeated in reassurance. Slowly, he tasted her lips, and she drew the kiss out for several moments before breaking it and reaching up to touch his face.

Wesley gently guided him back on the bed, Fred shifting and keeping her arms around him, staying close. “Lay back, Rupert. We’ll still be here, I promise.” He rubbed his hands up and down Giles’ thighs, making certain to keep the touch constant. He was almost worried about how he would react if one of them broke contact.

Fred knew from what had happened between them several nights before, before they had gone to Quor’Toth, how shaken Rupert could get from a nightmare. She remembered how he had clung to her after dreaming she had died and knew that this had be even worse since this time, it involved both of them as well as all the other people he cared about. He needed this reassurance, to feel them against him.

“We love you, Rupert,” she whispered before kissing him again, then trailing her lips across his jawline and nuzzling his neck.

“Safe,” Giles sighed, the twin touches lighting a fire through his system. His head rolled back, exposing more of his throat to Fred’s questing lips, a tell tale sign of how much he trusted her. In their line of work, you didn’t bare your throat for anyone.

Fred knew what Giles allowing her to kiss his throat the way he was meant, and it touched her deeply to know he felt for her that much. Slowly, she worked her way down, licking and kissing to his collarbone. She traced her fingers across his abdomen, circling around his belly button and up to his nipples.

Wesley smiled faintly, seeing the flesh between his lover’s legs harden and stand up proudly. Wrapping his long fingers around the shaft, he stroked the length and licked his lips, wanting to taste Giles. Ducking his head, he swirled his tongue around the head, licking away the pre-cum. He pulled back slightly, just as Giles arched his hips, moaning in pleasure. Taking a deep breath, Wesley consciously relaxed his throat and enveloped his lover’s shaft to the root. He held Giles’ hips tightly to keep him from bucking his hips.

When he arched beneath her, Fred glanced over, smiling at the sight of what Wesley was doing. “God, you two are so beautiful,” she whispered in Rupert’s ear, her heart beating fast, knowing that these two incredible guys were hers. “I love seeing both of you doing that to each other.”

She kissed his earlobe, running her tongue along its curve, then kissed her way down again, this time continuing lower. Using her teeth this time, she teased and nipped gently at one of his nipples as her fingers continued tracing and playing the other.

Wesley hummed happily at Fred’s words, the vibrations causing Giles to cry out softly. Running his hand up the inside of Fred’s thighs, he chuckled upon feeling the wetness between her legs. She wasn’t kidding, watching them suck each other’s cocks really turned her on.

“Fred, come here,” he instructed, his voice gentle.

He had an idea that would satisfy Rupert’s physical and emotional needs. He expected Giles’ protests when they both pulled away momentarily. Placing a hand on his lover’s stomach, he began rubbing soothing circles.

“Easy, Rupert, we’re just changing positions,” he explained, smiling at Fred when Giles seemed to relax. Moving up to his head, he smiled when the other man’s green eyes locked on his own hard penis. “Here.” He pressed the head of his shaft past Giles’ lips and hissed, his head rolling back in pleasure, his fingers gently threading through Giles’ hair. “That’s it.”

Fred shifted herself down to where Wesley had been a moment before, taking Rupert into her hand and stroking him a few times as she watched him suck on Wesley for a few moments. The noises Wesley made were as beautiful as the sight they made. They both looked at her, the expression of lust and need and want in their eyes burning into her. She could see Rupert wanted more - needed more. He needed both them. So she straddled him and settled herself down, taking him deep inside her.

Her eyes fixed on both of them, she began moving, matching the pace at which Wesley’s cock stroked in and out of Rupert’s mouth. She wanted to throw her head back, but she couldn’t take her eyes off them. A low moan issued from her throat, part from the sensations shooting through her lower body and up her spine and part from what the sight of both of them did to her.

Giles felt the blind panic from his dream slowly ebb away as it was replaced by a fire of need. They were alive - Fred’s wet heat tight around him, and Wesley’s salty taste on his tongue. He barely noticed Wesley’s gentle hands in his hair as he ran his tongue along the veins, using his lips to press Wesley’s foreskin back, sucking hard on the head. The taste was intoxicating. But not half as intoxicating as the sounds Wesley was making. Both things together did a great deal to remind him that Wesley wasn’t dead, that he hadn’t been skinned alive.

“Christ, Rupert!” Wesley gasped, gripping the headboard as his legs nearly gave out. His lover was far too good at this. Waves of pleasure were flowing through his body feeling like fire searing his soul. Instinctively, his hips began thrusting forward, searching for more of that delicious mouth.

Fred gasped when Rupert suddenly drove up into her hard, the rhythm of their movements increasing along with the intensity of his lips moving over Wesley’s shaft. Leaning down, she ran one hand over Rupert’s chest again, slipping across the fine sheen of perspiration that now covered him. Meanwhile, her other hand reached out to stroke Wesley. Her fingers trailed down over the curve of his ass to his perineum, touching him gently.

Wesley was gasping as if he had run a marathon, he was close. He knew he didn’t need to warn Rupert because that was what his lover intended. He planned on drinking his release - the suction on his cock was practically demanding it. Wesley lurched forward when Fred pressed on his perineum, burying himself in Rupert’s mouth to the root. He cried out softly when the older man groaned, sending vibrations through his hard flesh.

Giles gripped Fred’s hips, planting his feet so that he had more purchase to thrust up into her harder. He needed everything they had to give. Increasing the suction on his lover’s flesh, he knew Wesley was close, and he relished it. He needed to taste it. He smiled inwardly, scraping Wesley with his teeth gently, at the same moment Fred touched him. He hummed happily when the cock pressed further into his throat. Using his throat muscles, he swallowed around the head, the constriction causing his young lover to cry out. About a half a second later, he felt the hard flesh lengthen and surge across his tongue before Wesley emptied himself deep into his mouth.

The moment Wesley called out, Fred’s eyes were locked on the two men in front of her, taking in the sight of the pleasure on both their faces. Her breath caught in her throat, and her entire body was almost trembling from the sensations running sparking through her nerves. They were so beautiful, so amazing. She wasn’t sure how she had gotten so lucky, but it was something she wasn’t going to question or ever give up.

Driving down on Rupert, she gave out a strangled groan as she began to spasm, every part of her body feeling like it had just been overloaded.

Giles was lost. The love he felt from the two people in his bed was overwhelming. It was more than the physical presence; it was a love he felt down to the base of his soul. In one instant, he felt Wesley’s release hit his tongue, and at the same moment, he felt Fred constrict around him, and both demanded his supplication in this. Throwing his head back, he gave a strangled groan as he surged and emptied himself up into Fred’s body. He was panting, basking in the warmth that enveloped him like a blanket. By the time he became aware, he felt Wesley’s fingers stroking through his damp hair, and Fred’s hand rubbing his chest soothingly.

“I love you...both of you, so much,” he whispered. Giles knew the words did not come to him easily. He was a man who preferred to show such a love by action. But these two wonderful people, who gave of themselves so selflessly, deserved to hear the words.

Lying against him with her legs tangled in his and Wesley’s, Fred smiled as her fingers continued to trace patterns across his chest and stroke over the hair there. “We know,” she said softly before leaning to place a light kiss against his shoulder. “Just know that we’ll always be here. We’re not going anywhere. Like we said before, this is permanent.”

As she said this, her conversation with her mother while they had been in Quor’Toth crossed her mind - the question of Rupert’s place in their lives when she and Wesley would be the ones with the legal marriage. Looking up, she caught Wesley’s eyes and then looked down into Rupert’s. She wondered what they would think - her asking this. Of course, her mother did say she never did anything in the expected way.

Giles could feel the hand on his chest, tracing patterns through the hair. He could tell from the simple motions of her hand, that Fred had something on her mind. He placed his hand over Wesley’s larger one on his stomach, and turned his head waiting for Fred to say what was on her mind.

“I...while you were both gone, I had time to think, and I was wondering...I know that Wesley and I...that we’re going to have the legal marriage - for Connor and everything, but...I-the three of us...I was wondering...” She took a deep breath, seeing the looks in their eyes and blushing a bit. “I know we can’t have anything legal, but can we have our own ceremony? Something for the three of us?”

Wesley felt his heart sink slightly when Fred mentioned her idea. Not that he didn’t agree that a commitment ceremony would be wonderful for all of them. But to hear her say that she agreed to marry him to make things better for Connor, it stung a bit. He had hoped that loving him might have had something to do with her answer, but he would take what he could get.

“It’s a good idea. We could have a Wiccan commitment ceremony. If you know the head of the local coven, they could officiate,” he suggested gently.

Fred saw the look in his eyes and realized that while he understood mainly what she meant, she hadn’t said it right. She hadn’t meant to make it sound like she didn’t want to marry him and was only doing it for Connor.

“Wesley,” she said, her voice quivering a bit as she reached over to cup his cheek. “I told you before I wasn’t good with words - at least words that aren’t Physics-related - it’s why I end up rambling so much of the time. I don’t want to marry you just for Connor. I want it for us too. I love you, Wesley. So much. I want to be your wife. I want you to be my husband. When you asked me, I thought my heart was going to burst from happiness and I wanted to tell you yes right then and there, and I’d want this no matter what.” She reached over with her free hand to take Wesley’s and rest both over Rupert’s heart. “I just-Rupert, you’re a part of us as well now and I know that we want to include you in our life together in the same way.”

Giles had felt Wesley tense slightly against his side, and realized what had happened. Wesley, no matter how resilient he was, thanks to a manipulative old pillock in England, he was one of the most fragile people he had ever known when it came to his emotions. It still astounded him that Wesley had become the man he was, despite Roger’s influence. He smiled slightly when Fred clarified what she had said. Giles turned slightly, wrapping his arm solidly around the younger man and pulled him to lie on top of him.

“Rupert, I’m too bloody heavy.” Wesley began starting to move off, but Giles held him tight so that he couldn’t move.

“The hell you are, Skin and Bones.” He smirked and glanced out of the corner of his eye at Fred, offering her a smile. “What you are, is an amazing man. You have a good heart, you’re one of the bravest people I know, and you are far too beautiful for us to leave you to someone else,” he said, only half-teasing. “Fred and I, we might not always find the right words.” He gripped Wesley’s face in his hands and held him so that he was looking directly at him. “But never doubt that you are loved.”

Fred, thankful for Rupert saying that, smiled back at him before she shifted to rest her cheek on Wesley’s back. “Very loved,” she murmured. “We’re so lucky to have you in our lives, you know that. Wouldn’t trade you for anything.” She placed a gentle kiss between his shoulder blades. “I’m proud and pleased and thrilled that I’ll be able to say you’re my husband.”

Giles realized his mistake when Wesley shifted his hips against his in a subconscious reaction to what he said. He felt himself starting to react to the column of flesh he felt slide against his own. He tried to turn his head slightly, to not allow Wes to see the hunger flare in his green eyes. And found himself looking into Fred’s chest as she shifted to press her cheek to Wesley’s back. He groaned softly, all he had to do was move his head less than an inch and he could draw the dusky nipple into his mouth.

“Fred,” he breathed her name, before doing exactly that. He felt the tissue pebble between his lips and relished it.

She gasped when his lips closed around her breast, her eyes closing when electricity shot through her. Her hands reflexively gripped both Rupert’s upper arm and Wesley’s ass. “Oh, god,” she moaned, feeling his tongue swipe around her nipple.

His blue eyes darkening when he saw Rupert’s lips wrapped around Fred’s breasts, Wesley shifted, turning his head, and upon opening her eyes, she found herself looking down into his. As her hand stroked over his hip, tracing across his pelvis to his groin, she leaned over to kiss him, teasing his mouth open with her tongue.

Wesley rolled to the side a bit, drawing her down on top of Rupert with him. He knew they were both too heavy for the older man, but Rupert wouldn’t complain in the slightest. As he pressed his tongue past her lips, he thought that she was more intoxicating than the finest whiskey. His head was swimming to the point that he couldn’t even hear the sounds their lover was making underneath them.

Giles gasped, the feeling of both of his lovers moving against him a little overwhelming. One of his hands moved up and down Wesley’s back, fingers tracing over his ass. His free hand rested in the small of Fred’s back, pressing her firmly against them as he raised his hips, moving his rapidly filling shaft against her hip.

Fred could feel both of them, Rupert against her hip, Wesley against her abdomen, and between that, the feeling of hands everywhere, Rupert’s lips on her breast and Wesley’s lips on hers, all of her senses were fast heading for overload again. She had no self-control when it came to the two men she shared a bed with; she couldn’t get enough of touching them or them touching her or them touching each other.

Her hand slid over the curve of Wesley’s hip, brushing against Rupert’s fingers momentarily before moving up his back. Their lips continued crashing together, hungrily, and she moaned, wanting both of them inside her so badly, feeling like she might never be able to get them close enough. She wanted what she had felt the other day in the movie theater bathroom, pressed between the two of them.

“Want you,” she whispered when she and Wesley paused for a moment to catch her breath. “Want both of you. Love both of you so much.” She looked into Wesley’s eyes, her hand cupping the back of his neck. “Mine. My Wesley.” She glanced down at Giles. “My Rupert.”

Giles looked up at his lovers, smiling gently at the glazed over look in Wesley’s eyes. He knew he had his moments of weakness, like tonight, after his nightmare...but Wesley needed constant reassurance. He didn’t understand how Wesley could have such a loving, gentle heart, having grown up under his father’s influence. He recognized the damage Roger had caused in certain aspects of Wesley’s personality, but the two men were as different as night and day. Wesley loved a great many people and things, more than himself, where as his father loved no one but himself. It was a difference Giles would always be grateful for.

He could feel the haze of arousal swimming about his own head, as was the case when the three of them were together, and he fought to maintain his ability to think. His lovers had been generous and reassuring, now it was up to him to tend to them. Reaching up, he stroked Fred’s cheek.

“Climb back on,” he instructed, his own voice harsh and ragged with need. He thought he understood what Fred wanted. And as much as he wanted Wesley on his back, looking up at them with those beautiful blue eyes, he wouldn’t hurt Fred for the world. She was still too new to her desires. Wesley with his leaner build and leaner cock would be better for her. Leaning up against the headboard, he put his hands on Fred’s waist to guide her back onto him. He gasped slightly when her slender hand encircled him and placed his tip at her opening. They both gave a contented sigh when she slid down, enveloping him. “Wesley, go in my bag, what you’ll need is in there.”

He got up from the bed and began rummaging around in Rupert’s bag, his eyebrows climbing when he reached in and withdrew two items...a large tube of lube as well as a rather sizable dildo.

“Rupert?” he asked, holding up the large toy.

“That’s for Fred, to play with you later.” Smirking, he loved the way Wesley’s eyes darkened at the thought. He then looked at Fred, gasping at the way her eyes darkened as well. “You said you were curious. I already owned the toy. We have to keep our boy happy.”

Fred felt her mind spinning with possibilities when she saw what Rupert had brought back from them. She had wondered about what it was like to be able to do that with either of them, and now... The thought of being able to use that on Wesley turned her on almost as much as what was happening now. She felt herself trembling in anticipation and let out a low moan of approval.

“Definitely...want to keep him happy...” she managed to choke. “Want Wesley happy. Want you both happy...”

Giles chuckled and gave a sly grin, but it broke off abruptly when she tightened around him. “Wesley, it’s not your turn yet, now get over here and take care of Fred,” he ordered, but there was no seriousness to his voice.

Wesley returned to the bed with the lube, crawling in behind Fred to prepare her. He needed to make certain he didn’t hurt her. Squeezing a generous amount of lube onto his finger, he set about his task. Rupert was right - their lady had needs to be met. He could wait.

Her head lolled forward a bit when she felt Wesley’s fingers slide into her from behind, stretching her open. Since they had only done this to her once before, there was some pain again, but she didn’t mind or care. The sensations at being touched this way overwhelmed everything else, especially when Rupert rolled his hips a bit under her, causing her to gasp. When she felt Wesley finally withdraw his fingers and place himself behind her, she closed her eyes, forcing herself to relax while he pushed into her.

Giles groaned deeply feeling Wesley’s shaft slide against his own through the thin wall of Fred’s body. He gritted his teeth when she constricted tightly around him. Both men held still as her body adjusted to the double penetration, and her internal muscles released them. He caught her in his arms as she leaned forward. Meeting Wesley’s gaze, he could see that the younger man wouldn’t last long at this rate.

“Easy,” he rasped, starting a slow rhythm and feeling Wesley staring to follow. Fred felt like she just might shake apart in his arms. Lifting a hand, he turned her face to his, lifting his head to kiss her.

Wesley let his head roll back in bliss. She was so tight, so hot around him. Placing his hands over Rupert’s on her hips, he continued moving slowly, the feeling of Rupert’s shaft against his own making the stimulation twice as intense. Leaning over Fred, he began nipping at the bare flesh of her shoulder.

“So beautiful,” he panted. “Love you so much.”

“Love...love you too,” Fred gasped out, feeling like she might black out at any moment. “Oh, God.”

The feeling was intense as she remembered from the first time, robbing her of her ability to breathe and to think. All she could focus on was them and the fact that they were both inside her and the feelings that they were making her feel and how loved and wonderful and beautiful they made her feel, even when sweaty with perspiration rolling down their bodies. Rupert’s lips found hers again, kissing her deeply as they moved within her, against each other. It wound her up, tighter and tighter, her entire body pressed between the two men she loved most in the world, with an intensity that she never would have thought possible until now.

“Wes...Rup...” she moaned as finally, she couldn’t hold on anymore, and her body completely lost control, her mind blanking from the overload.

Giles could feel Fred fluttering around him, knowing that she was close. He pressed his lips over hers, hard, to muffle her cries as she came. He felt her body rock against his several times, before he heard Wesley’s muffled cry, and felt the extra weight of the younger man collapsing on them. He smiled faintly, feeling the sated weights of his lovers. Within a few moments, he felt Wesley get up and roll to the side. Gently, he rolled to his side, sliding Fred to the mattress gently, stroking her hair.

“Okay?” he asked, chuckling when she looked at him with a glazed-over look. “Just rest,” he whispered, kissing her softly before withdrawing from her, moving up on to his knees. He smiled down at Wesley, who was still trying to draw in air. Looking back at Fred, he gave a sly smile, trying to calm himself. “So how about it, Fred?” he asked, his voice thick with arousal as he reached out a hand to caress Wesley’s chest. “Does our little voyeur want to watch me make love to him? You want to see my cock sliding into him?”

“Oh God,” Wesley groaned, his own legs instinctively opening wider.

“I know what you want, luv,” Giles chuckled with a smirk. “This is Fred’s call.”

Still trembling from the orgasm she had just had, Fred looked up into Rupert’s eyes, seeing how badly he wanted Wesley, even as he teased her, calling her their voyeur. From anyone else, it would have sounded cruel, been a judgment against her and what seeing them together did to her, but from him, she knew it wasn’t. Turning her head to look at Wesley, another shudder ran through her. She managed to pulled herself over slightly and kissed him deeply before collapsing slightly back onto the bed.

“Take him,” she told Rupert, her voice quivering as she ran the back of her hand over Wesley’s chest.

Giles gave a feral grin before reaching for the tube of lube on the bed. He moved to kneel in between Wesley’s legs, but still off to the side so that Fred could see what he was doing.

“Call this, learning. Wesley just volunteered to be our model,” he teased, squeezing a large amount of lube on his finger. “Wesley will be more open than a man who has never done this, but he still needs to be wider. Whether it’s me or you with the toy, we don’t want to hurt him.”

Placing his finger at his opening, he slowly pressed forward, breaching his entrance. “Move slowly until you feel the muscles relax. And if you aim properly...” He curled his finger towards Wesley’s cock and felt the walnut-shaped bump. He rubbed his finger across it, chuckling when Wesley bucked almost hard enough to knock him off the bed. “Prostate gland. It’s on the forward abdominal wall, right behind his cock. About the size and shape of a walnut. Serves some tedious function in our anatomies, but has a rather pleasant side effect when stroked or hit.” He demonstrated again, this time placing his free hand on Wesley’s chest to hold him down.

“Rupert! For Christ’s sake!” Wesley rasped.

Fred watched, taking it all in as Rupert explained what to do, showed her what to do. Her breath hitched a bit when Wesley nearly kicked Rupert right off the bed. “Read...read about the prostate gland in Biology class. Never...saw that reaction before...last week...” It was amazing to see, like when Wesley or Rupert just hit that spot inside her. She definitely wanted to be able to do that to Wes sometime, wanted to know how it felt.

What she did feel now, however, was that familiar fire deep inside her beginning to smolder as she watched, Wesley’s moans and growls getting to her as much as the way Rupert was talking and touching the man they both loved.

“When you feel him open up, it’s time to stretch more, add a second finger. Scissor your fingers, twist them, turn them, spread the opening.” He chuckled when Wesley moaned loudly underneath his hand, panting as if he had just run a marathon. “Add a third finger slowly, and he’ll tell you when he’s ready.” He gasped in surprise when Wes clamped down on his wrist desperately, the younger man’s grip like iron.

“Stop teasing me, and fuck me!” Wesley growled.

Fred wanted to agree, but her voice was caught in her throat and she felt warm and light-headed. Finally, she managed to whisper, “Do it...please...”

Giles grinned, gripping Wesley’s long legs and lifting them up on his shoulders. Looking down into blue eyes, he slid into the other man’s body, relishing the groan that bubbled out of Wesley. He didn’t need to look at Fred to know that she was eating this up, her hungry brown eyes practically burning a hole in him. He began a slow rhythm, the sounds of pleasure being emitted by Wes was driving him mad. Hungry, desperate whimpers that caused that long, lanky body to twist and shift against him. The sight was absolutely delicious. He could only imagine how this was affecting Fred.

The sight of Wesley and Giles together never failed to completely arouse her, even though she had just had an incredible orgasm at both of their hands not that long before. Rupert sliding in and out of Wesley, their skin flushed, their eyes glazed with passion - it was hard to even keep her thoughts together as she couldn’t help but simply stare, feeling herself taken in by it all, her own body coiling tighter and tighter again. Wesley would groan, and Fred would feel herself stop breathing for a moment. Rupert would growl, and she would feel her body tingle.

Wesley’s head was buzzing. Every nerve ending in his body felt like it was on fire. The feeling of Rupert’s thick shaft sliding in and out of him was more intoxicating that every drop of alcohol he had ever consumed. His entire body felt like one gigantic raw nerve. He was a little nervous, knowing that he was leaving himself exposed, waiting for the pain to come, just as his father always said it would. But looking into those murky green eyes, he knew that Rupert would never knowingly hurt him. Turning his head, he was about to smile at Fred but gasped, arching his back when Rupert hit that sweet spot within him. Reaching out, he grabbed Fred’s hand desperately, pulling her close to him.

“God, I feel you in the depths of my soul!” he rasped, actually talking to both of his lovers. He shifted his hips against Rupert’s, seeking that release he needed so badly. “Harder!”

Fred gasped when Wesley grabbed her and pulled her close, a shiver rushing over her skin and down her spine from his touch. She was already sensitive from everything, and his hand in hers, his skin against hers, was enough to make her feel like she was spiraling again. She barely registered what Wesley said but knew it was meant for both of them, remembering what he had told her a few days before.

Tilting her head, she kissed Wesley deeply, a shudder running through her body as she did. Pressed against him the way she was, she could feel Rupert’s movements becoming faster. Being with these two men was the most amazing thing she had ever felt in her life. This was truly the three of them, in love.

Giles looked down, vaguely wondering when his life had taken such a phenomenal turn. His lovers were absolutely beautiful. And despite Buffy’s situation, he felt such love from the two people who shared his bed that he understood what happened to his slayer was not his fault. If there was one thing his two young lovers had taught him, it was to live in the present. He couldn’t stop what had happened to Buffy, but they were right, he could be there for her. Just as he had been there for Wesley and, by extension, for Fred. He could feel his own release coiled in the base of his spine. He was so close, he could taste it. Reaching down, he wrapped his hand around the younger man’s cock and began fisting him, pulling Wesley’s orgasm from him.

Wesley was panting, desperate cries of pleasure being muffled by Fred’s lips over his. Threading the fingers of one hand in her hair, he deepened the kiss almost desperately. The groan started deep in his throat and turned into a strangled yelp when he felt Giles’ calloused hands wrap around him.

“Close,” he whimpered. Four hard strokes later he felt consumed by the fire of his orgasm, whiteness devouring his sight.

Giles released a whimper of his own, feeling his young lover clench around him tightly. Wesley had no idea how beautiful he was when he came. So open, ever bit of pleasure showing in his blue eyes. The sight alone was enough to push him over the edge. Moving over Wesley, he locked his lips around the man’s nipple sucking hard, before his breath was stolen by a gasp and the leviathan of his own release claimed him.

Fred felt Wesley trembling against her, heard Giles gasping close by, saw both of them giving themselves over, tasted the saltiness of Wesley’s perspiration on her lips, smelled the heady odor of both of their releases, and the sensations suddenly became too much. The next thing she realized, she was shaking again, down to her very core. Breaking the kiss with Wesley, she gasped for air before her head fell against Wesley’s shoulder.

She had just come for the third time that night, and they hadn’t really even touched her that time. The power these two men had over her astonished her sometimes.

Giles lifted his head in surprise when Fred gasped. Good Lord, he hadn’t seen that happen in nearly twenty years. Did he and Wesley affect her so deeply that she came without either of them touching her? Sliding his hand up her thigh, the tips of his fingers brushed her folds. She was sopping.

“Enjoy the show, did you, luv?” Giles asked, a feral grin crossing his face.

She shuddered one last time when Rupert slid his hand between her legs, her skin still sensitive to even a light touch. She raised her head to look at him, her voice catching in her throat for a moment when he licked his fingers. Instead, she just nodded and reached up to run her fingers across his chest. “Never...had that happen before,” she whispered, her voice hoarse.

Wesley could hear their voices saying something, but for the life of him, he couldn’t make out actual words. He felt as if his bones had been removed. Looking up at Giles, he gave a sated smile. “Rupert, if you ever call yourself old again, I swear on all that is holy, I will kick your arse,” he groaned when he shifted.

His threat sent Fred into a peel of soft giggles as she dropped her head back onto his chest, causing him to smile. He shifted to the middle of the bed, groaning as Giles slid out of him. “Wanker,” he grumbled good-naturedly. “Keeps griping about being twice our ages and puts us both to shame.” He sighed, slipping deeper into the pillows. “Christ, when you find my skeleton, let me know,” he joked, chuckling at the pride that flashed through Rupert’s eyes. “Don’t let it go to your head, I owe you one...or six.”

Giles leaned over Wesley, kissing him gently. “I look forward to you collecting,” he admitted before moving his head over to kiss Fred. He smiled at her when he felt Wesley’s arm curl around his neck and hold him in place. He was tickled about the revelation in her and filed it away as some possible fun for later. He vaguely wondered how deep this streak in her ran.

Fred smiled back at both of them. They had these notions about who they were - Rupert thought he was old, Wesley thought he wasn’t deserving. And yet they were exactly the opposite. She didn’t think that she could ever see Rupert as old, as anything other than just Rupert. And Wesley deserved everything in the world, everything she and Rupert could give him.

Sighing, she rested her head against Wesley’s shoulder, feeling very, very tired. She pressed a kiss to his collarbone before murmuring, “Goodnight,” to both of them. Hopefully, now, all of them could sleep better.

Giles undoubtedly felt more relaxed...no, that was the wrong word. More peaceful with not only himself but also the tasks he knew he faced. It took a lot of the weight off his shoulders to know that he wouldn’t have to endure things alone. He curled onto his side, draping one arm over Wesley’s waist, his hand curling around Fred’s hip. He was sated and happy, and in spite of everything facing them, he felt loved. It allowed him to push everything to the back burner, and allow sleep to claim him.

Wesley curled his arm around Fred, pressing his lips to her temple while she lay on his chest. Cocooned in between his two lovers, he felt safe. Angelus was returning, Willow was suffering from a magic addiction that caused her to pull Buffy out of heaven, and he had his “son” to protect. But at this moment, here, in the arms of his lovers....everything was right with the world. That was his last thought before sleep covered him like a blanket.

*****
“Mommy?!” a tiny voice echoed through the house. “Mommy!”

Fred’s eyes shot open at the sound of the little boy calling and looked around in uncertainty for a moment, trying to get her bearings. It was still dark outside. When she heard the call again, she quickly untangled herself from the arms of her two loves and slipped out of bed, throwing on her nightgown after retrieving it from the floor.

Wesley stirred immediately as he felt Fred shift on the bed. It started a chain reaction, and he felt Giles tighten his arm around his waist, before the older man’s eyes drifted closed again. Wesley asked Fred what was wrong, and nodded when she said something about Connor. He rolled over and shook Giles as Fred hurried over to the door. When it didn’t open the first time Fred turned the handle, it took her a second to remember they had locked it. Turning the latch, she opened the door.

“Rupert...Connor’s calling for us. We need to get dressed,” Wesley managed and saw his lover spring out of bed, more awake than he would have given him credit for.

Out in the hall, Fred ran across to the other bedroom. “Fred?” she heard Buffy asking from the doorway to her own room. “What’s going on?”

“Connor. I was just going to see what’s wrong. Sorry he woke you. Go back to sleep.”

“Haven’t been getting much sleep tonight anyway,” she muttered as she turned around and headed back into her bedroom, closing the door. At least she hadn’t been having nightmares that night - the first time since she had come back - but God, she was going to have to get a pair of earplugs.

Fred hurried into Dawn’s room to find Connor sitting up in bed, her t-shirt clutched in his hands. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” she asked, sitting down on the bed. He immediately climbed into her lap and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head against his. “What is it?”

“Scared...thought I was back there. Thought Holes killed Daddy.” He looked up at her with his big blue eyes. “Daddy’s okay?”

“Daddy’s fine,” she told him. “You were having a bad dream. That’s all. You’ve dreamed before.”

Connor shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t wanna stay here alone. Too quiet.”

Fred suddenly realized that given where he had spent the first “years” of his life, he probably had never had an uninterrupted night’s sleep before. Between the threat of demons and what Rupert had said that place was like, sleeping in here, in a room with no one else and nothing that might attack, was probably quite difficult to get used to. She herself had found it impossible to sleep in a bed for the first few weeks she was home, instead curling up on the floor in her room at the hotel for a while before she had finally gotten used to it again.

“Do you want to stay with me and Daddy and Giles for the rest of the night?” she asked.

He nodded, so she stood up, cuddling him in her arms and took him back to the master bedroom. Wesley had just gotten his boxers on when they walked in.

“What’s the matter, son?” he asked, stroking the boy’s hair.

“Can’t sleep. Too quiet. Saw Holes hurt you,” the little boy whimpered.

Giles considered what the boy had said. “Bring him to bed with us. We’ll get him a CD player for the room with jungle noises perhaps,” he suggested, remembering the noises from the nights on Quor’toth. He allowed Wesley to settle in before joining him on his side. He figured Connor would sleep between Wesley and Fred. “We should prepare for other nights like this. I’ll consider having a larger bed built for a place of our own.”

Wesley smiled when the little boy instantly curled into his side. “I’m all right, Connor, it was just a nightmare,” he promised, giving the young boy a reassuring squeeze.

As soon as Fred was settled, he felt Connor starting to drift off to sleep. He gave her a sheepish smile. It touched him to know that the child had taken to him so much that he would be so concerned for his safety. Feeling Giles spooned behind him, and Connor and Fred at his front, he finally allowed himself to return to the sleep that was demanding his surrender.

Fred returned Wesley’s smile, draping her arm over Connor and Wesley, resting her hand on Giles’. They really had become a family, the four of them. It was amazing how quickly Connor had come to accept them after the childhood he had had so far, how much he worried about them, especially Wesley. He was an amazing little boy, and she promised herself that she was going to be the best mother to him that she could.

Feeling that Connor was now settled and seeing that Wesley had also fallen back asleep, she closed her eyes. Morning would be there soon enough - and from everything they had talked about, there would be a lot to do.

*****