*****

// .Xander slowly regained consciousness and noticed several things almost simultaneously: 1. He was still alive. 2. He was lying on his back with his arms spread-eagled. 3. His whole body was hurting him and his head especially. He had a concussion probably. 4. He had some blood in his mouth. 5. It was daylight. 6. It was raining. He sat up with difficulty, grimacing with pain and saw his car, or rather what was left of it below, clamped between two big rocks. He remembered in a flash what had happened last night: a lorry had almost hit them, the driver having probably fallen asleep at the steering wheel. He had suddenly swerved to the right to avoid it, had slid along a bank and run into some saplings. The very violent shocks against the trunks of the trees had seriously damaged his car, but he had managed to go out of the vehicle. And so had Giles.

He suddenly paled and shivered. [Giles! Oh my God!]

"Giles! Giiiiiles!" He called.

Xander looked around for the Watcher but couldn't find him. He got up, roaring as his painful muscles rebelled against the effort and some of his bones cracked. Staggering, his head spinning, he went to the wreck of his car situated a dozen meters below. He approached it when he perceived Giles near the left front wheel. He was sprawled on his back his body twisted and still. The face of the young man fell when he noticed that Giles' face was covered with blood. He rushed over to the older man and knelt down near him. He immediately took his pulse. His skin was cold to the touch and his breathing was shallow. He was still alive, but barely. Xander grimaced, shocked when he noticed that the Watcher had a grave wound to the head as well as having his face grazed and torn up and doubtless several broken bones too. He suddenly jumped, hearing the ringing of a telephone. He took the mobile which was in the inside pocket of Giles' jacket and activated it.

"Hello."

"Xander? It's Willow. I've been trying to contact you and Giles since yesterday evening. Is everything okay?"

"Willow, Giles is seriously hurt! We had an accident last night, near Breakers Woods . "

The mobile went out suddenly. The battery was dead. Xander swore, then was relieved when he said to himself that Willow would quickly send the police to their rescue and an ambulance would soon follow the police. He felt himself weakening. His vision blurred, grayed, then he fell over on his side, limp and nauseous. He fought to remain conscious, but he blacked out a moment later.

*
* *

Much later

Xander, supported by Anya, opened the door to the hospital room occupied by Giles. Willow, Tara, Dawn and Spike were standing near the window. They were all pale and tense. The young man looked at Giles and had a shock. Wires and tubes to different machines, which buzzed and flashed, connected the Watcher, lying on the bed. His face was partially covered with bandages. The visible part was swollen and tinged with purple, blue, green and yellow. His head was bandaged. To help him breathe, a plastic tube had been pushed in his mouth and down his throat. He was so pale and breathed so slowly, almost imperceptibly, that he looked like a corpse. Xander felt his legs giving out under him. Anya just had time to push him in an armchair before he fell.

"What did the doctors say?" He asked.

Spike sighed and said. "He said that Giles is dying and that there is nothing to do to save him."

"The doctor said that he has two broken legs, he has three broken ribs, his spine is broken and he has a grave head trauma. He's in a deep coma." Willow added. She wiped the tears, which rolled down on her cheeks with the back of her hand and continued: "his vital signs are weak and getting weaker. According to the doctor he might not die until tomorrow morning . but he thinks he probably won't last that long. Poor Giles."

"Oh my God, no!" Xander breathed, horrified. He blinked twice then gazed at the red-haired witch having a sudden idea, which made his somber eyes shine with hope. "Willow! Could you use magic to look after him? To prevent him from dying? Yes, use a healing spell!"

Willow exhaled a long sad sigh. "I tried Xander. It didn't work. Giles is impervious to any magic spell."

Xander frowned. "How so?"

"Somebody has cast a spell on Mr. Giles, Xander." Tara said. "So that no magic could either look after him or prevent him from dying. Willow knows who cast it."

"I deduced it. The one who cast that spell on Giles has to be his enemy and a sorcerer ."

Xander nodded. "Ethan Rayne. We need to find him and to bring him here. He'll break his spell and after that I'll kill him!"

"We found him Xander, thanks to a locator spell. He's in a cell in a high security prison. You know the famous secret detention facility of the Nevada desert that Buffy told us about after those two MP's from the Initiative arrested Ethan? He's being watched twenty-four hours a day by armed guards and by video cameras. It's not going to be easy to get him out of there."

"Could you beam him up outside his cell and bring him here Willow? Is it possible?"

Spike snorted. "You too much watched at Star Trek Xander! Willow is not Scotty."

Xander glared at Spike then looked again at Willow. "No?"

"Um. it's not because I couldn't, it's that I wouldn't know where he would materialize. He could materialize in Sunnydale, or in China or in New Zealand, or in the air, or underground, or even under the water. I mastered the dematerialization, but not the materialization. I'm sorry Xander."

The young man got up with difficulty and staggered up to the bed. He took Giles' hand in his and pressed it. "It's my fault Giles is dying. I had this accident, I am responsible."

"No, you're not Xander! You just avoided the lorry and swerved to the right side." Anya said, taking the arm of the man she loved. "If somebody is responsible for Giles' state it is himself. All this would not have happened if he had not asked you to take him to Breakers woods. By the way, why did he go there in the middle of the night?"

Everybody glared to the ex-demon. Anya shrugged. "What?"

"He went there to pray Anya, he did it for Buffy." Xander said his eyes filled with tears. "He didn't want me to accompany him, because he wished to be alone to pray and perhaps to cry alone too. I stayed in the car. Listen to me Anya, what happened is not his fault, and you're right, it's not mine either. It's fate that's responsible. And now it's up to us to get Ethan out of his cell because he's the only one who can save Giles! . So does anybody have any brilliant ideas?"

Dawn raised her hand. "We tell the Council that Giles is dying, that Ethan is the only person who can prevent him from dying, then they pressure the Initiative to free him. And once Ethan's free, two soldiers bring him here, he breaks his spell and then Giles is okay. Giles is their best Watcher, after all. They'll do anything for him!"

Xander sighed. "Giles is not really liked by the council, Dawn. They'll do nothing to help him."

"Xander is right. And I'll say it again! Giles the rebel Watcher is going to die. If they learn of it in the Council, they're going to celebrate!" Spike said. "No, it's necessary to say nothing to them. I don't want anybody to be delighted at Rupert's state and at his foreseen death. There has to be another solution, I'm sure of it."

Tara raised her hand. "I believe that we should tell Giles' parents that their son is dying. I am sure that they would like to be with him, to hold him his hand, to speak to him, to caress his cheek, to cry. Does anybody know how to contact them?"

"Giles has never spoken about his parents, or almost never." Xander said, and continued immediately: "He told Buffy years ago that his father and his grandmother were both Watchers and that his father had told him when he was 10 years old that he would be a Watcher too. I don't know if his parents are still alive, or if he has brothers or sisters . He's has very private man."

"We could contact Wesley and ask him if Giles still has parents." Willow proposed. "Maybe he knows."

Xander nodded. "It's a good idea."

"I'm going to phone to Angel at once."

On it, Willow left the ICU room. She had just left when several machines started to beep quickly and the warning lights flashed. The alarms started to go off.

"Oh no!" Xander moaned looking at the EEG and at the ECG lines, which were both flat.

Dawn began to panic. "What happened?"

"Code blue," the young man said, shivering. "Cardiac arrest." The door of the room opened and several nurses and doctors hurled themselves in with the resuscitation cart.

"Everybody outside!" ordered a doctor with gray hair. "Give us some room, please."

Xander and the others left the small white room quickly. They were pale and their throats were tight with fear. They reassembled outside in the hall and drew close to each other for comfort. The doctor with the gray hair came out of Giles's room five minutes later. His face was sad.

"I am really sorry," he said to Xander, who had approached him. "Mr. Giles is dead. We attempted everything to bring him back, but it was useless. He did not suffer."

Xander nodded then he burst into tears and was the other Scoobies followed suit. //

*
* *

Xander opened his eyes and perceived a white ceiling over him, then heard to snore slightly near him. He turned to the right and saw Giles, sprawled naked on his back next to him, his head pushed in the pillow. He slept peacefully, his face relaxed, his arms spread-eagled and his palms opened. Xander glanced around him and recognized Giles's bedroom (and his, too, for the last month). He sighed in relief. He'd had a nightmare. Calmed, he smiled, lifted Giles' left hand and came to snuggle up to the man who shared his life and with whom he was in love. His head resting against the Watcher's side, he fell asleep again.

The need to go to the toilet woke Xander an hour later, and he noticed that he had moved on top of Giles in his sleep, making himself a living blanket. He remained immobile, stretched out on Giles for a minute, savoring the heat of his skin, hearing his calm and regular breathing, and then he straddled his legs and watched him sleeping peacefully. Then he bent towards the older man and kissed him on the lips and got up.

When Xander returned to Giles' bedroom five minutes later, he saw the Watcher changing position to roll on his stomach. The sight of the round and muscular buttocks of his lover made him groan with desire and he jumped up on the bed like a tiger. He nestled behind the older man, pushed his legs aside, took him by his hips and pulled his buttocks to him. Giles woke up when he felt Xander's finger brushing his tight opening. He then moaned when he inserted it into him. His sex began to fill out.

"Oh yes!"

"Don' t move Giles!"

Xander took the tube of lubricant on the bedside table and copiously oiled his fully erect penis. He then brushed Giles' anus lightly, and slipped his oiled forefinger deep inside in a smooth thrust, pressing out against the sphincter, gently stretching it. The Watcher gasped and squirmed as Xander's middle finger joined the first and started a slow stroking, applying some lube to the corolla of muscle. Giles rolled his head in pleasure and moaned each time the young man stroked his prostate. He uttered a strangled cry when Xander gently worked a third finger inside him and adding yet more lubricant. His breath became ragged in his chest.

"Xander please."

Giles put his hands on the headboard, and hollowed his back. His whole body trembled when Xander sank in him with one powerful thrust, feeling him completely. Xander began the slow and long strokes. The Watcher uttered a long groan of pleasure and met his lover thrust for thrust. Xander made love to Giles for a long time, taking his time, building little by little his pleasure and Giles' too. Xander finally felt the sap rising in his loins. His eyes turned over in the imminence of his climax and he exploded with a feral cry, which resounded around the entire apartment. He pulled himself out of Giles and watched as he rolled onto his back, his face utterly blissful.

"I love you Giles. No. I adore you," Xander said, kissing Giles on his forehead.

"I also adore you."

"Giles, are your parents still alive?"

Giles nodded. "Yes, why?"

"Do you have brothers and sisters?"

"No I don't, I am an only child. Why are you asking me these questions Xander?"

Xander told Giles about his nightmare. When he had finished his story, the Watcher pulled him to him.

"I am sorry Xander, I would have told you about them and about many other things, but I am a very private man. English people are like that, you know? All right, tomorrow morning I shall tell you everything about my family, I promise. But for now, let's sleep again."

"I'm not sleepy."

Xander parted Giles's legs, knelt between them and let his hands explore Giles' body, searching for all the places that caused him to make pleased sounds. Giles gasped and groaned when he felt his young lover slip his fingers between his thighs and cup his balls, squeezing and releasing, squeezing and releasing.

"Ooooh!"

Xander, rapping his fingers around the base of Giles' penis, started to run his mouth up and down the swollen shaft. He sucked Giles up eagerly, pressing his testicles to extract his semen from them. The Watcher was moaning continuously, his legs were shaken by spasms and he was grazing Xander's shoulders with his nails. He began to raise his pelvis and he involuntarily thrust into his mouth. Xander smirked and nibbled his lover's penis here and there, licking the head of it like a candy, and then moved back from Giles, knowing he was close.

"Xander, make love to meeeeeeee!"

"Yessssssss!"

END