*****

Giles is almost certain that he doesn't wish to be alone.

"Okay, G-man, we're off."

"Yes, Giles-boss. I'll be in early, okay? I've done the books and taken inventory. Try not to mess up the store while I'm gone, okay?"

"Um. . .no. I'll, um, do my best, Anya." He offers her his smallest smile as she drapes herself over Xander, moving as close to him as she can while still managing to walk, and they head out of the store. Willow and Tara have been gone for over an hour. Buffy hasn't been in today. Nor has Dawn, thank God. Petty of him, perhaps, but he doesn't relish the thought of watching over her. Not without Buffy, anyway.

So he sighs, and moves to the door, locking it. Memories flood his mind. So many nights, locking doors, locking out things that can get in if they really want too. He's not safe. He hasn't been safe for years and he knows it.

Giles pulls the curtain across the door and makes his way to the back of the store, tidying things on his way. Moving this, turning that. Picking up certain items and polishing them with his spit and his shirt. "Just give it a good spit rubbin', son." He can almost hear his mother say. "That'll make it nice and pretty for the folk. And they'll never know the difference." And she'd wink at him, sharing the joke. He stops at a bookcase and pulls down an old photo album. He flips through the old sepia toned photos, pausing every page or so, to study the stern and structured photos of some family long dead, until he reaches the back cover. "To all those that come after us. God bless." He reads out loud. "And it's only me that comes after you. Until I sell this, that is, old boy. And how does that sit with you and yours?" Giles murmurs, replacing the photo album. He wonders about the lives of those in the album. Will they want revenge if he sells their photos to some advertising agency that wants to use their long dead images to sell boxed macaroni and cheese? Tinned meat? Would he even care?

Giles was certain he didn't want to be alone.

He picked up a hand-blown crystal ball and polished it with his sleeve. He almost dropped it when a loud knock rapped against the store door, startling him. He replaced the fragile ball, certain Anya would gut him if she came in the next morning and found it missing, or *worse*, found shards of it on the floor. And she *would* find shards, no matter how good a job sweeping it up he did, he was certain. Giles glanced at his watch and then at the door. It was late. Too late. This had to be something bad. He gave a thought to ignoring the knock, but quickly imagined Buffy or one of the others and rushed to the door, pushing open the curtain.

Ethan's craggy, smiling face met him.

And he didn't want to be alone.

The door was unlocked, opened and pushed closed again and he was locking it, with Ethan *inside* before he really knew what he was doing. Giles pulled the curtain closed once again. "Ethan?" Giles began, straightening the curtain, not turning to face the other man. "Did you. . .*do* something to me?"

Ethan gave a low chuckle. "Nothing you weren't open for, Ripper."

"Ah." Giles gave a nod and turned to face Ethan. "My name is *Rupert*, Ethan."

"So it is." Ethan moved about the shop, looking around, touching certain items and caressing others. He stopped to pick up the crystal ball Giles had just left, turning to look at Giles. He held it up and rubbed it against his cheek, smiling at Giles. "This is warm with your touch, Rip-oh, excuse me, *Rupert*." He brought it to his nose and sniffed it, breathing in deep. "It smells of you." He placed it back on its shelf.

"What are you doing here, Ethan?"

"I'm not up to evil-no-good, Rip-Rupert." He grinned, picking up a rose-heart and popping it into his mouth and crunching down on it. "I just wanted to. . ." He shrugged his shoulders and spit out the rose heart, before walking over to Giles and embracing him, holding him tight. "I just missed you, Rupert. Can't I just want to be with you?"

And Giles didn't want to be alone.

Giles let his arms come up and wrap around the other man's shoulders, holding tight. He moved his mouth to Ethan's ear, whispering into it. "You've some type of 'Rupert Giles is a siddin' mess and needs to be held by his very own devil' radar, don't you, Ethan?"

Ethan pulled back to look at Giles. He gave a sneer and Giles new it was as close to a smile as the other man could manage right now. "Yes." He kissed Giles, thrusting his tongue inside and sweeping around, tasting and taking over Giles' mouth as his hands sank into and pulled at Giles' hair. Ethan bit Giles' bottom lip before pulling away. "How did you know, luv? You haven't developed some buggery radar to *my* radar have you? I'd really *hate* that, Rip-Rupert old boy." He kissed the tip of Giles' nose.

"No, I haven't. It's a pity, Ethan, but, no, I haven't. It's a pity too that you have to go, but you have to go." Of course Giles had to protest. Ethan smiled as he ignored him and Giles smiled as Ethan ignored him and Ethan took his hand and led him into the back of the store. "This is all very nice, Rip-Rupert. You've done very well for a defunct watcher. We both know that most watchers are dead about now along with their slayers. But not you and yours." Ethan came to a table where Anya had been arranging items and made to sweep it clear. "No! For God's sake no!" Ethan paused, looking at Giles with genuine confusion. Giles offered a self-disgusted smile. "You can't break anything. Don't ask. Let me help you." Giles began to remove items from the table and placing them carefully out of harms way. Ethan followed suit. "If this is some type of Rupert foreplay, may I just say that I prefer the sweep it all to the floor Ripper?"

Giles placed a Crekkiaan pot on the floor and gave Ethan a dirty look. "No. You may not say *anything*." He grabbed Ethan by the front of his shirt and pulled him across the table. He ripped open Ethan's shirt, popping buttons, kissing and sucking at the exposed flesh of the other man. Ethan moaned and came to rest on the table as Rupert ravaged his chest. Giles' hands went to the other man's waist and pulled and tugged until his pants were loose and pulled them down and over his legs. Giles grinned down at Ethan, before moving to his feet and undoing Ethan's snazzy loafers and silk socks. Giles tossed the shoes over his shoulders and let the socks drop to the floor. He held Ethan's right foot close to his face and sniffed at his instep. He ran his tongue from heel to toe, sucking Ethan's big toe into his mouth, Ethan moaned and bucked. Giles gave a wicked grin, biting down before he let go of the toe. He kissed and licked his way up Ethan's hair roughed leg, pausing to suckle at the back of Ethan's knee. He bit down hard, before making his way up to the other man's thigh to his pelvis, nuzzling at the hair that grew there. His mouth moved up, licking and kissing at the tightly drawn sac. Giles moved up and on to the table, straddling Ethan as his mouth sucked in the head of Ethan's hard, weeping cock. Giles' took him deep into his throat, before pulling back to smile up at Ethan. "Be right back."

Giles moved off the table and quickly divested himself of his clothes. He watched with avid eyes as Ethan whimpered and moaned at the loss of him. Once naked, Giles climbed back over Ethan, smiling down at him with his not-nice smile and taking the other man's cock in hand and jacking it just so, rubbing his thumb over the oozing slit, as he leaned down to suckle and bite at Ethan's thighs and drawn-tight sac. Giles moved two fingers into his mouth as he sucked at Ethan's cock, coating them with his saliva and Ethan's pre-come. He moved his fingers to Ethan's puckered opening as he continued to suck at Ethan's cock and pushed them in side. Ethan moaned, pushing against Giles' fingers and up into Giles' mouth. Giles let the cock slide from his mouth and moved his hard dripping cock to Ethan's wet hole. He arranged Ethan's legs so that they rested over his shoulders and smiled down at him as he thrust inside. Deep, hard, and fast he pushed in, sheathing himself in Ethan's tight all encompassing warmth. He leaned down, kissing the other man full on the lips, savoring his taste before he began to move, thrusting in and out. Giles held Ethan's legs up, beneath his knees and fucked him. He gazed at Ethan's bliss filled face and then closed his eyes as he gave himself over to the fucking. To the sex. To the driving need of his cock. He moved faster and harder until he felt the tension build up in his balls, boiling-hot and needy. Still his thrusts speeded up and he let Ethan's legs fall as he leaned down to thrust his tongue into the other man's mouth as his hand reached down, covering Ethan's and they both worked to bring Ethan to orgasm as Giles continued to fuck him. He felt the hot spurts of Ethan's release against his chest, and the rhythmic clutching of his ass against his cock and Giles lay down, kissing and sucking at Ethan's neck as he gave way and came with hot spurts of his own release. Giles moved his mouth up to Ethan's chin and then his ear, sucking and licking until he reached the other man's mouth. And then he kissed Ethan. Deep and hard. He pulled back, thrusting his softening cock inside. "I really didn't want to be alone, Ethan."

"I know, Rupert. I knew."

~end.