PHANTOM WALTZ
Laura Smith
Willow pushed open the library door and looked around. Her brow furrowed. Even though it was the weekend, she still expected to find Giles here. She often wondered why he even bothered to pay rent on his apartment.
"Giles?"
He stuck his head out of his office door. "Oh, hello Willow. What brings you here?"
She shrugged and walked over to the table. Sitting on the smooth surface, she swung her feet restlessly. "Well, Buffy's out of town with her dad, Oz has a gig at some festival in Seattle, Xander is bonding with cheerleading camp and Cordelia…" she shivered. "I don't want to even thing what she's doing. Or what she would do to me if I approached her."
"Surely you have something you could be doing besides sitting around a stuffy old library with a stuffy old librarian?"
"Well, if that's what I were doing, I'd say yes. But I'm sitting on top of the Hellmouth with one of the nicest guys I know." She grinned and stuck out her tongue. "So there."
He smiled back. "All right, you win."
"So," she hopped off the table and sat in front of the computer. "Any researching to be done? Any demons to find? Any anything to do?"
"Actually, I hate to say it, but the Hellmouth is quiet." He sat down across from her and rested his chin in his hand. "Seems as though all the evil has realized Buffy's taking a break and done the same."
"Oh." She sighed. "So what are you doing here?"
"I…I don't go home much anymore if I don't have to." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I know it's silly. It's been a long time now, but with Angel's return, I'm afraid the memories have resurfaced."
"Giles, I'm sorry." Willow stood and walked over to him, looping her arm around his shoulders in a quick hug. "Have you thought about moving someplace else?"
"No. I want the reminder. I don't want the luxury of forgetting what can happen when we let our guard down." He stared off into the distance for a long moment. Finally, he came back to himself and looked at the young woman beside him. "Would you like to help me?"
"Sure. With what?"
"I have a project. I've been putting it off for months now, what with the plethora of Slayers and Watchers, but today strikes me as a perfect day for it."
"For what?"
"Visiting a haunted house."
*****
Willow stared up at the huge Victorian style house. "Wow. Oh, wow. It's beautiful."
"Bit run down." Giles amended. He too stared up at it, taking in the frazzled exterior. "But yes, it's quite nice."
"And you think it's haunted?"
"I'm not sure. I found an old diary at an estate sale a while ago, as I mentioned. It talked about this house and a terrible tragedy. It's been on the market ever since then, with a few short-lived tenants. No reason is ever given for the sale, but the families all seem to disappear. I'll have you research them on the computer when we return tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Her eyes widened. "We're staying overnight in a haunted house?"
He gazed at her as if he had just realized the circumstances. "I completely forgot. I'm so sorry, Willow. You probably need permission from your parents, and…and a chaperone."
"Why do I need a chaperone?"
"Well, we will be alone in the house." He blushed.
"Giles, I've been alone with you hundreds of time, many of them overnight. My folks won't mind. They probably won't even notice. I was just surprised, that's all." She smiled to reassure him, hoping he couldn't see the pounding of her heart. "So, what do we know about this ghost?"
Giles returned to the car and started to unload the supplies in the back. "Not much. As I said, there was just the one notation in the diary and nothing more after that."
"Did you do any other research on the house? Owners, that kind of thing?"
"The same name is on the deed as when the tragedy happened." He looped the handle of the bag over his shoulder and picked up one of the sleeping bags. "Can you get the other?" "Certainly." She picked up the other sleeping bag and the bag of food. "Do we have a key?"
"Well," he blushed again. "I couldn't get permission to get into the house…"
"Giles! Are you leading me to a life of crime?"
"No. I had to rent it. So, as of now, I'm the legal tenant." He held up his key ring. "That's how I know about the details of the lease. The owner is a Nathaniel Sullivan. Everyone who has occupied the place has had to rent if from him."
"Nathaniel Sullivan? Isn't that the name on the big mausoleum in the Northbridge cemetery?" Willow climbed the steps to the front door. "That's a little odd. I wish I'd thought to bring my laptop. I could do a little surfing."
"Well…"
"You know, you always start sentences with 'Well' and then blush." She smiled. "So?"
"I brought the one you often bring to the library with me. I was hoping you could do some work on it and…perhaps teach me a little?"
Her eyes widened. He unlocked the door and held it open for her. Her shocked expression didn't fade as she brushed past him into the dark interior. "Are you okay? I think maybe you've been possessed by the ghost already."
"There are much more frightening things to be terrified of. I've decided that I can face my fear of computers. I can do anything. With the right teacher."
"I…oh, wow." The inside of the house was even more amazing than the outside. It was furnished, as it must have been over 100 years ago. "This is amazing. Are you sure they'll have electricity?"
Finding a light switch, he flipped it on, filling the room with light. "I'm going to have to say that they do."
Willow dropped her packages on the floor and walked around the large, open room. "What is it?"
"The hall, I would assume."
"*This* is a hall? Just a hall?" She gaped. "This is amazing. Can we go exploring?"
He laughed at her delighted exuberance. "Of course. Let's just put these things away?"
Sobering, she picked up the bag of food and followed him into the kitchen. "Giles, this kitchen is bigger than the library!"
"You know, the rent at my condo is roughly the same. Perhaps I'll keep this place and get rid of the other. We could train here much easier than at the library."
Willow sighed. He was thinking about Buffy. "I'm going to go look around." She set the bag on the counter and left the kitchen.
Giles turned, attempting to stop her, but she was already gone. "Willow?" He followed her out the door, wondering where she could have gone. "Willow?"
"Right here." She was standing in the doorway to another room off the hall. "You have to see this, Giles."
He joined her, the delight in his eyes matching hers. "I think I've found paradise."
The library spread before them, running the length of the house, books filling every inch of the walls. Soft light filtered from small, high windows, and dust motes danced in the air. "Can we sleep in here? I can't think of a more peaceful place."
He impulsively wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him in a tight hug. She did likewise; continuing to hold him to her once the pressure of the hug was released. His hand stayed on her hip as well. "I think that is a splendid idea."
"Are we going to sleep tonight? Or are we staying awake ghost hunting?"
"We'll actually sleep this afternoon, if we're able. We should get to our exploring and get it out of the way. I'd like to know the layout of the place before we go chasing after spectres."
"Lead on, Mr. Giles."
He took his hand from her waist, capturing her hand instead. Leading her out of the library, he headed for the stairs. "Right this way, Miss Rosenberg."
*****
Room after room of sumptuous beauty met their eager eyes. They searched through multiple bedrooms, a nursery, servant's quarters and studies. Willow sighed contentedly. "Giles, this place is amazing. I think you should live here. I know I'd come visit you here and help you read all those books."
"And your company is more than enough reason to live here, I must admit."
She looked at him quickly, trying to gauge if he was making fun of her. His eyes twinkled with laughter, but he wasn't laughing at her. "Maybe I could just move in too?"
Giles caught his breath and struggled to put the thought of living with her out of his mind. "Well, there's one more room on this floor, then the ball room and the attic. Shall we tackle them both?"
"Let's leave the attic for a bit? I say the ball room then the bedroom."
"How about the bedroom, since it's on this floor then the ball room, which is on the way downstairs? No sense in back tracking."
She tried to pout, but the exploring bug was too seductive to dismiss. "Okay." She took his hand again and led him to the next room. Expecting the same as they'd seen in the fifteen other bedrooms they'd discovered, she gasped in shock at the sight before her.
"Giles?" Her voice came out weak and frightened.
He was immediately by her side, his arm around her, trying to put her behind him. He froze at the sight in front of them. Whatever the threat was, it was long gone.
The walls were stained with dried blood. More blood than any one human could have produced. The carpet was filled with dust and spotted with blood as well. It was as though someone had dropped buckets and buckets of the stuff in the middle of the floor as decoration.
He raised a hand to his mouth. He didn't feel the need to be sick, this was obviously very old, but the gesture was one of habit.
Willow moved around him to the bed in the center of the room, the only furnishing there was. It was a four poster, cherry wood bed, beautifully engraved, although one of the posts was broken to a ragged point. It was covered with a pristine white bedspread. On top of that were two outfits. An intricately beaded wedding gown in white so crisp it almost hurt the eyes, and a tuxedo. "Well, I think maybe we have a clue as to what the tragedy was?"
"Time for some research, I think." He led her from the room and closed the door tightly behind them. Ushering her to the staircase, he kept his hand firmly in the small of her back.
"Giles? Could we please still stop in the ballroom?"
He looked down into her green eyes and realized he couldn't say no. She looked frightened. "Of course, Willow." He reached the landing for the second floor and held out his arm to guide her into another wide hallway. "It should be the double doors right there."
They swung open at her touch. Gold, cream and black tile spread out before her and hundreds of sconces and candelabras stood waiting for someone to light them. There were French doors leading out to the terraces and the room sparkled with the mid afternoon sun. "It's beautiful."
The horror of what they had seen disappeared in the fairy tale magic of the ballroom. Unable to stop himself, Giles took her hands and pulled her into a simple box step. Once she fell in step with him, he pulled her closer and danced her around the huge room.
Willow's smile dissolved into a happy giggle, filling the room with it's own music. When she was able to stop laughing, she started singing "Shall We Dance" from the King and I. She faltered with some of the words, only to be backed up by Giles' rich voice.
They slowed to a stop, Willow mesmerized by his voice. She stared up at him as he kept singing. Her hand left his shoulder and drifted up to his mouth, quieting him. "You sing wonderfully," she whispered before raising herself on tiptoe to press a soft kiss on his lips.
His arms pulled her closer and his tongue invaded the warm cavern of her mouth. Willow wound her arms around his neck, letting his strong arms lift her slightly. She captured his tongue and sucked on it, tasting him. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she pressed her body tightly to his.
Holding her carefully, he started dancing again, the sensuous movement of the waltz pushing their bodies together as though in a different sort of dance.
A loud crash of thunder broke them apart. Giles released her, shaking his head all the while. Willow tumbled to the floor, grunting in pain. He sank to his knees beside her. "Are you all right? Oh Christ, Willow, I'm so sorry. I had no right. I don't know what got into me. Please, please forgive me. I never meant for something like that to happen. Please believe that my intentions for bringing you here had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with seducing…"
His rambling apology was cut off as she kissed him again. Pulling away after the brief contact, she smiled. "It's okay. As I recall, I started it."
"But I shouldn't have…"
She rolled her eyes and kissed him again. "If you don't stop apologizing, I'm going to think you want me to keep kissing you. Which really goes against what you're apologizing for. Not that I'm complaining."
"We should go back down to the library." He stood and held out a hand, helping her to her feet. "Well, actually, we should get the hell out of here, but I have a distinct feeling you'd say no."
"You're right. I want to find our ghost."
*****
Willow snuggled into the sleeping bag, staring over her book at Giles all the while. He was wrapped up in his own, trying to avoid her eyes by reading one of the numerous books that lined the walls. "What are you reading?"
"A book of mythology." He refused to look at her. "You?"
"Grimm's Fairy Tales." She slipped her finger between the pages she wasn't reading and folded her arms. Laying her head on the pillow they created, she finally met his eyes. "Can we pretend it didn't happen? I don't want to have this weirdness between us. I don't like it."
"I don't think pretending is quite the answer."
"Should we talk about it then?"
"I don't know that that's the answer either." He sighed and closed his book. Setting his glasses on top of it, he rubbed his eyes. "But it's got to be better than this. All right. We kissed."
"Yes." She smiled. "That we did."
"You kissed me."
She nodded. "You're getting good at this."
"Why?"
Willow climbed out of the sleeping bag and pulled it next to his. Sitting on top of it, she regarded him seriously. "I kissed you because I've wanted to for a long time. You've been so many things to me over these past few years, Giles. Far more than I ever expected. I look up to you. I like you. I…" she blushed furiously. "I want you."
His eyebrows shot up his forehead. "You what?"
"Why are you so surprised? Didn't that kiss maybe make you think that I wanted you?"
"I thought, perhaps you were under some sort of ghostly influence."
"Thought? Or hoped?" When he didn't answer, she sighed and stood. "All right. I think that's more than enough talking. I'm going to sleep so that we can hunt our ghost tonight."
He watched her walk away from him, mentally cursing himself. She'd given him the opportunity he'd been aching for, and he was too caught up in propriety and social mores to accept what she was offering him. She sat at the desk and turned on her computer. "I thought you were sleeping?"
"I lied." She refused to look at him. "Go to sleep, Giles. I'll try to gather all the information we need about this house so that we can get out of here quickly. That way I can get you out of the way of any potential ghostly influences."
His mental curses became audible. He kicked the sleeping bag off and stalked over to the desk chair. He turned her to face him and lifted her chin. "You have to admit that it's odd. You're a seventeen year old girl who…"
"I'm eighteen."
"When did you turn eighteen Willow?"
"Today," she said softly.
"I didn't know." He squatted down so that he was the same height as her sitting form. "Why didn't you say so?"
"Nobody remembered. I didn't want you to feel bad." She reached up to brush away the tear that had started to fall. "Besides, I was looking at this as a kind of present."
He took a deep breath. "Well, your birthday aside, you have to admit it's odd that out of nowhere, you - a lovely, young lady with two teenage suitors - would suddenly be overwhelmed with the urge to kiss me. I'm more than twice your age, Willow."
"So? Buffy's boyfriend is older than that."
"I can't be your boyfriend, Willow." Giles chuckled. "Although the image is rather intriguing."
"Giles, no offense, but I don't want you to be my boyfriend. I want you to be something more. I've wanted it for a long time." She wouldn't look at him, but he could imagine the embarrassment on her face. "I've wanted you for a long time. As long as I can remember."
He bent his head with the firm intention of looking into her eyes. How his lips ended against hers again was a mystery. But finding them there, he pressed the advantage and parted her lips with his tongue. Willow moaned softly as he invaded her mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck and sliding down onto the floor.
They knelt together, their bodies leaning into one another. Giles' hands slipped around her waist, his fingers playing with the material of her shirt. Willow tangled her fingers in his short hair, holding him to her as the intensity of the kiss increased. They pulled away from each other briefly before diving in again, this time adding fuel with short, hot kisses.
Emboldened, Giles clutched her T-shirt and pulled it from the waistband of her skirt. Once freed, he slipped his hands beneath it and pressed them to her smooth skin. Willow pulled away from him at the contact, inhaling deeply before grabbing the bottom of her shirt and lifting it over her head.
He stared in fascination as she revealed her body to him. Her skin was like alabaster, pale and creamy. His eyes followed the soft line of her stomach to the swell of her breasts clad in a simple, ivory bra. His hands slid around her waist up to the material, his thumbs stroking the hard tips of her nipples.
Giles looked up from his hands to her face. Her head was thrown back as she enjoyed his touch. His gaze wandered down her elegant throat. A small smile quirked his lips as he saw the crucifix she wore. No wonder her shirts always had high collars. Impulsively, he leaned down and kissed the flesh where the ornament hung.
Willow darted her tongue out to wet her lips. For some reason she was having difficulty keeping them moist. Her personal theory was that every warm, liquid thing in her body had journeyed to her stomach and was now heading lower. That was certainly how it felt, anyway. She whimpered softly as Giles' hands moved up her chest to her shoulders. His fingers hooked underneath the straps of her bra and slowly slid them down before venturing around to her back to unhook it completely.
He guided the material off her then pulled back to stare unabashedly. Her pert breasts were perfect. Creamy white skin topped with pink aureoles and darker rose colored nipples. He caught his breath at the sight.
Willow fought the impulse to wrap her arms around herself and hide from his view. Years of bashing and berating had made her self-conscious, but the look of adoration and…lust? - in Giles' eyes replaced all those feelings with a warm feeling of beauty, pride and excitement.
"My God, Willow," he offered the statement up as a little prayer before lowering his head to feast on her. When the heat of his mouth found her sensitive tip, Willow cried out softly, her entire body wracked with a shudder of passion. She clung to him. One hand held tightly to his broad shoulders for support while the other buried itself in his hair again, determined to keep him right where he was.
Moving his legs out from under him, Giles switched to a sitting position for a brief moment before pulling her legs across his lap. She sat there, amazed at his strength and the tenacity of his tongue. He hadn't broken contact with her skin during the entire process and she was impressed. At least, she promised herself she would be as soon as she could think again.
Willow moved both hands to his shoulders and slipped his suspenders down. He pulled his arms free, releasing her for the fraction of time that required, then let his fingers continue their roving exploration of her body. Small shudders of delight coursed down her spine, shooting along her veins as he touched her.
She took advantage of his distraction to unbutton his oxford shirt and open it. She pushed it back off his shoulders, forcing him again to release her with both his arms and mouth. Giles panted for air, taking deep breaths laced with her scent. She tugged at his undershirt, peeling it off of him. Giles helped her, tossing the garment aside, eager to feel her hands on his flesh.
All other contact they'd had paled in comparison to the feeling of her small but capable hands running over his bare skin. It was as though she knew exactly where his most sensitive parts were and guided her hands there. She raked her short nails over his erect nipples, eliciting a groan of pleasure. Pleased with herself, Willow changed her position and straddled his thighs.
Facing him now, she began rubbing his chest from shoulder to waistband, reveling in the feel of the coarse chest hairs against her palms. "Oh, Giles. You feel so good." She bent her head and began kissing his shoulder and neck, her tongue darting out between kisses to taste him.
He pulled at her hips, bringing her flush with his chest. Her breast pressed against him, her nipples rubbing against his. They both caught their breath at the contact, but her smooth exhalation against his earlobe was almost more than he was prepared to stand. His body shook and he tried to move her away from him.
Willow growled low in her throat and shifted closer to him. She couldn't stop her soft gasp of surprise as their hips met and she felt the hard press of his arousal. "Giles?" she breathed.
"Y…Yes?" He bit his lower lip and closed his eyes. Things had spiraled out of control and he wasn't sure he had the strength, will or desire to turn them around.
"Did I do that to you?"
"Yes."
A slow smile spread across her face as she regarded him. "Would you like to see what you've done to me?" She took his hand from its resting place on her hip and slipped it beneath her skirt. Guiding his fingers between her legs, she pressed it lightly against her damp panties.
"Willow…" he sighed. She sat, unmoving on his lap. Her fingers left his where she had placed it. He opened his eyes to look into her shining green ones. "You know what's going to happen if we don't stop this now, don't you?"
"I have a pretty good idea." She smiled. "And I can't think of a nicer birthday present."
Reason reared its head. "I am, in no way, prepared for this event." A soft flush suffused his cheeks. "I…" he paused, unsure if she realized what he was implying. "I don't have…anything."
"It's okay, Giles." She ran a fingertip across his lip and the faint musky smell of her sex seemed to surround him. "I…I think I have what we need."
He captured her finger between his lips and sucked on it, wanting to taste her. His breathing was labored when her released it. "You think?" He swallowed hard, not wanting to think why she would be prepared. Oz or Xander, undoubtedly.
Willow rolled her hips slightly, moving his finger to the edge of the wet fabric. "Touch me and I'll tell you for sure."
"Touch you and I won't care one way or another."
"That's not true and we both know it. Just like we both know how much you want to touch me." She arched her back, offering her breasts to his open mouth. "Just like I know how much I want you to. Please?"
His finger slipped under the elastic to bathe in her juices. He brought up his knees so that she could recline back, allowing him easier access to her wetness. Something very much like a purr issued from Willow's closed lips as he lowered his head to her breasts once again.
Willow moved her hand between them and began petting his erection through his pants. He echoed her earlier whimper as the sound of his zipper filled the room. He removed his finger from the heat of her sex and caught her hand before it freed his erection.
"What's wrong? Why did you stop?" A look of hurt confusion settled on her features.
"We could be much more comfortable." He placed his hands on her hips again and lifted her off of him, lowering her to the sleeping bag he'd kicked off what seemed like a lifetime ago. She lay there like some sort of sacrifice for a moment before she turned onto her side and focused her interest back on his zipper.
Pushing him onto his back, Willow held him down with one hand while the other finished undoing his fly. She leaned over him and gave him a small kiss. "Stay right there. Promise?"
"I promise."
She knelt beside his knees and grasped the fabric of his pants and briefs. Tugging slightly to give him a hint, she began pulling as he raised himself off the floor. She set them aside, along with his shoes and socks, which she'd managed to pull off as well, and simply stared for a long moment. Giles in tweed, a button down shirt, suspenders, a vest and a coat was something to behold, but Giles, completely nude was something else all together. "You're sexy."
He was about to respond when she lowered her head and took his cock in her mouth. His grasp of the English language suddenly faded. The only thing in the universe was the feel of her lips and tongue surrounding him. She began stroking his shaft with her mouth, taking the whole thing in before releasing all but the tip. She started slowly, increasing her speed until she could feel his orgasm building. Running the tip of her tongue along the sensitive vein on the underside of his cock, she reached the tip and sucked on it.
His body shuddered and he came explosively. Willow wrapped her lips around him, taking him deep in her throat. She continued sucking lightly until he used what little breath he had left to plead with her to stop. Sitting back on her heels, she smiled widely. "Are you alright?"
"More than." He struggled to get his body and breathing under control. "That was…incredible."
She blushed and lay down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Really?"
"Really." He began stroking the soft skin of her arm and raining kisses on her hair. "Although, it is your birthday. I would have liked to give you a present."
She gently took his cock in her hand and rubbed it lightly, lovingly. He closed his eyes at her touch, surprised when his body responded. "Looks like you still can. And now we can take our time."
He laughed softly and disengaged her hand. Ignoring her pout, he gently pushed her off of his shoulder and sat up. Moving to her feet, he pushed her legs apart and knelt between them. He grasped the bottom of her skirt and pulled, until it was at his legs. Leaning forward a little farther, he did the same with her soaked panties. He changed positions and slipped the clothes completely off of her.
Willow sat up. Leaning back slightly, she supported herself with her hands. She watched him as he lay between her thighs. Catching her eye, Giles gave her a smile filled with promise. He continued to watch her as he placed the tip of one finger between her wet lips. "You might want to hold onto something, Willow," he noted as he slipped the finger inside her.
The passage was slick and his finger found it's way easily inside her, but her muscles tightened around him. He dropped her gaze and slid another finger in to join the first. He began pumping slowly, letting her body become accustomed to the feel of him, before he lowered his lips to the bright red nub of her clitoris.
She let out a low hiss as he nibbled the hard flesh; his fingers still busy inside her. Willow grasped the nylon of the sleeping bag, her hands tight fists. She arched her back, unable to stop her body's responses to him. She couldn't control the intense need for him, her body begging with gestures.
Giles suckled her clit, intoxicated with the taste of her. He slowly slid a third finger inside her tight vagina, the muscles clenching almost painfully. He pulled back a fraction of an inch and blew softly against the sensitive flesh.
Willow cried out as her climax hit, her whole body seemed to ripple with the effect of it. Giles bit his lip as the walls of her sex tightened even more. He licked around his still moving fingers, sending even more shivers of pleasure up her spine. His body was moving as well, thrusting into the sleeping bag, desperate to be inside her.
Her body felt like pure liquid and Willow wondered casually what had happened to all of her bones, until she realized Giles was still moving inside her. His fingers hadn't stopped and the pressure of another orgasm was building quickly. She whimpered and ground her pelvis against his hand. Giles responded, running his thumb over her still throbbing clit.
Her body came off the sleeping bag as she orgasmed, every muscle tight with tension before they relaxed into the warm bath of bliss. While she was still riding the wave of it, Giles removed his fingers and got to his knees. He rubbed his hand, covered with her juices, over his cock and looked at her with hungry eyes.
"Willow, if you have something, now would be a damn good time to get it."
She reached desperately for her bag, dumping its contents on the polished parquet floor. She grabbed the small foil square and handed it with trembling fingers. Giles fumbled with it until he managed to open get it open. Slipping the condom on quickly, he took a deep breath and looked down at the beautiful girl beneath him.
"Are you sure?"
She smiled and mimicked his earlier response. "More than."
He positioned himself carefully, pausing with the tip poised at her opening. With care and tenderness, he slid inside her slowly. Willow hissed as her body stretched to accommodate his width, biting her lower lip to help ease the pain. He stopped, worry clear in his eyes. "Are you all right?"
"Yes. Just…slowly?"
He nodded and lay still for just a moment. He saw her nod out of the corner of his eye and began moving once again. He stopped immediately when he encountered her maidenhead. "Willow…"
She locked her ankles around his knees and pushed herself up. He felt the barrier break and struggled for control. Willow smiled up at him. "I wanted you to be first, you know."
Her words sang in his blood. He began thrusting, feeling her opening up to him now that her body was used to his size. He moved easily, the walls of her vagina coated with her earlier release. He lowered himself to his elbows so that their bodies were in closer contact. He placed his head next to her. "That's another gift you've given me. I'm going to have to do something spectacular to make this up to you."
"Make me scream your name when I come," she whispered in return.
The rush of blood to his cock was almost more than he could stand. He raised himself onto his knees and grasped her hips with his hands. Lifting her buttocks onto his thighs, he began thrusting in earnest, closing his eyes, reveling in the sound of her breathing his name with each thrust.
Knowing he wouldn't last much longer, Giles moved his free hand to her clitoris and altered his strokes from long and deep to short and fast. Willow's body bucked against his, her legs wrapping around his back to hold her tightly to him. He ran his blunted fingernails over her nipple. "Come on, Love. Come for me."
Willow's climax was so intense, so consuming, she simply forgot to breathe. "Giles!" she managed as she lost all control and collapsed.
Giles' body was in it's own state of collapse as he came. Never before had he been so completely out of his mind with passion. He sank back on his heels and tried to focus on Willow. She was lying there, completely still, except for the slight rise and fall of her chest.
"Now I know why they call it a little death."
"La petit morte," he whispered in response.
Her throat was dry and her voice raspy. "Giles, I…"
"Ssh. Discourse later."
"Intercourse then discourse." She giggled. "After ghost hunting?"
He looked around the room and realized they were rapidly losing the light of day. "We'd better get to that research. We don't have much time left."
Willow tilted her head and regarded him. "Giles? Please don't go all Watcher on me?"
He looked at her, surprised. There was the slightest tint of hurt in her eyes. Laughing softly, he reached down to gather her in his arms. "Love, I can't help but be a Watcher. Or a librarian. But I promise that I won't be only those things." He kissed the top of her head. "Now, I've got to get this thing off before we negate its purpose." They separated and he quickly disposed of the condom. "Do I want to know why you happened to have this with you?"
"Well, if there's one thing hanging around with the Slayer has taught me, it's always be prepared. For anything."
*****
Giles leaned over her shoulder and peered at the computer. "Anything yet?"
"I've searched all the county records and newspapers. There's a distinct lack of information on this house and the family. I'm doing a genealogy search right now." Willow ran her fingers through her hair. "It's really strange."
"Try a wedding announcement. Perhaps that's what the event being held was."
"I did." Willow sighed in exasperation. "I don't know where else to look. Unless…"
"Unless?" Giles straightened his glasses and stepped back. Being that close to her, even after their frantic lovemaking, was overwhelming.
"Why don't we try the attic? Maybe there are more journals up there? I mean, it would stand to reason. Who starts a journal and only makes one entry? I would guess there would be more."
Giles shrugged and grabbed a flashlight. "Shall we, my lady?"
*****
The flashlights beam bathed the room in an eerie glow. The attic was actually the top floor of the house. Support beams divided the giant room, which was filled with boxes, chests, bureaus, suitcases and bookshelves. Giles took her hand and led the way to the collection of books.
He positioned the light so that it shone on both of them and they began searching. Giles riffled through house and crop diaries, detailing business and farm transactions, while Willow searched through hundreds of children's story books. She set down the last of a first edition set of the "Little House" books with a sigh. "I don't think there's anything here. And I don't think we're going to have time before midnight to dig through all this stuff."
"Not midnight."
She looked up at him. "What?"
"It's not going to happen at midnight." He sat beside her, automatically looping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him. "Here."
Willow looked at the page of the book he was holding. A woman's tight cursive script covered the page.
~~ I am close to the last of the waiting I must endure. Nathaniel and I are to be married soon and I will finally become the wife of the man I hate more than any other. These horrid arrangements my father has made serve only to dampen my spirits. ~~
~~ I long to run from this place into Adam's arms. He has promised me that he will wait, determined to the last to believe that Nathaniel will sacrifice himself up to his master once a child is born. How I worry that Adam is so eager to raise the devil's child simply to spend the night in my arms. ~~
~~ I know that there will be a sacrifice tonight. At first I believed that Nathaniel would sacrifice himself but I have learned since that he that must die is to be the beloved of the bearer. I found Adam in chains in the room I am to share with the beast that is to be my husband. My fingers are bloody from clawing at Nathaniel's face and arms, my nails torn from trying to break Adam's chains. What have I done? ~~
~~ Tonight is the wedding. Tonight I will watch Adam die as Nathaniel impregnates me with his cursed sperm. Tonight I will die. I will not live in a world without Adam. I cannot. I cannot be the woman who brings pure evil into this world. My wedding shall be a wake. ~~
Willow looked up at Giles, sadness and horror mixed in her eyes. "How horrible. How…" tears ran down her cheeks for the woman who had so obviously died along with her lover.
Giles tightened his hold on her and opened the journal he had brought to the house with him. His voice seemed to echo through the attic. "Sarah is dead. She vowed that she would haunt me and all of my descendants. She vowed that I would rue the day I met her. The blood will not go away. I am stained with it through to the soul I had thought I had given up. She died beside him, together in death, as they could not be in life. What a fool she was to think that such a man could give her anything but misery. Although, what could I offer her but death?"
"I still don't see what happened," Willow admitted.
"Well, the one I bought is apparently Nathaniel's. And this is Sarah's. We need to find an earlier diary of Nathaniel's."
"There is not one."
Two heads snapped up at the soft voice.
"You are not frightened?" A soft spectral form hovered nearby. "You have seen too much to be afraid. I was like that once."
"Are you Sarah?" Willow stared at the ghostly woman in fascination.
"I am." She sat in front of them, reaching out to touch her diary. Her hand passed through the pages and pulled away, holding a sepia toned picture. "And this, this is Adam. And Nathaniel."
Adam was a man in his mid forties, handsome and fit. Nathaniel, standing next to him, was also good looking though far younger. Giles took the picture from her, startled when the image of Sarah appeared between the two men.
"You see the resemblance?" Sarah laughed softly as realization dawned. Though they did not look that much like them, both Willow and Giles were struck by the age parallels of their relationships. "Nathaniel worshiped a demon. I know not which one, but suffice it to say he was the embodiment of evil. In order to insure that I would bear the demon's child, Nathaniel had to sacrifice my dearest love."
"Adam," Willow breathed.
"I swore it would not happen. I would not sleep with Nathaniel. I would not be the virgin he required. He locked Adam up in our wedding room and locked me in the attic like some crazed woman." She laughed. "Which, I suppose I was at the time. I destroyed the door and made my way to Adam. He was dead when I found him. Blood lined the walls and the floor. It seemed almost alive as it crept toward me, spilling from his body."
The air seemed to crackle with her grief. Willow moved closer to Giles, conscious of the images in the photo. For a magical moment, it seemed as though the forms of Adam and Sarah smiled and moved closer as well.
"I went to him to try to staunch the wound. I knew, logically, that it was too late. But grief…grief does not know logic. I searched the room for the weapon that killed him. When I couldn't find it, I wanted to scream. But I could not let Nathaniel know…" She sighed heavily, reminding Giles of how often the undead still mimicked their human habits. "I ripped the post from the bed with strength I did not know I possessed. Decorating it in Adam's blood, I impaled myself with it as though I were some sort of vampire."
Willow started and the ghost smiled. "You know about us, then?"
"I am a ghost, Willow. I know what I wish to know." She reached out and touched Willow's cheek. "You are brave to take the step. I never did. And I died without knowing Adam's touch. Only when our blood mixed did I feel him inside me."
Sarah's touch filled Willow with an odd warmth, as the room grew chilly.
"I died, mercifully, before Nathaniel could do anything. But the demon…the creature that he worshiped had the power to take our mixed blood - mine and Adam's - and taint it. He created a child from it and tainted it with evil."
"I was forced to watch, unable to do anything, while he raised the demon child here. He was tainted, but his heart was good. Like your…" she paused and thought. "Angel. A vampire with a soul is very much like a demon with a heart. The child left when he was ten and Nathaniel died. However, when he was 25, the same age as Nathaniel was when he killed Adam, he returned. He wandered into the bedroom and was killed by the same demon that possessed Nathaniel. He was impaled on the broken bed post."
Willow and Giles both felt the sorrow fill the room. Ghostly tears slipped from Sarah's eyes.
"Even though he was…spawn of something evil, he was also the last touch of Adam in my life. It wasn't until another 15 years past and Nathaniel Sullivan the third paid a visit to his ancestral home that I realized the cycle would continue. He died as well in the same way as his father. It has continued in this manner until this year."
"What's happened?" Willow asked softly.
"They did not come. They were killed on their way to the house. A car accident. I understand a tree branch impaled him through his stomach. They had no offspring. Tonight Nathaniel Sullivan's bastard line has died out."
"You have shown me tonight that sometimes love wins out over evil. You two have taken love that many would see as forbidden, as my love for Adam was, and claimed it with no thought to the rest of the world. And so, I may die. I may die, thanks to you, in peace." She stood gracefully and smiled down at the two of them, comfortable in each other's arms. "You have a great love and great passion. Hold it to your heart as though time means nothing."
"Goodbye, Willow. Goodbye, Rupert. Goodbye, Adam."
They watched her fade away into the night; her light dimming slowly until it was gone, like a candle in the sunlight. Willow turned to Giles and rested her hand against his cheek. "Do you think she's right? About us?"
He kissed her tenderly and they could both feel the longing and need in the simple touch. "I think I'm going to enjoy the challenge of finding out."