In the semidarkness of Rupert’s apartment, they sat opposite each other naked and smiled in the candlelight’s gentle glow.

"Willow, are you sure you want to cast?" Rupert’s sweet low voice caressed her soul, her smile grew wide, and she nodded. He held her hands with the candle between them and began to the soft chant that would activate the Eyes of the Beholder.

"See me, as I see you beloved. See my soul feel my love. See my mortal body as it truly is." The candle flame wavered between them as Rupert finished the chant Willow took it up and completed it with closed eyes she took a small breath and then opened her eyes to her lover; he was smiling.

"Hello, my beautiful Willow–"

She shed tears of joy at his words and found solace in his arms. The two made one, made love in the candlelight that masked their scars to prying eyes.

Warm water cascaded down Willow’s pale back, one of her legs hooked round Rupert’s back as he leant with his shoulders to the tiles. His head bent in a passionate kiss while his strong hand reached for her other leg and supported her weight. Willow moaned into his mouth and moved in an easy gentle rhythm building to her climax.

At last feeling their bodies tense and the crest of their orgasm crashing around them, Rupert held Willow closer still wishing to share her warmth and vitality, creating yet another memory to take with them. Leaving an echo of their passion imprinted in the room.

Willow smiled up at him under the water and slid from his body then knelt to clean where the water did not reach. Rupert sighed and closed his eyes, his dream made real before him.

Buffy yawned as she collected her towel and wash bag from the cupboard by her bed. Being on call sucked! She approached the shower with half closed eyes and yelped as she reached in and connected with hot wet flesh.

"What the fuck!" She whipped the curtain open to reveal a grizzled soaking wet Xander. Her mouth fell open in shock. My, he’s grown!

Xander screamed and ripped the curtain back. "Buf–fy! Christ, don’t you knock?"

"Xander?" Buffy protested holding an offensive loofah in her left hand. "What are you doing in my shower?" She looked into his eyes and saw that they swept over her hastily covered body, she pulled her robe tighter round her and arched her eyebrow. "Well?"

He heaved a sigh and shut off the water accepting the towel Buffy handed him. "It’s Giles and Willow… When I got up this morning, they were in the shower together, not showering…" at Buffy’s ready smile he continued. "and in the kitchen, not cooking and in the living room, the bedroom, the patio… God! Buffy where do they get the energy?!" He wailed.

She shrugged her shoulders and stepped round Xander and into the shower, she turned the water on and wondered just what her Watcher was playing at.

"Hey Xander, there’s coffee in the pot if you want it, pour me some too?" She called and heard Xander’s muffled reply before the warm relaxing water took her thoughts far from her work and its life and death problems.

Rupert lay on his side and reached over Willow for a strawberry from the bowl, he kissed her shoulder and left a sweet juicy mark. She turned her head to smile at him and he kissed her gently.

"What happened in San Francisco?" He swallowed his mouthful and took another two fruits, he dangled one over her mouth, and she nibbled it before answering.

"Oh, Tara and I opened a shop called “The Protection Racket,” we sold charms and crystals, Feng Shui clobber an all that jazz…"

Rupert grinned at the name of the shop and Willow’s use of the word “clobber,” she’d acquainted herself with some hippy types whilst in the city. He gave her another strawberry and then dipped his finger in the bowl of melted chocolate beside the strawberries.

"We cleansed some apartments of supposedly evil spirits, it turned out that landlords were screwing with their tenants, not keeping up with the maintenance and we had them prosecuted. We weren’t popular!" She sighed as she remembered the night Tara died.

Rupert licked his fingers, draped his arm over her waist, and moved closer to her. "Do you want to talk about it?" She nodded and squirmed round to face him.

"Tara was working late on inventory, I was patrolling–" She hesitated at his frown and continued with a small shrug. "Old habits… I saw a vamp attacking a man in the middle of the park; the man was putting up a fight. I couldn’t let him be snack food Rupert, so I ran toward the vampire screaming like a banshee! It fled!" She grinned proudly and Rupert kissed her forehead. "A lot of noise normally scares them off in the flower–power city. Anyway, I helped the man up and he’d been wounded. He was dressed in tweed and carried an umbrella and he looked so like you… I thought–He introduced himself as Gareth Ffoulkes he worked in the British Consulate. I took him to the local hospital and discovered that Tara had been brought in twenty minutes before." She stopped as large tears fell to his chest. "The shop had been torched and she’d been unable to escape… I knew it was her because of the ring I gave her at Solstice."

"She loved you very much Willow, I saw it in her eyes every day before you left. She loves you still her aura surrounded you as we did the spell last night." Rupert finished softly and smiled at Willow’s expression. "Didn’t you know? We all leave something behind, how much and how strongly those remaining feel it depends on how strong we are. And Tara was strong but we are stronger, the others will be able to see and feel us after we’re gone."

"Really? Because I was hoping they would, hey! We’d be haunting them!" She smiled at the realisation.

Rupert was serious once more. "Did they ever catch who did it?"

"No, the police closed ranks, our little shop was gone along with all my mementos of Sunnydale, and I had no means of support. Gareth helped me to get a job at the consulate and he joked I made a mean cup of tea!" She smiled and Rupert shared her joy.

"We married a year after Tara’s death, we had a son little Rupert…"

Rupert beamed down at her; his joy was short lived.

"He died when he was two, and it broke Gareth’s heart, mine too." She struggled on. "Umm then–then Gareth had a car accident and was taken to the nearest clinic, he’d lost a lot of blood, I got there as soon as I could. They’d already given him a transfusion. He pulled through, slowly he recovered, and we decided to try for another baby." She fell silent and knotted the sheet in her fingers.

"Willow, love, you don’t have to go on…" He whispered unable to bare her pain.

She sobbed into his chest. "My wonderful man, my friend, my lover died of AIDS two years ago. It was the blood they gave him…" He rocked her gently and marvelled at her strength of will to survive so much tragedy. He let her cry herself to sleep cradled in his arms. There was enough time for his story in the morning.

He stared through the window, the curtains shifted in the early dawn breeze, his love lay sleeping at his side and he wondered if today would be the day when they lost the fight. He listened to his body and carefully stretched out his hands, one normal one arthritic he didn’t need to pretend to himself anymore, he’d been using healing on himself for decades and now it was beyond his power to shield the others from his true form.

A soft warm hand on his cheek drew his gaze to Willow’s beautiful face, she clung to life for him, and he loved her beyond measure for it.

"Morning Rupert, my lover." she kissed him, each kiss was like the first, dewy and soft a sweet invitation to greater delights.

"My story now Willow, ready?" he inquired with a raised brow. She nodded and reached for a strawberry from the bowl.

"I have loved you for so long! Watched you as you took tentative steps into love and magic, you terrified me for the longest time! I saw myself in you and thank the Gods! You stepped back from the abyss that I overstepped with Ethan. I –it’s my fault Oz died Willow. I can’t help thinking that I provoked him into attacking me and then Buffy had no choice but to kill him." Her fingers traced the silver arrowhead in the flesh of his chest.

"I know she didn’t have a choice Rupert, I gave her the crossbow!" A frown creased her brow and he kissed it away.

"He could smell the arousal on me when you and Tara were around, I wouldn’t be normal if I wasn’t aroused by the two of you together." He blushed. "Then Oz was able to narrow it down to just you Willow and then I knew I was in big trouble! He discovered how long I’d wanted you, and he remembered how tenderly I treated you whilst we were watching over him at the full moon."

"Rupert, why didn’t you tell me when Oz first left? We’ve wasted so many years…" Tears stood like crystals on the edge of her lashes.

Rupert shrugged and dipped his head to disguise a trembling chin, "so many reasons got in the way. I’ve been carrying the guilt for so long…" She watched as his tears fell and she kissed them away, enfolding him in a tender embrace as he cried into her shoulder, she stroked his hair and rocked him as one would a babe.

Eventually his sobs subsided and turned to passionate pleas as Willow worked her magic on his tired body. Each caress and kiss returned with equal fervour until together they bathed in ecstasy’s pool.

Xander knocked on Giles’ door. He put his ear to the wood and listened, no moans this morning, he couldn’t decide if that were good or bad.

"Morning Xander!" Giles opened the door quickly and Xander nearly fell in. "Beautiful day hmm?" Willow smiled as she stood beside Giles.

"Buffy says to come in for some tests today, both of you." Xander gulped down his fear at the first sight of his friends, both looked pale and wan but still when he looked into their eyes they had a fierce burning life force as if they were hanging onto life for sake of the other.

"Thank you Xander, for putting up with us for so long." Willow kissed him as she passed by and followed Rupert out to the car.

Xander closed the door behind them and hurried for his lift. Willow and Rupert gazed at each other all the way to the hospital. Giles stopped the car to buy Willow some flowers, the florist was astounded to see such an obviously sick pair out and about.

Willow hugged her freesias to her body and smiled happily at her handsome suitor. Xander sat in the back of the car and watched the two of them, as he saw the evidence of their love glowing from every pore he forgot the way their bodies looked and saw only Willow and Giles, finally together and very much in love.

Giles parked the car and Xander leapt out and ran to the hospital doors.

Rupert looked at Willow. "Ready darling?" she nodded. "Which is it to be then? Do we protect the innocent or the public?"

Willow sighed "the innocent of course Rupert, I can’t have children running from me in terror."

He smiled at her choice and kissed her slender fingers. The Eyes of the Beholder spell was an ancient one used to cloak the appearance of royalty and gods. Both he and Willow had cast it together over two days to make sure that any innocent souls looking at them would see their healthy bodies undamaged by disease.

They made their way to Buffy’s office through the hospital with heads held high and smiling faces. Willow trembled as she noticed the stares of the people that passed them. Children took no notice.

Soon they were at Buffy’s door, knocked, and entered. She looked up and her expression spoke volumes. Tears pricked at her eyes, she tried to smile, but it wouldn’t come.

"It’s back isn’t it?" She gazed into Giles’ eyes as he nodded. His soul burned fiercely behind his eyes. She looked to Willow and saw the same elemental glow. "You’re both leaving me… soon."

"We have to Buffy, it’s our time. But after we’re gone, the balance will be upset and you will be the Slayer again. The Council will be in touch swiftly, with their knickers in a knot!"

Buffy giggled at the image and Rupert smiled, he slipped his hand into Willow’s and turned away… Buffy looked up and saw her two friends leave, her vision blurred with unshed tears.

"Boo, Spike!" Giles giggled when the blond jumped, knocking over the chess pieces.

"Gawd, Watcher! Nearly killed me!" His eyes fell on Willow and summed up what they were both here for, to say goodbye. "Ah, the delicious Red! Would you like some tea? I’ve just brewed."

"Thanks Spike!" Giles replied warmly and drew up his chair close to the chessboard. Willow sat on the Vampires bed and flipped through the Sadie Stern magazine…it was an eye–popping read!

An hour passed quickly, Spike and Giles matched move for move the atmosphere could be cut with a knife. Giles sighed and wiped his brow, Spike sat back in his chair, and looked at the board in amazement, he had him beaten. He looked across to the Watcher and caught the quiet smile on his old friends lips. His left hand tipped his King over acknowledging his defeat.

Giles drained his mug of tea and glanced over at Willow, she slept curled round the porn mag on Spikes bed.

"Well done Spike! Ummm I think we’ll be going now, Willow?" He called her name softly and she seemed to lift twice from the bed. Spike stared and blinked at her.

"Goodnight Spike…" She came toward him, an angelic vision and placed a chaste kiss on his lips and he swore he almost felt his heart rouse and beat.

Xander opened his eyes when the front door opened. Willow and Rupert walked quietly into the living room and smiled at him. Willow came so near he could feel her breath on his cheek.

"Xander, would you like a drink? We’re just having tea." Willow smiled as her old friend nodded and went back to dribbling on his pillow.

He heard the kettle whistle and smelt Giles’ cologne as he put the tea on the table beside him, he felt Giles shake his shoulder to rouse him from his sleep. He sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes.

"Don’t let it get cold Xander." Giles smiled down at him and gave him a kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight, son."

"Night, dad…" Xander reached for his tea and took one sip, then snuggled under the covers once more.

The alarm rang in his head and Xander stretched himself awake. His fingers dipped into the warm tea that Willow had made him, he drank it down then showered and dressed before going to Giles’ door and knocking.

The door was ajar and he pushed it further open, he saw his two best friends embraced in bed, their tea mugs on one table and the bowl of strawberries on the floor empty.

Something about the scene froze the breath in his lungs. The window was open and a cool breeze played through the room. They were so still–

He fled the house. His lungs burned, his feet slapped the cold silent street, and tears streamed from his eyes. He had to get to Buffy. He had to tell Buffy. He crashed through the doors and screamed the Slayers name dropping to his knees in grief…

Minutes or hours passed he didn’t know which, time meant nothing now. He felt her hand on his shoulder and looked up, his eyes empty.

Buffy shook her head as she gazed at Xander’s sweat–drenched body. "No!"

Spike drove like a maniac to Giles’ house all the while repeating his mantra, “not true, not dead, not true, not dead”. The sun singed his clothes as he strode into the silent house. He moved his head sharply from side to side scanning the room for signs of life. He approached their bedroom and drew a quiet breath into his lungs; he caught the scent of freesias and strawberries, lust and finally death.

Giles and Willow reclined in bed, at peace in love. Spike’s sob when it came was dragged from Hell and filtered through heaven, the demon within wept for his fallen comrades, the only true human friends he’d ever had. He turned his head as the Slayer entered the room and gestured hopelessly at the bed. He was unable to speak at the beauty of the couple on the bed frozen in death in the midst of an intimate embrace.

Buffy drew Spike fiercely to her chest and wept with him, slowly inching him from the room, the vampire gulped and shook unashamedly.

He finally quietened after a couple of scotches."I beat him at chess last night… First time ever! I should have known then" Spike swallowed the last of his drink crunching the melting ice.

Xander sat slumped opposite Buffy nursing his drink. "He made me some tea and called me…" His lip trembled, he tried to smile but failed. "S..son…"

Buffy smiled brightly, her eyes shining with tears. "What’s to be done? I mean funeral wise?"

"Crypt." Spike offered. "I’ll put them there, no one will disturb them and I’ll tend them."

They all agreed to that arrangement and silently under cover of darkness that night a lonely procession wound through the empty streets to Spike’s crypt. They left them, as they were naked and embracing for eternity. Buffy gave Willow flowers, Xander placed Giles’ guitar at his feet and Spike left four gold pieces in the tomb to pay the ferryman. They took one last look at the lovers’ before Spike and Buffy slid the stone lid into place.

Rupert Giles and Willow Rosenberg–Ffoulkes died of natural causes on the 20th July 2015

The end.

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