The Sting of Love
By Sha

Title: The Sting of Love

Author: Sha

Disclaimer: I have no money or assets Fox. I am a HUGE fan but I am willing to reconsider if pushed. (kidding) The damn people aren't mine, nor do I hold illusions that they are.

Notes: egads! I'm in a dark mood I guess. BUT I cannot end a fic unhappy. I'm a happily ever after type of girl.

2: This is ALL Arkins fault. Asked why no one wrote a fic to a marvelous song by Sting. A great song deserves a fic, even if it sucks (the fic). Big thanks to solo for the beta reading.

Awaking with a start, Buffy screamed out Giles' name.

As with the times before, no one came running. She was alone.

Shaking off the effects of the bad dream, Buffy took a deep, shaky breath.

Getting out of her bed, she padded down to the kitchen to get a drink.

The house she used to share with Willow was so quiet, lonely.

Willow had married Xander and they had moved from Sunnydale, far from Sunnydale. That made Giles’ leaving so much harder for her.

Stopping herself before her thoughts could take her down that spiraling darkness of depression; Buffy turned on the radio.

Listening to the song, she was drawn in by its words. They reached inside and read her heart, her very soul.

~~ Every Breath You Take

Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take

I'll be watching you

Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay

I'll be watching you

Oh can't you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches with every step you take

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake

I'll be watching you

Since you've gone I've been lost without a trace
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around but it's you I can't replace
I keep crying baby, baby please...


Unable to stop the memories from rushing back, Buffy settled into a kitchen chair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had only been a month ago, but it seemed like a year.

Anya had long been dead, Riley as well. Lost to the fight. Always fighting the good fight.

Spike had dusted himself, and poor Oz had been killed by a silver bullet. Willow and Xander had found each other’s hearts, gotten married and moved to New York.

The farther from death, the better.

Her and Giles had fought a dracamine demon that day. It was just the two now and they couldn't seem to find their footing. It was so ...odd to be so alone.

Ahhh, but it was that kind of thinking that started the fateful argument. Giles was tired of her saying she was alone. He had stayed for her. He could have gone back to England with Olivia long ago, but he choose to stay with Buffy. He chose to stay with Buffy for reasons she seemed perpetually blind to.

And Buffy had said she was tired of being alone.

Her calm, collected, so very 'British' Giles had exploded.

She gave a small chuckle when she remembered the look on his face, and the sound of words she didn't know he even knew.

In essence, he told her until she realized that HE was there and always had been, he wouldn't see her. He was leaving for his home. He was going back to England.

Until she realized his presence was of value. Until she accepted that he was a valid part of her life, he would cut all contact.

He had remained true to his word. Buffy finally knew how it felt to be truely alone.

But, she was almost thankful for that. She had started to realize things she never would have before.

The way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, how he held his cup when drinking his tea (now that was sexy), how his very laughter could brighten up her whole world, or how she was slowly shriveling up, dying without him.

But the most important of all, how she loved him with every inch of her soul... every fragment of her being.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

She had sent off a letter two weeks ago, but it came back undeliverable. Giles didn't go to England. She had no clue where he was.

She had contacted Olivia and, after a few veiled threats and outright intimidation, found that Giles never even had the intentions on going there. He had lied.

LIED! She got so enraged just thinking about it. Yeah, she *may* have stretched the truth a time or two herself, but she had never outright L-....

OK, maybe that once. Or twice, but not when it was important. Umm, OK, that teeny time....

Gathering her thoughts again, she thought about how incredibly selfish she had been all this time, so thoughtless to his feelings.

Getting up, Buffy walked to the window, looking at the darkness that lay outside.

"Oh Giles, I'm so sorry. If I could take it all back, I would. I just wish I could see you," the last was barely audible.

Sighing once more, Buffy turned and headed up the stairs to bed.

Settling between the sheets, she was unprepared for the sounds coming from beneath her window outside.

Music. Not any music, but the very music that had affected her so deeply just moments before.

~~Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take

I'll be watching you

Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay

I'll be watching you~~

Jumping from her bed, she ran to the window and threw it open.

~~Oh can't you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches with every step you take

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake

I'll be watching you~~

Seeing Giles outside, holding up a boom box, she cried out with joy before swinging both legs out the window.

Dropping the radio, Giles yelled for her to stop. Going to the side of the house, he came back with a ladder. Using it, he climbed up to Buffy, Stopping one rung away from her.

"I've missed you Buffy and I love you dearly, but I can’t-I won’t go back to the way it was before."

"Oh Giles, I love you. I *love* you!"

Giles’ shock soon gave way to both laughter and tears. He threw his arms around her, causing the ladder to shake.

Using her strength, Buffy pulled them both backwards in through the window.

They landed on the floor with an ommmph.

"Giles? How, where, what? I have so many questions. "

Silencing her with a kiss, Giles experimentally parted her lips with his tongue. They savored the flavor and scents they had been without for far too long. He smiled when he heard her groan.

Coming up for air, Giles explained what he had been doing for the past month.

"When I left you that day, I was upset. I needed to get away. But, I knew that England was too far. So, I went to see Xander and Willow. They are doing great but being newlyweds, they drove me bloody insane and I left a week later."

Picking Buffy up, he carried her to the much softer bed before continuing his story.

"From there, I knew I had to see you. So, I came back and watched your every move like some insane stalker. When I saw you were OK, I decided to visit Cordelia and Angel. I found that being in their company for more than a week was out, so I came back yet again. That's when I saw you weren't doing as well. I was afraid to leave again, so I stayed and watched you."

Tracing his every feature with her fingertips, Buffy softly told him her own story. She left out the little tiff she had with Olivia.

"And that's when you came in with the music. Giles? Have I told you that I'm really sorry and I'll never, never take you for granted again? Forgive me?"

"How could I not?"

That night, the two new lovers healed old wounds and created a new bond to the soft strains of a simple song that had brought it all to light.

~~ Since you've gone I've been lost without a trace
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around but it's you I can't replace
I keep crying baby please

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake

I'll be watching you ~~

END