Good Sunday (nearly Monday) to you all. This story is brand brand new. Just happened to be catching up on some reading this weekend and found this fic. The way Giles is written in it, and I suppose my reaction to him, made this the only fic I could think of recommending this week.

After too near of a near-miss on substitute patrol with Willow lands Giles in the hospital, Buffy comes to some important realizations about Riley, Giles and herself.

I found the Giles in this fic, incredibly sexy. Like Gangbusters. He's confident without being a jerk or out of character. He's vulnerable without being weak. Just. Bloody. Hot.

The story is called Under the Influence. It's by froxyn , is Buffy/Giles and is rated FRM. You can find it here: http://froxyn.livejournal.com/211587.html

And if you have even the slightest Buffy/Giles leanings, I highly recommend it. Did I mention, HOT? :)

[I will do my best to post next week. I will be in Los Angeles at a Firefly convention and my posting may depend on my WiFi access at the hotel.]

Till next time kiddies, AWAY!

It's been a busy week for me and an even busier Saturday, so there is only one rec today. It is a fairly lengthy fic, so I hope you'll forgive me for not providing you with a choice of reading.

I've been in the mood for something a little angsty, but with a happyish ending. This week's rec is Betrayal by LadyForAsh. It is set during season six. Giles leaves, but finds that he cannot stay away from Buffy. He returns, tracks Buffy down and finds her in a compromising position. She admits that she can't cope. Giles takes her away and helps her to rebuild the old Buffy. There are ups and downs along the way, including Giles having to deal with Willow's magic addiction. However, our couple find the strength to make it through.

I hope you are all having a great weekend.

Greetings all. Sorry I've missed a couple of weeks. RL has been interesting of late.

Tonight I'm reccing Feet of Clay by ubiquirk. I found it earlier this week and I'm still thinking about it. It's a Giles version of Conversations with Dead People and it's somewhat stunning. There is angst and there is darkness but mostly, there is Giles. I can picture him in this so clearly, heartbreakingly so.

It's rated PG-13 and there are no pairings (unless you count past!Jenny). Give it a read, won't you? You can find it here: http://community.livejournal.com/ubific/23591.html

Hey all! I hope you are having a good weekend.

My first choice for the day is a fairly new story. It's very long, but I think it's worth the read. It's a story with Rupert and a not canon character. Now, normally, I'm not a fan of these. They are usually too Mary Sue and are just...well, bad. (Is it me or do most of them read like they were written by 12 year olds?) Anywhom, this one is actually very well done and so worth the time. It starts out with Rupert back in England to rebuild the Council, but his life is empty and dark. And then one day he meets someone and everything changes. It's 127 parts, which sounds like a lot, but I got so into it that I didn't notice the length. I'll give you the link to LadyforASH's journal with a search for all 127 parts. (I think this should take you to the page with part 1 on it and you can just follow the parts back.) It's called Worth The Wait by LadyForASH and LilyDiablo.

My second choice is a nod out to Thanksgiving coming up. This one takes place right after Pangs in season 4. (Literally.) Everyone has left, sticking Giles with the clean up. Well, not everyone. Buffy is there, but she's wanting to bail. Rupert reminds her that she said he wouldn't get stuck with clean up, so reluctantly, she stays. While they do dishes they get to talk and she sees him a bit differently. As they clear another batch of dishes from the table, Buffy gets playful with this man she is seeing as...well, a man, and she throws peas at him. It leads to a food fight, which leads to Rupert licking food off of her and other fun things. This is well written, sexy, and a lot of fun. It's called Wishbone by Gylzgirl.

I hope you have a great night and happy reading!

I'm posting early today as my daughter is having a party this evening and I know if I don't post my rec now, I won't have time later.

As it is Halloween, I thought I would enter into the spirit of things (yes, bad pun - sorry) and post a ghost story. My first rec is by headrush100  and is entitled Returns. It is a Giles/Anya fic and has everything one might like to read on Halloween; ghosts, demons and blood. The setting of the fic is an actual place in Edinburgh, so you'll be getting a history lesson too. Here are the links to part 1 and part 2. The rating is FRM.

My final rec today is The Once and Future Watcher by lears_daughter  This is a cross-over with Merlin. A grief stricken Giles uses magic to go back in time to fix things. This fic is a very good blend of both shows and carries a warning for character death.

Happy and safe Halloween everyone!

Hey all! I hope you had a great Saturday. Mine wasn't as busy as usual as I've twisted my ankle and I actually stayed off of it today.

As Next week is Halloween, I've decided to follow the theme and pick a few tales from that genre.

My first choice for today is an ABH from one of my favourite authors. In this, "you" are Rupert's girlfriend in Sunnydale. (It's during the high school years. I'm thinking season 3.) It's set on Halloween. You and Rupert are getting ready to go to a costume dance. You've picked out a hot costume for him, including tight black leather pants and boots. What will he pick for you in return? It's not a long story, but it is well written and I love the cute interaction between the characters. It's a great read. It's aptly named Halloween and it's by Gylzgirl.

My second choice is set in season 4. (I think.) Giles decides to take the group camping for Halloween. After Xander dares him to tell a scary story around the campfire, Rupert changes the subject to pressing business. He tells them he actually brought them out here because of some ritualistic killings in the woods. He then tells them he hopes they can draw out the evil that did it by being targets. Of course they are pretty upset. Can you blame them? Demons, evil, and it's not even a real camping trip??? He tells them about their foe, a demon that is ruthless and capable of stealing a Slayer's strength. They are all starting to get a bit freaked. He tells them that Xander and Willow will have to help Buffy, he can't. Why not, they want to know. Where will you be? His response? Well ,you'll have to read the story to find out. :) Now, this is part 1 of the story. It does continue on to a naughty part 2, where Buffy gets to spend some naked time with her Watcher. The link to that part is at the bottom of part 1. Where is part 1? Right here: It's called Careful What You Ask For by Wickedfox and here is Part 1. I particularly liked this one for how everyone stayed in character and it was fun and wonderfully written. Totally worth the read.

My third choice is set in season 4. The gang is going to a Halloween party and Rupert and Buffy are dressed in the same costume! Buffy's a bit miffed about that and that he is going out with them and is a bit rude to him. But the party turns out to be a dud, so when Buffy wants to leave early, Rupert offers to walk her home. On the way, she apologises to him, then takes him on a detour to show him a very picturesque spot. He has his camera with him and they have a great time taking pictures of each other. After a slip that lands him under her, they start back to his place with a quick stop to share hot chocolate. Sparks fly between the two of them and it leads us to this really fun line: "Giles, maybe this would be the moment where you put down the camera and show me that you are in fact not a *gay* Greek god." It's sexy, fun. and really, who wouldn't want to spend Halloween shagging the Watcher? The story is called Time of My Life by Gabriele Shultz and it's rated FRAO.

My last pick for the day isn't a Halloween story, but it is a ghost story. Set between seasons 4 and 5, this story has Rupert and Buffy stranded at a haunted house. When Rupert's car dies, they walk to an abandoned house. As they walk through it, they discover how beautiful is it, how nice the furniture looks. The find old clothing in the rooms and change from their wet things. Now, what they don't see or hear, but we do, is a pair of ghosts watching them. And these ghosts seem intent on setting the Watcher and Slayer up. I just love this line: "Can't you see it in his eyes when he looks at her? He's her protector, who's resorted to protecting her from himself." When one of the ghosts scares the crap out of Buffy after she's gone to bed, it sends her running across the hall to Rupert. When they decide to sleep in the same bed for safety, it leads to an interesting time. After a romantic night snuggling after very hot sex, they drive back to Rupert's place in the morning. But then we see a family drive up to where the house was, except, there is no house. It had burned down years before. It's a fun ghost story and it huge bit of romance. It's called Serendipity by Elle.

I hope you enjoy these and have a great Halloween. Happy reading!

Saturday is here again and this week, I've been re-reading some of my favourite older fics.

This week, I am reccing two stories by Head Rush.  The first story, The Missing Shoe, features Giles and the Dracubabes. Giles goes back to Dracula's castle to retrieve his missing shoe and to prove that he isn't as useless as the Scoobies seem to think he is. Willow makes a brief appearance and realises that Giles going back, wasn't just about footwear. This story does contain some scenes of a sexual nature. :)

My second rec this week is a Giles/Anya story entitled Power. This story is set at the beginning of season 7. Giles is back in England and Anya decides to pay him a visit as she is worried about her boyfriend's odd behaviour. So begins a hunt for a missing Watcher and a dark magicks book.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Greetings all. This week's rec is another by koala1356.

It's ten years in the future and Buffy and Giles are married and have a baby daughter. But all is not sunshine and lollypops. Giles suffers from a long ago aquired wound and their lives are not the happiest they could be, but they love each other. And then, The Council decides to intervene in the most terrible and tragic ways.

It's FRAO and Buffy/Giles but not in a happy way. It's called Creed and you can find it here: http://www.dwordslist.net/creed01.html

Warnings for character death and gut yourself crying levels of angst. And, not to spoil but as a warning, it also casts Wesley in a very bad guy role. This fic was written back in the day so Wesley was not as established at the time.

The level of complication and hardship Koala brings to Giles's life in this fic is so detailed that in the hands of any other writer, I think it would be too much for me to take. But... she's just so damn good.

Hey all! I hope your Saturday is going well. Mine has been fun. (I spent my morning ghost hunting.)

Anywhom, my choices today are very different from each other, so there's no real theme, except that I really like them.

My first choice is actually a series of four stories. It's set in the summer between seasons 4 and 5, right after the joining spell of Primevil. In this series, the spell has some after effects that draw the core four into a relationship that while not conventional, it works for them. The first story sets us up, taking us from Rupert's flat the day after Restless, showing us the thought processes of Giles, Xander, Buffy, and Willow as they face their new dynamic and the reality of how they feel towards each other. I like this series because it deals with how separate their lives had become and it gives us the bond and the closeness they should have had. I like how the characters stay in character, with Rupert fighting this relationship all the way until he just can't anymore. (And the hot sex between the four of them was a BIG bonus.) The series is called The Core Four Verse and the first of the stories is Four Nights and a Revelation by Antennapedia. (The links to the rest are on the main page and at the bottom of this first story.) (The scene where Rupert finally gives in and joins the other three in bed is worth the read.)

My other choice for the day is a very different story, but I like it very much. This one is set in season 3, right after Bad Girls. I always wondered exactly how much being tortured by Angel affected Rupert. The show glossed it over and I get the why of it. (Facing the reality of it would have been WAY too depressing.) We see a glimpse of his pain in Revelations when he confronts Buffy about not telling him Angel was back, but really, the show just passes over it all. This story takes us into Rupert's head and gives us some of that grim reality. In this story, Rupert is in the warehouse after everyone has left and he's having to deal with how much being tied up and hurt by the Eliminati reminded him of being tortured by Angel. The thing that takes this story from "Holy Crap that was depressing" to "Awww, poor Rupert, let me kiss it better" is that in the middle of Rupert's freakout, Wesley comes back to the warehouse for something and finds him. The two men talk, Rupert taking comfort from the reality of Wes and Wes realising that while Rupert is a hero, he's not perfect and that takes him off the pedestal. Seeing them come together and help each other up makes this worth the read and then some. It's called Shadows and Darkness by Fairygothmum.

I hope you enjoy these. Have a great weekend and happy reading!!

Tonight's rec: Innocens by glimmergirl (Giles/Buffy - FRT). Buffy knows Giles too well. This one's lovely, friends. Enjoy!

Tevye: Someone - Giles/Buffy, FRT

In an AU season 4, Riley has died in an explosion and a somewhat shattered Buffy has been living with Giles and slowly recovering. She slowly puts herself back together again and takes steps to move out. This step guts both of them, but it's necessary.

The title of each chapter is a line from "Being Alive" by Stephen Sondheim. Chapters alternate between Giles and Buffy's point of view, each written in the first person, which lets us experience the slow growth of their relationship from both sides.

Not only is it Sunday again but I actually remembered it was Sunday! Yea for me. Onto fic.

This week's recommendation is an oldie but a goodie. Set Post-Restless, Buffy and Giles have been working on her powers and growing closer and closer, but an ancient prophecy and a hunt for the heads of the Watcher and the Slayer are throwing cold water onto the proceedings. Matched Set is by koala1356. It is FRT and can be found here: http://www.wickedsky.com/gileszone/archive/fic/fic_koala_matchedset.html

It is Buffy/Giles and in the spirit of full disclosure, I was the beta for this fic back in the day. However, in all honesty, I didn't remember that until I saw it in the author's notes :) Why it's being recommended is that Koala is an author of, in my opinion, stunning talent and skill and the Giles fandom should be happy we get to read her stuff for free instead of paying $7.99 for a paperback of it at the local Borders :) When she gives you angst, she has you begging for mercy. When she gives you romance, it's a warm, lovely glowing thing. When she gives you adventure, you're running right along with the action. When she gives you all three... that's Matched Set. :D

Wow, it's Saturday again already. It's been another crazy busy week.

The first of today's recs is A Week In February by wiccaficca This story has been one of my favourites for a while now. It features moments during Giles's life which all centre around, as the title suggests, a week in February. Poor Giles has lived through a few traumas and he isn't sure if he can bear another one. Let's all hope he doesn't have to!

The second and final rec today is a new story posted yesterday by brutti_ma_buoni Our Man In Manilla is all about how Giles chooses to spend a night when he is stranded at an airport hotel. This fic is set during the rise of The First and Giles is hunting Potentials. Can anyone deny that Giles deserves a little fun, especially if he can seduce a woman with bathroom appliances? The rating on this fic is FRAO.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Today's rec: antennapedia's Dormant (Giles/Buffy - FRT), post-Becoming. Giles finds Buffy, and Buffy finds her way. Stark, beautiful, and everything I'd hoped for when I won a story by Antenna in last spring's Sweet Charity auction. Enjoy!

Hey all! Another busy Saturday and another day that I'm behind. But here I am, right at the deadline. :) Today I'm choosing three stories by the same author. I'm not sure if she's still writing in the fandom, (I don't think she is.) but I love her work. So, today I take you on a walk through the fandom archives for some representative work from the delightful Saint Buffy. (Be warned, they are all FRAO.)

My first story is set in season five. Riley is gone and Buffy is tired of the drama that is her love life. She is in the Magic Box one afternoon talking to Willow and asking why every relationship has to be so hard. Why can't it just flow and be something simple. Later that evening, when Buffy trains with Giles, something is different between them and then, when everyone else has left, he starts to flirt with her and they end up sleeping together. Later, Willow puts it all together and realises that Giles must have heard Buffy's rant and as he loves her, he gave her the something simple she asked for. Now, what will Buffy do with this knowledge? I love this story because it's sweet and well written and the characters pretty much stay in character. The plot works, the dialog is fun and the sex scenes are smoking. (The bit in the training room is worth the time this story takes to read. I love Rupert all hot and intense. If that isn't enough for you, the conversation between Buffy and Rupert about how confident he is in bed should make you smile.) All in all, a great read. It's called Simplicity.

My second choice is set in season four. Buffy is still dating Riley, but she's started to think about her Watcher in a less than Watcherly way. She starts comparing the two, such as, "Why can't Riley speak five languages like Giles?" or "Why can't Riley use a sword like Giles?" Somehow, Riley just can never match up. Then Willow, Xander, and Giles call Buffy to go with them to kill a demon in the woods. While they are driving, Willow asks Buffy how her mom is doing. Buffy's response? "I think she was more pissed that she didn't know that I'd been dating Giles for ages before she met him." Giles??? Ooops. She has to back pedal with, "I meant, Riley. Mom was pissed at me because I hadn't brought Riley round to meet her. My boyfriend Riley." She decides that she really has to think this out. Later, while she is trying to think of all the things she loves about Riley, she can't get her mind off of Giles. Finely, she goes to admit her feelings to the Watcherman. How will he take it? Saint Buffy's writing style is fun and she does a great job of keeping everyone in character. This really is a good read, watching Buffy backpedal and come to grips with who she really loves. It's called Slip of the Tongue.

My last choice is also set in season five. Everyone is gathered in the Magic Box. Buffy is the the training room pummeling Xander, while Willow and Tara are listening to Anya discuss a misunderstanding in her and Xander's love life in detail. Meanwhile, Giles is going between both places, taking inventory on weapons, cleaning them up, making sure they are all sharp. He overhears Anya mentioning to Willow that she wasn't sure how to react during a specific oral sex encounter with Xander. Meanwhile, in the training room, Xander tells Buffy she really needs to learn the new demon's language as it would be terrible to say the wrong thing. "What if you get it wrong?" Xander added. "You don't wanna creak when you should have croaked." Buffy responds with,"And the whole spitting thing. Should I spit *at* them or to the side? We were kinda busy fighting so I didn't really notice what the other guy did." Right about that point, fresh from the Anya conversation, Giles walks in. Buffy smiles and says to him, "What do you think, Giles, should I spit?" You can guess where his mind went and he responded that was really between her and Riley. Ooops. When Xander finds out what Anya is saying about him, he runs out, leaving Buffy and Rupert to talk. In this conversation, Buffy says that Riley won't talk to her about stuff like that and that their love life is very "insert tab A into slot B" and nothing more. In a moment of petulance, she asks Rupert what he likes a girl to do in that situation. Since she is being open with him and actually talking, he tamps down his embarrassment and answers her with, "I'm usually too preoccupied to notice what they do." Buffy accepts that, then realises that Riley isn't a part of the team, really isn't a part of her world, but Rupert is. This leads her to find out first hand what he likes a girl to do. This is sexy, romantic, and well written. As always, she keeps the characters in character and manages to make the sex work anyway. This one is called Talking Head. (Part 1 with a link to part 2 at the bottom of the page.)

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. Have a great weekend and happy reading!