She loved this house, it was a wonderful old Victorian in the historical
district on Carr Avenue. They had moved in two months ago and started redoing
it. Spike had plenty of money from some very long term investments and she
planned on going back to teaching in the Fall. She missed the kids and the
principal of her old school was glad to hear from her the art teacher that
had taken over for Buffy, was now expecting a baby so she was leaving the
school.
Buffy joined Spike in the dining room, he was hanging a lovely chandelier
he told Buffy that it was accurate for the time period of the house. He laughed
when she had asked if he was sure. "Of the two of us, Buffy, who was there
in the Victorian era?"
She had to concede to him on that. They stood admiring the prisms of the
chandelier over the dining table. The phone rang and startled them both. "I'll
get it." Buffy told Spike as she walked to the kitchen. He put the ladder
away and joined her there.
"Of course it's okay. Bring her, I'm anxious to meet her. See you then."
Buffy hung up the phone and turned to Spike smiling. "Giles, is coming for
a visit."
"Wonderful." Spike said not quite as enthusiastically. "And who is the 'her'
he's bringing with him?" He hated having to hide his 'secret identity' from
new people.
"A friend. Her name is Sharon, he sounds like he really likes her. I'm glad
he has a friend he needs someone. She works with him at the University library."
Buffy told him as she finished putting away the dinner dishes.
"Maybe he'll get lucky." Spike told her with a waggle of his eyebrow.
"Spike!" Buffy rolled her eyes at him.
"What?"
"Giles, well I just don't think he wants a relationship like that. He's Giles."
She put away the last glass and closed the cabinet door.
"Okay. Whatever you think. When are they coming?"
"Day after tomorrow. He said they would rent a car, I gave directions from
the airport." She explained as they went to the living room to watch the news.
"He should be here any minute." Buffy said excitedly as she brushed Jacie's
hair and added a pink bow matching her sundress. Tiny white sandals completed
the ensemble she looked like a little angel.
Buffy opened the front door at the sound of a car pulling up. With Jacie
on her hip she walked onto the front porch. Spike stayed in the shelter of
the house, the sun was still brightly shining. "Giles." He heard Buffy say
as she ushered him into the house. A petite woman joined them.
"Buffy, Spike, Jacie. This is Sharon." Giles took the woman's hand smiling
broadly.
Buffy noticed the squeeze the woman gave Giles hand in return. She was also
smiling broadly back at him. Buffy looked her over, she was pretty and petite,
and she appeared to be 10 or 12 years younger then Giles. She turned Buffy
and offered her hand, "I've heard so much about you, it's good to finally
meet you." She said sweetly as she patted Jacie's cheek. "She's a lovely baby.
Rupert wasn't exaggerating when he said she was the prettiest baby in the
world."
Buffy shook her hand and thanked her for the compliment, she could have sworn
that Giles actually blushed.
Buffy turned to Spike, "This is my husband, William, but we call him Spike."
Spike offered his hand to Sharon, "Very nice to meet you. I'll show you to
the guest rooms." He took one of the bags from Giles and they started upstairs.
Buffy looked Sharon over again as she watched her follow Giles and Spike.
There was something about that woman. She couldn't put her finger on it. She
frowned slightly as she went to the kitchen. She decided to make iced tea
for everyone. She put Jacie down and got down the glasses.
Spike laughed softly as he came into the kitchen, "Buffy, do you think they
want one room or two?"
"Spike, of course they want separate rooms." She glared at him.
"I think she's very nice." Spike told her as he helped put the ice in the
glasses.
Jacie seemed fascinated by the trash can and Buffy kept having to pull her
away from it. She grinned up at her mom and pushed on the lid again. Spike
carried the drinks into the living room as Buffy carried Jacie in. "Umm... "
Was all that Buffy would say.
"Come see Grampa Giles, Jacie." Giles said as he held out his arms to her.
She giggled and went straight to him.
Sharon sat close to Giles on the couch, Jacie on his lap. Sharon opened the
gift bag she was carrying and brought out a pretty little dress with ruffled
panties. "This is for you." She smiled at Jacie who reached for the dress
grinning.
"It's lovely, thank you." Buffy said rather stiffly, Spike noticed.
The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully, they showed old pictures and
talked about old times. Sharon was very accepting of Giles former Watcher
status. Buffy had been surprised that he had confided in her.
Buffy had arranged for a neighbor to babysit while the adults went out to
eat barbeque and do some sightseeing. Kristen was a college student who was
staying with her Aunt and Uncle in Memphis. She was very good with Jacie and
she was very dependable. She came over early so Buffy and Spike could get
ready to go.
"You're awfully quiet, Buffy. Do you feel well?" Spike asked as he zipped
her dress for her.
"I'm fine. Don't worry." She smiled at him and gave him a light peck on the
cheek.
She definitely looked fine, Spike noticed how her dress fit her like a glove
her golden hair down around her softly tanned shoulders. She could still take
his uneeded breath away. Something was not right though he could feel it.
He noticed her quietness at dinner also. Giles and Sharon were talkative
enough, and they were also very happy together. Spike could see the closeness
the intimacy of a little touch of the hand, a pat on the arm. Giles was in
love, good for him thought Spike. And she good naturedly chided him about
what he ate and if it was good for him. Lovely couple in his opinion.
They went for a drink at one of the clubs on Beale Street. After a walk downtown,
they decided it was time to go home. Giles and Sharon chose to sit on the
swing in the Gazebo before coming in.
Buffy paid Kristen and went to check on Jacie. She peeked out Jacie's window
towards the gazebo and was shocked to see Giles and Sharon kissing, no it
wasn't just kissing they were necking like teenagers in her swing, in her
gazebo. For some reason this irked her, this woman, she just, she wasn't right
for Giles. She was obviously too young for him, and she was bossy telling
him what he could eat at dinner and here she was kissing him in the backyard.
Giles would never behave like that. Buffy shook her head and went to her bedroom.
A few minutes later she heard Spike come in to the bedroom. "I told Giles
and Sharon goodnight for you. And showed them how to lock up. Do you want
to know what they were doing out there?" Spike laughed, then frowned when
he noticed Buffy's expression.
He walked over to where she was standing by the closet hanging up her dress.
She was standing there in her slip looking like a child who had just had her
lollipop stolen. He pulled her close to him, "What's wrong?" He asked concern
showing in his voice.
She pulled away from him and looked up with tears in her eyes. "Giles, Sharon.
I do know what they were doing out there. I saw them through Jacie's window.
It's stupid, Giles is acting like a teenager. And it's her fault. She's too
young for him, and did you see the way she was after him about what he ate
at dinner? She's way too bossy and she has him behaving very unGiles like.
I don't think I like her."
Spike tried, he really tried to hold in his laughter but he just couldn't,
he covered his mouth as he began to laugh out loud. Buffy glared at him, "I'm
glad you find this funny."
"I'm sorry, luv. Really I am. But listen to yourself." He took her hand and
led her to the bed where they both sat down.
She looked up at him and bit her bottom lip, he loved the way she did that
when she was nervous or confused. He put his finger under her chin and lifted
it so he could look her in the eye. "Buffy, number one, what's wrong with
Giles being happy? He deserves it."
"I know he deserves it. I want him happy, but really don't you think he could
find a woman his age?" She complained.
"Buffy, you can't say anything about age. I'm alot, and I mean *alot* older
then you are. Does that mean we shouldn't be together?" He asked her with
a smile.
"Well, that's different." She pouted, then added "What about the bossiness?"
"She was looking out for him, Giles has been put on medication to keep his
cholesterol down. He told me when we were paying for the food."
"Is he okay?" Buffy asked concerned.
"He's fine. It's just a precaution. She cares for him, Buffy you should give
her a chance." Spike told her as he caressed her cheek with his hand.
"I don't know if I can like her, Spike. I mean I'm so used to Giles just
being Giles.And he comes and visits and he treats me like I'm his daughter."
Buffy sighed.
"And he will always love you like a daughter even if he loves someone else.
You are his daughter in his heart, Buffy. Be happy for him. He's stood by
your choices. You owe it to him to stand by his."
She looked at him doubtfully.
"Buffy, did Giles desert you when you fell in love with the poof? No,. he
hated Angel, for all of the pain he caused all of you. But he accepted that
you loved him, and me, do you really think that if Giles had the choice of
who you would marry it would be me?"
Buffy took his hands in hers and smiled up at him, "When did you get so smart?"
He smiled, "When I married you. You know if you truly want to alienate some
of your friends though, how about Angel? I could do without a visit from him
for 10 or 20 years." He laughed as she rolled her eyes at him.
"Don't push it, Spike. This house has five bedrooms, would you like to sleep
in one of the spares?" She grinned at him as she went to get her gown.
"Well there's probably two spare tonight, because I'm betting Sharon and
Giles are sharing one." He laughed as she threw her hairbrush, barely missing
his head as he undressed for bed.
"I'm trying to accept this, Spike. I don't need the imagery." She told him
as she climbed into the bed beside him. He kissed her on the top of the head
as she curled around him, soon they were both asleep.
Buffy woke early the next morning and went to check on Jacie, she was surprised
to find the crib empty and went downstairs quickly. She heard Giles and Sharon
laughing in the kitchen and entered to find them along with Jacie, fixing
breakfast.
"Good morning." Giles told her as he gave her a fatherly hug. It felt so
good that she hugged him extra hard, not wanting to let go of him for a minute.
But when she stood back and saw the smile on his face. She knew it was time,
Giles needed someone else in his life, someone who could fill that space that
she and Jacie couldn't.
"Good morning." She said happily.
Sharon smiled tenatively at her before offering her good mornings. Buffy
smiled broadly at her then said in a mock whisper, "If we can con Giles and
Spike into babysitting, we can go to those craft stores we talked about at
dinner last night."
Sharon grinned back, "I have a little bit of pull with the old guy, I'll
see what I can do."
The three adults giggled as Jacie stared up at them wondering what was so
funny. She reached for Grandpa Giles and he picked her up taking her breakfast
to the high chair.
Later that day
Buffy and Sharon had a wonderful day of shopping. Over lunch they discussed
Giles. "Do you love him?" Buffy had asked out right.
"Yes, very much." Sharon had answered immediately.
"Then make him happy and I'll be happy."
"I will do my best. He's a good man and he loves you and Jacie both. You
are truly the daughter he never had. Thank you for accepting me." Sharon told
her with a beautiful smile.
Giles grimaced when he saw the amount of packages Sharon and Buffy brought
to the door. "However will we get them all home?" He asked her trying to appear
annoyed, but the happiness he had at seeing her ruined the effect. She kissed
him lightly on the cheek.
"We'll be fine." She said as she took the packages upstairs. Giles followed
her shrugging his shoulders at Spike. "We are kind of tired, I think we'll
lay down a bit before dinner."
Spike winked at Giles then took his wife in his arms and kissed her soundly.
"Oh, what was that for?" She asked him as the kiss ended.
"I'm proud of you. You're letting go of Giles, letting him be happy." Spike
told her as he hugged her tightly.
"He deserves to be happy. You were right, I guess there is a first time for
everything." She kissed him again. "Where is Jacie?"
"She just went down for a nap. I think Jacie and Giles and Sharon have the
right idea, maybe we should take a nap too." He raised an eyebrow at her.
"But I'm not tired." Buffy said innocently batting her eyelashes at him.
He laughed as he picked her up and carried her up the stairs , he only hoped
that Giles would find as much happiness as he had with Buffy.