TITLE : Always With Me
PART : 2/
AUTHOR : Catherine
DISCLAIMER : Joss owns all
FEEDBACK : Please let me know if you like it.
(*...* thoughts)
Giles was still under the initial shock, but, really seeing the basinet, brought the realization that a baby was really here, in the kitchen.
"What..." He didn't know how to ask about the baby. "If you don't baby-si-"
"She's mine." Buffy said, giving the bottle to the baby to feed.
"I see." Giles tried to digest the news. "H..How?"
She looked at him, and asked, "How what? How are babies made? Giles, you mean you don't know?" she smiled.
"Of course, I know how!" he said, outraged and...with some blushing.
"So, what do you want to know?" she asked more seriously.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know the reason to," she said softly.
"And...and the father?"
"He left me...for my own good," she finished in a whisper.
"He...what! You were pregnant and he left you for your own good! I can't believe it!" Giles hadn't yet made the connection...
"Giles."
"How a man can do that!" Giles couldn't believe that a man abandoned her, and pregnant. *He's a fool!!!*
"Giles." she reiterated. That time she had his attention, so she could say, "He...he didn't know."
Polishing his glasses, he said "You haven't told him." She nodded. "Does he know, now?"
She shrugged, "I don't think he's realized."
"What do you mean?"
They looked at each other with such intensity that for some seconds they were alone in the world, until, a hungry baby reminded them of her presence.
"She wants to eat."
*Buffy's baby.* Giles thought, *She's Buffy's baby.* He couldn't help the tears in his eyes. Looking at what he was witnessing, Buffy giving the bottle to her little daughter.
He came closer, wanted to look more closely at the little girl.
"She's beautiful," he said with such emotion that Buffy was almost crying when she heard him.
Looking at him, she asked "Do you....do you want to give it to her?"
"I...I don't know." He saw that the baby was looking at him; he knew he was lost. *Splendid, now her too. I can't resist to her too...Like her mother,* he sighed.
"I'd love to."
"Good. Sit down. So take her in your arms, and..." she gave him the baby. When he was ready, the baby in his arms, he felt very weak and full of emotions. "Then feed her with the bottle."
"That's a good girl...gouzou gouzou gouzou...She's was hungry..." Giles was completely 'out' but totally 'in' with the baby. Buffy was amazed, seeing the scene. It was a little surreal; her girl and Giles had adopted, tamed, each other so quickly. It was incredible, how the two were toward each other.
Giles fed her when the others came back. Everyone was pleased to see him, and exchanged some smiles between them, seeing him bottle-feed the baby. They said their 'welcome' and Dawn said, "So, how is my little Abigael today?" she grinned at her niece.
"Abigael?" Giles repeated, "You named her Abigael?" Buffy nodded, "Abigael Joy." said Buffy, knowing what would follow.
"Like...Do you know that's the name of my mother?" said Giles.
"Yes, I know. I...I wanted her to have her grandmother's names," she explained.
He stared at her, blank. "What...grandmother's names! What are you saying to me, Buffy?"
Turning to Dawn and the others, she said "Dawn, can you take Abigael and-"
"Sure, Buffy," Dawn answered quickly, taking Abigael, then left the kitchen with the others after "Are you sure?" from Willow.
"Yes." reassured Buffy.
Giles was blank, he couldn't believe what she has just said to him..."She's mine." It was more a realization than a question. Buffy could only whisper, "Yes."
Although still under the shock of the news, Giles yelled angrily at her "How did you manage to do that to me?"