TITLE: What Child is This?
SERIES: Ice and Fire (Part 4/12)
AUTHOR: Kerry Blackwell
DISCLAIMER: All things Buffy belong to Joss Whedon, UPN, the WB, FOX and Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation. I own only my genius (yeah, right!)
FEEDBACK: Well, I'm certainly not going to complain! :-)

"Stop worrying, Buffy love."

Giles squeezed his wife's fingers and she looked up at him gratefully.

"I can't help it," she admitted. "She's my little sister and I don't want her to get hurt."

"She's almost fifty years old and she's been hurt before. She survived." He put a finger under her chin and turned her face towards him. "She was right, too. Spike's been looking out for her since she was fourteen. He's not going to stop now. He's _not_ going to hurt her."

"Not like biting her or anything," Buffy agreed. "But what if he breaks her heart?"

Giles shook his head. "You know how Spike loves. With total passion and commitment. And finally, I think he's found the right person to give it to. Stop worrying."

"Besides," a new voice added, and they looked up to see Joy standing beside the sofa offering them a plate of shortbread. "You should have seen what we did to Frank."

"We?" Buffy asked her daughter with admirable calm.

"Ooops." Joy grinned at her parents. "I went to visit Aunt Dawn at Thanksgiving and Spike was there. Frank turned up. Now he really _has_ been stalking her. Spike and I ran him off." The grin got a little bigger. "Scared the bugger shitless. He won't be back. And Aunt Dawn doesn't know about it, so don't tell her."

"If I didn't know you'd been hanging around Spike, your language would have given you away," Giles commented dryly.

Twenty years of parental discipline kicked in enough to make Joy blush. "Sorry, Dad. But he deserved it." She gave her mother a serious look. "He really loves her, Mom. Spike I mean, not feckless Frank. He'd do anything to make sure she isn't hurt. You can have faith in him on this."

Buffy smiled just a little, the expression full of irony. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Spike is a good man. It's just that he annoys the hell out of me, and he's still a vampire and I'm still kind of a Slayer and that gets in the way."

"Look at it this way," Joy offered. "If he hurts her, he'll be first to join your posse that's out to stake him to death."

At that, Buffy did laugh. "I guess you're right. I'll be nice to him and give him a chance."

"Don't be too nice," Giles teased. "If you don't threaten to hit him at least once he might think you're an impostor Buffy and hurt himself trying to kill you to protect the rest of us."

"Oooh..." Buffy gave her husband a dangerous look, which he promptly dealt with by kissing her soundly.

Joy decided that was as good a time as any to go and spread Christmas cheer to the rest of the party.

Gunn shook his head when she offered him the shortbread. "Thanks Joy, but I think I've eaten enough for the whole of next year already." He patted his stomach and grimaced.

"Oh."

Fred looked and sounded disappointed. "But I made Wesley's Christmas Eve mince pies. They're in the kitchen."

"Yes!" Angel abandoned his wife on the spot, jumping to his feet and coming to lean over the back of Fred's chair. "This year I'll _really_ be able to taste them."

"Ooooh, big deal." Spike gave Angel a sardonic look. "'I can _taste_ them.' Poncy bugger."

Brianna rolled her eyes and prepared to intervene. Things between Spike and his grandsire (or should that now be _ex_-grandsire?) had never exactly run smoothly. Why should twelve months of humanity for Angel make it any different? If anything, it possibly made it worse.

"That's my husband you're insulting," she pointed out to the man who had played bodyguard to her and her twin brother when they were toddlers. It's Christmas. Be nice, Spike, just for me?"

Spike pretended to consider. "All-righty, Bree-baby," he agreed finally. He flicked another glance at Angel. "But just for you."

"Thank you," Angel said sarcastically.

It was Cordelia who stopped the mini-spat before it could develop any further. She'd seen the growing distress on Fred's face and she wasn't going to let anyone hurt her friend. Christmas was still a hard time for her, even so many years later, and Angel and Spike sniping at each other wasn't going to be allowed. Of course, stopping it completely was probably as likely as stopping the sun from going down, but she was Cordelia. If anyone could at least arrange a cease-fire, it would be her.

"Knock it off, both of you." Her voice was flat, allowing no arguments, and despite the fact that together they were something like four hundred years older than her, they both shut up like a pair of scolded children.

Angel even blushed, something Cordy had never seen before - a side effect of humanity, surely - and it was all she could do not to burst into laughter at the sight. Since that would thoroughly undermine her authority, she stood quickly and changed the subject instead.

"I'll go and get the plates," she offered. "I'm sure even full-up Charles can manage one of Wesley's mince pies."

"Possibly two," Gunn agreed cheerfully. "Always room for those."

Spike was shaking his head. "I don't get it. What's so special about young Wes baking? Unexpected I know, but so?"

"Not me," Wesley Giles explained. "My godfather Wesley. Fred's husband. I'm named after him."

Fred smiled slightly shakily. "The first Christmas after we were married, Wesley made me his family's secret recipe mince pies. The second Christmas he taught me to make them."

"What happened the third Christmas?"

"He died," Fred answered abruptly.

"Oh." Spike looked uncomfortable. "I didn't... I'm sorry, luv."

Watching her former - a very long time ago former - foe, Buffy saw he really meant it, and surprised herself by coming to his rescue. "It's okay, Fred. Spike's rude and totally tactless, but his dead and unbeating heart is in the right place."

Spike stared at her, almost shocked speechless for once. Almost, but not quite. "Well, thanks, Slayer." And somehow, he just couldn't help himself. "Is that really you in there, Buffy?"

He was startled when Giles laughed.

"See, told you so," he said to his wife.

Buffy just stuck her tongue out at him and, as she did so, was forced to acknowledge ruefully that Spike didn't seem to be the only one who hadn't changed in some respects.

Giles laughed harder and escaped further retribution by going to help Cordelia hand out the food.

Gunn, as he had predicted, helped himself to two. "And now Fred shares these culinary wonders with us each Christmas," he declared happily. "This is one English Christmas tradition I wouldn't want to lose."

"And I'm going to be able to _taste_ them," Angel repeated blissfully.

Brianna took one of the pies from the plate her father offered her and laughed. "You are _such_ a glutton, my love. I'm surprised you haven't started getting fat yet."

Angel looked horrified. "I'm getting _fat_?" he asked desperately. He looked around the room, seeking reassurance. "I'm not getting fat, am I?"

Willow chuckled and pretended to consider the possibility. "Well..." she said thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it..."

"Mmmm," Tara agreed. On first meeting Angel, Tara had been rather overwhelmed by Buffy's vampiric ex-boyfriend. Now though, she was happy to tease him with the best of them. "Maybe a bit around the waist, you know..."

Angel was starting to look really worried. "Cordy, is there a mirror somewhere?"

Greatly amused, Spike offered, "I didn't see myself in the one in the hallway as I came through."

Brianna grabbed her husband's arm before he could stand up. "Relax, Angel. You're not getting fat. You do way too much exercise for that. Just remember that human metabolism and don't eat everything in sight."

He smiled back at her, and if Buffy had ever doubted that Angel loved her daughter, she'd have been convinced otherwise just by that look.

"Like you can talk," he told Brianna. "I brought home anchovies for you the other day - and you ate them strawberry jelly. Even _I_ know that's disgusting."

"But it hasn't make me fat."

"Yet," Angel shot back.

Brianna gave her husband a calm, serene look. "At least I'm eating for two, which is more than I can say for you."

"You're eating anchovies?" Giles asked his daughter. "You detest anchovies." And then the meaning of her statement hit him. "Brianna...?" he asked breathlessly.

She turned and gave him her most innocent smile. "Yes, Daddy...?"

"Are you...?" Giles tried again.

It had taken her a moment, but Buffy had caught up now. And she didn't have the same stuttering problem her husband seemed to have suddenly contracted.

"Brianna, are you saying you're pregnant?"

"Well, I didn't mean to," Bree admitted. "We were saving it up for tomorrow as a Christmas present."

"But yes," Angel added. He sounded completely awed and totally smug, both at the same time. "We're pregnant."

Brianna laughed at him. "Just remember who has to do all the hard work in this, lover."

Susan grinned across at her sister-in-law. "You tell him, Bree. If he's anything like Wes, he's going to act like it's all his doing and you're just along for the ride."

"I did _not_," Wesley protested quickly.

"Okay, so only some of the time," Susan conceded. "You came through for me when I needed you."

Wesley gave her a loving, private smile. "You almost broke my hand, you know. I'm the one descended from a Slayer, not you."

She laughed softly. "I love you too, Wes."

Wesley smiled and turned back to his twin. "Congratulations, Bree. You too, Angel. It's about time Miri and Jeremy had some cousins."

"Don't look at me," Joy said quickly. "I'm not planning on spawning soon. In fact..." She reached out to punch her best friend lightly on the shoulder. "Hazel, wanna go out with me?"

Hazel chuckled. "No thanks. Got myself a nice boyfriend."

"You do?" both her mothers asked at once.

"Well, potential," Hazel admitted. "He hasn't actually noticed I exist yet. But I'm working on it." She turned on Joy. "And what about you and Tommy Harrison? You think he's hot stuff."

"Way hot," Joy agreed. "But can you imagine having _kids_ with him? Someone would ask him about last week's game and he'd forget he even had children, let alone that he was supposed to be looking after him."

"I don't think I'll have to worry about that," Brianna assured her younger sister. "So far Angel's driving me nuts trying to be super- protective father."

"Kick him in the balls and tell him to stop it," Dawn suggested helpfully. "I'm sure that'll work."

"Dawn!"

The chorus of startled and horrified cries just made Dawn grin. She got up and went over to hug her niece. "Congratulations, Bree. Congratulations, Angel." Under cover of hugging him, she added, "And you be good to her or _I'll_ come over and kick..."

"I will," Angel interrupted hurriedly. "I promise."

Dawn grinned at him. "...kick you into next week," she finished.

He was saved from having to answer further by Buffy descending upon him and his wife, closely followed by Giles. Buffy caught Brianna in a huge, mother's hug. As ever, she was dwarfed by her taller, sturdier daughter, but there was no doubt who was the hugger and who the huggee. Angel couldn't hear what Buffy was saying, but both women were crying, which he assumed was expected in these circumstances. All the same, he was glad he'd get the respite of a reserved handshake from Giles before he was accosted by an emotional Buffy.

So he was rather surprised when instead, Giles stopped and looked him up and down for a long moment, as if he could see right into his heart and soul. He was even more surprised when Giles hugged him, a little awkwardly perhaps, but with feeling.

They pulled apart, a little less awkwardly, and Angel found his eyes suspiciously bright. He couldn't exactly tell behind the threatening tears, but he thought the same might be true of Giles.

"Thank you," Giles said softly. "Thank you for making my daughter so happy, for loving her so much. Thank you for the life you've created with her, for giving me another grandchild." And then he said something else, so low that no-one in the room could possibly hear, not even the exceedingly curious Spike. "A life is a great, great thing to give. When combined with love, it cancels out any amount of death."

For an instant, Angel though his still new, beating heart had stopped. But when he opened his mouth, Giles shook his head briefly.

"You don't have to say it. I know."

And so Angel found himself saying something he had thought he would never have the opportunity to say to Rupert Giles, something he had believed they would simply continue to ignore for the rest of their lives.

"Forgiven?"

And, miracle of miracles, Giles heard everything he had to say in that single word and nodded.

"Forgiven."

Angel was saved from breaking down in tears on the spot by the hug from Buffy that moments ago he had been vainly hoping to avoid. "I'm so glad for you both," she told him, her voice only a little bit wobbly.

She glanced up at her husband. "Well, go on. Tell our daughter how amazing she is."

Brianna herself laughed. "I think Mom got me all hugged out."

"You can never have too many hugs," Giles promised, giving her another one. "I love you, Bree."

Buffy nodded in satisfaction and looked back at Angel's face. Her expression sobered at once. "What did he say to you?"

Angel shook his head, finding he couldn't tell her. "You ask him," he managed instead. "Ask him."

"Okay," she agreed quietly. Her head tilted to once side. "But it was good, wasn't it?"

Angel smiled, feeling tears again. "The best thing anyone could ever say to me."

Buffy smiled, and he was amazed all over again by the strength of the love in her eyes. "That's Rupert. The best."

Angel found he had to agree with her. "You made a good choice, Buffy."

"So did Brianna," she said gently. A moment later she chuckled. "Isn't the world a crazy place? Do you remember, way back when I was sixteen, I called you my cradle robbing, creature-of- the-night boyfriend? Now you're going to be filling a cradle for real, you and my daughter. I think the universe has a really perverse sense of humour."

At that, all he could do was nod.

There were a lot more congratulations, of course. Lots more hugs and kisses and best wishes. But Angel knew the memory of this night that he would carry to his grave would be the words spoken to him by his father-in-law.

Forgiveness.

There is no gift like it in this world or in any other.

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