TITLE: Journey's End 6/10
AUTHOR: Rari Coss
EMAIL ADDRESS: RariCoss1956@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: It all belongs to Joss, the real king of the world, the WB, UPN, Fox, Mutant Enemy and anybody else who feels they own it. I’m just borrowing, lost in admiration, and then giving them back, memories wiped clean.
FEEDBACK: Absolutely.

Buffy was standing in the front yard of her house. She tensed as she heard Dawn yell, but then when she heard what she yelled she just became confused. Dawn yelled again. “Dad, come on, we’re gonna be late.”

Buffy shook her head. Out of all the possible futures she could imagine, somehow she never figured her dad would be in any of them. She moved forwards and found herself in the living room.

Dawn was standing at the bottom of the stairs, one foot tapping impatiently. Buffy’s eyes widened as Giles came running down the stairs. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I couldn’t figure out what tie to wear.” It still wasn’t tied, hanging loosely around his neck.

Dawn couldn’t help grinning at him. “See what happens when mom isn’t here to dress you?” Buffy’s eyes opened even wider.

“Ha, ha, very funny.” Giles picked up his suit jacket and shrugged into it. He began to knot his tie. Dawn slapped his hands away and began to tie it for him. Giles watched her and when she was done he put his hands on her shoulders. “You have turned into such a beautiful young woman, and I am so proud of you.” Dawn blushed. Giles wasn’t finished. “Buffy would be proud of you too.”

Dawn’s eyes grew bright. “I wish she was here.”

Giles’ eyes were also bright. “I do too.” A horn honked outside, interrupting their solemn moment.

Dawn began to tug on his arm. “Come on, she’s gonna leave without us.”

Giles looked at her again. “Do you have your robe?”

“It’s in the car, come on.” Taking his hand she tugged him again. This time Giles went. They ran laughing out the front door towards the car, Giles getting into the front seat passenger side, and Dawn getting into the back. Buffy found herself in the back section of the mini-van.

The woman driving was looking at them both with an exasperated expression on her face. “Dawn Summers-Giles, they’re going to call your name and we’ll still be stuck in traffic.”

Dawn let out a snort. “It’s dad’s fault. I was ready.”

Giles looked at the woman sitting next to him. “Quite true, I’m afraid. Dawn thinks it’s because I don’t know how to dress myself anymore.”

The woman gave up and started to laugh. She checked in the rearview mirror. “Seat belts on? Dawn, Heidi?”

Two yes mom’s came from the back. She put the car in gear and started to drive, one hand reaching for one of Giles’. He clasped it between both of his and smiled at her. He looked into the back seat and smiled at his two girls.

Buffy was completely confused. Looking at the girl next to Dawn, she would guess that she was about sixteen. She tried to still her thoughts and concentrate on what these people were thinking and feeling so she could get a better sense of what was going on. Immediately images began to come to her and her jaw dropped. The girl next to Dawn was a Slayer. And Giles was her Watcher. And she was dead.

She got that thought from Giles. Her death was never far from his thoughts. He still missed her terribly and she could tell that he never expected to not miss her. It was as if he’d lost an arm, or a leg. He’d learned to function without it, even found a way to be happy, but it was still gone and nothing could change that.

Buffy searched his mind for how she died. She flinched. Oh, God, poor Giles. It had been Dru. Dru had come back into town and found out that Spike had taken up with Buffy. Her retaliation for being scorned was fast and complete. Spike staked and Buffy’s neck snapped. Then Dru had paid a visit to Giles to let him know where he could find Buffy’s body. Buffy almost wept when she saw that Giles had found her, in her bed, with a broken neck, just like he’d found Jenny. And again, he’d gone after the perpetrator. But this time he’d been successful, and Dru was dead.

Dawn had chosen to stay with Giles, even over the option of staying with Willow. Dawn wanted an adult, a grown-up, and she decided to adopt Giles. He’d been a little taken aback when she’d started calling him dad but he’d soon rallied and found that he actually enjoyed it, and he took to fatherhood like a fish to water.

Then unexpectedly, a Slayer was called. Giles, in fact, the entire Council had not thought it would happen, assuming the line now ran through Faith. But one of the young girls currently in training had been called and the Council sent her to Giles. Buffy had so thoroughly indoctrinated Giles that he was horrified to see this young girl, this thirteen year old, little more than an automaton. She had been raised to be a Slayer, privy to all the knowledge lying within the covers of the Slayer’s handbook, and Giles couldn’t stand it.

Giles had tracked down her mother and invited her to Sunnydale. He’d enrolled Heidi in school, and even encouraged her to try out for cheerleading. Buffy barked out a laugh at that. When the mother arrived, an unexpected bonus had occurred. Giles and she had fallen in love, and ended up getting married. All three of them, Giles, his new wife, Angela, and Dawn worked very hard at providing Heidi with a normal life between her Slayer duties.

At sixteen, while far from being the hellion that Buffy had been, Heidi was a far cry from the timid thirteen year old who had shown up on his doorstep. Buffy could feel the adoration this girl held for her Watcher father, and Buffy couldn’t blame her in the least.

They had arrived at the High School. Buffy had figured it out that Dawn was graduating today. Dawn grabbed her robe and ran off to join the rest of the seniors. Giles looked up as someone yelled for him. Xander was frantically waving to him, indicating that he had saved seats for them.

Giles directed his family over to Xander. “Xander, thank you.”

“Hey, I’m just glad you showed up. I was about to get beaten about the head and face by every person who wanted these seats.”

Giles smiled and leaned over Xander to kiss Anya on the cheek. “Wisely staying seated, I see?”

Anya grinned, her hands over an enormous pregnant belly. “I can’t get up by myself anymore.”

Xander gave Heidi a hug and grinned at Angela. There was still an extra seat. Giles looked up at Xander who was still standing. “Is Willow coming?”

Xander nodded. “Yeah, she said she was.” He looked down at Giles. “Man, does this bring back memories.”

Giles nodded. “Yes, it does. Let us hope that Dawn’s graduation is a bit tamer than yours was.”

“And that the school is still standing when it’s done.” Xander spotted Willow. “There she is.” He bellowed for her.

Willow made her way across the row, hugging everyone as she did so. She sat next to Giles. He looked at her. “Are you all right?”

Willow squeezed his hand. “I guess so. This just makes me think of her.” She gave Giles a shaky smile.

Giles squeezed her hand back. “Yes, it does.” Their eyes met and they allowed themselves a moment of sadness. Buffy wanted to put her arms around Giles to try and take the hurt away, but in a moment Giles pushed the sadness away himself. He wrapped his arm around Angela and grinned at Heidi who was admiring the ring he’d given to her for her sixteenth birthday last week.

The music started and all eyes were on the seniors. When Dawn walked across the stage Buffy felt Giles’ heart almost burst with love and pride, and she grinned when Xander let out a whoop that embarrassed Dawn as much as it delighted her.

As the scene began to grow hazy Buffy wondered if this is what it would take to let Giles have the life he deserved. She wondered if it would take her dying. She held on tight to Seeker as she waited for the next possible future to appear before her.

Again she was on the front lawn but this time Buffy could hear that she was the one yelling. Buffy entered the house to see what she was yelling about. “Dawn!”

Dawn yelled from upstairs. “I’m coming, don’t have a cow.” The doorbell rang.

Buffy watched herself move to answer the door. She yelled up the stairs again. “Come on, Rick’s here.” Whoever Rick was, he was pretty good looking and Buffy grinned when she saw herself reach up to give him a thorough kiss.

Rick smiled at Buffy. “Sorry I’m late. Is Mr. Giles saving us seats?”

“It’s Giles, Rick, just Giles.”

“I feel funny calling him Giles. I’ve only known him a few months, give me some time, I’ll get there.”

Buffy grinned. “And then you can move up to Xander’s level and start calling him Big G.”

Rick shook his head. “It’ll never happen.”

Dawn finally came downstairs. “Hey Rick.”

“Hey back. You look great. Are you excited?”

Dawn rolled her eyes. “Please, it’s high school.”

Buffy and Rick smiled at each other. They knew she was excited. Buffy teased her. “Well, we could skip it. I hear there’s a new movie down at the Ciniplex.” She turned to Rick as if to see what he thought.

Dawn came over to her and smacked her on the arm. “Ha, ha, ha. Can we just go?”

Buffy found herself in the back seat of Rick’s Jeep Cherokee. She could get used to this. Giles had sent Xander as lookout and Xander herded them all to the seats. Dawn left to go get in line. Buffy was relieved to see that Tara was still with Willow in this future, and she grinned when she saw that Anya was still as big as a house.

Buffy watched Giles as he watched over them all. He stayed mostly silent, enjoying their chatter, pleased they were having a moment’s peace, a time to be happy together without some end of the world disaster looming. Buffy heard his mind as he cast his thoughts back to their graduation. He shook his head.

The Buffy of this time caught it. “What’s the head shaking all about? Trying to knock something loose?”

Giles softly smiled at her. “I was just thinking about your graduation.”

Buffy gave him one of her mocking smiles. “Fondly, no doubt. Feeling sorry that there’s no big and evil to hunt down this time? I know it must make this seem really boring by comparison.”

Giles rolled his eyes. “You know me so well. That’s just what I was thinking, how boring this all was. I was fervently praying for a demon or two to liven it up.”

Buffy reached for his hand and gently squeezed it. “Thank you.”

Giles’ eyes widened. “For what?”

“For all of this. I couldn’t have done it without you.” She gestured towards the stage. “She’d never have done it without you.”

“Well, I hardly think that’s the case, but you’re welcome, nonetheless.”

Buffy flashed him a brilliant smile, squeezed his hand one more time and then let go. Her attention turned towards the stage as the music started and the seniors began marching in.

After the graduation they all trooped to the gymnasium for refreshments. Buffy watched herself and her friends congratulate her sister, and commence to have a silly time, Rick sticking close, being clearly attentive.

After a while she realized that Giles was missing. She searched for him and found him, leaning against a wall, just watching them again. She didn’t sense any sorrow or any loneliness. He was just apart. He was her Watcher; he was, indeed, a Watcher to all of them. What she sensed from him the most was this fierce gladness that they were alive, that they’d gotten this far, and an even fiercer determination to do everything in his power to keep it that way. It burned bright within him and it drew Buffy like a moth to a flame. She headed over to stand next to him when she felt Seeker’s presence by her side again and the scene began to grow indistinct.

Watching herself be happy sent off a cascade of emotions in Buffy. She began to believe that it was possible. Her heart lighter than it had been since her return she peered through the haze, waiting to see what else might be possible.

She rolled her eyes when she found herself on the front lawn yet one more time. She looked down at Seeker who had yet to vanish as she did whenever Buffy reached her destination. “You couldn’t just put me in the house?” Seeker chuffed at Buffy and slowly faded away. Buffy grinned and moved into the house.

Again Dawn was at the foot of the stairs. “Giles! Come on, we’re going to be late.”

Giles came down the stairs still tying his tie. “I’m not the one who’s going to make you late.” He grinned as his chin pointed back upstairs.

Dawn let out an exasperated sound. “Well, do something.”

“She’s your sister.”

“Yeah, but she’s your wife.”

Buffy almost fell over. Dawn slapped Giles’ hands away and she started to help him tie his tie. “What’s her deal anyway? It’s my graduation.”

Giles barked out a laugh. “I may love her, and I may have married her, but do not ever expect me to be able to explain her.”

“Hey, I heard that.” Giles turned around at her voice and let out a happy sigh as Buffy came down the stairs.

“Well, it’s sadly true. Your mind still continues to be one of the great mysteries of life.” He pulled her in and kissed her soundly. “You look lovely.”

Dawn pulled on his jacket sleeve. “How about me?”

With one arm firmly wrapped around Buffy he turned back to Dawn. “You look like a princess.”

Buffy nodded. “You do. That dress is perfect.”

Dawn blushed. “Too bad it’ll be covered by a robe.”

Buffy shrugged. “Just ‘til the party. Then you can let your little light shine.”

Dawn rolled her eyes. “Can we please just go?”

Giles picked up his car keys and escorted them both out.

Buffy ended up in the back seat of the BMW with Dawn. She still was having a hard time getting her brain around the thought that she was married to Giles. How the hell had that happened? She watched herself and Giles in the front seat. She could feel the love blazing between the two of them. She couldn’t ever remember feeling that way, even before she had died. And Giles. Giles was happy, delirious even. Through and through, down to his bones.

She decided to pick through both their brains, looking for memories, the how it happened memories. And what she found was that it had snuck up on them, surprising them both.

After Tara had left, Willow had gone a little nuts, and Buffy had asked Giles to ask her to leave. Buffy had been a little afraid of Willow and she figured Giles was at least bigger than Willow and could beat her up if he had to. Giles had groused about it but he had done it, just like he’d done everything she’d asked him to. He had permanently moved in at Buffy’s request and had, as he had expected, been given most of the responsibility for Dawn. He had been surprised when he found that he actually enjoyed it. And he and Dawn had taken to each other, to the extent that Buffy often felt excluded, and she didn’t like it.

Buffy thought he was letting his parent duties get in the way of his Watcher duties and she made a point of telling him that. They’d had a huge fight and Buffy had threatened to kick him out. When Dawn threatened to go with him, Buffy backed down, but she slipped into serious pout mode. She took up with Spike, brandishing him about like a boy toy in front of Giles and Giles just stoically bore it, just like he bore everything she did, throwing out the occasional barbed comment when the situation warranted.

Dawn tried to set Giles up on some dates and Buffy went ballistic. He didn’t have time for dating; he already had his hands full. Besides, he was Giles. Please. As if.

Tensions began to ride high in the house. There was an unspoken competition between Dawn and Buffy for Giles’ attention. Giles felt as if he was breaking up catfights on a regular basis. He tried to pay more attention to both of them and that just seemed to make it worse. He could understand Dawn’s feelings. She’d always felt somewhat overshadowed by her Slayer sister. But he was bewildered as to what was going on with Buffy. Flattered, but bewildered.

One night, expecting to be spending the evening with Dawn, he came home to find Buffy home alone. She had invited Dawn to spend the night at a friend’s house and she had cooked dinner, which made Giles nervous. He began to wonder what she wanted, what favor she was hoping to worm out of him. But they’d had a lovely dinner and then had moved to the couch to watch the video Dawn had asked him to pick up for the evening.

They both sat on the couch, a foot or so between them, shoes kicked off, both relaxed. Giles just watched Buffy as she played with all the remote controls trying to figure out the magic arrangements of buttons that had to be pushed in order to actually view a VCR tape. Giles’ head tilted to the side.

Buffy could feel him watching her. She turned to him. “What?”

Giles smiled. “It’s just hard to believe we’ve known each other for seven years.”

Buffy returned his smile with a crooked one. “You forgot to say, seven long and painful years.”

Giles shook his head. “I don’t feel that way.”

Buffy grinned shyly at him. “You don’t?”

Giles shook his head again, his eyes curious. “No. Why would you think I would feel that way?”

Buffy shrugged her shoulders. “Parts of it have been pretty bad.”

“Yes, parts of it have been truly horrendous. But you haven’t been.” He didn’t know what possessed him but he took her hand. “Fighting the evil has made for seven long and painful years. But, you, you’ve been one of the greatest joys of my life.”

His comment floored Buffy. “Really?”

He squeezed her hand and then let it go. Buffy had to resist the urge to grab it again. “Really.” He pointed at the remote controls. “Would you like a hand with those?”

She handed them to him with a flourish. “It’s a sad day for Slayer’s everywhere when my technophobe Watcher can figure out how to run a VCR when I can’t.”

“Ha, bloody, ha.” Within moments Giles had the tape playing. He sent Buffy a superior look. “What’s Spike doing tonight?”

Buffy shrugged. “I don’t know. I…I don’t see him much anymore.”

Giles raised his eyebrows but made no comment. Now that he thought about it he realized that Buffy had stopped parading Spike through the house and through their lives a few weeks ago. He glanced at her. “I’m sorry. Are you all right?”

Buffy nodded. “Oh yeah.” She put her feet up on the coffee table. “What are we watching anyway?”

“Some idiotic love story, I’m sure. That seems to be the only type of movie Dawn watches. That and Keanu Reeves’ movies.”

“You know who Keanu Reeves is?”

“I consider myself to be something of an expert on him after all the movies she’s subjected me to.”

Buffy snuggled down on the couch, making herself comfortable, and she grinned at him. “Cool. Well, hit the play button. I’m ready for a good love story.”

Giles smiled back at her and he settled back as well. The story was quite entertaining, actually. And then about half way through the movie the sex started, and it kept happening. A lot of it. Buffy was embarrassed. She tried to chatter her way through it. She reached for the cover of the videotape. “Yikes, you were gonna let Dawn watch this?”

“Let us thank God for small favors that Dawn neglected to be here tonight.”

“I’ll say.” Buffy fiddled with the cover some more as a couple more scenes played out. “So, is it getting hot in here?”

Giles snorted. He looked at Buffy. “Do you want to shut it off? We don’t have to watch it.”

“No, no. It’s fine. I wanna see how it ends.”

“We could fast forward it through the sex scenes if they embarrass you.”

“Who said they embarrassed me?” She risked a quick glance at Giles. He looked remarkably unrattled. “You’re not embarrassed?”

Giles rolled his eyes and waved a hand at the TV. “It’s sex Buffy. You’ve had it, I’ve had it.” He pursed his lips. “Actually, it’s quite good sex. They make it look so real.”

Buffy was staring at Giles. “You’ve had sex?”

Giles let out an annoyed breath and paused the tape. “Excuse me?”

Buffy blushed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I mean, of course you’ve had sex. You know, Giles sex.”

Giles sat up straight. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Nothing. Let’s just watch, okay?” She grabbed the remote control out of Giles’ hands, feeling unaccountably nervous when her hand brushed against his. She turned the tape back on. Buffy had no idea why the idea of Giles having sex made her so jumpy but it did. The tape started right in with the groaning.

Giles muttered something under his breath but he leaned back again, putting his feet up on the coffee table as well. Buffy found her eyes drawn to his length of leg and her eyes roamed up his body. They got stuck at his crotch and she blushed furiously, putting her eyes back on the TV at once. She’d never really thought about Giles having a body. A guy’s body, with guy parts. Her eyes flickered to him again, taking in his chest, and his arms and finally his face, something shifting irrevocably inside of her. Giles had taken off his glasses and he seemed completely focused on the TV. So, she just stared at him. And what she saw made her horny. And the groaning coming from the TV wasn’t helping.

Giles looked up briefly, feeling her gaze on him, and he was caught by the look he saw in her eyes. Desire. It stunned him, taking him completely by surprise, but he felt his body start to respond to it. The air grew thick around them as they stared at one another. Buffy moved first but Giles met her halfway and she was lying on the couch with him on top of her in just moments, the passion igniting between them, setting them both on fire.

Their tongues were mating. Giles had one hand fisted in her hair, his other hand running up and down her body. All Buffy knew was that she’d never wanted anybody this badly before. Buffy was thrilled and she was terrified. She pulled back from Giles’ lips, looking at him. “What’s happening?”

Giles shook his head. “I don’t know.” He was panting. “I just want you so much.” Sanity reared its head for a second. “Do you want me to stop?”

Buffy clutched at him. “Don’t you dare.”

Giles grinned and he claimed her mouth again.

The car stopped. They’d arrived. Buffy continued to pick their brains, fast-forwarding to find the ending. They’d rutted like bunnies all night. And six months later they’d gotten married. As Buffy saw them making love she felt a flush go through her and liquid heat pooled between her legs. She saw Giles grab his wife’s hand and a flicker of jealousy went through her. She couldn’t believe how much she wanted Giles to be hers. Not the future Buffy, but this Buffy, the real one. She patted herself on the chest. Me. She glared at herself. And then let out a yelp as it all started going hazy.

She latched onto Seeker. “I want this one. I want this life.” Seeker just butted her forehead against Buffy’s and purred. Buffy decided it sounded like a very approving purr.

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