Title: Family Matters
Author: Sweetdoggie (stirling_summer@yahoo.com)
Disclaimer: No permission has been granted to use the characters. They are owned by their creator, Joss Whedon, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB, and Mutant Enemy. This story is non-profit and is intended solely as entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.

Little James got over what ever was causing him to fret and they decided to leave him at home with Dawn while they went out to dinner.

After they were seated in the restaurant, Buffy, in an extremely casual way, asked Giles when he wanted to get married.

“Why, whenever you wish. I am ready.”

“How about the end of the month? Barring apocalypse.”

He looked delighted. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

Her face glowing pink, she raised her eyes to his. “I’m ready.”

~*~

The wedding went well which surprised Buffy a great deal. They had arranged to be married in the chapel of the University. It was small, inexpensive, and readily available. Xander and Willow had attended with Anya and Tara plus a few people they had known in high school or met since then in college.

Giles was so nervous he kept dropping things. It terrified him that he might drop the ring as he placed it on Buffy’s hand. He kept thinking up disaster scenarios. What if he did drop the ring and it rolled under something or down a vent and they couldn’t find it? Or what if, when the minister asked if there was anyone present who objected to the wedding, somebody stepped forward? He decided that he would beat the living daylights out of anyone who made such an announcement and the possibility of impending violence calmed him. He kept his mind strictly off their honeymoon plans.

At Buffy’s insistence and knowing that they couldn’t be away from Sunnydale for any extended period of time, he had booked them a room at Sunnydale’s best hotel. Just the thought of being alone with her with the expectations of a wedding night riding on both their shoulders was enough to start his hands shaking. Xander came to tell him that it was time to take his place and he nearly fainted.

The younger man clapped a hand on his back. “Don’t worry, Giles. This is just Buffy. I gotta say, you’re a better man than I am, though.”

Giles cleared his throat. “Ah, how is that, Xander?”

“I couldn’t marry the Buffster with no thoughts of anything else happening. I mean, I know you’re doing it so she can keep little James, but, if I were you, I’d be thinking, wow, Buffy’s my wife. If we had sex it would be legal. Hell, it would be expected.” The young man shook his head. “You’re a better man than I am.”

Giles looked at him gloomily. “What makes you so sure that I’m not having those sorts of thoughts, Xander?”

The carpenter looked surprised that Giles would even question him on something so obvious. “Well, because you’re Giles. You don’t think of Buffy like that.” He sounded so sure of himself that Giles almost hesitated to break that image.

“Well, for your information and future reference, Xander, I’ve had a good many thoughts, both today and over the years. Contrary to popular supposition, I was not castrated when I became a Watcher.”

Xander waved his hands in the air. “I don’t want to know, OK?”

Giles gave him a very snarky look. “Please forgive me for damaging your tender sensibilities, Xander.”

Xander just rolled his eyes. “Come on, big guy, we’ve got to go.”

They stepped out of the tiny room and into the chapel proper. Xander escorted Giles to the altar and they waited for the bride.

Buffy had already done the nervous thing and had managed to get past that to simply worry that she wouldn’t be good enough to be her Rupert’s wife. What did she know about anything, after all? Willow took a long time to calm her down. There was a knock on the door that told the girls that the men were in place. Willow stepped out of the room first and signaled Anya to cue the music. A CD of the Wedding March began playing.

The antechamber where they were waiting was only about ten steps from the altar, but to Buffy, it felt like a mile. She felt quivery and nervous and slightly sick to her stomach, then she looked up and saw Giles waiting for her. Suddenly, everything felt just fine as she gazed into his dear eyes. She glided the few feet to his side and he reached out and took her hand, raising it to his lips for a gentle kiss before the ceremony began.

The minister made them recite their vows and then the ceremony was over. They were man and wife. Giles lifted the short veil Buffy wore and kissed her, signifying the end of the service and the beginning of their life together. He put his arm around her and they stepped down the aisle to begin receiving the congratulations of their friends.

They left the chapel and drove to the restaurant for the bridal lunch. Giles had reserved the large dining room for his party of guests. Willow had the wedding cake delivered to the restaurant, and Xander had set up decorations with the staff ahead of time. It was very festive. Dawn took a million pictures.

Anya and Tara had picked out music and Buffy and Giles started out with the first dance. After that, it was a free-for-all with both of them trading dance partners till everyone had danced at least twice with the bride and the groom. They cut the wedding cake with a sword and Giles privately hoped that all the demon blood had been cleaned off of it from its last use.

He wondered how much longer they would be expected to sit around chatting. He was growing ever more nervous. Would Buffy want to make love or would she still feel that it was too soon? Yes, she had indicated that she was ready, but who knew a woman’s mind? Not he, surely. Tuning back into the general conversation, he heard Willow and Tara babbling excitedly about getting to care for little James whilst he and Buffy were honeymooning.

He had to smile at the thought of the child. Never in all his long years of study, had he ever suspected he would actually like being around a baby, but he did. He talked constantly to James whenever he held him, telling him all manner of things that the child would learn when he was just a bit older. Giles was eagerly looking forward to teaching the baby to read. He idly wondered if the boy would make a good Watcher. Hank Summers had been a very intelligent, if negligent, man. His children, Buffy and Dawn, were also very bright and would have benefited better training and education whist they were young, though they had done as well as anyone could expect in the abyss of the American educational system.

He had wondered why Buffy and her friends made up so much of their own vocabulary, adapting real words to form adjectives, verbs, and nouns seemingly at random. It had taken most of his first semester at Sunnydale High for him to realize they made them up because they weren’t being taught vocabulary. Beyond a cursory wave at grammar, these children learned to speak by imitation alone. He had been much more diligent after that to ensure that he spoke only proper English around them and, though it had taken years, he did notice a distinct improvement in their language skills. James would grow up knowing the difference, he vowed.

They ate lunch and then, finally, it was time for he and Buffy to leave. He accepted hugs from all the girls and a handshake and a slap on the back from Xander and then they were off.

As he drove through the familiar streets of Sunnydale, he glanced at his bride. Buffy was smiling softly, looking at nothing in particular. He could see she was off in her own world.

“Ah, I thought the service went well.” He started the conversation with an opening gambit.

“I thought it was beautiful. I was so nervous and then I looked out of that little room and you were standing there and I knew everything was all right.”

He smiled in pleased wonder that he could do such a thing for her. “I was rather nervous too. Xander congratulated me on being able to marry you and not have thoughts of a romance between us.” He finished that comment off with a snort.

“Well, to be honest, we haven’t exactly spelled things out for them,” Buffy allowed.

“When two people get married, what on earth do they expect? If you were marrying anyone else, there would be all sorts of expectations, but because you married me, they expect us to live like eunuchs.”

“Maybe they’ll catch on when they see us looking happy?” Buffy offered with a shy smile.

“That might be a clue,” he conceded with a grin of his own. “Do you think Dawn and James will be all right?”

“We’re not even leaving town, Rupert. I think they can survive the weekend without us.”

“Sorry, I just fret to leave them alone.”

“They aren’t alone. Will and Tara, Xander and even Anya will watch out for them.”

He gave a tiny moan. “I was trying not to think of that, thank you.”

They checked into their hotel room, suddenly nervous and unsure of themselves. “W, would you care for, ah, something to eat?” he asked her shyly.

“No, thanks. Suddenly, I’m so nervous if I ate anything, I think it would be a mistake.”

“Ah, well, me too!”

They giggled at his descent into colloquialisms. Suddenly, Buffy decided that it was up to her to break the ice. She took his hand and led him to the side of the large bed that dominated the room. They sat down. “I’m ready for this, Giles. I’m ready for us.”

“Oh, Buffy! I’m ready too. I just want you to be sure.”

“I was sure when I said I’d marry you. I was sure when I stood at that altar with you. I’m sure as we sit here together, ready to make love for the first time.”

He didn’t say anything, but the look in his eyes was eloquent. Leaning over her, hands clasping her own, he kissed her.

Buffy simply let herself feel. It was wonderful. The warm, male body rubbing against hers, the smell of him, the absolute burning need and desire he gave off, all aroused her. In fact, he made her want to growl. Pushing him off her, she straddled him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

“We are wearing entirely too many clothes, Rupert.”

“Let me take care of that for you,” he offered.

She sat back and let him unfasten her dress. It slipped off her shoulders and she stepped out of it, picking it up from the floor and tossing it over the back of a nearby chair. She stood facing him wearing only a pair of white silk thong panties, her thigh-high hose and garters and her white strappy sandals.

He stood and ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms, marveling in the softness of her satin skin. He feasted his eyes on her breasts. They were just as beautiful as he knew they would be. Pert yet just full enough to cup in his hand. He reached out and did just that, brushing his thumb over her erect nipple. Dropping soft kisses on her shoulders, he moved slowly down her body, stopping for twenty minutes to pay homage to her breasts before dropping to his knees in front of her. He lifted one of her elegant feet and unstrapped her sandal, tossing it carefully out of the way before he gently sat her foot down and reached for the other. When her shoes had been removed, he let his fingers travel to the garters. Though his hands trembled somewhat, he rolled them down her slim, muscular legs taking the hose with them.

She stood there, her hands resting lightly on his shoulders as he buried his face in her belly. He slid his nose down until he could smell the wild scent of her. It nearly drove him crazy with desire. He was glad he wasn’t standing or he would have collapsed. The scent went directly from his brain to his groin. He growled deep in his throat and bit lightly at her tummy. When she laughed and stroked his hair, he bit at her thong and pulled it down with his teeth till she could step out of the garment with ease. He started to reach for her but she backed up.

“My turn, Rupert.”

Her hands unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it halfway down his arms, pinning them to his sides. She took advantage of his unwilling restraint to nip his neck and shoulders with her teeth. His belly quivered as she lightly nipped her way down his chest to the edge of his trousers. In seconds she had them undone and pulled down his thighs. He was wearing satin boxers that were definitely showing some strain as his erection pressed tightly against their seams. She pulled him to his feet and removed the shirt pinioning his arms. They went around her immediately. She used her new vantage point to lick his nipples then blow on them, causing the already taut peaks to harden like rocks. He tried to maneuver closer to the bed, but she smiled and held back, putting her hands on his trousers again.

“Let me unwrap you, Rupert.”

“Hurry, love. I want you so badly.”

She just smiled and knelt in front of him, pulling his slacks down till he stepped out of them. Running her hand over the satin of his boxers, she noticed a spot of moisture forming at the front as his need for her made itself known.

She eased the pants off of him and looked lovingly at the erection that was presented for her delectation. Sliding her hand between his legs, she carefully cupped his testicles. Buffy leaned forward and took a long slow lick at his cock, causing his knees to quiver in anticipation. Her exploring fingers found the seam that ran up the center of his scrotum and she lightly dragged the edge of her nail along it while engulfing his rampant manhood with her lips.

Giles couldn’t help it; his hips drove forward as he pushed himself into her welcoming mouth. God, she was so sweet, so hot and inviting. He allowed himself to pump into her twice, then reluctantly pulled back.

“Not the first time, dearest. The first time I want you to fly with me.”

“Yes,” was all she was able to reply.

He bent and picked her up from the floor and laid her gently upon the bed before crawling up to kiss her repeatedly. His hands were never still and worshiped her while they kissed. Finally, he allowed one hand to slip between her legs and stroke the pooling moisture he found there. She was slick with her need and he knew she was more than ready for him.

Pushing her legs apart, he knelt placing himself at her opening. Moving as slowly as his needy body allowed, he watched himself penetrate her. Buffy was actually writhing under him, her body having taken on a will of its own as he drove her to the edge time after time. Pumping himself into her, he felt the silken texture of her body grab him with muscles of steel. It was enough to bring him to the very precipice. “Buffy! I need…”

“Yes, God, yes!”

He pushed himself into her one more time and her body shuddered in time with his as wave after wave of ecstasy raced through their systems. Even though he collapsed on her at the glorious culmination of their efforts, he was still more than half erect inside her. When her hips gave an involuntary quiver of movement, half became whole. He saw her eyes go big.

“Rupert?”

“Would you mind terribly if we did that again, dearest?”

“Mind? Only if you don’t let me do the work this time.” She pushed him sideways carefully keeping their bodies locked together until she was riding him. The position gave added penetration and allowed her to maneuver him to please them both. She clenched him with her internal muscles and rode him hard until they both burst into another orgasm. Melting against his chest, she allowed his now limp penis to leave her body. It was followed by a gush of sperm and fluids from their joining. He promised himself he would clean up in a moment; he just needed to close his eyes…

They woke several hours later only because Buffy had tried to move off of him and found herself stuck in the dried secretions that cemented them together. As she gingerly peeled herself off him, she grimaced lightly. “Note to self: don’t fall asleep without wiping up.”

“I meant to clean us, really,” he told her with a groan of embarrassment. “I wasn’t expecting to be totally knocked for a loop!”

“Me neither. That’s never happened to me before. I’ve never come so hard or so wild or had it feel so right.”

“I know what you mean. I’ve had a fair amount of experience myself and this was totally different. It was as if this was what lovemaking was meant to be and everything else was simply…I don’t know. A warm-up?”

“That’s it exactly.” She rolled over to look at him. “I wonder if I’ll be able to walk in the morning?”

“Brides often walk funny on the day after their wedding night.”

She groaned and covered her face with her hand. “Everybody is going to know we had wild monkey sex.”

He grinned. “I don’t mind them knowing that!”

“Rupert Giles! Who would have guessed you’d be such a, a man about this?”

“Well, what would you like me to be, a kitten, perhaps?”

She giggled. “Maybe a tiger, but nothing smaller than that.” She kissed him. “Mmmmm. My tiger-man.”

“I may have a few more stripes to show you, beloved.”

“I think I could get used to that!”

“My stripes?”

“Being your beloved. I like it. I love you, Rupert.”

“And I love you, Buffy, so very much.”

“I’m sorry it took such a sad thing for us to get together.”

“I as well.”

“I’ve been thinking…if the Council gets Faith out of prison, there’s really no need for us to stay here. We could move to England. You could get your job in the museum back, if you wanted.”

“You’d move?”

“In a heartbeat.”

“Then let us give that top priority.”

He snuggled her in his arms and made plans in his head for their future. In seconds, he followed her into sleep.

They never left the suite during the two days they had allotted for their honeymoon. Using room service, they had their meals delivered, not even noticing the smirking hotel staff giving them looks. It was over much too soon, but they vowed that they would take another weekend when things settled down.

Giles drove them back to the house where their friends greeted them. Xander studied them closely, wondering if they had really had sex. They certainly looked relaxed. It wasn’t a thought he wanted to have about either of them, so he carefully pushed it aside.

Picking up little James, Giles cooed at the baby. He was so beautiful. His tiny hands and feet were marvels to the Watcher. Buffy came up to his side and he showed her how lovely the child was.

“Isn’t he gorgeous?”

“I think so. Think how cute our own babies will be.”

Willow, hearing that conversation, had been smiling till Buffy dropped her bombshell. “What?”

Buffy glanced at her friend. “What’s wrong, Willow?”

“You said you were going to have babies…babies with Giles!”

Buffy nodded. “Uh huh: and?”

“Babies!”

“Well, not like tomorrow or anything. We have to get Faith out of the slammer first.”

“Buffy, in order for you to have babies, you’d have to, have to, do it with Giles!” Willow gasped out this last as if it were absolutely impossible.

“Will…we’re married.”

“Yeah, I know. But that was just because of the baby!”

“No, it was because Giles and I love each other and eventually want to make our own babies. We thought it would be better if we were married when that happened.”

Willow staggered to a chair and dropped into it. “So, this weekend….”

“Was our honeymoon,” Buffy said firmly. “By the way, Giles and I want to move to England to raise James and Dawn. We were wondering if you guys would like to come with? Willow, you can go to school at Oxford, you have a scholarship anytime you want to use it and Xander can get in as a skilled carpenter. I hear they are in high demand.”

Xander blinked. “You want us to come too?”

“Only if you wish to, of course. But we are a family and I hate to break us up after all these years. Besides, I don’t like to think of you staying here on the Hellmouth with only Faith to protect you,” Giles told them.

“What about Tara and Anya?” Willow wondered.

“They can come too. There is a coven in Devon that would gladly sponsor Tara and I’m sure the Council would hire Anya to tell them everything she knows about vengeance demons.”

“What about the store?” Xander asked.

“I can either sell it or hire somebody to run it for me. It shouldn’t be an issue.”

“I’m in if Anya wants to come,” Xander said firmly.

“Me too! Wow! Tara will be so excited,” Willow squealed.

“What about school for me?” Dawn asked worriedly.

“Strangely enough, we have schools in England,” Giles said dryly.

“Will I have to wear tweed?” the younger girl wondered.

Giles merely rolled his eyes. “No, I’m sure you’ll like the uniforms.”

“Uniform? Buffy!” Dawn turned to her sister, pleading. “Please, no uniforms.”

“No uniforms,” Buffy promised, shooting an evil glare at Giles who merely grinned back.

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