Title: Christmas Resolutions 1/5
Author: Gileswench
Contact: gileswench@yahoo.com
Date: 12/9/01
Spoilers: Through Wrecked
Summary: Resolved: a Slayer needs her Watcher...if she can just figure
out exactly how...
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Category: Romance
Distribution: If you've had my permission in the past, you have it now.
All others, ask and ye shall receive.
Feedback: Constructive criticism always welcome. Praise abjectly
sought.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc., etc., etc. I
just let them have all the fun Joss won't. I own nothing except my
twisted mind which you really don't want. Please don't sue.
Notes: This one comes to you courtesy of Cindy B's challenge on the BGL
for a Christmas story. The requirements were: Buffy and Dawn paying
Giles a surprise visit for the holidays, snow, B/G smoochies, and a
minimum of angst. A little forced its way in, but it's only for a
moment.
Dedication: To Cindy B. for setting the challenge, to Gail for
encouraging me to write something happy, and to Rari for being brutal
with her comments during the writing process. Thank you all.
Giles sat reading, his cup of tea suspended on its journey to his mouth when he was immobilized by the passage he'd found.
"Good lord," he breathed. "The butler didn't do it!"
He was stirred from his reverie by a knock on his door. That was a surprise. He hadn't been expecting anyone until the next day. When he heard a second knock, he stood and hurried to the door. He flung it open, only to find himself engulfed in four arms...two of which were surprisingly strong.
"Buffy? Dawn? I don't believe it! How did you come to be here?"
Buffy grinned at her sister, and then her Watcher.
"Told you he'd like our present."
"Yeah, well, he didn't say 'dear lord' or clean his glasses yet. You said that's the first thing he'd do."
"And it is the first thing I'd have done, given the opportunity," he assured them. "I could do it now, if it makes you feel more at home."
"Nah," Dawn told him. "It should happen spontaneously."
"And it will, a whole lot," Buffy added with a grin.
Giles ushered the girls in and shut the door against the chill, English winter.
"You still haven't answered my question," Giles pointed out. "I'm very happy to see you, naturally, but I'm not entirely certain what you're doing here."
"Well, Dad came to his senses and figured out he has two daughters who might actually like something special for Christmas, and he called and asked what that might be - though it couldn't be time with him, because he was busy taking his new girlfriend to the Bahamas for the holidays. Anyway, Dawn really wanted to have a white Christmas, and that doesn't happen much in Sunnydale, so I thought, two birds, one stone, we could come see you and your English snow. And here we are. Surprise?"
"Surprise, indeed. Why didn't you call and let me know you were coming?"
"'Cause we thought this could be sort of a Christmas present for you, too...but we did bring real stuff, too, from us and the whole gang. I just thought...y'know, isn't it bad luck to unwrap your gift early?" Buffy bit her lip nervously, wondering if she'd done the right thing after all.
Giles looked from one to the other, smiled, and opened his arms to them. Both girls lunged into the hug, relief and joy filling their hearts.
"Now I'd best call my sister and let her know we shall be two more on Christmas day."
Buffy and Dawn stared at one another, dumbstruck, across Giles' torso.
"Sister?" Buffy squeaked.
"You have a sister?" Dawn echoed.
"Yes, I have."
"Since when?" Buffy demanded.
"Ever since I was three years old. I'm spending Christmas with her and her family. Now that you two have shown up, I suppose you'll just have to tag along and see what an English Christmas is like."
"But...it'll be okay with her, right?"
"I'm sure Lucy will be thrilled to meet you both," he reassured Buffy. "Now let's get you two settled."
*****
A pot of tea later, Giles had been caught up on a slightly edited version of the news from Sunnydale, and Dawn, despite her protestations that she wasn't tired, was very nearly asleep. Buffy and Giles shared a bemused smile over the girl's head.
"Dawn?" Giles gently roused the girl, "I know you aren't tired, but it's late, and I'd rather like to go to bed. Would you mind if I showed you your room now?"
"Okay, I guess. If you're tired," the teenager agreed as she rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn. "I could go for hours."
Buffy helped her nearly comatose sister to her feet. Giles stood and led the girls to the guestroom. He wished them both a goodnight and returned to the lounge to put out the lights.
He couldn't believe that Buffy was there...and Dawn. What's more, this looked much more like the Buffy he'd known and loved for so long rather than the lost, wretched soul he'd left mere weeks ago in Sunnydale. He prayed that the transformation was as real as it appeared.
At last, he headed down the hall to his bedroom, changed for bed and lay down. His last conscious thought as he drifted off to sleep was a fervent thanks to whatever powers might run the universe that Buffy was with him, safe and apparently whole.