Title: Christmas Resolutions 3/5
Author: Gileswench
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.

The next morning, Giles took Buffy and Dawn on a tour of Bath. He took them to sites connected with Jane Austen for Dawn's benefit, and some of the trendier shops for Buffy's. At last, he took them back to his flat to prepare for the arrival of his sister.

"Did you both have a good time?" he asked as they shared a pot of tea.

"Not bad," Buffy replied. "I got nice stuff for Will and Anya and Tara. Plus, a couple pretties for myself."

"I'm still trying to get the taste of that water out of my mouth."

"That's what you get for drinking something called 'bathwater'."

Giles grinned. He'd missed the banter he'd grown so used to with the Scoobies. Not to mention the happy glow that suffused Buffy. She looked honestly at peace for the first time since her return from Heaven. That she was with him and ready to explore her feelings regarding him was more than he could have asked for. Even if she ultimately decided not to try romance, she was open to the idea.

And she'd been so lovely to wake up to.

Her sleepy smile and tousled hair made a picture he fully intended to warm himself with for the rest of his life even if he never got to see the reality again.

"Ground control to Major Tom?"

"Hmmm? What is it, Buffy?"

"I was just asking you if your sister really has room for us, or if Dawn and I should find a hotel."

"I shouldn't worry about it, Buffy. She and Simon have a fairly large house."

"Simon?"

"Her husband."

"So, plenty of room at the inn is what you're saying?"

"Precisely."

"How many people are going to be there? Does your sister have any kids?"

"It's just a family gathering, Dawn. And yes, Lucy and Simon have three children, though I suppose I oughtn't to call them children anymore. The youngest is seventeen, and quite the devil with the girls, I hear."

"Takes after his Uncle Ripper, does he?" Buffy joked nervously.

"Entirely too much," Giles grinned back. "I seriously doubt the Council will know what to make of him, anymore than you and I."

"He's going to be a Watcher? Does he want to?"

"You know it's not a question of wanting, Buffy. It's destiny."

Buffy stood and looked about herself nervously.

"Are you sure this is okay, Giles? Us crashing your family Christmas like this? I mean, we could go somewhere else if you want. We don't want to be in the way."

"And leave behind the best Christmas gift I've ever been given? You two are coming with me, and that's an end to it. Besides, I do believe that's the car I hear. Too late to back out now."

*****

Lucy Williamson, Giles' sister, turned out to be a tall woman with the same green eyes, high cheekbones, and strong chin as her brother. Her clothes, and the large car she drove, spoke of someone who had a great deal of money, but didn't feel the need to mention it to anyone. It was simply background. To have made a show of it would have been tacky.

Buffy, who had been fearing meeting Giles' family found herself much more at ease than she'd thought possible. Lucy was a lot like Giles in some ways. What's more, she'd seemed quite pleased to meet her unexpected visitors. It was clear that Giles had told Lucy far more about Buffy than vice versa.

Along the drive, Lucy told stories about Giles' childhood and early adult years that made Buffy and Dawn giggle, and Giles squirm. It reminded Buffy of the way Giles loved to tease Xander.

Suddenly, Dawn turned her attention away from their hostess and out the window.

"Hey guys! It's snowing!"

"Then it's a good thing we're nearly there," Lucy said with a smile. "It won't be a fit night out for man nor beast."

"Which seems somehow appropriate for Christmas Eve," Giles added as he peered out the window over Buffy's head.

"You're sure there's room for us?" Buffy fussed again.

"Plenty," Lucy assured her. "Rupert, are you quite certain you can't get Buffy to understand she's wanted?"

"Buffy understands things very much in her own time and on her own terms."

Something in Giles' tone made Buffy feel sure he was talking about more than her nervousness about spending Christmas with his family. She looked up to find him looking at her. Both blushed and ducked their heads at the same time.

As the car rounded a corner, Lucy announced that they'd arrived at their destination. Buffy and Dawn both gaped.

"Okay. I get it. There's room," Buffy said. "Are you sure we won't get lost?"

"I shall provide you with maps and breadcrumbs to trail along the corridors," Lucy joked. "And if you haven't found your way by New Years, we shall send Saint Bernards to fetch you."

Still, Buffy was glad that Giles put a hand to the small of her back as they approached the house. It was warm and comforting and...Gilesy. Demons and vampires didn't intimidate Buffy, but a house that looked as though it could be a set for a Merchant Ivory film left her weak in the knees. She took this little piece of the ordinary and grabbed onto it with everything she had.

They reached the doorway, still together. As they stepped onto the threshold, Lucy stopped the pair. She pointed up to the top of the doorframe and watched expectantly as Buffy and Giles both stared in confused distress at the bunch of mistletoe that hung above their heads.

Giles smiled down apologetically at Buffy as she blushed a deep shade of red. At last, he bent slightly and brushed his lips softly against her cheek. Lucy and Dawn shot one another disgusted looks at the performance.

"You call that a kiss? Rupert, you've kissed Aunt Mathilda with more enthusiasm than that. I absolutely forbid either of you to enter this house until you do better than that."

Giles' lips quirked in a tight smile as he turned to Buffy again.

"I'm afraid she means it, Buffy."

"She'd really make us stay out here?"

"And I forgot my pup tent."

"Oh. Okay, then. We can do this."

"Just relax and think of England," he whispered in her ear. Before she could stop giggling, Giles pressed his lips to hers warmly.

The kiss was entirely chaste, but Buffy found herself forgetting to breathe. Somehow in the back of her mind, she'd never really believed that Giles knew how to kiss. Even though she'd seen him kissing Ms. Calendar, and she seemed to think he knew what he was doing, Buffy had assumed that part of the response was simply that she wanted to make her boyfriend happy. It had never really occurred to her that Giles might actually be good. After an endless moment, Giles pulled back. Buffy stood and goggled.

"Buffy? Are you all right?"

"Hmm? Oh. Yeah. Sure, Giles. Fine. Can we go in now?"

Lucy waved the pair in with a flourish. As Buffy passed through the doorway, Dawn giggled at her.

"You should have seen your face. It was a total Kodak moment."

"If you had a camera, it would be broken now."

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