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Summary: Giles only wants the best for his girls. December 2010

He doesn't get the message until after they've destroyed the Freyas demon which is just as well really. He's had to teleport up to London after the reported sightings of one in Kilburn were confirmed, they needed to know which of its heads to cut off in order to kill it and no-one had been able to translate the Sumerian, what with Willow still rounding up activated potentials in South America. So he grudgingly came and then of course Andrew had wanted his advice on co-ordinating the killing of the demon out of the public eye so he's been delayed longer. It was a fairly straightforward operation in the end but he's grumpy that he's missed out on walking his girls home from school as he usually does (having them run into his arms everyday in the playground is such an ego boost) and listening to the phone message from Jenny nearly pushes him over the edge.

Sitting at the conference table in the de-briefing room of the newly rebuilt headquarters of the Watcher's Council, Buffy, Xander and Faith give each other steadily more bemused looks as Giles' face gets darker and darker. When he's finished listening he throws the phone on the table and starts muttering things like 'preposterous' and 'travesty'. Xander bravely wades in:

'Everything okay with Jenny and the G-girls, Giles?'

'Xander, I believe we had a conversation about what would happen if you referred to my daughters as 'the G-girls' again.'

'The one where you threatened to eviscerate me one strip of skin at a time with my own pocket knife?'

A curt nod.

'Ooookay. Let me rephrase. Everything okay with Jenny and the...girls?'

Giles starts pacing furiously, clearly agitated.

'Alexandra found out her part for the school nativity today.'

'Uh...nativi-what?'

'Christmas pagaent,' Buffy stage whispers to Faith, having received a lengthy lecture on the subject last year.

'Oh okay, yeah I know. I was an angel at mine.'

Three very incredulous faces turn in Faith's direction, even Giles is momentarily distracted from pacing and glaring.

'Say what now?'

'What? I was a cute kid, okay? Star of the show, everyone said. Especially after I knocked over the head angel backstage and got a promotion.'

' 'Head angel'?' Giles delivers this with dripping sarcasm as somehow only he is able. 'Are you perhaps referring to the Angel Gabriel?'

'Yeah. Some girly name like that, anyway. Whatever, I got to tell Mary that she was going to give birth to our Saviour. Wasn't a dry eye in the house. All the Irish super-Catholics were wishing I was their kid.'

'Annnnyyyyway,' Buffy says, rolling her eyes just a little bit, 'at the risk of sounding dumb why is Little L even participating in the 'Nativity'? The Christmas story isn't exactly high on the list of technopagan beliefs is it?'

The pacing begins again.

'Well, that's a whole other issue. Jenny emotionally blackmailed me into agreeing, she said she didn't want her daughters being the ones with 'the weird devil worshipping Mom' and that it would be 'cute'. Wait a second- Little L?'

'Yeah, you know for 'Little Lexie'. Oh c'mon Giles,' she protests when the full force of his withering look is directed at her, 'it's adorable! Alexandra is way too much name for a five year old girl.'

'It did quite well for the Tsarina of Russia!'

'Yeah...sure. So which role did the little Tsarina get?'

He's quite unable to say it.

'It's ridiculous, it really is. And when you think that Emily Sharp has somehow wormed her way into the role of Mary when she cannot act at all, honestly I saw her in the friendship assembly and it was painful to watch-'

'Giles, spill!'

He mumbles the answer, looking at the floor.

'Uh...ship?' Xander tries.

'Sheep! And not even first sheep, third sheep!'

They honestly try not to laugh but it's impossible not to.

'It's not funny!' Giles all but screeches, 'that bloody teacher isn't appreciating her talent! I've a mind to go down there in the morning and voice my opinion. Discrimination is what it is, why shouldn't Mary have dark hair? It's the twenty first bloody century isn't it?'

'Giles,' Buffy protests, trying to pull herself together, 'unless you want your kids to start thinking you're the most embarrassing person in the world about ten years earlier than they normally would then you will not say anything to the teacher. And besides, I think Lexie will make a great...sheep.'

'Sheep' comes out mostly as a snort as she collapses in laughter again.

Faith is enjoying herself far more than is reasonable and decent as well.

'Guess we better rethink Lexie's bright future, huh? Stuff like this doesn't bode well. I bet this'll be the first thing that the shrink gets out of her.'

Xander, bless him, tries his best to raise the outraged father's spirits.

'What about Baby Blondie? I bet she got something good.'

'Isabel is in the chorus this year. Apparently that involves singing 'Little Donkey' and banging a tambourine. Bloody thing.'

'Well, maybe she could lend it to Lexie and her and the other farm animals could start a hoe-down in the stable.'

That all sends them into peals of laughter again which no amount of terrible glares can stop.

'Well, laugh it up then if your conscience allows it. There's nothing wrong with being ambitious for your children you know. I suppose I'll let this one go but she'd better get a good role for the Easter play or I most certainly will be saying something. What is that horrible noise? Oh, my phone.'

He extracts the phone from his jacket and stares at it for a few seconds before he remembers how to answer it.

'Hello, Jenny? Yes I got the message, I always thought that teacher had her favourites...no, no of course I'll act pleased for Lexie...she wants to talk to me? Alright, put her on...Hello, sweetheart, how are you?...Yes, Mummy told me- fantastic news, I'm sure you'll be wonderful...I'm sure you could 'baa' the best sweetheart...I wouldn't miss it for the world...Yes, Buffy and Xander will be there. We'll have to see about Willow, she's quite far away at the moment you see...no teleporting's only for emergencies, I'll be home soon anyway to read you and Izzy a story...I'll have to ask Mummy if you've been good enough for two stories, won't I?...Okay, bye darling.'

When he hangs up the phone, Buffy sums up the mood in the room quite nicely:

'God Giles, you've become obnoxiously cute since you had kids. It's enough to make you sick.'

fin