Looking Forward To Tomorrow

by SummersRain04

After the battle with the first Buffy decides to open a club in New York leaving Giles in England to live a happy life without her. But things are never that simple or straightforward and she soon finds out that she misunderstood what she thought was going on. Some humour. B/G pairing

Disclaimer:- I own nothing just borrowing the characters for a bit.

Rating:- T

Summary:- After the battle with the first Buffy decides to open a club in New York leaving Giles in England to live a happy life without her. But things are never that simple or straightforward and she soon finds out that she misunderstood what she thought was going on.

A/N:- There are a lot of Giles singing stories so I thought I would do a Buffy one. Darkside, Good Goes the Bye, War Paint, Catch My Breath, I Had A Dream and Invincible are all Kelly Clarkson. Come To Me is by the Goo Goo Dolls. Bridge of Light is by Pink for Happy Feet 2. I Still Love You is by Josh Jenkins. All of these songs were released after the timeline of my fic so I had Buffy write them.

Feedback:- If you want. Not gonna hold a gun to your head or anything but it is nice to get every now and then :-D

Chapter 1

It had been a crazy couple of months. After the battle that turned Sunnydale into a crater they had taken over an abandoned motel just outside of Sunnydale and spent the next few days dealing with injuries, both mental and physical, then Willow had hacked the council database, gained access to the financial files and transferred total control to Giles. She arranged for a new credit card to be picked up from the bank in LA and they had all headed there.

After a few days in LA to gather supplies and buy everyone some clothes and other essential bits they had split up, Faith and Robin headed to Cleveland with the majority of the girls, a few had decided to go home and the rest had decided to go with Giles, Willow and Xander who were heading to England to rebuild the council. Buffy had taken Dawn to their Dad and planned to join them in England as soon as she could.

It turned out their Dad had been frantic with worry over the fate of his daughters and had rushed them as soon as they had arrived at his office. He fussed over them and insisted that Buffy stayed as well as Dawn, taking them shopping and arranged for replacement passports.

Buffy told him that she couldn't stay for long as she was needed in England, that the people she worked for had offered her a position anywhere in the world should she want it. He had argued with her about it, saying that she didn't need to go so far, that she could work for him and stay close to Dawn.

She had hugged him and told him the real reason she had to get to England. She was pregnant and the father was in England with her friends setting up a house for them all. He had pulled back and looked at her with a mixture of surprise and delight, Dawn had stared in shock as she knew that she hadn't slept with anyone since she had stopped talking to Giles. She waited for their father to make a phone call to his doctor friend, insisting that Buffy get a check up, before she pulled her aside,

"Is Giles the father?" she asked in an urgent whisper.

"Yes and he doesn't know yet so don't blab it before I get the chance to tell him" Buffy said waiting for the inevitable question.

"Did you know when you went down into the Hellmouth?" Dawn asked folding her arms across her chest.

"Yes, I took the test about two weeks before and I didn't say anything because I knew he would try and stop me from doing what I needed to do plus he would have been so worried about me he would have gotten hurt. I couldn't let that happen" she said hugging herself and looking at the floor, pushing Giles' onyx ring round her finger with her thumb.

"You could have died down there, you nearly did, supernatural healing boost or not you were still run through and you still didn't say anything. What if that sword hurt the baby?"

"Why do you think I'm letting Dad phone his friend? And I didn't say anything after because he wouldn't even look at me and when I went to his room at the motel he didn't say anything just pulled me inside and kissed me which led to other things and he fell asleep holding me. When I said I was bringing you here so you could have normal until you finish high school he gave me his ring," she held her hand up showing Dawn the ring on her middle finger, "and said 'so I'll always be with you, I'll see you when you come to England" she wiped at her cheeks, removing the tears that had fallen as she was talking, "he didn't say anything else and I was too scared to say anything to him, I don't know if he still wants me in his life Dawn, I don't want another person I love to leave me"

Dawn threw her arms around her sister and held her as she cried. She was holding Buffy so tight that she could feel the beginnings of a baby bump, pulling back she looked down at her sisters stomach and laid a hand on it,

"You must be more than three months if you already have a little bump" Dawn said smiling at her sister.

Buffy grinned and covered her sisters hand, "Probably but as the whole town had pretty much emptied by the time I found out I couldn't find out for sure. Besides you were the only one who realized anything was going on with me and Giles and I don't think announcing that I was pregnant with his kid would be the best way to break it to them"

"But I'm gonna miss everything if I stay here with Dad, why can't I come with you now?" Dawn whined, pouting at her.

"We've had this conversation, it will be better for you to stay here and finish school, be normal and not worry about all the badness for a while and then you can come home, wherever that will be" Buffy said tucking Dawns hair behind her ear and cupping her face, "besides, I'm a phone call and a plane ride away if you ever need me and we'll talk every day"

"I know but I'm worried this new attitude to us that Dad has won't last, what if he gets bored of me?"

"I don't think he will Dawn. He almost lost us, sometimes that's what it takes to make you realise how much you want that person in your life"

"Is that what happened with you and Giles?"

"On my side it was yes. With him leaving, it woke up all those feelings I had been repressing since I walked into his house and saw Olivia in his shirt and then I got scared I had driven him off permanently when he left me to be stronger without him, but then he showed up all God-like when Willow went Psycho Wicca and I just knew ya know" she smiled softly at Dawn.

"I know I'll never be the same after I walked in on you two tongue wrestling in the kitchen" Dawn said pretending to gag.

"And now I don't even know if I have a boyfriend anymore" Buffy said sadly, "He hasn't even called and it's been two weeks already"

Just as she said that her cell phone rang. Buffy and Dawn looked at each other and laughed at the irony of the situation.

"Hello" Buffy answered still chuckling slightly as she opened the back door and walked into the garden.

"Hey Buff, how's things at your Dads?" Willow asked.

"Good, great actually. I'm now equipped with a new wardrobe and so is Dawn. How's things your end? How's everyone?"

"We have a house, a big one too, room for everyone. Turns out the council had a shit load of properties all over the world and we're turning some into academy's for the baby Slayers and when we find some new Watchers we'll have a place for them too. Giles has given each of us some money, a lot of money actually and your check is bigger than ours so we can do what we want when all this is sorted out. Xander's busy with making sure that there are dorm rooms in the academy here and I think Giles is seeing someone, he's super secretive and going out a lot at night, he didn't come home last night"

Buffy felt her heart drop into her stomach and fought to sound normal as she answered Willow.

"Cool, well I might be here for a few more weeks yet, gotta find Dawn a school and get her signed up and then there's the lawyers to give my Dad some parental responsibility while she's in his care and I have a few more things I have to deal with"

"Okay, just let me know when you're leaving and I'll meet you at the airport, Xander will want to see you as well"

"How's he doing?"

"So-so, he's not talking yet but he will when he's ready, at least that's what Giles said"

"Giles knows what he's talking about. I've gotta go can you send me the address for the house so I can tell Dawn"

"Sure. I'll talk to you later. Are you sure you're okay? You sound a little….off"

"I'm fine, my Dads back now, I'll speak to you soon"

She hung up and slumped against the wall next to the back door her hand over her small bump. She looked up as Dawn opened the door and brought up a smile.

"How's everyone in England?" she asked with a frown on her face, "Are you okay? You look really pale"

"Everyone's doing great and I just feel a little dizzy is all" Buffy reassured her. She pushed off from the wall and motioned Dawn inside. She smiled when she saw her dad sitting at the breakfast bar.

"So I've been thinking and I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you guys" she said leaning against the end of the bar and looking at her Dad and Dawn, "I want to start a club in New York. Apparently I have a check waiting for me in England but I was hoping that you would be a silent partner" she said looking at her Dad.

"What kind of nightclub?" her Dad asked as he poured himself a coffee.

"Not very big, a few hundred people max, a stage so we can have live music or karaoke on a Saturday night, a balcony as well. I have someone I trust that can work on it if it needs it so that isn't a problem and I already have an idea on where I can get the staff. I kinda wanna recreate the Bronze from Sunnydale"

"Okay, sounds like you have a solid plan. I'll get the boys at work to look for a suitable location. Have you thought of a name yet?"

Buffy looked at Dawn and smirked at her look of shock, "Yeah, I was thinking Primogenita or Seneya's"

Dawn laughed at her choices knowing what meaning they had for her. Her father frowned at the exchange between his daughters, looking at them for a minute before he shrugged it off,

"Primogenita? What does that mean?" he asked.

"It's Latin for birthright" Dawn said with a grin at his shocked expression.

"You know Latin?" he asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah, Buffy's boyfriend taught me" she said picking up her cup of hot chocolate.

"Is your boyfriend going to be joining you in New York Buffy? And that reminds me Dr Michelson will see you today at two, is that okay?"

"That's fine, thanks Dad and thank you for agreeing to help me with the nightclub idea, I know it can be a risk for you. And he will be when he's finished his business in England" she said smiling at him and covering his hand with hers, giving it a squeeze.

"There is no risk sweetie, you've always accomplished what you set out to do so I'm not worried about this. When do you have to be in England?"

"I have another two weeks until I have to be back and I get the things I shipped over before the earthquake hit"

"You shipped stuff over? Why didn't you tell me?" Dawn said her head snapping round to glare at her sister.

"I have your stuff too, I sent it to Giles' place in Bath. Just little things, pictures, diaries some of Moms stuff, keep sakes and our childhood teddies and such"

"So we didn't lose it all" Dawn said softly her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Buffy pulled her sister into her arms and held her as she cried, stroking her hair and making soothing noises.

"No sweetie we didn't. I'm sorry I should have told you but there wasn't time before and it's been so crazy since"

Dawn pulled back sniffing, "It's okay it's just I thought we had lost everything and I kept thinking after that I should have grabbed a picture of Mom before we left the house and my diary and Kokopelli…." she trailed off wiping her face.

"Kokopelli is safe, I put him in the box of Moms stuff. I'll be picking it up, along with the rest of our stuff and bringing it back here before going on to New York okay"

"Okay, hey maybe I could go to college in New York, that way I can see you all the time and spend time with my niece or nephew" she said looking between her sister and her Dad.

"What colleges are you interested in Dawnie?" Their Dad asked.

"Well there's Columbia, it has everything I want to study there like art history and classic languages and ancient studies and other languages. Would that be okay?" she asked suddenly shy.

"You want to go to Columbia? Dawn that would be fantastic" their Dad said with looking happy and proud.

Buffy smiled at them as he wrapped his arms around Dawn.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So Miss Summers, your father tells me that you are pregnant. Do you know how far along you are?" the doctor asked as Buffy sat down at her desk.

"No. I was in Sunnydale and I found out not long before the earthquake, most of the town was already shut and the hospital had already emptied so you're the first doctor I've seen"

"Oh you're a Sunnydale survivor" she said her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Buffy nodded and smiled.

"Well, let's get this sorted then so it's one less thing for you to worry about, I'm sure you have a lot to get on with. Do you know when your last period was?"

"Uh, not really, it's been so crazy the last few months I haven't been paying attention but I think it was more than three months ago" Buffy said, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Not a problem we can do an ultrasound now and I can tell how far along you are, follow me" the doctor said and she rose from her chair and pushed open a door behind her.

Buffy followed and lay on the bed, pulling up her top and pushing down the waist bad of her skirt when the doctor told her to.

"Right let's see what's going on then shall we. This might be a little cold" she squirted some gel on Buffys stomach and she flinched at the temperature.

The doctor swept the wand over her stomach and pressed a few buttons on the machine before smiling and swinging the monitor round to face Buffy.

"There you are, I'd say you're about eighteen weeks" she said pointing at the screen.

Buffy smiled when she saw the fuzzy grey shape of her baby.

"And it looks like it's a girl" the doctor said smiling at Buffy as her smile grew.

"Really, I'm having a girl?"

"Yes and she looks like she's coming along nicely" the doctor printed off a few pictures and handed one to Buffy before standing and handing her a few paper towels so she could wipe her stomach, "When you're ready come back through and I'll let you know your due date"

Buffy pulled her skirt back up and swung her legs off the bed, looking at the picture again as she jumped down and rearranged her top. She walked back into the doctors office and tucked the picture away in her purse as she sat down.

"So according to my calculations you're due roughly November fifth. I gather you've had no prenatal vitamins at this point"

"Uh, yeah I kinda raided a pharmacy for some after I got a positive on a test so I have had some but I didn't find out until a month ago, does that mean I could have hurt her?" Buffy asked, curling a hand around her bump.

"No, no, prenatal vitamins help but if they're not taken it doesn't cause any problems and you did take some even if it has only been for the last month. Besides your daughter looks to be healthy and I'll take some blood from you to make sure you're all right as well" The doctor said smiling reassuringly.

"Uh, I'm going to be moving to New York at some point in the next month, shall I get my new doctor to contact you for the results?"

"Yes and I'll send them your file with the results inside, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Yeah, I need to go to England, that's where her father is and it's where I shipped some belongings from Sunnydale, will it be okay to fly?"

"You can fly right up until your due date but most airlines have a restriction on pregnant fliers not allowing anyone over six months to fly long distance so as long as you go in the next two months you should be okay"

"Thank you, I'll be going in the next two weeks so I should be fine" Buffy said, standing she extended her hand to shake the doctors hand. She picked up her bag and left the doctors.

Once outside the office she fished her cell phone out of her bag and phoned Willow.

"Hey Will" she said when she answered.

"Buffy, is everything okay?"

"Everything's great. Listen I've had a change in plans. Did mine and Dawns stuff get picked up from Giles' place in Bath yet?"

"Yeah we put all the boxes in your room here. What's going on?"

"I'll explain later, I promise...oh oh cab, I gotta go Will"

She hung up on her and jumped into the cab directing him to the mall, suddenly in need of maternity clothes.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 2

Buffy left Heathrow and hailed a cab to take her to the address in Notting Hill a week and a half after her phone call with Willow. She was planning on going back in two days but they would think she was leaving tomorrow afternoon when in reality she was going to stay at the hotel near the airport to organize her things into suitcases so she wouldn't have to pay for shipping.

She had spent the last week going over properties with her Dad and had finally settled on one in Brooklyn. It was in a good place for business and hopefully her plans for live acts during the week, a DJ on Friday nights and the karaoke night on Saturdays would mean a lot of revenue. Her Dads business consultant sounded positive about her plans anyway.

Half an hour later she was getting out of the cab in front of the house.

Will was right this place is huge Buffy thought as she climbed the steps to the front door.

She pulled her jacket tighter around her chest, the jeans and baggy sweater she was wearing to hide her bump were not enough against the chill of an early summer in England. She shifted her bag and knocked on the door.

"Buffy!" Xander cried as he pulled her into his arms when he opened the door a few minutes later, "Oh my god, I thought you weren't coming for a few more weeks" he said as he pulled her inside taking her suitcases from her, "Uh Buff, these are empty" he said lifting them up.

"I know, they're for the stuff I shipped from Sunnydale and I've had a change of plans which is why I'm here now" she said slipping off her jacket and putting it on top of her bags that Xander had placed at the bottom of the stairs to the upstairs.

"A change of plans? I don't get it, what's changed?" he asked her moving towards the back of the house, "come on, we're just having dinner, you can meet Giles' girlfriend"

"Uh Xand, can I just go up to my room? I've been on a plane for nearly eleven hours and it was economy so I didn't get much sleep" she said stopping in the hallway.

"Sure Buff but don't you want to say hello first?" he asked looking at her in his I-know-you're-hiding-something way.

"Not really no, I have no energy for it right now"

"Okay I'll take you straight up, come on" he said turning and taking her hand as he passed her, "You can tell me what's wrong later"

"What makes you think something is wrong?" Buffy asked as she let him pull her up the stairs, her bags in his other hand.

"Uh 'cause I know you" he said looking over his shoulder at her.

"Later okay, when I've slept"

"Okay, here you are" he said opening a door and pulling her in.

She had a double bed, a dresser and a wardrobe, the bed looked similar to the one she had in her room in Sunnydale. The three boxes she wanted were on the floor at the foot of the bed.

"Giles picked out your furniture and the bathroom is two doors down on your left and that door there," he pointed to a door on the other side of the room from the window, "is a connecting door to Giles' room"

"Thanks Xand, I'll see you later" she said with a small smile, playing up the tiredness.

"I'll let you get some sleep then, do you want any dinner saved?" he asked as he stepped out of her room.

"Nah, I'll forage later"

He nodded and pulled the door shut. She waited for his footsteps to recede then pushed her bed in front of the door to Giles' room then locked her bedroom door with the key and the deadbolt at the top.

She sat on her bed and kicked off her sneakers, pulling her sweater off and removing her hair tie she got under the covers and curled up hugging her bump and let the tears come.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

She must have fallen asleep because when the knocking on her door woke her it was dark.

"Buffy?" she heard Giles call softly from the other side of the door.

Her face crumbled when a fresh wave of pain surged to the surface at the sound of his voice. She waited until she heard his door shut then waited for him to try the connecting door, smiling grimly when she heard the handle turn and felt the door hit the bed, hearing his sigh. She lay there listening to him moving around his room, the bed as he sat on it and shifting as he lay down. She heard the click of a lamp and waited until she was sure he was asleep before getting up.

She threw the covers back and moved across the room to the suitcases. The small one contained her clothes and toiletry bag and the bigger one had another one inside it. Flicking the light on she opened the smaller one and dug out her night dress, she looked up at the clock and saw that it was two thirty in the morning, too late for a shower but she needed the bathroom.

She undressed and pulled her night dress on before padding quietly over to her door and putting her ear to it, listening intently for any signs that he was standing outside. Hearing nothing she walked back to her bag and grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste then quietly pulled back the deadbolt on her door before gently turning the key in the lock and pulling it open.

She padded silently to the bathroom and slipped inside moving straight to the toilet, dropping her stuff in the sink as she sat down. After she had finished she stood in front of the sink and stared at herself in the mirror. Sighing at the reflection she brushed her teeth, leaving her toothbrush and toothpaste on the back of the sink then scrubbed at her face with the wash cloth that was on the side of the sink. She looked longingly at the shower as she left.

She shut and locked her door again before she knelt down in front of the boxes and opened them. Dragging the empty suitcases over she pulled out the bubble wrapped photo frames and albums and put them in the smaller one along with hers and Dawns diaries and their year books before zipping the case back up and pushing it aside.

She hugged Mr Gordo when she pulled him out of the box and gently placed him in the other suitcase along with her red leather pants, Pikes leather jacket and hers and Dawns big fluffy dressing gowns, wrapping Kokopelli up in Dawns before putting it in the suitcase. Their jewelery and their favorite CD's went in as well.

At the bottom of her box she found Giles' blue shirt that she had been using as a night dress before everything went to shit. She hesitated for second before putting it in the suitcase but the books in the bottom of the box were Giles' and she didn't want them so she stood and put them on top of her dresser along with the Watcher diary he had left in her room. She unfolded the boxes and lay them against the wall under the window before zipping up the suitcase and pushing it next to it's twin in front of the wardrobe.

She got back into bed and curled up with a pillow as she thought about what she was going to do later that day, what she would tell Willow and Xander and what she was going to do about Giles. She drifted off a short while later into a restless sleep.

When she woke up a few hours later it was to the sound of the front door slamming shut. She sighed and looked at the clock again,

Eight o'clock. Wow these guys go to work early. Time for a shower I think she thought as she threw back the covers.

Bending down to her suitcase she grabbed her toiletry bag, a towel and her dress; a spaghetti strap summer dress that had no shape just yards of crinkly fabric that hid her bump quite nicely. She had another out fit with her, a tighter one that would show off her bump but she had decided not to tell them. She headed to the bathroom for her shower her head full of thoughts about her past and her future not to mention Giles and what she was going to say to him.

She felt bad hiding the baby from them but she thought it would be easier in the long run, less questions that she didn't want to answer. She stood under the shower and washed away the sleep and the flight letting the jasmine smell of her body wash and shampoo calm her thoughts.

Once she was done she took everything back to her room and packed it away, turning back to her dresser as she was leaving and grabbed Giles' books, deciding to leave them on the kitchen table for him.

She made her way downstairs and found the kitchen by going in the same direction that Xander had started to take her the night before. Pushing open the door she stopped in surprise to see them all sitting there.

"Oh, hi guys, I thought you'd left already" she said putting the books down next to Giles and slipped off his ring, placing it on top of the pile before heading to the fridge in search or orange juice.

"No we decided to have the day off so we could spend it with you" Willow said jumping up and throwing her arms around Buffy with a happy squeal.

Buffy knew the moment she felt the bump when she felt Willow tighten her hold on her, "Don't say anything, let me eat and I'll tell you all about it after okay?" she whispered in her ear. She felt her nod and smiled as she pulled back. She noticed Giles close his fist around his ring and close his eyes, she blinked when she thought she saw plain flicker across his face.

"So guys what's for breakfast I'm starving" she asked as she sat down opposite Giles.

"We have bacon, eggs, toast, pancakes and cereal. Do you want a coffee?" Xander asked as he stood up to dish her up a plate of food.

"No to the coffee but I will have a tea and pile it high Xand, I wasn't kidding when I said I was starving, I haven't eaten since the plane sludge yesterday" she said watching him add food to her plate.

"Where did you get these Buffy?" Giles asked as he looked at the books, his voice shaking.

"They were in my room so I packed them with my stuff when we were sending the boxes to your place here" she said tonelessly.

"Oh, I...I didn't realise, I...I thought I had lost these to the crater" he said giving her a tentative smile. She just looked away, grinning at Xander as he produced her plate with a flourish.

"So what do you have planned today Buffster?" he asked as he sat down next to her and picked up his coffee cup.

"Well actually I don't have any" she said between mouthfuls, "I'm leaving again tomorrow and it's an early morning flight so I'm going to stay at a hotel near the airport tonight"

"What!" both Willow and Xander shouted in surprise.

"You're leaving again? Why?" Willow asked.

"I can't stay here and I need to be close to Dawn, well closer than a ten hour flight anyway, just in case Dad flakes on her and it could happen" she said as she attacked her breakfast.

"So you're going back to L.A?" Willow asked unhappily.

"At first yeah but that's only to drop off Dawns things and finalize some paperwork on the club in New York"

Giles dropped the book he was holding and closed his eyes, Buffy frowned at him but carried on talking, "I was going to ask you guys to help, if you're not too busy that is. I want to try and recreate the Bronze and I'll need you Xand to help make that happen, plus if there's room I was hoping to have a living space somewhere on the property 'cause the housing prices near the club are wicked high and I don't have a couple of million dollars spare to buy a place"

"Sure I'll help, just let me know when and where and I'll be there" Xander said grinning at the prospect.

"And Will I was hoping you could help me decorate the place and put up some protection spells if that's okay"

"Sure no problem Buff" she said with a smile, "what are you gonna name it? Have you decided yet?"

"Sort of, I'm stuck on two names; Seneya's or Primogenita. Personally I prefer the second one but what do you guys think?"

"What's Primogenita mean?" Xander asked, confused.

"Birthright" Willow and Giles said together. Giles looked surprised that she knew what it was.

"I was also thinking of naming it Libertatum or Legatum or Seneya's sorores et filias but they all seemed a bit over the top for a nightclub so I threw them out"

"Huh? What do they mean?" Xander asked looking between Giles and Willow.

"They're Latin for Freedom, Legacy and the last one is Seneya's sisters and daughters" Giles said looking straight at Buffy, "You've got this all planned out, how long were you thinking of doing this?"

"Truthfully?" she asked looking at him as she finished her OJ, he nodded at her to continue, "It took me the two minutes I was alone after the phone call from Willow last week when she told me about your new girlfriend"

She stood then and took her plate to the sink, "Come on then Will, I'll answer the questions that you're burning to ask" she said turning quickly from the sink and grabbing her hand, pulling her up.

Unfortunately the action caused a wave of dizziness and she stumbled into the table. She let go of Willows hand and placed hers on her forehead as she braced against the table with the other hand.

"Whoa, dizzy" she said shaking her head.

"Buffy, what's wrong?" Giles said standing up quickly and moving to her side.

She stood up straight and held out a warning hand to him, "Don't touch me" she gritted out narrowing her eyes at him and watching as his face fell. Taking Willows hand again she leaned against her as they walked out of the kitchen.

"Okay, is it just me or did it get really cold in here" Xander said as they left. He saw the pain on Giles' face as he watched the girls leave the room, "what's going on with you and the Buffster G-man?" he asked as Giles sat down and opened his fist to stare at his ring.

"I've made a huge mistake and it's cost me her" he said dejectedly. He picked up his books and walked out of the kitchen.

"Yeah you did big guy" Xander said softly after he was gone.

Buffy and Willow had made themselves comfortable on Buffys bed, Willow practically vibrating with the need to know what was going on.

"So ask before you explode" Buffy said with a smirk.

"How far along are you?"

"Nineteen weeks, I'm due roughly November fifth" Buffy said rubbing her hand over her bump.

"So you knew you were pregnant when you went in to the Hellmouth. Why didn't you say anything?" Willow asked gently as she shuffled closer to Buffy.

"Because the day I found out I was kicked out of the house by the people I loved, wasn't really in the mood to share the happy news after that" she watched as Willows face flushed with guilt, "besides, Giles would have locked me in a box if he knew or you guys would have been more worried about me than you were and gotten yourselves killed"

"Is Giles the father?"

"Yes"

"When did that happen? When did it end?" Willow asked blinking in shock.

"It started after you nearly killed him and as far as I knew until a week ago we were still together" Buffy said letting the tears fall.

"Oh Buffy, I'm sorry" Willow said softly as she pulled her into her arms, holding her as she cried, "He didn't say anything to you at all in the last few weeks?"

"Nope, not a word about not wanting to be with me but he gave me that ring and said 'so I'll always be with you, I'll see you when you come to England' before that he wouldn't look at me during the day, wouldn't even talk to me but he would fuck me senseless in his room of a night" Buffy said sniffing and wiping her face on her pillow, "I wanted to tell him about the baby and how much I loved him but I was so scared another person I loved would leave me I didn't wanna ask what was going on. Guess I was right huh"

"What a dick!" Willow said loudly, "I really didn't think Giles was that kind of guy"

"Neither did I but there you go"

"What are you gonna do and hey do you know what you're having yet?"

"I'm just gonna get on with my life, what else am I gonna do? And yes it's a girl, do you wanna see her?"

"You have a sonogram picture! Gimme!" Willow said excitedly bouncing on the bed.

"Hand me my bag then ya loon" Buffy said laughing at her as she jumped off the bed and grabbed Buffys bag from the dresser.

She jumped back on the bed and practically threw the bag at Buffy who dug out her purse and pulled the picture out, handing it to Willow who grinned at it like a Cheshire cat.

"Can I stay with you in New York?" Willow asked suddenly.

"Why, I thought you would be busy with council stuff"

"I can do that from anywhere and I can poof in and out where I'm needed" Willow said handing back the picture.

"That reminds me, have you found any of the Slayers yet? And are any of them twenty one or older?" Buffy asked as she threw her bag to the bottom of the bed.

"Yes actually the coven in Devon that Giles took me to has a way to identify them and the spell automatically implants a suggestion to come here to London, there's about six that are in that age group, why?

"I was thinking of asking them to work for me at the club, bartenders, waitresses, bouncers can't think of a better group of people to have work there" Buffy said looking at Willow out of the corner of her eye.

"It'll be the safest club in the world. that's a great idea" Willow said beaming at her.

"Will, don't take this the wrong way but I think you should stay here" Buffy said gently.

"What! Why?"

"You're needed here plus Kennedy's gonna be training the baby Slayers instead of me and Xander needs you more than ever"

"But you need me too" Willow said sadly.

"Yeah I do and like you said, you can poof anywhere you're needed so all I have to do is text you when I need you" Buffy said taking her hand.

"Will you text me when you go into labour?" Willow asked hopefully.

"Of course, I'm gonna need my best friend to get me through it 'cause I hear it hurts" Buffy said with a grin.

"Okay then I'll stay here" Willow said pouting at her.

Buffy just laughed at her and put her arm around her shoulder, giving her a squeeze as she laid her head on her shoulder.

"What are you gonna name her?" Willow asked putting her hand on Buffys bump.

"I was think Alice Tanya Summers, but Allie for short, what do you think?"

"Tanya? Tara and Anya?" Willow asked sadly.

"Yeah, I wanted to remember them but it would be too painful to use their names as a first name for her. I couldn't call her Tara or Anya without being a little sad about it"

"No, no it's good, they'd approve" Willow said with a watery smile.

"Tara might but Anya wouldn't, she'd be miffed I wasn't using her name in full" Buffy said with a wet chuckle.

"Are you gonna tell Xander? And why not Giles?" Willow asked confused.

"Not yet and what do you mean?"

"Why not Alice Tanya Giles? He is the father after all"

"Yeah maybe, I have time to decide"

They sat there in silence for a while just enjoying the calm before Willow sat up.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 3

"Okay, I think I need to shop" she said looking back at Buffy.

"Wish I could but all the money I got from my Dad is going into the club, I can't afford to shop" Buffy grumbled.

"But Giles has your check, oh crap! Do you want me to ask for it?"

"Would you? I don't really wanna face him right now"

"Wait here I'll be right back" Willow said jumping from the bed and yanking the door open.

She raced down the stairs and went straight to his study. She knocked on the door and waited for a minute until he gave the okay to come in.

She turned the handle and walked in, "Giles, can Buffy have her check?" she asked when she was in front of his desk.

"Doesn't, uh, can't she ask for it herself?" he said looking up at her with a frown on his face.

"Not right now no, she's hurting and to be honest we're lucky she didn't just disappear during the night" Willow said bluntly.

"She's hurting" Giles said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"What did you expect?" Willow spat at him, "She thought you guys were fine and then in less than three weeks you start seeing someone else and don't even have the balls to tell her it's over! Actually I think you're lucky she hasn't resorted to violence"

Giles' wide eyed stare turned into a glare as she spoke. He yanked open a draw and pulled out an envelope with Buffys name on it and handed it to her. She took it from him and noticed it was thicker than hers and Xanders was.

"What else is in here?" she asked hoping it wasn't a letter.

"Hers and Dawns birth certificates. Joyce had given them to me for safe keeping before she went into hospital to have her tumor removed. I was going to give her the insurance papers on the house but when I phoned the insurance company they said they wouldn't pay out as it was an act of God" he said stiffly.

"More like act of Spike" Willow mumbled, "so there isn't a letter in here, from you, 'cause she doesn't need that right now, not even sure she wants it either"

"No Willow there isn't. Are you done interrogating me now? I have things to do" he said effectively dismissing her.

"All done now" she said and turned to leave.

"Is she….will she be okay?" he asked softly as her hand touched the door handle.

She lowered her head and sighed, "No she won't, I think you managed to completely break her heart" she said sadly looking back at him, "she's never gonna trust anyone with it again"

He closed his eyes and his mouth turned down, Willow decided to leave before she saw him crying. She ran up the stairs and handed Buffy her envelope.

"There you go and Giles said that yours and Dawns birth certificates are in there as well, apparently your Mom gave them to him for safe keeping" she said as she watched Buffy open it.

"Whoa!" Buffy said when she saw the check, "He's given me two million pounds!" she turned the check towards Willow her mouth open in shock, "Where the hell did he get this kind of money?"

"The councils bank balance was in the billions" Willow said with a grin, "so can we go shopping now, I want to take you to Harrods and there's Oxford Street and Regent Street not to mention Carnaby Street" Willow said excitedly.

"Ooh Carnaby Street let's go there first" Buffy said stuffing the check back in the envelope as she walked over to the suitcases she packed last night. She opened the one with all the photos in and slid it between the pages of a photo album, closing it she opened the other one and pulled Pikes leather Jacket out of it.

"Isn't that Pikes jacket?" Willow asked when Buffy shrugged it on.

"Yeah, the first guy to abandon me" Buffy said with a sad smile, "It's a cool jacket or I would have left it like I did that cross Angel gave me"

"You left Angels cross!"

Buffy sat on the bed to pull her ballet pumps on, "Well yeah, I didn't want it and I hadn't worn it in years" she stood, picked up her bag and walked out of the door and down the stairs with her arm in Willows.

They stopped at the living room and Willow ran inside to get her shoes and bag. Coming back she sat on the stairs and pulled her shoes on. Buffy leaned against the banister and put her hand in one of the pockets, her eyes widened in surprise when she felt something in there.

"Buffy what is it?" Willow asked concerned.

Buffy pulled out a handkerchief, "It was Merrick's" she said softly, wiping her eyes with her other hand when she felt a tear fall on her cheek.

"Your first Watcher Merrick?" Willow said standing next to her. She tilted her hand and saw the initials J.M in one corner, "I didn't know you had that"

"Neither did I. After I had to bury him I went back to his loft and just curled up in his chair and cried" Buffy said swallowing the lump in her throat, "after I was done I went into his room and started to pack up his things, he had told me just to take it to goodwill if anything happened to him but to mail his diaries to the council in England, which I did, I must have picked this up then and just forgot about it"

Suddenly Buffy laughed, "I just remembered something he said to me" she said at Willows confused look, "We were on a patrol and he told me I did everything wrong, I apologized and he said 'No. Do it wrong. Don't play our game' he didn't want me to be a council slave either"

"Buffy, if Merrick didn't die, would you have still come to Sunnydale?" Willow asked as Buffy put the handkerchief away.

"Probably 'cause my parents still would have gotten a divorce and Mom would have still moved there so Merrick would have just come with me I suppose" she looked thoughtful for a minute then looked at Willow not noticing her eyes flick over her shoulder.

"It happened like it was meant to though. Merrick may have told me not to play the councils game but Giles trained me. He threw the handbook out of the window and fought with me, for me and he even tried to go in my place against the master, Merrick would have never done any of that, he probably wouldn't have intervened against Amy's Mom. Giles is and always will be my Watcher" she said with a decisive nod.

"But he's not just your Watcher is he, not anymore" Willow said gently, she knew Giles was listening but Buffy didn't.

"No, no he's not. He's...He's my everything and it doesn't matter that I'm not his anymore or if I ever was, no one else is gonna even come close to him in my mind. He's been there for me more than any other person in my life, even you Will sorry" she smiled apologetically at her.

"No it's okay, I get it. There was only so much me or Xander could do but do you really think you won't find anyone else?"

"There's only one Rupert Giles Will but I have to say goodbye to that. Besides when am I gonna have the time to even think about dating even if I wanted to? I'm gonna be too busy over the next year or so with the club not to mention..." she said with a little smile as she rubbed her hand down her belly, "shall we go? I didn't mean to get all mopey and gross" she said with a laugh.

"Yeah come on, we'll get the bus it only takes twenty minutes. Do you have any English money on you?" she asked as she opened the front door for her.

"Yeah I do" Buffy said as she started down the steps.

Willow turned and stared at Giles as she shut the door. He had opened the door to his study wider as Buffy had left and she could see the dejected look in his eyes and his cheeks were wet. Her eyes widened with a sudden knowledge that Natalie wasn't his girlfriend.

"Wait there a minute Buff, I don't think I have my key and I wanna tell Xander where we're going" she called down to her.

"Yeah okay just hurry up I can hear the shops calling to me" Buffy said with a grin.

Willow shut the door behind her and confronted Giles, "She's not your girlfriend is she?" she asked asked him.

"No she's an old friend. We both lost people, friends and family, in the explosion but she was having a hard time of it, I helped her to grieve" he said sadly, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking at the floor.

"Then tell Buffy that, now before you lose her completely"

"I've already lost her Willow. She's going to New York, already bought the club so she can't back out and I can't leave London not yet there's too much to be done"

"What she said, it's the same for you isn't it?" Willow asked watching him.

"Yes it is, there is only one Buffy Summers for me as well" he said his mouth curling up slightly on one side, "do you think she has anything of mine?" he asked.

"I saw your blue shirt in her suitcase" she said with a grin when she saw his eyes light up briefly.

Just then Xander came out of the kitchen, "Oh hey Will, is Buffy okay now?"

"Yeah she's fine just the weirdness from flying so far" she said, "In fact we're going to Carnaby Street, wanna come?"

"Good god no! Buffy Summers let loose with a credit card in London" he shuddered, "I think I'll pass on the massacre thanks"

Giles smiled, "Let me know if there are any survivors" he said patting Willow on the arm.

"You've taken Buffy shopping before though, this should be easy for you" Xander said with a smirk.

"Exactly why I'm not going now" Giles said with a horrified expression.

"And here I was thinking that it's 'cause she's pissed at you 'cause she thinks you have a girlfriend and you don't want to risk bodily harm" Xander said with a knowing look.

Willow's jaw dropped in shock, Giles looking exactly the same.

"You knew!" Willow said.

"Well yeah it was pretty obvious the way they kept making googly eyes at each other and yeah Anya did notice it first but when I actually looked you could see it going on" Xander said with a shrug.

"How did I miss it?" Willow said looking at him in disbelief.

"You were too involved with your magics and getting it on with Kennedy" Xander said with a grin, "oh and tell Buff that I've already started working on a plan for the club I just need to know the what the square footage is before I can really nail them down"

"Okay will do, I'll see you guys later" Willow called out as she opened the front do again.

Once it was shut Xander turned to Giles with his hands in his pockets, "So you wanna go to the pub?" he asked him.

"You're not going to try and get me to talk about what's going on are you?" Giles asked looking at him suspiciously.

"Nope, don't wanna know the specifics just that you can fix it"

"I'm not sure I can, she's going to New York and I can't leave London just yet" Giles said sadly.

"You will be able to leave eventually and besides you could always visit her club on the sly" Xander said pulling his jacket down from the hook and picking up his keys from the table by the door.

"Maybe. I don't want to talk about it, she's leaving tomorrow and right now I just want a drink and to forget for a little while" Giles said following him out of the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Buffy and Willow came back a few hours later laden with bags.

"Is there anything left?" Giles asked with an affectionate smile when he saw them.

"Just about" Willow said with an answering grin.

Buffys face had dropped when she saw him and he saw the flicker of pain in her eyes before she closed them. With a deep breath she opened them and they were carefully blank when she looked back at him.

"I'm just gonna take this lot upstairs and grab a nap before I leave" she said to Willow.

"Let me drive you to the airport Buff that way you can stay for dinner" Willow begged her as she started to climb the stairs.

Buffy stared at her for a minute or so, chewing on her lip as she thought about it. She looked at Giles quickly then back at Willow,

"Sure, I can do that. I'll be back in a minute" she said and continued up the stairs.

"It won't work Willow" Giles said softly as he watched Buffy disappear around the corner.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Willow said with a smirk before following Buffy up.

Giles sighed and went back into his study.

Later as they were sitting around the table eating, Xander got Buffy laughing as he told her about Andrew dancing around like a chicken after a game of truth or dare with the baby Slayers.

She kept glancing over at Giles as he watched her laugh and she would shove the urge to just grab him and kiss him away every time. Willow decided to have a nap so she was awake when she drove Buffy to the airport and Giles disappeared back into his study giving her a wistful glance as he left.

She made plans to meet Xander at the club in two weeks as they washed up the dishes and sat back at the table talking well into the night. When Xander started yawning she walked with him up the stairs, kissing his cheek when she reached her room and watched as he climbed the stairs to his room before she entered hers to pack her new things.

She left her new notepad and pen on the bed as she made sure she had everything she needed then slid it in her bag before picking up her suitcases and taking them downstairs. She left them by the front door and went back to the kitchen. Sitting at the table with a glass of water she pulled out her notebook and pen and wrote out the words to Bette Midlers Baby Mine as she sung it softly.

When she was done she started to write out the words to a song that she had thought of while she was shopping with Willow. She decided to call it Good Goes The Bye.

When she was done she left the book open on the table and went up to the bathroom, not noticing the light shining from under Giles' study door.

Giles heard her leave the kitchen and got up to get a drink of water. When he saw her book lying open on the table he ignored it at first but then his curiosity got the better of him and he looked at it.

His eyebrows raised in surprise when he realized she had written out a song so he read it.

"It isn't finished and I haven't put music to it yet, I'm no good at that part" Buffy said from the door way making him jump.

"I..I'm sorry, I..I didn't mean to pry" he said standing up and moving away from the table.

"It's what I have to tell myself now" she said closing the book and putting it back in her bag, "Willow's just getting up so..."

She trailed off and waited for him to say something. When he didn't she sighed and picked up her bag, pushing open the kitchen door.

"I'm sorry Buffy" she heard him whisper.

She stopped and hung her head, "So am I" she whispered back before continuing on.

He sat there listening to the murmur of the girls voices knowing that it was all his fault she was leaving. He jumped when the door opened again and saw Buffy standing there looking at him. He watched as she moved forward and bent towards him. When her lips touched his he held his breath for a second before his hand slid up into her hair and pulled her closer.

She whimpered when she felt his tongue glide over her lips and gripped the back of his neck, letting the kiss go deeper. When he moved to pull her closer she pulled away, resting her forehead against his. He opened his eyes and watched as a tear slid down her cheek. He brushed it away with his thumb and moved to kiss her again but she reached up and untangled his hand from her hair and stood up.

"Don't make it harder Ru" she whispered finally opening her eyes and looking at him.

He gasped at the pain he saw in her eyes, his heart jumping erratically in his chest when she used her pet name for him. He closed his eyes as she bent forward and pressed her lips to his brow. He used the opportunity to slip his ring onto her finger. She jerked in surprise and looked down at him.

"I want you to have it" he said his voice thick with the emotion he was feeling.

She nodded and stepped back, turning he stopped her just as her hand touched the door,

"Do you still love me?" he asked.

She turned back to him and gave him a shaky smile, tears rolling down her cheeks,

"Always" she whispered, then she was gone, the smell of jasmine hung in the air and he was left wondering if he would ever see her again.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 4

It had been two years but the club was finally so far in the black that she could relax now. Xander had done a wonderful job with the renovations and the living space in the back. When he had found out about Allie he had squeezed her so tight in a hug that if she was anyone other than the Slayer he would have broken something. He had asked if she was going to tell Giles and she had told him she would, when she was ready.

Willow had helped with decorating the place, sofas lined the walls and there were tables around the dance floor. The balcony was decorated pretty much the same as the main floor. Willow had once again proved herself a queen with the computer by hunting down an old Dingoes band poster to hang on the wall by the door.

The stage was big enough for a band and at the back was a raised platform for a DJ to put their decks, Buffy had forked out for a top of the range sound system to be installed as well as a top of the range karaoke system.

Willow and Xander had poofed into her front room the day she had gone into labour with Allie. Xander was still miffed she hadn't said anything to Giles yet but Willow said it was fine, she had discovered a spell that would let her record her memories on a crystal and with a word would project them into the air so they could be watched by other people.

Allie was born on November forth at eleven forty eight in the evening after a fourteen hour labour weighing eight pound six ounces. She had blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. Willow and Xander had fallen in love with her straight away. Dawn and her father had come up for the weekend after her birth and her Dad had smothered her in gifts, buying Buffy the biggest bunch of flowers she had ever seen. Dawn hadn't wanted to leave and promised to come back at Christmas.

Buffy had eight Slayers on staff. Tiffany and Sophie were the bouncers as they were the tallest and the oldest at twenty six. Hallie, Charlie, both twenty two and Bella, twenty one, were her bartenders and they all reminded her of Faith. Camille, Bo and Sarah were her waitresses and were all twenty three. Willow had bought an eight bed condo near the club for them with council funds which Giles had signed off on.

She missed Giles and as she watched Allie grow into the sweet toddler she was she often found herself dialing his number only to hang up before the call connected. Willow had finally told her, when Allie was six months old, that Giles had never had a girlfriend. Buffy had been pissed at first, yelling at Willow and asking why she wasn't told sooner but it was too late to do anything about it then.

A part of why the club had become so successful was due to her opening up the karaoke nights. She was surprised she was so popular and before long had bowed to the pressure to sell a CD of the songs she had written herself. Willow had squealed in delight down the phone when she received her copy and a few weeks later when she had popped in for a visit she had told her that it was amazing.

Sarah, Bo and Charlie had helped her put music to the words she had written and Sophie had helped her record them. The songs for the Slayers were a big hit when they would come in, Faith would drop by every few months with some of the girls she had at the Hellmouth and laugh every time she heard the verses about her.

She was coming again tonight along with Rona and Vi and a few others, Willow was coming as well with Kennedy and Xander said he was bringing his new girlfriend Natasha and Giles so she had planned a special performance ending with Invincible. She was going to wear the dress she wore the day she left England for the first set and his blue shirt, open enough to show off her black leather bra with the diamante appliques in the middle and her black leather pants with her stiletto heels for the second set.

Dawn was staying with Allie tonight as she was gonna need the girls to do their bit for I Had A Dream and Invincible. She looked at the clock and seeing that it was already eight o'clock she swallowed nervously, it was nearly time for it to start.

"Mama, Mama!" Allie called to her from the living room.

"What is it sweetie?" she called back, pulling on her dress and leaving the room.

"Look what Aunty Dawn made" she said holding up a frame with a painting inside it.

Buffy took it from her and smiled sadly. It was a painting of the Sunnydale High library with Giles and her sitting side by side on one side of the old study table, her head on his shoulder and his arm around hers. Willow sat on her other side, Xander was on the other side of Giles. Cordy, Anya, Tara and Oz were all standing behind them smiling, with Spike, Angel and Wesley behind them. The picture blurred as she stroked a finger over the faces of the friends she had lost and she looked over at Dawn.

"You did this?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, I guess I just got nostalgic" she said with a shrug.

"It's beautiful, thank you" Buffy said giving the picture back to Allie so she could hug her sister, smiling secretly at the surprise she had for the guys later.

"Why you sad Mama?" Allie asked.

"Oh baby, it's okay, Mama just misses her friends" she said crouching down and brushing her hand over her daughters light brown curls. She looked into her eyes, the exact same as her fathers down to the brown patch in the corner of the left eye, and smiled.

"Den why don' dey come here? I never see dem" she said pointing at them.

"Well that's because they're not here anymore. Remember your hamster Cuddles? Do you remember what I told you when he didn't wake up?" she asked her.

Allie nodded, "You said dat he was in heaven wiv Nanny an dat she look after him now" she said crawling into Buffys lap as she sat on the floor.

"That's right well Mamas friends are with Nanny and Cuddles too except for Oz, he's just not been around for a while" Buffy said pulling the painting closer.

"That's Oz" she said pointing him out.

"Who dat?" Allie asked pointing at the picture.

"That is Tara and the girl standing next to her is Anya and the other girl is Cordelia. The ones behind them are Angel, Spike and Wesley" Buffy said anticipating her next question.

"Are dey wiv Nanny den?" Allie asked looking up at her.

"Yes sweetheart, they are" Buffy said sadly.

"What abou' him? Is he wiv Nanny too?" she asked pointing at Giles.

"Uh no he isn't, he lives in England" Buffy said looking up at Dawn who was giggling behind her hand, she narrowed her eyes at her before looking back at her daughter, "He's your Daddy"

"Dat my Daddy?!" Allie said in wonder as she pulled the painting closer, "Why he live in England? Why not here wiv us?"

Buffy sighed sadly before smiling down at her daughter, "He has a very important job to do that's why and he's needed there but he's coming to see us tonight and you will see him in the morning so I need you to be a good girl and go to sleep for Aunty Dawn while Mamas working okay"

"Okay Mama, I be good" she said clambering up on her knees to give Buffy a kiss on the cheek before running off shouting at Dawn to come get her.

"Good luck with that" Buffy said smiling as she stood with the painting in her hands.

"Yeah thanks" Dawn said with scowl, "what are you gonna do with that?" she asked pointing at the painting.

"I'm gonna give it to Charlie to put behind the bar next to the picture of the us after the fight" she said, wincing when Allie shouted for Dawn to come find her, "Bed by nine if you can"

"Yeah yeah I know the drill" she said before turning and calling out, "Alright you little monster where are ya"

Laughing Buffy went back to her room to finish her make up and put her jewelery on. She looked down at his ring that was still on her finger and smiled in anticipation of his reaction.

She left her living space and walked into the club. It was almost to capacity and her regulars cheered when they saw her. She walked over to the bar and called Charlie over.

"Hey can you put this next to the other one please" she said handing over the painting.

"Sure no prob Buff" she said taking from her and moving a few of the bottles before putting against the wall, "by the way Faith and the others are here, they're upstairs, Hallie's taking them their drinks"

"Thanks Charlie, any problems?" she asked.

"Nope. Soph said that Tiff chased down a couple of vamps who were trying to get in and she said that there's a couple of vengeance demons in the crowd"

"Right okay, which ones?" she asked looking around.

"Those two over there on the blue sofa" Charlie pointed them out.

"Okay, let me know if anything else comes up. You girls ready for tonight?"

"Oh yeah, I can't wait" Charlie said with a grin.

"And it's the family discount for the guys upstairs" Buffy said before she moved off.

"No shit" Charlie said with a grin waving her away.

Buffy walked over to the vengeance demons with a smile on her face, "Hi, I'm Buffy and I respectfully ask that you conduct no business in this bar" she said when she was stood in front of them.

"We'll do what we want honey" the guy said and looked away from her.

Buffy leaned forward and got in his face, "With all due respect you are in a club owned by a Slayer, with Slayers on the door, behind the bar and out on the floor so I would think again before you make a big mistake" she said then stood up, "You are more than welcome to stay, I had a friend who was a vengeance demon so I know you have a job to do, I'm just asking that you don't do it here"

The woman looked at her with narrowed eyes, "Who was your friend?" she asked skeptically.

"Anyanka" Buffy replied smiling sadly at her before turning away and heading for the stairs. When she looked back she saw them both looking at her, they nodded at her and she nodded back with a smile as she climbed the stairs to see who had arrived.

"Yo B!" she heard Faith call out as she neared the top of the stairs, "Your getting old girl"

"Good" Buffy responded with a laugh. The other Slayers there laughed with her getting the joke.

"Yeah but now you're starting to look it" Faith said smacking her on the back.

"Fuck off Faith I'm hot and you know it" Buffy replied kissing the air at her.

Faith laughed and walked back over to Robin who was sprawled on a couch, "Hey Robin, how ya been?" she asked him.

"Five by five Buff" he said raising his glass with a smirk on his face as Faith laughed.

Buffy looked around and waved to Rona and Vi before seeing Willow and Kennedy entwined on a couch at the back.

"Hey Will!" Buffy shouted laughing when they sprung apart.

"Hey Buff, you ready for tonight?" Willow asked looking up at her blushing.

"Oh yeah, I have a few surprises for you guys tonight" Buffy said with a grin, "I need to show you something" she said grabbing her hand and pulling her up, "I'll send her back in a minute Ken" she said over her shoulder as she pulled Willow along.

She took her down to the bar and gestured to Charlie to bring her the painting.

"Wow Buff, that's….it's amazing" Willow said as she picked it up, "Dawn did this?"

"Yeah, she said she got nostalgic. I never thought I'd see that place again" Buffy said.

"Yeah me neither" Willow said as she gently brushed her fingers over the faces of the ones they had lost, lingering over Taras face.

"Hey guys, what you looking at?" Xander asked coming up behind them.

"Xander, hey" Buffy said hugging him, "Hey Nat, glad you could come" she said to the girl standing behind him with a nervous look on her face.

"Me too Xander will not shut up about this place. I was so excited when he said he was bringing me here" Natasha said with a grin.

Buffy looked up at Giles and her heart stopped. He looked just as handsome as he always did. He met her eyes and gave her a shy smile which she answered with one of her own.

"This place is amazing Buffy, you've done really well for yourself" he said as he looked around.

"Thanks, I'm finally turning a profit bigger than the outgoings so I'm happy" she said before looking back at Xander who was staring at the painting.

"What do you think?" she asked him.

"I think it's amazing, it's the whole gang all together. Dawn has some serious talent. It's a shame she's gonna become a Watcher"

"I heard that" Giles said as he leaned over to look at the painting, pulling it towards him. She watched as his eyes traveled over the group and knew just by his expression who he was looking at.

"Simpler times" she said softly.

He looked up at her and smiled, "Maybe but I prefer it now" he said sliding the picture back.

"Why?" she asked looking up at him puzzled.

He brushed his fingers over her cheek, "I know you're safe" he said simply his eyes telling her everything she needed to know.

She smiled at him and handed the painting back to Charlie, "I gotta go, I'm on in five minutes. Charlie, double shot of Glenlivet on the rocks please"

"Wow I thought we were saving that bottle for the Queen" she said as she moved off to get it.

"Something like that" Buffy murmured as she left Giles at the bar and made her way to the stage.

The regulars started to clap and cheer as she climbed up on the stage. She could hear the guys upstairs over everyone else and she smiled up at them. Giles was still standing at the bar watching her every move.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 5

She stood in front of the mic and everyone shut up, "Hi guys, tonight I have decided to to do a couple of covers and then run through my own songs, does that sound good?" she was met by a resounding cheer which made her laugh.

"Okay then, the first song is Faith Hills This Kiss" She turned to the band and counted them in, turning back to the mic she looked at Giles and smiled before she started to sing.

Giles watched her sing in awe. She had such a stage presence that everyone in the room was following her every move. He could hear the others cheering her on upstairs and he smiled, his Slayer living long enough to have a career was his oldest desire and he was finally seeing it come about.

She kept looking at him through the song and he knew it was for him. He stood upright and clapped along with the rest of the crowd when she finished.

"Ok guys this is the last cover and it's a slow one, Lee Ann Womacks Why They Call It Fallin'"

The band guitar started and she looked at him again and he smiled at her, he didn't know this one either.

His heart started to beat faster as she sang, the words striking him like arrows as she got to the end of the song and he realized that she was telling him how she had felt, maybe how she still felt. He downed the rest of his scotch and asked for another, needing to look away for a second.

He heard the crowd murmuring their apreciation as she finished, holding the last note. He turned back as she thanked them.

"Right now we're on to my songs, if you've bought my CD then you already know them so feel free to sing along. The next one is called I Still Love You"

Giles turned and stared at her as she began to sing, her eyes never leaving his and he absorbed the words as she sang them.

He could feel hope flare to life in his chest as she sang the last word and he was standing up straight, to busy grinning at her to clap with the crowd. She looked exhilarated, standing up there looking out at the crowd, laughing up at the balcony when Xander and Faith whistled at her.

"This next ones called Darkside" she said and immediately started singing.

The song was upbeat and she jumped up and down when she sang the chorus, the crowd jumping and most of them singing along with her. He knew what she was saying with this song, what she was referring to. It was the Slayer side of her, the need to hunt and kill that she had struggled with over her years with him. Faith embraced it but Buffy had never liked that side of herself.

He clapped along with crowd, his drink forgotten.

"This next one was the first song I wrote about two and a half years ago. I thought it was what I had to tell myself to get over someone but it turned out he wasn't someone I could get over" she said to the hushed crowd.

"Well get under him then!" Faith shouted from above making everyone laugh.

"Oh I intend to" Buffy said with a grin in his direction and he choked on his drink.

"Okay this is called Good Goes The bye"

The drums started and he heard the girls behind him start to sing. He looked around and they were wearing head mics, providing backing vocals to her song as they worked. And then Buffy started to sing and he froze, remembering the night she left and the words of the song she had written.

His heart broke for her and the pain that had been caused by a misunderstanding, the time that had been lost to them could never be replaced. He had seen his ring still on her finger and with the songs she was singing he hoped that it meant she was willing to give them another chance.

"Next one is for my little girl and it's called Bridge of Light" Buffy said and began to sing straight away with the piano in the background.

Her little girl? Does she have a daughter? Giles thought. It was certainly a good song meant to instil hope and courage. Something that you would definitely sing for a child.

As she finished the band stood up and the crowd moved to the bar,

"That's it for now guys, I'll be back out in about ten minutes" Buffy said as she walked off towards the back of the stage, the band with her.

"So what do ya think?" Willow asked him as she came up beside him.

"She's amazing but then I always thought she was" Giles said smiling hugely, "Uh, Willow, does she have a daughter?"

"Yes she does, cutest little thing ever. Her name is Alice Tanya" Willow said with a smirk.

"Who is the father?"

"I'm not allowed to say but she's going to tell you herself later after she's finished" Willow said laying her hand on his arm, "She says she has a surprise for us, I wonder what it is?" Willow said

"I have no idea" Giles said staring at the door that Buffy had walked through.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 6

"How's it going?" Dawn asked when Buffy walked in with the band. They were going on to another gig now that she had her special guests for the next song and only Charlie was needed for the rest.

"I have no idea but he seems to be enjoying himself" Buffy said as she changed into her leather, "How was Allie?" she asked as she sat at her mirror and applied her make up.

"Good as gold as always, are you sure she's yours?" Dawn asked watching as she applied eyeliner and black eyeshadow.

"Positive, she's just like Giles that's all" Buffy mumbled as she put on her red lipstick.

"Will I need to go when you're done singing?" Dawn asked sitting on Buffys bed.

"Only out to the bar, you can catch up with the guys while I talk with Giles" Buffy said as she put on her heels.

"No hoops and bangles?" Dawn said picking the items up off of the table.

"Nah the next few songs are energetic, they'll just bug me" Buffy said pulling her hair out of the ponytail and brushing it through with her fingers.

"Okay, can I raid your junk food?"

"Sure have at it" Buffy got up and walked over to her side door when she heard the knocking.

She opened it and beamed at the person on the other side of it, "Oz! I'm so happy you're here" she said pulling him through the door and giving him a hug.

"Oz?" Dawn said peering round the entrance to the kitchen, "Oh. My. God" she she said slowly.

"Hey Dawnie, how you been?" Oz said as Buffy welcomed the other two people inside.

"Okay I guess, where have you been?" Dawn asked hugging him.

"Made my way to Tibet and stayed there. Heard about Sunnydale and started to make my way back, noticed the same message posted on some boards for survivors and contacted the number, turns out it was Buffy wanting to let me know you were all fine" Oz said in the same calm voice he always used.

"How'd you end up here?" Dawn asked grinning hugely.

"I asked him to get the other Dingoes and perform for me for tonight only" Buffy said walking over to them. Dawn narrowed her eyes at the guys behind Buffy as they obviously checked her out.

"If you shut the inner door and take a key you can watch if you want, I know you missed out on the Dingoes experience when they played at the Bronze" Buffy told her as she disappeared into her room.

"Really? That would be so cool" Dawn said excitedly.

"Yeah but take the monitor with you just in case" Buffy said reappearing with Giles' blue shirt buttoned at the bottom, "How do I look?" she asked.

Oz raised his eyebrows and nodded and the guys behind him whistled, "You look hot, Giles is gonna lose it when he sees you" Dawn said.

"Giles?" Oz said looking at Buffy, "Wondered when you two would get together"

"Okay, you guys know the drill right? You two go out and get set up then I follow. Oz the acoustic guitar is at the end of the hall with the amp already plugged in, I tell everyone who the guys are then introduce you"

"Got it" he said and the other two walked ahead.

Buffy followed and walked out on stage receiving more than a few wolf whistles as the crowd noticed.

"Okay, this next song is called Come To Me and I have a guest band playing with me. My friends from home will probably recognize them but for you guys they are two of the four members of my home town band Dingoes Ate My Baby" Buffy said into the mic. Giles was still standing at the bar and was looking at her up and down his mouth open. She heard Xander up on the balcony say 'no way' and she smiled.

"This isn't the surprise guys" she said looking up at them, "it is my great pleasure to introduce you to the man playing the guitar for us tonight, he's an old and very good friend of mine..." she looked to the side and nodded at him, he stepped out and the spotlight hit him, "Please give a warm Primogenita welcome to Oz" Buffy said.

"No fucking way!" Willow and Xander both said loudly causing both Buffy and Oz to laugh.

"Okay let's get this shit started" Buffy said and Oz started to strum.

Buffy was watching Xander and Willow and smiled at the look of shock on their faces. She glanced over at Giles and saw a similar look on his face. She caught his eye and winked at him making him grin.

She had walked over to Oz as she sang the chorus and he had turned and faced her, grinning at her as he played, the girls singing the backing.

She finished and gestured for the others to come forward, "The Dingoes" she cried and clapped with the crowd. Leaning forward she told them to head on up to the balcony and what ever they wanted was part of the family discount.

"Charlie get your butt up here girl, it's time for you to show off" Buffy called out as she watched Oz nod at Giles as he made his way upstairs. She shrugged off the shirt and threw it at Dawn who was still watching her, a huge grin on her face. She looked up at the balcony just as Oz was being crushed by Willow, Xander standing there with a smile on his face.

"You ready Charlie?" She asked her as she put her headphones on.

"Yep go for it"

Buffy turned back to crowd, ignoring the hoots and whistles as she looked for Giles. He was standing there with his mouth open, grinning she spoke into the mic.

"Right now for some fun, this one's called Warpaint"

And she started singing as Charlie started the music.

She was really enjoying this tonight as she danced about on the stage seeing the crowd dancing with her.

She laughed at the cheers from the balcony when she was done and looked over at Giles who raised his glass to her.

"Okay guys, this one's about me, those of you that know me will get it, the rest of you just enjoy, it's called Catch My Breath"

Charlie started the track and Buffy put the mic back on the stand as she started to sing.

The girls singing the backing vocals around the room.

She stopped and she heard the guys on the balcony whooping and hollering louder than the rest of the crowd as she locked eyes with Giles who had the biggest smile on his face. Grinning back she called up to the balcony,

"Come on Faith let's do this thing"

"Hell yeah" Faith said jumping over the edge and landing on the floor.

"Show off" Buffy said with a grin handing her a mic, "You remember the words to the chorus?"

"Not likely to forget 'em" she said with a grin.

"The next two songs are for Seneya's daughters, you guys know who you are. This one's I Had A Dream" Buffy said into the crowd and Charlie started the music.

The girls around the room started to bang in time to the music as they sang the backing.

Buffy turned to Faith for the next verse as Faith grinned.

She slung her arm around Faiths shoulders as they both sang the chorus.

She carried on on her own. Faith moved away to jump about at the edger of the stage.

Faith joined in again standing next to Buffy.

When it was the girls turn Buffy and Faith stood at the front stamping a foot in time with the beat and clapping over their heads. The girls continued on to the chorus this time joined with voices from above them as Buffy and Faith grinned at each other.

They joined hands at the end and laughing took a bow as the crowd went nuts. She looked over at Giles and saw a look of such pride on his face she blushed.

"Okay Faith you can go back to Robin now"

"That was wicked B" Faith said handing her the mic and jumping off the stage. She punched Giles on the shoulder as she passed him and ran up the stairs.

"This is the last one from me tonight then it's your turn" Buffy said laughing when the crowd groaned, "Sorry guys but this is one I haven't performed before and I think you're gonna love it, it's called Invincible"

Charlie started the track with a grin and Buffy turned back to the crowd, watching as they danced and bobbed their heads in time with the music.

The crowd erupted when she finished and Charlie jumped on her and grabbed the mic.

"The amazing Buffy Summers" she said into the mic holding Buffys hand up.

She hugged her and gave her the mic back before leaping off the stage and going back to the bar.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 7

"B! You gotta put that on disc" Faith shouted.

"It already is. You can get it at the bar when it's last call" Buffy said into the mic receiving cheers.

"Your turn now guys, I need a drink, see you next month" with that she jumped down and walked over to the bar being congratulated the whole way there. She had no fear of inappropriate touching since the first time it happened and she decked the guy which caused word to spread.

She stood in front of Giles and looked nervously up at him, "Did ya like the show?" she asked, taking her drink from a grinning Hallie,

"Buffy you were amazing, you have a talent for song writing" he said putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks, you coming up? I have twenty minutes before I have to relieve Dawn so she can come out and play" Buffy said indicating with her head up the stairs.

"I'd be delighted to escort you Miss Summers" he said offering his arm.

Grinning wildly she slipped her arm through his and they made their way up the stairs into a cheering mass of bodies.

"Buffy that was amazing" Willow said into her ear as the first singer of the night took the mic.

"Yeah Buff and nice surprise with the Dingoes, how did you find Oz?" Xander said kissing her cheek.

"I put messages up on the Sunnydale survivor boards online and he answered, we've been talking on and off ever since and when I knew you lot were coming I asked if he wouldn't mind playing" Buffy said smiling at him.

"Yeah and I had already run into the other guys so I roped them in, not that they mind" Oz said pointing over his shoulder at them entwined with a couple of Slayers on the couches.

"Typical" Willow snorted, "When are you heading back?"

"Soon, Dawn wants to see you guys and Allie usually wakes up for a drink about now" Buffy said glancing at Giles.

"Well why don't you go now so you guys can talk before she does wake up" Willow said giving her a shove.

"Okay okay, I'm going. See you later Faith" she called out, receiving a wave in return.

"Come on then Giles, I want you to meet someone"

They made their way through the club and down the hallway next to the stage. She knocked on the door and Dawn opened it a few minutes later holding a crying girl.

"What's the matter baby?" Buffy said taking her from Dawn. Allie just locked her arms around Buffys neck and cried into her shoulder.

"She had another dream, she said you were flying in the light" Dawn said giving her a look as they all moved into the living room.

"Oh no, well it was bound to happen sooner or later. Go out and join the others, we'll be okay" Buffy said sitting on the sofa and moving Allie around on her lap.

She looked over at Giles as he sat down on the other end of the sofa, "She's a Slayer" she said at his confused look.

"Then that means she saw….oh the poor girl" he said reaching out and stroking her hair.

"Who's the father Buffy?" he asked when Allie turned her head and looked at him.

Buffy knew he had seen her eyes and she smiled, "You are" she said.

"Mama?"

"Yes sweetheart"

"Dat man looks like da man in da painting" Allie said pointing at Giles who was sitting there with a stunned expression on his face.

"That's because he is the man in the painting" Buffy said smiling down at her daughter.

"Dat means he's my Daddy" Allie said smiling up at her,

"Yes it does, why don't you go and give him a hug" she said to her, giving her a gentle push.

Allie scrambled over the sofa and dropped herself on his lap, "Hi Daddy" she said and Giles' shocked look turned into one of joy as he put his arms around her and lifted her up for a proper hug.

Allie was careful when she hugged him back and he looked at Buffy for an explanation.

"We've told her she has to be careful when she hugs someone because of how very strong she is" Buffy said tickling her, "So unless it's one of the girls she's very gentle"

"So she really is a Slayer" Giles said watching as Allie jumped from his lap to the chair across the room.

"Hmm and aren't the tantrums fun" Buffy said motioning her back, "are you ready to go back to bed now?"

Allie shook her head, her bottom lip trembling, "Bad dreams" she whimpered.

"Do you want me to sing your song?" Buffy asked tucking a loose hair behind her ear.

Allie nodded with a smile on her face, "Will you sit on Daddy's lap as I sing it so he can put you to bed?" Allie nodded again and scrambled off the sofa.

She ran into her room and came out with Mr Gordo and her blue blanket. She climbed up onto Giles' lap and he curled his arms around her as Buffy scooted closer. Buffy tucked the blanket over Allie and leaned in, Giles lifted his arm and she snuggled in next to him gratefully.

"You ready sweetie?" Allie nodded eagerly, "Okay"

Giles stared at his daughter as she watched Buffy singing to her in her soft voice, stroking her hair.

By the time she was done Allie had curled into Giles' chest with her thumb in her mouth and fallen asleep.

"I sometimes have to sing it twice" Buffy whispered as she pulled back, "You should put her in her bed"

Giles nodded, his eyes never leaving Allie's face, and stood careful not to jostle her too much. He followed Buffy into her room and watched as she fixed the cover, when she was done she stepped back and he gently lay the sleeping child on the bed, pulling the cover over and tucking her in. He leaned down, placing a kiss on her head.

He followed Buffy back out and stared at her until the door obscured his view,

"Why didn't you tell me?" he hissed when they had moved far enough from Allie's room.

"Because I thought you were in a relationship and I was coming here and you needed to stay there" she hissed back.

"You were pregnant when you came to England weren't you" he said in a low voice.

"Yes, nineteen weeks" Buffy said waiting for it.

"Then you were….in the Hellmouth!" he spluttered his face going red, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We weren't exactly talking at the time remember and it had to be done, it was the only way we were going to defeat the first" she said angrily folding her arms.

Giles sighed and slumped in his seat, "I've missed so much" he said looking up at her.

"Don't worry I've got something you can watch while I'm in the shower" she retrieved a crystal from a wooden box on a shelf and set it on the coffee table. She switched the lamp off and dimmed the kitchen light then came back, bending over the crystal she whispered two words into it and stood back as the wall in front of her came to life with the image of her sweaty face.

"Enjoy" she whispered to him as she left the room.

Giles watched his daughter being born, covered in blood and white stuff and screaming until she was laid in Buffys arms. He watched as she rolled over for the first time, sat up on her own, began crawling and laughing, when she took her first steps. He watched as Buffy screamed at the sight of Allie standing at the top of the balcony in the club, other voices joining in the scream when she jumped off, the scene reminding him off Buffys own jump from the tower. He saw her destroying a birthday cake and laughing as she did it, he saw her dancing with Xander as Buffy sang in the back ground.

Image after image of his daughters life flashed past, causing him to blink several times to remove the tears as they built up in his eyes. He saw her sleeping as a baby all the way up to now.

He didn't see Buffy walk up behind him wearing sweats and a tank top, rubbing her hair with a towel.

"She's amazing isn't she" Buffy said making him jump.

"Yes she is" Giles said pulling her into his lap, "When she jumped from the balcony…."

"I know" Buffy said sadly, "made me see it from your perspective" she wrapped her arms around his neck and lay her head on his shoulder.

He tightened his hold on her and laid his head on hers, "When's her birthday?"

"Tomorrow, she's two" Buffy said looking up at him, "can you tell me something?"

"Anything"

"Do you still love me?"

"Oh Buffy, I never stopped" he said before pulling her head closer and covering her mouth with his.

She gave herself over to the kiss, shifting on his lap so she was straddling his thighs, he deepened it as he pulled her closer. When she felt his hands slide up under her top she pulled back, breathing heavily.

"Not here" she whispered as he kissed his way along her jaw.

He didn't answer her. Instead he just stood up causing Buffy to giggle as she wrapped her legs around his waist, "Where's your bedroom?"

"First door in the hall" she said as she wriggled against the hardness in his trousers causing him to groan.

He kissed her again, their tongues automatically meeting and he walked them into her room, their clothes disappearing along the way, laughing when his sweater got caught up with his shirt. They tumbled into bed, kicking off their trousers and soon the laughter gave way to the sounds of pleasure as they reconnected.

He moved slowly at first until the passion they were both feeling took over and he was driving into her as hard and fast as he could, her breathy sighs giving way to shouts of pleasure mixed with his as they screamed each others name finishing together.

"Wow" Buffy said as she lay next to him.

"Indeed" he said and they both laughed.

"Are you ready for another child?" Buffy asked as she swirled her fingers in his chest hair.

"Why? Are you?" he asked looking down at the top of her head.

"Doesn't matter if I'm ready, I'm kinda not using contraceptives at the moment" she said looking up at him.

"Oh dear lord, well I suppose Allie would like a baby brother" he said with a smile.

"Wanna go again, just in case it didn't work?" Buffy said sitting astride him, her hands flat against his chest as she wiggled.

"Marry me Buffy" he said looking up into her smiling face.

Her smile grew and she pulled his head up to hers, kissing him with every ounce of love she felt for him.

"Is that a yes?" he asked when she pulled back.

"Yes" she said happily.

"Right then" he said flipping her over onto her back, "You should get the girls together and plan a wedding for as soon as possible because I'm not letting you go ever again" he said as he moved himself over her.

"Better not" she whispered, gasping as he entered her.

"Never again" he whispered against her mouth as he began to move.

Suddenly the door banged open causing them both to jump apart. Buffy looked over and saw Allie standing there her blanket trailing behind her in one hand and Mr Gordo in the other.

"Mama, why you and Daddy not wearing clothes?" she mumbled sleepily.

"We got hot" Buffy said smacking Giles in the arm when he snorted, "what's the matter honey?"

"Want a drink" she said walking over to the bed.

Buffy reached out and grabbed her robe, pulling it on as she got out of the bed and scooped Allie up in her arms,

"Come on then sweetie, you can have a drop of water but then it's back to bed" Buffy said kissing her head.

"Okay" she said wrapping her arms around Buffys neck.

"Say goodnight to Daddy" Buffy said standing next to Giles in the bed.

Allie leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, "Night night Daddy"

"Goodnight sweetheart" Giles said brushing his hand over her head. He watched as Buffy carried her across the hall and handed her a sippy cup from the fridge, brushing her hand over her head and humming to her as she drank.

Buffy took the cup back and put it back in the fridge then carried Allie Back to her room. Giles still couldn't believe he had a daughter, it just seemed so surreal to him. That morning he woke up alone and nervous about seeing Buffy again and now he had her back and a child as well.

He was still smiling to himself when Buffy came back in to the room.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked as she shrugged off her robe and climbed back into bed.

"Just realising that tomorrow I won't be waking up alone" he said reaching for her.

"No you won't, Allie's butt will probably be in your face" Buffy said as she slid into his arms.

"Charming"

"You'll love it"

"I love you"

"I love you too, now where were we"

"Right about here" Giles said as he took up where he left off.

"MAMA!"

"Oh for fuck sake" Giles said rolling off of her.

Buffy laughed loudly as she pulled her robe back on, "Welcome to parenthood" she said as she bent down, pressing her lips to his.

"Bugger that" he said pulling her back into the bed.

"Won't get a baby that way dear" she said slipping out from under him as Allie called out for her again.

"Not sure I want another one now" he grumbled sitting up against the headboard.

Buffy laughed as she left the room.

After twenty minutes she still hadn't come back so Giles pulled on his boxers and went in search of her. He found her sitting up in Allie's bed fast asleep, Allie curled into her side. Smiling fondly at them he gently picked Buffy up and carried her back to her room. Buffy woke up enough to shrug out of her robe and climb into bed, pulling his arms around her as she burrowed her head back against his shoulder.

He kissed the back of her head and let the sound of her breathing lull him in to a peaceful sleep. His last thought was that he was looking forward to tomorrow for the first time in a very long time.