***
Cordy let herself in. She'd only just got herself a set of keys cut, before then she'd been using Giles'. Now that he was getting more mobile again they thought it would be best if she had her own, in case he needed his for anything.
"I'm back!" She looked around the living room, but it seemed to be empty. "Anyone here?"
"I'm over here!" She heard her lover's voice call out, and she followed the sound. She soon saw him lying flat on the sofa.
"Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine, I just needed to lie for a while, I don't think I was really ready to get up yet."
"Where's Isla?"
"She's in the garden. Her mother called on her cell phone, she went to take it out there. Where did you go?"
"I just needed some fresh air. I ran into Willow, she gave me some good advice." She looked at him. "She knows about us."
"What … how?!"
"She noticed I was wearing your shirt." That made Giles smile. Typical Willow, noticing something like that.
"It looks good on you." He tried to move his legs so she could sit next to him, but the effort made him wince in pain.
"It's OK, I'm fine here." She knelt on the floor next to him, and kissed him. Both became so lost in the moment that they didn't notice Isla come back in the door. The teenager stopped when she saw them, and silently went back outside. Luckily it was a bright, sunny day, so she sat down for a while. What was he doing with that woman? Surely she could barely have been 6 when Isla was born, which meant she had to be at least half his age. That was perverted. Sick. She peered through the window and saw Cordelia sitting on the floor with his arms around her neck. She reckoned it was safe to go back in.
Pushing open the door, she went back in. Smiling shyly, she avoided his gaze and sat down in the chair she had been in before.
"Mum says hello." She hadn't been aware that such a simple statement would have such a large effect on Cordelia – the elder girl stood and exited to the kitchen, under the pretence of having a shower. Giles shuffled uncomfortably in his seat, probably both through actual pain, and Isla's presence.
"About that. I … I don't mean to sound rude, but … how can you be sure that you are my daughter?"
"Well … I have a copy of my birth certificate here, it … it has your name on."
"I see. Well – how old are you? I haven't seen Natalya since –"
"Since you shagged her and left her on Christmas Eve 1983." Giles opened his mouth to protest but Isla wanted to have her say. "Mum was devastated after you left, when she realised she was pregnant she was adamant that you wouldn't have anything to do with me."
"So that makes you … what … 17 now?"
"16. I'll be 17 this August."
"And what made Natalya change her mind? To let you come and see me, I mean."
"She realised she was being unfair to me. I really wanted to meet you, to see what kind of conniving bastard would do that to someone. And now I've seen."
"What do you mean by that?!" Giles exclaimed angrily.
"You're sick, do you know that? Living – and sleeping, no doubt – with a girl who HAS to be at least half your age – it's DISGUSTING."
"Please leave my home." Cordelia reappeared just in time to see Giles looking straight ahead, tight-lipped, having heard none of the previous conversation. Isla picked up her bag with a scowl, and stormed out, leaving Giles to wonder if he would ever hear from his only daughter ever again.
"What happened there?!" She ran the rest of the way down the stairs and was beside him in a flash.
"She thinks I'm perverted because I'm in love with you. I got angry, and … well, she left." He looked at Cordelia. "You don't think that do you? I know you said you didn't mean what you said before, but … well – she's the second person to say that today, and … a bloke can get the tiniest bit paranoid!"
"Oh, baby, you know I didn't mean it. Of course you aren't! And that would mean that there's something wrong with me, too, wouldn't it, because I feel exactly the same about you. And I refuse to believe that someone who looks this good couldn't have anyone she wanted!" she joked. "And I want you."
"Oh, my, God." Cordelia turned to face the door, and saw Buffy, Dawn, and Xander standing there. It had been Dawn who spoke.
"Yay Cordy!" Buffy smiled. "At last he won't be the boring single one!"
"You do know that if I had the energy to hit you I would, don't you."
"Yeah, and I also know you don't have the energy, which is the only reason why I said it." She dodged a swat at her direction from Cordelia, and laughed. "Seriously, I'm happy for you guys."
"Hey, G-man – when you're healthy, you up for some serious double dating?"
"Me? On a date? On a date where Anya will be? Dear God no!"
"Excuse me? Am I the only one stuck on the "YUCK!" factor here?" Dawn looked seriously sickened by this new development in Giles' social life.
"Dawn?" A new voice questioned from the doorway. The teenager twisted round to see who had spoken, followed by the others.
"Isla!" I thought you didn't arrive until tomorrow!
Isla looked over at Giles, before turning back to Dawn. "Oh, I … er … had some things to take care of before I met up with you."
"Excuse me … you two know each other?" Giles spoke up.
"Giles, this is my pen friend from England, Isla. Isla, this is my sister Buffy, her friend Xander, and Giles, her watcher." Realising what she had said, she tried to cover over her mistake. "I mean … that is, he's been watching out … for both of us … since mom died."
"So this is the infamous slayer then?"
"Huh?" If looks could kill, the one Buffy gave Dawn just then would beat them all. "I didn't say anything! Honest!"
"Well if you didn't, then how does she know?" Buffy knew enough about her sister to know when she was lying, and although this didn't seem like one of those times, she couldn't help but try to annoy the hell out of her!
"Buffy, I think this is where I should step in." While she had been arguing with Dawn, she hadn't noticed Cordelia slowly helping Giles up from the sofa, making his way over to where they all stood. "Xander, Dawn, Buffy, this is my daughter."
The three looked around at each other. It was as if someone had dropped a bomb on them. Buffy was the first to speak.
"Daughter? As in you're her father? But … you don't have any kids."
"That's what I thought until about two hours ago."
"Whoa." As if Xander had been taking lessons from Oz, he summed the whole situation up in one word. They all looked to Dawn, the only one not to have reacted. Buffy could see the anger boiling up in her sister's eyes, and waited for the storm to come.
"HOW COULD YOU?" Giles looked up, and realised that she wasn't angry with him. It was Isla she was angry with. And to his immense surprise, even though he'd known her for less than two hours, and she had treated him like dirt for a good deal of that time, he realised that his instincts told him to protect her.
"Dawn! Why on earth are you mad with Isla? What has she ever done to you?"
"I've been writing to her about you guys for almost two years, she's been someone I could tell anything to, except, y'know, Slayer stuff, and she didn't even tell me you were her dad. And now it turns out she already knows about the Slayer stuff."
"I'm sure Isla would have told you if she could have, wouldn't you Isla?" His daughter nodded solemnly, and looked towards him with tears in her eyes.
"Daddy?" she whispered, and at that second he saw her for what she really was – a vulnerable little girl. She tried to put on a big act and make people think she was all grown up, but in those few seconds he understood that she just wanted to be loved. She ran to him and buried her head in his chest. "Dad? I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said before. Well, I kinda did. But not really. I shouldn't judge people when I don't know them. Mum taught me that when I was four." She laughed. "I saw this guy walking down the street, and I pulled away from her and went up to him. Before she could stop me I asked him why he was wearing a dress. Poor man was too embarrassed to explain to a little girl like me that he wanted to be a woman. I wouldn't have understood anyway, of course. But never again have I done something like that. Until today. If she makes you happy," she nodded towards Cordelia, "then you should go for it." Cordelia looked at Giles and smiled. Buffy was the only one who heard the whispered "yuck" come from her sister, and silently vowed to get her back for it later.
"Dawn. I couldn't tell you, because … you talked about him as if he was like a Dad to you. I didn't want to get in the way of that, I planned to come and say hello, and then come to stay with you, and not see him ever again. I should have known that wouldn't work out. Please don't be mad with me."
"You're only sucking up to me coz you need a place to stay." Dawn's tone was cold, and Isla could tell she was avoiding eye contact.
"DAWN!" Buffy was shocked at her sister's callousness. She knew what it was like to lose a mother, surely she could understand how weird it would be for Isla to be gaining a father. Especially at a time like this, Isla needed her friends more than ever. Just as she opened her mouth to voice these opinions, Dawn herself spoke.
"I guess … I know what it was like for me when my mom died. I would give anything to have her back. You've just found a father, and you deserve that. I don't resent you – and he'll make such a cool Dad!" The two girls hugged, and with smiles all around, Willow wasn't sure she'd come to the right house. Everyone had seemed so morbid lately, it made a nice change.
"Ah, Willow! Come to join in the festivities?!" Giles was beaming from ear to ear, although he did still look a little pale.
"Uh … festivities? Did we nuke some demon dude I didn't know about? Should I call Tara?"
"Call Tara, by all means. Xander, you should call Anya too … Lord what am I doing … oh well, go ahead, call her. This calls for a party, and the more people you all invite, the less chance I have of Anya trying to kill me again."
"Hey, that was an accident!" Xander felt the need to defend his girlfriend, although he wasn't sure it was right. Even if it was an accident, surely no sane person could mix Gypsy's Wart with salt. Giles almost choked to death … as if he wasn't ill enough to begin with! Cordelia had made sure Anya didn't get anywhere near the food since.
"Accident my…" he trailed off, although he wasn't quite sure why. "Anyway, Willow. I'd like you to meet Isla." He placed a hand affectionately on his daughter's shoulder, as Cordelia slipped her hand into his free one.
Willow extended her arm. "Giles' daughter. You look like him. It's *really* nice to meet you."
"Willow … I know that name. Are you the witch Dawn told me about? The really powerful one?"
"Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say *really* powerful …Dawn said that? That's really sweet. I mean … um … yeah I guess that would be me."
"Then maybe you could help me with something. I've been trying to put together a really simple spell designed to get rid of my hay fever, but all I seem to have been able to do so far is give myself asthma (which I managed to get rid of), and make my hay fever worse. I'm thinking there must be something wrong in my wording, but could you take a look?"
"Sure, I'd love to!" the voices became mushed in Giles' mind as he swelled with pride at seeing that his daughter had taken up the family's supernatural side. He was sure she would be a very good witch, and if she stayed a while she could only be an asset to the fight with Glory. With three strong Wiccans on their side, it would mean they would be able to try some of the more difficult spells that they had been forced to shy away from.
"Giles?" Cordelia's voice broke into his thoughts. "Anya just arrived – maybe you should sit down before she catches you!"
"Yes, of course," he muttered, before beginning to make his way as quickly as possible towards the sofa. He noticed his apartment was filling, and Willow, Isla, and Tara, who had just arrived, had completely taken over the kitchen in order to tweak Isla's spell. It was amazing how easily they had taken to her, with very few awkward questions asked.
A loud "atishoo" came from the kitchen, followed by Tara's voice. "No, that wasn't the one. Maybe we added too much Wolfsbane. Try a little less, and add a touch of dragons saliva as well."
"I think we're out of dragon's saliva, but I we have some crocodile eggs here somewhere. Perhaps their healing properties would help."
"Yeah, it's worth a try." Willow and Tara were so engrossed in helping Isla, neither of them spotted Giles and Cordelia sharing a "private moment" on the sofa. Neither did Xander or Buffy, who were both busy congratulating Dawn on the way she handled things with Isla. Eventually. But Anya noticed it, and took it pretty much the same way that Dawn had.
"Giles! That's gross! You're waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay" he braced himself for the comment on the age difference. "too good looking for her!"
"Huh?" That echoed around the whole apartment.
"Umm…Anya? Boyfriend standing *right* here."
"But I know you don't mind. You said April was attractive, and I didn't complain? Did I? Did I?"
"No, you didn't."
"So I'm making a non-insensitive comment about Giles and Cordelia. I could, of course, have commented on the age difference, or the height difference, or just the fact that they have absolutely nothing at all in common, but that would be rude, and wrong."
"I'm glad you're learning, An." Xander sighed, exasperated. Giles shook his head in disbelief, and pulled Cordelia back to him again.
"I've got something for you." Giles whispered into her ear.
"Huh?" She pulled her head back in surprise. "A present? For me?"
"No, a present for you to give to the Queen of Sheba. Who else would it be for?!"
"I don't know, it could be for anyone! So, lemme see, lemme see!"
"Buffy?" he called. Cordelia sighed. She knew Buffy would be involved in it somehow. "Do you have the … thing?"
"The thing? What thing would the thing be … oh that thing! Yeah, here." She handed him a small cube wrapped in bright purple paper. He passed it to Cordelia, and with lightening speed, she had the paper off. It revealed a deep purple velvet box. She snapped the lid open, and saw the most gorgeous pair of earrings she had ever seen. They were tiny silver dolphins, and each dolphin was diving over an even smaller round diamond.
"Whoa," she breathed. "Giles, they're … they're beautiful!"
"If you don't like them, I can get Buffy to take them back …" he wore a worried expression, as she knew him to be someone who took everyone's feelings very seriously.
"I love them. I really do." And to prove her point, she slipped them into the holes in her ears, and then walked over to the mirror above the fireplace to admire them.
"I had Buffy buy them … I saw them in a shop before the accident, and I thought of you straight way. I noticed you hadn't been wearing earrings lately, and I thought you deserved a treat. I didn't realise that I would be giving them to you in celebration!"
"They must have cost you a fortune! These are real diamonds!"
"You deserved every last penny." They leaned in to kiss, and their lips were just touching when there was a loud *bang* from the kitchen. Every single head in the place turned to look at the three witches, but instead there was only Isla. And two toads.
"What … what happened to Willow and Tara?" stammered Xander, worried about his oldest friend.
"I … I think maybe I said something wrong, or something was wrong, or … I'm not sure what happened."
"But you can change them back, right?" Willow had promised to teach Dawn some magic, and she didn't want to miss out. Besides, she really liked hanging out with them.
"I … I think so … I'm not sure. I'll try –" But before Isla had the chance to try, the two witches were sitting on the kitchen counter. Tara appeared slightly dazed.
"What … I … uh …why do I have the strangest feeling I just spent the last half a minute as a toad?"
"That would be because you did." Offered Anya, ever helpful.
"Right. Glad that's cleared up. Maybe we should … uh … leave this spell for a while, Isla, and get back to it tomorrow. Or whenever."
Giles looked at Cordelia and smiled. It mightn't be normal, but it was certainly never dull. He loved his life.