CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: CERULEAN
Many hours later, Giles had heard the excruciatingly painful story that Buffy had to tell. She had broken down many times during the telling of it, and Giles had held her as she cried. By the time she had got to Stephen's role, Giles had nearly completely forgotten the young man that his Slayer had been embracing earlier in the kitchen.
"And I met Stephen," she said, a smile playing on her face.
After the five hours of tears, the slight smile that lit her face was a complete shock to Giles. He squeezed her hand encouragingly and her smile got wider.
"He and I…it took us about two years before anything happened between us, but…one day we just kinda…happened. And his dad, Daniel, he married us. But uh…Daniel…he died. The next day. It was awful," Buffy explained.
"I'm sorry," Giles whispered, for what seemed to be the millionth time in so many hours. That was all he really could say to her as she explained what it had been like. How lonely it had been. How empty and hollow and frighteningly endless.
"And then Whistler comes along and tells me that I finally figured it out. That I had finally completed a Circle of Three," Buffy said.
Giles looked up at her. "The Circle of Three? I've heard of that."
"It's a ritual," Buffy said.
"Yes. A ritual that can be performed by two beings that have come together in a pure and holy state and have created a third being," Giles said, remembering the wording of the research he had done whilst in Oxford so many years ago.
Buffy nodded and Giles suddenly fully comprehended exactly what she was saying.
"Good lord," he breathed quietly. "That means…that you're…"
"Pregnant," Buffy finished. She smiled and nodded at him, tears in her eyes.
Giles smiled widely. His Christmas Eve had been full of many wonderful, and not so wonderful surprises. Having his Slayer back was one of the best things that could happen to him, but what she had gone through to be back here made him feel a little guilty at his joy, though he didn't properly understand why. To hear that his Slayer was back, married and going to have a childe made up for that guilt.
"I haven't told anyone about it yet, but…not even Stephen," Buffy admitted. "I just…I was afraid that something might have gone wrong with the ritual and…well, coming back and everything. I didn't want to get his hopes up."
Giles nodded, understanding what she meant. His Slayer was used to being disappointed, but that didn't mean that she would want anyone else to feel the disappointment as well.
"When are you going to tell him?" he asked gently.
"Tomorrow. Kind of a Christmas gift," she explained.
He nodded and the room fell into silence. Buffy let out a sigh of relief, grateful to finally have everything off her chest. She stood up and reached her hand out to him. He took it and stood as well.
"We should get downstairs, they're…they might be worried. And…Stephen gets a bit jealous if I spend too much time alone with a guy," Buffy explained, a small grin on her face at the strange idea of anything romantic happening between herself and her Watcher.
"I'll have to assure him that my intentions are completely honourable," Giles said with a smile.
Buffy grinned and linked arms with him, pulling him out of the room and down the stairs.
"So…what'cha get me for Christmas?"
Giles could only laugh and pat her hand, mentally resolving
to go to the shopping centre the second he got a chance to make sure his Slayer
wasn't left out in the gift department.
