A/N : Big thanx to everyone who reviewed, it is much appreciated. Just to clarify, this story is AU. In this universe, Buffy is the Slayer, she has lived in Sunnydale her whole life and was best friends with her next door neighbour, Cordelia, who has now moved away. Her new next door neighbour is Spike, who is not a vampire but a human being. Giles is Spike's father. He moved from England to America on Watcher business (which did not necessarily involve Buffy) before Spike was born. Buffy dated Angel before but something went wrong and I don't think I ever specified what in this story. I hope that makes it all clear. If anyone has anymore questions about the story, feel free to ask in a review. Here's the next chapter.
(for disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 12 - Family
Buffy had spent all day trying to keep her mind off Spike, but it hadn't been easy. She knew she'd hurt him more than he would admit when she pulled the 'just friends' card on him, but giving her current emotional state, she figured it was for the best...wasn't it? She couldn't even looked forward to training, not that it was something glorious to look forward to anyway, but it was going to be so awkward having Spike there too.
Outside the library doors at the end of the day, she took a deep breath, painted on a fake smile and went inside.
"Hey Giles"
"Buffy" her Watcher smile when he saw her "how are you?"
"Fine" she nodded, well that was a half-lie to start with "Ooh, your nose looks..." she started before realising she was not exactly displaying tact if she said 'awful' "...painful" she settled on eventually.
"Yes, well, not to worry" he waved away her concern and she wandered over to the table where he was, dropping her bag onto it.
"Must have been a shock I guess, finding out Spike was your son" Buffy thought about it, and it had been a shock to her. She couldn't begin to imagine how weird it felt to Giles.
"Yes, it was rather astonishing and seeing Jessica after so many years..." he trailed off as Buffy looked on expectantly, "but we're not here for that" he said, with a shake of his head "Your training is the most important thing..."
"Hey" Buffy interrupted "you're important too, and you know I think you'll be a great father" she smiled. She knew what she said was true, since Giles had really been the nearest thing to a father that she'd had since her real Dad left. She was pleased to see him smile back at her, happy but possibly embarrassed too.
"Thankyou very much, Buffy. That's very sweet" he said, quietly.
"Hey" a voice interrupted the Slayer and her Watchers little father-daughter-esque moment.
"Spike, hi" Buffy smiled despite the uncomfortable feelings she felt as soon as the bleach blond entered the room.
"Yes, hello, er, Spike" Giles stumbled on the strange name he had been asked to used, still wondering how this slightly odd looking young man was a son of his, but he had every faith in Jessica and he did believe what she told him. This was his son, as incredible and disturbing as that seemed...
"Don't mind me" Spike shrugged, dropping into a nearby seat "you two just carry on with your Watcher/Slayer stuff I'll just be a quiet observer"
"Very well" Giles nodded, turning his attention back to Buffy. He began to talk to her but the Slayer hardly heard a word, her mind and her eyes stuck on the new arrival in the room. She finally came back to reality and tried to put Spike out of her mind and her visual range as she warmed up and then practised her fighting with Giles.
As much fun as it would have been to show off in front of her Watchers son, show him just what she was capable of, how tough she was, it didn't work that way. Spike's presence in the room only caused her aim to be off and her skills to disappear. She felt ridiculous and the more she failed to execute the moves, the more she remembered he was watching her and the worse she got.
Eventually, Giles realised that no amount of practice was going to help his Slayer today. 'Perhaps it's because we have an audience' he thought, glancing at Spike who's eyes had been burning a hole in Buffy's back for the last hour and a half.
"I think that's enough for today" Giles decided, taking of his glasses and cleaning them "besides er Jessica is expecting myself and Spike for dinner soon"
Buffy had to admit to herself that she was glad it was over. She knew Spike had been watching her and she was sure Giles had noticed too. She just wanted to get away from those two right now, but fate was against her...
"We're going right by your house, I'll give you a ride too" Giles offered and Buffy knew she should accept, she had no feasible reason to refuse.
"Oh, thanks" she said with the best smile she could manage under the circumstances. She was relieved when Spike rode in the front of the car with his father, at least in the back on her own she was further away from the young man she wanted to avoid right now. Only trouble was she knew he could still see her by glancing in the rear view mirror, which he did at every opportunity.
The ride from the school to Revello Drive was awkwardly silent and Buffy breathed a quiet sigh of relief as the car was parked and she could get away.
"Thanks Giles" she smiled, genuinely, as she climbed out of the car, "I'll see you tomorrow and I hope everything goes okay tonight" she said as he walked towards the house next door, Spike in tow.
"Thankyou Buffy" her Watcher smiled.
"Bye Spike" the girl called as she reached her front door, he turned back to glance at her.
"See ya Buffy" he smiled over at her, just before he went through his own front door.
"Hey Mum" he called as he entered the house, Giles on his heels.
"Hello Will" his mother smiled as she came to greet them "Hi Rupert" she said glancing at the older man.
"Good afternoon, Jessica" he replied, shuffling nervously and Spike rolled his eyes, before belting up the stairs. It was part of his usual routine to go straight to his room, dump his bag and jacket, maybe have a sneaky cigarette out of the window, before going back down to tell his Mum about his day and get a snack. Then it was homework back in his room and down for dinner. It was quite clear that tonight was going to be different but he still went upstairs, figuring his recently re-united parents could use some time alone.
Spike hung his jacket over the back of the chair by his desk and dropped his school bag beside it. He flopped down on his bed with a sigh. It had been an interesting day, to say the least. It seemed incredible that all that had happened had taken place in just a single day. Before Sunnydale his life had been simple enough, it seemed hard to believe that just a week ago he hadn't even seen this place, and now it was home and a very mixed up home at that.
In those first two days he had acquired a father that he wasn't even sure existed before. He had made a few friends, not something Spike was really used to but he liked the red-head called Willow and as much as that Xander bloke drove him crazy, he figured he wouldn't be too bad to be around.
Then there was Buffy. The Chosen One, the Slayer, the girl next door, his friend - she was all those things and infinitely more, because if he was honest with himself, she was the girl he'd fallen for. Hook, line and sinker, he was completely in love, drowning in feelings stronger than he'd ever felt before in his life.
Love at first sight, whirlwind romance, not really phrases ever thought he'd use but what else could he call it? From the moment he'd laid eyes on the girl, he knew Buffy Summers was special. Two days and he'd seen just how special, and it wasn't just her slaying abilities either. The girl could fight, but along with slaying demons and vamps, she'd slayed his heart, good and proper.
When they were in that corridor, when she'd said it would never happen that they were to be nothing more than friends, well she might as well have shoved one of those stakes through his heart, because surely that had to hurt less than her words had. He closed his eyes and forced back tears and tried to make himself forget those two kisses he'd shared with the girl who wanted to be no more than his mate.
How had he allowed himself to fall so hard and so fast? Spike was tough, not bothered by emotions and deep feelings, wasn't all that just for poofters? He was stronger than this, wasn't he?
"What has she done to me?" he whispered to himself, breathing deeply, and glancing over at the clock beside his bed. He'd left his parents alone for almost thirty minutes, surely that was long enough for now, besides he was hungry and he really hadn't meant to be upstairs or thinking about Buffy for this long.
Spike had more important things to think about than Buffy right now.
'What could be more important than Buffy?' a voice in his head asked him as he made for the bedroom door.
'Er, the fact that my father, a man I didn't even know really existed until today, is downstairs?' a second more sarcastic inner-voice countered.
"I'm going crazy!" Spike complained aloud as he came down the stairs. He glanced toward the living room, but no-one was there so he moved through the empty dining room and headed for the kitchen. The sight that greeted him was not exactly what he'd expected and he wasn't entirely sure whether he was happy about it or not.
Spike wasn't really sure what was considered respectable or even normal behaviour for parents so on seeing his mother backed up against the kitchen counter, pinned there by his father who was thoroughly kissing her, Spike was at a loss as to know whether running, screaming or laughing would be the best course of action.
He eventually decided on loudly clearing his throat and was somewhat relieved when the pair came up for oxygen and backed away from each other at lightening speed.
"Er, Will..." Jessica started, unsure of what her son's reaction might be to what he'd seen. His expression was unreadable and it worried her. Her plan for the evening had not been to end up kissing her ex-boyfriend / father of her child within the first few minutes of his visit but it seemed all the feelings that had once existed between the two was still there even after all these years. The flame had been quite thoroughly re-ignited between them.
Giles looked similarly worried and looked a if he would surely pass out as Spike stepped forward and picked up three knives from the counter top. He was mightily relieved when the young man turned to his mother with a slight smile.
"Shall I finish setting the table Mum?" Spike offered, picking up the forks and spoons too and gesturing back to the dining room.
"Oh, yes" Jessica sighed in sheer relief, "Thankyou, Will"
Spike smiled fully as he went back to the table and finished setting out the cutlery, etc. He had successfully shocked his father, he knew he had, and probably his mother too, but then they did deserve it after the shock they'd given him.
It seemed to Spike that Giles was a decent sort of bloke, Buffy thought so and his mother still seemed to like him very much. Also it hadn't been his fault that he hadn't been a proper father to his son, since neither knew the other existed. No, Spike would accept this man to be his father, try to get to know him better and maybe one day they'd be some sort of family, the three of them. Maybe if Spike concentrated enough on that, he could put Buffy out of his head somehow, well, perhaps that was just wishful thinking...
To Be Continued...
A/N 2 : Look out for the chapter 11 of my other story 'Always Remember - I Love You' - coming soon. However, I have recently got a new job which means more hours of work and less time for writing, so updates might be slower but I'll try to write as often as possible (and nice reviews will make me want to try and write more!)
