"I can't believe they found that old Ripper picture of you, Giles," Buffy chuckled out as the two couples approached the Giles' house several hours later. "I thought you'd lost it." Giles had a scowl on his face.

"So had I," he grumbled. Willow grinned as she looked towards her husband.

"It wasn't that bad," she assured them. "And even you had to admit that you had a good time," she reminded him. "Unless you count Jonathan and Ginger Levinson winning the Best Couple Award. I can't believe they beat us!"

"And that 'hey, it's the librarian and that Rosenberg chic' comment from Percy, now that was harsh," Riley pointed out.

"Yeah, that too, but he was plastered, so I don't think that it counts," Buffy commented. "He probably won't ever remember he said it." They had finally made it up to the door, and Giles gently unlocked and entered the house as the others followed him inside.

"I just can't believe that Xander finally won the Class Clown Award. He was so proud, I think Jonathon nearly cried when he heard the acceptance speech," Willow giggled. Buffy and the others laughed.

"I never expected Xand to have that much of a drama king in him. He was tearing up before he even began! I'm sure Anya will not hear the end of it." The other three had to agree with the former Slayer. The four had made their way to the den, where the volume of the television was turned up loud enough that the room's occupants couldn't hear their parents enter. The walked into the room to a shocking sight.

Mike and Neil and been sitting on the couch, and to their parent's horror, they were in the middle of a passionate kiss. The four parents stood in a few moments of abject silence as they watched their children carry on, too dumbfounded to react. The younger Giles and Finn didn't take any notice of their captive audience until Buffy finally found her breath and whispered, "Oh, God."

Both Mike and Neil snapped their heads back at the same time to meet their parent's angry gazes. Their eyes went wide as they realized that they had been caught. Neil instantly stood up, and it was then that Giles took note of the fact that his right hand had been on Mike's thigh. Giles' face got grimmer, as did that of Riley when he took note of the same thing a moment later. There was going to be a lot of explaining to do.

"Dad," Neil frantically began. Riley cut him off with a quick gesture.

"We. Are. Leaving. Now," the ex-soldier intoned coldly. Mike closed her eyes to the onslaught that was coming.

"Dad…" Neil just stood there, attempting to give his parents a few moments to reason with him. It didn't work.

"You heard your father," Buffy hissed. "Now!" Neil gave a defeated sigh and headed towards the door, giving Mike a quick glance as he left. The Finns stayed behind for a few moments, staring at Mike.

"Buffy, Riley," she began.

"We have nothing to say to you," Buffy cut her off. She spent the following silence staring Mike down. Mike cringed under the ex-Slayer's blazing gaze until Buffy finally turned that gaze to Giles. "Giles, I'm sorry we couldn't say a proper good-bye, but I think you understand," Buffy told him.

"I believe I do," Giles said flatly, not taking his eyes off his daughter. The Finns hastily left the room, leaving Mike alone with her parents. Two very angry parents.

"Dad," Mike pleaded, but Giles cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"What the bloody hell were you thinking, Michaela," Giles spat out before Mike could finish.

"Dad, it's not what you think…"

"Then you really weren't throwing yourself at some high schooler," Willow shot back, adding her part to the fray. Mike turned to face her mother.

"Mom…"

"Don't 'mom' me," Willow retorted as she glared at her daughter. Mike gave a defeated sigh as she met her mother's furious gaze. "I am NOT in the mood."

"Neil Finn," Giles exclaimed. "Bloody Neil Finn!" Mike quickly turned back to meet her father's eyes.

"Dad, you don't understand…"

"Oh, I think it's crystal clear, Michaela. I think it's damn clear." Mike was now standing in the middle of the room, facing two very angry parents.

"Dad, you're not being fair…"

"And you screwing around with my best friend's son is," Willow shouted.

"Mother! Is that what you think we've been doing," Mike said incredulously.

"Isn't it," Willow asked coldly as she crossed her arms. Mike shook her head.

"Absolutely not! We were kissing, that was all, I swear!" Giles wasn't convinced and was more than ready to tell Mike just that.

"And why should we believe you when you were lying to us in the first place." Mike took a deep breath as she tried to answer her father calmly.

"Because that is the truth. I didn't invite Neil over here so we could get pelvic," she said as evenly as possible.

"Then why the hell did you have him here," Giles shot back.

"So we could spend some time together, just like I told you! Is there anything wrong with that," Mike said quickly as her emotions began to get the best of her. She was very close to losing control and doing her best impression of her father in a Ripper mood, and she knew that was the last thing she wanted to do at that moment.

"Oh, I'm thinking yes," Willow answered as she pointed to Mike. The younger Giles closed her eyes once again to the continuing onslaught to try to contain her frustration and anger.

"Xander was right, you don't understand," Mike said under her breath.

"Xander knew about this," Giles shouted, shocked by the revelation. Mike's eyes popped open and she flailed her arms in frustration.

"Well, isn't not like I intended to have him find out. I just happened."

"He is so dead," Willow retorted, rolling her eyes. All three knew that this was quickly getting out of hand, but there was little they could do to stop the tide of anger that was filling the room.

"Don't drag him into this, mother. He had nothing to do with it," Mike insisted.

"But he knew," Giles pointed out.

"Yes. Xander knew," Mike admitted. She took a calming breath that seemed to calm the storm that was building in her, and she remained somewhat in control. The same could not be said for her parents.

"How long," Willow remarked icily. "How long has this been going on." Mike braced herself before she answered.

"I've been seeing Neil for almost a year," she finally squeaked out.

"Bloody hell," Giles sighed with frustration. "And when we you planning on telling us? When you ran off to some tawdry little chapel and eloped or when you found out you were pregnant or God knows what else."

"Aren't you listening," Mike shouted, finally losing her temper completely. "I am NOT sleeping with Neil!"

"I'm having a very difficult time believing that," Giles declared.

"Don't you trust me?" Before she even finished, Mike knew those were exactly the wrong words to say at that moment.

"Oh, don't you dare lecture us about trust, young lady," Willow began. Giles cut his wife off.

"You are not to see Neil again, Michaela," Giles exclaimed. Mike's face got red with anger.

"You can't order me around, Dad! I'm not some child! I am old enough to see whomever I chose, to sleep with whomever I chose, or to marry whomever I chose. Soon, Neil will be as well," Mike finished with a whisper. Willow snorted.

"Not if his parents have a say in it," Willow muttered. Giles ignored his wife's comment, focusing on what Mike had said.

"So what? Do you think that this thing between you and Neil, whatever it is, is going to last forever? Not bloody likely," Giles spat out.

"Well, that is for me to decide, father, not you!"

"Michaela, I am your father. I can damn well..."

"No, you can't," Mike yelled at full force, cutting off his comment. Giles finally snapped all the way and slapped his daughter across the face. Mike gave her father a stunned, hurt, and defeated look. It seemed to match the look on both her parents faces. "I'm leaving," she said after a long silence. As she grabbed her things and swiftly headed for the door she turned to face her parent once again. "I should never have expected YOU, of all people, to understand this," she whispered coldly. "Grandpa Ira would be proud." Before her parents could react, Mike was gone, slamming the door behind her. Both Willow and Giles felt like they had been slapped in the face. Willow stood next to her husband in stunned silence.

"What have we done, Rupert," she whispered to her husband as they heard Mike's car speed away.



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