Sunnydale 2001 – Giles place
"Hey G-man we're here!" Xander called out as he, Anya, Buffy and Willow entered Giles house.
Spike craned his neck to see the group enter from his spot on the couch. They didn't even notice him! He was Spike; William the bloody, killer of two slayers and no one even bloody well says hello.
"Hey Spike."
Who said that? Willow did. Spike smirked, she was too nice for her own good, just wait until this chip comes out red, he thought with a grin. 'Cause when it does you're mine.
Giles chose that moment to exit the kitchen with a mug of tea, not hearing Xander's name for him. "Is everyone all here then? Good we can get started. See if there are any new prophecy's coming up, seeing as it has been awfully quiet lately something must be brewing. Willow, you can look on that infernal machine, Buffy you can visit Willy and see if he knows anything. Anya, Xander, Spike you can check the books I have laid out on the coffee table there while I look through these ones here."
"Actually if this is gonna be a research party I'm going out for snacks now then before we get started."
"Yes, yes, Xander fine, just make sure that you do hurry back."
"In a flash G-man," Xander called back as he and Buffy walked out the door, leaving Giles standing there rolling his eyes.
Five minutes passed before Willow stood up, taking less then a step before stumbling and grabbing the back of her chair with one hand and holding her stomach with the other.
"Giles...something's wrong."
"Willow?" Giles asked as he rose as well, Anya and Spike seeing something was wrong joined him. "Willow what's the matter? Are you ill?"
Willow shook her head fiercely as she clutched her stomach tighter and doubled over. "Power...Magic.... Giles it hurts, oh goddess..." She managed to breathe out before collapsing.
A flash of white light blinded the three for a moment before noticing Willow lying lifelessly on the floor. Giles rushed to her side and checking her vitals.
"She's fine, just unconscious," he announced before being knocked to the ground by a small creature.
"GRANDPA!"
"Grandpa?" Anya asked, "Giles has grandkids?"
"GRANDMA ANYA! UNCLE WILLY!" The small thing cried before scrambling off of Giles and launching herself at Anya. "Grandma what's wrong with Mummy? Why isn't she awake?"
Anya could only stare at the small thing attached to her leg as Giles picked himself off of the floor and the door burst open.
"Giles!" Buffy shouted as she burst through the door, Xander, Angel, Cordelia and Wesley at her heels. "They had a vision in LA of Willow being hurt and ... what is that?"
"We don't quite know. Willow got up holding her stomach in pain, an-and then there was a bright flash of light and next thing we know she's on the floor and I'm tackled and called 'Grandpa' and Anya was called 'Grandma Anya and Spike.." Giles paused the polishing of his glasses to smirk slightly. "Uncle Willy."
"But who is that?"
"I...we.. I don't know.."
"I'm Alexandra Auntie Buffy! You know that silly." The little girl clinging to Anya proclaimed. "Auntie Buffy why isn't Mummy waking up?"
"Mummy?" Buffy asked before following the girl's eyes to Willow who was still sprawled on the floor. "I don't know who you are but I'm not your Auntie Buffy and she's not your Mummy."
Tears welled up in her eyes as Anya swept the little girl into her arms. "Umm little girl she was just kidding. She's just not good at being funny like Xander is ok?"
The tears were quickly forgotten as the girl giggled. "She's not funny like Uncle Xan Xan and or Uncle Willy is she Grandma?"
"Nope." Quirked Anya as the little girl giggled again.
"When's Mummy waking up?"
"Soon kiddo, soon."
"Ok."
"Why don't we go sit on the couch why your Grandpa and everyone else go takes care of your Mummy?"
"OK!"
As Anya took the girl to the couch everyone snapped out of their stupor. Xander was the first to speak.
"Ok three things, why the hell is there a kid who claims to be Willow's kid here? Why isn't Willow awake yet and Why does that kid look like Willow did when she was six? And when did Anya become a natural born grandmother?"
"Well first off" Cordelia began, "That's four questions Einstein and there's here's something else familiar about that kid that I just can't pin and I have no clue about everything else."
"Mr. Giles this is beginning to remind me of a prophecy I just saw in my books back in LA. May I call and have them delivered? They may prove very useful, and as for the little girl perhaps someone could ask her a few questions to learn exactly who she is?"
"Yes of course the phone is right over there. I'll try asking her some questions then as she seems to recognise me."
"UNCLE WILLY..." A voice asked loudly cutting off any further conversation. "Can you tell me my favourite story. Please?"
A clearly startled Spike walked over to the couch and sat beside the little girl. "Umm which story was that again pet?"
Laughs "Uncle Willy, you're being silly, it's the one you tell me every time we visit you!"
"Well seeing as you know it so well maybe you can tell it to Uncle Willy for a change."
"Ok!"
Meanwhile everyone else was trying to figure out exactly what was going on.
"Look all this talk is getting us nowhere!" stated a frustrated Cordelia. "Look we haven't even picked Willow off the floor yet!"
Giles sighed as he polished his glasses once again. "Quite right, why don't we take Willow and put her upstairs in my room while the rest of us start looking through the books until Wesley's arrive."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Angel, why don't you help me with Willow ok?" Buffy asked softly. Angel nodded and picked her up easily following Buffy upstairs. Buffy pulled back the covers as Angel placed Willow gently on the bed. They took off her shoes and quickly covered her.
"Buffy..."
"Angel I just want to tell you that I'm glad you're here, that you all came actually."
"It's good to see you all again, even if it isn't a normal social call."
"There's no such thing on the hellmouth."
They both chuckled softly before looking each other in the eye.
"We always knew that we were never really meant to be didn't we Angel?"
"I guess we did Buffy."
"Be happy Angel."
"Be happy Buffy."
Smiling once more they hugged each other and then headed down the stairs.
"Oh good, you're put Willow to bed then?" Giles asked as Buffy and Angel descended the stairs and nodded.
"Spike has asked that we all listen as little, ugh Alexandra begins the story her 'Uncle Willy' tells her again. She says that it's about how we all became a family and how she got here."
The pair looked at each other in shock before going to move closer to the group in the living room.
"Sit right here Grandpa," Alexandra said as she scooted off of the couch, allowing Giles to sit there only a moment before she sat on his lap and curled her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. He instinctively hugged her back and allowed her to continue sitting on his lap.
"Once upon a time there was a girl who was like the sun, all golden and pure until one day she learned that evil vampire men were real and a man told her that her job was to make them go away. He gave her a magic wand and she would turn them into dust. She did this until she had to move away from her old home and make a new one in the land of sun.
She didn't know anyone there until one day she met the cheerleader princess. The cheerleader princess was ruler of all and was good and kind but not to her subjects. She tried to befriend the golden girl but the golden girl decided to be friends with a common girl instead. The common girl was red and she had two friends: zapper and some guy. The golden girl liked the three friends at once and became friends with them. A vampire man killed the guy and only zapper and red were left. They decided to help the golden girl and her father get rid of the vampire men. They got rid of a lot of vampire men with their magic wands except for one. His name was Pouf.
Pouf was in love with the golden girl and, she loved him too. So he helped her get rid of the vampire men. The cheerleader princess fell in love with zapper and red fell in love with a wolf. They all decided to get rid of the vampire men together and became the scooby gang. They had a lot of adventures together until one night pouf got too happy and that made him turn bad cause he had a curse. He changed his name to pouf-less and hung out with his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend the big bad. They did bad things to the golden girl and the scooby gang and the golden girl realised that she had to turn him into dust with her magic wand, but before she did red turned him back into pouf again. He went away to a dark land to think about what he did and came back to the golden girl.
They couldn't stay together anymore and they broke up. Pouf went to live in the golden girl's homeland with the cheerleader princess who broke up with zapper and her pet watcher Jr.
A the wolf left red the big bad and demon girl came to help and a long time went by and everyone was happy until a bad man came and took red away from the golden girl, zapper their father, demon girl and the big bad. The bad man hurt red, took her light away, put her under, and enchanted sleep and then the bad man died. The golden girl and zapper sent her to a land far, far away with a new name and memories. The golden girl and zapper were sad and told everyone that red had died. But one day red woke up, travelled to the golden girl's homeland, and was saved from a vampire man by a black knight. The black knight took her to his friend the green bean the singing lizard. Green bean knew that she was special and he and the black knight took her to the black knight's boss.
When they entered the castle the black knight and green bean showed her to the boss and he declared that there should be a great meeting. He rounded up everyone, the cheerleading princess, green bean, the black knight, shadow, watcher jr and the scooby gang. They all decided to bring the old red back and found a spell to unlock her memories. They gave her back all her memories and red and everyone else was happy until watcher jr. found a prophecy. Everyone was scared because it promised the pouf a permanent soul, no more headaches for the cheerleading princess or the big bad. And because everyone there was loved so much by the powers that be they would always be healed if they ever got hurt. But this would only happen if red had a baby. The powers had already started the baby the same way they did with the "bleedin' virgin Mary". They stole part of the man who truly loved red the most to make the baby but red didn't love him back.
Everyone was sad but excited. By the time the baby was born red had grown to love the pouf and everyone lived happily for six years until an evil wizard named Ethan decided to steal the power of the girl. But he couldn't unlock her power to steal it until he spilled red's blood. Everyone found out and tried to protect red, they had been waiting for the day to come since they first read that it was going to happen in the prophecy but they weren't ready. But Uncle Willy said that red would never die and not to worry, the end."
Everyone was shocked and horrified by the end of the story. Prophecies were never good.
"Alexandra..." Giles began softly. "What happens after Uncle Willy's story ends?"
Tears began to form in her eyes and Giles held her closer. "They weren't ready, and he killed her after he killed all of them. He made a simple sleeping spell and then went around and killed everyone in their sleep. Green bean managed to make a connection with the powers and they saved me and offered me a choice: follow the prophecy and go back in time and change everything and make it the way it was really supposed to be or stay in my time and hide from Ethan. So I came back, I have seven days and if I make things right then they'll put me back into Mummy."
Giles looked at everyone for a moment for reassurance before pulling her back and looking her in the eyes.
"As long as you tell us everything we ask we'll do anything to help you."
Alexandra beamed at Giles before hugging him; he hugged her back feeling a strange sort of happiness.
He was a Grandfather. Giles smiled.
Gunn arrived twenty minutes later with both Fred and Lorne in tow and was just finishing filling them in. Anya and Buffy were in the kitchen with Alexandra getting her a snack while Xander teased Spike for being called 'Uncle Willy' while Giles boasted about how he's a Grandfather. No one stopped Angel or even looked at him as he made his way quietly up the stairs to see Willow. No one had said a word yet about him being Alexandra's father or about him being in love with Willow. She was still unconscious as he gently stroked the hair away from her face. Sighing and taking one last look he ventured back down stairs to start round two of Alexandra's questioning.
Comfortably seated with Alexandra on his lap Angel nodded for Giles to begin.
"Alexandra, you mentioned before that we all became a family and referred to a few of us already by title. Can you tell us more about this and who means what to you?"
"Well, Mummy is my Mummy, and Daddy here is my Daddy. Auntie Buffy is like Mummy's sister and she's my godmother. She and Uncle Xan Xan got married before I was born; he's my Mummy's best friend. They fell in love when Mummy was away.
Grandpa and Grandma Anya got married just before I was born too. He had a big crush on her and she always liked him. He bought a really pretty ring one night cause he was drinking with Uncle Wesley and showed up at her door and asked her to marry him and they did. It was a really pretty wedding and Grandma Anya always lets me look at the pictures and she says that someday when I get married she wants to give me the ring because it was a symbol of true love.
Gunn is my godfather and Daddy thanks him EVERY SINGLE DAY for saving Mummy and bringing her back.
Uncle Wesley and Aunty Cordy are married and they live in the same building as Gunn and Aunt Winnie. Gunn only likes to be called Gunn by everybody because he's a strong tough man. One day I want to be tough like him. And oh, oh everyone always calls Aunt Winnie 'Fred'.
Papa Lorne is my other Grandpa and he owns a nightclub and makes people sing. He's really funny. And he sings really pretty. He won't let Daddy sing though, which is good.
Uncle Willy lives with Auntie Buffy's mum and they're always in smoochy love. Auntie Buffy says she's not ready to have kids yet and likes that there is at least one kid calling her 'Gram.'
Uncle Xan Xan teased Gram and Grandma Anya once and said that Gram was more of a Grandma she had 'the look' and makes better cookies. And Grandma Anya looks too young and until she married Grandpa she was too brash. But I love them both the same, they're my grandma's."
"So I'm shacked up with Joyce?" Spike asked. "I always knew I had good taste."
"How big was the rock on the wedding ring?" Asked Anya.
"A half a sugar cube with a little sapphire on each side and it was silver."
"Wow Giles you have amazing taste."
"It's Giles, who knew." Added Cordelia.
"Yes... well..." sputtered Giles as he tried to clean his glasses without blushing.
Everyone smiled wickedly at the sputtering Englishman before the silence was once again broken by the child's voice.
"MUMMY! YOU'RE AWAKE!"
Willow stood at the bottom of the stairs holding the small girl who had launched herself into her arms. Looking back at the group staring back at her openly, the look of shock and confusion painted clearly on her face.
"Willow..." Giles began, "why don't you have a seat over here and you, Alexandra, Angel and I can talk. Buffy why don't you take everyone and go to the bronze or somewhere for awhile and meet us back here later?"
"Sure Giles, no problem. Come on all, Sunnydale may not be much but there is some interesting points of interest."
Willow sat down on the couch, cradling the young girl on her lap as everyone walked out the door.
Giles, with the help of Angel began the story they had all learned not long before. After the first half hour Alexandra was fast asleep on Willow's lap and she found herself stroking the girls hair softly and holding her possessively as the tale went on.
The deciphered most of what Alexandra had said. The magic wands were stakes, took her light away meant take her innocence away meaning rape. Enchanted sleep meant coma, and golden girl's homeland meant LA: which is where Buffy came from before arriving in Sunnydale.
Willow shivered as she thought of what could have happened if Alexandra hadn't of come back. The girl with long auburn hair, dark green eyes and with the agility and a smirk to rival Angel's.
She was broken out of her musings by the sound of Giles getting up and heading to the kitchen. She ventured a look at Angel who was smiling at her as she continued to hold the little girl.
"She's really ours isn't she? Everything she said ... it sounds so real. ..."
"Yeah..." Angel said softly. "I really believe she is. ..."