First chapter = disclaimers.
Yes, another chapter. More B/G ahead.
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"Why did they decide to have your reunion in California? Isn't it expensive to fly all those people over from jolly old England?" Buffy asked as Giles sped along the highway.
"My brother owns a small vineyard in California. I would imagine that he likes to show it and his wealth off. Besides, if they had had a reunion in England, I would have had an excuse not to go," Giles answered her.
"You mean they spent all that money so they could force you into coming?"
"In essence, yes. It really isn't all that different from the tradition of spending large amounts of money on weddings and cajoling relatives and loved ones to come." Giles turned and smiled briefly at Buffy before returning his eyes to the road.
There was a term of companionable silence before Buffy spoke again.
"Say, Giles, you don't think I'm going to look skanky just showing up as your girlfriend at this party, do you?"
"It was your idea Buffy."
"Well, I know that, but don't you think that maybe a girlfriend is too shaky, kind of like you just picked me up off of the street and asked if I wanted to spend the week with you in a country vineyard?"
"I somehow sense that you are leading up to asking me something, so why don't you just come out and say it?" Giles said with a tinge of exasperation.
"Because that would be rude?"
"Like that ever stopped you before," Giles mumbled underneath his breath.
"Hey!" Buffy said as she took a half hearted swat at his arm, "Slayer hearing here."
"I apologize. What is it that you are trying to say?"
"Well, I thought that maybe it would look better if we were, you know, engaged or something," Buffy suggested.
"You want to pretend to be my fiancée?" Giles choked out.
"Is it going to be harder than pretending to be your girlfriend? They are going to assume we are 'shagging' anyway, but it adds more legitimacy."
"I suppose that you do have a point, but there is a small problem with the fact that you have no engagement ring."
Buffy rummaged through her purse. "How about this? Willow gave it to me for a good luck present on our trip."
Giles glanced to the side. "No," he said before again returning to his driving.
"What's wrong with it?" Buffy said as she wrinkled her nose and more closely examined the ring.
"I would never propose to you with such a ring. Its design has utterly no romance, and the stone is nowhere large enough, aside from the fact that it is made out of cubic zirconia. Besides, if you try it on, I'm sure that you will find it will sit better on your index finger than your ring finger."
"You could tell all that from a tiny glance?" Buffy asked in awe.
"Most of it, I knew it was cubic zirconia because I highly doubt that Willow has the finances to give you a real diamond ring, even with that small of a stone."
"So I guess that that idea is out the window?" Buffy said as she put the ring back in her purse.
"Perhaps not," Giles said as he turned on his signal and took an exit ramp.
"Giles, where are we going?"
"We are going to a pawn shop to get you a proper ring."
"Isn't that going to be a touch pricey?" Buffy asked in concern.
"Jewelry at pawn shops is often sold at less that its value, Buffy. And you can think of it as my thank you for helping me to annoy my relatives."
Two hours later, Buffy was wearing an ornate, art nouveau ring that Giles had deemed befitting of a lady of her stature. The stone was not much larger than the one that Willow had given her, but it was a genuine stone, and Giles had promptly announced that the design of the ring and its age more than made up for the small stone size. His words also could have been influenced by Buffy's longing stare at it, but he certainly was not going to admit to that.
So once again they got onto the highway and made their way to Giles' brother's place.
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When they finally pulled up the long driveway to the main house, it was around nine o'clock. Buffy was wide awake and sadly disappointed as the premises seemed to be vampire free. Giles, also used to late nights, was just as awake as Buffy with the exception of being slightly sore from the long drive and the fact that he had absolutely refused to let Buffy drive.
As they pulled their luggage out from his trunk, Giles tapped Buffy on the shoulder. "Buffy, perhaps you should let me carry the larger pieces."
Buffy's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Are you feeling okay Giles? This is my bag. I'm a woman. I'm also the Slayer. That makes it very, very heavy."
"I am aware of that, however, it would look very ill if I did not carry your bags for you. We aren't pretending to be married. As such, I am still under an obligation to be chivalrous and put my back out whilst carrying your bags."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Men are all the same. Fine, you carry my suitcase, but I'm still carrying my weapons bag."
"You brought your weapons bag?" Giles asked.
"Yes," Buffy replied testily.
Giles' eyes lit up. "I'm very proud of you Buffy."
Buffy's stiff posture relaxed at the compliment and she smiled until Giles spoke again, "Buffy, do you think you could grab my weapons bag too?"
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Eventually, they trudged their way up to the front door and rang the doorbell. A tall figure opened the door. For a second, Buffy was struck by the resemblance to Giles until she noticed the slight paunch that hung around the man's waist and the more haughty look that adorned the other man's face.
"Rupert, we were beginning to think you weren't going to make it," the man said in a voice slightly deeper and raspier than Giles'.
"I am terribly sorry, George, we, ah, had to stop for something on our way here," Giles replied as he moved in the door and set the bags on the floor in the foyer.
"Well, you got here at least. I suppose that is what matters." George said as his eyes swept appraisingly over Buffy. "Who is this then, your daughter? I didn't know that you had had children, Rupert. She looks much like her mother, I dare say."
"What? Oh, no. Pardon me for not introducing you. George, this is Buffy. She's my fiancée." Giles lied smoothly.
"Pleased to meet you," Buffy said too sweetly as she held out her hand.
George's eyebrows rose significantly as he reached out to shake her hand. "Buffy? What an unusual name. What does it stand for?" He asked snidely.
"It stands for Buffy," Buffy replied as she squeezed a bit harder than was necessary before releasing the elder Giles' hand.
George shook his hand a bit to restore blood flow before he spoke again.
"Well, why don't I show you your room so you can drop off your luggage, and then you can come down and visit with the rest of the family. Can I help you carry something?"
Buffy glanced at Giles with a meaningful look.
"Why don't you take Buffy's makeup bag?" Giles said as he pushed a deceptively small looking bag towards his brother.
"Of course," George replied before he grabbed the bag and grunted in surprise.
Buffy smiled sweetly, "Oh, I forgot that I put my training weights in there. I hope you don't mind."
George glared at Giles for a moment before shaking his head and leading the 'couple' to their room.
As they deposited their bags in the room, they saw two beds.
"I assumed that Rupert was brining a friend when he said he was bringing a guest, so I gave you two separate beds. I trust that you won't have a problem with this?" George asked.
"No, of course not. Giles is very inventive." Buffy replied.
"Giles?" George queried.
"I'm American. We call people by their last names sometimes. I called Giles that when we first met, and I've called him that ever since." Buffy ended her sentence by gazing adoringly at Giles.
"Yes and just how long have you known Rupert?" George asked hoping to catch Buffy in a lie as he had assumed that Rupert had simply picked the girl up a few weeks ago in order to look good.
"Since I was sixteen," Buffy replied absentmindedly.
Apparently, Buffy's absentmindedness worked in her favor well as her ability to shock worked doubly well on Giles' family as it had on him. For George began to make distinct choking noises that would have evolved into a stuttered sentence had he been Rupert Giles instead of George, but he was not Rupert and therefore simply moaned in consternation before leading Buffy and her watcher down the stairs to meet the family.