For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1
Chapter 23: The Parent Trap
(Buffy's POV)
Here I am, standing outside Giles's door and wondering how on earth am I supposed to pull this one off. Vamps and demons I can handle, no problem... telling my watcher that my mom is free and available so he better move it... well, let's just say that that's an entirely different story.
I just hope he won't bite my head off for messing with his life and putting him in the spotlight... I mean I know he's still acting kind of embarrassed following the whole band candy mess but really, he needs to get over it... preferably yesterday.
In the end I guess Faith got the better part of the deal, all she has to do is talk to mom. That's so not fair --I mean, with mom at least she can be all but certain that she won't pull a Ripper-- but I do understand why it has to be this way. I know Giles won't make a move unless he is sure I'm cool with it --and I guess that's kind of sweet-- so I'm here to give him my blessing... mom, I think she doesn't need quite that level of reassurance. If Faith can convince her that Giles is what she wants, she'll probably go for it regardless of how loudly I may object... she sure did when Ted showed up.
Which brings me back to another reason why I have to be the one to talk to Giles. No matter how much things may have changed since that happened, I'm pretty sure he still remembers how I reacted to that robot and somehow I don't think he wants to be on the receiving end of that particular reaction... not that I blame him. The point is that Giles is Giles and not a robot... and that does make a difference, now I just have to get him to see it.
The thing is that back when that whole mess went down I still wasn't ready to see my mom dating anyone... now I've gotten to the point where I'm willing to make an exception for him. Anyone else who dares to come within striking --or was that staking?-- distance will have to face a tag team attack by two pissed off, territorial slayers... we make no promises as to their survival. My mom is already spoken for... so what if neither she nor the groom to be know anything about it just yet?
The truth is that while Faith and I are pretty sure that this can work --and we won't take 'no' for an answer-- the fact remains that both mom and Giles need to get over their discomfort fast... and that's where we come in. We are going to make it work... whether they want to or not. The only thing that remains to be seen is if we are going to do this the easy way or the hard way.
Their choice is really simple, they can either do what we tell them to --as the reasonable adults they claim to be-- or we'll lock them up together until they get over it. Honestly, the way they blush whenever they are in the same room, you'd think they are a couple of teenagers who have a crush on each other and are unsure as to the other's feelings... no, come to think of it that's not right either. Most teenagers I know are far more mature than these two.
I mean, it may be kind of cute for the first fifteen minutes or so, but after that it does get kind of old... and the fact remains that, when all is said and done, we are talking about a guy who used to be known as Ripper and a woman who --when she's not trying to fit into the repressed ideal of what a suburban mother should be-- is into handcuffs. I mean, that may be a disturbing thought, one I really don't want to dwell upon, but as Faith would say, we are not exactly talking blushing virgins here so they may as well stop pretending. I'm pretty sure we will all be a lot happier when they do... at least I know I will.
It took me a while to get to this point, I won't deny it, but in the end it all boils down to the fact that I want my family to stay together and even though I know we don't really need a wedding to make it happen, I also know that without that wedding my family will always be in danger. Unless we can get them to get together there will always be a risk that someone else might take an interest in my mom and that most definitely wouldn't be of the good. Besides, I do want my mom and Giles to be happy and they do look kind of cute together.
I know what I have to do, so I take in a deep breath and I do something I've rarely if ever done before: I knock and then I actually wait for my watcher to open the door. What can I say? I may want them to get together but I'm not all that sure as to how Giles is going to react to what I have to say. I may want Giles and my mom to get together but that doesn't mean I'm eager to go one on one against Ripper... and that brings me to a nice tidbit having to do with strategy 101: delaying tactics are badly underrated.
Of course, there is one aspect in which I'm better off talking to Giles than Faith is talking to mom: at least I don't have to bring up Faith's ideas when it comes to the changes concerning the house rules. I mean, I'm pretty sure my mom won't rip her head off but I still wouldn't bet on it. Well, it was her idea after all and she is a slayer so I'm thinking chances are she will survive the encounter. Besides, even though I don't think my mom is going to be happy about what Faith is going to suggest, I still think she'll take it a lot better coming from her than she would if I were to dare say anything about it.
I know my mom is very aware of what I did this past summer, but I also know that for the most part she tries not to think about it and she could certainly do without the reminders... from Faith she is likely to handle them a little better.
Of course, in the end I know that if we get our way there will be plenty of changes so that may as well be one of them... I mean, Faith does have a point when she says that to be telling either one of us not to have sex this late in the game doesn't really make much sense... and I also know just how miserable she is, trying to live up to that rule. The only difference is that up until now she had never dared to say anything about it, at least not when mom's around. The thing is that while I don't really care about it one way or the other --I'm used to my mom's rules-- I do realize that for her it is a big deal.
House rules are among those things I suspect will be very different if we can manage to get mom and Giles to get together. So far mom has a tendency to let Giles take care of the slaying end of things and --even though I suspect Giles does say whatever's in his mind on the matter-- for the most part he tends to follow my mom's lead when it comes to the parenting end of it. If they get together that will probably change... and that's kind of the one thing that's freaking me out a little. I mean, Giles is a great dad for a watcher, but to have him as a dad for real is likely to be a pretty major adjustment... especially since I don't know if we'll be getting Tweedman or Ripper out of the bargain. I think it can be kind of cool, but I'm still not sure of what to expect.
I guess in the end it all comes down to the fact that I do trust Giles no matter what... sometimes even more than I trust my mom because I know he's less likely to freak, even when I'm still not entirely sure as to how he's going to react, like with Faith's latest suggestion. I can tell that my mom won't be happy about it and I know her gut reaction is going to be to shoot the idea down in a hurry, but I don't know what Giles is going to say about that one... of course I'm not even sure whether or not he's going to say anything at all, but that's so not the point.
The point is that if Faith and I get our way it's going to be a pretty major adjustment for everyone but --if those weeks I stayed at his place are anything to go by-- then I think maybe Giles is going to understand... besides, I'm pretty sure he really likes Faith, though sometimes I get the funny feeling that he knows a lot more about her than he should. It's not so much that he's said anything about it, just the way he acts, how he never seems to be all that shocked when she goes innuendo-happy... something she usually does every two minutes or so. He usually takes it in stride but sometimes he gets this sad look in his eyes.
Yups, Giles is pretty much our only option to fill in the role of dad in our twisted little family... and right now he's opening the door.
