With a Father's Love
By Teri
Summary: We know Xander has loved Buffy since he first saw her, but what if it was a different kind of love? Sound a little odd? You might be surprised how well the pieces fit. Come on, you know you are curious. Aren't you? Rated: PG
Disclaimer: As always, I am not associated with the owners or creators of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.
Warnings: Hank/Joyce - Post-Chosen with some flashbacks
Chapter 10: Q & A Time
"So, everything clear yet?"
"As mud," Giles mumbled before answering clearly, "not at all. I still have some questions for you."
"Shoot G.," Xander said with a smile as Giles rolled his eyes with an indulgent smile.
"There was the time when Ms. French, the Praying Mantis woman, tired to kill you. You were prey, supposedly because you were a virgin?"
"Well, that was easy. I was what 15 at the time? Yeah, 15. I didn't loose my virginity the first time until after I graduated high school. This time around Joyce and I hadn't been together yet. I mean, I may have been her husband, but I was physically a teenager. She had issues with that and I couldn't blame her for it. So for all intent an purposes, I was a virgin at least by the criteria bug lady needed for a meal."
"You didn't wait for the end of high school this time did you?"
Xander looked at him with confusion for a moment, acting as if he didn't have a clue what Giles meant.
Giles looked straight into his eyes; "I like the quiet too."
"How?" Xander asked with surprise.
"I believe I am asking the questions," Giles reminded him, "Faith."
"Right, Faith." Xander took a deep breath. "Faith is-was between Joyce and myself and I would like to keep it that way."
Giles gave him a look that said something between, "you really need to answer the question," and a more childish, "nuh-uh, you promised to answer my questions, you can't back out now."
"There are things you don't want others to know, do me the same courtesy."
He considered it for a moment. "For now . . ." he said briefly. The unspoken threat that if he thought the answer were necessary it would not be left there.
Giles sat back in his chair and considered Buffy's relationship with her parents. Two things came to mind "if Joyce knew about the supernatural, why did she throw Buffy out and how is it that Buffy visited you the summer between her sophomore and junior years?"
Xander looked at the floor for a moment looking like he had been kicked in the teeth. He looked-up, but could not look Giles in the eye, rather he looked at his chin. "Buffy lied about that summer. Joyce allowed her to go stay with friends; she wasn't thrilled with the idea, but at least it meant our little girl was away from Sunny'd."
"But, we saw her greet her father."
"Giles, do I look like the man that picked her up?"
"No, you don't," Giles conceded.
"I still don't know who she got to play the part or why," Xander admitted clearly ashamed that his actions caused his Buff to fee the need to lie about him. He had tried to maintain a presence in her life, having arranged with his friend and former secretary to continue to send her cards and present at times. Of course, he realized now that probably did more harm than good.
"And Joyce?" Giles prodded Xander from his internal monologue.
"Joyce," Xander said the name, as that time seemed to roll around in his head for a moment as he considered his answer. "To be honest, I never got an answer that entirely made sense to me. I know she was mad that Buffy hadn't told her yet about the Sunnydale nightlife. Buffy's lack of regard for her in that manner had hurt her greatly. Joyce was also upset and hurt that Buffy hadn't felt she could turn to her when Angel turned on her and the fact that Buffy had moved so fast in a relationship when she had no concern for potential consequences. Granted, your lover losing his soul isn't ones you generally get, but Buffy wasn't ready for a relationship of that level yet. Joyce was also mad at me, I think, because I hadn't been able to warn her about Angel and Darla. I know when she gave Buffy the ultimatum she was on medication for pain and blood loss. I think all of those things together plus the genuine belief that Buffy wouldn't go caused the incident. She blamed herself all summer and I never had a vision to know if she were okay. Instead, we hired private investigators, Willow, Oz, Cordy, you, and I dealt with the hellmouth and during the days I stayed with Joyce."
Giles nodded his head. He wasn't sure there was really anything he could say in reply to that.
"I know it was you who got her back into school," Xander smiled, "thank you."
Giles returned the smile. "So, it was these visions that you received that allowed you to plant the idea of the rocket launcher and the unity spell and make other innocuous comments that often led to solving the problem at hand?"
"Bingo," Xander began to answer, but was cut-off as the library door flew open.
"Giles? Are you still . . . "
Giles and Xander both turned to the voice that had halted the moment the speaker had seen Hank Summers.
Xander stood staring at the girl, not sure what to do. His daughter was standing a few feet in front of him and he had no idea what to do. In a hushed voice, he whispered, "Dawn."
I want to thank everyone for the wonderful questions, I hope the answers are satisfactory and you are still enjoying this story.
Thanks,
Teri
Posted: March 21, 2005
