A/N : Thanx muchly to my reviewers that rock so much; wicked-angel413, funkydevil206, spuffy-monica, Spuffy2008, souled-angel, aej1085, Baby Girl Geller-Green, Daniel Wesley Rydell, bella-lover, roxxy, KelleyThe SelfToastablePopTart, sirc, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and my anonymous reviewer too. Love all your reactions, and ideas for where the ficmight go from here. I'm not saying anything about the plot though, it'll all have to be a surprise for you!
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 3

It was three weeks since Willow and Xander's engagement party, and therefore three weeks since Buffy had spent one night making mad passionate love with a stranger she only knew as Spike. Since then she had spent a lot of time thinking about the mysterious Englishman who she would never see again, even when she knew there were much more important things that her mind should be on. However, today there was one less thing to worry about and that was Angel.

Though her husband was turning out to be possibly one of the worst men Buffy had ever met, his cousin was not similarly afflicted. Doyle was pleasant enough though perhaps a little too kind hearted towards the lazy and often unpleasant Angel. Buffy actually quite liked Doyle and was pleased for him when he announced his engagement to his girlfriend, Cordelia. With the wedding just around the corner, a weekend long bachelor party had been arranged in Las Vegas and the group of men had left together on Friday night.

Buffy was only too pleased to have two whole days without her husband. She rushed through the housework on Saturday morning with plans to spend much quality time with her son, Michael, and he was only too pleased to be taken to the park and get an ice-cream before heading home and playing half the board games he owned. By the time the child went to bed he was so tired he fell straight to sleep and Buffy wasn't sure if she should feel guilty for being glad.

She curled up on the couch with a tub of Ben and Jerry's finest that she'd treated herself too and watched a chick flick she would neither have time to watch usually or would normally dare to in front of her husband.

As the hero and heroine ran into each other arms, declaring love for each other and kissing deeply, Buffy felt ridiculous for feeling dampness on her cheeks. It was just a movie, she didn't usually get teary about such things, especially when it was a nice happy ending. She knew why this was happening now, of course she did. She wanted to be in love like that again, she wanted to be worshipped by a man that she couldn't get enough of. It had started out like that with Angel, but they were just kids then, and what she'd had with Spike, that was one night, and it wasn't exactly love, she barely knew the man!

As the screen faded to black and the credits began to roll, Buffy turned off the TV and stared into the mostly empty ice-cream tub on the table, considering whether she wanted to eat the remaining melting contents or not. The decision was made for her by a knock on the door and she abandoned her comfort food to go and see who was there. Sliding the safety chain into place she prised open the door and peeked through the gap.

"Oh hello there" said an English voice and a very proper-looking gentleman smiled kindly at her, "I was looking for Joyce Carter" he told her, "I was directed here from Revello Drive"

"Hold on a sec" Buffy frowned, closing the door to take off the chain, and wondering why this man was on her doorstep and asking about her mother by her unmarried name years after she'd passed away.

"Who are you?" she asked suspiciously when she opened the door at last. She was fairly certain she'd never seen the man before not even in pictures, and if she had she was sure she'd remember the awful tweed suit and little glasses.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry, my name is Rupert Giles" he introduced himself, "And you are?" he asked.

"Buffy Summers, originally" the blonde replied, "I'm Joyce's daughter but... she died"

"Oh good Lord" Mr Giles gasped, putting a hand to his head and looking as if he might pass out, cry, or possibly both, "No, she can't... good God, how?" he needed to know.

"Come inside" Buffy said ushering him in, "Sit down before you fall down"

He did as she said and Buffy went to the drinks cabinet, pouring the man a brandy.

"Here, it's good for shock" she told him as she handed him the glass and sat down on the couch opposite him, "Mr Giles, how did you know my mother?" she checked, thinking it must have been a very long time since he'd seen her since he didn't even know she'd got married!

"It was a very long time ago" he confirmed, "We were just children really, I was over here as an exchange student and I met dear Joyce... it will sound quite strange to you I'm sure but I was a little wild in my youth" he smiled at memories of that time, "Joyce was quite attracted by it, or so it would seem. I suppose you might say we fell in love"

Buffy was quite taken aback to realise she was currently siting opposite one of her mother's ex-boyfriends. Joyce had never spoken of dating anyone other than Buffy's own father Hank, and he was hardly mentioned at all after the divorce when Buffy was just fifteen.

"You and Mom dated" she said with a strange smile, before a frown took it's place, "How come you broke up?"

"Well, I had to go home to England" he explained, "Though I promised that as soon as the Summer break rolled around I'd be on the first flight back to California to see her" he explained, reaching into his back pocket and producing a wallet, from which came an old crumpled photograph that he stared longingly at before passing it to Buffy, "I can't remember a happier time than those two short months I spent with my dearest Joyce"

Buffy looked at the picture, a younger version of her mother standing outside the old house with a young man at her side, his arm around her shoulders. He looked only vaguely like the man that sat here now, dressed in a T-shirt, jeans, and leather jacket, with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. As her eyes blurred with tears at the sight of her mother, Buffy could almost make the picture be herself and Spike.

"Was it recent that she... passed away?" a voice cut through her thoughts and she remembered where she was and what was happening.

"Fours years now, Mr Giles" she said sadly, handing his photo back to him.

"Oh please, it's just Giles" he told her, "May I ask how she was taken from you?"

"Cancer" Buffy said, feeling the pain of losing her mother all over again. Giles hated himself for upsetting this young woman. He had no business pushing into her life like this, it wasn't as if she even knew him.

"I'm so terribly sorry" he muttered standing up, "I should go, I should probably never have come..."

"Wait a second" Buffy called him back, "You must have had a reason for wanting to find her now" she realised, "Why didn't you come back before?"

Giles sat down again and sighed.

"My own dear father passed away shortly after my return to England" he explained, "He was a rich man, owning several large businesses, the entirety of which he left to me. We had no other family you see and the loss of my father hit me very hard, as did the sudden responsibility thrust upon me"

"In all the tragedy and everything, you forgot about her?" Buffy asked and Giles shook his head.

"Oh no, absolutely not" he declared vehemently, "I could never forget her, I simply needed to get things in order before I returned" he explained, "I wrote to her, told her everything that had happened and waited for a reply. When one never came I tried several more times but still got no answer"

"That doesn't make sense" Buffy frowned, "If you liked each other so much, why would she ignore your letters?" she asked not understanding at all. Her mother was not the kind of person to do that sort of thing, she would at least have the good grace to write back even if only to tell the guy it was over between them, she was sure.

"I have no idea" the man admitted, polishing his glasses on a handkerchief, "I simply assumed anything she had said she felt for me no longer existed, though it never stopped me from loving her. To this day Buffy, I can quite honestly say I still love her"

"I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to tell her" the blonde said honestly, thinking how much better things might have been if this pleasant enough man had returned to California a few years ago, after her parents divorce. It might've been okay to have a step-father like Giles.

"Yes, well" he smiled, "It is perhaps for the best. If we had found each other all those years ago she might never have married your father, and you would not be here now"

Buffy smiled at that.

"Guess not" she agreed, "Still, Mom might have been happier with you... she got divorced from my Dad when I was fifteen"

"Oh dear" Giles sympathised, "and then to be so ill"

"The divorce and the illness were almost four years apart so it wasn't quite as tragic as it sounds" Buffy told him making Giles frown. He was doing some quick calculations in his mind and something wasn't adding up.

"I hope you won't think I'm prying when I ask this" he said eventually, "but what is your date of birth, my dear?"

"January 19th" she said wondering why he wanted to know, "1981"

"Good Lord" Giles gasped for about the seventh time since he'd arrived and Buffy didn't understand what his problem was.

"What's the big?" she checked, "My parents had been married a year and then I was born and..."

"I beg to differ" he cut in, "Indeed your mother was free and single when I met her... just ten months prior to your birth"

"What?" Buffy squeaked, looking at Giles as if he had three heads, "What are you saying?" she asked in a strangled voice, though she was fairly certain she knew what he meant she couldn't believe it.

"There is a very great chance, Buffy, that your father is not your father at all" Giles said slowly, trying to take it in himself "and that I..."

"No" she interrupted, "No, no, no, no, you can't be my... cos I had a father, a Dad, Hank Summers, he was married to my Mom and he was... but..." her mind went into overdrive and no sentence that spun in her head could make it out of her mouth in complete order. She had vague memories of scraps of arguments she'd overheard. Words she couldn't understand spilling from her fathers lips so cruelly as her Mom sobbed and cried. Could it be true that she was actually the spawn of this man, Mr Rupert Giles, and not the guy she'd called Daddy all these years?

"Indeed Buffy, I know very well that I was your mothers only suitor whilst I was here" he explained, "I do believe I was the first she... was ever with" he said feeling a little embarrassed about what he was saying, "I'm sure you would be the first to agree your mother was not the sort of woman to cheat"

"Of course she wouldn't..." Buffy shook her head absently, "but how can it be true, how can you and... I can't take this in" she said, running her hands back through her hair and staring at the carpet as thoughts ran round her head so fast it was making her dizzy.

"Indeed, it is rather a shock" Giles agreed, "Not at all what I expected when I came here I assure you..."

"Mommy!" a little voice called suddenly as a small boy ran from the next room to Buffy.

"Michael, sweetheart, what are you doing you of bed?" she asked, lifting him onto her lap.

"I heard voices" he said, snuggling up to his mother and looking warily at Giles.

"I'm sorry, honey, we didn't mean to wake you" she told her boy, kissing the top of his head, "This is my son" she said to Giles, "Michael, say hi to Mr Giles" she encouraged the boy, "He used to be friends with your Grandma Joyce"

"Hi" Michael said shyly, clinging to Buffy.

"Hello there" the Englishman smiled, realising that should it turn out to be true and that he really was Buffy's father, the little boy in her arms might be his grandson.

Michael yawned then and his mother told him he should be back in bed. She excused herself to take him through to the bedroom but only got halfway there when Giles said he should go anyway, let her get some rest too.

"Are you staying around here long?" she asked, hugging Michael too her as she watched her possible father head for the front door.

"A few days, yes" he told her, "I wonder if I might, if you wouldn't mind my visiting again at some point. It may be possible we have some things to discuss"

"Here" Buffy said, picking up a pen and paper from by the phone and handing in to him, "Write down a number for me and I might call you, okay?"

"Okay" Giles smiled, scribbling down his name, number, and the name of the hotel he was staying at, "It was very nice to meet you both" he said sincerely as he handed back the paper and pen and went towards the door once again.

As the door clicked shut behind him, Buffy sighed. It had turned out to be a very strange evening, she thought as she took a half-asleep Michael back to his room and put him to bed. She doubted very much that she herself would get any sleep at all tonight, as she wondered where her assumed father was right now, and if it had all been a lie. It could easily be true, she realised, for Giles to be lying, but there was no reason why he should, there was nothing he could possibly gain.

Tomorrow Buffy would check records, numbers and figures, work out once and for all who her real father was. If the paperwork didn't add up to anything definite she'd be willing to go for a DNA test if she had to. After so many years of feeling alone, it might be nice to have a Dad again, one man in her life that she could actually trust.

To Be Continued...

A/N2 : Yeah, I know, lack of Spuffyage, but I'm hoping you'll all stick with this cos it will eventually get big with the Spuffy, I swear.