(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 4

"Hank Summers" he said as he answered his cell phone to the 'unknown caller'.

"Hi, it's me" Buffy told him, wondering vaguely if he'd even know from her voice who she was. It was years since she'd seen him last and it was only by chance that he had the same number now as he had four years ago when Joyce passed away that she'd managed to get a hold of him.

"Buffy" he smiled, "Great to hear from you, sweetheart"

"Is it?" she asked him coldly, "Why's that?"

"Oh baby, come on" Hank sighed, "I know I haven't been the world greatest father but I have my reasons..."

"Is one of them because you're not my father at all?" Buffy interrupted, wondering why she'd just blurted it out like that, she certainly hadn't meant to. To be honest she wasn't even going to call and ask like it but it seemed the fastest and most definite way of finding the truth. She was going to get him talking, work the conversation round to Giles' visit and hope to get through the whole conversation without an argument or tears. Things had not gone according to plan when she heard Hank's insincere voice and saw red, remembering how he'd abandoned her and her mother so long ago.

"I'm waiting for an answer?" she pressed, hating the waver in her own voice.

"Buffy, sweetheart, why would you say something like that?" he asked and she sighed as she sat down in the chair behind her.

"I met Rupert Giles yesterday" she explained, "He came looking for my Mom. When I told him what had happened and that I was her daughter, he started reminiscing about when he knew her over twenty years ago, and how he left her behind... nine months before I was born" she left the last sentence hanging, waiting for some kind of reaction from the man she'd called Dad all her life.

"You weren't supposed to find out, he's got no right coming back now" Hank muttered more to himself than to Buffy before finally saying something to her, "Sweetheart, Rupert Giles is not a good person, he's a liar and a cheat and he used your mother badly"
"I didn't ask for a character analysis" Buffy snapped, "I asked you if you were my father, or is it really him?" she asked again, starting out angry but phasing back into a little scared by the end of her question. This was a big deal after all, a large portion of her life could well have been a lie.

"In every way that matters, I am your Dad" Hank said at last, "but biologically, yes, Rupert Giles is your father"
Buffy dropped the phone then and it clattered against the coffee table before thumping onto the carpet. It had stunned her enough to know Giles might be her Dad, but to actually be told it was true by someone that she didn't trust so much but still he was hardly likely to lie about this. It sounded as if it were painful for him to admit the truth, but Buffy had no idea why as she soon told him as she scrambled to pick the phone receiver back up.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" she asked, feeling numb.

"Like I said, he used your mother" Hank repeated, "He used her and then he left promising to come back but he never did and..."

"His Dad died" Buffy interrupted, "He told me he wrote lots of times to explain but Mom never wrote back. That doesn't sound like Mom to me so what happened? The truth Dad, please" she urged him, not thinking about the fact she was still calling him her father even though they were discussing the very fact that he wasn't at all.

Hank was going to lie, though he'd never say that to her. He'd promised Joyce years ago he'd never let the truth out about this, but if Buffy already knew half of it and Giles was in town, what choice did he have? Besides he couldn't hurt his ex-wife now, she was gone.

"Buffy, your mothers parents didn't like Rupert Giles, they thought he was a bad influence on Joyce, and they were glad when he went away" he explained, "Then they realised the two of them had been closer than they thought, and Joyce was having his baby, that's you sweetie"

"Go on" Buffy pressed when he paused for a second. She needed to know the whole story, she deserved to know it.

"I'd liked your mother for a long time, we went to school together and I worked part-time for her father, your grandpa Joe, but Joyce, she barely knew I was alive" he smiled sadly at the old memories, "Anyway, I overheard Joe on the phone to her about the baby. I asked him to tell me the whole story and he was glad to be able to share the burden. You just didn't have kids without being married, Buffy, not back then"

"So you married her" Buffy filled in, "And Grandpa Joe and Grandma Helen kept Giles letters away from my Mom 'cause they liked you better?"

"Pretty much" Hank agreed, hating that the young woman he still saw as his little girl might be hurting right now. He'd caused her enough suffering as it was, and losing her mother had hit her hard. Now all this, finding out her family had lied to her since the day she was born, Hank couldn't imagine how she must be feeling.

"You okay, honey?" he checked, "I'm so sorry we never told you but..."

"It's okay" she interrupted, "I'm okay" she lied as a tear escaped down her cheek, "I have to go now"

"I know I wasn't the best father in the world" Hank sighed, "but I did my best" he promised her, "It wasn't easy knowing Joyce never loved me enough, but I loved her, and I still love you, baby" he swore.

"I love you too, Dad" she choked out, before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.

It was then that Buffy began to cry, her face awash with a river of tears and she wasn't even really sure what they were all for. It hurt that she'd been lied to and it was frustrating to know she couldn't really confront anyone who had caused this pain. Her grandparents and her mother were dead. At least now she understood why her apparent father left her and her mother. He needed to be loved more than her mother could, and with her not being his natural daughter, why should he even care. He did care though, he still loved her and that made her cry too.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" a little voice asked and Buffy tried to dry her cheeks with her hands as she glanced over at her son who'd just appeared from his bedroom.

"Come here, Michael" she said and he pelted into her arms so she could hug him tight, "I love you" she sobbed as she held him, "You're my precious baby boy, and I would never lie to you"

"I know, Mommy" Michael nodded against her shoulder, "I love you too"

That only made Buffy cry harder and she was beginning to think she'd never stop when a knock on the door made her try at least. She blinked hard, sniffing into a tissue and trying to wipe her cheeks clean of salt water as she got up and went over to the door.

"Giles" she said a little startled to see him, especially after the recent revelation.

"I'm so sorry, Buffy" he apologised immediately, "I know I did say I would stay away until you called but I must head back to England quite early on Tuesday and I wasn't certain I'd see you again if I didn't come today" he explained, "I must know Buffy, whether or not you are indeed my daughter. I shall drive myself mad otherwise"

"It's true" Buffy choked out as further tears welled in her eyes, "You're my father"

"Oh good Lord" Giles gasped, polishing his glasses furiously on his handkerchief. Buffy let him into the apartment and they sat down, Michael on his mother's knees.

"I must repeat that I had no idea of your existence until yesterday" Giles told his apparent daughter, "If I had I would..."

"I know" Buffy nodded, "My grandparents kept your letters from my Mom, they didn't like you much back then"

The man nodded slowly.

"Yes, they were fairly hostile towards me" he agreed, "but then I suppose I was a little wild and Joyce was their only daughter..." he mumbled, trying to take it all in.

He'd been awake half the night and pacing the hotel room most of the morning, desperately racking his brains, trying to work out if it could be true and he could be the father of dear Joyce's baby girl. He'd wanted to come and see Buffy again but had to-ed and fro-ed over the decision until he was dizzy, before finally deciding yes, he would come here again. Now he was glad he had, though a little stunned by the stream of revelations he was hearing.

"My Dad... er, Hank" Buffy went on to say, "He always liked my Mom, and when you left and she realised she was pregnant with me, he offered to marry her. I guess I see now why Mom wanted me to marry Angel so bad" she said with a thoughtful expression. Giles shook his head out of a daze and looked strangely at her.

"Angel?" he echoed, "Your husband, I presume?"

"Yeah, Michael's father" she nodded and the boy on her lap snuggled closer to her.

"My Daddy's mean" he mumbled, putting his thumb in his mouth until Buffy reminded him that big boys don't do that.

"Oh dear" Giles replied to the child, looking at Buffy who glanced away.

"He's okay" she shook her head, "Angel would never hurt us, he's just... it's complicated" she said vaguely and Giles didn't like what he was hearing, or rather what he was not hearing. This young woman was apparently his daughter and the child on her knees was his grandson. It sounded as if his son-in-law was not all he should be and that made Giles worry. Still, before he panicked over Buffy's marital status he wanted to get to know her better.

"Buffy, my dear, do you think I might get to know you better?" he asked, "I understand this has all come as a terrible shock to you, I must say it was quite a surprise for me also" he admitted, "but we are family, that much is apparent. Even if I cannot be a father to you, could we at least try to be friends do you think?"

The blonde seemed to consider it for a moment before looking warily at him. She didn't like the way he reacted to what Michael said about Angel. It was nobody's business but hers what happened in her marriage, least of all a father she didn't know about until a few minutes ago.

"I don't know" she said eventually, "This is all too much, too fast" she shook her head, "I don't know if I need another friend, or another father, I just..."

She was interrupted by banging and crashing on the other side of the front door before it finally swung open and thumped against the wall loudly.

"Angel" Buffy said quietly to herself, closing her eyes and wishing him away. This was all she needed right now.

"Hey, Daddy's home!" he exclaimed, laughing almost maniacally.

"Go to your room, Michael" Buffy muttered, dropping the little boy down off her lap and watching him scuttle away, "Angel, what are you doing here?" she asked him angrily as he slammed the door shut and made the whole apartment shake.

"Hey, there's my girl" her husband slurred, leaning on her as she came towards him, "Vegas was a bust, baby. Couple of the guys got arrested for pickin' up hookers, me and Doyle had to run for it" he laughed once again and Buffy had never been so embarrassed as Giles watched the scene with distaste.

"You're drunk" Buffy said pushing him away, "Why don't you go sleep it off" she advised, shoving him towards the bedroom.

Finally it seemed Angel noticed Giles.

"Who's this?" he asked nastily, looking daggers at his wife, "While the cats away, huh?"

"You're sick and pathetic" Buffy told him as she continued to manoeuvre him towards the bedroom, "I'm the last person who would lie and cheat, despite the fact nobody would blame me if I did" she snapped, "Stay there til you're sober" she muttered, as he fell through the door and landed on the bed, almost asleep already, he was so damn drunk. Buffy closed the door and turned to Giles with a sigh.

"I think you should go" she told him as he got up and she ushered him towards the front door, just wanting this whole thing to be over.

"Buffy, my dear, I will leave if you wish it, but please give me a chance to see you again tomorrow?" he almost begged of her, "I'm headed back to England very early on Tuesday, and I understand that perhaps you're glad for it but I..."

"I'll come and find you, at the hotel, tomorrow" she promised in a whisper as they got to the door, "I don't know what time but... I'll come say goodbye"

"Thankyou" Giles smiled, though he'd much rather the situation were different, that he didn't have to say goodbye so soon to the daughter and indeed the grandson he'd just discovered.

When Buffy finally shut the door on her new father, she was already dreading how the rest of the day would go with Angel now drunk and soon to be hung-over. Then there was tomorrow, and she must find an excuse to go out and see Giles, that'd be a headache in itself, but she'd do it, she had to.

To Be Continued...