A/N : I promise Spike will return in the next chapter, but here's hoping that you enjoy this chapter in the meantime! Sorry about the cliffhanger at the end of the previous chapter, but it will now be resolved, so keep reading!
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 6

It should've felt right to be back in England, but despite the fact Giles had been home for a week he still felt out of synch with his surroundings. His mind constantly drifted back to America, to memories of time spent with Joyce Carter so many years ago, and then to thoughts of his new-found daughter and grandson.

It was insane to think he was a father, the very idea of it amused him since he was such a confirmed old bachelor these days. There had been one or two women in his life over the years, but in his heart, Giles had always loved Joyce and no-one else would ever mean as much to him. To think that in their one and only night of passion they had made a child and that little girl had grown into such a beautiful young woman with her baby of her own. So many times he drifted off into a daze as he went over it all in his mind.

Some might say he was a silly old fool, handing over his money as he had without any actual proof or solid evidence that Buffy was in fact his daughter. Still, Giles knew it, when she smiled she looked just like her mother, just like dear Joyce. The mathematics proved the rest since he knew he was the first man to be with her, she hadn't lied, he would've known. She had married Hank Summers, passed Buffy off as their daughter and carried on for over fifteen years until finally they had divorced.

In some ways Giles was glad of that, to think that Joyce was not happy enough to remain married to her husband, meant perhaps her feelings for he himself had never fully gone away. However, the Englishman could not be entirely pleased about his former lovers parting with her husband. She must have been unhappy in her marriage, and he could not bear to think of her suffering. The illness she went through, the way Buffy must have agonised over her mother's journey towards imminent death. Giles close his eyes and tried to push the painful thoughts away as he poured himself another scotch and downed it fast.

He rarely drank to excess, just the occasional shot in times of stress or to aid his sleep or health. These past few days he'd found a great deal of alcohol had passed his lips, an aid to the pain and guilt he felt. When he arrived home from a busy day he found he could spend many hours just sitting and drinking, recalling the past and considering the future until some sound or movement would pull him back to reality. One night it had been a thunderstorm, another the telephone. Today it was a knock at his door, something rather strange when one considered it was past midnight and his was the only house for several miles.

Cautiously he put down his drink and got up from the couch. A man with a great fortune as he was, he was a target for thieves and untrustworthy people. He paused by the fireplace to pick up the poker that stood there as he went by to the door. A second knock was heard before near silence returned, save for the pitter patter of rain on the windows.

When Giles finally cracked open the door he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Good heavens" he gasped, pushing the door wide open and throwing the poker aside as he realised the people looking back at him were no threat at all.

The young blonde held her child close to her, pushing her rain soaked hair from her face and glancing between her luggage and the man before her.

"Hey... Dad" Buffy smiled uncertainly, "Can we come in?"

"Thank you" Buffy said gratefully a she took the steaming mug of cocoa from her father and held it with both hands in an attempt to warm her fingers. Michael had been dried off and put to bed in one of the spare rooms. The poor boy was dead on his feet and only too glad to rest when offered the chance. Buffy herself had changed her clothes and attempted to towel dry her hair as she curled up by the fire in Giles' living room. He'd offered her a hot drink and now here they were, sitting opposite each others with mugs in their hands and it was time for some sort of explanation.

"I am of course exceptionally glad to see you, Buffy..." her father began.

"But you kinda want to know how come we just showed up on your doorstep in the middle of the night" she finished for him, putting her mug down on the table, "I know I've got a lot of nerve just showing up like this" she sighed, "I just, I didn't know what else to do" she admitted as tears came to her eyes. Giles heart went out to her and he put down his own drink, reaching to put his hand on her arm.

"In your own time, my dear" he said softly, "Tell me what has happened"

"It started the day you left" she sniffed, determined not to make her fool of herself by crying, "Something you said got me thinking. How you and my Mom were only... together one time"

"It is the truth" Giles nodded not yet understanding.

"I... things with Angel are awkward" Buffy went on to explain, looking down at her feet, "I married him for Michael's sake, because my Mom and his parents thought we should. I was young and I thought I was in love... it just didn't work out how I thought" she shook her head, glancing at Giles and then back down at the pattern in the carpet, "We weren't happy, either of us. He was always ridiculously jealous of Michael and the attention I had to show him. He was just a child, it wasn't his fault, but Angel would get angry, worse when he was drunk. He didn't want us around most of the time and when he did want me I... I couldn't bear him near me anymore" she shuddered at the very thought.

"You've left him?" Giles checked and Buffy nodded slowly.

"I had to" she explained, looking up at him, "I said it started the day you left... that's not entirely true" she admitted, "It started before that, three weeks before, with another guy..."

She looked away again, guilt taking over as well as embarrassment about what she was saying and to whom.

"I'm not proud of myself" she told the chair more than her Dad, "and I didn't mean for it to happen but... I guess you could say I had an affair"

"Oh" was all Giles could find to say for several moments as he tried to work out how best to continue, "This other man, how long have you known him?"

Buffy laughed at that but there was no humour in it, only pain.

"I don't know him" she chuckled, her laughter fast turning into sobs, "I met him once, in a bar. I was supposed to be at a party for my friends' engagement but I wasn't in the mood. We got talking, me and this guy, we had a few drinks and... and..."

"And one thing led to another?" Giles guessed.

Buffy nodded silently, wiping tears from her cheeks.

"It sounds so pathetic I know but, it was the best night of my entire life" she admitted with a sad smile, "Nobody ever wanted me like that. I never felt so... alive"

There was a long moment of silent pause when neither father nor daughter knew what best to say next. Though Giles' was curious to know how this one night a month ago had led to Buffy leaving her husband and coming here, and she in turn wanted to tell all, neither could find the words for a long while. They didn't know each other as well as parent and child should, still the conversation soon began again.

"I thought I could forget him" Buffy said softly, "He was on vacation and that was his last night, I figured it wouldn't matter I could just put him out of my head and get on with my life" she sighed, "I almost managed it, least I think I maybe could have, except a part of him never left at all"

"Buffy...?" Giles looked at her questioningly, wondering if a theory forming in his head was indeed correct.

"I'm pregnant" she confirmed, her voice wavering as she confessed, "I realised after what you said that I might be, it only takes one time and... I knew I could never get rid of it, it's a part of me and I couldn't have done that" she cried, "If Angel found out, my God I really think he might've killed me" she sobbed and Giles moved to sit on the arm of her chair, pulling her into a hug as tears poured from her eyes.

"Oh my dear girl" he said, feeling tearful himself as he took her in his arms and held her tight.

What a mess Buffy had got herself into, Giles was only glad he was here to bring her some help and comfort now. If he had not found her by accident more than design, he didn't like to think what might have become of the poor girl. As she said herself, her husband would have reacted badly to her news and even from the short amount of time Giles had seen Angel, he was almost certain she was not exaggerating much in presuming he might attempt homicide.

"I'm sorry" Buffy sniffed, pulling out of her father's arms, "You probably didn't expect all this when you met me"

"Indeed" Giles agreed with her, "but Buffy, the fact remains that I am your father, and whatever assistance you need, I intend to give it as best I can"

"You don't even know me" she pointed out but he seemed unfazed by the fact.

"You are mistaken, Buffy" he smiled fondly at her, "You are your mother's daughter as well as mine, in looks and more. I feel I know you already, and I hope to know you even better if you will allow it"

"I don't deserve you being nice to me" she sniffed some more, wiping her face on the back of her hand until Giles offered her a handkerchief.

"Buffy, whilst I do not know exactly what your life with Angel entailed" he said carefully, "If he made you as unhappy as it seems he did, you had every right to want to leave him"

The blonde nodded absently as she tried to stay calm. She picked up her drink from the table and took a few more sips, finding it was cool enough to manage now without burning her tongue.

"Does he know where you have gone?" Giles asked her and she shook her head.

"Nobody does" she admitted, "I didn't want my friends to have to lie if he asked them... if he even bothers to ask" she said sadly, staring into her mug, "I know he doesn't love me anymore, just the same as I don't love him. I tried to still care about him but he made it impossible"

"Some people find it too difficult to be loved and to love others as they deserve" her father told her, "You are not to blame for that"

"I know" Buffy nodded, "but I hate that I made myself as bad as he is. He cheats on me, I know he does. He thinks he hides it but..." she laughed humourlessly, "I hid mine, he had no idea I'd spent the night with another guy. I don't think he cared enough to notice"

"Then I don't suppose he deserves you" Giles told her, a comforting hand on her shoulder that she appreciated right now.

"I left a note" she told him, finishing off her cocoa, "I waited til he drank so much he passed out again. I left the note on the table and dragged the suitcases out from where I hid them - under Michael's bed, he never goes in his son's room. Then we ran for the airport, didn't look back once. I spent a lot of your money" she said guiltily as she looked up at her father, "You said it was for the future, mine and Michael's. I want our future to be here, if that's okay"

Giles could hardly believe what he was hearing. For a week he'd done nothing but wish he could be spending time with is new-found daughter and her son. He was mentally planning when he might get away, visit America again. Now here were the very people he longed to spend his time with, and Buffy was asking of they might stay indefinitely.

"Buffy, I..." he began only to have her interrupt.

"I know it's more complicated than just us staying" she admitted, "There's a whole paperwork issue and everything if we really want to stay here for good and I don't expect to live off you forever, I mean I'll get a job and everything..."

"Calm down, Buffy" Giles told her with an amused smile. He'd never known a woman who could get quite so many words into one long sentence without pausing for breath, except perhaps for a young lady named Joyce Carter...

"Of course you can stay here, for as long as you wish it" he told his daughter, "I'll be happy to have you and Michael, and indeed your new child, share my home"

"Thank you so much" Buffy cried happier tears this time as she reached to hug her father. She was just so glad to have found him.

To Be Continued...