I know that in the episodes, Giles doesn't come out and say any of this stuff until like season six, but it's really important, so I'm gonna go with the age old 'it's fanfiction and I can do what I wanna!' excuse. Enjoy!

"Buffy, sit down. I-I want to talk to you."

Buffy looked at the plate of biscuits on the coffee table. There was a big pile of them, and Giles had an unusually small amount of tea left in the pot.

"Why do I get the cookie treatment? And how much of that tea have you drunk, Giles – it has more caffeine in it than coffee you know … what's up?"

"Well, I wanted to talk to you, a-about Angel." The silence was almost tangible, thick, deep and heavy.

"H-how did you find out? I told Willow not to tell you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I-I just wanted to find the right time to do it. We weren't sure what you would think or anything."

"We? Who's we? Oh it doesn't matter. What I was saying, is that ever since he left, you have become a bit … distant." Buffy took a cookie from the plate. "Now, I'm sure that you want us to think everything is fine, but I can see that it isn't. You're becoming slightly …lethargic with your training, and have no interest! Now, I-I know that you are having your summer holiday, but that doesn't mean that you can be lax with training. I know I'm not your watcher a-anymore. And that you no longer work for the council, but you are still the Slayer, and-and I care about you. When Angel and you broke up, you were focused on anything but him, and I don't think you ever dealt with it. Now, normally, I would be the last person to say this, but her goes – Buffy, you need to call him."

"Giles, what are you talking about?"

"Buffy, you can't hide it from me; I know you too well, and care too much. You're hurting, and trying (quite successfully) to hide it. It's not working anymore, and I want you to call him, and sort things out with each other. Angel never said goodbye, and left because he loves you. I may not be best friends with the man, but he does love you." He paused, and then continued a bit quieter. "Just as I do."

Buffy stared at him in shock, before she put the rest of her cookie down, and stood up to hug him. There's a difference between fathers and dads, but she wasn't sure Giles knew that. Hank Summers may have been Buffy's father, but in three years, Rupert Giles had become her dad – the man she could always rely on, the one who said he would take her out for ice cream for the whole summer, the guy who couldn't help but be proud of her, no matter what, the person who she could always trust to get her through anything.

Ever since she had got her Slayer powers, she had been moving further away from her dad, and after the divorce, it just got worse. Her father knew absolutely nothing about her, what she did, who her friends were. He didn't know about Angel (but then, she wasn't sure Giles knew he was back). Giles knew virtually everything.

She let him go, and sat down again, picked up her cookie, and tolf him to sit down this time.

"Giles, I was coming here to talk to you about Angel actually. The thing is, he'sbackinSunnydaleandhe'sgoingtostayandwe'rebacktogether. Is that all okay with you?"

"Could repeat that please, just a bit slower, because I'm pretty sure you said that Angel is back home, and you're together again."

"That's because I did?" Buffy's voice was very small, almost like a child being scolded.

"And when, where and how did this happen?"

"Sunday, my house and it's a long story?" He just looked at her. "Fine. Dawn ran into him while she was meant to be visiting my father." She deliberately didn't use the word 'dad', although she wasn't really sure that Giles would catch the significance of it. "Angel saved her from some vampires, and took her back to his apartment to fix her up, without realising it was Dawn, and apparently, she talked some sense into him somehow. Then, our father decided that he couldn't actually take her for two weeks like he promised, and had to go away, so Angel brought her home. We talked a lot, and he decided to stay here with me!" Again, she spoke almost inaudibly, as if he really were her father, and she a naughty little girl.

"Are you mad?"

The pout was too much for Giles, and he had to smile.

"No, I'm not mad, but I would like to speak to Angel when he has a chance."

"Great! I'll bring him back here after patrol."

I really suck at action scenes, so lets just say that they killed three vamps, and snogged a bit in between. And now, they're back at Giles'.
As soon as Buffy went out of the room to redo her hair or some other such nonsence that neither of the men in the room could fathom – it looked fine – Giles became less of the meek british librarian, and more of the overprotective father/Ripper.

"So. You're back. You staying for good this time, or are you going to leave her."

Angel was only slightly intimidated of the usually mild mannered man, but then remembered what happened after he had killed Jenny. Then he was slightly more afraid, but would not allow it to show, knowing that keeping calm would make it a lot easier on him. Willow may have not minded him looking nervous (one of the reasons he allowed the expression to show) but Giles would respect him more if he had the appearnec of one who was keeping a cool head.

"I wouldn't leave Buffy by choice ever again, Giles. Some of the reasons I left are still there, but we can work around them. She said she doesn't mind if I can't be with her in the day, that I can't give her picnics, normality, sunlight or children. I-I just don't want her to be hurt … ever again. By me or by Angelus. I don't want anyone to ever be hurt by him again … not like I hurt you."

Giles reached out and clasped Angel's arm in a silent forgiveness, which both men understood, and in that moment, Angel knew that the most important person accepted him back into Buffy's life. Giles was the one who spent so much of his time following up on fruitless leads when Buffy ran away, not her mother, and he doubted if Hank Summers even knew that is oldest child was even missing.

"Thank you."

"Just make her happy for me, Angel. That's all I want."

"Me too."