A/N: Hi All, Sorry it's been so horrifically long between updates but RL has really not been kind. I decided you shouldn't have to wait any longer and kicked my ass into gear to get this out, with any luck the next chappy should be out soon, though I can't promise. Hope there's still some people actually reading this and interested. Thanks to all of you that reviewed, it really brightened up my day. Anyway, you've waited long enough, on with the story….
Disclaimer: Don't own Don't sue.
Giles broke away first, and Buffy looked up at him with a question in her eyes. He stepped backwards, breaking all contact between the two of them. Neither one noticed the others lip quietly out of the room to the kitchen, wanting to give the pair a few minutes alone.
"Buffy" Giles started, unable to think much else, let alone form coherent sentences.
"You – You're here?" He asked after a few minutes silence. "You're really here?"
She nodded slowly, never taking her eyes of her surrogate Fathers face.
"All, All that time you were gone and now," He broke off, chocked with emotion, eyes shining with unshed tears. Never in Seven years had he cried for his charge, but he was unable to stop the flow now as his tears spilled over
"You were gone so long" He tried again "How come you've come back now? Why, Who brought you back?"
"Giles," Buffy started, "I – I was never," She sighed and tried again "I was never dead Giles." She looked at him, Her eyes full of hope, sorrow and regret.
"Never Dead" he repeated his face shining with confusion, he looked to the ground and repeated it under his breath again before he looked back up at Buffy, his face hardening and his eyes showing Anger, and sadness. "You were never dead? Then where have you been for the last Seven Years?" When he spoke his voice was hard and quiet.
"I- I've been with Spike" Buffy's voice too was quiet and she bowed her head. "I couldn't, Giles I'm sorry, but I just couldn't face you, Not after…" She trailed off, her head rising and her gaze settling on a chair just to the right of her former watcher.
"You're sorry?" He asked her "Sorry that you couldn't face me, or sorry that you let us all believe you were dead for seven years? Hmm?"
"Both. Giles…" She shifted her gaze to look at him. "After that last few months, everything that had happened between you and me, and all of them, and Spike too, after all that I couldn't face it, couldn't face the fall out. When the hell mouth went into collapse, Spike was gonna die with it, and I – I just couldn't let him, I just realised that I loved him. So I told him and dragged him out of there. And we didn't see any of you when we got out, so we didn't look, and…" She slumped, seeing the unyielding look on her former watcher's face.
"I think that's something you'll need to talk to your sister about" He said coldly.
He turned slightly, and walked past her into the hallway, heading for the kitchen, where the others were.
"Giles! Wait," she called hurrying after him, trying to reach him before he reached the others "Please Giles, understand…" She reached out for his arm to try and pull him back, but he was just out of reach, and he entered the kitchen without looking back at her.
She stopped in her tracks in the doorway between the Hall and the Den. She let out a deep sigh, and her shoulders slumped defeated. Her head hung for a few seconds before she lifted it up and shook of her Sorrow, and rejection, took a deep breath and walked the short distance to the kitchen.
As she entered she saw everyone gathered around a long breakfast bar running along the centre of the room. She noticed Giles sitting next to Dawn across from an empty seat, an unreadable expression on his face.
She glanced around the table to see if there were another empty seat for her, there were ten seats, but only six were pulled around the breakfast bar, the remaining four stacked neatly by the back door. She smiled lightly to herself. She was gonna have to sit opposite Giles.
She walked over and silently took the seat. As she did so, everyone at the table looked up at her, various emotions on their faces. She nodded slightly at all of them and proceeded to look at the work surface in front of her. Dawn stood up quietly, barely disturbing the hush that had fallen upon the group on Buffy's arrival.
"Would you like a drink Buffy?" Dawn asked "Hot or Cold?" She asked upon seeing Buffy's affirmative nod.
"Cold, please Dawn" Buffy's voice was quiet and thick, it sounded strange to Dawn's ears, not at all as she remembered. But when she looked at Buffy's face she understood. Her Sister was struggling to keep her emotions in check. Dawn couldn't be sure what she was feeling, but knew that whatever it was, it was strong. She caught her sister's eye and held her gaze for a few seconds. She broke it off and walked over to the refrigerator on the far side of the kitchen.
"Ok, we got Milk, Juice and I think….. Yeah we got a few cans of Soda in here too, what'll it be?" She asked, her head still in the fridge.
"Ummm, I'll have a soda please Dawn" Buffy answered.
Dawn was thankful for the excuse to keep her head in the fridge a little while longer. Man she was hot, burning up. She rummaged around trying to gain access to the soda's and at the same time thinking about her own feelings. So much had happened in the last twelve hours, and she wasn't sure how to take it all. How she was supposed to feel. After a few minutes contemplation she felt a weight on her back, and heard a voice ask if she was ok.
She jerked upright, banging her head on the top of the fridge as she did.
"OW! Damn it!" She turned around and looked straight at her husband's chest. She looked up and met his eyes.
"Honey, you okay?" he asked, concern filling his voice
"No, I'm not. My head hurts" she snapped irritably, frowning up at him. Hurt flashed across his features before he regained a calm neutral expression.
"Sorry." He said quietly "You were looking in there for a while, and …"
"Xander," She cut him off "I'm fine, perfectly capable of finding a soda in a fridge without the need for anyone to hold my hand" she snapped at him, taking her confused feelings out on him
"Ok, fine, but you didn't answer the first three times we asked, so I worried. Sue me." He sounded angry now, angry and hurt. Dawn visibly slumped,
"Honey, Xan, I'm sorry" she said sincerely, her voice quiet as she stepped towards him " I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap, I'm just tired and its been a long day" she explained quickly glancing over at Buffy to show him what she meant. She leaned up into his chest and his arms encircled her. She was glad they were the other side of the kitchen, not too close to the others.
"It's okay Dawn," He murmured into the top of her head "You wanna go to bed? Get some sleep and you can sort things out in the morning. It is quite late now, and you've had a lot to cope with today. And the doctor did say to rest." He reminded her.
"Hmmmm." She mumbled into his chest nodding her agreement, but enjoying her position in his arms. Still holding her he turned them both around so he was facing the others and her back was to them.
"Guys, we're gonna head up to bed. We're both shattered and its been a hard day. Willow, can you show Buffy and Spike to some guest rooms please?" he addressed them quietly, not wanting to disturb his wife.
"Sure Xan," Willow told him.
"Yes, well, I think it would be best if I were to retreat to bed myself as well" Giles stated standing from the table. Dawn moved out of Xander's embrace and stood by his side, his arm draped around her shoulder.
"Night Guys," She said to all of them as the pair headed out of the room,
"Yeah Night" Xander called as they headed upstairs. They reached their bedroom and Dawn flopped onto the bed.
"Oooohhh Goooood I could just fall asleep right now" she said to Xander, laughing. He laughed at her.
"Yeah, I suppose you could, But in the morning, It'd be like" He put on a mock high voice "Oh Xander, Why did you let me sleep in my clothes, now they're all icky and I'll have to get them dry cleaned" he teased her laughing. She reached up the bed and threw one of the pillows at him.
"I do not sound like that!" she laughed.
"Ok honey, you keep telling yourself that" he mocked as he pulled her up off the bed so she could get changed.
"Don't worry I will" she said, as she wondered over to her drawers and pulled out some pyjamas. They both changed quickly and fell into bed. Xander reached over and turned off the light bathing them in darkness. They could hear the others moving around and going to various bedrooms. Dawn snuggled up to Xander's side and almost immediately fell asleep.
Xander however had thousands of thoughts rolling around in his head, and as the last of the noise in the house died down signalling the others were all in bed. He tried unsuccessfully to sleep, but found he kept going over and over the day's events in his head, He knew sleep would be a long time coming that night.
