Morning
Living Room
The last fifteen hours of the shocking reveal, Buffy and Nick were anyone could talk about. Imagining Buffy as a mother and raising a child seemed so fantastical, especially with the way everything's been going these past months against The First. The question that everyone had on their mind was 'who's the father'?
Gathered in the living room, a hundred eyes stared at Buffy as she nervously stood in front of the room, her hands clasped together, unsure where to even begin.
She looked over her shoulder at Giles and Nick standing against the wall. Giles gave her a small nod and encouraging smile.
Buffy swallowed her fear and turned back to the group anxiously awaiting an explanation. The looks on Dawn and Xander's made Buffy want to retreat with her tail between her legs. Dawn appeared visibly irritated that Buffy hadn't told her about Nick sooner and Xander appeared sceptical, all of this was just some odd misunderstanding. Seated beside them on the couch was Willow. And like Giles, the redhead gave Buffy a small supportive smile.
"The truth is…" Buffy began, "Nick is my son—our son." She turned to Giles standing behind her.
The room made an audible gasped. The gossipers began to whisper to one another, shocked by the news.
Uncaring of what anyone thought, Buffy felt suddenly at ease when her gaze locked with his. She held out her hand for Giles to take, bringing him to stand at her side, a place he'd be standing far into the future, according to Nick.
Tightening her fingers around his hand, Buffy kept her eyes on him as she said, "In the future, we're, um, married and we have a son."
Giles lovingly smiled at her, still stunned. She had announced their new relationship without hesitation. She took his hand and appeared proud and confident to be with him.
Buffy let Giles' hand go and returned her gaze to the room, addressing them as a whole, now in full-on 'General' mode. "Willow has been working hard in trying to figure out a way to send Nick back before the battle, so we need all hands on deck researching, but we also need to keep training and learning all we can about The First, so we're going to split everyone into three groups."
Annabelle stood from her kneeling position on the floor and handed Buffy a clipboard with the three groups already written out.
Taking the clipboard, Buffy continued, "Group 1 will come with Faith and I. We'll go outside and train and group 2 will stay in here with Willow and Xander to research a way to conjure up a DeLorean or something and group 3 will be with Giles, Dawn, Anya, and Andrew researching all we can about The First. In a few hours, we'll switch. Any questions?" She tossed her eyes around the room and gave the clipboard to Giles to read out.
Pushing himself from his leaning position against the wall, Nick took a step forward, standing in Buffy's way.
"What do I do?" He asked, holding his hands inside the front pockets of his jeans.
"Um…" Buffy frowned, half distracted. "Uh, you can help Willow or your father."
Nick's lip curled wanting to have nothing to do with books. He absolutely hated the researching part of the job. "Can't I just come with you?"
Facing him fully, Buffy's brows pinched together. She lifted up his t-shirt, examining his healing wound that no longer had stitches. "You're still wounded."
"I'm fine." He said, a bit too zealously. "I mean, I'm not even sore. Please, let me come with you. It's bloody boring in here." Nick held his laced fingers under his chin, pouting his mouth and making his eyes big.
Buffy raised the arch of her brow, impressed by his adorable puppy dog pout that he had no doubt learned from her. Exhaling a small laugh, Buffy shook her head. "Fine. But if it hurts, stop immediately."
Nick grinned. "Roger."
2 Hours Later
Backyard
A battle had been waged. In front of all of the potential Slayers and Faith, Nick challenged his mother in a sparring match. Confident in his chances of winning, Nick even teased Buffy that she'd lose because now that she was a mother, she'd let her only child win on the count of inability to hurt her own baby boy.
Buffy rolled her eyes, unfazed by the challenge.
"You're not 'fraid of a bit of competition, are you, Mummy?" Nick snickered, walking around his mother as a predator stalking its prey.
"You? Competition? Hardly." Buffy folded her arms across her chest.
"C'mon, B, shut this little shit up." Faith laughed, encouraging Buffy to kick her son's ass.
Shaking her head, Buffy finally conceded, much to everyone's delight. "Fine." She sighed.
Giddy for the fight and to prove him as more than a match for his superhero mother, Nick thrusted out his fist, aimed at Buffy's face. Buffy sidestepped the punch, letting Nick stumble forward. He caught himself before plummeting to the ground.
He looked back to see Buffy standing nonchalantly with her hands on her hips, appearing already bored.
Grinning, Nick whirls around sending a series of punches at Buffy's head. She easily ducks and dodges them all.
"That didn't hurt." Buffy said, cheekily.
Nick threw another punch, Buffy caught his fist in her hand and backhanded him across the face, not using a fraction of her true strength.
Startled, Nick shook the dizziness from his eyes, shocked that she had actually hit him.
"What? You thought I wouldn't hit you?" Buffy began to smile.
"I'm gonna get you for that." Nick grinned, charging at the Vampire Slayer with full force. He manages to land a kick into her stomach and a sucker punch across her face, but she doesn't budge. Nick's eyes widened, shaking his hand in pain, feeling like he just hit a brick wall. "Holy oww!" He clutched his throbbing hand.
Buffy spins downwards taking him off of his feet with a back leg sweep.
Groaning from the hard crash to the ground, Nick squinted his eyes, blinded by the sun when Buffy stood over him, cockily smiling. "Alright, ten more minutes of playtime and then it's time for bed."
Nick does a kick-up, hitting Buffy under the chin with his feet. Buffy staggered backwards, surprised by the creative attack. She didn't have time to recover for long when Nick came at her aggressively.
Buffy blocked his punches and allowed him to land a few. He tries to stick him with a left-handed punch, but he blocks it and flies into a half-spinning in-to-out crescent kick. Buffy bends backwards, avoiding being struck. Raising the arch of her brow, she looked at Nick. "Where'd you learn that?"
"I told you, I was trained by the best." He smiled, hopping in place, staying light on his feet.
"Who the hell trained you, Mr Miyagi?" Buffy crossed her arms into an 'X' over her head, blocking his overhead tomahawk strike. She then shoved him backwards.
Nick smiled. "You."
Buffy looked at him with a bit of surprise, but it made sense. Some of the moves he used, Buffy knew for certain she had used herself in a fight or two. Buffy began to wonder if sparring was something they did often together. Strange mother-son bonding if you weren't them.
"So we spar often in your time?"
Nick shrugged, throwing another series of punches, which Buffy easily dodged. "We used to."
"What happened? I got too old?"
Shaking his head, Nick chuckled. "Nah, you got too busy."
Buffy paused for a moment, struck by his reply. "I'm sorry, Nicky."
Nick shrugged. "You're a busy woman. I get that."
"But I'm never too busy to spend time with my son." Buffy reached out, cradling his cheek in her hand. "I'll be better, I promise."
Nick stopped hopping in place and felt that familiar feeling of comfort whenever his mother caressed his cheek. He leaned into her touch, almost forgetting about the fight entirely.
"Y'know, that's cute and all, but you guys are gonna make me vomit." Faith interrupted the moment between the mother and son. "Can we maybe save this kumbaya moment for later, I've got ten bucks on this fight."
Rolling her eyes, Buffy gestured for Nick to resume the fight. She halfheartedly threw a punch aimed at Nick's head and telegraphed his attack, blocking every kick and punch.
Stepping out of the back door onto the porch, Giles held a green mug in his hand, watching the fight.
Giles walked to the top step and leaned on the wooden post, taking a sip of his drink. "Stop dropping your elbow, she can see it coming." He instructed his son.
Nick ducked under Buffy's swinging arm last minute. "My bloody elbow is fine." He grunted, throwing another punch, blocked again by Buffy.
"You're still dropping it. I can see it." Giles said.
Frustrated, Nick turned away from the fight to his father. "Bleedin' Christ, Dad, do you mind?"
"She sees your elbow." Giles said, matter-of-factly. "She's going to get the upper hand."
"Over my dead—" Nick waved a hand at his father only to be swept off of his feet by Buffy's sweeping back leg, a move that had previously landed him on his back.
Buffy's face emerged into Nick's view. "Nice try." She triumphantly smiles.
Sitting up on his elbows, Nick watched his mother walk away, heading towards Giles. "I want a rematch. My wound…"
"Sure, it's 'the wound'." Buffy walked up the porch steps, taking Giles' green mug from his hand and took a sip. Buffy's eyes widened, surprised by the drink that filled the green mug. Her face scrunched in disgust. "Blaaah!" She shook her head. "That's not tea." Buffy coughed, her throat stinging by the spicy alcohol.
Amused, Giles chuckled, taking the mug back. "No. No it's not."
"How do you drink that stuff?" Buffy smacked her lips, unable to get the taste from her mouth.
"You'll get better at drinkin' it." Nick revealed, swiping the loose grass off of his jeans and inspected the grass stains.
"I will?" Buffy didn't believe that.
Nick nodded. "You're still gonna hate the stuff but you'll drink it sometimes. Mostly when you're angry… at me. I like it. But I prefer the Macallan 18 Year Sherry Oak."
Giles frowned. "How would you know?"
Realisation suddenly hit Nick, having forgotten who he was talking to. "I don't know… just a hunch." His face fell and slowly backed away from his glaring parents.
"Nicholas?" Giles sternly said, warning his son to not lie.
Nick groaned. "Okay, fine. I might've sort of snuck into your liquor cabinet when you guys aren't home… but it's just a taste, I swear."
Before he could get any further scolding from his parents, Willow came out saving him from a grounding.
Willow held the home phone in one hand and a ripped piece of notebook paper in the other. "Hey, so, I just got off the phone with the Coven and we brainstormed a spell to get you back. I need to get the supplies."
"When will you have everything?" Buffy asked.
"A day or two," she answered.
Accepting the timeline, Buffy nodded and smiled at Willow with appreciation. "Okay, great. Thanks, Will." She turned her eyes to Nick, noticing the disappointment etched into his features. "Nick?"
Trying hard not to appear ungrateful for his aunt's hard work, Nick mustered a small tugging smile, although it never fully reached his entire face. "Um, yeah. Great. Thanks, Aunt Willow." He turned away, wanting to get back to the training and not think about his return back to his reality.
Buffy frowned, turning her eyes to look at Giles. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. "It's the right thing to do, love." He reminded her.
Nodding, Buffy put effort in masking her own disappointment, not quite ready to say goodbye to her son. She twisted her fingers together and said, "I'm gonna take a shower. We gotta patrol soon."
"Can I come?" Nick asked.
"No." Buffy said without hesitation and turned away, heading inside the house.
Nick took a seat on the porch steps, resting his forearms on his knees.
Giles took a sip of his scotch in the mug, taking a seat beside his son.
"Did you know that Mum died?" Nick suddenly asked.
Bombarded by the question, Giles cleared his throat and removed the glasses from his face. "Ugh, yes, yes. The first time—"
Shocked, Nick jumped up his feet, gripping his hair between his fingers. "Bloody hell! There's a first and second time?"
"You say the Council is rebuilt in your future?"
"Yeah." Nick nodded, pushing back his floppy dark hair. "Mum is the director and you run the Watchers department. Why?"
"Does this, erm, 'new' Council have a library?" Giles put his glasses back on.
Nick nodded. "It has like ten libraries."
The new Watchers Council was big. Bigger than the old Council building. There were five floors to the elegant stony building standing proudly in the centre of Westminster, only blocks away from Westminster Abbey.
"Watchers keep diaries about their charge. I've kept a few myself. See if they're there." Giles took another sip of the drink in the mug.
Nick nodded his head, turning his eyes back out to the potential Slayers training. "Okay, I will."
They sit quietly on the porch step, staring out in front of them when Nick's stomach suddenly growls.
"I'm hungry." Nick said, rubbing his stomach.
"I can't imagine how. You've eaten everything in the house."
Nick frowned. "Are you body shaming me, Dad?"
"Pardon?"
Giles' dumbstruck expression made Nick throw back his head laughing.
Night
Living Room
Bored out of his mind, Nick was refused to go out on patrol with Buffy, Faith, and a group of the field experienced potential Slayers.
Laying half on the couch with one leg propped on the couch arm and the other hanging over the side, Nick stared blankly at the television, braiding the front of his dark hair.
He'd spent the last few hours watching Newlyweds. He had hoped for Jackass or something but Nick was outnumbered by the girls and Andrew that wanted to watch the blonde chick that came off as dumb as rocks and some guy with a douchey face. But honestly, anything was better than The Real Housewives his mother tends to binge watch. She pretends to not 'really' like the show and often makes the excuse that it was 'the only thing on', but Nick knew better. She followed that show like a football fantasy league.
His eyes were growing heavy, tired from excessive boredom when the front door suddenly flew open.
Nick jumped onto his feet. The girls turned off the television, now on full alert as potential Slayers that had been out on patrol carried one another inside. They looked injured, dirty, and bloody stained their faces.
"Mum?" Nick stood in the french doorway to see Buffy enter into the house carrying an unconscious Faith in her arms.
In a flash, the living room had been transformed into an impromptu triage unit as the healthy ones treated the wounds of the girls hurt during the patrol.
"Buffy?" Giles hastily followed her into the dining room, checking on the survivors.
Buffy handed bandage supplies to a girl as she passed. Then crouched down beside a wounded girl, putting a hand over the girl's wound. "Will, come here. She's losing a lot of blood."
"Got it!" Willow hustled into the living room with another first aid kit in hand.
Xander carried an unconscious Faith through the front door and looked at Buffy and Giles for assistance.
"The room upstairs is ready for her." Buffy said.
Nodding his head, Xander walked up stairs with Faith in his arms.
Standing in the french doorway, at a loss as to what to do, Nick held his arms across his body. Giles noticed his son standing about. "Go help your mother, I'll see to Faith." Giles left the sixteen-year-old to go up stairs. "Xander, watch her head." He scolded the dark haired man too close to the wall.
Pushing himself forward, Nick entered the living room following Buffy around as she supervised the makeshift trauma room.
"Is she gonna be okay?" Nick asked, but he went ignored. He continued to follow Buffy around as she barked orders. "Mum, you Slayers heal fast, right? I mean you healed in a matter of hours after the fight with that Turok-Han—"
Buffy whirled around to him, noticing him for the first time. "What are you doing?"
Nick frowned impatiently. "Asking you a question."
Taking a deep breath, Buffy gave her son a minute of her undivided attention. "Oh, okay. What did you ask?"
"I asked you if you Slayers heal quickly."
Buffy nodded.
"So she'll be okay?"
"I don't know." Buffy turned her head, noticing a girl searching for something to use as gauze. "Vi, go into the closet, get the hand towels and cut them up to use."
"What happened?"
"A trap." Buffy answered.
Nick pushed his hair back off of his forehead. "So, what's the plan now? Do you have one?"
"Yeah, there's a plan. Get ready. Time's up." Buffy quickly ran up the stairs with Nick following closely behind.
Together they walked down the hallway leading into her bedroom, where Giles and Faith were.
Opening the door wider, Buffy entered first, followed by Nick.
Standing at the foot of the bed, watching Giles for a moment as he tended to Faith's wounds, Buffy's mind flashed to Faith in coma so many years ago. A knot of worry twisted inside of her chest.
"How is she? Is she breathing?" Buffy asked, crossing her arms.
"Unconscious." Giles answered, dabbing the blood from Faith's forehead. "What happened?" Giles asked, turning his head to her.
Buffy walked to the corner of the bedroom, taking a seat in the wicker chair. "The entire cavern was booby trapped. I barely got out."
Willow stood in the doorway suddenly, holding a new first aid box for Faith. "Is there anything else?"
Giles lowered his eyes to Faith. "Uh, no, no. I think we'll manage. Thank you."
Making her leave, Willow turned away to the door when Buffy's voice calling her name gave her pause. She turned back to the blonde Slayer.
"We can't wait." Buffy said, standing from the chair. "Nick needs to go home immediately."
"What?" Nick stepped forward, ready to argue and stand his ground, determined to get his way. "No. Mum, no."
Not at all in the mood to once again have his constant recurring argument, Buffy shot a glaring look at her son. "Look at what's happening?" She gestured a hand towards Faith lying unconscious on her bed. "If you stay here, you'll die."
"You need me." Nick said, pleading with her to change her mind.
Giles looked up from Faith and twisted his body,to look at Nick. "We need you to stay alive. We need you safe. And safe is sending you back to your own time."
"But—" Nick snapped his eyes from Giles back to Buffy and noticed a look of terror in her eyes. He had never seen that look before. She never seemed scared, not even in his time.
One instance came to mind. For the longest time as a child, Nick was petrified of the closet. His overactive imagination had him believing that there were ominous noises coming from behind the door. This was before he knew actual vampires and demons existed.
So, Nick would cry and cry until someone came into his room. Buffy would come into the room and snuggle with him until he fell back to sleep. Nick remembered the very first time he realised that his mother was brave. During one of those nightmarish nights, Buffy came in taunting the monster into appearance. She'd then open the closet door without hesitation, while Nick hid underneath his bed sheet.
IT was right then Nick believed that this mother was the bravest person in the entire world. He truly believed that if she's not afraid of the closet, he shouldn't be afraid, either.
He never thought she had any fears until this very moment. Staring into her eyes, Nick saw her petrified fear. It was so human, raw, and desperate.
"Fine." Nick agreed.
Willow nodded her head and said, "Give me an hour." She then made her exit out of the bedroom.
Nick ran a hand through his dark tousled hair. "I'll, uh, get my backpack." He hung his head, also leaving the bedroom.
Buffy exhaled the breath she had been holding in. Her eyes welled with unshed tears. Her heart felt torn into pieces, dreading saying goodbye to her only child.
Seeing her heartache, Giles stood from the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around her. Buffy buried her face into his chest, allowing her tears to freely fall down her face.
Giles cradled her face between his hands, wiping away her tracks of tears with the pads of his thumbs. He lowered his head, covering her mouth with his own in a kiss. This kiss was not passionate or frenzied like their previous kisses. This kiss offered comfort, love, and support for one another.
Breaking the kiss, Gies pressed his mouth to her forehead. "This is the right thing to do, darling." He told her.
Buffy's hands wrapped around his wrists holding her face. "I know. It's just…"
"I know." Giles understood perfectly, not wanting to see Nick go either. "I'll miss him too, but we just need to be patient."
They knew that it was only a matter of time. Two years in fact.
In two years they'd already be married, living probably in England, rebuilding the Watchers Council. Buffy will feel off for a few days, maybe even nauseous. She'll take some Pepto Bismol, until she realises that she's missed her on a hunch she'll take a pregnancy test, which will come back positive, and nine months later her baby boy will be in her arms.
Two years felt so far away.
Reading her thoughts, Giles lovingly smiled, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "He'll be with us again before we know it."
Swallowing the emotion clogged in her throat, Buffy circled her arms around Giles' waist, laying her head against his chest.
1 Hour Later
Basement
Standing off to the side while Willow finished drawing a pentagram on the basement floor with a piece of chalk. What candle sticks were placed on the four points of the star.
Meanwhile, Buffy stared at her 'future' son, who will grow to tower over her. "So, um, do you have everything?"
Nick quietly nodded his head.
"It's a long way back to the future." Buffy tried to smile, but it never reaches her face. Her eyes darted around his handsome face, memorising his every feature including the almost invisible freckles on his nose. He looked so much like Giles.
Nick lifted sad gaze from his shoes to her face.
"Um," Buffy broke the silence. "In all of the chaos, we've never asked you… Why'd you do the spell in the first place?"
Sheepishly, Nick ran a hand through his hair. He was fully aware that the amount of trouble he's going to face when he gets back will probably hold a life sentence. He put himself into these positions in an act of defiance against the parents he used to think were too stuffy and aloof, but they were so much more. They were hard working heroes, who wanted nothing but a normal life for him.
He witnessed the lengths they will go to, to move Heaven and Earth for not just his future but for everyone walking the earth and generations after that.
"I was angry." Nick twisted his hands. "I wanted to run away." He lifted his chin to look at them. "I messed up… again. The last time we all saw each other… in my time, you guys were so disappointed in me. I keep actin' out and you're fed up with it—with me… I'm sorry, I've given you both such a hard time."
Giles laid a hand on Nick's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. "No matter what's happened, Nick, we love you very much and that will never change."
"We just want what's best for you. To protect you. You can always rely on us," said Buffy.
"I know. I feel like coming here was a good thing." Nick said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I understand you both better."
"Are we that complicated?" Buffy asked with a bit of weariness in her voice. "Can I ask you something?"
Nick nodded. "Sure. Of course."
Giving Giles a quick glance, Buffy began to nervously twist her fingers, much like Nick. "Giles and I… Are we happy?"
"Yeah." Nick softly smiled. "You guys are really happy."
It was the truth. For the eighteen years they've been together, Buffy and Giles were immensely happy and ridiculously in love. They did quarrel often, butting heads in their usual way, but the love between them was very much there, always attracting one another like a moth to a flame.
"Guys." The threesome turned their heads to see Willow kneeling at the complete circle wearing a tugging smile on her face. "It's time. Let's get you back to the future." She got back onto her feet.
Nick inhaled a deep breath and faced his parents. He stood in front of Giles first and held out his hand. "Bye, Dad."
Giles lovingly smiled, pulling Nick into his arms for a tight hug.
Circling his arms around his father, Nick felt like a child again, clinging to his father. "I promise I won't go through the liquor cabinet anymore."
Chuckling, Giles pulled back to look at his 'future' son. "At least, try not to make it so obvious."
"Alright." Nick laughed and turned to Buffy.
The tears glistening in her eyes almost made Nick want to burst out into tears.
Buffy extended out her hand, cradling his cheek, tenderly smiling at him. She then pushed his hair off of his forehead, a gesture that would one day be a source of comfort for only child's future nightmares and playground falls.
"Please, try to stay out of trouble. It's just what this world needs is a Ripper 2.0." She shot Giles a side-eyed look.
Nick chuckled. "I'll be on my best behaviour."
"I mean it. Be safe."
The smile dropped from Nick's mouth, taking her plea seriously.
Buffy pulled her son into her arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. Nick buried his face into her neck, tightening his arms around her slender body.
"I love you so much." Buffy whispered, kissing the side of his head.
"Love you, too, Mum." Nick muttered into the crook of her neck.
Pulling back her head, Buffy stroked his cheek with the pads of her thumbs and wiped away the tear that fell from the corner of his eye.
Removing her arms from around him, tempted to wrap her arms around him again and never letting him go, Buffy took a step back, taking her place under Giles' arm.
Nick swallowed his emotions and adjusted the straps of his backpack on his shoulder. He faced Willow.
Willow held out her hand for Nick to take. She guided him to stand in the centre of the pentagram circle. "It's not that hard of a spell," said Willow. " Okay, ready? Here we go. Brace yourselves."
Nick kept his eyes firmly on his parents standing outside the chalk circle.
"We'll see you later." Buffy winked, wearing a half-smile on her face.
"Reditus. (Return)." Willow clapped her hands together.
In a blink, Nick disappeared from the pentagram circle.
Buffy exhaled the breath she had been holding in and turned into Giles' arms, needy for his loving support. Giles buried his face into her hair, squeezing his arms around her tightly.
Lifting her chin from her resting position against his chest, Buffy shifted to the tips of her toes, lingeringly inches from his mouth before kissing him fully.
Giles closed his eyes, taking comfort in their kiss. He opened his mouth wider, allowing her tongue access.
Behind them, Willow gathered the candles from the floor and quickly made herself scarce, allowing her best friend and her new love interest a bit of privacy to deal with Nick's departure their own way.
As she quietly walked up the stairs, Willow paused and looked over her shoulder at the pair still locked in a kiss.
Smiling to herself, Willow continued up the stairs and closed the basement door behind herself.
Breaking the kiss, Buffy cupped the back of his neck, catching her breath. Their foreheads pressed together.
Their eyes opened, focusing on one another. Words were not needed, they both felt a mutual heartbreak but also excitement for their future together.
2021
Kingston upon Thames, South-West London
Giles' Residence: Nick's Bedroom
Nick opened his eyes back in his bedroom. He exhaled the breath he'd been holding in and looked around in a panic.
Running to the window, he pulled back the curtain and looked up at the dark sky. Looking over his shoulder, it was still very late, but he didn't know how much time passed.
Slipping his backpack off his shoulders, he tossed it onto his bed and took out the iPhone from his front pocket. He went to his albums application and scrolled through the photos he'd taken during his stint in the year 2003.
He sighed with relief as he swiped through the series of candid photographs of his 'future' family, the potential Slayers, and even the candid moments of his parents. A smile tugged at his mouth, eyeing the photo of his mother standing in front of the room, addressing everyone like a General and his father standing directly behind her, always her constant support.
Nick even watched a few of the videos he'd taken for his social media page. He felt relief when he found the tour video featuring a breakdown of The First with future Watcher Andrew.
Putting his cell phone down on the bed, Nick remembered his one and only souvenir taken from his journey to the past. It was a small photo of his deceased grandmother.
Opening his backpack, Nick had stuck it safely between the pages of a book left in his bag. He eyed the photo for a moment and propped the photo against the lamp on the nightstand.
Taking a deep breath, Nick turned his gaze from the photo to the closed wooden door in front of him and a sense of dread washed over him.
Figuring now was the time to face the music, Nick crossed the short distance to the door, wrapping his hand around the knob.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Nick headed towards the library. Looking around his childhood home, Nick didn't notice anything out of place. It was all exactly like before.
Standing outside the closed library doors, Nick wasn't sure what he'd walk in on. How much of a time jump happened from when he left and when he arrived back? Were his parents still the same age as before? Were they older? Was he older? He didn't feel older. He felt exactly the same.
Taking a deep breath, Nick wrapped his hand around the brass door handle and turned it open.
Hesitantly, Nick opened the door wider and stepped inside to see his parents sitting on the couch in front of a crackling fire, quietly talking when they noticed him.
Nick blew out the breath held in, realising that apparently no time had passed or if anything it was only an hour or two. His father looked the same, still dressed in the same clothes as before; dress shirt tucked into a pair of tweed trousers, suspenders, and the tie around his neck hung loose.
His mother wore the same pissed off expression on her face. Nick felt his skin crawl terrified of her piercing eyes that burned holes into his skull.
Inhaling a deep breath, Nick crossed the short distance to them and stepped around the front of the couch, facing them.
With his hands inside of his pockets and his head hanging, Nick said, "I messed up."
"You certainly have." Giles placed the empty scotch glass aside on an end table.
With as much sincerity as he could possibly muster, Nick looked at his mother and father. "I'm sorry. I've put you both in a difficult position and I disappointed you. I understand there are consequences to my actions and I have to face up to them."
"You bet there are," said Buffy, holding her arms across her chest. "Sit down, Nicholas."
Nick took a seat in the chair adjacent to the couch. He looked down at his hands, feeling just awful that he had disappointed his parents so much.
Giles rose from the couch taking the empty scotch glass and stepped over to the drink cabinet.
Buffy continued, "Your father and I have been talking and this is what we've come up with…"
Whatever punishment his parents had come up with for him, Nick had a feeling he was never going to see the light of day again.
As Giles poured the golden liquor for the decanter and faced his son. "You are going to work on the Council's custodial staff until all costs of the damages you've caused and your bail have been repaid to us in full."
"Yes, sir." Nick nodded, accepting the punishment on the chin.
"This means," Buffy stood from the couch, towering over her son as he sat in front of her, "you will go to school. You will go to the Council. And then you will come home. No more internet, unless it is for schoolwork. No more social media, no music apps or video games. You will use your cell phone to either make a call to us or receive a call from us. And no more 'hanging out' with your friends until further notice. Are we clear?"
Nick wanted to scream and kick, but he knew he needed to learn from his actions. The punishment could have been worse, but like always, his parents constantly gave him one more chance. He wasn't going to disappoint them this time. "Yes, ma'am."
Buffy dropped her clasped hands, relaxing. The anger from her face vanished and was replaced with an empathetic look of love. "Come here." She opened her arms out to him.
Nick stood from the chair and immediately stepped into his mother's comforting and safe embrace. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, breathing in the familiar scent of her perfume. He felt a clog of emotion in his throat when he felt her lips press against the side of his head.
Pulling back, Buffy cradled her son's face between her hands and tenderly smiled. "Nicky, we love you so much, but this behaviour has to stop. Whatever is happening with you, can you talk to us. You know that, right?" Nick nodded as Buffy combed her fingers through his hair. "It's late. Go to bed, sweetheart. You've got a long day tomorrow." She smirked.
Nick muttered 'goodnight' to his parents and walked back towards the door, but paused before exiting. He realised that they never acknowledged his time travelling.
Did it actually happen? Nick wondered. He turned his head, looking over his shoulder at his parents, the confused frown deepening on his face. Scratching his head, Nick exited the library, closing the door behind him.
Taking a seat on the couch, Buffy slouched back with a bit of relief. "I think we handled that well." She said, her eyes following her husband as he sat back down beside her.
His hand rested on her thigh. "Far better than I expected." Giles inspected the drink in his hand.
"Parent's of the year." Sarcasm seeped through Buffy's words as she leaned against Giles, resting her head on his shoulder and hugging his arm.
"Absolutely." Took a sip of the drink and turned his head, eyeing his beautiful wife laying against him. He pressed his mouth against her forehead then turned his gaze to the fire in front of them.
They sat in a comfortable silence with only the crackling pops of the fire and a clock ticking as their soundtrack.
Giles lowered gaze to the drink in his hand, having an odd feeling. Similarly, Buffy also had a strange feeling that she couldn't quite place.
"Do you feel like this is déjá vu?" Buffy suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
"I was just thinking that." Giles frowned.
Lost in their thoughts, Buffy and Giles sat together on the couch, their brows furrowed and their frowns deep, having the strangest sensation that something odd had happened. Neither could put their finger on it, but it all felt all too familiar.
End.