A/N: Not going to disclaimer, of course I don't own Buffy. The only thing I own is the original stuff I've come up with for this fic.
I'm so sorry this chapter took so long. I had started a chapter before this that I was really struggling with and just ended up vetoing. I've also been really ill over the past week or so which hasn't helped at all. I have just passed Tabula Rasa in Buffy though which I think has been my favourite episode so far or at least one of them!
Thank you for the favourites and follows and reviews so far! I hope you continue to enjoy!
"I mean really there's an ascension coming and all they can think about is prom dresses and tuxedos." Giles ranted, pacing backwards and forwards with a book in his hands.
After everything that had happened Maria had stayed at Giles' for a total of forty-eight hours. He would have allowed her to stay longer but she had insisted she was okay to go home, and she had been, until she'd broken down in the kitchen. That night Giles had stayed at hers in the guest bedroom and brought them dinner back the following evening after work.
She was mostly healed now. The bruises had all disappeared and she was no longer having to wear the sling. She still needed help on occasion with heavy lifting though, which Giles was more than happy to help with. At first, he'd told himself that's why he was frequenting the shop more, between researching for the ascension, but since Maria's introduction to the world of myth and magic their relationship had taken on another level of openness. Giles was free to talk to her about everything now and Maria was ever an eager ear. She was enthusiastic in her thirst for knowledge about the new world and she offered insights that at times Giles had overlooked, or that forced him to see things from a new perspective. It was refreshing too, having an adult to discuss things with. Whilst Giles was always impressed with the maturity of his young charges he also had to remember, and occasionally be reminded, that they were still young, they were still teenagers and the world, even when it was ending, still revolved around entirely different things than it did when one was an adult.
"I think I'm with Buffy on this one." Maria replied tilting her head at him and smiling when he stopped to stare at her incredulously. "If the world's going to end let them have one fun night."
"If the worlds going to end, they don't need one fun night." Giles retorted.
"Wow," Maria nodded, and Giles stopped in his pacing to watch. "You sound, old." Maria made a noise and Giles looked mildly offended.
"I never had a prom. You never had a prom-" Giles started and Maria held up a hand to stop him.
"No, we had discos, cheap cider and horrible outfits. Although considering how much of a rebel you were, I can't imagine you went to many discos." Maria pointed out. "Come to think of it, I didn't really. I was usually curled up with a book." She admitted, causing Giles gaze on her to soften considerably. She really was an incredible nerd, which was probably one of the reasons Willow had taken so fondly to her.
Maria had met the others mostly by accident. She'd noticed the library lights on after being a literal shoulder for Brienne to cry on one evening. Arm still in a sling she'd decided to call in on Giles and share the uneaten doughnuts she'd brought to comfort Brienne with, with him. Giles hadn't been alone in the library though and Maria had been finally and properly introduced to Buffy, Willow, Xander, Oz and even Wesley.
"Prom is a romantic American tradition. Night full of firsts. It's a milestone for a lot of kids. You don't get it because you're a forty something British man." Maria said pointedly.
"I just think there are more important things-" Giles sighed. "I just think there are more important things than dresses and dates."
"Again, you're not an eighteen-year-old on the edge of graduation." Maria reiterated.
"And, now Wesley has decided he's going to 'help' with chaperoning duties because Cordelia told him she thought he'd look very 007 in a tuxedo." Giles put the book down on the counter and Maria picked it up flicking through the pages he'd been reading.
"Rupert are you jealous because no one has told you, you'd look like 007 yet?" Maria teased.
"I most definitely am not!" Giles paused and narrowed his eyes at her. "Okay, maybe you're right, they do deserve a little time."
"Besides, you might have fun. They'll be other adults there. It's a chance for a lot of people to dress up and let their hair down." Maria pointed out. "Besides if what Brienne told me is true, they'll be plenty adult females on the lookout for an eligible librarian in a tuxedo." Maria smirked at him and Giles stared at her for a minute, the look on his face something between panic and horror. He didn't want any of the women at school looking out for an eligible librarian. In fact, there was only one woman he'd be happy to hear was looking for that and she was standing right in front of him. He did want to ask her out, he did want to take her on a date but it just seemed like every time he was about to ask something got in the way or he was interrupted or it didn't feel like the right moment. Giles scolded himself, he'd never have had this problem when he was younger but then again, the only way Maria would have been on his radar when he was younger was if he'd been forced to work with her.
"You know I came here for tea and sympathy." Giles said half pouting into his tea.
"And there was me thinking you came for my help and delightful company." Maria replied, looking back down at the book in front of her.
#?*#
"Maria?" Giles had called out to her before he'd even realised what he was doing.
He'd stepped outside for a bit of air. Now that the world was safe from hell hounds and everyone was paired off, he thought he could get away with slipping out of the hall and outside for a moment. He'd just been thinking about how he wished she was there, then at least he'd have someone he could talk to without feeling awkward, when she'd appeared, and his mouth had reacted faster than his brain could catch up with.
She looked amazing, she'd clearly been out somewhere special, black dress, that almost touched her feet, it was vintage, like something from an old black and white musical. She'd done her hair and makeup to match and the effect was only more dazzling the closer she got.
"I hope that's shaken not stirred." Maria gave him a sort of half smile.
"What? Oh-" Giles lifted the glass of punch still in his hand up slightly. "You look-" Giles started and stopped, what was the right word? He'd never seen her look more beautiful and his heart did that funny thing it sometimes did when she smiled at him in just the right way.
"Too much, I know." Maria said sliding a bit of lose hair behind her ear.
"No, no you look amazing." Giles rushed to correct her. "Where have you been?"
"I was supposed to have a date." Maria admitted, though she wouldn't meet his eyes as she said it and Giles was almost glad because his heart dropped a little.
"He stood me up." She added, because she wanted him to know that she hadn't actually ended up on it. She wanted his reaction to give her some sort of hope that when she finally asked him out that it wouldn't be flat out rejected. Part of her was hoping if she saw something like relief that she'd been stood up in his face, that it would give her some sort of green light. Give her some sort of indication that rejection wasn't what awaited her if she went down the route of asking him to dinner.
"Looking like that?" The words were out of him mouth before he could stop them, and Maria looked up at him smiling.
"I didn't really want to go anyway. He asked me in the shop and there were all these people around, so I sort of had to agree and then, well, I'm guessing he saw me coming and went the other way." Maria admitted letting out a sigh. "You'd think I'd have learnt my lesson about waiting around for men, I waited an hour though like an idiot so now I'm going to go home and read a book on tree demons."
"Tree demons?" Giles tilted his head at her.
Maria was distracted from his question with checking him out for a minute, albeit trying to do it subtly. Was it just a rule that everyone looked good in a tuxedo? And was it a rule that it should make her stomach do that weird twist or was that just because it was Giles in a tuxedo. She half wished she could see Wesley for comparison but even if she did, the reality was she already knew the answer. It was just Giles in a tuxedo, like it was just Giles with his shirt slightly unbuttoned or just Giles with his shirt sleeves rolled up and his braces hanging at his sides or it was just Giles in that sweater on the weekend.
"How's the prom going?" Maria asked gesturing back towards the door.
"Nobodies died yet." Giles admitted with a slight grimace. "Even if I was worried at one point that I was going to commit a murder."
"Is Wesley really being that annoying?" Maria laughed.
"Flittering about over Cordelia." Giles waved a hand. "As if the man wasn't annoying enough, he comes over to ask me for advice. I mean do I look like an agony aunt."
"In that outfit definitely not." Maria replied but she was smiling again, and Giles was happy with that even if she was teasing him. "Besides, you're just older and wiser maybe he thinks you're more experienced in these matters."
"Less of the older thank you." Giles retorted. "You should come in, seems a shame to waste that dress." Giles suggested, gesturing backwards with his head towards the door.
"Rupert Giles are you asking me to Prom?" Maria teased.
"I suppose I am yes. Besides if you come in and dance with me looking like that it might deter Fiona from accounting and her friend."
"Oh wonderful, so not only have I been stood up, I now get to play your decoy." Maria pointed out with a huff.
"I didn't hear a no." Giles replied hopefully.
"You're lucky I have no where better to be." Maria narrowed her eyes at him but took his arm anyway. "And that it's cold."
"I'm lucky someone stood you up." Giles retorted and Maria gave him a playful shove.
"You want to watch it, or I'll make sure that this Fiona and her friend find out that you quite like numbers and you were a founding member of Pink Floyd at ten years old." Maria smirked at him.
When Maria entered the hall with Giles, she could see exactly how Buffy and the others had gotten carried away with everything. This was exactly what she'd pictured, it was romantic and fun and the excuse to get close to someone you'd probably had a crush on for a long time. There were ill-fitting tuxes and dresses she was sure some were going to regret but the atmosphere was wonderful. Now she could also understand why High school reunions, in this sort of capacity, were so popular in America.
It was so different to anything she'd been to in her youth, with the exception of maybe a fundraiser or two, but that didn't have the benefit of her classmates. The parties en-masse of her youth had been either house parties, messy and unpolished or sneaking into clubs, again, messy and unpolished and without the finesse that this prom seemed to have. This was an occasion in the truest sense of the word. Even standing on the side lines drinking punch was an experience, it was fascinating and heart-warming to watch the interactions going on around the hall. Romance, heartbreak, friendships, dancing, young love. It was all here in this hall and Maria found it quite beautiful.
"Time to make yourself useful." Giles said urgently, close to her ear. Maria jumped and nearly spilled the punch she was holding. He took it off her and put it on the side taking hold of her hand and tugging her to the edge of the dancefloor where throngs of students and yes, some teachers were all dancing.
"Make myself useful?" Maria looked ruffled as Giles slid one hand around her waist and took one hand with his other.
"You know what I mean." Giles smiled at her and Maria narrowed her eyes slightly annoyed but just over his shoulder she could see the two women who'd been approaching him were now glaring at her. It was strange, how comfortable it felt to be in his arms like this, to be this close to him and it not feel wrong.
"Oh god." Maria groaned, her head dropping forward onto Giles' shoulder.
"What?" Giles asked as they moved gently to the music.
"I think I've just found out why I was stood up. Not only did I get stood up I almost robbed the cradle too. He definitely does not look eighteen."
"Which one?" Giles asked turning them round so he could see where she'd been looking.
"The one talking to the woman with the purple flowers on her dress." Maria pointed out. "Stop being so obvious." She said smacking his arms as he watched the couple behind them.
"Well you'll be glad to know you weren't robbing the cradle." Giles pointed out. He also wanted to point out that he hadn't pegged Mr Charm and swag over there as her type, but then again, he didn't know what exactly was her type.
Their conversations had mostly stayed away from romantic entanglements, Giles didn't really want to talk about Jenny for fear it would send Maria running, and he had a feeling there were romances on Maria's side that she didn't want to talk about either.
"That is Mr Birch the Biology Teacher and that woman is his wife she's an art teacher, I think. Wonderful woman by all accounts." Giles said as they moved to the music.
"Oh, great so I'm not robbing the cradle but I'm a homewrecker." Maria stopped moving and Giles looked down at her face to see that she was genuinely upset.
"Maria you are far from either of those things. Birch is an idiot and an arsehole." Giles said encouraging her to move again. "It's really got to you hasn't it?" Giles asked gently. His voice was lower now, gentler and when Maria looked up she realised they were closer than she'd initially thought. She was suddenly very aware of her hand in Giles'. His hand on the small of her back. The way it felt, the way the residual heat from his palm sunk through the fabric of her dress to her skin. The fact there was barely anything between them.
Maria felt a flush run up her neck. God this was ridiculous. Maybe it was something about the Prom, the atmosphere that was making everything seem more romantic, that was heightening senses. Maybe it was something about this room full of people all dressed up and the music and the soft lighting. She could certainly see how so many firsts ended up coming about because of this night.
"Any man would be mad to stand you up." Giles said, lips twitching up into a smile. As ridiculous as it seemed, now would be a perfect opportunity to kiss her. That was the thought that flitted across his mind and the thought he tried to chase away as soon as it came. Giles had suddenly become very aware of the fact his hand was balanced against the small of her back, very aware that only the fabric of her dress was stopping him from finding out if the skin there was as soft as the back of her hands.
He couldn't just kiss her though. What if she didn't feel the same and he ruined their friendship? All because he'd read the signals wrong and gotten carried away at an American teenager's prom. Now was definitely not the right time to kiss her, even with the music and the lighting and the closeness and the way she was looking at him.
Would it be so bad if she kissed him now? Maria had to wonder. She was a romantic after all and here they were dancing slowly, all dressed up to the nines with soft music and lighting. He must care about her. He'd helped her a lot over the past weeks and even before the things with her dad there'd been something building there, hadn't there? Something she didn't really want to admit to herself because she couldn't bare the heartache.
And that was the crux of the matter wasn't it, because those feelings were like Schrodinger's cat right now, in a box, not one thing or the other.
If she kissed him now, or even if she asked him out on a date that would be an admission of feelings that might not be reciprocated and then, well then, she would have admitted to herself that she liked him as more than a friend and if he didn't? Then she'd have to eventually watch him fall in love and date someone else. Which was a possibility even if he did reciprocate those feelings and they dated. Maria would always be supportive were that to happen, would want him to be happy but it wouldn't make the ache in her chest any easier to bare.
If she didn't kiss him, if she locked away or dismissed these feelings as just one too many romance novels and the 'magic' of prom night after being stood up, well, then they stayed firmly where they were. In limbo. Unable to move to heartbreak or happiness.
"Maria-" Giles began. Maybe not a kiss, but now, now was the right time to ask her to dinner. All those other times had clearly not been right. This was it though, this was the moment. Just dinner, well a date, he'd make it clear it was a date so she didn't just think it was dinner like they had at the shop when he went over to rant or dinner when she brought doughnuts to the library and Buffy and everyone else ended up joining them. "Maria-"
"MARIA! GILES! HI!" Xander suddenly interrupted making them both jump and pull away awkwardly. "How are you? Tell us everything. Maria what are you doing here? Have you met Anya?"
Like I said I've a lot planned out for this. I'm so excited to keep writing. I'm having so much fun and also breaking my own heart at points too...
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