Origins Chapt 11: Homecoming
It would be one week, two days, four hours and twenty seven minutes before Willow agreed to a binding spell and a trip to a coven in Devon where some friends of Giles could help her with her addiction. Tara agreed to go with her, but it was also agreed she would not stay on grounds to avoid temptation or lack of focus for Willow.
Giles helped Buffy find and remove all traces of bespelled products in her home, in the shop... anything she had to use that could possibly affect her appearance. Willow had not only "drugged" the bath oils and lotions, she'd tampered with Buffy's make-up, hair products, hand soap, everything.
"She could've hurt you rather than help, but did she think of that? And what of the effects on others? What of Dawn or Tara or-or-or-"
"Easy, Watcherman, she's gone now." Buffy sighed and sank onto her bed. "She's not going to do it again."
"You could've been horribly disfigured, Buffy. This is volatile, the magicks she toyed with." Giles sat next to her, looking down at his hands. He removed his glasses and began slowly cleaning them. "Not to mention I'm rather upset with myself."
"There's no way you could guess what she was up to, Giles, it's okay, re-"
"NO-" he paused, took a breath, "It's not that. I... was rather glad to know you weren't scarred. Now I see it was nothing more than misguided deception." He slowly raised his eyes, meeting her confused stare. "I'm afraid I was relieved when I should have been aware, Buffy." He looked down to his glasses again.
"It's not a big deal. I was fine with it in the hospital. I'm fine with it now. It was necessary to survive. They're not even that bad. I bet no one will even notice the difference unless they've been out of touch for longer than a year." Her hand landed in his line of sight, stilling his steady scrubbing of those already-clean lenses. "I'm more worried about how to deal with Dawn now. I think we... I think we all need to sit down and talk."
He sighed and closed his eyes. At his small nod, Buffy released his hand and leaned until her temple rested on his shoulder. He hesitated only a moment before wrapping an arm around her, giving a gentle squeeze to her arm.
Dawn turned from the doorway and crept down the hallway back to her room.
Buffy squared her shoulders and issued a soft knock to Dawn's door.
"Yeah."
"Dinner's ready."
"Ok, be down in a sec."
Buffy sighed and nodded. "'Kay."
Giles and Buffy were sitting at the table, laughing softly when Dawn neared the bottom of the stairs. She slowed to a stop, peeking around the corner.
"She had chocolate all over her face and swore she hadn't had any cake yet."
Giles covered his mouth, trying to laugh quietly, and a small snort escaped... which of course, sent Buffy into a fit of laughter herself.
Dawn grinned and stepped into view, an eyebrow quirked as she grabbed one of the chairs. "Mom couldn't find the camera, so there's no proof of your claims." She sat, smiling at Buffy and Giles.
"Yeah, except she used that excuse to take pictures of every single thing you did after," Buffy said, grinning and reaching for her drink.
"I was just that cute."
"You were just that much of a trouble-maker," Buffy retorted flatly.
Dawn stuck her tongue out and reached for her fork. "So, I've been thinking about this whole monk deal."
A clank across the table. Buffy blushed, picking her fork back up, putting it down again. "Oh... ok... what have you been thinking?"
"I figure as long as I don't have to call you 'mom' -" Dawn looked to Giles, "-and you 'dad', I think I'll be alright. It's not like it'll change the way things already are."
Giles and Buffy exchanged a small look, then Giles cleared his throat, took a sip of wine. "Would you be upset if I moved in?"
"No." Dawn took a bite of veggies and scrunched her nose. "As long as you learn where the salt shaker is."
"Dawn."
"What? It's bland."
Buffy took a bite and barely managed to hide her reaction. "Whether it's bland or not, you shouldn't be rude. He didn't have to cook for us."
Giles chuckled and passed the shaker to Dawn. "I'd rather not salt it to my tastes, as it is always better to have too little than to have too much." He winked at Buffy as she reached for the shaker as well.
A light knock sounded on the front door a moment before it opened, a male voice calling out. "Hello? Anyone home?"
Buffy was halfway between the table and the entrance to the dining room when the owner of the voice appeared. "Buffy? What - Dawn? Where's Joyce? And who is that?"
Dawn moved closer to Buffy as Giles stood behind them. Before he could say anything, however, Buffy stepped forward and slapped the middle-aged man with little held back. His hand held his cheek, pulling back only once to make sure there wasn't any blood.
The room was eerily silent, the only noise was the rustle of breathing coming from everyone. Hank Summer's a little heavier, mostly due to the shock, Buffy's because she was holding back as much as possible.
"That's quite a homecoming," Hank said quietly, his face hard and tight.
"It could've been worse. You could be knocked out cold on your back if I wanted it," Buffy replied.
"When did I become public enemy number one around here?"
Buffy lifted her chin, fighting all of the emotions swarming her. Dawn looked from her sister to her would-be father and back again. "Maybe," she said, with wavering voice, "maybe it was when you decided not to come help us when Mom died."
The shock that registered on his face was the only thing that kept Hank Summers safe from the wrath of the two trained fighters in the room.