Chapter 19: Triumph and Crumpets

The next morning, Dawn watched Buffy getting ready. The blonde was humming, smiling, occasionally doing some weird shimmy-step-drag thing with her feet. She was pretty much oblivious.

Dawn knew the first feelings of success, however, when she heard Buffy singing in the shower.

"Yesss!" Dawn whispered, dancing a little jig around the hotel room. Their room phone rang and she dove onto the bed, picking up the handset. "Hello?"

"Dawn, good morning," Giles said. "Feeling better?"

"Hey, Giles. Yeah, much much better." Dawn twirled the phone cord around her finger. "So, how did dinner go last night?"

"It was a wonderful evening. I'm sorry you weren't feeling well enough to go."

Dawn laughed and rolled onto her back, putting her foot in the air and wriggling her toes. "So what happened? Something great must've happened for Buffy to sing in the shower like that."

There was a brief pause before Giles said, "She's singing?"

"Yeah, she never sings in the shower unless she's in a really good mood." Dawn kicked up her other foot, comparing them side-by-side. "And that usually only happens if there was some kind of smooching going on."

Giles chuckled. "I'll meet you down in the café in thirty minutes."

"Aw, c'mon, Giles! Spill!"

"Ta for now."

Dawn rolled her eyes and hung up the phone just before Buffy came out of the bathroom, a towel around her body and another wrapped around her head. She stopped and eyed Dawn.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking at my feet."

Buffy just blinked a moment before rolling her eyes and collecting the small pile of clothes she'd set aside for today. Dawn dropped her feet and rolled to the side, landing them on the floor.

"I just got off the phone with Giles."

Buffy paused and turned, her eyes wide. "What did he want? Did he ask for me?"

"Nah, we just talked about me missing out on dinner last night, and he said he'd meet us for breakfast in the café in about a half hour."

"Oh," said Buffy, her posture deflating a little. "I better hurry, then."

Dawn grinned and finished packing while Buffy got dressed and ready to go.

Buffy was chewing her lip and staring blankly ahead as they walked from their room to the café downstairs. Dawn stole glances at her, keeping the giggles at bay as she watched her sister try to figure things out. When they arrived, Giles was already seated at a booth, waiting for them. He stood, smiling at them, when they got to the table.

"Good morning," he said, offering a side to Dawn. He looked to Buffy, who seemed troubled. He was immediately concerned and turned to Dawn. "We'll be just a moment."

Dawn just grinned and nodded. Giles escorted Buffy to a secluded spot. He faced her and planted a hand on the junction of her shoulder and neck.

"Buffy, what's troubling you?"

She looked up then, her twined hands relaxing a fraction. "We're okay, right?"

"I should think so. Have you changed your mind since last night?"

She shook her head. "No… Have you?"

He smiled down at her and cupped her face. "No, love. I haven't changed my mind."

She relaxed then, and a bright smile blossomed on her face. She stepped forward and they hugged, Giles running a hand down her hair to her back. She looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Good morning smooch?" He chuckled and complied with a polite peck on the lips. Buffy sighed and turned, half-hugging and walking with him back towards their booth. "We're going to have to figure out a plan where I get a more than a teaser-kiss. This slayer needs a little nookie."

A bark of laughter escaped Giles before he could contain it, but whatever he was going to say next was interrupted by their arrival to the table, where Dawn was sitting and staring at them. Her excitement could barely be contained.

"Yes, we're together now. No, you don't get to tease us about it –"

"Pfft, are you kidding? I'm the first one to know. I get to hold that over the Scoobies' heads until the Next Big Deal happens!" Dawn rolled her eyes and scooted out of the booth. "I'm going to go find a menu and please don't let me find you making out when I get back. I'd like to keep my appetite."

They shared a look and grinned as they slid back into the booth.

"You don't think she'll really lose her appetite, do you?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Dawn eats spaghetti while watching Traumaville movies. I think she'll be ok."

Giles lowered his head a fraction and issued her a slow, trailing kiss, ending it with a soft kiss on her neck. She trembled slightly and grinned as she snuggled into a comfortable position with him. "You sure found that button quickly."

"It's hardly the Shroud of Turin, Buffy."

"Well, you'd be surprised how much attention that spot never got," she muttered, grinning when Dawn returned to the table. "How's the menu look?"

Dawn sat down, dropping the open menu on the table. "They have crumpets. What the heck are crumpets?"

Giles opened his mouth to explain, probably with a couple of multi-syllabic words, when a woman squealed and dragged a man to their table.

"Oh, goodness, are you the couple who danced last night?"

Giles and Buffy exchanged a look before he replied, "Yes, madam. And you are -?"

"I was there! Oh my, it was such a beautiful thing to see! Why Richard and I were just talking about that this morning! Where did you take lessons? Some special dance studio, no doubt!"

"A-actually he knows all that stuff. I was just learning from him last night –" Buffy said, looking to Giles.

"Yes, I, uh, learned quite a bit when I was younger, but –"

"What dance?" Dawn said, getting looks from all of the adults. "You guys were dancing? Ugh, I miss everything."

"Oh, your mother and father did this beautiful little waltz, and then they amazed everyone with a tango! It was quite a night!" Buffy, Giles and Dawn all stared at her like she'd grown a second head.

The man, presumably Richard, leaned forward, grabbing on to the strange woman's shoulders. "Yes, it was lovely. Now let's let them enjoy a little breakfast. I'm sure they weren't expecting us to interrupt them this morning."

"It's quite alright. Thank you both," Giles said, waving as she was dragged away. Dawn and Buffy started laughing hard enough that tears formed. "It's been quite some time since I was complimented on my skills."

"I didn't know you could dance," Dawn said, wiping her cheeks. "Can you show me some moves?"

"I'm sure something could be arranged," he said, smiling.

"No wonder you were singing in the shower, Buffy. Being danced around all romantic and stuff."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "I wasn't singing in the shower."

"Liar."

"So what is a crumpet, anyways?" said Buffy, pulling the menu to her side of the table.

"A thick bread, cooked on a griddle. Usually served toasted with a bit of jam or butter." Giles smiled when they looked at him. "My mother liked syrup or honey on hers."

Dawn wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "No thanks. I'll take the fruity breakfast platter."

"If a waitress ever gets over here," Buffy muttered.

"Maybe she saw you guys making out and won't come back," said Dawn, grinning.

Buffy looked up at Giles with big eyes. "Do you think if we let Dawn see us make out, she'd go away and avoid coming back?"

"Ha. Ha. So funny," said Dawn. She yanked the menu back and started chattering about how glad she was to be going home, that she was excited to see her friends again and tell them all about the fun things she'd done on vacation.

Buffy was thinking the same thing. She couldn't wait to see the looks on the Scoobies' faces when they found out. Buffy grinned to herself and curled closer to Giles.