WDWG - Chapter 27: Understanding

Giles stood defeated as his fiancé walked out the stable doors. There was no use following her, she wasn't ready to talk to him despite her declaration earlier to seek her out when he was ready. That, and she had gained a passionate bodyguard in the Irish wolfhound, who couldn't care less whether the Watcher had helped train him on occasion over the last couple years.

It was probably for the best. He hadn't been looking for her when he stumbled upon her and she knew it. He walked over to the chestnut gelding and rubbed his nose. "So, she'll talk to you then? Lucky bastard." The horse snorted and nodded his head, as if he understood. "Don't look at me like that. She started it!" Sighing in resignation, Giles admitted, "Yes, I know, I should know my Slayer better. Sometimes I don't know how I kept myself in check all those years. She can be so damn irritating!"

He pulled a small apple from his jacket pocket and fed it to his equine friend. "And as usual, I am going to have to smooth things over. Oh, I know, I got angry, but I had a right to be! One doesn't go changing wedding plans without talking to the other partner. What the hell?" The horse munched happily on his apple while the Watcher grimaced to himself. After a few minutes, he patted his companion on its strong neck. "You've been a great help, old chap," he said, rubbing the back of his neck in a gesture of acceptance, and, making sure the rest of the horses all had enough hay and water on his way out.

XxXxXxXx

Buffy entered the house and was abandoned by her shadow when he padded off down the hall to her right. 'Probably looking for food,' she mused as she watched him head towards the stairs leading down to the kitchen. Left on her own, she decided to explore an area of the manor she hadn't seen before. The wooden floor creaked beneath her feet every few steps and she grinned ruefully. So much for Slayer stealth. Perhaps she should have Giles give her pointers in how to navigate old houses without giving herself away. There must be a technique to it since she never heard William or Mary working, they just seemed to materialize out of nowhere when you needed them.

As she roamed through room after new room, attempting to distract herself from Giles' earlier behavior, she marveled at the beautiful paintings, the ornate carvings, and antique furniture. The nostalgic Slayer bit back a pang of home sickness. How her mom would have loved to be here, geeking out with her love of art and all. Stifling a sob, she smiled sadly and trailed her hand over an old wooden table in whichever room she found herself currently. It was at times like this, when Buffy had boy troubles ... man troubles ... oh hell, relationship troubles, that she missed her mom the most. Mom hugs, tubs of triple chocolate ice cream, man bashing, and chick flicks had healed many a heartache and frustration with the opposite sex.

She knew she was in the wrong, of course, railroading the conversation and changing plans on him, but her stoic Watcher usually just let her take the lead and improvise. Only this time, she wasn't fighting a big bad. They were just Buffy and Giles - a woman and a man - two halves of a whole with equal say in their relationship. It was something she needed to get used to. She had allowed previous boyfriends to take the lead, molding herself to an image of what they wanted her to be, not who she truly was. The thing with Spike had been born out of depression and desperation, and, in the end, she had lost, leaving him holding the power, hating it, and hating herself for it. Giles had always ceded the decision making to her, adding his advice when sought or when he felt a need to step in. She was the general, he her chief of staff, allowing her to take the reins and be both Buffy and the Slayer. But now their relationship had changed and he needed to be her equal, and she found she needed him to be as well. They were meant to be true partners.

Continuing her tour of the house, Buffy entered Sebastian's study. It wasn't ornate like some of the other rooms in the house, but very stately, like the man himself, decorated in rich greens, blues, and reds, and his desk and book shelves were made from strong English oak. The room was intimate and not as large as she would have assumed for a man of his station.

What grabbed Buffy's attention the most was that His Lordship surrounded himself with pictures of his family and that Giles figured prominently in several of them, including a couple of him graduating from Oxford placed in a dual frame attached with a hinge sitting on the desk. She picked the frame up to look at the photos more closely. The first one was of a Watcher-in-the-making shaking hands with his father, both men rigid and formal, like two men closing a business deal. The next was of a smug young scholar with his arm slung around his uncle's shoulders, grinning lazily into the camera while Sebastian smiled at his nephew, looking proud, almost triumphant. It was clear that their relationship was an easy one even back then.

Still holding the picture frame, Buffy peered at some of the other photos. A teenage Giles playing tea party with a very young Anna, Giles and Miri playing tennis, two dashing young men who could only be Sebastian and Thomas Giles wearing tweed, smoking, and drinking pints of ale in a pub, and a picture of Giles' mother placed on a bookshelf just behind the desk chair. The Slayer stopped for a moment to take a good look at the picture. The one in Giles' wallet had been black and white, but this one was in color, and she noticed that he had the same eye and hair color as his mother, only his locks were a little greyer now. Looking back at the pictures she was holding, she tried to find other physical similarities between mother and son but found none. He favored his father more, the high cheekbones and strong jaw line evidently passed through the Giles family, though it seemed that his height was passed down from the Greys, since he stood several inches taller than Thomas.

"Lost, my dear?" Sebastian asked, finding Buffy upon entering his office.

The young woman jumped. She had been so deep in her thoughts that she had blocked everything out and didn't hear the aristocrat arrive. Embarrassed, she set the picture frame back down on his desk and answered sheepishly, "Oh, uh, no ... just found my way here."

He picked up the picture frame and looked at the photos, his expression turning to one of sadness, "Thomas was my best friend growing up. There wasn't anything I wouldn't do for him." Sebastian took a deep breath and continued, "He ... he wasn't a bad man, Buffy. Love is a complicated thing, and Thomas loved his son very much. He just wanted to prepare Rupert for his destiny as a Watcher, for the possibility of having his own Slayer, which he knew from experience to be a rough life. My sister Lily, his wife, was there for him after Emma died, and when she passed away ... well, his world fell apart."

She shoved her hands into her jeans pockets and responded, "Yeah, Anna sort of filled me in on that."

Sebastian's lips tugged into a mock smile, and he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, a gesture she recognized from her Watcher. After a moment he added, "Not his biggest fan."

"Not really, no."

Shaking his head to dismiss the maudlin thoughts, the earl stated, "Enough of the past. Let's talk of the future." He gave her a pointed look before continuing, "Had a row with Ru over the wedding, did you?"

Buffy ducked her head looking sheepish, "Pretty obvious, huh?"

"Well, I had deduced that from the glare he gave you before I had to take that phone call. Why don't you tell me what the real plans for the wedding are?"

"So, you saw through all that?" Buffy asked, biting her lower lip.

Sebastian looked at her affectionately and folded his arms across his chest, "Buffy, need I remind you that I have raised a daughter and watched that boy grow into the man he is today?"

She lifted her eyes and caught his, gently correcting him, "And raised him to be the man he is today." She couldn't help but noticed the blush that rose over his neck and cheeks as he nodded his head in acknowledgement, before pressing on, "Ru's pretty upset with me, and he has every right to be. I totally hijacked the conversation and changed the wedding plans on him thinking it was the right thing to do. I mean, when we first discussed what we wanted, I just wanted to run off to Vegas before coming to England, but he didn't. He wanted the big old English whoop-de-do, but I blew it off. We finally compromised and decided on a small family wedding as soon as we could get it scheduled with his church, with the intention of having a larger reception later. That was before I knew he was this baron-thingy and you the Earl of Banbury. I think now that I was wrong and we should go with the traditional ceremony."

"Why?"

Buffy looked at him incredulously, "Why? Because you both have this background, this history to live up to. There are expectations based on ... on ... rank, or class, or whatever. Are you saying you don't think we should change our plans?"

"What I think regarding this matter isn't important. This is between my nephew and his beautiful fiancée." Sebastian said, taking her hand in his. "My role in Rupert's life has always been to support him in the decisions he makes and guide him when he needs my help. In this affair, I shall support whatever decision you two make, with the exception of running off to Las Vegas, although you should have done to avoid all this. However, should you both ask for my help, I will be happy to add my opinions to the mix, but until that time, I will remain neutral."

Buffy grinned and poked him teasingly in the chest, "Coward!"

"Until the very end! I've learned the hard way to never come between a Watcher and his Slayer!" The earl laughed as he dropped her hand and rubbed the spot she touched.

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yes. In that respect, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, my dear. Thomas had quite the temper when it came to defending his Slayer. I must say, that I quite enjoyed Quentin Travers' reaction to Ru choosing you over the Council. The little weasel came back ranting and raving in the hallways, disparaging your Watcher, and Thomas had quite the scuff up with him about it. It was quite amusing to see Quentin get a thrashing from his elder. Tommy could hold his own until the day he died."

"Quite the bad ass. Go Papa Giles!" Buffy said with an amused look on her face.

"Yes, quite. It wasn't the first time, either." Sebastian agreed, chuckling at the memory.

"Oh, do tell!" Buffy implored, giggling at the mental images that were being conjured up.

XxXxXxXx

Giles strode through the doors to the library expecting to find someone there and instead found the two wolfhounds curled up together on the leather sofa. Ivey jumped down guiltily and bounded over to him for some attention, but Seamus only raised his head to greet the Watcher and then lowered it again, seemingly off "Slayer duty" and not having a care in the world. Giles rolled his eyes and petted the two dogs before resuming his quest to find Buffy.

Just as he rounded the corner to head up the grand staircase, he heard the sound of laughter drifting down the hallway. He halted his progress and waited as it drew nearer to him, his heart soaring at the sound, loving the way Buffy laughed so openly. Soon his uncle's baritone chuckle joined hers and as they turned into the open foyer, Giles caught the sparkling eyes of his fiancée. He gave a half smile as she stopped giggling and tilted her head in his direction before facing her host.

The older man noticed the tension between the couple and announced, "Well, this is where I must leave you, my dear girl. I have some work to catch up on." Setting his intense gaze on his nephew, he continued, "Rupert, I am sure you can entertain your lovely bride-to-be for a couple hours before we leave for the pub?"

"Yes, Uncle," he acknowledged, looking only at Buffy as Sebastian passed her hand to him. He latched onto it like a lifeline and felt reassurance when she laced her fingers through his.

Once they entered their living room, Giles immediately started in on his apology, "I'm sorry, Buffy, I didn't mean to-"

"No, Ru," she interrupted softly, and focused on their hands for a moment. "It's my fault. I'm sorry. I don't blame you for being angry with me. I really kinda suck at the relationship thing. I just didn't want to disappoint your uncle with our wedding plans."

"Why would he be disappointed? I had every intention of inviting him and Anna, of course." He asked, bewildered.

Frustrated, Buffy let go of his hand and started to pace in front of the large window as she gathered her thoughts before trying to explain what had been going through her mind over the last twenty-four hours, "You've told me nothing of this world you live in. And oops, you just sort of forgot that you are related to nobility ... practically raised by a peer of the realm! You have this really super cool title and suddenly I am thrown into it all and expected to understand. Well, I was trying to do just that, and I get it now. I've watched you with Anna and Sebastian. I've ridden over the grounds and seen what it means to your uncle and cousin. I even see what it means to you. God, you are so at ease here, finally home, like you never were in Sunnydale." She noticed he was about to interrupt and held up her hand wanting to finish her thought. Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she lowered her voice to confess, "On top of this, I'm tired. Really bone tired, Giles. The war with the First, dealing with my sister and father, being separated from the gang, moving to a new country, the jet lag, meeting with new and previously unknown family members, Slayer thrums, and trying to wade through a fair amount of culture shock. It's a lot to process. So I am sorry if I wasn't able to talk to you about what I am feeling and that I had changed my mind concerning the wedding plans."

Giles looked at her, really looked at her. She was tired. How could she not be? She had been riding on adrenaline for so long. He was tired too, but she wasn't just physically drained, she was mentally and emotionally drained as well. What to him was a return to his sanctuary, a place to recharge, was to Buffy a whole new world of firsts and he hadn't exactly prepared her for it. As he moved towards her, his expression changed to one of concern, and he brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear so he could see her face, "We're both riding the edge of exhaustion, love. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to pick a fight with you this afternoon. And you are right, I should have been more forthcoming about my family's social status, but it doesn't define who I am, and I suppose it wasn't important enough to me to have mentioned it."

Wrapping her arms around his waist, Buffy pulled herself into an embrace and rested her head against his broad chest, "Are Anna and Sebastian important enough?"

"How do you mean?"

"You've never mentioned them before, well, except for Sebastian back at the hotel, but that's because I caught you on the phone with him."

"It's true we've only talked about my nuclear family, Buffy. I don't know why Anna and my uncle never came up in conversation." He thought for a moment, looking for a proper answer. She deserved that from him, "Perhaps because they've always represented a safe haven for me, something outside of the Watchers Council and destiny. I come here and I am ..." He couldn't find the right word.

"Normal." Buffy supplied in understanding.

"Yes. We were growing so close the year before you died, sharing our lives. Had we defeated Glory some other way..." Giles tilted his head back, trying to keep his voice calm. "Anyway, a-after you returned, we couldn't really find our footing around each other."

Buffy felt an incredible urge to fight. It was the Slayer instinct, geared towards protecting herself, and, outside of slaying, it always happened when she was tired. She wanted to yell at him, ask him how he thought it was that they would find solid ground when he just up and left. Twice. Once "for her own good," and once with Willow.

Removing herself from his arms, she walked over to the side table next to the couch and picked up an antique letter opener. She took a moment to inspect it and give herself some time to tamp down the impulse to rail into him. Silver and a bit tarnished. Three seconds. Just three seconds was all it took to look it over and identify the metal. Had she taken the time to look at the one on his desk back in Sunnydale, she would have found something else to kill that Fyarl demon with and in turn she would have killed Giles. Wincing, she shifted her focus over to him, his shoulders stooped and his head cocked to the side, inviting her to say something. Closing her eyes and taking a cleansing breath, Buffy remembered that he had apologized for leaving and she had accepted. Water under the bridge, time to move on.

"No, we couldn't." She agreed, and settled herself on the couch. "Why did you compromise what you wanted for the wedding?"

"How many weddings have you been to, Buffy?"

"Not many."

"And did you ever fantasize about yours?" He asked casually.

"Well, yeah, before I was Called. I mean what little girl doesn't? After that, I sorta accepted that it really wasn't a Slayer thing and kinda put it out of my mind."

"Did those fantasies ever include going to Las Vegas?"

"No. They always involved me and Cary Elwes either overlooking the Cliffs of Insanity or in a cute little church somewhere."

"Cary Elwes?" Giles asked in an amused tone.

"What? I was ten and, you know, swashbuckling Westley, the Dread Pirate Roberts?"

"Yes, I know. How many times did we all watch The Princess Bride together for our movie nights? Even Dawn had the entire movie memorized by age eleven." He teased with a half smile. "But, that's the point, you see: besides the identity of the groom, dashing though Cary Elwes may be, you had an idea of what you wanted for your wedding ... as did I. Only, I had been to countless weddings since I was a child, and while I never thought about marriage directly, I figured if it were to happen to me, then I would have wanted it to happen much like the ones I had witnessed, which is to say the traditional way. That, and I must admit that when we talked, I did feel a certain obligation to my father. But you reminded me that it isn't about what everyone else expects, it's about what we want." He paused and sat down beside her. "And those things haven't changed because we've flown across a continent and an ocean, Buffy, at least not for me."

Fidgeting with her hands, the bride-to-be countered, "I just don't want you to feel like you're giving something up, something you really want, and I didn't want your uncle upset with us. I handled it all wrong. Sorry."

Giles took one of her hands in his, declaring, "I'm not giving anything up. My God, I am marrying the woman I love above all else. If you think about it, the only compromise really, is in the size of the guest list. Otherwise, we still plan to hold it in a church, you are still going to wear a wedding gown, I'll be in an ascot and a morning coat, women will be wearing big hats, and we'll celebrate our nuptials with a reception out-of-doors."

She smiled and added, "In a tent in case of bad weather. It is England, after all."

"Just so." Giles said with some finality. "Now, how could Uncle Sebastian be upset just because we've trimmed the guest list?"

"He wasn't upset at all."

"I never figured he would be."

Buffy leaned into him to rest her head against his shoulder and put her arms around him. "You know, all this could have been avoided if you'd told me about the whole noble thing."

Running his fingers through her hair, the beleaguered fiancé snarked, "And so we come full circle. Yes, dear."

They sat there enjoying the peace between them for several minutes before Giles drew in a deep breath, "I do have something to discuss with you, Buffy." With that opening, he proceeded to tell her about his father's estate and the decision to turn it over to the council. When they were done, he noted the pensive look on his fiancée's face and asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that it's a great idea to separate the Council headquarters from the Academy and not just for security reasons. I'm also thinking that your sister would have approved and been very proud, Ru, and so would your father from what I've learned about him these last few days. Maybe we could call it the Thomas and Miranda Giles Academy for Watchers and Slayers."

"That ... would be quite the honor." Giles responded with a hitch in his voice. "But, what do you think, Buffy? We are partners in this. I won't sign anything without your support. My father would probably have held onto the property and leased it to the Council. I'm planning to sell it."

"I can't pretend to understand this. You are talking about getting rid of something that's been in your family for countless of generations and I can't remember all of my great-grandparent's names without making a huge genealogy project out of it. Then there's the fact that the only heirlooms I ever had were my grandmother's silver and china and my mother's jewelry, most of which I hocked to pay bills over the years and is currently sitting at the bottom of a crater several thousands of miles away."

"Well, that certainly puts things into perspective." Giles muttered, irritated with himself.

Buffy stroked his cheek and gave him a soft smile, admonishing, "I wasn't quite done yet, Watcher-mine. My point being that we do what we have to do. I can tell you that I am so proud of you! There is a huge need to reopen the Academy in this brave new world of ours. I owe it to these girls and their Watchers to get it right and I'm sure their new digs will more than meet their needs."

"Selling the estate is no hardship for me, love. There is no reason to be proud. The difficulty will prove in going back there. First, for the inventory and the clearing out of personal belongings. After that, it will be for overseeing the renovations that will need to be made to turn it into a school and training facility. And finally, the subsequent visits to the school itself in our roles as Senior Watcher and Slayer."

"Lesser men would keep it out of ego, family duty, or profit. Say what you will, but you're a great man, Rupert Giles! Yeah, it'll be hard to go back, but each visit will get easier, I swear." With that, she placed a gentle kiss on his lips to seal her promise to him.

He gratefully returned it as he ghosted his hand down her back before pulling her to him in a warm embrace. "I love you so very much, Buffy!"