Chapter 3

Mandy, Willow, Portia, Alex, and Buffy separated themselves into two carts and drove the path to the party on the outskirts of the property. There were multiple tents set up on the grounds. One covered the food table, another over the bar area, one over the DJ's sound system, and many others over tables.

The girls parked the carts behind the DJ station tent next to the other three carts. They walked around the tent towards the party and were greeted by Dawn. She had her arms crossed over her chest and looked angry. "You're late."

Portia stepped forward. "Alex and I overslept. It was a very long flight. The others were kind enough to help him get ready so I could without making us any later. I'm sorry."

Dawn uncrossed her arms and sighed. "It's okay. I bet the time difference is wearing you all out. You are here now. That's what matters. Come on. Let's sit and get started." Dawn took Portia's hand and started dragging her to the table.

"I can't believe she took the fall for us," Mandy whispered to Willow.

"Alex is cute. Helps dispel the grumpy if it is focused on him," Buffy said, ruffling his hair. "Thanks for playing along, kiddo."

"You can thank me with your dessert." He ran off towards his mom.

"That little extortionist!" Buffy exclaimed.

Willow laughed. "More like his dad everyday."

No sooner than Buffy and the others sat down did Dawn and Jake stand up. Jake was tapping his spoon against his glass to get everyone's attention while Dawn had her arm tucked around his. Once the room was quiet, Jake spoke. "Hi, everyone. For those of you who don't know me, I am Jacob Vanderlyn and what are you doing at my wedding?!" The guests laughed. "This gorgeous woman next to me is my future wife, Dawn Summers." He paused while people applauded. "We are so grateful to have you with us tonight and for the rest of the week. I look forward to getting to know Dawn's family as I know she does mine. And we hope that you all get to know one another as our families are about to join in a few days.

"We do have a few outings coming up that we would love for you to all take part in. Tomorrow is planned as a city tour of historic downtown Charleston. I know most of you have never been here before so we hope to show off our beautiful town.

"Wednesday morning the bridal party has our last minute fittings so we can all look our best for the main event. That evening we invite you out on a dinner cruise. Information will be available tomorrow if you are interested in attending.

"Thursday we welcome you to roam free, as it were. We know that there may be things some would like to explore and others not, so this will be your free day to venture out.

"Friday will be the rehearsal and the following dinner. I understand this is a lot of information heading at you all at once, so my future missus has printed out an itinerary for those in need.

"Well, now I think that is enough of the talking. Let's have a great night getting to know and enjoy one another. Let's eat!"

Everyone applauded as Jake finished his speech and leaned over to kiss Dawn. She beamed at him brightly. Buffy couldn't think of a time her little sister had ever looked so happy. It brought tears to Buffy's eyes that she quickly wiped away before anyone could see.

Buffy sat at the main table with Dawn, Jake, his best man, Lance, Nessa, and Penny. There was one empty seat at the end and she wondered who it was for. The only people she knew were missing were Andrew, Giles, and Tony, and none of them were in the bridal party. Then again, neither was Penny. And not all of the bridal party was at the table with them. Mentally shaking her head, she decided to just let it go.

After most had finished eating, the mingling started. A couple people from Jake's family had come over and introduced themselves. Buffy politely smiled, shook their hands, and had light conversation. Most of it along the lines of, "Where are you from?" (Rome.) "What do you do?" (Teach self-defense.) She couldn't tell them the real job of training girls to be monster killers, so self-defense would have to do. None of Jake's family were aware of Slayers and Dawn wanted to keep it that way. She wanted it kept away from them so they would be safe. Buffy wanted to tell her that the best way for them to be safe is by being informed, because monsters don't care if you know or not. They were likely to kill you either way. But Dawn had been pretty adamant so Buffy let it go.

All the smiling and hand shaking and small talk was starting to get to Buffy. It was also just starting to get dark which always made her restless. Excusing herself from the small crowd, she started walking around the grounds. Not far from the tents was another small pond. There was a small bridge that crossed over the middle of it that had little white Christmas looking lights along the railings. Buffy walked to the middle of the bridge and leaned over the railing, looking out over the water and into the darkness.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there. She just stared off into the distance at nothing in particular, listening to the sounds around her. The crickets chirping, water rippling, music from 150 yards away or so. Then there was the sound of footsteps on the bridge coming up towards her. She didn't turn around to see who it was. Figured she wouldn't know them anyway. Most likely just another person looking for some peace. Then the visitor was next to her, holding out a glass of champagne. She looked at the glass and saw the glint of a familiar ring on his pinky. She took the glass silently and held it up. He clinked his glass against hers in a toast. She took a sip and finally looked up at him. His bright eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled at her. She couldn't help the one that crossed her face. She didn't realize how much she missed that smile until just now.

"Hello, Giles."

Giles would be the first to admit that he was nervous about this trip. He knew Buffy was going to be at Dawn's weeding. Of course she was! But the fact that he hadn't seen or spoken to her in two years was a tad daunting. Even all of their business was handled through Andrew. Giles was head of the Council and Buffy trained fighting techniques to the Slayers sent to her region. If ever their path's should connect, poor Andrew was usually caught in the middle. Thankfully it had only been required twice and not in over a year.

And now, here he was, in a car on his way to Dawn's dinner where he would be face to face with Buffy.

Their last meeting had not gone so well, to say the least. Tensions were already high as they were at the funeral of a dear friend. He had something he needed to discuss with her, but didn't think the time was appropriate. But, it managed to find its way up and out anyway which lead to a screaming fight in the alley behind the lodge where they were having the wake. Both of them had said harsh things and it caused a rift between them. One it looked unlikely to fix.

He wondered what her reaction would be to him. Would she even talk to him? Did she know he was coming? He briefly thought of not attending. Then realized he couldn't miss Dawn's wedding. He would never forgive himself if her did. More importantly, Dawn would never forgive him. They were still pretty close. They talked almost every Sunday and emailed back and forth.

"You guys will be staying at the inn," Christian, the driver, said to Giles and Andrew as they parked out front. "I can show you up to your rooms to change then drive you over to the dining area."

"Thank you, Christian," Giles said while exiting the car.

"Wow, Mr. Giles. Look at this place! It's so awesome." Andrew stared in wonderment.

"It's over 100 years old," Christian stated as he grabbed their bags from the trunk with Giles' help. "Mrs. Vanderlyn can give you the full history if you want. She knows way more about it than I do."

"I think I shall ask her. Thank you."

Giles and Andrew followed Christian up the stairs. "Second door on the right is yours, Mr. Giles and Mr. Wells is on the end left side. I will meet you downstairs in a few once you change." Christian carried Andrew's bag to his room before heading back to the car.

Five minutes later, both men had rejoined Christian and were headed towards the dinner. Giles had just stepped out of the car when he found himself with an armful of Dawn. "Oh my god, you are finally here! I don't even care right now that you are so extremely late that you missed Jake's speech and most of dinner! I'm just glad you are here!" She squeezed him tighter.

"We missed food?" Andrew asked, sadly.

Dawn released Giles and surprised Andrew with an enthusiastic hug also. "No, there is still food. But you better hurry."

Dawn took both Giles and Andrew by the hand and lead them to the food tent. Giles had just sat down when he was suddenly hugged from behind. Red hair fell into his face and he chuckled. "Hello, Willow." He stood and wrapped her in his arms. Soon Portia was also wrapped around him so he moved one arm to hold them both. He kissed them both on the tops of their heads. "Two beautiful women wrapped around me? Can't get better than that." Mandy walked up with a smile and offered a plate of cheesecake. "I stand corrected." He let go of Willow and Portia and hugged Mandy. She leaned to set the plate down and hugged him back.

"Hey," Andrew whined, walking up with three plates of food. "Where'd you get cheesecake?"

Mandy winked and walked back to her table. Giles laughed. "I shan't reveal my sources." They sat down.

Giles was just about to have a bite when he felt a light punch on his arm. He turned his head to see Alex standing there, smiling at him. "'Sup, Rupes?"

Giles raised his eyebrows. "Oh, wonderful. I see that little earworm isn't disappearing anytime soon."

Portia giggled. "I was going to remind him, but he already knew."

"Thank you for that," he responded dryly.

The next 15 minutes were spent eating and talking. Dawn brought Jake over to introduce the two. Giles was surprised when the young man gave him a hug. "You are practically my father-in-law, after all." Giles blushed.

Giles was talking with the couple when he caught his first glimpse of Buffy. He stopped mid-sentence as he watched her walk out into the growing darkness. Both Dawn and Jake turned to see what he was staring at. Dawn looked back at him. "She was shocked to hear you were coming. Don't you two talk?"

Giles looked to Dawn. He had never mentioned his fight with Buffy to her before. Apparently neither had Buffy. He opened his mouth to say something, he wasn't sure what, when Willow walked up offering him two glasses of champagne. She nodded her head in the direction Buffy had walked off. Taking the hint, he took both glasses and followed her. As he watched her on the bridge, he wondered if he would end up with champagne in his hair. When she looked up at him, he couldn't help but smile. He had missed her greatly. When she returned his smile, his breath caught in his chest.

"Hello, Giles."

"Hello, Buffy." They watched each other for a moment before both turning towards the water and leaning on the railing. They each sipped their drink. "You look lovely tonight," he said while looking at his hands.

"Thanks. You, too." They turned their heads towards one another. Buffy smiled and closed her eyes. "Handsome, I mean." She opened them. "You look very handsome."

He chuckled. "Why, thank you. Coming from you, I take that as a high compliment."

Buffy turned to lean her back against the railing. "It's nice of you to come. I know it means the world to Dawn."

"Of course I came." He turned to lean his side against the rail. "I wouldn't have missed this. Dawn is the closest I will get to having children of my own."

Buffy looked down. "I know what you mean," she muttered to herself.

"Pardon?"

She shook her head. "Nothing." She smiled sweetly at him. "So, did you and Bethany just get here?" Buffy had noticed earlier that Dawn never mention Giles' wife, Bethany, as being one to attend. She had been curious but couldn't bring herself to just ask.

It was Giles' turn to look at his feet. "Uh, no. Andrew and I got here about 20 minutes or so ago."

"Bethany didn't come with you?"

"No. She did not."

"Why not?"

Giles took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. He scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. "Probably because we aren't married anymore."

Buffy's eyes grew wide. "You got a divorce?"

Giles nodded. "About 18 months ago."

"What happened?" Giles started to talk but Buffy cut him off. "You know, it isn't my business. You don't have to tell me."

Giles pushed away from the railing and stood in front of her. "It used to be your business."

She wouldn't look at him. "That was a long time ago," she spoke softly.

Both stood in silence for a few moments. Giles decided to just tell her. "She had an affair."

Buffy lifted her head. "Oh. I'm- I'm sorry. That's terrible."

"With my secretary."

"Your secretary?!" she practically screamed.

"Mark."

"Oh." Giles smirked at the look on her face. "You know, it is usually the other way around. The boss and the secretary."

"Mark and I have nothing in common." Buffy giggled. "Except my wife, apparently."

She couldn't help but laugh. "I'm – I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed." She calmed down. "Sorry. Sorry." She swallowed and did her best to straighten her features, but Giles' lips twitched into an uncontrollable smile at her resistance and she chuckled again. She wiped at her eyes, thankful she went with waterproof mascara. "So I take it you fired him?"

"God, no! He was the most competent one I've ever had."

Buffy's mouth dropped open. "You dumped the wife but kept the secretary?!"

Giles smiled. "He's very good." They both laughed again. Once they had calmed back down, he said, "I've truly missed you, Buffy."

"I've missed you, too." Soon they were both in each others arms. Giles closed his eyes. It had been so long since he embraced his Slayer. And yes, she was still his Slayer. Even if he was no longer her Watcher.

"Buffy," he whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Giles-".

"I know it's going to take more than just those words to make it up to you. That is if I even can. But for now, these next few days, could we please just call a truce?"

"A truce?"

"At least until the wedding is over." He pulled back slightly to put his hand on her neck. "Please?"

She looked into his sad, pleading eyes. She missed the happy crinkles around them from earlier. She nodded and stepped back, holding up her glass once again. "Truce."

He smiled. "Truce." They clinked their glasses and finished off their drinks. He offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

She smiled and tucked her arm around his. "Let's shall."

"There you are!" Andrew exclaimed as Buffy and Giles entered the light of the tent. "I've already had two phone calls from Wesley and a voicemail from Mark." He said the name as if it tasted sour in his mouth. "Plus, Dawn is looking everywhere for you. And she seems just a teensy bit high strung. Hi, Buffy."

"Hi, Andrew."

"You look stunning as always."

"Thank you. You clean up rather nicely yourself."

"I got this new moose-".

"Andrew," Giles interrupted, "what did Wesley want?"

"I'm going to let you two talk shop and look for Dawn," Buffy interjected. "I'll see you both later." She winked at Giles and walked away.

"Bye, Buffy," Andrew called out.

"So," Willow said coming up to one side of Buffy while Portia stepped up to the other, "you and Giles looked friendly. All better now?"

"We called a truce."

"A truce?" Portia asked.

Willow made a face. "Why a truce? Why not just fix it?"

"It is going to take some time, Will. Don't worry. We'll get there. I hope."

"I hope, too," said Portia.

"What do we hope?" asked Mandy when the trio stopped in front of her.

"That Buffy and Giles will kiss and make up," Portia teased.

"Aww!" said both Willow and Amanda together.

Buffy giggled. "You guys are all seriously disturbed."

Dawn rushed to Buffy's side with a stern look on her face. "Are you and Giles fighting?"

"What?"

"You and Giles. Are you fighting? Because I have sat the two of you next to each other at, like, every function. I even put your rooms next to one another. But neither one of you seem to be aware of what is happening with the other and I don't want you guys making this an uncomfortable thing for everyone. I talk to both of you every week and neither one of you ask about the other. I just assumed it was because you got it straight from the source. So are you and Giles fighting or what?"

"Whoa whoa whoa." Jake placed his hands on Dawn's shoulders. "Calm down a tad, sweetie. Deep. Calming breath." Dawn closed her eyes and did as she was told. Buffy and Willow were more than impressed to see him calm the Dawn rage.

Dawn visibly relaxed and opened her eyes to look into Buffy's. "I'm just curious if I am going to have to rearrange seating to make things more comfortable. For you, of course."

Buffy raised a brow. For me? Right. "No, Dawn. You won't have to separate us. Giles and I are just fine."

"Are you sure?" Dawn asked with a hint of skepticism in her voice.

Giles was walking up behind Dawn. Buffy held out her hand. "Why don't you just ask him?"

"Ask me what?"

Dawn turned on him and he took an involuntary step back. "Are you two fighting?"

"Umm," Giles looked to Buffy, "not at the moment, no."

"Is putting the two of you together going to be a problem? Because I don't want a fight at my wedding."

"Our wedding."

"Our wedding." Dawn crossed her arms again.

He stepped to Dawn with a smile. He put his hands on her upper arms. "We are not fighting. We will not cause you any disruption at your special day. I swear it to you, my dear girl." He pulled her into a hug which she returned. He winked at Buffy, proud of his own ability to tame the beast. He pulled away. "Now, Andrew tells me you were searching for me?"

"Yes. Pictures."

"Pictures?"

"I want some."

Jake leaned in a softly said, "Rephrase, please."

"I would like to get some pictures with you."

Giles smiled. "I would like that as well."