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Chapter 15

Giles woke with a jolt as Christian turned onto the driveway to the inn. It took him a moment for his brain to remind him of where he was. He looked down at Buffy who now had her head in his lap. He ran his fingers through her hair. She turned into his touch. "Buffy, it's time to wake up." She growled at him. "We are back at the inn." She started to stretch then sat up. She looked blearily out the window. Giles couldn't help but smile at her crazy hair. He reached out a hand and smoothed it down.

She turned back at him with a smile as the car parked out in front of the inn. "Did you have fun?"

"I did. Thank you. Anywhere with you would have been nice, though."

"I wanted to do more. Go out to the beach and stuff. But I have to get ready for Dawn's bachelorette party."

"Ah, yes. Drinking, dancing, half naked men..."

"Only half naked?"

Christian opened their doors and they got out. He retrieved the bags from the trunk and handed them to Giles. "Enjoy yourselves?"

"Very much, Christian. Thank you." Buffy gave him a hug.

"Thank you. It was a very pleasant day indeed." Giles shook his hand.

"Any time, guys. It was fun. Have a nice night."

"You, too. And thanks again!" Buffy waved as he got back into the car and headed for the main house. "He's a good egg."

Giles chuckled. "Yes, he is." He turned to Buffy. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here with me tonight?" he asked suggestively.

"Oh god, I wish, but I have to do the Maid of Honor thing. Besides, aren't you going out with the guys?"

"Not that I am aware of."

"Well, you are part of the wedding party now, you know."

"Yes, but I doubt they want the old man hanging around."

"What? You don't want to go drinking and dancing, and see half naked women?"

Giles quirked a brow and smirked. "Only half naked?" Buffy lightly hit his arm and he chuckled. She turned and headed inside.

There was a knock on Buffy's door. She opened it to find Willow looking less than thrilled. "Are there going to be... you know?" Buffy cocked a brow at Willow. Willow rolled her eyes. "Let's just say I would rather be going with the boys, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, Will," Buffy giggled. "I'll keep all the one eyed snakes away from you." She winked at Willow.

"Comforting," she deadpanned. "So, there will be...?"

"Hmm?" Buffy turned. "Oh, I'm not sure, actually."

"You're not sure? As Maid of Honor didn't you plan this?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I mean, I tried, but Dawn ended up just taking the whole thing over. In short, no clue what's happening." Another knock sounded at Buffy's door. "Can you get that?" she asked Willow as she finished up getting ready.

Willow opened the door and Portia walked in. "Alright, let's get this thing going now," she huffed.

"What is with you two?" Buffy asked. "This is supposed to be a fun time out. Smile, dammit!"

"Did you ask her about the blokes?" Portia directed at Willow.

"She doesn't know."

"You, too?!"

Portia shrugged. "I'm just not sure I'm ready for... all that."

Willow put an arm around Portia and gave her a small squeeze. "If things get hairy, we can leave. I'm sure Dawn would understand." Portia shot a glare at Willow who winced. "Okay, maybe understand is a bit over reaching..."

Portia groaned and sat on Buffy's bed. She talked with Willow, asking about Amara and how she was liking camp. They made promises to try and get together more often so Amara and Alex could see one another. They were the closest to cousins they would get.

Buffy silently listened to the two girls talking about their kids. She felt jealous. She should have had her own little babies with her at this point. They would have been almost 2 months old by now. She wondered what she would have named her boys. Tears started prickling her eyes so she tried to think of other things. She had just applied her makeup after all. No use in messing it up now.

Her thoughts jumped to Tony and the last conversation they had that morning. She had tried to call him back after returning but she had been unable to get a hold of him. She even tried Giselle's number, but no one answered. Those thoughts then lead to ones about her fight with Giles at Xander's funeral. The harsh, hurtful words spoken in the alleyway outside. Could he have been right all this time?

"Buffy?" Willow placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder and she slightly startled, almost imperceptibly. "Are you alright? You looked zoned out there for a moment."

Buffy gave a sad smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just...thinking."

"About Giles or Tony?" Willow pushed a strand of hair behind Buffy's ear.

"Both, actually."

"Sounds like a party." Portia joined Buffy and Willow.

"You wanna talk about it?" Willow asked.

Buffy looked at the reflection in the mirror of herself with her two friends on either side of her. She wasn't even sure where to start anymore. Worse, she didn't know where it would end. "There was a... well, not really a problem, more like a situation, this morning. You know Giselle was hurt. Well, there was never a report filed on it and Wesley sent some people over to check on her. Tony was there and it got kind of heated."

"Is Giselle alright?" Portia asked.

"Yeah, she's fine. She got checked out and everything is good. It's just..." Buffy trailed off.

"What is it, Buff?"

She turned to look at Willow. "Well, if she's fine... why did Tony stay behind?"

"Oh. I don't know. Maybe with her Slayer healing she was hurt but okay now." Willow laid her head on Buffy's shoulder and looked at her through the reflection.

"Maybe," Buffy mumbled.

"Do you think there could be something else?" Portia asked her.

"I don't know," Buffy replied quietly. "Leesa and Kimber... they didn't even..." Buffy sighed. "They didn't know he stayed." Willow and Portia looked at one another in the mirror. Buffy caught the glance. "Yeah," she sighed, defeated, "that was what I thought, too." She had a small chuckle. "I can't even be mad about it if he is. Not when I'm with-," she cut herself off. She shook her head and turned from the two girls. "I should just stay in tonight."

"Oh, no you don't," Willow said. "It sounds like you need to have some fun. Get your mind off of things. I'm sure its nothing like you are thinking up in your head. There has to be a good, solid reason behind it. Besides, he'll be here soon. Once he is, all your fears and doubts will go away. Just you wait."

Buffy smiled, but it never reached her eyes. "Thanks, Will."

Giles was sitting on the porch swing with a book. A breeze had come through, cooling the thick, humid air to a tolerable temperature. The ceiling fan on the porch roof helped, too.

The sound of clanking heels against hardwood pulled his attention from his book. A smile crept across his face. The screen door opened and Portia walked out. She saw Giles and gave him a smile, which he returned and stood. "You ladies look lovely," he said as Willow and Buffy then filed out the door also.

"Why, thank you," Portia said and gave small curtsy.

"Where is Alex for the night?" Giles asked her.

"Oh, Penny offered to watch him. Actually, she insisted. I didn't feel I had much of a choice."

"It will be fun," Willow said, putting an arm around Portia. "We never get a chance to hang out together anymore." She extended an arm and wrapped Buffy in the other.

"Yes," Giles said with a hint of sadness. "We have all gone our own ways. Trying to find our own paths. I regret that our paths have lead us apart, but I cannot regret who you all have become. I'm proud of all of you."

"Awww," All three girls cooed. They moved in on Giles and wrapped around him, giggling.

"Yes, alright, alright," he chuckled.

"I wish I knew you all back then," Portia said, tucked under Giles' left arm. "That I knew... him." Giles kissed the top of her hair.

"Oh, god," Buffy groaned. "Could you imagine her and Anya together?"

"There would be blood," Willow added.

A car came crunching up the driveway. Once it was parked, Christian climbed out. He chuckled as he saw Giles crowded with the girls. "You are quite the ladies man, Rupert."

"Rupert," Buffy and Willow giggled.

"Ready to go, ladies?" Christian asked.

Willow squeezed Giles before letting go and walking off the porch. Portia followed. Buffy looked up at him sheepishly. "You look beautiful," Giles whispered.

"Thank you." She stepped back and followed her friends to the car.

"Be careful, girls!" Giles called out. Willow waved to him before getting into the car. Buffy winked before she shut the door.

"I'll be back in about half an hour," Christian said. "I'm just taking them up to the house. I'll be with you guys tonight."

Giles looked confused. "With us?"

"Yes, sir. For the bachelor party."

"Oh. I won't be attending."

Christian laughed. "Better tell Miss Dawn, then. She was very clear about the guest list."

Giles watched as Christian turned the car around and headed for the main house. Tell Dawn no? Looked like he was going out after all.

"A bar crawl?" Willow asked. "Like, going from bar to bar?"

"That's generally what a bar crawl is, yeah," Portia whispered.

"So... no things?" Willow whispered back.

Portia and Buffy laughed out loud. "No things, Will."

"What's funny?" Dawn asked.

"Nothing," Buffy said, shifting in her seat.

The girls were gathered in a limousine, heading towards downtown Charleston. Among Willow, Portia, and Buffy were Dawn and Nessa. Amanda was originally meant to come as well, but she stayed behind to watch over Alex. She knew how nervous Portia was about leaving him with strangers. Not that she didn't trust Penny, but Portia knew just as well as the rest what lurked in the night and wasn't one to take chances.

"But first, food, right?" Nessa asked

"Oh, yeah. Definitely food first," Dawn added. She smiled at Buffy and Willow. "Wait til you see this place."

15 minutes later the limo pulled up in front of what Buffy could only describe as a castle. The girls climbed out of the car and stared up at the building. "Oh my," Willow breathed.

Dawn linked her arm with Buffy's. "It's called California Dreaming." Buffy looked at her sister and smiled. "Come on!" Dawn cried and pulled her sister up the steps leading to the stone castle.

"King Street Cabaret," Giles spoke. "I'm guessing it isn't a cigar bar."

"Not exactly," Jake said giving his best man Lance, a sidelong glance.

Lance smiled widely. "Well, you know what they say. Sometimes a cigar is more than a cigar."

Giles could see Andrew roll his eyes from the corner of his eye as Lance laughed. They were in their own limo, already drinking. The group consisted of Jake, Lance, the two groomsmen, Eric and Bryce, Giles, and Andrew. Andrew was just as surprised as Giles was that they were invited. Invited? More like instructed.

"Lance, man, I told you, Dawn said no," Jake tried pleading to his friend.

"Psh, what Dawn doesn't know won't kill her."

Giles and Andrew looked to one another.

Jake chuckled. "She is going to find out," he said in a sing song voice. "She always does."

Lance put his face right in front of Jake's. "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't want to go."

"I. Don't. Want. To. Go."

Lance huffed and sat back in his seat. "Already whipped."

"Happy. The word you want is happy."

"It's a bachelor party, man! I tell you, she expects this. She knows. Now," he reached into the mini bar and grabbed a champagne bottle, "have a drink and relax. Enjoy your last complete night of freedom." He held the drink out.

Jake eyed it then his friend. He rolled his eyes and took the drink. "Okay, fine."

"Now we're partying!"