Short, but packs a punch. Kinda like Buffy.

Chapter 19

Lunch was awkward. Jake's side of the wedding party had been boisterous. They joked and laughed, generally having a good time. Buffy, Giles, and Willow, however, mostly sat in silence. Willow could physically sense the tension rolling off the other two. She had assumed as much would happen once Tony had arrived, but she had just hoped their relationship had not been completely lost because of it.

The group all rode over to where the ceremony was to be held in the garden. There were rows and rows of seats with a decorated aisle runner heading towards the make shift alter. There was a trellis arch wrapped in lights and magnolias that loomed over where Dawn would become Mrs. Vanderlyn.

"Oh my word, Dawnie! This is beautiful," Willow exclaimed.

"It's wrong," she breathed.

Willow and Buffy shared a look. "What's wrong?"

Dawn started up the aisle. "The lights on the arch. They're wrong!"

"Dawn," Jake warned.

She started gently pushing the flowers to the side to get a better look, hoping she missed something. She hadn't. "They are supposed to be pink. A pale pink. These are white. We can't have white lights with the magnolias! They will wash out!" She turned to Jake who was now walking up behind her. Her eyes were wide with desperation. "Jake! What are we going to do?!"

He put his hands on her cheeks. "Shhh." He kissed her and his hands went to her shoulders. "We will call the decorator. Ask her what happened. I will have mom call now. We will get her to come out tonight and change it."

"But... But what if she can't change it?"

Jake held her hands and shrugged. "Then she can't change it. It doesn't matter, Dawn."

She looked as if she had been slapped. She tried to pull away but he wouldn't let go. "Doesn't matter?! How can you say that?!"

Jake spoke with a steady calmness that impressed. "Because I am going to say 'I do' no matter what color the lights are. Aren't you?"

Dawn looked a bit embarrassed. "Of course I am," she mumbled.

"Then it doesn't matter, does it?"

Dawn pouted and looked down at their joined hands. "No, I guess not," she grumbled. She looked back up at him. "But you are still going to call and get them changed right?"

Jake chuckled. "Yes, dear."

Dawn sighed and smiled. "Good. Good." She kissed Jake. She turned back to the group. "Okay, guys, let's do this thing!"

Portia brought Alex and Ethan and Grace brought Maddie, who was to be the flower girl. Dawn arranged everyone in line as they would walk down the aisle. They spent the next hour trying to time their steps to get the timing just right. No one was safe from Dawn's command. Not Maddie. Not Alex. Not even Giles. First his stride was too long, then too slow. Too short, too fast. Dawn said she would just give him a tiny squeeze when it was time to take his steps with her. That seemed to work with them.

Even Jake was instructed and all he had to do was stand there. "Hands out of your pockets. Hold them in front of you. Stop scowling! Uncross your arms!"

There was a small sigh of relief from all when Penny told Dawn that she had gotten a hold of the decorator and she would be over within the hour. Dawn visibly relaxed and the rest of the rehearsal went smoothly. When the decorator arrived, Penny dismissed everyone until dinner. There was no point in making them all uncomfortable when Dawn let loose on her.

Buffy was about to climb onto the golf cart when she noticed Giles walking away. "I think I'm gonna walk," she told Willow.

Willow followed her friend's gaze. "Are you sure? He might want to be alone?"

Buffy hesitated. Perhaps Willow was right. Shaking her head she stepped back. "I need to talk to him. I'll see you at dinner."

Giles could feel her approaching before he heard her. He sighed, not sure if he welcomed it or not. On one hand, he liked being around her. On the other hand, he liked being around her too much. And now that Antony was here, he couldn't be around her they way he wanted to be.

As he heard her call to him, he slowed his pace but kept walking. They walked together silently for a few minutes. Buffy's fingers brushed against his hand. She hooked her pinky finger around his. He held firm. "I don't want to lose you again," Buffy spoke softly. Giles remained silent as they walked. "I had fun with you this week. Not just that, but hanging out with you. Just talking, laughing. I liked it."

"Me, too."

"It was kind of like before. I would like to go back to that."

Giles stopped but didn't let go. "I don't know if I can."

Buffy's heart dropped. "I don't want to be distant anymore. I missed you. You... you were one of my best friends, Giles."

"Friends," he breathed so quietly even her slayer hearing barely caught it. He didn't want to be friends. He wanted more. If he couldn't have more, he wanted less. It was easier to not talk to her, not see her at all, than it was to see her with that... that... pillock. He met her eyes. They were pleading for... something. Anything but the distance that had been between them the last couple years. Friends, he thought. Looking at her now he would do anything to see her smile. To wipe the anguish from her blues. "Friends," he said louder. He gave her a small smile of reassurance.

Her face lit up, but her eyes still seemed sad. Part of her had wanted him to argue with her. Beg her to be his. Would she? Would she leave Tony to be with Giles? A week ago she would have laughed at the idea. Laughed and called whoever insane. But now? Maybe she was the insane one. She had spent almost no time this last week thinking of Tony. When she did it was more out of necessity. But today, most of her thoughts had been of Giles, even when she was with Tony. She wondered what he was doing, what he was thinking, feeling. Last night she had almost said the words to him. He stopped her. Told her no, that it would be too hurtful to hear and let her go. She was sure he felt the same about her, too. He had said he wanted to say it as well. So why couldn't they just...

"Buffy!" The two jumped apart as Tony came jogging towards them. "Buffy, there you are. I was worried when you did not come back with Willow." He put an arm around her once he reached her. He gave her a sultry smile that she just couldn't bring herself to return. He looked up. "Giles," he greeted.

"Antony."

"I heard of the girls."

"Tony..."

"I am sorry for the loss. There is a girl in the hospital still, yes?"

Giles clenched his jaw before answering. "Yes, though I am told she will make a full recovery."

"Really?" Buffy said. She had not heard that news yet. "That's great."

"Buffy, amour, I would love to walk the grounds with you. You have time before dinner, right?"

Buffy looked to Giles, but he was looking at the ground with his hands in his pockets, nodding. "I'm heading back." He looked up over his shoulder then at Buffy. "See you at dinner." He started walking away.

"Giles?" she called out.

He turned around, but continued walking backwards. "You should take her horseback riding," he told Antony. "She loves that." He turned and quickly headed back to the inn.

Andrew was sitting on the stairs to the inn porch when Giles walked up. He was hunched over, elbows on his knees and looking at the ground. Once Giles got closer, Andrew raised his head to look at him. He moved over, inviting Giles to sit next to him. Andrew turned his phone over in his hands. "I got the call about an hour ago on Giselle's blood work."

"Is something wrong?" Andrew nodded, looking at his phone. "Why didn't you call me?"

"Because I knew you were with Buffy." Andrew turned his head to look at Giles. "I wasn't sure you would want to react in front of her."

Giles' eyes narrowed. "Andrew, what's wrong with Giselle?"

Andrew slowly shook his head. "Nothing is wrong with her. She's perfectly healthy." He looked down again. "Her and the baby."

"Ba..." Giles sighed. "She's pregnant." Andrew nodded. Giles ran his hand over his chin. He took off his glasses and rubbed his face. "Is it... Do we know if... it's his?"

"I don't know, but that's where my bet lies. Explains why he didn't want her checked out." Giles stood and began pacing. Andrew's eyes followed his steps. "Are you gonna tell Buffy?"

"Tell Buffy what, exactly? That her boyfriend may have knocked up one of his Slayers?" Giles huffed. "I knew he was trouble. I should have booted him two years ago. You remember how well that conversation with Buffy went."

"What do we do?"

"For now, nothing. We don't know for certain he is the father. This should be dealt with after the wedding. I'm not about to taint this event for anyone."

"Buffy is going to be mad is she finds out you knew and didn't tell her."

Giles finally stopped pacing and faced Andrew. "Thank you, Andrew. That's very helpful," he said sarcastically.

"Just being your little conscience, sir."

Giles half chuckled, half huffed. He spread his arms out. "Where have you been this whole trip?!"

Andrew looked Giles in the eyes, not smiling. "Watching you and Buffy fall in love." Giles dropped his arms. "I'm not stupid, Rupert." The rare use of his first name by Andrew meant this was a very serious discussion. "I've never seen the two of you like that. I mean, yeah, in high school there were rumors about you two getting horizontal, but I never really believed them."

"There were rumors I was sleeping with a student?!"

Andrew shrugged. "I guess one of the teachers had asked you out. Miss Donalds?" Giles shook his head. "That super hot French teacher."

"Miss... Daniels?"

"Yeah, Miss Daniels. Anyway, she had asked you out I guess and you had said no but then she saw you in the parking lot leaving with Buffy."

"Good lord," he groaned. He plopped back down on the stairs.

For a while they just sat. Neither saying a word to the other. Thinking through all the things that had transpired within the last few days. It was Andrew that eventually spoke first. "Now what?"

Giles looked at his watch. "Now we get ready for one of the most uncomfortable dinners of our lives."

"Really?" They both stood up. "You don't think that will be tomorrow?"

"Let's not jinx it."