Chapter 23

"Oh... dear... lord..." Giles groaned as he squinted his eyes against the throbbing pain in his head. He stretched and turned and fell to the floor. "Oof!"

"You alright?" a voice called out.

Giles tried to open his eyes against the blinding daylight and see who was talking to him. A blurry figure waved something back and forth at him. "Oh, super. I've gone blind." He dropped his head back to the floor. He could feel the floor slightly vibrating as something walked towards him. He looked back up again.

Christian slid Giles' glasses on to his face. "Better?"

Giles still squinted up at the young man, head pounding. Giles groaned as he pulled himself up into a sitting position, resting is back against the couch. He took his glasses back off and pinched the bridge of his nose. Memories of last night flooded his head, beginning with seeing Antony on the porch with Buffy that morning to drinking himself into a stupor at Christian's over her engagement. He put his glasses back on and looked to his left. Christian was in the kitchen at the stove, cooking something.

He stood on unsturdy legs and wobbled to the kitchen. Christian smiled and pointed to the dining table behind him. "Some asprin and water on the table there for ya. Coffee in the pot."

Giles grunted his appreciation. He flopped into the chair and picked up the pills. He drank them down with the whole glass of water. He laid his head on the table. "Am I having a stroke or is there toast?" he mumbled.

Christian chuckled. He grabbed a plate off the counter and placed it next to Giles. "Butter in the dish. Jam in the fridge." Giles made another grunting noise Christian interpreted as a thanks. "Are you gonna be alright?"

"I'm not as young as I used to be."

"No shit. Who is?" He slid the last pancake onto a plate and placed it in front of Giles. He turned back and grabbed two more from the counter. One had his own pancakes and the other was full of bacon. "Have some grease. It's good for you. Helps keep everything lubed."

Giles chuckled only to squeeze his eyes shut against the headache again. "Oh, if I don't straighten up, Dawn will have my head. Then again, maybe she can have it."

"No worries. I'll have you feeling fit as a fiddle." He pushed the bacon plate closer to Giles. "Greasy breakfast will help. Let me get you some more water." He took the glass and walked over to the sink, refilling it. He put it back down and sat in his seat.

"Thank you, Christian. It's all very appreciated."

Christian smirk. "See? Feeling better already used a word with 5 syllables!"

Giles noticed his jacket hanging on the back of the chair next to him. He reached into the pocket and pulled his phone out. He stared at the screen. "Hmm."

"What's wrong?"

"Apparently... nothing."

Christian finished chewing his food and swallowed. "Huh?"

"Oh, umm, one missed call. And its from Willow. That's it. Not even a text thing from Andrew." He set the phone on the table next to him.

"That's a good thing though, isn't it?"

Giles ate a bite of his pancake before answering. "Silence from Andrew is never a good sign. He's a worrier. And after last nights... events, he would have called to make sure I hadn't done anything rash. Especially if I never went back to the room."

"Girls must have told him you were with me." He drank from his coffee mug.

Giles decided coffee made for a good wake up call since he doubted there was any tea. He went over to the coffee pot and started pouring some. "Yes, but Andrew is what you would call the jealous type."

"Oh," Christian nodded. "Oh! Wait... what? You two aren't... no."

"What?" Giles asked, genuinely confused.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

Giles quirked a brow but shook it off and sat down with his cup of black coffee. "I would have at least expected to hear from Wesley by now."

"Mmm," Christian hummed as he drank from his mug. They sat in silence for the next few minutes finishing their breakfast. Every now and then Christian would look up and eye Giles before looking away so he wasn't noticed. "So, how much do you remember of last night anyway?"

Giles groaned. "The worst parts."

Christian nodded. "So, no really memory after the drinking started, huh?" Giles shook his head and picked up his coffee. "Okay, I have a question for you then."

Giles brought the mug to his lips. "Hmm?"

"What's a Slayer?"

Giles choked.

Buffy's eyes felt heavy. Even after her talk with Willow and Mandy last night, Buffy cried herself to sleep. Her eyes were still puffy. She groaned and rolled over, pulling the blankets up over her head. She wished she could just stay under there forever. Why bother getting up? What did she have? She just dumped her boyfriend, she now had no place of her own to go to, she ran Giles off, and her sister was about to marry.

Buffy sat up with a jolt.

Dawn's getting married today!

She quickly jumped out of bed and started gathering everything she would need. The girls were all to meet downstairs for breakfast and mimosas before the hair and make up people showed up. Dawn had someone pick up the dresses yesterday, so Buffy didn't have to worry about that at least. Not that Dawn really let her worry about anything anyway. She did enough of that for everybody.

Buffy paused and plopped down onto her bed. She had been a horrible Maid of Honor. Of course Dawn was stressed. Of course she wanted everything to be perfect. And just because of some slight resistance, Buffy had let her. She felt she should have forced Dawn to take a step back. To breathe. This was supposed to be a fun experience for her and it wasn't. Granted there wasn't much Buffy could do from Rome, but that made it all the worse. She should have been here more for her sister. Buffy sighed. It was a little late in the game now, but Buffy was determined to help make it up to Dawn. She would Maid the hell out of that Honor!

But first, coffee.

Buffy called the main house and was surprised to hear Dawn was still sleeping. She arranged for Dawn to get a light breakfast in bed. Dawn was a nervous eater and Buffy knew that she would be snacking all day long, so it was best not to fill her too full like a pinata. At Penny's recommendation, Buffy found someone to go to the house and give Dawn a calming, professional mani and pedi.

Downstairs she noticed no one else was up yet either. But, then again, Buffy had awoken pretty early. Ha! She wasn't going to be the one last for once. She checked in the kitchen on breakfast. The staff greeted her warmly and gave her a fresh cup of coffee. She apologized for all the late night ice cream sessions, at which point one guy said, "Ha! Told you it wasn't me!"

Willow and Mandy came downstairs to find breakfast all set up and even some light music playing. From the sitting room. Sharing a look they walked away from the dining room to investigate. There they saw Buffy helping a lady lay out a cloth on the table. "Hey, Buff," Willow greeted. "What's going on?"

Buffy smiled at them. "Hey, guys! This is Linda." The other lady smiled and waved. "She's the make up lady. Karla should be here soon. She does hair. Oh! And Juan Carlos the photographer. I think he is actually out in the gardens already. Do you know if Portia is up yet?"

"Um, yeah. I heard her and Alex arguing this morning," Mandy stated. "Apparently he showered two days ago and doesn't know why he has to again."

Buffy giggled. The sound of the door opening had Buffy moving around the two women. She greeted Penny and Nessa as they entered. Nessa looked annoyed, though Buffy was starting to think that was just her face. "How come Dawn gets to stay in bed and get her nails done?" she carped.

"Cuz, as we all know, she's the bride. She deserves a little pampering." Buffy ushered them into the dining area. "Let's have some breakfast, ladies!"

Christian climbed up the back steps of the porch to the main house, about to enter the kitchen. Giles stood in the yard still. "I'm going to walk back to the inn."

Christian paused with the door open. "Guys are supposed to meet for breakfast."

Giles smirked. "We already ate. Plus, I am in need of a shower and a toothbrush."

Christian waved through the door. "Quick hello first. Can't insult the groom." He gave a desperate grin. Giles quirked a brow. "Can't insult the bride...?" he tried.

Giles sighed. He really didn't want an audience with anyone after last night. And especially since he assumed Antony would be there also. Being new to the family, and all. He climbed the stairs, defeated. Christian clapped him on the back as he walked through the door.

"Rupert!" Jake stood from the table and walked up to the man, giving him a hug. "Glad you could join us! Come. Sit. Eat. Enjoy."

Bryce waved a hello and Eric nodded his head in a silent greeting. Giles had hardly heard them say anything. Ever. Then again, Lance talked enough for everyone. As he was doing now. "Dude was seriously outta step. Dawn had ever right to be pissed."

"Lance, shut up," Jake ground.

"I'm just saying, man."

"And you've been saying it. All morning." Jake turned back to Giles. "Sorry. He should be done now."

"No worries," Giles lied. He expected he would be hearing about last night's events all day. That was when he noticed the 'dude' in question was not present. "Is... Antony," the name coming out more bitter than usual, "not joining us this morning?"

Lance snorted. "See? Even he doesn't like him."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Just wedding party." A throat cleared. "And Christian."

"I'm not in the wedding party."

"You are acting father of the bride. Of course you are in the wedding party!"

Giles smiled. "As honored as I am, I need to freshen up. I, uh, didn't get home last night."

Lance grinned. "Whose the lucky lady?"

"Christian."

Everyone turned their gaze to him. "Hello," Christian said with a smile and a wave.

Lance gave a nervous chuckle, looking between the two. His smirk slipping on and off, not knowing what to believe. Jake placed a hand on Giles' shoulder and gently started leading him into the kitchen. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Giles sighed. "A shower will do me well."

Jake nodded. "Alright. Umm, just so you know, the girls are all there getting ready."

Giles nodded. "What time would you like me back here?"

"We will most likely head up to the library on the third floor in an hour. That's where we will be getting ready. After that, we are getting the photos taken. I'd love to have you in some of the photos with us...?" He posed it as an open question.

"I would love to, yes. So I shall see you in about an hour?" Jake nodded. Giles said his goodbye and walked out the house. He stood in the yard, soaking up the warm summer sun. Placing his hands in his pockets, he started the walk back to the inn through the gardens, wondering what fresh hell awaited him there.

"So he's gone?!" Nessa gawked. Buffy nodded her head. "But... like... what?!"

Portia touched a hand to Buffy's forearm. "Are you okay?"

"Surprisingly... yes. Almost four years together and... You know, it just needed to be this way." Buffy swirled her mimosa in her flute glass. "Of course, I still have to go back and get whatever he hasn't tossed out or trashed. Or worse, pack up everything. But, you know, I've been meaning to declutter." The sound of the screen door screeching open caught her attention. "Oh, that's probably the dresses. Just a sec." Buffy left her glass on the table and jogged to the entry way. She paused at the sight starting up the stairs. "Giles?"

He paused and slightly hung his head, but didn't turn around. "Good morning," he spoke over his shoulder.

Buffy climbed a couple up steps up behind him. "I was looking for you last night."

"I assumed you were rather busy last night."

"I need to talk to you."

The screen door opened again and Buffy turned to see a woman carrying in the dresses and Karla right behind her. "Where would you like us?" Karla asked.

"Umm," Buffy turned back to Giles but he was already disappearing around the corner towards his room. She gave the two ladies a smile and stepped down to meet them. "Right in here will do."

Giles stepped out of his shower. He quickly towel dried and wrapped it around his waist. He opened the door and walked into the bedroom. He jumped, startled to find someone sitting on his bed. "Buffy, what are you doing in here?!"

"I told you I needed to talk to you."

"How did you even get in here?"

Buffy tilted her head and cocked a brow. "Really?" Giles glanced at his door, the knob limply hanging off of it. Sighing, he turned to his dresser to search for the few things he unpacked. "Why didn't you tell me Giselle was pregnant?" He paused, closing his eyes, but with his back to her, she couldn't see. "Better question, why didn't you tell me who the father was?"

Giles leaned against the dresser. "Do you really need to ask? After our last fight?"

"Giles, this is different!"

"You're right!" He faced her. "This time it's worse!" He looked down and shook his head. "Buffy, I had... have no proof. And considering the nature of our – our – relationship this week, I thought... perhaps..."

Buffy stood from the bed and walked closer to him. "You thought I would accuse you of lying?" Giles looked her in the eye, but didn't say anything. He didn't need to. Buffy knew what he was thinking. "Andrew told me. Last night."

"And you believed him?"

"I didn't want to, but I knew. I confronted... Antony." Giles smirked at her use of his name. "He confirmed it."

"I'm sorry, Buffy. Truly. I wouldn't have wanted any of this for you."

Buffy nodded. She held his gaze. He started to reach out to touch her face until he realized he had no right. He dropped his hand and turned back to his dresser. "I never said yes."

"Yes to what?"

Buffy touched his back between his shoulders. "When he asked. I didn't say yes." Giles turned, mouth slightly gaped. Buffy grimaced. "At the time I hadn't said no, though, either. But I wanted to! I told him I needed time. I needed to figure out what to say without an audience. Then Andrew told me and, well..." Buffy looked down. "Long story short, he's gone."

Buffy turned away and put a few steps distance between them. Giles watched her as she crossed her arms and basically held herself. He was ashamed to admit that he was happy. While he never would have done anything to break the two of them up for his own personal gain, he was glad Antony was out of the picture. However, he didn't dare to think of any future with Buffy. Not yet, anyway. She had just broken up with her boyfriend of nearly 4 years. They almost had children together. That wasn't something one just accepted and moved on from.

"Okay," Buffy whispered, "now the hard part of the conversation." Buffy sat on the bed and looked up at him with sad eyes. His heart sank. "Okay, I'm gonna start with my surgery." She took a deep breath. "When I had my D&C with the twins, there were... complications." Giles sat next to her on the bed. "I ended up getting a hysterectomy. No more babies for Buffy." Giles took one of her hands in his. "God, Giles this is so embarrassing."

Giles furrowed his brow. "What's embarrassing?"

Buffy gently took back her hand and covered her face. "Ugh, okay." She dropped them into her lap again. "Giles, I haven't had to worry about condoms for a year and I just found out my boyfriend has been cheating on me probably since the beginning and obviously not very carefully if he managed to get someone pregnant." Giles just stared at her, blinking. After a moment, he turned his gaze forward, staring at the wall. Buffy tried patiently waiting, but after two minutes of no response, she prodded. "Giles?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry."

"Oh."

Buffy waited some more, but again, there was no more. "Is that all? 'Oh'?"

"I'm... not sure what else to say."

"Oh."

Once again they sat in a now uncomfortable silence. "Buffy?"

"Yes?" she asked eagerly.

"I have to get dressed. Jacob wants photographs done."

"Oh. Yeah. Of course." She stood from the bed. She turned in a quick circle, suddenly unsure of herself. "I gotta get ready, too. Dawn should be here by now." She walked over to the door and grabbed the knob. It came off in her hand. "Oh, right. Well, there's that." She set it on the dresser. "I'll just... yeah." She started to walk out and turned back. "See you later?"

Giles smirked. "I am going to the wedding."

"Right. Of course you are. Right. Okay. Well... bye." She started to walk away then turned back. She gave him a nervous smile as she reached to pull the door closed, the other knob easily coming out as well. She tossed it onto his bed and quickly shut the door. She stopped at the top of the stairs. She closed her eyes and banged her forehead against the wall. "Could that have gone any worse?"