the_huffster | Family Portrait: Chapter 3

Title: Family Portrait
Author: the_huffster
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: R for language and violence
Timeline: Post-Chosen, AU (slightly)
Synopsis: After the events of Chosen, Giles and Buffy have finally become a functioning family. But when Giles' past catches up with him, will Giles and Buffy rise above it or will their family be damaged beyond repair?

"Did you find anything about Dad's mystery friend?" Dakota jumped up on the counter, his right elbow coming to rest on top of the cash register.

"No, I didn't." Brennan replied, glaring at his brother. "You know you can't sit up here, Kota."

"Who's gonna stop me?"

"Get your half-English ass off my counter," the sound of the slight Texan accent caused the blue-eyed 16 year old to jump to the floor, a few stacked books falling next to his feet. "You're pickin' that up."

Dakota grumbled as he picked up the books, placing them back on the counter. The owner of the voice gave Dakota his infamous cowboy smile as he walked over to the bookcase to the right of the register, putting away a small stack of books he held.

"Ryan, do you want me to put these demonology books upstairs?" Cyrus asked as he walked out of the inventory room, holding up a pile of leather bound books.

"Just leave them back there," Ryan answered as he finished shelving the books. "Some of those are the Boss-man's books."

"You know Dad hates that name, right?" Brennan chuckled as he looked at his employer.

"Yeah, but it's also true." Ryan grinned, combing his fingers through his sandy blonde hair. "If he wanted me to stop calling him that, then he shoulda fired me once I graduated from Klein. Or he shouldn't have signed me on as partner of the book store,"

"Yeah but..." Brennan began, only to be cut off by a brunette.

"He has a point, Watcher." She smiled as she sat at the table in the middle of the store, starting up her laptop. "And you know Giles secretly enjoys being annoyed by him."

"Thanks, babe." Ryan winked at his fiancée.

"Yeah, thanks for encouraging him Sarah." The twins muttered.

Ryan and Sarah had known the twins' parents since they were sophomores at the high school, starting out by working at the bookstore Giles had started to keep himself busy. Within the next five years, the two had found themselves involved in the world of the Watcher and Slayer. And six years after that, they were heading off what Buffy had dubbed 'the Junior Scoobies'.

"What are we thanking Sarah for?" Cyrus wondered as he hopped up on the table next to her.

"Inflating Ryan's ego," Dakota answered.

"Anyways...how am I suppose to find out who this guy is, Dakota?" his twin asked, bringing the conversation back on topic. "And why do I have to do it?"

"You're the one who wants to be a Watcher...hop to the research,"

Ryan, Sarah and Cyrus all shared a look, knowing better than to get involved in any Giles family business; unless they were brought into it by one of the family members. So the three of them set about doing their previous tasks, letting the twins discuss whatever it was that was going on.

"There's no last name or distinguishing feature about this guy that would make this any easier. And Dad keeps that book hidden, so it's not like we can even read the inscription...you're probably making a bigger deal than it needs to be, Kota." Brennan sighed as he leaned on the counter, his fingers tapping against the wooden surface.

Dakota opened his mouth to argue, only to close it when he realized his brother had a point. Giving Brennan a look, they both came to the conclusion that they would keep a close eye on their father and if things seem to get out of hand, they would both resort to their inner-Scoobies.

"Not that I'm trying to get involved in anything, but I thought you didn't care much for Giles?" Cyrus asked as he walked over to the register, looking at his best friends.

"Just because I don't like my dad doesn't mean I can't worry about certain things," the dark haired Giles answered, running his fingers through his hair. "Besides, he's obviously keeping secrets again. And if those secrets put the rest of us in danger, someone has to care enough to protect us since he doesn't."

A silence settled over the shop at Dakota's comment, no one wanting to start up that discussion. Ryan gave Sarah a look, to which she just shrugged her shoulders and went back to her activities on her laptop.

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Evan stared at the fence across from him, his feet in the water as he sat on the edge of the pool. He loved having time to himself, especially when he spent that time by his pool. A million thoughts were running through his head, none that he was particularly focusing on. If he decided to focus on any of the thoughts going through his head then he would end up worrying more and more about what was going on with his family, and that was something a 13 year old shouldn't have to deal with. At least that's what Evan thought.

But now was not the time for him to contemplate what was and wasn't right for a teenager to deal with, now was the time for him to not have to worry about anything going on his life. And with his parents out to dinner and his brothers doing whatever it was they did on Saturday nights, Evan had all the time to himself that he wanted. He closed his eyes and leaned back on his hands, a small smile on his face as any and all thoughts left his mind.

At the sound of the neighbor's dog barking, his eyes snapped opened and a scowl came to his face. With his moment of peace ruined, the 13 year old realized just how dark it had gotten. His fingers circled around the cross he had brought out with him because while vampires may have needed an invitation to get into a house, they didn't need one to get into someone's backyard. There was no point in him staying in the backyard now that his moment was gone.

Evan had just got done locking up the sliding glass down when a knock sounded at the front door, causing the teenager to grumble.

"Is it too much to ask for just a few hours to myself?" he muttered as he made his way to the front, opening the door once he got there. "Can I help you?"

A man who looked to be in his late thirties stood on the doorstep, his dark hair looking grimy as it stood up on end. His jeans looks tattered and his shirt looked as though he had just got done playing in the dirt, the collar of his jacket pulled up.

"I'm lookin' fer Rupert Giles," the man replied, his dark eyes sweeping over the boy.

"He isn't here," Evan answered, his body prepared to take action if the stranger tried anything.

"You look a helluva lot like 'im, but you already knew that." the smirk that came to the man's features didn't help ease Evan's feelings of discomfort. "Mind if I come in and wait 'til he gets back?"

All the 13 year old did was step to the side, his green eyes boring into the stranger.

"That's not an invitation,"

"I know it isn't," the boy fixed the man with a glare at the lack of movement, his discomfort rising at having his suspicions proven.

"Ya even got that bloody glare down," the stranger chuckled. "Tell ya what, let me come in so I can wait for Rupert and I won't do anything."

"I'm not stupid,"

"It's just two words."

"Doesn't mean I'm gonna say them, does it?" Evan remarked, his eyes not leaving the vampire.

"What aren't ya gonna say?"

"Come in," he answered. "It's not gonna happen...ever. Crap."

The man's face morphed into what Evan had heard his mother refer to as a 'game face', causing the teenager to scramble away from the door. The vampire strolled through the open door and approached the youngest Giles, a sinister smirk on his distorted face. Evan felt his heart pound against his chest and silently cursed his fear-induced paralysis, his eyes closed shut as the vampire picked him up.

"I need you ta listen very closely to me, kid." He growled, his fingers digging into Evan's arms. "Yer dear ol' dad isn't to know that I can come in, otherwise very bad things will happen to you. Got me?"

Not trusting his voice, the teenager just nodded. His body tensed up as he felt the vampire's breath against his neck, his face screwing up even more as he prepared for the pain he was sure to come.

"Rupert's gonna wish he was never born when I'm finished, gonna regret that he took my family away from me." The demon whispered, throwing Evan against the wall.

He groaned as the back of his head slammed against the wall, barely registering being picked up again. Once his focus came back to him, the vampire wrapped his fingers around the side of the boy's head before slamming it against the corner of the hallway table. Evan crumpled to the floor, the beginning signs of a black out quickly overtaking him.

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It was nearing eleven o'clock when Giles pulled his car into the garage, giggles still escaping him as him and Buffy recounted memories of their time at the first Sunnydale High. The couple had had a nice evening out, a sense of normal having fallen over them as soon as they had arrived in the Woodlands, and any arguments they had had in the past few days pushed aside when they turned into Market Place.

Buffy had talked Giles into eating at Johnny Rockets, which was followed by a trip to Coldstone for ice cream. And as they walked down Market Place, a detour to Borders had taken place and after an hour Buffy had walked out of the bookstore with a mocha and Giles had left with a copy of Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot, much to the amusement of his wife.

"God, I miss the library." Buffy giggled as she ducked out of the Mustang.

"I think it's safe to say that we all miss it, love." Giles added, his arm going around her shoulders when she walked over to him before they entered the house.

"We're home, Bug!" Buffy yelled as Giles locked the side door, both expecting to hear their youngest son's voice ask them about their night. "Bug?"

The Slayer looked over at her husband when only silence greeted them.

"Evan?" Giles called as they started walking towards the living room.

Again they were only met with silence, and both were starting to feel panic rise up.

"He has to be upstairs sleeping," Buffy reasoned. "He did look pretty tired when we left."

As they made their way to the stairs, both stopped when they saw their son sprawled on the tile in front of the front door. Buffy's hand gripped the sleeve of Giles' shirt before they knelt at Evan's side to try and coax him into consciousness.

"Mmmmm?" the 13 year old grimaced at the throbbing in his skull, his body instantly tensing when he felt hands on him.

"Evan?" the sound of his parents' voice caused him to relax, his eyes slowly opening up.

"Mum?" he whispered as he allowed Buffy to help him into a sitting position. "Ow."

There was a moment filled with questions as his father made sure Evan wasn't concussed, which Buffy was relieved when Giles said he was fine.

"You'll have one hell of a headache for a while, and a nasty bump, but nothing worse." Giles concluded. "What happened, Evan?"

The teenager looked at his parents as they sat on the floor, his bottom lip making its way in between his teeth as he chewed on it. The vampire's threat rang in his head, but the idea of not being safe in his home wasn't something he could handle.

"A guy came by looking for you," his gaze looked at his father before dropping back to the floor. "I dunno who he is, but he's a vampire."

He could leave the explanation there and let his parents think he had stumbled back in fear, leading to him hitting his head. But the fear in mother's eyes and the panic in his father's caused him to continue.

"He tricked me into inviting him in and all he did was knock me out, but he threatened you Dad. He said something about you taking his family away..." he trailed off when he saw Giles tense up, the panic and fear in his eyes clear.

"Honey?" Buffy asked, her hand resting on his forearm. "Giles."

"I'll take back the invitation," was all he said as he climbed to his feet, leaving to gather the needed supplies for the spell.

"Mum?" Evan turned to look at Buffy, hoping she could give him some insight.

"I don't know, Bug." She answered as she got to her feet, helping Evan stand up. "C'mon, you need to get some rest."

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It was three in the morning and Giles found himself in the training room, his chest heaving from his continuing assault on the punching bag. He was sure that his knuckles were bruised, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Evan's words kept echoing in his head. The Watcher knew what he needed to do, but he couldn't bring himself to dial the numbers.

The thought of his son being attacked by that monster made him see red, his fist pulling back before moving forward. Instead of feeling the worn material of the punching bag, his fist connected with the wall due to his poorly aimed punch.

"Fuck!" he swore, holding his left hand close to his torso as he sat on the couch Buffy had asked to be there.

After he regained his composure, and calmed down a little, Giles picked up his mobile from the cushion next to him and flipped it opened. He debated on who to call first, but decided on getting the worse of the two calls done with. There was ringing for a few seconds before the line connected.

"What do you want, Rupert?" an agitated voice answered.

"Why didn't you tell me about Stephen?" he clenched his jaw in pain as he flexed his left hand.

"It wasn't any of your business. You made it clear that we weren't your family..."

"Don't give me that, David. It bloody well was my business and you know it," he hissed. "And it isn't as if you objected to what I said, neither one of you. I'm going to ask you again, why didn't you tell me about your brother?"

"As much as I would love to discuss family with you Rupert," David sneered. "I have more important matters to attend to since someone backed out of his role as Head of Council."

"You don't get to hide behind the Council, David." Giles said, his temper barely in check.

"If you're so desperate to know, call Rachel." David snapped. "And the next time you call me, it better be about something to do with your Slayer. Otherwise I don't want to hear from you,"

The harsh sound of the dial tone rang in Giles' ear, as he calmed himself down. He had never liked dealing with David, even when they were children he avoided talking to him if he could. The only time the two ever talked civilly to one another was if it dealt with anything related to the Council or the occult. As he listened to another set of ringing, he pushed aside his anger even more.

"Rupert?" the gentle voice caused a smile to form. "I wasn't expecting you to call,"

"I need you to tell me what happened to Stephen when he went missing,"

By the length of the pause, Giles realized just how out of touch with his family he had become.

Chapter 4: Name