Family Portrait: Chapter 11
May. 17th, 2011 02:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_huffster 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?
“So, let me get this straight…” Brennan began as he finished signing the green cast on his youngest brother’s arm. “Mum and Dad are getting a divorce, and Mum’s pregnant.”
Evan nodded as his right fingers ran up and down the rough colored plaster, his eyes trained on the floor of his brother’s hospital room. Their father still hadn’t woken up since the paramedics had arrived at the hospital five hours ago, and their mother hadn’t left his bedside since the doctor had allowed her to see him. Evan and Dakota, on the other hand, had been told to stay in Brennan’s room until they were given the all clear. The 13 year old would never voice it, but the longer it took Giles to wake up the more afraid he grew.
“See what you miss when you get into a car crash?” Dakota smirked, hoping to ease some of the tension that had fallen on the three of them.
“Hearing you two, I think I’m happy that I got in the wreck and wasn’t at Java Jazz.” The 16 year old’s chuckle coaxed soft chuckles from the other two.
Dakota just nodded as he absently fingered the bite mark on his neck, well aware of the obvious bruise that circled his neck as well. Compared to his brothers, Dakota knew he had gotten off the easiest. A scar and a bruise were nothing compared to Evan’s injuries- a severely broken arm, bruised vocal cords and cuts on his wrists that would leave faint scars- and Brennan’s injuries- three broken ribs, a small crack in his skull above his left eyebrow, a concussion, a broken leg, cuts that would leave scars and lose of sight in his right eye. The 16 year old shuddered at the thought of his father’s condition.
Brennan looked at his brothers, a lump forming in his throat as he recalled everything that had happened recently. He noticed Dakota’s expression for what it was- a feeble attempt of being strong- and the tears in Evan’s eyes. They could make all the jokes they wanted, but it didn’t take away the seriousness of the current situation.
They would most likely lose their father, whether or not he woke up.
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She couldn’t cry anymore.
The last 24 hours had left Buffy with no more tears to shed.
So she had settled for gripping her husband’s hand, silently begging whoever would listen to let him wake up soon. There were so many things she needed to tell him, so many things she needed to apologize for. And the longer he stayed unconscious, the more she was regretting not going after him when he had told her their marriage was over.
“You have to wake up, Rupert.” She whispered, running her fingers through his hair carefully. “Worse things have happened to us, and you’ve always come back to me.”
Her eyes took in his face and the lump in her throat grew bigger; the bruises on his jaw and left temple, the gash on the back of his head, the shallow cuts around his eyes, the split lip and the vampire bite on his neck were for her and the boys- the cracked collarbone, broken ribs, broken hand, shattered kneecap and nearly fatal gashes on his wrist all added to the evidence of how far he had gone to save his family. And, after Giles had stormed out of the hospital hours ago, she had told Willow that she didn’t think Giles would ever really do anything to protect her family.
“God, I’m such a bitch.” She muttered, closing her eyes against the rising sorrow and guilt.
“You have your moments…but I wouldn’t say…that you’re entirely a…bitch.” A tired voice rasped.
Buffy’s eyes snapped open to find an exhausted Giles looking back at her, a barely noticeable smile on his cracked lips.
“Giles…” she breathed, biting her lip to control the tears welling in her eyes.
She wanted to say more, but knew she had to let the doctor know he was up- and had told Giles just that. Once she had gotten the doctor, the Slayer stood to the side and watched as her husband was looked over.
They would talk after everything settled down.
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Giles had refused to talk to Buffy, stating that he wanted to see his sons. He had spent ten minutes making sure his children were truly all right, and another five minutes reassuring Evan that he would be fine. Once everyone had calmed down, he had requested a few minutes alone with Dakota.
And that’s where he found himself now; looking at his 16 year old son as they talked out their problems. The more they talked, the more Giles came to a very terrifying conclusion- his relationship with Dakota was a very near replica of his relationship with his own father.
“I’m sorry, Kota.” Giles whispered, cutting off Dakota’s explanation of why he had acted the way he had for the past two years. “I never meant to hurt you the way I did. And I sure as hell didn’t mean to make you think I was disappointed in you, that I…”
Giles took a breath, holding back the tears that were threatening to fall. And as Dakota began stating that he was sorry he was such a bad son, Giles realized that he had succeed in becoming his father. That realization made him hate himself even more.
“You’re not a bad son, Dakota.” Giles waited until he was looking in the dark blue eyes of his son, recognizing the same look of anger and pain he had had when he was Dakota’s age. “Just because you’ve made bad choices does not make you a bad son. If anything, it makes you perfectly normal.”
“Stephen said that I was only good enough to be like Ripper,” Dakota swallowed against the lump that had formed in his throat. “And he’s right. I don’t have magick and I don’t wanna be a Watcher…”
“No, don’t finish that. You are more like me than your brothers are, Dakota. You don’t have to be a Watcher or have magick to be like me,” tears were collecting his eyes as he realized how much his actions had impacted his son. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have done the things I’ve done…”
“Dad,” Dakota shook his head, knowing it wasn’t fair to place all blame on his father.
“And I should have told you about my stint as Ripper.” Giles went on as if Dakota hadn’t even spoken.
The teenager stared at his father, a small spark of hope welling up in him at the mention of his father’s past. Dakota knew about the countless arguments his parents had had over this very topic, so it wasn’t lost on him exactly how important this talk was. He sat on the chair next to his father’s bed, taking in every word he said. The more he learned, the more he started actually seeing his father as a person.
“I had hit bottom, and then I just kept going further down. That isn’t the life I want for you,” by the time he was done, Giles’ eyes were trained on the off white sheet of the bed. “I don’t want you to have to keep trying to redeem for your past, or wondering how many children you actually have. I’m not going to tell you not to rebel because you’re sixteen and that’s what you do. But there’s a definite difference between normal teenage rebellion and the type of rebellion that makes a criminal.
“And if you keep up what you’ve been doing,” at Dakota’s expression, Giles chuckled and gave his son a small smile. “You’ll end up exactly where I was when I was twenty-three; broke, living on the streets, strung out on so many drugs and responsible for so many ruined lives.”
Silence settled over the two, Dakota trying to take in all that his father had told him. Once it hit him that his father actually cared about him, tears began to make their way down his cheeks. Without hesitating, Giles pulled his song in a hug- not caring about the pain the sudden movement had caused.
“It’s going to be alright. I promise,” Giles whispered as he held his son close to him, doing his best to soothe Dakota. “Everything’s going to be fine,”
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“Are you and Dad really getting a divorce?” Brennan finally asked, chuckling as Evan mumbled something in his sleep.
“I don’t know, Watcher.” Buffy sighed, watching her youngest child sleep. “I don’t want to…”
“Then why did you ask for a divorce?”
“I didn’t ask for this, Brennan. Your father did,” Buffy explained, doing her best to fight back the tears that welled up. “Actually, he didn’t ask for it…he pretty much said we were getting one.”
Brennan just stared at his mother, not really believing what he had been told. There was no way his father would be the one to end the marriage; that didn’t seem like him.
“Have you talked to Dad about the baby?” he gave a small shrug at his mother’s raised eyebrow. “Dakota and Evan filled me in while we were waiting for Dad to wake up.”
“He won’t talk to me, about anything.” She scoffed, her hands resting protectively on her abdomen.
“It is Dad’s, right?”
Buffy just gawked at her son.
‘Did he really just accuse me of what I think he’s accusing me of?’ the Slayer shook her head as she wondered what possessed Brennan to question her faithfulness to Giles.
“Yes, the baby’s his. Why would you even ask otherwise?”
“You guys have been arguing. A lot.” The 16 year old began, trying to settle in a more comfortable position as he shared his bed with his younger brother. “And you flirt with other guys who aren’t Dad. You’ve even cheated before, so…”
He shrugged when his mother gave him a stern look, quickly explaining that he was old enough to know why her relationships had failed before her and Giles got back together. Neither one said a word for a few minutes, the silence broken by Evan’s occasion whimper- evidence that the whole experience with Stephen had left him with nightmares. Buffy was quick to move to where Evan was sleeping, running her fingers through his soft hair in a soothing fashion. The 13 year old settled back down, pulling more of the thing blanket over him and off of Brennan.
“You know Dad’s gonna ask if it’s his,” he muttered, tapping his fingers on the poor excuse of a mattress he was on.
“I know, and I’ll deal with that when it comes up.” Buffy sighed, running a hand through her hair. “That is, if your father ever decides to talk to me.”
“But when he does talk, everything’ll be fine. Right, Mum?” Brennan hoped, his dark green eyes swimming with unshed tears.
She wanted to tell him yes, wanted to tell him that after they talked Giles would realize he had just been overreacting. But she couldn’t say any of that, not when she didn’t even know how things would turn out after discussing everything with Giles.
“I…” she started, cutting off at the look on her son’s face.
“Can you lie to me, please?” he whispered, fighting the tears in his eyes.
“Yes, everything’ll be fine. Your dad and I will stay together, and everything will be like it was when you and Dakota were just born.” Buffy lied, remembering having a similar conversation with Giles years and years ago. “We’ll be happy and won’t argue about anything, except for the occasional Watcher/Slayer thing.”
They chuckled for a few moments before Brennan sobered up, looking Buffy straight in the eyes.
“You’re a bad liar, Mum.” He said as he flashed a brief smile.
Buffy just gave him a quick smile before watching as Brennan settled down in the uncomfortable hospital bed and tried to sleep. She watched two of her sons manage to share such a small bed without upsetting their injuries, something she wasn’t sure how they were pulling off. Her thoughts drifted to Giles and the issues that were between them, mainly the divorce he had left hanging over their heads.
And for the countless time that day, she broke down and cried to herself.
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?
“So, let me get this straight…” Brennan began as he finished signing the green cast on his youngest brother’s arm. “Mum and Dad are getting a divorce, and Mum’s pregnant.”
Evan nodded as his right fingers ran up and down the rough colored plaster, his eyes trained on the floor of his brother’s hospital room. Their father still hadn’t woken up since the paramedics had arrived at the hospital five hours ago, and their mother hadn’t left his bedside since the doctor had allowed her to see him. Evan and Dakota, on the other hand, had been told to stay in Brennan’s room until they were given the all clear. The 13 year old would never voice it, but the longer it took Giles to wake up the more afraid he grew.
“See what you miss when you get into a car crash?” Dakota smirked, hoping to ease some of the tension that had fallen on the three of them.
“Hearing you two, I think I’m happy that I got in the wreck and wasn’t at Java Jazz.” The 16 year old’s chuckle coaxed soft chuckles from the other two.
Dakota just nodded as he absently fingered the bite mark on his neck, well aware of the obvious bruise that circled his neck as well. Compared to his brothers, Dakota knew he had gotten off the easiest. A scar and a bruise were nothing compared to Evan’s injuries- a severely broken arm, bruised vocal cords and cuts on his wrists that would leave faint scars- and Brennan’s injuries- three broken ribs, a small crack in his skull above his left eyebrow, a concussion, a broken leg, cuts that would leave scars and lose of sight in his right eye. The 16 year old shuddered at the thought of his father’s condition.
Brennan looked at his brothers, a lump forming in his throat as he recalled everything that had happened recently. He noticed Dakota’s expression for what it was- a feeble attempt of being strong- and the tears in Evan’s eyes. They could make all the jokes they wanted, but it didn’t take away the seriousness of the current situation.
They would most likely lose their father, whether or not he woke up.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
She couldn’t cry anymore.
The last 24 hours had left Buffy with no more tears to shed.
So she had settled for gripping her husband’s hand, silently begging whoever would listen to let him wake up soon. There were so many things she needed to tell him, so many things she needed to apologize for. And the longer he stayed unconscious, the more she was regretting not going after him when he had told her their marriage was over.
“You have to wake up, Rupert.” She whispered, running her fingers through his hair carefully. “Worse things have happened to us, and you’ve always come back to me.”
Her eyes took in his face and the lump in her throat grew bigger; the bruises on his jaw and left temple, the gash on the back of his head, the shallow cuts around his eyes, the split lip and the vampire bite on his neck were for her and the boys- the cracked collarbone, broken ribs, broken hand, shattered kneecap and nearly fatal gashes on his wrist all added to the evidence of how far he had gone to save his family. And, after Giles had stormed out of the hospital hours ago, she had told Willow that she didn’t think Giles would ever really do anything to protect her family.
“God, I’m such a bitch.” She muttered, closing her eyes against the rising sorrow and guilt.
“You have your moments…but I wouldn’t say…that you’re entirely a…bitch.” A tired voice rasped.
Buffy’s eyes snapped open to find an exhausted Giles looking back at her, a barely noticeable smile on his cracked lips.
“Giles…” she breathed, biting her lip to control the tears welling in her eyes.
She wanted to say more, but knew she had to let the doctor know he was up- and had told Giles just that. Once she had gotten the doctor, the Slayer stood to the side and watched as her husband was looked over.
They would talk after everything settled down.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Giles had refused to talk to Buffy, stating that he wanted to see his sons. He had spent ten minutes making sure his children were truly all right, and another five minutes reassuring Evan that he would be fine. Once everyone had calmed down, he had requested a few minutes alone with Dakota.
And that’s where he found himself now; looking at his 16 year old son as they talked out their problems. The more they talked, the more Giles came to a very terrifying conclusion- his relationship with Dakota was a very near replica of his relationship with his own father.
“I’m sorry, Kota.” Giles whispered, cutting off Dakota’s explanation of why he had acted the way he had for the past two years. “I never meant to hurt you the way I did. And I sure as hell didn’t mean to make you think I was disappointed in you, that I…”
Giles took a breath, holding back the tears that were threatening to fall. And as Dakota began stating that he was sorry he was such a bad son, Giles realized that he had succeed in becoming his father. That realization made him hate himself even more.
“You’re not a bad son, Dakota.” Giles waited until he was looking in the dark blue eyes of his son, recognizing the same look of anger and pain he had had when he was Dakota’s age. “Just because you’ve made bad choices does not make you a bad son. If anything, it makes you perfectly normal.”
“Stephen said that I was only good enough to be like Ripper,” Dakota swallowed against the lump that had formed in his throat. “And he’s right. I don’t have magick and I don’t wanna be a Watcher…”
“No, don’t finish that. You are more like me than your brothers are, Dakota. You don’t have to be a Watcher or have magick to be like me,” tears were collecting his eyes as he realized how much his actions had impacted his son. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have done the things I’ve done…”
“Dad,” Dakota shook his head, knowing it wasn’t fair to place all blame on his father.
“And I should have told you about my stint as Ripper.” Giles went on as if Dakota hadn’t even spoken.
The teenager stared at his father, a small spark of hope welling up in him at the mention of his father’s past. Dakota knew about the countless arguments his parents had had over this very topic, so it wasn’t lost on him exactly how important this talk was. He sat on the chair next to his father’s bed, taking in every word he said. The more he learned, the more he started actually seeing his father as a person.
“I had hit bottom, and then I just kept going further down. That isn’t the life I want for you,” by the time he was done, Giles’ eyes were trained on the off white sheet of the bed. “I don’t want you to have to keep trying to redeem for your past, or wondering how many children you actually have. I’m not going to tell you not to rebel because you’re sixteen and that’s what you do. But there’s a definite difference between normal teenage rebellion and the type of rebellion that makes a criminal.
“And if you keep up what you’ve been doing,” at Dakota’s expression, Giles chuckled and gave his son a small smile. “You’ll end up exactly where I was when I was twenty-three; broke, living on the streets, strung out on so many drugs and responsible for so many ruined lives.”
Silence settled over the two, Dakota trying to take in all that his father had told him. Once it hit him that his father actually cared about him, tears began to make their way down his cheeks. Without hesitating, Giles pulled his song in a hug- not caring about the pain the sudden movement had caused.
“It’s going to be alright. I promise,” Giles whispered as he held his son close to him, doing his best to soothe Dakota. “Everything’s going to be fine,”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
“Are you and Dad really getting a divorce?” Brennan finally asked, chuckling as Evan mumbled something in his sleep.
“I don’t know, Watcher.” Buffy sighed, watching her youngest child sleep. “I don’t want to…”
“Then why did you ask for a divorce?”
“I didn’t ask for this, Brennan. Your father did,” Buffy explained, doing her best to fight back the tears that welled up. “Actually, he didn’t ask for it…he pretty much said we were getting one.”
Brennan just stared at his mother, not really believing what he had been told. There was no way his father would be the one to end the marriage; that didn’t seem like him.
“Have you talked to Dad about the baby?” he gave a small shrug at his mother’s raised eyebrow. “Dakota and Evan filled me in while we were waiting for Dad to wake up.”
“He won’t talk to me, about anything.” She scoffed, her hands resting protectively on her abdomen.
“It is Dad’s, right?”
Buffy just gawked at her son.
‘Did he really just accuse me of what I think he’s accusing me of?’ the Slayer shook her head as she wondered what possessed Brennan to question her faithfulness to Giles.
“Yes, the baby’s his. Why would you even ask otherwise?”
“You guys have been arguing. A lot.” The 16 year old began, trying to settle in a more comfortable position as he shared his bed with his younger brother. “And you flirt with other guys who aren’t Dad. You’ve even cheated before, so…”
He shrugged when his mother gave him a stern look, quickly explaining that he was old enough to know why her relationships had failed before her and Giles got back together. Neither one said a word for a few minutes, the silence broken by Evan’s occasion whimper- evidence that the whole experience with Stephen had left him with nightmares. Buffy was quick to move to where Evan was sleeping, running her fingers through his soft hair in a soothing fashion. The 13 year old settled back down, pulling more of the thing blanket over him and off of Brennan.
“You know Dad’s gonna ask if it’s his,” he muttered, tapping his fingers on the poor excuse of a mattress he was on.
“I know, and I’ll deal with that when it comes up.” Buffy sighed, running a hand through her hair. “That is, if your father ever decides to talk to me.”
“But when he does talk, everything’ll be fine. Right, Mum?” Brennan hoped, his dark green eyes swimming with unshed tears.
She wanted to tell him yes, wanted to tell him that after they talked Giles would realize he had just been overreacting. But she couldn’t say any of that, not when she didn’t even know how things would turn out after discussing everything with Giles.
“I…” she started, cutting off at the look on her son’s face.
“Can you lie to me, please?” he whispered, fighting the tears in his eyes.
“Yes, everything’ll be fine. Your dad and I will stay together, and everything will be like it was when you and Dakota were just born.” Buffy lied, remembering having a similar conversation with Giles years and years ago. “We’ll be happy and won’t argue about anything, except for the occasional Watcher/Slayer thing.”
They chuckled for a few moments before Brennan sobered up, looking Buffy straight in the eyes.
“You’re a bad liar, Mum.” He said as he flashed a brief smile.
Buffy just gave him a quick smile before watching as Brennan settled down in the uncomfortable hospital bed and tried to sleep. She watched two of her sons manage to share such a small bed without upsetting their injuries, something she wasn’t sure how they were pulling off. Her thoughts drifted to Giles and the issues that were between them, mainly the divorce he had left hanging over their heads.
And for the countless time that day, she broke down and cried to herself.
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no subject
Date: 2011-05-18 08:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-18 03:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-18 05:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-18 06:03 pm (UTC)But the good news, I'm going back and writing prequels for it. So yay!
no subject
Date: 2011-05-21 10:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-25 12:01 am (UTC)It was nice seieng a little bit of Buffy/Giles alone time in this chapter, even if Giles wasn'r exactly awake for it.
no subject
Date: 2011-05-25 12:10 am (UTC)Once I figured out where I wanted this story to go, I made it a point to have a homage to 'Lie to Me' with Buffy and and Brennan- and this was months ago. After I posted this though, I wasn't sure I had pulled it off as well I wanted.