Fic: Baby, It's Fact
Aug. 4th, 2011 10:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_huffsterTitle: Baby, It's Fact
Author: the_huffster
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: G
Timeline: Seven months after 'Beautiful Disaster'
Synopsis: Giles has finally been let out of rehabilitation but he isn't coping so well with being around his family. Can Buffy get him to change his way of thinking?
Author's Note: And that's a wrap for the 'Someone Like You' series. I really enjoyed working on this series, and loved how it all started with a one shot. Thanks to everyone who stuck with this series and encouraged me to make the first one into this awesome series.
It had been two days since Trenton’s graduation, and a month since Giles had been declared rehabilitated and safe to interact with the rest of society. The moment Giles had walked through the front door, Buffy swore their children turned into different people- with the exception of Ian, who seemed to have become more energetic upon meeting his father. The Slayer had hoped that things would get back to just a bit of normalcy, but it seemed the personality behavior with the three oldest children got more noticeable as time went on. Which is why Buffy found her husband in the study instead of in the backyard for Trenton’s graduation party.
“Hey,” she flashed him a smile as she walked in, moving to lean on the edge of the desk.
Giles just gave her the briefest of smiles before going back to looking at the photographs he had collected over the past six years of being separated form his family. She didn’t say anything, knowing that he would say whatever was on his mind soon enough. They sat in silence for a few moments before a soft sigh left Giles’ lips, signaling that he was about to speak.
“The Council should have killed me,” he whispered, his gaze focused on a more recent photo of his children.
“What?” there was a tremor in her voice as her mind went straight to the few incidents where Giles had attempted to end his life during the first few years of his rehabilitation.
“They were so much happier, Buffy.” He went on as if she hadn’t said a word. “I’ve been back for a little over a month, and they just…they’re better off without me.”
“Don’t even think that, Giles!” her hand shot out and tilted his face to where he was looking at her, his green eyes glassy with unshed tears. “They’re happy to have you back…”
“Is that why Alex acts as if I don’t exist?” he cut her off. “ Or why Amy looks as if I might hit any of you at any second? How about the way Trenton is terrified to tell me anything that happens to him? Yes, I can see how they’re happy to have me back. Buffy, my own children are afraid of me.”
“They need time to adjust, Giles. They haven’t been able to see you for six years, they don’t know the changes you went though.” Buffy explained, moving to sit on Giles’ lap. “And Ian is ecstatic that you’re home. I’ve never seen him get so excited than he does when he sees you, and he gets pretty damn excited for Doctor Who.”
“That’s because he has no idea what I’ve done. You watch, that will all change when Ian gets older and he finds out everything.” He sighed, his left hand tracing shapes on the top of his wife’s thigh.
Silence fell over the two, a pitiful expression taking over Giles’ features. Buffy ran her fingers through his hair as she watched him slip further into his state of depression. She continued to watch him until he muttered something about Buffy divorcing him.
“Okay, this needs to stop.” She pulled his head back until he was looking at her, a stern expression set on her face. “Giles, I love you. The kids love you. So what if they’re acting weird right now, they need to cope with their emotions in their own way. But moping about it and feeling sorry for yourself is not going to let them know that you’re happy to be back. Because that’s what they think, they think that you’d rather be somewhere else. And this behavior,” she made a motion at him. “Is encouraging that line of thinking. So stop it, Rupert. Alright?”
His eyes widened in shock and Buffy bit back the small smile that was fighting to be seen when she noticed it was the same look Trenton, Alex and Ian gave her whenever she got after them. But now was not the time to comment on that particular thought.
“So, are you gonna stop locking yourself away and throwing self-pity parties every day?”
“Yes,” he sighed, the corner of his mouth turning up in a small smile.
“Good, because right now Ian is driving everyone crazy by asking when you’re going to join the party.” Buffy flashed him a grin as she stood up, gently pulling him to his feet. “I love you, Giles.”
“I love you too,” he leaned down and gently kissed her before they made their way out of the study.
A few minutes later, they emerged in the backyard and Ian had flung himself at his father. Giles picked the six year old up and placed a kiss on his cheek, laughing at what Ian was telling him. Buffy shook her heads when she realized that she lost the attention of her husband before she sat at the patio table next to Willow, her eyes searching for Alex.
“Where’s Alex?”
“He’s off playing soccer,” Xander motioned to their right where the 14 year old was kicking a soccer ball with Amy and Xander’s nine and seven year old sons, Colin and Steven.
“It’s called football,” Buffy and Ian corrected, causing everyone to laugh.
“It used to be soccer,” Xander grumbled, slumping in his chair.
“Don’t worry, Xander. You’ll learn soon enough,” Giles grinned. “It took Buffy about 13 years, but she got it right in time.”
Ian giggled as he listened to the conversation before he ran over to Trenton, tugging on his hand to join the game that was going on with their brother and sister. The four adults watched the game, laughing at the teasing that was going on between them.
“Where exactly is Kristine?” Willow asked, turning to look Xander.
“Yeah, I thought you were bringing your better half with you.” Buffy added, laughing at the eye roll he gave her.
“Her mom’s still in the hospital,” Xander explained as he took a sip of beer. “She wanted to be here, but with her mom still in critical care I told her to be with her. Figured Trent would understand,”
The conversation trailed off at the loud smack that echoed across the yard, all eyes turning to watch Ian hit the ground and clutch his head. The adults jumped to their feet and ran towards the children, Buffy and Giles gently pushing Trenton out of the way.
“I didn’t mean to!” Alex said, a panicked look in his eyes. “He came outta nowhere and the ball just…”
“Alex, you’re not in trouble.” Giles turned to look at his son, an understanding smile on his face. “They’re called accidents for a reason.”
The others just watched as the parents carefully helped Ian sit up and checked him for any signs of a concussion. Trenton tried to get Amy, Colin and Steven to be quiet as they argued over who had dared Ian to hit the ball with his head while Alex kept apologizing over and over.
“Did we score?” Ian asked as he whipped his head around to look at Trenton, a huge grin on his face.
Willow and Xander busted out laughing at the question, which caused everyone else to laugh as well. Alex looked at everyone, confusion shining in his eyes. Buffy did one more check over her youngest before clearing him to go play, Willow and Buffy opting to sit the game out so they could watch Xander attempt to keep up with Trenton, Amy, Colin and Steven. Giles was making his way over to his wife when Alex’s voice caused him to turn around.
“I really am sorry, Dad.” He repeated, a worried expression on his face. “If I knew Ian was gonna try and hit it with his head, I wouldn’t have kicked it as hard as I did.”
“You did nothing wrong, Alex.” Giles sighed as he looked at his son. “You said it yourself, you didn’t know Ian was going to do that. Now, if you planned to kick the ball at his head then we would be having an entirely different conversation.”
“I could’ve really hurt him though,”
“But you didn’t. Your brother is perfectly fine,” he placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder and gave him a gentle smile. “At worse, he’ll have a bruise for a week, at most.”
They began making their way over to Buffy and Willow when Giles nearly lost his balance as Alex collided into his side, wrapping his arms around him.
“I’m really glad you’re back, Dad.” He said, hugging him tighter when Giles returned the embrace. “I know I didn’t say it before, but I really am.”
“I’m glad I’m back too,” he replied, wiping at a tear that had fallen from Alex’s eye. “It was hell not being able to see any of you for six years. The only thing that got me through it was being able to see your mum and the pictures she brought of you lot. Come on, let’s go join the game and give Xander a break.”
“Can you not tell anyone about me crying?” the 14 year old asked as they walked over to the game.
“Promise,” Giles gave him a wink before motioning for Xander to leave before he took his place on Amy, Colin and Steven’s team.
Xander leaned against the deck railing in between where his two best friends were sitting on the railing. The three Scoobies watched the game, a smile making its way on to Buffy’s face. Willow looked over Xander’s head and tilted her head when she saw the Slayer’s expression.
“What’s up, Buffy?” the Wicca asked.
“It’s amazing what Mom Mode can do,” she answered, shaking her head when Giles scooped up Ian and kicked the ball to Amy while Alex yelled at his father about cheating.
“What d’ya mean?” Xander looked up at Buffy, flinching when Colin kicked the ball in their direction. “Watch where you’re kicking that thing, ya ding-dong!”
“Sorry, Dad!” Colin said as he picked up the ball before kicking it to his brother, running back to the game.
“When I went off to go look for Giles, I found him having a self-pity party.” Buffy explained, laughing when Trenton carefully shoved his father out of his way. “I finally had enough of it, and I told him.”
“You used that tone you only use when you get after the munchkins, huh?” Xander grinned.
“Yep, and Giles has done a complete 180.”
“Yay for being a mom.” Willow chuckled before cheering when Ian scored a goal. “Alright, Ian!”
Buffy laughed as she continued to watch, grabbing Willow’s hand as she jumped to the ground to replace Xander’s exhausted sons. Xander let out a bark of laugh before tossing his children water bottles and telling them to sit down in the shade, going to sit next to them as they watched the game. Amy went over to her brother’s team to, “even the game out”- as Trenton had said.
“You guys suck!” Amy laughed as Ian scored.
“We’re just letting you win,” Willow teased as she went after the ball.
As they waited for Willow to get the ball out of the bushes, Buffy looked over at her husband and gave him a grin. He returned it before walking over to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. When the red head called for help, Giles gave her a quick kiss before making his way to help their friend.
“Why don’t we take a break and get some cake?” Buffy suggested, laughing when there were cheers from not only her children and Xander’s boys but Xander as well.
The next thirty minutes was spent cutting the cake and passing out plates before they all settled down to eat. Buffy and Giles were constantly yelling at Alex and Amy to be careful as they sat on the deck railing to eat their pieces of cake while Trenton and Xander kept trying to steal bites of cake from Colin, Steven and Ian. Buffy noticed Trenton and Ian make their way over to their brother and sister, Trenton carrying a large piece of cake on his paper plate.
Buffy, Willow and Xander nearly fell out of their chairs when the Giles kids brought the cake up to their father’s face, laughing at the icing that stuck to his face. Without warning, the Watcher scooped some of the icing off of his face and flinging it at Xander. That act started a food fight with the cake, everyone trying to hide from the flying cake and icing.
Buffy picked around the corner of the house, throwing the bit of cake at Xander’s head before ducking the piece that Trenton had thrown. She waited a moment before she made a dash for the cake tray, a squeak left her when an arm grabbed her around her waist. Cheers of “Get her, Dad!” sounded from their children, while Willow and Steven went after Xander and Colin.
“Giles, don’t you dare.” Buffy laughed as she half-heartedly struggled.
“All is fair in love and war, darling.” He chuckled before he smashed cake on top of her head before he took off running.
The food war lasted for another ten minutes before they ran out of cake and everyone stared fighting over who was taking a shower. It was fifteen minutes later and everyone had gotten their showers except for Buffy and Giles. They continued to sit in the backyard as they waited for Xander or Willow to finish up their showers.
“This is the downside of having only two showers, you do realize that right?” Buffy giggled as she leaned against his chest.
“Yes, but we don’t need anymore.” Giles said as he held her closer to him, placing a kiss on her shoulder. “I want to say thank you, Buffy.”
“For what?” she twisted enough to be able to face him as she raised an eyebrow.
“For making me see what a complete fool I was being,”
“So no more depressed, self-pity parties and thinking that we’re better off without you?” she did her best to get some icing out of his hair, smiling when he nodded in agreement. “Good, because we have yet to celebrate the fact that you’re home now.”
Buffy let out a soft moan as Giles licked some of the icing off her neck, placing a kiss on the newly exposed skin before gently biting it. He groaned against her neck when Buffy took his earlobe in her mouth, cleaning it of the speck of icing that was there. She pulled back just as he claimed her lips in a kiss, both keeping their passion in check in case anyone walked into the back. The Slayer pulled from the kiss and grinned at her husband when she felt him begin to harden beneath her.
“We’ll continue this tonight,” she promised as she removed herself from his lap and sat in the chair next to him.
Any response he was going to give was stopped when Ian and Amy ran outside, claiming they wanted their parents to draw with them. Buffy sat out, citing artistic disability, and watched her husband draw with their daughter and youngest son. Seeing the smile that was on Giles’ face, she had a feeling everything was going to be fine with her family.
When Giles looked up and gave her that smile he had always saved just for her, Buffy knew without a doubt that everything was going to be fine.
Author: the_huffster
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: G
Timeline: Seven months after 'Beautiful Disaster'
Synopsis: Giles has finally been let out of rehabilitation but he isn't coping so well with being around his family. Can Buffy get him to change his way of thinking?
Author's Note: And that's a wrap for the 'Someone Like You' series. I really enjoyed working on this series, and loved how it all started with a one shot. Thanks to everyone who stuck with this series and encouraged me to make the first one into this awesome series.
It had been two days since Trenton’s graduation, and a month since Giles had been declared rehabilitated and safe to interact with the rest of society. The moment Giles had walked through the front door, Buffy swore their children turned into different people- with the exception of Ian, who seemed to have become more energetic upon meeting his father. The Slayer had hoped that things would get back to just a bit of normalcy, but it seemed the personality behavior with the three oldest children got more noticeable as time went on. Which is why Buffy found her husband in the study instead of in the backyard for Trenton’s graduation party.
“Hey,” she flashed him a smile as she walked in, moving to lean on the edge of the desk.
Giles just gave her the briefest of smiles before going back to looking at the photographs he had collected over the past six years of being separated form his family. She didn’t say anything, knowing that he would say whatever was on his mind soon enough. They sat in silence for a few moments before a soft sigh left Giles’ lips, signaling that he was about to speak.
“The Council should have killed me,” he whispered, his gaze focused on a more recent photo of his children.
“What?” there was a tremor in her voice as her mind went straight to the few incidents where Giles had attempted to end his life during the first few years of his rehabilitation.
“They were so much happier, Buffy.” He went on as if she hadn’t said a word. “I’ve been back for a little over a month, and they just…they’re better off without me.”
“Don’t even think that, Giles!” her hand shot out and tilted his face to where he was looking at her, his green eyes glassy with unshed tears. “They’re happy to have you back…”
“Is that why Alex acts as if I don’t exist?” he cut her off. “ Or why Amy looks as if I might hit any of you at any second? How about the way Trenton is terrified to tell me anything that happens to him? Yes, I can see how they’re happy to have me back. Buffy, my own children are afraid of me.”
“They need time to adjust, Giles. They haven’t been able to see you for six years, they don’t know the changes you went though.” Buffy explained, moving to sit on Giles’ lap. “And Ian is ecstatic that you’re home. I’ve never seen him get so excited than he does when he sees you, and he gets pretty damn excited for Doctor Who.”
“That’s because he has no idea what I’ve done. You watch, that will all change when Ian gets older and he finds out everything.” He sighed, his left hand tracing shapes on the top of his wife’s thigh.
Silence fell over the two, a pitiful expression taking over Giles’ features. Buffy ran her fingers through his hair as she watched him slip further into his state of depression. She continued to watch him until he muttered something about Buffy divorcing him.
“Okay, this needs to stop.” She pulled his head back until he was looking at her, a stern expression set on her face. “Giles, I love you. The kids love you. So what if they’re acting weird right now, they need to cope with their emotions in their own way. But moping about it and feeling sorry for yourself is not going to let them know that you’re happy to be back. Because that’s what they think, they think that you’d rather be somewhere else. And this behavior,” she made a motion at him. “Is encouraging that line of thinking. So stop it, Rupert. Alright?”
His eyes widened in shock and Buffy bit back the small smile that was fighting to be seen when she noticed it was the same look Trenton, Alex and Ian gave her whenever she got after them. But now was not the time to comment on that particular thought.
“So, are you gonna stop locking yourself away and throwing self-pity parties every day?”
“Yes,” he sighed, the corner of his mouth turning up in a small smile.
“Good, because right now Ian is driving everyone crazy by asking when you’re going to join the party.” Buffy flashed him a grin as she stood up, gently pulling him to his feet. “I love you, Giles.”
“I love you too,” he leaned down and gently kissed her before they made their way out of the study.
A few minutes later, they emerged in the backyard and Ian had flung himself at his father. Giles picked the six year old up and placed a kiss on his cheek, laughing at what Ian was telling him. Buffy shook her heads when she realized that she lost the attention of her husband before she sat at the patio table next to Willow, her eyes searching for Alex.
“Where’s Alex?”
“He’s off playing soccer,” Xander motioned to their right where the 14 year old was kicking a soccer ball with Amy and Xander’s nine and seven year old sons, Colin and Steven.
“It’s called football,” Buffy and Ian corrected, causing everyone to laugh.
“It used to be soccer,” Xander grumbled, slumping in his chair.
“Don’t worry, Xander. You’ll learn soon enough,” Giles grinned. “It took Buffy about 13 years, but she got it right in time.”
Ian giggled as he listened to the conversation before he ran over to Trenton, tugging on his hand to join the game that was going on with their brother and sister. The four adults watched the game, laughing at the teasing that was going on between them.
“Where exactly is Kristine?” Willow asked, turning to look Xander.
“Yeah, I thought you were bringing your better half with you.” Buffy added, laughing at the eye roll he gave her.
“Her mom’s still in the hospital,” Xander explained as he took a sip of beer. “She wanted to be here, but with her mom still in critical care I told her to be with her. Figured Trent would understand,”
The conversation trailed off at the loud smack that echoed across the yard, all eyes turning to watch Ian hit the ground and clutch his head. The adults jumped to their feet and ran towards the children, Buffy and Giles gently pushing Trenton out of the way.
“I didn’t mean to!” Alex said, a panicked look in his eyes. “He came outta nowhere and the ball just…”
“Alex, you’re not in trouble.” Giles turned to look at his son, an understanding smile on his face. “They’re called accidents for a reason.”
The others just watched as the parents carefully helped Ian sit up and checked him for any signs of a concussion. Trenton tried to get Amy, Colin and Steven to be quiet as they argued over who had dared Ian to hit the ball with his head while Alex kept apologizing over and over.
“Did we score?” Ian asked as he whipped his head around to look at Trenton, a huge grin on his face.
Willow and Xander busted out laughing at the question, which caused everyone else to laugh as well. Alex looked at everyone, confusion shining in his eyes. Buffy did one more check over her youngest before clearing him to go play, Willow and Buffy opting to sit the game out so they could watch Xander attempt to keep up with Trenton, Amy, Colin and Steven. Giles was making his way over to his wife when Alex’s voice caused him to turn around.
“I really am sorry, Dad.” He repeated, a worried expression on his face. “If I knew Ian was gonna try and hit it with his head, I wouldn’t have kicked it as hard as I did.”
“You did nothing wrong, Alex.” Giles sighed as he looked at his son. “You said it yourself, you didn’t know Ian was going to do that. Now, if you planned to kick the ball at his head then we would be having an entirely different conversation.”
“I could’ve really hurt him though,”
“But you didn’t. Your brother is perfectly fine,” he placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder and gave him a gentle smile. “At worse, he’ll have a bruise for a week, at most.”
They began making their way over to Buffy and Willow when Giles nearly lost his balance as Alex collided into his side, wrapping his arms around him.
“I’m really glad you’re back, Dad.” He said, hugging him tighter when Giles returned the embrace. “I know I didn’t say it before, but I really am.”
“I’m glad I’m back too,” he replied, wiping at a tear that had fallen from Alex’s eye. “It was hell not being able to see any of you for six years. The only thing that got me through it was being able to see your mum and the pictures she brought of you lot. Come on, let’s go join the game and give Xander a break.”
“Can you not tell anyone about me crying?” the 14 year old asked as they walked over to the game.
“Promise,” Giles gave him a wink before motioning for Xander to leave before he took his place on Amy, Colin and Steven’s team.
Xander leaned against the deck railing in between where his two best friends were sitting on the railing. The three Scoobies watched the game, a smile making its way on to Buffy’s face. Willow looked over Xander’s head and tilted her head when she saw the Slayer’s expression.
“What’s up, Buffy?” the Wicca asked.
“It’s amazing what Mom Mode can do,” she answered, shaking her head when Giles scooped up Ian and kicked the ball to Amy while Alex yelled at his father about cheating.
“What d’ya mean?” Xander looked up at Buffy, flinching when Colin kicked the ball in their direction. “Watch where you’re kicking that thing, ya ding-dong!”
“Sorry, Dad!” Colin said as he picked up the ball before kicking it to his brother, running back to the game.
“When I went off to go look for Giles, I found him having a self-pity party.” Buffy explained, laughing when Trenton carefully shoved his father out of his way. “I finally had enough of it, and I told him.”
“You used that tone you only use when you get after the munchkins, huh?” Xander grinned.
“Yep, and Giles has done a complete 180.”
“Yay for being a mom.” Willow chuckled before cheering when Ian scored a goal. “Alright, Ian!”
Buffy laughed as she continued to watch, grabbing Willow’s hand as she jumped to the ground to replace Xander’s exhausted sons. Xander let out a bark of laugh before tossing his children water bottles and telling them to sit down in the shade, going to sit next to them as they watched the game. Amy went over to her brother’s team to, “even the game out”- as Trenton had said.
“You guys suck!” Amy laughed as Ian scored.
“We’re just letting you win,” Willow teased as she went after the ball.
As they waited for Willow to get the ball out of the bushes, Buffy looked over at her husband and gave him a grin. He returned it before walking over to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. When the red head called for help, Giles gave her a quick kiss before making his way to help their friend.
“Why don’t we take a break and get some cake?” Buffy suggested, laughing when there were cheers from not only her children and Xander’s boys but Xander as well.
The next thirty minutes was spent cutting the cake and passing out plates before they all settled down to eat. Buffy and Giles were constantly yelling at Alex and Amy to be careful as they sat on the deck railing to eat their pieces of cake while Trenton and Xander kept trying to steal bites of cake from Colin, Steven and Ian. Buffy noticed Trenton and Ian make their way over to their brother and sister, Trenton carrying a large piece of cake on his paper plate.
Buffy, Willow and Xander nearly fell out of their chairs when the Giles kids brought the cake up to their father’s face, laughing at the icing that stuck to his face. Without warning, the Watcher scooped some of the icing off of his face and flinging it at Xander. That act started a food fight with the cake, everyone trying to hide from the flying cake and icing.
Buffy picked around the corner of the house, throwing the bit of cake at Xander’s head before ducking the piece that Trenton had thrown. She waited a moment before she made a dash for the cake tray, a squeak left her when an arm grabbed her around her waist. Cheers of “Get her, Dad!” sounded from their children, while Willow and Steven went after Xander and Colin.
“Giles, don’t you dare.” Buffy laughed as she half-heartedly struggled.
“All is fair in love and war, darling.” He chuckled before he smashed cake on top of her head before he took off running.
The food war lasted for another ten minutes before they ran out of cake and everyone stared fighting over who was taking a shower. It was fifteen minutes later and everyone had gotten their showers except for Buffy and Giles. They continued to sit in the backyard as they waited for Xander or Willow to finish up their showers.
“This is the downside of having only two showers, you do realize that right?” Buffy giggled as she leaned against his chest.
“Yes, but we don’t need anymore.” Giles said as he held her closer to him, placing a kiss on her shoulder. “I want to say thank you, Buffy.”
“For what?” she twisted enough to be able to face him as she raised an eyebrow.
“For making me see what a complete fool I was being,”
“So no more depressed, self-pity parties and thinking that we’re better off without you?” she did her best to get some icing out of his hair, smiling when he nodded in agreement. “Good, because we have yet to celebrate the fact that you’re home now.”
Buffy let out a soft moan as Giles licked some of the icing off her neck, placing a kiss on the newly exposed skin before gently biting it. He groaned against her neck when Buffy took his earlobe in her mouth, cleaning it of the speck of icing that was there. She pulled back just as he claimed her lips in a kiss, both keeping their passion in check in case anyone walked into the back. The Slayer pulled from the kiss and grinned at her husband when she felt him begin to harden beneath her.
“We’ll continue this tonight,” she promised as she removed herself from his lap and sat in the chair next to him.
Any response he was going to give was stopped when Ian and Amy ran outside, claiming they wanted their parents to draw with them. Buffy sat out, citing artistic disability, and watched her husband draw with their daughter and youngest son. Seeing the smile that was on Giles’ face, she had a feeling everything was going to be fine with her family.
When Giles looked up and gave her that smile he had always saved just for her, Buffy knew without a doubt that everything was going to be fine.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-08-05 05:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-05 06:41 am (UTC)But knowing me, I might pop out one more a little later.
Lol
no subject
Date: 2011-08-07 09:28 am (UTC)