She lowered her head to stare at the ground, "No." she whispered so softly.

He put his finger under her chin, and tilted it so she looked him in the eyes.

"Am I asking you so very much now?" he whispered, "By asking that you be happy for me, is that so very difficult? You have to know that you will always be my little girl, it's just you're her little girl too."

Her blue eyes met his green ones, and she swallowed. "No, It's just..." She broke off with a sob, and he kissed her forehead gently before he gathered the woman he thought of as his daughter into his arms. He rocked her back and forth as she cried. Her world had changed so many times in the past 9 months. He loved this woman so very much, and he would do anything for her except give up this one thing. The woman he intended to marry.

Dawn clung tight to Giles, and let go of all the tears she'd held back since Buffy had been returned to them after the fall. This man she trusted above all else, he *was* her father. When she was younger, she had dreamed of the fairytale where Giles married her mother. She smiled, it really was happening, in the months after Joyce's death Buffy had taken on the roll of mother.

"I just don't want you two to leave me, I'm so scared Giles that you'll get sick of having me around."

Giles pushed Dawn back a little and looked into her eyes, "Dawn, Buffy and I LOVE you, we could never get sick of you."

"But you already are Giles, neither of you are comfortable being together when you are around me. I know I was upset at first, but I love you both so much, and all I want is for you to be happy. That's all."

"Dawn, if you've noticed, we aren't too comfortable in anyone else's presence either. It's just all so new, after years of dreaming and thinking we didn't have a chance we've finally accepted it, and that was hard enough for us. We're more comfortable with you than we are with anyone else. Just give us time." Giles smiled down at her, and she looked back up at him. He used his thumb to wipe the tears from her eyes. “Okay?”

Dawn smiled and nodded, “Okay.”

There were going to be some tough times ahead, but they would get through them together.