__Slayer's Mother__
By Gibberish




        Buffy watched Giles sleep. She enjoyed that, could never get enough of it. She gently touched his cheek, but it was enough to cause him to stir.

 "Buffy." Giles murmured sleepily.

 "Good guess." Buffy said with a smile. "I didn't mean to wake you."

 "It's all right, except ..." Giles opened his eyes and looked at her concerned. "Well, I'm fairly certain that you were not here when I went to bed last night." He put his hand to her cheek. "Everything all right?"

 Buffy nodded. "Dream."

 "Your Mother, again?" Giles asked. Buffy nodded again. "Buffy, I know that telling your Mother about us isn't going to be easy, but aren't you overreacting?"

 Buffy looked sheepish. "It's not like I really think she's going to actually castrate you. I really think you could outrun her. It's just, ... She already resents you."

 "I know that." Giles said gently.

 "I've been building up to it slowly." Buffy told him. "Throwing out what a great guy you are. Kind and generous. How you've always taken care of me. But actually telling her, ... It shouldn't be this hard Giles."

 "She loves you, Buffy." Giles reminded her. "Nothing will change that. But if you're not ready to tell her, then wait."

 "I don't want to wait." Buffy said. "Besides, we don't want to shock her at the wedding." She took a deep breath. "No, it's time she knew."

 "Do you want me to go with you?" Giles asked.

 Buffy looked at him hopefully. "Maybe we could have dinner. Here. Together. You'd have the home court advantage."

 Giles leaned up and kissed her forehead. "Whatever you want. Just make certain that she doesn't have anything too sharp."

 "I'll protect you." Buffy said with a giggle.

 "I'm counting on it."


    Buffy stopped by her Mom's after classes that day. "Mom?" She called out.

 "In here, Honey." Joyce called from the kitchen.

 Buffy went into the kitchen. "Hey."

 "Hi Honey." Joyce said cheerfully as she fixed herself a sandwich. "You hungry?"

 "Nah. Mom," Buffy began, then bit her lip.

 Joyce set the sandwich down and looked at Buffy closely. "Is anything wrong?"

 "No." Buffy said quickly. "Mom, you like Giles, don't you?"

 "Well, um, yeah. I guess so. Why?" Joyce asked.

 "He's a good man, you know?" Buffy said. "Kind, caring."

 "Yes, Buffy, so you've said repeatedly recently." Joyce said warily. "Is Mr. Giles sick?"

 "No." Buffy assured her. "I just think you should know each other better. I mean, you're my Mom. And Giles is ... Really important to me." She finished lamely. She mentally berated herself and so missed her Mother's odd expression. "Well, Giles and I were talking and I thought - Dinner. Why don't I make dinner for all of us and you can get to know Giles better? And he can get to know you."

 "Oh, Buffy, I don't know." Joyce stalled.

 Buffy looked at her with wide, serious eyes. "Please, Mom? It would mean a lot to me. And Giles."


   "So, the three of you are having dinner at Giles'?" Willow asked. The mental picture was not pleasant. She and Buffy were at the dorm on their respective beds.

 "I don't know what else to do." Buffy said. "Keeping this from her isn't right. I'd tell her by myself, but I think Giles has a right to defend himself."

 "Do you think he'll need to?" Willow asked. Buffy gave her a look that clearly said 'Duh.' "How are you going to tell her?"

 "You know, I really wish I knew." Buffy commented. "Somehow, I don't think telling her that I agree about Giles' prowess in bed is the way to go."

 "Buffy!" Willow admonished.

 "It's true." Buffy muttered sheepishly. "Willow, what's a stevedore?"


   Giles heard the knock at the door and waited. He was surprised to hear another knock. Usually, they let themselves in, unless the door was locked. He answered the door and his mind went blank. "Joyce."

 Joyce fidgeted as she stood there. "I was wondering if we could talk? About Buffy?" She asked nervously.

 "Of course." Giles told her as he recovered. "Please, come in." He gestured her in and over to the sofa. "Would you care for a drink?" Joyce shook her head and Giles sat in the chair. "Is anything wrong?" Giles encouraged.

 "Buffy has been ... I don't know how to describe it exactly." Joyce said. "Well, she's been talking about you a lot. And now this dinner." Giles nodded. "Well, she's been going on and on about you. What a good man you are. Kind, like that. How we should get to know each other. Well, I think she's ..." Joyce raised her eyes heavenward. "God, this is hard." She looked at Giles again. "I think she's playing matchmaker."

 "What?" Giles asked blankly.

 "I think she's trying to fix us up." Joyce said.

 "With each other?" Giles asked doubtfully. In his mind, he was promising himself that he would throttle Buffy when next he saw her.

 Joyce nodded. "I'm afraid so. Look, Mr. Giles. Rupert, I like you okay. I think you're good for Buffy. With the slaying, she needs you, but ..."

 "Joyce, I don't think ..."

 "She would do it?" Joyce asked. "Believe me, she would."

 Giles didn't doubt that if it was what Buffy wanted, she would do it in a second, but ... He was going to wring her neck, that was all there was to it. "Did you want me to speak with her?" He asked carefully, he knew he would anyway. Loudly.

 "She's so set on this dinner." Joyce said. "I just thought you should know. Maybe we could talk to her together. Explain why it wouldn't work. You know, that we both love her, but that's all we have in common. That sort of thing."

 "Perhaps that would be best." Giles agreed. He met Joyce's eyes. "I do love Buffy."

 "I know." Joyce said, unaware of his real meaning. "And I'd do a lot for her, but ..."

 "I understand." Giles said gravely.

 Joyce stood, anxiously. She saw Giles do the same. She smiled at him shyly. "In a way, it's a bit flattering, knowing how much she cares for you."

 "Thank you." Giles said and showed her to the door. "I'm certain that Buffy would only want the best for you, as well. Oh dear, that didn't sound quite the way I meant it."

 "That's all right." Joyce said with a smile. "I'm used to deciphering Buffy."

 Giles returned her smile.

 "I'd better go." Joyce said. She opened the door and left.

 Giles' smile disappeared. "Buffy." He muttered to himself. "What the bloody hell have you been saying to your Mother?"
 

   When Buffy arrived a short time later, she found Giles with a drink in his hand. "Giles?"

 Giles looked up from where he lounged on the couch. He indicated the drink. "Don't worry, it's the first. And the last." He added before she could comment.

 "What's the matter?" Buffy asked as she sat next to him.

 "Buffy, what have you told your Mother?" Giles asked.

 "Nothing, really. Why?" Buffy asked in return.

 Giles set his drink down. "She came by today."

 "Mom?" Buffy asked. "What on Earth for?"

 Giles took a deep breath. "Buffy, Joyce knows something is going on."

 "Uh oh." Buffy commented.

 "Unfortunately, she's under the impression that you're playing matchmaker." Giles' voice got steadily louder.

 "Matchmaker?" Buffy echoed. "For who?"

 "Whom." Giles corrected automatically. "She's gotten it into her head that this dinner is your way of gaining a stepfather."

 "What?" Buffy asked blankly.

 "Odd, that's what I said." Giles commented. "Just what the bloody hell did you say to her?!" His voice rose again.

 "Nothing." Buffy told him. "Just that you were a great guy and that you should ... get to know ... each other better." She raised stricken eyes to his. "I didn't mean ..."

 "I know that." Giles said. "The question is, what do we do now?"


   Willow couldn't help the giggles that escaped during Buffy's narration of what had happened. Even Xander's lips twitched.

 "Oh yes, very funny." Giles commented drolly.

 "You know, even I don't get turned down before I even ask the girl." Xander commented. Buffy smacked him upside the head. "Ow."

 "What do I do, now?" Buffy wailed.

 "At least you can assure your Mom that you're not setting her up." Willow told her. Buffy glared at her. "I mean, Giles *is* already taken."

 Buffy slumped back and leaned against Giles. "You guys aren't helping." She whispered. "I don't know what to do. I was just ... I wanted ..." Tears rolled down her cheeks as Giles wrapped his arms around her.

 Giles glared at Xander and Willow, who weren't smiling anymore. "Aren't you proud of yourselves?"

 "We're sorry, Buffy." Willow said.

 "Yeah, Buff." Xander agreed. "Don't cry." He implored. "How sad is it that I can handle angry Slayer, but not crying Slayer?"

 Buffy sniffed. "All I wanted was to tell my Mom how happy I am." She said, the tears continuing.

 "Then tell her." Willow told her. "Just tell her and get it done with. You're letting it make you sick and give you nightmares. Even if she's angry, at least you can quit worrying about it."

 "Sick?" Giles echoed as he pulled back to look down at her. "I knew about the nightmares, but you didn't ..."

 "Willow's exaggerating." Buffy assured him.

 "Is she?" Giles asked. He tilted her face up, so that he could see her eyes. "Buffy?"

 "You know how I get when I worry." Buffy reminded him.

 Giles pulled her to him again. "Oh, Buffy." He thought for a moment. "Willow's right. We should go see your Mother. Just tell her." He shushed Buffy when she began to protest. "You know how *I* get when *I* worry." Buffy nodded.


   Joyce opened the door to find her daughter and Rupert Giles. Once inside, she took a closer look at Buffy. She was pale. "Buffy, are you all right?"

 Giles turned to Buffy, just as she collapsed. He caught her and took her to the couch. He put a hand to her cheek. "Buffy?"

 "Mr. Giles? What is it?" Joyce asked terrified.

 "I don't know." Giles said. "She was fine ..."

 "She's so pale." Joyce pointed out.

 "Hospital." Giles said. "She'll be mad later, but she's going." He swept Buffy into his arms and carried her out the door, followed by a thoughtful Joyce.


   Giles and Joyce waited. Then Willow and Xander waited with them. Joyce watched Giles closely. "I've been such an idiot, haven't I?"

 "Beg your pardon?" Giles responded.

 "You and Buffy." Joyce said simply. "At least you waited until I left to laugh."

 "I never laughed." Giles told her.

 "No, you wouldn't." Joyce commented. She saw his hands clench and unclench, where they rested on his knees. "Do you know what's wrong with her?"

 "No." Giles said quietly.

 "Mr. Giles? Mrs. Summers?" A woman in a white lab coat asked. Giles and Joyce stood. "Buffy's awake. You can wait with her now, if you'd like."

 "Thank you." Joyce said quietly. Then followed her back to a cubicle in the ER and found Buffy sitting up in a bed. "Are you all right?" Joyce said as she rushed over to her daughter.

 Giles moved to Buffy's side and took her hand in his. "Buffy?"

 Buffy looked at him surprised, but didn't say anything about her hand in his, she needed it too badly. "They haven't said anything. But, I'm guessing I should have eaten today."

 Giles and Joyce both opened their mouths to comment, but were beaten to it by the doctor. "You most certainly should have, young lady." He was an older man and looked like someone's kindly grandfather.

 "What happened, doctor?" Joyce asked.

 The doctor looked at Buffy in question. "Would you rather hear privately?" Buffy, eyes wide, shook her head no. "All right. You're probably the healthiest person that I've ever seen in the ER."

 "Then, what happened?" Buffy asked.

 "Your body is reacting to the fact that your pregnant." The doctor said.

 "Wh-what?" Giles said, as he dropped onto the bed next to Buffy.

 "She's pregnant?" Joyce asked. She turned and glared at a stunned Giles.

"You!"

 "But we've been so careful." Buffy said, in shock herself.

 "No method is 100 percent effective." The doctor told her wryly.

 "Really, really careful." Buffy said, as if he didn't understand.

 The doctor laughed a bit. "What did you use?"

 "Condoms." Buffy told him.

 "A pin hole size tear is all it takes." The doctor told her amused.

 "Oh." Buffy said in a small voice, reality sinking in.

 The doctor looked at her dazed expression. "Would you like the name of a counselor?"

 "For what?" Buffy asked.

 "He's referring to options, Buffy." Joyce told her.

 "There are no 'options' for my baby." Buffy said determined. She looked up at Giles. "You don't want 'options', do you?" She asked with wide eyes.

 "Of course not, Luv." Giles said gently. The doctor's eyes widened.

 Buffy glared at the doctor. "No options."

 The doctor smiled at her. "I'll write you a prescription for prenatal vitamins. You'll need to find a OB/GYN." He looked between Buffy and the man holding her hand. "Congratulations." He turned and left them alone.

 Joyce turned on Giles. "How could you do this?"

 "Uh, Mom." Buffy said. "He didn't do it alone."

 "Terrific, you're defending him." Joyce said. "Why am I not surprised?"

 "He doesn't need defending." Buffy said. "There's nothing to defend. It's not like we weren't planning to get married anyway."

 "What?!" Joyce practically screeched.

 "Mom," Buffy said tiredly. "I'm really not up for this." She looked up at her Mother. "Are you really angry about what, in all probability, is going to be your only chance at a grandchild?"

 "But you're just a baby yourself, Buffy." Joyce told her.

 "Mom, I haven't been a baby for a very long time." Buffy pointed out. "Do you know how often a Slayer gets a chance like this? They don't. They fight and they die, all, usually, before they reach eighteen. I have happiness in my grasp." She said as her hand gripped Giles' hand tighter for emphasis.

"I'm not letting go because you don't want me to grow up. Not again. Giles won't leave just because you tell him to."

 Joyce looked at Giles. "Is - Is that true? They usually die before they reach eighteen?" Giles nodded. "How will she protect herself and the baby?" She asked tearfully.

 "I will." Giles told her firmly, with en edge.

 Joyce gave a watery chuckle. "And after Hank kills you?"

 Buffy groaned.

 "I'll haunt." Giles said drily.



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