Title: Family
Author: Rari

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

Family: Part 5

Benjamin waited until they found Spike to talk about what was on his mind. "We have a problem."

Willow frowned. "What problem? What kind of problem do we have?"

"We've hit a snag in the making Buffy jealous using Rosalind scenario."

"Why? It's a perfect scenario. Dawn says that Buffy's eating herself alive with jealousy. All we have to do is get them here, and come up with a way to get them to actually talk, and well, I haven't worked out that part of the plan yet, but I'll think of something."

Spike lit a cigarette and took a long drag. "What's the matter, MG? What's got your knickers all in a twist?"

"It's Rosalind. Remember I told you that Giles' secretary had to quit because her dad got sick and she's the only one who could take care of him?"

Willow nodded, and Spike gestured impatiently for him to get to the point.

"Well, guess who he just hired to take her place?"

Willow winced. "Rosalind?"

Spike scowled. "I told you it was a mistake to use a real person. If you'd made someone up, this wouldn't have happened."

Willow wrinkled her nose at him. "Yeah, but if we hadn't used someone Giles knew, he'd have given it away already. This way, when Buffy brings up her name, because Giles knows her, it makes it all more real."

Benjamin sighed. "Until she calls and finds out she's his secretary."

Spike snorted. "That's a little too cliché even for Giles. Getting a leg over with the secretary."

Willow thought about Rosalind. "Ewww." She shivered. "So don't want to go there." Willow thought about it for a minute. "Buffy usually calls him at home, it might not be a problem."

Benjamin gave her an unhappy look. He really didn't want this plan to backfire and have Giles end up mad at him. "All it will take is once, and Buffy asking the wrong question."

Willow got a determined look on her face. "All we have to do is hold out for another few weeks. Dawn has a surefire way to get them both out here before much longer."

Spike let out a biting laugh. "And won't Buffy be surprised when she finds out what Dawn's been up to."

Willow grinned at Spike.

Benjamin felt left out. "What, what's she doing? How is she getting them out here?"

Willow leaned closer to Benjamin, looked around, and whispered in his ear. Benjamin started to laugh. "Every one?"

Willow nodded. "Every one."

Benjamin let out an admiring whistle. "She is a clever one, isn't she?"

Spike crushed his cigarette butt under his heel. "She's always been the smart one."

"I'm looking forward to meeting her."

Willow gave Benjamin an appraising look. She thought Dawn and Benjamin would look perfect together. Keeping that idea to herself for the time being, thinking that one matchmaking scheme was all she could handle at a time, she just smiled.

Spike gave her a look. "What are you up to, Red?" Willow flashed him an innocent look. Spike rolled his eyes. "Well, as nice as it's been to chat, I'm in the mood for some carnage." He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "You two in?"

Benjamin shook his head. "I've got two exams tomorrow."

Willow sighed. "I've got three."

Spike gave them both a disgusted look. "Bloody wimps." Without another word he vanished into the darkness.

*****

Buffy gave Dawn a hug. Despite her avoidance of the topic, she couldn't help but be proud of her sister. "You got in to every school you applied to?"

Dawn grinned. "Every one."

"That is so cool." Buffy smiled at Dawn. "I am very proud of you. Mom would be, too."

"Thanks, Buffy."

Buffy sat down and looked at all the packages on the table. "So, what are the choices?" She grabbed the one closest to her and frowned when she saw the address. "Hey, this one's in England." She grabbed another one. "This one's in England, too." Buffy started flipping through them all. "They're all in England."

"Yup."

Buffy sent her sister an unbelieving look. "You only applied to schools in England?"

"Yup."

"Why?"

"Because they have good schools, and I'm tired of Sunnydale."

"So, what's wrong with Santa Barbara or San Diego? You hate Sunnydale, so you choose England?"

Dawn sat back in her chair. "I want to be near Dad, Giles Dad, not Hank Dad. I miss him. I want us to be together again, like a family."

"Does he know you've applied to schools in England?"

Dawn nodded. "He wrote all my letters of reference."

"Why didn't I know?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You didn't want to know. You were hoping if you ignored it all, I'd pick UC Sunnydale."

Buffy stuck her tongue out at her sister, and then looked at all the packets. "But England? How do you know Giles even wants us there? Wants me there? He seems to be having a whale of a time with Rosa whositz." She sat there with a disgruntled expression on her face.

Dawn had a hard time keeping back the grin. "Of course he wants us there. He's totally jazzed with the idea of me going to school there."

"That doesn't mean he wants me there, too. Where am I supposed to live? How am I supposed to find a job and support myself?"

"He said the Council would give you a job, and that we'd live with him."

Buffy's lips tightened. "When was the last time you had this conversation with him?"

"A few weeks ago."

"Yeah, well, things might have changed. I'm not sure his girlfriend will want us underfoot."

"He loves us first and most. All we have to do is show up, and you'll see that everything will work out fine." Dawn started making a pile of some selected packets. "We need to go over there soon so I can check out the schools. Dad gave me some dates that would work, when he'd be free to take me around."

"It still seems weird that you call him Dad."

"Why?"

"Cuz I'm your sister and he is so not my Dad."

"I know that. Besides, you've been more like my mom, anyway." Dawn grinned impishly at Buffy. "Mom."

Buffy pretended to smack her sister. "When you get married and have kids, if you have them call me Grandma, I'm staking you."

Dawn started laughing.

Buffy glared at Dawn but ended up joining in the laughter. Looking affectionately at her younger sister, she tapped the pile of packets. "Call Giles and make the plans. Just let me know when I need to pack." A part of her couldn't wait to see Giles, another part of her was sick at the thought of seeing him with her.

*****

Buffy looked at the tickets. They'd be leaving in four days. Four days until she'd see Giles. Four days until she'd see her for herself. See how this Rosa-person and Giles were together, whether she'd really and truly missed her chance.

She glanced at the bedside table. Two o'clock again. Too many sleepless nights. And too many bad dreams, not the kind she wanted to have where she and Giles snuggled together and kissed, and touched, and got all naked under the covers.

Buffy reached out her hand and touched the comforter. She'd taken to sleeping in Giles' room. That next day after she'd slept there for the first time, she had expected Dawn to give her grief about it, but Dawn seemed to think it sensible as it had the bigger bed, private shower, and no feathers free floating. Buoyed by Dawn's reasons, she'd crawled in his bed again that night, and the next night, until now, she considered it her room. She only wished it had been their room. That when she got into bed that he would be there.

Sighing, she wondered if she might get lucky and catch him at home again. She reached for the phone.

"Hello?"

"Giles?"

"Buffy. I was just thinking of you."

"You were?"

"I was. I'm looking forward to seeing you."

"Yeah, me too."

"Have all the arrangements been made? Do you need anything?"

"Nope, you and Dawn took care of everything."

There was a moment of silence from both ends. Finally Giles spoke. "I really do miss you."

Buffy wished she could reach through the phone and hug him. "I miss you too."

There was another moment of silence. "Well, I suppose I should be on my way to work. One of these days you might try calling a bit earlier. You might even try getting some sleep. I've heard it's very restorative."

Buffy blurted it out before she could stop herself. "How's Rosalind?"

"She's fine. Better than fine. I don't know what I'd do without her."

Buffy's heart ached. "You like her that much?"

"I never knew someone could make such a difference. I don't know how I survived up to now."

Buffy tried to keep the hurt out of her voice. "Were you that unhappy?"

"Oh, not unhappy, Buffy. I love it here, but things seem easier with her about, everything seems to work better. You know how it is when you find that perfect person."

Buffy couldn't stand the conversation anymore. "I forgot, I have to drive Dawn to.to somewhere. I gotta go."

"Oh, all right. I'll meet you at the airport on Sunday."

"Okay. Bye."

"Good bye, Buffy." Giles hung up the phone and pursed his lips, sure that Buffy had sounded upset. He couldn't imagine why. Determined to talk to Willow about it later, he grabbed his coat and briefcase, and left for work.

*****

He found Willow in the cafeteria at lunch and sat down next to her. She glanced up and gave him a delighted smile. "Giles!"

He smiled back at her. "Hello, Willow. Have you spoken with Buffy lately?"

She nodded. "Uh huh. Why?"

"Has she been upset about anything lately?"

"Like what?" Willow was thinking fast, trying to buy time.

"I don't know. We were talking this morning, and everything seemed fine, and then in the middle of talking about Rosalind, she practically hung up on me."

Willow scrunched her face up. "You were talking about Rosalind?"

"Well, she brought the subject up. I simply told her what a difference Rosalind's made to my life, and." He frowned.

Willow winced, waiting for Giles to figure it out.

"Do you suppose she's upset about Dawn wanting to go to school here in England?"

Willow let out her breath. Giles may be a genius kind of guy, but when it came to relationships, he was as clueless as Buffy. "No, I just think she misses you, and hearing you on the phone maybe gets her sort of choked up."

Giles' face lightened. "Do you really think so?"

Willow nodded. "You know she broke up with her boyfriend." She frowned, "I can't remember his name."

Giles waved Willow's inability to remember his name off as insignificant. "She didn't tell me. Is she all right?"

"Oh, yeah. He was just a butthead, anyway."

Giles let out a half laugh. "According to Dawn, they all are."

"She needs someone a little older, I think. Someone who can understand her better. Don't you think so?"

Giles completely agreed but he gave Willow a suspicious look.

Willow swallowed. He might be clueless, but he wasn't an idiot. She gathered up her books. "I gotta go."

Giles watched as Willow left with undue haste. He suspected that Dawn had been talking to Willow and was trying to do some matchmaking from afar, using Willow as her go-between. That was all he needed, Willow trying her hand at matchmaking. Nervously, he ran his mind through the spells he knew, wondering if there were any Willow might be tempted to try. Giles decided that he might be wise to ward his home against any magic directed his way.

He sighed as he rose. Lately all the conversations he'd been having with Buffy had been all too brief. Now that he was giving it some thought, it was clear that something had been on her mind for a while. It was so like Buffy to ruminate on a problem rather than share it to lighten the load. He wished they were together the way they used to be, then he might have a chance to tease it out of her, or trick her into revealing her thoughts. The telephone was a poor substitute.

At least she was coming; she'd be here in four days. He tried to ignore the quickening of his heart rate at the idea of seeing her. But thoughts of her were too compelling. As was the thought of holding her in his arms, and maybe, just maybe, this time she'd feel as if she belonged there, and her body would soften, and she'd lift her face as he lowered his, and their lips would meet, and then hers would part, and he could finally taste her the way he'd been wanting to taste her for too long to remember.

Giles walked into someone. Appalled at his absent-mindedness, he helped the student pick up her papers. "I'm dreadfully sorry."

She sighed as she looked up at him. Mr. Giles was so handsome. "That's all right. You can bump into me anytime." She batted her eyes at him.

Giles stood hastily, blushing. "Yes, well, I.I have to go." He pointed in a vague direction. Giving her a small smile, he made his way quickly back to his office, determined to stay focused on his job the rest of the day.

End Part 5