Title: Yule Traditions, Past and Future (5/11)
Author: Gileswench

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

As soon as they were done eating, Giles headed for the station. Along the way, he stopped at the chemist. It had been wonderful to simply hold his love, but he was as eager as she to take things to the next level. Precautions were necessary. It was far too early to think of children. In fact, he wasn't sure children would ever be a good idea.

Buffy was so young. By the time she'd mature enough to be ready, he could well be too old to be a very helpful father. Besides, despite all the other Slayers Willow's spell had activated, Buffy still had a duty to protect the world. There was no other Slayer in the Bath area. Vampires were a rarity in the vicinity, but they still cropped up, as did the occasional demon threat. Buffy would need to be ready to cope with that.

The more he thought about it, the more he became convinced that he and Buffy would simply have to make do with Dawn as surrogate child to both of them. He was surprised at how disappointed he was by the thought.

He shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts. The train had arrived and he needed to keep a lookout for his aunt.

At last he spotted her several feet away, talking with a much younger black woman with a small child.

"Aunt Min!" He waved as he made his way to her. "There you are!"

She turned and smiled at him. The other woman turned as well. Giles stopped dead in his tracks.

"Olivia?" he choked out. "What in heaven's name are you doing here?"

"This is your nephew?" she asked the old woman, obviously very surprised. "This is who you were coming to meet?"

"Yes. I'm to spend Christmas with him and his ward." She looked at the two sizing each other up. "Oh! But where are my manners? Olivia, dear, this is -"

"We've met." Giles was surprised he could find his voice even to that extent. "It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has." They stood staring at one another for a moment. At last, she let out a nervous laugh. "Well, this is awkward. I was planning to hire a cab to take me out to your place. I'd no idea the woman I'd been talking to all through the journey was any relation to you."

"Now you can save your fare," Aunt Min said happily. "You won't mind, will you, Rupert, dear?"

"Mind? No, of course not." Inwardly, he groaned. Buffy was not going to be pleased with an uninvited guest - especially one who was an old girlfriend of his. "How long are you stopping, Liv?"

"I don't know. It rather depends."

"Depends on what?"

"How you take this." She hesitated briefly. Her original plan hadn't included telling him this on a railway platform in front of his aged auntie. "Look, there's really no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to come out with it." She adjusted the sleeping boy against her hip so Giles could see him better. "Rupert, this is Dominic. I'm afraid he's your son."

*****

Buffy nearly skipped to the phone to answer it.

"Hello, you've reached the House of Love, Buffy speaking."

"So, I take it the talk went well. Please don't give me any details. I mean it."

"Hi, Xander. How's Seattle?"

"Rainy. Bath?"

"The same. I'm beginning to think Giles made up the stories about it ever snowing here for Christmas. And I take it you've been talking to Willow."

"Mainly emailing. You really should see if you can blackmail Giles into entering the computer age."

"How do you think I'm going to do that?" she asked as she sank into a comfortable chair.

"Buffy, I'm ashamed of you," he scolded jokingly. "You used to be better at this. Pout, threaten to leave him nookiless for a month, hide his tea; whatever it takes."

"Speaking of the nookiless, how are things with Debbie?"

"Smooth change of subject." There was a brief silence. "I dunno, Buff. There's something...she's been really quiet, like there's something big on her mind the last few days. I have a bad feeling I'll be the guy with no one to kiss at Midnight on New Year's Eve."

"I'm so sorry, Xand. I liked her. She seemed so...Xanderettish. Like you guys belonged. Are you sure this is the long good-bye?"

"Pretty sure. It's strange to think that you're the Scooby with the best love life right now."

"Will and Emily are still together, aren't they?"

"Hanging by the proverbial thread. I thought you knew."

"No, she didn't say anything about it last time we talked. We were kinda busy with my romantic crisis. Oh! Speaking of which, I just heard the car pull up. Xand, I gotta go now. I don't know whether Giles has told his aunt about us yet. Look, I'll call you later and get the details, okay?"

"Okay. In the meantime, plant a big wet one on the Gilesmeister from me."

"Sure," she giggled. "I bet he's been waiting all his life for a smooch from you."

"Stranger things have happened. Just don't go into tongue territory, or I'll be forced to kill any witnesses."

"You have my solemn word."

Just as Buffy hung up the phone, the door opened and Aunt Min hurried in with little bird-like steps.

"...of course it will have to be a registry affair, under the circumstances. And she won't wear white. Perhaps a pretty blue suit. And a nice hat."

"Aunt Min..." Giles tried for what was obviously not the first time. "Please, it's not that simple..."

"Well, it wouldn't have been in my day, but things have changed. People are much more open-minded about this sort of thing."

"What sort of thing?" Buffy asked.

"Buffy!" Aunt Min came and kissed her cheek. "Such happy news! I can't believe Rupert is finally getting married."

"M-married? Who said married? We never talked about married."

"Aunt Min, wouldn't you like to lie down after your journey?" Giles tried to distract his relative.

"Nonsense! There's so much to do. So many people to ring. Of course, letters would be better, but with things the way they are..."

"What things?" Buffy demanded. "Who's getting married? What's going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Olivia said from the doorway. "Rupert, are you going to help with the bags? My hands are rather full."

"What's she doing here?" Buffy asked. "Giles? What's happening?"

"Why, Rupert's marrying this nice girl," Aunt Min twittered happily. "He oughtn't to have abandoned her when she had the baby, but he'll make it right now."

"Baby?" Buffy felt as if she might be going insane. Olivia, a child, and talk about Giles getting married made no sense to her. "M-make it right?"

"Aunt Min, Olivia, please, could you just give us a minute? I have to talk to Buffy."

"Of course," Olivia said, clearly relieved by the idea. "Mrs. Arbuthnot, could you show me to the guest room? Let's get you settled in."

"Oh! Of course, my dear. It's just this way."

As soon as they were gone, Buffy rounded on Giles in attack stance.

"What the hell is going on, Giles?"

"I only wish I knew," he sighed sinking into a chair.

"Well, you obviously know more than I do, so let's start with that."

"Please, come sit with me," he coaxed, holding out a hand to her. When she moved warily to his side, he took a deep breath and began. "It seems that when Olivia left me all that time ago...well...she must have been pregnant when she left. I had no idea, Buffy, you must believe me. Dominic was born some months later."

"When did you find out about this?"

"About half an hour ago." He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. "I have no idea why she decided to track me down and tell me now, but Aunt Min has got it in her head that I'm going to marry Olivia. Of course, I'm not going to. I can't be with a woman I don't love - not like that. Not when I've finally got it right."

"But, the kid...what about that?" She watched him for a long moment. His shoulders were tight, his hands clasped before him. She knew he had more to say and that he didn't think she was going to like it. She braced for impact and spoke again. "What about the kid?"

"He's my son."

"Are you sure?"

"Buffy!"

"I'm just saying, so far all the proof you've got is Olivia's word. I'm not saying she would, but what if she's lying? Do you really have any reason to think he's your kid other than her say so?"

"He has my eyes, Buffy. The timing of his birth is right. There's no reason to doubt it. I know you don't want to believe this, but it's real."

"I think maybe you want to believe this too much." She stood and crossed the room, wanting to be as far from him as possible. "Is it because you just want a kid? We could have one."

"Can we? Buffy, I don't want to say it's impossible, but you are the Slayer..."

"*A* Slayer, Giles. There are hundreds of us, now. We could ask one to keep an eye on the area for a bit."

"And this sudden interest has nothing to do with the fact that we've just discovered I already have a child?"

"Okay," she shouted. "Yes! It's about...all this! Olivia and the kid and your aunt marrying you off to her. We had one night, Giles. One perfect night. Is that it? Is that all there is?"

By the time she finished, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Rather than accept his comforting embrace, she fled to the stables.