Title: Misunderstandings - Part 16
Rating: FRAO (Adults Only)
Pairing: Buffy/Giles (eventually)
Summary: Another birthday has tragic consequences for Buffy
Setting: set after season seven
Disclaimer: These are not my characters. They belong to Joss, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB & Mutant Enemy. This is purely for fun.

pt 1 ~ pt 2 ~ pt 3a ~ pt 3b ~ pt 4 ~ pt 5 ~ pt 6 ~ pt 7 ~ pt 8 ~ pt 9 ~ pt 10 ~ pt 11 ~ pt 12 ~ pt 13 ~ pt 14 ~ pt 15 ~ pt 16

Several years later

Smiling, Ethan walked up to the house and rang the doorbell. After a few moments, Buffy answered the door. "Ethan, thank you! I know this is short notice, but –"

He held up a hand to halt her babbling. "Go. I’ll take care of things here."

"Thank you," Buffy said as she kissed his cheek.

He watched her leave before entering the house and closing the door. He was soon greeted with a high pitched squeal that made him smile wider. A little girl ran towards him, and he caught her in his arms. "It worked!" she told him.

"Did it?" he asked.

She nodded.

"You asked her the questions?"

"Yes," she nodded again.

"Good girl," Ethan said, putting her down. "Now go to your room and play."

She giggled before she kissed his cheek and ran down the hall.

* * * * * * * * * *

Buffy wrung her hands as she stood in front of Giles’ door. Just when she thought he might not be home, the door opened.

"Buffy? Is everything alright. Holly?" he asked, fear showing in his eyes.

"Holly is fine. Uncle Ethan is watching her." Buffy looked up at him. "We need to talk."

He stepped back and let her inside. "Buffy."

She stopped him with a raised hand. "Please don’t. I’ve got some things to say, and if you start asking questions . . ." She took a deep breath. "I had an interesting talk with Holly today. She asked me why we don’t live together. She was confused because her friends’ parents live together and we don’t."

Buffy walked around the living room as she talked. "She asked if we love each other." She stopped and looked at Giles. "I told her yes."

Giles was shocked, but didn’t say anything.

"Since then, I’ve been thinking. I’ve never been able to get that day out of my mind. I can’t forget it." She stepped closer to him. "I think the only way to forget is to make new memories. That day was so horrible. I want to forget."

"New memories?" Giles asked.

Buffy thought of how to explain and decided she couldn’t explain. Instead, she leaned up and kissed him. "Show me how it could have been," she whispered.

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The End
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