Of Picnic Baskets and Friends
By Gibberish

TITLE: Of Picnic  Baskets and Friends
AUTHOR: Gibberish
DISCLAIMER: I know they are not mine, please don't sue.
RATING: PG-13     B/G
SPOILERS: Very mild into season 4
SUMMARY: Follow up to my story "The Fix Up" Buffy and Giles have a picnic and the Scooby Gang finds out they're dating.
TIMELINE: Season 4
DISTRIBUTION: Solo, Jessica, Sai. Anyone else, please ask.
FEEDBACK: Oh please. NCC1839@aol.com

                 Buffy had been sound asleep when Willow had gotten up. Willow had been curious as to what had happened on her friend's blind date, but she had let Buffy sleep. When Willow returned, several hours later, she found Buffy packing a picnic basket and a cooler.

     Buffy looked up and smiled brightly when Willow came in. "Hey Will."

     Willow couldn't help but smile back. "You're in a good mood. I take it that your blind date went well?"

     "It wasn't as blind as you think." Buffy said with a giggle. "It was Giles."

     "Giles?" Willow echoed. "Our Giles?"

     Buffy nodded. "It was priceless."

     Willow looked confused. "If it was Giles, then what are you doing?"

     "We're going on a picnic." Buffy told her.

     Willow looked at her blankly. "Why?"

     Buffy closed the picnic basket and the cooler. "Why not? We had a good time last night." She smiled. "A really good time. So, we're going out again."

     "You're going out on a date with Giles?" Willow asked incredulously. "But ... But ... He's Giles."

     Buffy looked at Willow funny. "Isn't that the way it's supposed to go? You go out, have a good time, you go out again. Isn't that the hope of all blind dates?"

     "But, he's Giles." Willow stated.

     "And that means ...?" Buffy asked. "'Cause I really hope it doesn't mean what it sounds like."

     Knock, knock, knock.

     Willow watched, amazed, as Buffy's face lit up.

     Buffy opened the door and impossibly, her face brightened even more. "Wow." She said sincerely as she took in his appearance. Giles had looked quite handsome last night in his suit, but in blue jeans and a blue polo shirt, he looked devastating.

     Giles blushed a little at the implied compliment and looked down at himself. "Casual attire seemed like a good idea." He took in her T-shirt and shorts. "Seems I was right." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Are you ready?" Buffy moved back and Giles followed. He stopped, uncertainly, when he saw Willow. "Oh, hello Willow."

     Willow smiled. "Hi Giles." Of course, he hadn't seen the look that Buffy had given her. Not that she would hurt Giles. He looked different. Younger, happier than he had in a long while.

     Giles smiled in return and looked relieved. "How are you?" He took the cooler that Buffy handed him and she picked up the basket and the old blanket.

     "Ready." Buffy said brightly.

     "Have fun." Willow told them.

     Giles put his hand at Buffy's lower back and guided her out. It was a gesture that made Buffy feel cared for. "See ya later Will." Buffy called back as she and Giles left.

     Willow watched the door close and dropped on to her bed. "Goodness." Giles in jeans. What had happened last night? Curious minds wanted to know.

         Giles drove to Buffy's directions. It didn't take long to get there. There, was a small clearing in the park, just perfect for a picnic for two. The pair laid out the blanket and sat on it. They were quiet for a long while before Giles broke the silence. "Did you tell Willow?"

     Buffy nodded. "Shouldn't I have?" She asked.

     "I was just curious." Giles commented. "She seemed to take it well."

     "Why shouldn't she?" Buffy asked and then changed the subject. She laid on her side, weight on her elbow and her head in her hand. "What do you miss most about England?"

     Giles leaned back on his elbows and thought about it. "The weather, I suppose. We never really get a gentle spring rain here."

     "It does have a tendency to be all or nothing here." Buffy agreed. "Did you like to play in mud puddles when you were little?" She asked with a grin.

     Giles gave her a sad smile. "I never really had the chance. When I wasn't in school, there were lessons with my father or grandmother."

     "Watcher lessons." Buffy concluded.

     "Only at first, I didn't know what they were." Giles told her. "The other lads would be out playing and I would be studying demonology texts."

     "Until you rebelled." Buffy said softly.

     Giles nodded. "And by then, I was too old to splash about in mud puddles. I just wanted to hurt my father and the Council as much as they had hurt me."

     "Did you?" Buffy asked gently.

     "My father anyway." Giles told her sadly. "At least I got the chance to make it up before he died."

     "You ever regret going back to the Council?" Buffy asked. She had seldom had him so forth coming about himself.

     Giles was thoughtful again. "Without the Council, I would never have come here. I don't think that anything could ever make me regret that." He said softly.

     His words were said with such tenderness that Buffy felt warmed by them and she smiled at him sweetly.

           Willow didn't know what to think. So, she'd called Oz and Xander, who called Anya. They all met the dorm room that Willow shared with Buffy.

     "What?" Xander asked shocked. He was the first to respond to what Willow had said.

     "So?" Anya asked.

     "They both seemed really happy." Willow said. "And Giles was wearing jeans."

     Even Oz seemed mildly surprised by that. "Then, what's the problem Will?" Oz asked gently.

     "Buffy and Giles." Willow said. "I mean ... Well, I mean ... I don't know what I mean." She shrugged.

     "I do." Xander said. "It's wiggy."

     "Why?" Anya asked.

     "Because it's Buffy and Giles." Xander told her. "He's too old."

     "He's two hundred years younger than her last boyfriend." Oz pointed out mildly.

     "And quite a bit younger than your girlfriend, I might add." Willow said with a glance at Anya.

     "Hey." Anya said.

     Willow went on, "And, you know, Giles looked about ten years younger when he picked her up."

     "And that makes it okay?" Xander asked.

     "We don't have the right to say anything." Oz pointed out. "It's not like with Angel. There's not a chance that Giles would ever hurt us. If they're happy, leave them alone. They deserve it."

     "They were happy." Willow said again. "Happier than I've seen either of them in a long time."

     "They certainly aren't the first Watcher and Slayer to get together." Anya commented idly.

     "You ever been called on to help any?" Xander asked.

     Anya thought about it. "No." She said simply.

     "Then we support them." Willow said with a pointed look at Xander.

          Buffy and Giles had eaten and were lying back on the blanket as they looked for pictures in the clouds. Buffy's head rested on one of Giles arms, his other arm was folded under his own head.

     "It is not." Buffy said adamantly. "It's a duck." She pointed and outlined it with her finger. "There's it bill and there's it's tail."

      Giles gave a dramatic sigh. "It's a dog." He sounded extremely put upon.

     "Then, where's its legs?" Buffy asked. "It's tail?"

     "It's an English bulldog." Giles explained. "And it's lying down."

     Buffy shook her head and poked him in the side. When he jumped, she did it again. He jumped again. She sat up and looked at him. "You're ticklish." She accused.

     "So are you." Giles returned and demonstrated. Buffy giggled and wiggled helplessly as he tickled her relentlessly. Giles laughed as he enjoyed her reaction. He stopped tickling her and simply held her to him.

     Buffy was half on top of him and was breathing raggedly due to her laughter. She pushed herself up and looked at his shining eyes.

     Giles reached up, still smiling, and brushed back a lock of her hair. "I haven't felt this good in a long time." He told her.

     "I can't remember ever feeling this good." Buffy responded. She leaned down and kissed him.

     Giles let one hand slide up to tangle in her hair as he cupped the back of her head.  His other arm slipped around her waist as he gently deepened the kiss.

     They kissed quite contentedly for some time before they drew apart, breathing heavily. Buffy laid her head on his chest as she caught her breath. She smiled at the thundering heartbeat beneath her ear.

     Giles wrapped both arms around her and settled her next to him. Buffy, her head still on his chest, sighed contentedly and put her arm across his middle. "This is nice."

     "Mmm." Giles agreed.

     "We can do this. Can't we Giles?" Buffy asked. "I know it won't always be this easy. But ..."

     "You're right, it won't." Giles told her. "But, we can do this." He said with such conviction. He had to believe it.

     Eventually they loaded up the picnic supplies and loaded the car. Then, they took a walk in the park and simply enjoyed holding hands.

         When they returned to the dorm, Giles walked Buffy up. "Should I call you Rupert?" Buffy asked as they reached her door.

     "If you'd like." Giles told her.

     "I'll work on it." Buffy said as she opened the door. "Rupert." Buffy walked in, but stopped short when she saw the gang. "Hey." She greeted, just a touch wary. She felt Giles move behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "What's goin' on?"

     "We were just waitin' for you two." Xander said casually. "You wanna get some ice cream with us?"

      Giles and Buffy, who had both tensed upon entering, now visibly relaxed. Buffy looked up at Giles, it was up to him. Giles looked back to the others. He'd been concerned, especially about Xander, but he realized that they were giving their blessing the only way they knew how. He would be forever grateful that he and Buffy had these people in their lives. He gave Buffy's shoulders a slight squeeze. "Sounds like fun."

     With the support of their friends, Buffy and Giles knew that they had a good chance at making this work. They went for ice cream.

END?