Saving Grace
By Lacy
Title:Saving Grace 19/20
Summary: What happens after "Grave". Everything changes.
Spoilers: Season Six, pretty much everything up to and through "Grave".
Pairing: B/G (duh), a bit of W/X/A/S angsty-ness (or there will be), a
little Wes/Faith subtextyness
Rating: PG-13, for language and innuendo mostly.
Feedback: Please! *begs* *begs harder*
Use: Want.Take.Have. Just tell me where it goes.
Disclaimer: These are obviously not my characters. They are all owned
by Joss the Evil, ME, UPN and a bunch of other folks that I don't
know. I'm borrowing them for fun. I'll put them back when I'm through.
Authors Notes: This hasn't been beta-read. I hope the typos aren't too
glaring. SO sorry. *grovels for feedback*
"Darling, you're spilling all over." Giles stretched an arm out to take her coffee cup from her.
"I am *not*," Buffy insisted, laughing, and pushed his hand away. "Geez, girl gets home from the hospital and everybody's acting like she's brain dead---OW!" she squealed as she dumped her cup in her lap.
"My sister--the supreme loser. Buffy, I don't know how you function in the real world."
"Shut up, Dawn." Still laughing, Buffy was trying to sponge the mess off her pajamas. Giles grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the liquid in her lap.
"Oh, my," came another British voice. "Young one, what say we get you off to school before this becomes...ah, how do you Americans put it? Unsuitable for younger audiences?"
"I'm with the warlock." Dawn jumped up and followed Ethan out.
"Dawn, how many times must I explain, I am *not* a war--" the door slammed.
"Giles, I don't think I like Dawn being all chummy with Mr. I Serve the Dark Lord Chaos, or whatever."
"Ethan's become rather mellow of late. I think...well, I think he rather enjoys Dawn's company."
"Giles."
"I'm serious, Buffy. Ethan--well, he's no angel, obviously, but I rather do believe he has changed. All right, changed may be a strong word, but when I thought you...he was very supportive. It was strange. But, I must admit, welcome. We were very close once."
"Okay, trusting you on this, big guy. But lemme tell you *I* better be the only one in this family who's sleeping with a Brit."
"Oh, Good Lord, Buffy. How crass. She's sixteen."
"I thought you were hot when I was sixteen."
Giles turned about five shades of red and didn't answer. Buffy laughed, and kissed him softly. "I did. Even under all the tweed."
The doorbell rang.
"I'll answer it. You don't appear terribly presentable at the moment, love." He looked pointedly at her coffee stained pajama pants
"Neither do you," Buffy replied archly, indicating the crotch of his own pants, which were, well, suddenly looking a little snug. Giles, looking as though he might faint, scurried off muttering something barely coherent about "changing" and "uncomfortable pants".
Buffy opened the door, and the laughter died in her throat.
"Hello, Buffy."
"Hey, Wes," she replied automatically, but her eyes were fixed on the dark haired girl behind him. She'd never seen Faith look so fragile, so broken before. She looked like she'd been crying. "Come on in. You guys want some coffee? Or, well, tea? See, I'm learning, I live with a British man now. We have the real deal. Teapot and all."
"Yes, please, that'd be lovely."
There's an uncomfortable silence as Buffy sets out cups and saucers. Wesley spoke first. "Ah, so I hear that congratulations are in order?"
"What?" Buffy grinned, suddenly understanding. "Oh, yeah. Definitely. Giles and I are totally ready to be congratulated. Sorry for being so slow on the uptake, not used to the whole fiancee thing yet"
"Quite understandable. I do hope you'll be very happy. Giles is a good man."
"I'm touched to hear you think so, Wesley," laughed the subject of their conversation as he reentered the room, in a fresh outfit. "It's good to see you." They started to shake hands in greeting, but decided at the last minute that a hug was more appropriate.
"Congratulations, mate."
"Thank you. I am rather lucky, aren't I?" he kissed Buffy on the cheek as he took the teapot from her and started pouring. "Faith, tea?" he continued calmly on, as though she didn't look as though she were about to jump out of her skin. She shook her head quickly, and Buffy intervened.
"Yeah, Faith, I know, Giles hasn't managed to convert me to tea yet, either, so there's coffee? Want some?"
"Sure, B." her voice was raspy. "No cream. Lots of sugar."
Giles continued in a kindly voice, "I know it must be difficult for you, the loss of your Slayer abilities. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, not a picnic. Thanks."
"What are you going to do, now?" Buffy asked quietly.
"Dunno. The one bonus thing is that I don't have to stay in jail for awhile--Wesley's kind of my keeper until I recover from my...collapse or whatever they're callling it."
"You all could stay in Sunnydale for a bit," Giles offered, looking at Wesley. "Might do you both good."
"I..I imagine it's up to Faith. Things in Los Angeles are not the best for me at the moment, so there's no reason to rush back on my part" Wesley murmured.
The dark haired girl shot a strange look at Giles. "Okay. Wait. Let me get this straight. You're...you're saying that you *want* me to hang out in good ole Sunnydale? Why? I know you don't trust me. Any of you."
"People can change," Giles answered mildly, "Particularly when something of this magnitude happens to them."
"Oh, yeah, how would you know?"
"It happened to me."
Faith, amazingly, had the grace to look embarassed. "Sorry. I'm a little crazy on edge here."
"I'm merely saying, it might be good for you and Buffy to...work together to get through this. As far as I know, you're the only girls to have have "ex-Slayer" as a reference."
"We were friends once, Faith. I'd...well, we could try again. We'd have to forgive each other for a lot, though."
"I dunno, B. I..well, I don't have anything left in LA to go back to. But, I dunno that I want to be here. It'd probably beat being alone. Gonna have to give it some thought. I'll let you know."
"Um...terribly sorry, but I think that was Faith lingo for "I'd like to leave now", Wesley spluttered. "I'll...I'll keep in touch and let you know what comes of this. And, of course I expect an invitation to the wedding."
"Of course, Wes. Take care." Giles realized that somewhere along the way he'd become terribly fond of his former replacement. Maybe it was the stories he'd heard of everything that had happened to him in LA.
"Yeah, B, G, congrats, I guess. Slayer getting hitched. First time for everything, I guess."
Wesley broke in, "Actually, Faith, it was tradition long ago in some cultures for Watchers to marry their Slayers. Explained why they were always together. Also made the age difference less prominent. If they were married."
"I'm not sure if I'm to be insulted by that age comment, or not, Wes." Giles laughed.
"Oh, no," he spluttered, "I didn't mean to..."
"I know. And, well, if Buffy doesn't mind it, I shan't either."
"Buffy definitely doesn't mind," she purred softly, in a voice that made Wesley blush, and Faith look suddenly intrigued.
"That good, huh?" she asked.
Buffy met her eyes. "Oh, yeah," she giggled.
"See? Told you years ago he was a hottie." For the first time since this whole mess started, Faith smiled. "I'll be in touch, B."
"Good."
After they'd left, Buffy looked worried. "I wonder what she'll do."
"Wesley'll look after her." Giles smiled, recognizing the expression on Wesley's face as one he himself had worn for years when he looked at his own Slayer. "She'll be all right."
"Think she'll come back?"
"Well, dearest, haven't we learned that on the Hellmouth anything is possible?"
"Can't argue with you there." Buffy sighed noisily, thinking of all the changes everyone had gone through lately. "It's all so terribly tiring."
"Now, you're starting to sound like my proper British Buffy," he smiled, "My brother will love that!"
"You have a brother?"
"Yes, and a niece. You'll meet them all, love."
"You never told me!"
"You never asked," he grinned at her. "But, we have time, finally, to talk about all those things. Time. How I like the sound of that word."
"Me too," she whispered, hugging him tightly. "So, we have the whole day ahead of us and nothing to do....."
"I could think of a few things." Giles grinned devilishly. Seeing him smile like that made him look ten years younger, and Buffy's heart skipped giddily.
"Me too!" she laughed. "Someone said something about ring shopping?"
"Not even a Giles yet and already making plans for squandering my money."
"Oh, yeah. I intend to do some serious squandering."
"Then, let's be off, so I can buy you whatever it is your heart desires. And you can..ah...express your appreciation of the gesture."
"I already have everything my heart desires. This is about jewelry." She stood on tip-toe and kissed him hungrily. "And don't worry, I'll appreciate your ass off, later."
