This is my little AU B/G ‘verse, called the Parentverse.
Title: Waiting Patiently
Rating: FRC
Summary: Buffy and Giles are waiting, for what?
She was patient. A trait she usually did not possess. She waited on the exam table, gown barely covering her, anxious to hear the news. She wanted the news to be true, but part of her wanted it to be wrong. She’d wanted this for so long. She’d wanted the normal life, to be able to accomplish this. But was she really ready? How much longer would this take? Where was the doctor? She looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. Buffy was getting good at being patient.
He waited patiently, something he was quite accustomed to doing. How many times had he sat in his apartment waiting for her to burst through the door or call him about the night’s patrol? Now he sat in the waiting room, skimming old magazines, hoping it was true. He’d never thought he’d have this chance, and especially not with Buffy. He looked at the clock and picked up another magazine, breathing deeply and waiting some more. Giles excelled at being patient.
Buffy appeared in the doorway, shaking hands with the doctor, leaflets and a prescription bag in her hand. He waited until she came over to him, wanting to ask, but not knowing how. She just smiled and he wrapped her in his arms. They were going to be parents.
Title: It's Time
Summary: Giles thinks about being a father.
Author's Notes: A sequel of sorts to Waiting Patiently
“How about naming it after mom and Tara if it’s a girl?”
Giles just ‘hhhmmmed’ and continued to put away clothes. How could an actual person be that small? He’d been ready from the moment he’d found out, but now the actual moment was close, he was getting, what was the term Buffy used? Wigged.
“And if it’s a boy, maybe after your dad and maybe Oz. Daniel is a nice strong name.”
“Sure, okay. Whatever you want love.”
He was going to be a father. Something he’d wanted forever. It was going to be real.
“Or we could name it after the Mayor. I think Richard Wilkins Giles had a wonderful ring to it.”
“What? Whatever are you going on about?’
“Nothing. Don’t worry, you’ll do fine.”
“I know, but…”
“But nothing, you’ll be a great a dad.”
She stood there hands on her hips, her belly sticking out quite comically. She looked radiant, more beautiful than ever. He just smiled and wondered how he deserved the love of this wonderful woman, his wife. Just then her face went from a smile to one of discomfort.
“Buffy?”
“It’s time,” she whispered as a wet spot formed on the floor.
Title: Welcome to the World
Summary: Buffy delivers her baby.
Author's Notes: Sequel to It's Time
“Push, Buffy, push!”
“I’m pushing! I’ve been pushing for the last three hours! Why don’t you try pushing for a while?”
He dabbed at her forehead with a damp cloth as the doctor checked on her progress. Another contraction hit and she squeezed his hand, nearly crushing it.
“Soon, dear, soon. Then it will all be over and you can have anything you want.”
“Even ice cream?”
“I think this call for more than ice cream,” he smiled as she pushed and strained.
Then the room was filled with a loud wail. The doctor handed the bundle over to a nurse. She weighed and cleaned it before handing it over to Giles.
“Congratulations Mr. Giles, you have a son.”
He took the child gently. So small, so fragile, so real. He was relieved that it was not a girl as the potential for being a Slayer sometimes passed through family lines. He was also secretly proud that the Giles line would continue. The baby yawned and opened his eyes, green like his father’s. Giles was overcome with love. He leaned down to hand their son over to Buffy. She took him and whispered softly to him.
“Welcome to the world, Daniel Edward Giles.”
Title: Rock A Bye Baby
Rating: PG (for extra schmoop)
Summary: Buffy and the baby.
The runners squeaked as she rocked back and forth, singing softly to her son. Her son. What wonderful words those were. He was only a few days old, but already he ruled their lives. She kept rocking, wanting to make sure he was asleep.
Giles had bought the old rocker at an antiques store. She’d protested that it was too nice, she really didn’t need anything that fancy. But he’d insisted, saying it reminded him of the chair his grandmother had rocked him in as a boy.
Now she was glad for its well worn runners and high back. She’d rocked in it a few times before Daniel was born, it calmed him, stopped him from turning her uterus into a punching bag. Now she rocked him to sleep after a feeding. She looked over to see Giles standing in the doorway.
“He’s down for the count. Want to put him to bed?”
Giles came over and gently took his son. Seeing Buffy in the chair, rocking Daniel to sleep, filled his heart with love. He blessed the day he found out she loved him. He placed a small kiss on Daniel’s head before offering a hand to Buffy.
Taking it, she got up and kissed her husband. They walked quietly to the crib. She looked at their son and then at Giles,
“Thank you.”
“For what love?”
“For the chair, for Daniel, for everything.”
Title: Hush Little Baby
Rating: FRT
Summary: Giles and a crying baby
Giles had experienced loud before. The
thunderous noise of a concert and the joyous shouts of fans. The bustle of
He paced back and forth in the nursery, Daniel at his shoulder, screaming his lungs out. Giles had tried everything; changing his diaper, feeding him, rocking him in the chair, nothing worked. Buffy was out, getting in some well deserved alone time. Besides, Giles had wanted time to bond with his son. But now he was at his wit’s end.
Daniel continued to cry, never seeming to take a breath, obviously a trait inherited from his mother’s side of the family. He was tempted to call the doctor, but he knew that there was nothing wrong, babies cried. He just didn’t know how to stop it. He was then struck by an idea.
He remembered Buffy singing to Daniel last night and thought he could give it a try. He slowly began to croon the first thing that came to mind, “Behind Blue Eyes.” It was never too early to educate his son about the difference between proper music and noise. As he sang, Daniel stopped screaming, hitched a breath and started to calm. It was working.
Title: Peace and Quiet
Rating: FRC
Summary: Buffy wants peace and quiet. so does Giles.
Buffy had left Giles with Daniel, determined to enjoy her time alone. Being a mom was harder than it looked. She silently asked for forgiveness for all the things she’d done as a child. It saddened her that Joyce would never get to know her grandchild, but Buffy vowed to let Daniel know all about her.
The peace and quiet of the outside world was hard to get used to, she missed the noise of her son’s cries. She thought she might be crazy for thinking that, but realized it was probably a mom thing. But she couldn’t enjoy herself, she missed Daniel. So she decided to go back.
She heard the screaming as she neared the house. Poor Giles, she thought as she sped up. She entered the house, closing the door behind her quietly. As she put down her purse, the screaming stopped. Peace and quiet again, but this was the kind of peace she cherished. Tiptoeing to the nursery, she heard Giles before she saw him. He was singing to Daniel, who was slowly closing his eyes. She stood there, watching them, her heart filled with love. Once Daniel was asleep, she stepped into the room.
“You know he’ll want more of that later, you’re good at it,” she said.
“Anything for peace and quiet,” Giles replied.
Title: Late
Rating: FRT
Summary: Buffy's late from patrol, Giles is worried.
Disclaimer: Don't own them, no infringement intended, etc.
It was almost sunrise and Buffy wasn’t back from patrol yet. Giles was getting worried. She’d insisted on going back to her Slayer duties now that Daniel was a month old. Just because she was a mother didn’t negate her destiny as the Chosen One. Well one of them, seeing as Faith was still very much alive.
While she was pregnant the Scoobies had taken up the slack along with a reluctant help from Spike, thanks to Dawn’s pestering. What had been really unexpected was Angel showing up, his team in tow. Apparently Cordelia had been given a vision of Buffy getting hurt and they were there to make sure that didn’t happen. Surprisingly the ensouled vampire was not jealous or disapproving of their relationship. And Giles got the feeling there was something going on between him and Wesley.
But now, everyone had gone, left a week after Daniel’s birth. Buffy had reassumed her duties patrolling and everything had been going fine until now. As the sun’s rays streamed into the window, Giles heard Daniel start to whimper. As he ventured into the nursery he planned to call the gang, they could start looking for Buffy if she didn’t show by seven.
Title: Oldest Trick in the Book
Rating: FRT
Summary: Something happens to Buffy on patrol
Patrol had been pretty routine until she chased this one vamp who was giving her lip. Running was a little more awkward these days because she’d added weight and well frankly her boobs got in the way. She needed to go shopping for some sport bras. As they raced across an open field at the edge of one of the cemeteries, she tripped on something,
As she tried to get up she was overpowered by two thugs. She saw the vamp she’d been chasing getting paid by some brunette in Versace and Prada. She couldn’t believe she fallen for the chase me I’m vulnerable trick. She’d used it herself before. The brunette waltzed over to Buffy and gave her the once over.
“So you’re the Slayer. Don’t look so powerful. Did becoming a mommy slow you down? I didn’t even know Slayers could have kids. Of course its nice when you can get your ex-boyfriend and his cronies to do your work for you. How is the little one?”
“You stay away from him. Touch a hair on his head and you’ll really see what Angel can do.”
“Oh, it’s not him we’re interested in, it’s you. Now we know it’s possible, we intend to use you to breed an army of super strong children.”
“We?”
“Why yes, you are now the prisoner of Wolfram and Hart.”
Title: Missing
Rating: FRT
Summary: Giles get news of Buffy's whereabouts
By
“Buffy?”
“No, Rupert, it’s Wesley. Cordelia had another vision, is something wrong with Buffy?”
“She’s missing; she didn’t come home from patrol last night.”
“Oh, dear. Wait, Lorne just came in, he seems to have news.”
Giles waited breathlessly, hoping Wesley would come back to the phone soon.
“Rupert, I’m afraid the news isn’t good. Lorne just heard through the grapevine that Buffy’s been kidnapped by Wolfram and Hart.”
Giles felt the rage pour through him like fire. He’s heard all about the law firm while Buffy had been on maternity leave. They would pay for this crime.
“I’m coming there Wesley, look out for me.”
The gang surrounds him, expecting answers.
“I’m going to
With that he summons all the power he knows and transports himself to the hotel, leaving behind a cloud of smoke and confused Scoobies.
Title: Rescue
Rating: FRT (some violence)
Summary: Giles and the AI team go to rescue Buffy
Appearing in the lobby of the Hyperion, Giles faced a surprised Wesley, Gunn and Angel.
“Where are they?” he growled.
Angel recognized that this was no longer Giles, this was Ripper. Wolfram and Hart wouldn’t know what hit them.
“Let us help you, they are not to be underestimated,” Wesley asks.
Ripper just nods and Wes points out the weapons cabinet. Angel goes for the sword, Gunn takes his axe and Wes takes the crossbow. Ripper looks over the selection and picks several throwing knives as well as a large ceremonial dagger. As ready as they’ll ever be, they pile into Angel’s convertible. The drive is short and the plan of attack is simple. They burst in and hit first, ask questions later. Demons attack from all sides. The others seem to hold their own, so Ripper grabs a fleeing lawyer and gets into his face.
“The Slayer, where is she?”
“Science lab, two floors down.”
Ripper tossed him aside and dashes for the stairs. He finds the lab and sees Buffy strapped to a table, several scientists surrounding her. There are two others, a man and a woman, in suits, more lawyers. He flings open the door, taking out the scientists with the throwing knives. The male goes for him but he grabs the woman, holding the dagger to her throat.
“Release her or your colleague gets her throat slit.”
“Go ahead, I could care less if she lives or dies.”
“Giles hurry please,” Buffy pleads.
In a split second he decides what to do. The dagger finds its way into the man’s thigh; the woman is tossed to the side, Buffy’s restraints undone with words uttered low and quick. Scooping her up, he strides out, and back up to the lobby.
“I’ve got her, let’s go.”
And as the men of Angel Investigations follow, Ripper lets loose a few more words.
Title: Boom
Rating: FRT (explosions and a mildly bad word)
Summary: The aftermath of Buffy's rescue
Angel is left unscathed, but Gunn has several nasty cuts and Wesley knows he’ll be bruised in the morning. They make their way quickly to the car. Climbing in, Giles has returned to himself, Ripper fading away now that Buffy is safe. He holds her close, wanting to reassure himself she’s really okay. She clings to him, whispering his name like a mantra. He kisses her quickly as Angel starts the car.
“I’d drive faster if I were you,” Giles remarks.
Angel looks puzzled, but puts the pedal to the floor. They are several block away when it happens. A huge explosion, causing everyone to flinch. A huge fireball leapt into the night sky, lighting everything for miles.
“What the hell was that?” Gunn asks.
“Rupert, what did you do?” Wes questions.
“It was a magical bomb. I spoke the spell as we were leaving.”
“It won’t work, they’ll just rebuild,” Angel points out.
“Yes, but now they know the consequences of trying to mess with the Slayer.”
They are silent as they drive back to the hotel, the sirens echoing in the distance. Buffy’s calmed and she looks up at him.
“You came”
“Of course I did, why wouldn’t I?”
She kisses him passionately. Then she looks at the other three.
“Thank you. For helping.”
Title: Home
Rating: FRT
Summary: Buffy and Giles go home.
Angel let them stay the night at the hotel. Buffy wanted to
return right away, eager to get back to Daniel. Giles assured her that their
friends would take care of him, she needed to rest. Wesley called the house and
let Buffy talk to
In the morning she awoke to find Giles next to her, watching her. She smiled, kisses him.
“Let’s see what they have in the way of food, and then let’s go home.”
Wesley has brought several dozen donuts, remembering both Giles and Buffy like jellies. Everyone was patched up and buzzing about the night before. After eating, Wes offers his magical experience in helping return the two of them to Sunnydale. Together he and Giles speak the ancient words, power building slowly. As the lobby fades, Buffy waves to her friends. Soon they are in their living room and everything seems a little too quiet.
Buffy’s home and she’s happier than she ever thought
possible. She kisses Giles and goes searching for Daniel, nearly giving
Title: Sleep Deprived
Rating: FRC
Summary: Buffy and Giles need some sleep.
They were both dog tired, having only slept two or three
hours, each. Daniel was teething and keeping them up. Buffy tried to sleep
during the day and Giles at night, but nothing was working. They couldn’t ask
the Scoobies for help, they were all busy with their own lives. Dawn had her
schoolwork to keep up with, Anya and Xander were running the Magic Box,
All they could do was stay up, walk with him, give him his chew toys and catch sleep whenever they could. But it never seemed to be enough. They were always tired. They silently vowed not to have any more children, a vow they’d most probably break once they’d had some sleep.
Yawning, they rocked and paced, sang and soothed; each snatching snippets of sleep when they could. Finally Daniel settled down and fell asleep. It was hard to believe this sweet and innocent child was the cause of so much frustration. Natures way of keeping the species alive. They breathed a sigh of relief and made their way to the bedroom, holding each other up. Maybe now they could get some sleep.
Title: Burning Up
Rating: FRC
Summary: The baby is sick.
Daniel continued to fuss. He wouldn’t take any of his chew toys, so not teething, didn’t need changing, wasn’t hungry. Buffy didn’t know what to do. She paced, finally sitting with him in the rocking chair. They’d gotten past his first tooth and managed to catch some sleep. But this fussing was different and she feared she was failing as a mom. This was one of those times she wished her own mom were still here. She would have know immediately what to do. She pressed a soft kiss on his forehead.
He was burning up! Getting up and holding him tightly, she ran for the bathroom. Opening the medicine cabinet, she searched for the thermometer, spilling other things onto the floor. Finding it, she put it in Daniel’s ear, muttering for it to hurry. When it beeped, she looked at the numbers. One hundred and one. Daniel had a fever. She had to call Giles, no call the doctor, no Giles, and get to the hospital. Where was the phone? She found it, pressed the first speed dial number, the Magic Box, and sputtered as soon as she heard Giles say hello.
“Come home, quick. Daniel has a fever.”
Title: ER Visit
Rating: FRT
Summary: Buffy and Giles take Daniel to the ER
Giles hurried home after Buffy’s call, leaving Anya in charge, much to her delight. Finding Buffy in a tizzy, he calmed her down, placed a call to the pediatrician and arranged to meet at the E.R. Then he bundled his wife and son into the car. If he portrayed a calm exterior to her, he was scared to death on the inside.
When they got to the E.R., he informed the nurse on duty they were expected by Doctor Whittaker, she had him paged. He hated hospitals and the E.R. even more so. It might have had something to do with the inordinate amount of time he’d spent in this one over the last five years. The last time they’d been here was for Daniel’s birth, the only happy visit. The time before that had been when Joyce had died. He wondered if Buffy remembered.
Soon they were seen and the doctor assured them Daniel would be okay. He prescribed some children’s aspirin, plenty of fluids and calm parents. He wanted to keep Daniel for a few more hours, just to make sure the fever didn’t spike. Giles saw Buffy visibly relax, and he felt a weight lift from him, too. He wished for the time to pass quickly, he really hated hospitals.
Title: A Night Out
Rating: FRC
Summary: Buffy and Giles have a night out.
The restaurant was quiet, dark, intimate. The occasion was a happy one. They had been shown to their table by a stuffy, stuck up fellow in black. She looked at Giles and they both suppressed a laugh. They were celebrating, it was their anniversary. Buffy had been Giles’ wife for two years now. The table was tucked into a corner, candles and flowers adorning it. He held out her chair, always the gentleman. The menu was in French, the script delicate and intricate. He ordered for them, toasted their happiness with expensive champagne. She echoed it with one of her own to their future. They sat and talked about nothing, just enjoying the time alone. Dawn was at home with Daniel, giving them a child free evening to celebrate. When the food arrived, the conversation seemed to trail off. She tried to eat, the food was delicious, but something weighed on her mind.
“Buffy, what is it love?”
“Can we go home? This is nice, wonderfully romantic and all but….”
“You miss Daniel.”
“Yes. Am I being silly?”
“Not at all, let’s go home then.”
He signaled for the check and she smiled. He understood and that made her love him even more.