Fred grinned and laughed when Rupert started dancing her around the room, feeling a bit like a princess about to go to the ball with her handsome prince. Resting her hand on his shoulder, she looked up into his eyes. "You look wonderful too," she told him. "I don't often get to dress up like this."
The last time she had had been the night of the ballet in Los Angeles, the last night all of them had been together before everything had fallen apart. She hadn't to think of that night because she knew that had been the night that Wesley had pulled away. That had been the night she had started her short-lived relationship with Charles, and so many times since then, she had wondered what might have happened if she hadn't allowed that to happen, if she hadn't let herself be caught up in breakfasts and attention and had seen what had been going on with Wesley instead.
But at the same time, she had to wonder if she would be here now with Rupert if she hadn't allowed that night to happen. Wesley would want her to be happy, and here, now, kissing Rupert, she knew truly was.
She smiled, wrapping her pashmina around her as Rupert sat down on the bed to put his socks and shoes on. Once he was done, she tucked her arm in his, looking down at Molly, who looked like she didn't want to be left alone in this familiar house while they were gone.
"We probably should. She doesn't know this house," Fred said, thinking for a moment. Hurrying over to the clothes, she had been wearing earlier, she grabbed her shirt and also picked up the shirt Rupert had been wearing that he had brought upstairs and placed them on the bed. "Come here, Molly."
She patted the shirts, and Molly hurried over to jump on the bed, sniffing the clothes that she had left there. After a moment, the little dog lay down, burying her muzzle between them. Smiling, Fred rejoined Rupert, taking his arm again.
"She should be all right until we get home now," she told him as they walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind them. "Now, where are we off to? Or do I have to wait until we get there to find out?"
"It's a private club," Giles explained to Fred as he led her down the stairs. "It was established in the 1800's for the writers and artists to have a place to go. Jane Austen actually spent quite a bit of time there when she was here." When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Giles went to the front door and opened it for Fred.
"Eventually the Council ended up using it for themselves," he said as Fred stepped outside. Giles took Fred's hand and walked her down the front pavement and to his car. He opened the door for her and when she was in, he shut the door behind her and went to the driver's side. Once both were buckled in, he started the car and pulled out onto the road.
"All the older Council families became automatic members but a lot of them sold their memberships a few years ago because there was sort of a renaissance there. A lot of the artist, musicians and writers took it back. My mother is quite a fan of the written word and refused to sell our membership back." Giles turned the car onto a main road that took them into downtown Bath. "They kept it private in order to keep certain people out but they're quite friendly there. Once a month they allow local artists to come in and do their thing. They've even allowed me to sing a few times."
They pulled up in front of the restaurant and a valet rushed over to them. Giles glanced over at Fred and saw the look on her face. "Yes, I sing. I haven't told you that before?" he asked as the valet opened her door.
Fred felt her excitement growing when Rupert told her where they were going while they drove into Bath. Of all the places she had thought they might be going, a place like that would never have crossed her mind. But she supposed she would have to get used to being surprised by such things. The Giles family and the Council obviously had connections that she had never dreamed of.
When he told her he sang, however, she found that she probably wouldn't get used to all the surprises she was sure were going to be in store for her as his wife.
"No, you didn't mention it," she said, grinning at him. The valet helped her out of the car, and once Rupert had come around the car to join her, she tucked her arm in his as they walked toward the entrace while the valet took the car to park it. Given that she loved just hearing him speak, she could just imagine how wonderful his singing voice had to be. "Will you sing for me sometime? I would love to hear you."
Giles took Fred to the front door and waited for the doorman to open it for them. "Of course I will," he said, stepping inside. Once inside, they were shown to their table, which was in the corner of the room, away from all the other tables. Giles had asked to be placed there so Fred and him could have some privacy.
The waiter came over and filled their glass tumblers before setting the menus on the table before walking off. "They have excellent pasta here," he said before taking a drink of water. He looked over at Fred and smiled. The candle that was sitting in the middle of the table seemed to be making her glow and Giles couldn't help but to stare at her beauty. "You're so beautiful."
He reached across the table and took her hand into his. "I'm so happy you agreed to be my wife," he said, interlinking his fingers with hers. "I promise to give you everything your heart desires, love. Anything at all."
Fred looked around at the dining area of club - she had never been in anything so ornate. It was almost like walking into one of those movies she sometimes would watch late at night with her mother when she couldn't sleep over worry about a test or some other thing.
She smiled at him as they looked through the menus for a moment - the pasta he recommended sounded good, so she closed the menu again and set it aside as he took her hand.
"Everything I've ever wanted, I think I have now," she told him, looking down at their fingers. "I have you, a job I'm really loving, a wonderful place to live, a puppy. What more could a girl ask for? I know we'll have children when the time is right."
The waiter returned and took their orders before disappearing again. With the lights so low, it seemed that only the almost indistiguishable sounds of the others in the club chatting were the only sign that they weren't completely alone.
"What about you? Is there anything more you want?"
After ordering himself a pasta dish, Giles looked over at Fred as spoke. She was truly happy and he was partly responsible for that happiness. He smiled and squeezed her hand. "I just want a lifetime of loving you and being your husband, best friend and father of your children. And I want to make you happy. That's all. Nothing else really matters except for you," he said before laughing. "Besides my books. I've been with my books for a long time. But I'd save you in fire before the books."
Giles squeezed her hand again as the waiter came back and poured them some wine. He took a sip from his glass before setting it down. "I've been thinking about ringing Sara Jane. I'm trying not to be stubborn but I would rather plan our wedding ourselves," he explained. "I don't think it'll be that large of an affair. And I'm afraid if Ms. Jane gets a hold of it, she'll turn it into something we don't want."
The waiter came back with their salads and set them down before walking off again. "I'm about ready to tie that waiter down so he stops interrupting us every five minutes," he muttered before picking up his salad fork. "You doing all right? Is there anything you need?"
Fred laughed when Rupert promised that he'd save her before his books in a fire. "That's good to know. Although I'd help you save your books if I could. I'd hate to see them destroyed too, especially since you've been with them for so long."
She could see that Rupert was definitely starting to get perturbed by the waiter's coming and going, so she hoped that once he brought the main course they'd be left alone for a little while. Picking up her fork, she took a bite of her salad, giving him a smile.
"I'm fine. This salad is very good, and I like the dressing - it's not to vinegary like you sometimes get." She then took a sip of wine and leaned over a bit. "And truth be told, I agree with you about the wedding and the wedding planner idea. I love your mother for thinking about us and wanting to help, but I don't want this to be very big either, which I'm kind of scared it might get if someone else gets a hold of it, especially if that person knows about the Council families and wants to make an impression."
Stopping she took a deep breath and looked down at the table cloth for a moment. At one time, she had dreamed about having a huge wedding, mostly after she had seen Diana and Charles' wedding on the television when she was six years old. Of course then, she had wanted to be a princess - a few months before she decided she also wanted to travel into space on the shuttle.
Since then, though, she had changed her mind about what she wanted to be when she grew up several times, and she had also changed her mind about what she wanted when she got married.
"I just want a small wedding outside in the sunshine with our friends and family, nothing fancy," she told him, picking up her fork again to continue eating her salad. "Dinner afterwards...and then a lifetime with my best friend at my side."
Giles was grateful that Fred agreed with him about the wedding. He'd seen some of the weddings Sara Jane had done and they were a bit godly. At least in his opinion they were. He really couldn't picture Fred wearing a ten foot long train on her wedding dress while white doves fluttered around her head. Giles knew he wanted something small. Just a few people and nothing more.
"It is good dressing. I can't recall what they use here. It's their own recipe I believe," he said, taking another bite of his salad. "And before I forget, we should really pick a date so your parents know when they should fly here. If they wait until the last minutes, their tickets will be a bit cheaper." The waiter came back and cleared their table and Giles pondered not giving the little bugger a tip if he didn't stop acting so eager.
"I was thinking the last Saturday of the month," Giles said after the waiter was gone again. "That'll give your parents three weeks before they need to be here. Unless you need more time of course. I don't really know what goes into picking out a wedding dress."
"The end of the month sounds perfect," she said, taking another sip of her wine. She knew her parents would be ready to fly out anytime - especially since the school year had ended yesterday. "I think I should be able to find a wedding dress by then since I wasn't exactly planning on visiting every shop in the country. I just want something simple. I should be able to find that fairly easily."
She smiled over at him. "So it'll be your parents, my parents, Willow, Charlotte, Xander, Andrew, Buffy and Dawn if they can come in from Rome..."
She thought for a moment. She hadn't spoken to Lorne since before she had first come to England for the interview, and she didn't think that inviting them would be right anyway. The only other person she would have wanted there was dead now.
"That's all I can think off unless there's anyone else you want to invite," she said as the waiter appeared yet again, this time bearing their main courses. Once he had set them down, he asked if there was anything else he could get for them. "Just some time alone to enjoy the food, thank you."
Giles listened to Fred as she named off everyone that was invited to the wedding. “The list sounds complete,” he said with a nod. The waiter came back and placed their dishes down and Giles had to bite his lip to get from laughing at what Fred said. When the waiter walked away, he let out a small giggle and looked over at Fred.
“I think I rather like you being bossy,” he said with mischief in his eyes. He squeezed her hand and then started on his food. “This is quite good.” He took a sip of his wine and took a breadstick out of the basket the waiter had left. “Now that we have the date settled, how about a honeymoon?” He tore a piece of his breadstick off and dipped it into the sauce that was lathering his pasta.
After swallowing it, Giles continued to speak. “I was thinking New Zealand? Or maybe even Ireland. Of course we won’t be able to go on a honeymoon straightaway considering we have a lot of work at the Council to do but perhaps in a month or so we could.”
The last time she had had been the night of the ballet in Los Angeles, the last night all of them had been together before everything had fallen apart. She hadn't to think of that night because she knew that had been the night that Wesley had pulled away. That had been the night she had started her short-lived relationship with Charles, and so many times since then, she had wondered what might have happened if she hadn't allowed that to happen, if she hadn't let herself be caught up in breakfasts and attention and had seen what had been going on with Wesley instead.
But at the same time, she had to wonder if she would be here now with Rupert if she hadn't allowed that night to happen. Wesley would want her to be happy, and here, now, kissing Rupert, she knew truly was.
She smiled, wrapping her pashmina around her as Rupert sat down on the bed to put his socks and shoes on. Once he was done, she tucked her arm in his, looking down at Molly, who looked like she didn't want to be left alone in this familiar house while they were gone.
"We probably should. She doesn't know this house," Fred said, thinking for a moment. Hurrying over to the clothes, she had been wearing earlier, she grabbed her shirt and also picked up the shirt Rupert had been wearing that he had brought upstairs and placed them on the bed. "Come here, Molly."
She patted the shirts, and Molly hurried over to jump on the bed, sniffing the clothes that she had left there. After a moment, the little dog lay down, burying her muzzle between them. Smiling, Fred rejoined Rupert, taking his arm again.
"She should be all right until we get home now," she told him as they walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind them. "Now, where are we off to? Or do I have to wait until we get there to find out?"
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"Eventually the Council ended up using it for themselves," he said as Fred stepped outside. Giles took Fred's hand and walked her down the front pavement and to his car. He opened the door for her and when she was in, he shut the door behind her and went to the driver's side. Once both were buckled in, he started the car and pulled out onto the road.
"All the older Council families became automatic members but a lot of them sold their memberships a few years ago because there was sort of a renaissance there. A lot of the artist, musicians and writers took it back. My mother is quite a fan of the written word and refused to sell our membership back." Giles turned the car onto a main road that took them into downtown Bath. "They kept it private in order to keep certain people out but they're quite friendly there. Once a month they allow local artists to come in and do their thing. They've even allowed me to sing a few times."
They pulled up in front of the restaurant and a valet rushed over to them. Giles glanced over at Fred and saw the look on her face. "Yes, I sing. I haven't told you that before?" he asked as the valet opened her door.
Reply
When he told her he sang, however, she found that she probably wouldn't get used to all the surprises she was sure were going to be in store for her as his wife.
"No, you didn't mention it," she said, grinning at him. The valet helped her out of the car, and once Rupert had come around the car to join her, she tucked her arm in his as they walked toward the entrace while the valet took the car to park it. Given that she loved just hearing him speak, she could just imagine how wonderful his singing voice had to be. "Will you sing for me sometime? I would love to hear you."
Reply
The waiter came over and filled their glass tumblers before setting the menus on the table before walking off. "They have excellent pasta here," he said before taking a drink of water. He looked over at Fred and smiled. The candle that was sitting in the middle of the table seemed to be making her glow and Giles couldn't help but to stare at her beauty. "You're so beautiful."
He reached across the table and took her hand into his. "I'm so happy you agreed to be my wife," he said, interlinking his fingers with hers. "I promise to give you everything your heart desires, love. Anything at all."
Reply
She smiled at him as they looked through the menus for a moment - the pasta he recommended sounded good, so she closed the menu again and set it aside as he took her hand.
"Everything I've ever wanted, I think I have now," she told him, looking down at their fingers. "I have you, a job I'm really loving, a wonderful place to live, a puppy. What more could a girl ask for? I know we'll have children when the time is right."
The waiter returned and took their orders before disappearing again. With the lights so low, it seemed that only the almost indistiguishable sounds of the others in the club chatting were the only sign that they weren't completely alone.
"What about you? Is there anything more you want?"
Reply
Giles squeezed her hand again as the waiter came back and poured them some wine. He took a sip from his glass before setting it down. "I've been thinking about ringing Sara Jane. I'm trying not to be stubborn but I would rather plan our wedding ourselves," he explained. "I don't think it'll be that large of an affair. And I'm afraid if Ms. Jane gets a hold of it, she'll turn it into something we don't want."
The waiter came back with their salads and set them down before walking off again. "I'm about ready to tie that waiter down so he stops interrupting us every five minutes," he muttered before picking up his salad fork. "You doing all right? Is there anything you need?"
Reply
She could see that Rupert was definitely starting to get perturbed by the waiter's coming and going, so she hoped that once he brought the main course they'd be left alone for a little while. Picking up her fork, she took a bite of her salad, giving him a smile.
"I'm fine. This salad is very good, and I like the dressing - it's not to vinegary like you sometimes get." She then took a sip of wine and leaned over a bit. "And truth be told, I agree with you about the wedding and the wedding planner idea. I love your mother for thinking about us and wanting to help, but I don't want this to be very big either, which I'm kind of scared it might get if someone else gets a hold of it, especially if that person knows about the Council families and wants to make an impression."
Stopping she took a deep breath and looked down at the table cloth for a moment. At one time, she had dreamed about having a huge wedding, mostly after she had seen Diana and Charles' wedding on the television when she was six years old. Of course then, she had wanted to be a princess - a few months before she decided she also wanted to travel into space on the shuttle.
Since then, though, she had changed her mind about what she wanted to be when she grew up several times, and she had also changed her mind about what she wanted when she got married.
"I just want a small wedding outside in the sunshine with our friends and family, nothing fancy," she told him, picking up her fork again to continue eating her salad. "Dinner afterwards...and then a lifetime with my best friend at my side."
Reply
"It is good dressing. I can't recall what they use here. It's their own recipe I believe," he said, taking another bite of his salad. "And before I forget, we should really pick a date so your parents know when they should fly here. If they wait until the last minutes, their tickets will be a bit cheaper." The waiter came back and cleared their table and Giles pondered not giving the little bugger a tip if he didn't stop acting so eager.
"I was thinking the last Saturday of the month," Giles said after the waiter was gone again. "That'll give your parents three weeks before they need to be here. Unless you need more time of course. I don't really know what goes into picking out a wedding dress."
Reply
She smiled over at him. "So it'll be your parents, my parents, Willow, Charlotte, Xander, Andrew, Buffy and Dawn if they can come in from Rome..."
She thought for a moment. She hadn't spoken to Lorne since before she had first come to England for the interview, and she didn't think that inviting them would be right anyway. The only other person she would have wanted there was dead now.
"That's all I can think off unless there's anyone else you want to invite," she said as the waiter appeared yet again, this time bearing their main courses. Once he had set them down, he asked if there was anything else he could get for them. "Just some time alone to enjoy the food, thank you."
The waiter nodded and hurried off.
"Let's see how long that'll actually last."
Reply
“I think I rather like you being bossy,” he said with mischief in his eyes. He squeezed her hand and then started on his food. “This is quite good.” He took a sip of his wine and took a breadstick out of the basket the waiter had left. “Now that we have the date settled, how about a honeymoon?” He tore a piece of his breadstick off and dipped it into the sauce that was lathering his pasta.
After swallowing it, Giles continued to speak. “I was thinking New Zealand? Or maybe even Ireland. Of course we won’t be able to go on a honeymoon straightaway considering we have a lot of work at the Council to do but perhaps in a month or so we could.”
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