trope_bingo fill: Chosen Family
Originally written for a challenge at the LJ comm letterbattle.
Fic: Family Comfort (BTVS; Rupert Giles, Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, Cordelia Chase, Oz; Chosen Family)
Summary: Set a few days after the Season 2 episode Passion
content notes: Rating: G
word count:: 723
Rupert Giles looked around his flat with decided ambivalence. He really did not want to be here. Jenny had not been to his place very often, yet, everything still reminded him of her and of how he had found her that night. He knew it was cowardly, but he wished that Buffy had not rescued him from the burning factory. At least Xander and Cordelia had spared him cleaning up Angelus’ little gift. The children were always surprising him.
There was a soft knock at his door. He frowned and looked at his watch. Buffy had assured him that she was not going to patrol tonight. She had insisted that he take the night off. He knew she meant well, but he needed to keep busy right now. But she had begged, pleaded and finally pouted at him until he agreed. He looked through the peephole and saw the top of a blonde head.
“Buffy. We agreed that if I were to take the night off that you would as well,” he said as he opened the door and stepped aside to let her in.
“Yep. This is me taking the night off. Here Mom made this.” She shoved a casserole dish into his hands and that’s when he noticed she had a sleeping bag. “Where is everybody?”
“Everybody? Er, Buffy ...”
He was cut off by the hasty arrival of Willow, Xander, Cordelia and Oz, who were all loaded down with sleeping bags and other accoutrements. Willow and Cordelia put down their sacks of groceries on the kitchen counter and started pulling out plates and bowls from the cabinets. Xander and Oz piled all the sleeping gear neatly in the corner and pulled out what looked to be their school books.
Giles jumped when Buffy touched him on the arm. “We brought food and homework and stuff. I hope it’s okay, but we didn’t want you to be alone.” The other children had ceased their bustling and waited silently for his answer.
“Your, er, parents?” he asked.
“My parents are on a speaking tour. I forwarded my phone to here in case they call, but they called last week. They usually only call every other week, if they remember.” Willow shrugged. Giles blinked. Horrified that Willow’s parents could be so inattentive to such a remarkable young girl.
“Mine are visiting my Aunt Rachael. I’ll be an uncle again soon.” Oz supplied.
“Mine are in Paris. The housekeeper will enjoy having the weekend off,” Cordelia said.
“It’s Friday night. Mine have already started drinking. Doubt they will even notice I am gone,” Xander said and looked down. Giles clenched his jaw. He really ought to have words with the boy’s parents. And perhaps more than words with his father.
He looked down at Buffy, who still had her hand on his arm in support. “I told Mom I’d be staying with Willow after we brought you the casserole. Which is technically the truth.” She looked up at him pleadingly.
He searched the faces of the others and saw nothing but compassion. He would have preferred to have grieved alone, but he was moved by their thoughtfulness. “Alright, then. Who’s for tea?” At the five affirmative responses he headed to the kitchen to put the kettle on. He shuddered at some of the unhealthy snacks the children had selected but put them in bowls anyway. He smiled when he reached the bottom of the sack and discovered a box of jaffa cakes.
“Ooh, food,” Xander practically drooled.
Giles rolled his eyes good naturedly. Where there was food, there was Xander. He handed the boy a few bowls of snacks and teased, “Please make sure the others get some.”
“Hah! Hey what are Jaffa Cakes?”
“Something from home. I suspect Willow found them. She asked me one day about what kinds of snacks we had back home and I told her about Jaffa Cakes.” He opened the package and held it out for Xander.
“That’s our Willow. Giles! You’ve been holding out on us. I thought British food was supposed to be bad!” Hooked, he reached for another. “Guys, you’ve got to try these!”
Giles chuckled and removed a few for himself before adding them to the tray. Perhaps this wasn’t how he had planned to spend the weekend, but it might be just the thing.
Fic: Family Comfort (BTVS; Rupert Giles, Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris, Cordelia Chase, Oz; Chosen Family)
Summary: Set a few days after the Season 2 episode Passion
content notes: Rating: G
word count:: 723
Rupert Giles looked around his flat with decided ambivalence. He really did not want to be here. Jenny had not been to his place very often, yet, everything still reminded him of her and of how he had found her that night. He knew it was cowardly, but he wished that Buffy had not rescued him from the burning factory. At least Xander and Cordelia had spared him cleaning up Angelus’ little gift. The children were always surprising him.
There was a soft knock at his door. He frowned and looked at his watch. Buffy had assured him that she was not going to patrol tonight. She had insisted that he take the night off. He knew she meant well, but he needed to keep busy right now. But she had begged, pleaded and finally pouted at him until he agreed. He looked through the peephole and saw the top of a blonde head.
“Buffy. We agreed that if I were to take the night off that you would as well,” he said as he opened the door and stepped aside to let her in.
“Yep. This is me taking the night off. Here Mom made this.” She shoved a casserole dish into his hands and that’s when he noticed she had a sleeping bag. “Where is everybody?”
“Everybody? Er, Buffy ...”
He was cut off by the hasty arrival of Willow, Xander, Cordelia and Oz, who were all loaded down with sleeping bags and other accoutrements. Willow and Cordelia put down their sacks of groceries on the kitchen counter and started pulling out plates and bowls from the cabinets. Xander and Oz piled all the sleeping gear neatly in the corner and pulled out what looked to be their school books.
Giles jumped when Buffy touched him on the arm. “We brought food and homework and stuff. I hope it’s okay, but we didn’t want you to be alone.” The other children had ceased their bustling and waited silently for his answer.
“Your, er, parents?” he asked.
“My parents are on a speaking tour. I forwarded my phone to here in case they call, but they called last week. They usually only call every other week, if they remember.” Willow shrugged. Giles blinked. Horrified that Willow’s parents could be so inattentive to such a remarkable young girl.
“Mine are visiting my Aunt Rachael. I’ll be an uncle again soon.” Oz supplied.
“Mine are in Paris. The housekeeper will enjoy having the weekend off,” Cordelia said.
“It’s Friday night. Mine have already started drinking. Doubt they will even notice I am gone,” Xander said and looked down. Giles clenched his jaw. He really ought to have words with the boy’s parents. And perhaps more than words with his father.
He looked down at Buffy, who still had her hand on his arm in support. “I told Mom I’d be staying with Willow after we brought you the casserole. Which is technically the truth.” She looked up at him pleadingly.
He searched the faces of the others and saw nothing but compassion. He would have preferred to have grieved alone, but he was moved by their thoughtfulness. “Alright, then. Who’s for tea?” At the five affirmative responses he headed to the kitchen to put the kettle on. He shuddered at some of the unhealthy snacks the children had selected but put them in bowls anyway. He smiled when he reached the bottom of the sack and discovered a box of jaffa cakes.
“Ooh, food,” Xander practically drooled.
Giles rolled his eyes good naturedly. Where there was food, there was Xander. He handed the boy a few bowls of snacks and teased, “Please make sure the others get some.”
“Hah! Hey what are Jaffa Cakes?”
“Something from home. I suspect Willow found them. She asked me one day about what kinds of snacks we had back home and I told her about Jaffa Cakes.” He opened the package and held it out for Xander.
“That’s our Willow. Giles! You’ve been holding out on us. I thought British food was supposed to be bad!” Hooked, he reached for another. “Guys, you’ve got to try these!”
Giles chuckled and removed a few for himself before adding them to the tray. Perhaps this wasn’t how he had planned to spend the weekend, but it might be just the thing.