Elliott - Chapter 7/8
Elliott took a deep breath and looked at Buffy and Giles as Giles put his hand on the doorknob. “You coming in?”
Giles shook his head slowly. “No, this is about you and your Dad.”
“But, you’ll come in after I call you?”
“Of course. But, this is something you should talk to Peter about on your own.” He smiled at Elliott as he opened the door for him. “The decision is yours, Elliott. Buffy and I will support you in whatever that decision is, as always.”
Elliott glanced at Buffy, who nodded in agreement. Elliott smiled at both of them and slipped into the room. Giles closed the door behind him and looked down at Buffy.
“Tea?”
“And that cheesecake if they have it?”
Giles chuckled softly, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Absolutely.”
Buffy hooked her arm through Giles’ and sighed. Giles nudged her gently with his shoulder.
“You alright?”
“Yeah, it’s just been a full on day…and it’s only what…1pm? I’m tired, but Elliott…he just goes with it. I’m a little envious of him for that.”
Giles nodded slowly. “He did go to bed quite a bit earlier than we did, though.”
“We went to bed early. Well, early for us…”
A small grin appeared on his lips. “Ah, but there wasn’t much resting until the wee hours of the morning.”
She laughed quietly. “Yeah, well…”
He laughed in response, pulling his hand out of his pocket and taking hold of hers.
* * *
Elliott carefully navigated his way over to his father’s bedside. He leaned his crutches against the side of the bed and sat down in the chair.
“Hey, Dad.” He whispered, reaching over and covering Peter’s hand with his own. “So…I’m a leg down now. It’s weird…and not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Sometimes it feels like it’s still there. Phantom sensations, the doctor called it.”
He sighed deeply, looking at Peter’s face. “I’ve got some things to tell you…and I don’t even know if you can hear me, or know if I’m here. But, I’m going to pretend that you can and you do. Because it’s pretty important stuff.”
“Good news or bad news?” Elliott sighed to himself. “Bad news…get it over with, right? So…I’m starting chemo and radiation tomorrow. I have to go this afternoon to have some kind of implant put in. It’s for the chemo. It’s supposed to make it easier for me since I’m going to be on it for a few months. I wasn’t expecting to start radiation tomorrow too. It wasn’t the original plan, but the cancer in my liver is growing faster than they were expecting. I’m scared, Dad. I’m scared of getting sick, I’m scared of what the treatment is going to do, I’m scared of dying. I don’t want to die, so I’m going to fight as hard as I can. But, I’m really scared. Mum and Dad are so amazing with everything, but they’re scared too. Ethan is really stepping up for them. He’s teaching me a few things too.”
Elliott smiled wistfully. “Don’t tell Dad that, okay? He’ll lose his mind if he knows Ethan is teaching me magic. It’s nothing dangerous, just stuff to keep me from getting bored and maybe to keep my mind on other things. I’d like to ask Willow a few things, but I’m just not sure.”
After a long pause, Elliott leaned forward and curled his fingers around his father’s hand. “And that brings me to the good news. At least, I think it’s good news. I hope you do too.”
He watched for any sort of reaction, his eyes glistening when there was none. He blew out a deep breath.
“Mum and Dad…Buffy and Uncle Ru…they…they want to adopt me. You know, as their son. I mean, Uncle Ru has pretty much been my dad since I was four - since you…since the accident. And I don’t remember Mum, my real mum, at all. Not even any flashes like I have with you. I look at pictures and I recognise her, but no memories of her. So, Buffy has always been Mum to me. But, now…now they want to make it official - be proper parents to me. And I want that too…I don’t want to not be your son anymore, Dad. But, I want parents like my friends have. And I know that if you were well, you’d be that dad for me. But, you can’t - and that’s not your fault.”
He bit his lip nervously and then continued.
“So, I’m going to say yes to them. And I hope you understand - you’re still my Dad, I’m not throwing that away. But…I really want Uncle Ru and Buffy to be my legal parents. I really do hope you get that. And I know that I didn’t have to come here to tell you all of that…but, I thought I should. Because you should hear it from me. I love you, Daddy. I love you so much.” He smiled softly, rubbing his thumb over his father’s hand. “The good thing is I won’t have to change my name.”
He sat there for quite a while longer. Telling Peter about his fears and hopes and friends. And after a long while, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and called his uncle.
In the entire time that he had been in the room, there had been no movement or signs of anything from his father. His breathing was even, his heart rate was steady…slow, but steady. Not even the slightest change in rhythm…even while he was telling him his news.
“I love you, Daddy.” He whispered sadly, pulling himself up and leaning over to kiss his father’s cheek.
* * *
Giles looked in the rearview mirror to find Elliott staring out the side window. “Elliott?”
“Hm?”
“Are you alright?”
Elliott nodded slowly, turning his eyes to meet Giles’ in the mirror. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
Giles gave him a quick nod, then turned his full attention back to the road as the light turned green. “You’re very quiet. Are you sore or anything?”
Elliott absently rubbed around the still numb spot on his chest. “No, not sore really…it feels weird though. I, uh…I was actually thinking about Dad.”
Elliott sighed softly, moving his hand to scratch his knee - the knee that was no longer there. He blew out a deep breath and lifted his gaze when Buffy turned to look back at him. “I don’t think he’s there anymore. When I was talking to him or touching him…there was nothing. I’ve never seen him that…still…before.”
Buffy placed her hand on Giles’ thigh, but maintained her eye contact with Elliott. “That must’ve been really hard.”
Elliott nodded as his eyes filled with tears. “Yeah, really hard. I told him about starting treatment tomorrow.”
Giles took a deep breath as he pulled into their driveway and killed the engine. “How are you feeling about that, Elliott?”
“I’m scared.” Elliott replied bluntly as he opened the car door and grabbed his crutches. “But, you have to do what you have to do…right?”
Giles and Buffy exchanged a quick glance and then got out of the car. The three of them walked up the path to the front steps, Giles and Buffy on either side of Elliott. Suddenly, Elliott stopped and looked at the both of them.
“I told him about you guys wanting to adopt me.”
Buffy slipped her hand into Giles’ as Giles nodded slowly, tilting his head slightly as he looked at Elliott.
“I told him that he’d always be my Dad and that I’ll always love him.” Elliott swallowed and then exhaled slowly. “And then I told him that I really want you to be my parents. My real parents. I want to be your son…so, I’m saying yes.”
Buffy’s eyes glistened as she carefully wrapped her arms around Elliott. Giles curled his arm around Elliott’s shoulder and leant down, kissing the top of his head.
“I’ll ask the lawyer to start the process…if you’re sure.”
Elliott smiled at him, looking from Giles to Buffy and back again. “Yeah, I’m sure, Dad.”
Giles returned Elliott’s smile, his happiness easily recognisable in his eyes. Seemingly lost for words, he cleared his throat and gave Elliott a nod. Buffy laughed softly.
“You rendered him speechless…”
Elliott laughed and curled his fingers around the handgrips of his crutches. “You’re the only person I’ve ever seen do that.”
Buffy grinned and gestured towards the door. “Go on…there’s cheesecake in the fridge.”
Elliott’s eyes widened. Buffy and Giles stood there on the footpath, watching him as he raced up the steps. As he unlocked the door and went inside, Buffy looked up at Giles.
“Hey…you okay?”
Giles nodded slowly, his smile still gracing his face. “I, uh…yes, absolutely.”
“Come on, Dad…let’s get in there before he eats the whole cake himself.”
Giles shook his head in amusement. “I’m not going to deny him his cheesecake. He gets that from you.”
“You don’t deny me either, do you?”
He looked down at her and smiled adorably. “I deny you very few things, love.”
She blushed lightly and led him inside.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Giles smiled softly as Elliott bounced his leg up and down nervously. “It’s going to be okay, Elliott.”
“Is this going to hurt? I mean, I asked Dr Naylor and he said no, but…what do you think, Dad? Is it going to hurt?”
Giles shook his head slowly. “No, it doesn’t. I’ve spoken to quite a few people who have had radiation - they’ve all said that it doesn’t hurt. All that you’ll notice is the sound of the machine when it’s turned on.”
“But you can’t come in with me…”
“No, son. I’m sorry. But, I’ll be right here and from everything I’ve read, it doesn’t take long.”
“I have to come basically every day. That’s a long time.”
“Five days on, two days off…for three weeks, then a recheck. But, I was talking about the actual length of time for each daily treatment. It’ll only be a few minutes..”
“And then round one of chemo starts. Fun times.”
“Necessary times.” Giles replied quietly. “But, we can be there for you during chemo.”
He rubbed at his chest and furrowed his brow. “This thing feels weird. Not bad and it doesn’t hurt, but…it’s not supposed to be there.”
“You’ll get used to it. Soon, you won’t even notice it.” Giles offered him a gentle smile. “I’m really proud of you, Elliott.”
Elliott lowered his hand and looked up at Giles curiously. “Huh?”
“The way you’ve taken everything in stride…”
“Or…half stride now.” Elliott interjected with a little grin.
Giles chuckled and nodded. “Yes, well…I’m proud of you. For many things in life, but this is huge.”
“You’d fight, right? I mean, if you had cancer. You’d fight.”
“Yes, I would.” Giles responded without hesitation. “I have much to live for, Elliott. I’d fight without question. But, I think I’d probably be a bit angrier than you have been.”
“How long will the adoption take?” Elliott asked, quickly changing the subject.
“Well…our lawyer is going to contact the appropriate people and they’ll assign a social worker to our case. Normally, we’d need to wait a few months before applying to the court…however, Carson seems to think that due to our circumstances we may be able to fast track our application.”
“Circumstances? Like…Dad having a brain injury?”
“Mm…yes, that and…well, your cancer diagnosis and prognosis.” Giles answered quietly. “Carson is confident it’ll not be an issue. He’s going to talk to your Dad’s doctors and he’ll talk to Dr Naylor as well. I honestly don’t think it will take very long once all the reporting is done.”
Elliott blew out a soft breath and nodded. “I hope it doesn’t.”
Before Giles could respond, the door opened and a young woman smiled at Elliott.
“Rupert Elliott Giles?”
Elliott smiled as he pushed himself up and grabbed his crutches. “Just Elliott…and that’s me.”
The woman laughed softly and held the door open for him as she looked at Giles. “We won’t be long, Mr Giles.”
“Thank you.” Giles nodded slowly then turned his attention to Elliott. “You’ll be fine, Elliott.”
Elliott exhaled. “You’ll be right here, right?”
Giles stood up and carefully pulled him into a hug. “I’m going nowhere, son. I’ll be right here. I love you.”
“I love you too, Dad.” Elliott whispered against his chest.
And then he took a deep breath and stood up straight. At that moment, Giles saw himself so very clearly in the young boy. Bravery in the face of fear. Not because he wanted to be brave…but because he had to be brave.
Giles watched Elliott walk through the door and then he sat back down. The young woman offered him an understanding smile.
“We won’t be long and we’ll take very good care of him.”
Giles nodded, but said nothing.
He pulled out his phone and quickly dialled Buffy’s number. She answered on the second ring.
“Everything okay?” She asked, pausing when he didn’t answer straight away. “Are you nodding or shaking your head?”
“Oh…nodding, I’m sorry. They just took him in. Are you okay?”
“Yeah…”
He exhaled softly. “It’s not that he didn’t want you here. You know that.”
“I know, it’s just not often that he specifically requests that I don’t come along to something.”
“Normally, that’s because he wants or needs to talk about something.”
Buffy paused for a second. “I know.”
“He likes a girl, Buffy. And he’s worried that because of his surgery and his illness that she won’t like him back.”
“Oh…well, now I feel a bit stupid.”
Giles chuckled softly. “I did suggest that he talk to you about it as well. Because…our situation isn’t all that different at the crux of it all.”
Buffy narrowed her eyes. “Neither of us had surgery or a life-threatening illness.”
“No, but at the bottom of everything was my fear that you wouldn’t like me back. So, I held back and pretended that everything was perfectly fine. And I nearly damaged our relationship beyond repair.”
“Yeah, but we sorted all of that out - and realised that we were both holding back.”
Giles nodded again, a wry smile on his face. “And it only took you being drunk and me being high for all of that to come out. I’d rather him not be in that position. I suggested that if he likes her, he talks to her. And if she doesn’t feel the same, be gracious and understanding…but not give up on the friendship. Accept her decision, don’t try to push it…just be there for her.”
“That’s actually really good advice.”
Giles laughed. “You sound so surprised…”
“You surprise me constantly, Rupert. But, this? This is very much you.”
“I love you.” He whispered, switching the phone to the other ear.
“I love you too. Meet you down at the café before chemo?”
“Absolutely.” He smiled warmly.
* * *
Elliott watched the nurse carefully insert the IV line into his arm. His brow furrowed and he looked up at her.
“I thought the whole point of getting a port put in was so that I wouldn’t have to go through this…”
The nurse chuckled softly and nodded. “It is, Elliott. However, you just had the port put in yesterday…we need to let it heal a little before we start using it. Once we’re able to use it, you’ll find this part of the process much less horrible.”
He looked up at the bag of fluid and sighed heavily. “How sick is this going to make me?”
“It affects people different ways. I wish I could give you a definitive answer to that.” She made a couple of adjustments and then smiled at him. “This will take a little over an hour - let me know if you need anything, okay?”
He nodded slowly and looked down at his arm. Buffy and Giles moved closer to him, but he continued staring at the needle in his arm. Buffy saw his jaw clench and she reached out, taking his hand just as his tears began to fall.
“It’s okay, Ellie…we’re here.”
“This is really scary, Mum. And nobody can tell me what’s going to happen to me.” He sniffled and looked over at her. “And I really like Gemma, but…”
Buffy smiled softly as Giles took hold of Elliott’s hand. “Are you friends with Gemma?”
Elliott nodded. “Yeah, really good friends. She always has lunch with me and Jack. She always sits beside me. She’s really funny and smart, like really smart.”
“If you told her that you like her and she said she didn’t like you that way, what would you do?”
“I’d be her friend.”
She reached over and gently stroked his cheek. “Then tell her that. Tell her you’re happy just being her friend if she doesn’t feel the same. I’m sure it would hurt for her to say she only wanted to be friends, but we can help you through that - if that happens. You know who would be a good person to talk to about that if that’s the way it goes?”
She smiled as he shook his head.
“Xander. He was really brave a long time ago and told someone that he wanted to be more than friends. But, the girl he really liked…didn’t really like him the same way. She was honest with him and didn’t want to hurt him, but it was the right thing to do. And Xander stayed friends with her…the best of friends.”
“Are they still friends now?”
“Yeah…we are.”
Elliott’s eyes widened in surprise. “Xander liked you?”
“Yep…but, I liked someone else at that time and it just wouldn’t have worked out.”
Elliott looked over at Giles and then back to Buffy. Buffy shook her head slowly as Giles lowered his eyes.
“No…that came along quite a while later. But, I knew I liked your Dad for a very long time before we finally talked about it. I wish that we had talked about it before, but we didn’t.”
“Why not?”
Giles cleared his throat. “Because I was frightened of what she would think.”
“But, she loves you…”
Giles smiled shyly. “Ah, but I didn’t know that at the time and I didn’t want to cause any issues.”
“I’ve always loved you.” Buffy whispered, meeting Giles’ eyes.
“Hindsight is 20/20…” He replied softly.
“What does that even mean?” Elliott asked, darting his eyes between them.
“Things are clearer once you move forward and look back on them.”
“Oh…” Elliott said in an uncertain tone. “Maybe I can give Gemma a call tomorrow?”
Giles nodded as he smiled brightly at him.
Elliott closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of the chair. “Can you read to me?”
Buffy’s eyes lit up. “Ooh…I like it when he reads…”
Giles rolled his eyes playfully, but picked up the book that was resting on the table.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Two Weeks Later…
“I don’t want to go.”
Giles looked at Elliott and sighed. “I know. I wish we didn’t have to - ”
“We? Pretty sure you’re not having your liver fried or…” He stopped suddenly and closed his eyes. “Oh god…Dad, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
“I know.” Giles whispered, maintaining eye contact with Elliott. “And you’re right. It’s not me having to go through this. Watching isn’t the same as experiencing.”
“I don’t like the way it makes me feel.” Elliott said quietly. “I don’t feel good, Dad. And Gemma said that she’d be able to come over this weekend to watch a movie with me and Jack.”
Giles nodded slowly. “I understand that, I really do. But, you only have three more sessions of radiation and then there’ll be a break. A couple more of chemo and round one will be done. You’re doing so amazingly well, Elliott. I get that it’s hard…I see what you’re going through. And I’m so, so proud of you.”
“I don’t want to be sick for the rest of my life.” Elliott said, lowering his eyes as they filled with tears.
Giles moved quickly, gently pulling him against his chest and wrapping his arms around him. Knowing he couldn’t promise him that everything would just miraculously get better, he closed his eyes against his own tears.
“I wish I could tell you that you’ll feel better soon, but I just can’t. But, what I can tell you is that Carson has submitted the adoption paperwork to the court.”
Elliott sniffled and pulled back just enough to look up at him. “Really? So, you and Mum will be my Mum and Dad soon?”
“Hopefully so, yes.” He lifted his hand to cradle Elliott’s cheek and smiled. “But, then…I’ve thought of you as my son for the last eight years. This is just a formality for me…and for Buffy.”
“Then I guess I better get on with it, huh? I can do this…”
Giles gently stroked Elliott’s cheek with his thumb. “Yes, you can. I have complete faith in you, Elliott.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Giles leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Elliott’s forehead. “So…things are going well with Gemma?”
Elliott’s eyes sparkled as he smiled. “She really likes me, Dad. Like…really likes me. It doesn’t freak her out that I only have one leg now and she likes Doctor Who.”
“Who’s her favourite Doctor?”
“She doesn’t like Eleven.”
Giles grinned and carefully brushed the hair back from Elliott’s face. “Then you two should get along just fine.”
“Yep…” Elliott grinned back at him and then glanced at a spot behind him.
“So…are you guys ready to go or what?” Buffy asked, walking into the room and placing her hand on Giles’ shoulder.
Giles tilted his head in a silent question to Elliott. Elliott took a deep breath and nodded slowly.
“Just a few more days and then I get a break…” He whispered mainly to himself as he reached for his crutches.
Giles turned slightly and looked up at Buffy. She darted her eyes towards Elliott and then looked back at Giles. He gave her a brief nod with a small smile.
Everything was okay…for now.
Buffy smiled and leaned down to kiss him softly.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ethan walked into the living room and smiled at Buffy, who was sitting on the sofa reading a book. She arched an eyebrow at him as she placed a bookmark between the pages and closed the book.
“Hey…”
“Hello, love. Thought I’d come by to see how things are going. Rupert mentioned that Elliott was a bit apprehensive this morning.” He looked around the room and then met her eyes. “Where are they?”
“Giles is on a Council call. Elliott is having a rest.” Buffy smiled warmly as Ethan glanced down the hallway. “He’s struggling a little. He’s tired, doesn’t feel great…but, all things considered, I think he’s doing fairly well.”
Ethan sat down next to her and glanced at the book. “What are you reading?”
“Trying to read…it’s probably one of the most boring books I’ve ever picked up.” She tossed it onto the side table and sighed. “I think you need to take Giles out.”
Ethan stared at her for a moment. “I’m sorry?”
“He needs to get out…he needs a break from all of this.”
“Isn’t that what you’re for?”
Buffy laughed and shook her head. “Ethan, take him out…get him drunk or stoned or…something. Just keep him safe.”
“Stoned?” He turned towards her, resting his arm along the top of the sofa. “You want me to get him stoned?”
“I want him to take a step back and relax…I want him to have a night where he’s not worrying about Elliott, or Peter, or me, or the Council, or whether the clouds are cumulonimbus or just nimbus…”
“What? Why is he worrying about clouds of all things?”
Buffy sighed heavily. “I don’t know, Ethan.”
“And why is he worried about you? Are you okay?”
She smiled softly and nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’m fine. He’s just Giles, you know. He worries.”
Ethan started to say something, pausing when Giles walked into the room and tossed the phone onto the coffee table. Giles looked at him curiously.
“What are you doing here?”
Ethan snorted a laugh. “Nice to see you too, Rupert.”
“Sorry. Frustrating phone call. How are you?”
“A little confused, but getting there.” He smiled as he gestured to Buffy. “I think she’s kicking us out for the evening.”
Giles chuckled and motioned for him to get up. Ethan rolled his eyes and then moved to a chair. Giles took the vacated spot next to Buffy and grinned at Ethan.
“She’s probably kicking you out, but…fairly certain I’m allowed to stay.”
“Nope.” Buffy interjected, smiling as Giles sharply turned towards her. “Kicking you out too.”
“Um…what?”
She reached over and placed her hand on his chest, her fingers gently rubbing against his sweater. “You need to decompress…”
“I can decompress here with you.” Giles glared at Ethan as he laughed. “Shut up.”
“Hey…” Buffy whispered, pulling Giles’ attention back to her. “This isn’t me trying to get rid of you or anything. This is me recognising that you need something that I can’t give you. And that’s a night out…to drink or smoke or play pool or darts or…whatever - with someone to keep you safe.”
Giles’ eyes widened as he pointed towards Ethan while staring at Buffy. “Him? You want him to keep me safe?”
“Yeah, I do. Ten years ago, my answer would’ve been very different.” She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. “But, a lot of things have changed over the years. And…you need this, Giles. You’re going to implode if you don’t get out and just…”
“Just what? Let my hair down? Paint the town red? What?”
“Forget about the trials and tribulations of life for a couple of hours…” She leaned into him and gently kissed his lips. “You’re no good to either of us here if you’re so wound up that you can’t process anything…”
“Wound up? I’m not wound up…”
“Did you see the nimbus clouds earlier?”
“Those were cumulonim…” He stopped suddenly and sighed heavily. “Buffy, I don’t want to go out.”
“But, you need to, Giles. When we start arguing about fucking clouds, it’s time for you to get out of the house and away from all of this.” She kissed him again and gently squeezed his thigh. “Elliott and I will be fine.”
“I never thought you wouldn’t be.” He exhaled softly. “Are you sure about this? I mean…don’t you need to decompress too?”
“You have much more going on in your life than I have in mine.”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “I thought we shared our lives?”
“We do. We absolutely do. But, no matter how much we share…what happens in the Council and what your brother is going through…those things are going to affect you heaps more than they will me. So, while we’re sharing…it’s different. You know?”
Giles thought for a moment and then nodded slowly. “You’ll call me if you need me to come home though, correct?”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Of course, I will. But, don’t expect me to call. I’ll see you tonight when you come home…go…have fun, stay safe.”
Giles sighed and looked over at Ethan. “Give me twenty?”
Ethan nodded and gave him a smile. “Gives me time to come up with something fun and safe to do…”
Giles shook his head in mild amusement and stood up. As he made his way down the hall, Buffy turned her full attention to Ethan.
“I mean it, Ethan. Keep him safe.”
Ethan’s smile faded at the serious tone of her request. “I promise, Buffy. I’ll not let anything happen to him.”
“Thank you.”
Ethan wondered if there was something more to it. But, when she gently shook her head in a request for him not to ask…he simply kept his thoughts to himself.
And he waited for Giles to reappear.
* * *
Giles peered over the edge and looked down at the ground below. “Would Buffy consider this to be ‘safe’?”
Ethan grinned as he leaned back against the wall. “Do you plan on jumping over the side?”
“Well, no…” He replied and sat down next to him.
“Then I’d say we’re very safe here.” He looked around as his hands continued working. “It’s beautiful up here.”
“Yes, it is. I used to bring Elliott up here when he was little - he liked watching the stars, especially when…”
Ethan turned towards Giles as he trailed off, not overly surprised to see tears in his eyes. “I know this is hard, Rupert.”
Giles swallowed and looked down at his hands. “I think I’m waiting for it to be downgraded to ‘hard’.”
“I get that too.” Ethan said softly, smoothing the joint between his fingers. “You have your lighter on you?”
He smiled as Giles reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a battered Zippo. “Of course you do.”
Giles chuckled and handed it to him. “Watcher training…always have a lighter on your person. You never know when you need to set something on fire…”
“Buffy’s worried about you.”
Giles nodded slowly. “I know. To be honest, I think I’m worried about me too. She’s right…there’s a lot happening and it’s all overwhelming. I’m doing my best, but…”
“Something’s gotta give, Rupert. You can’t continue like this. You’ll burn out…and you are very much needed.”
“There’s only one thing I can step back from…and that’s the Council.”
“Then you step back from the Council.” Ethan stated bluntly, flicking the lighter.
Giles sighed heavily, watching Ethan take a drag. “If it were that easy, I would’ve already done it.”
Ethan exhaled a large puff of smoke and passed the joint to Giles. “What about that Charmichael guy? He seems to know what’s the what…”
Giles nodded, thin trails of smoke coming from his nose. “He’s very good. He’s who I’d pick to succeed me as Head. But, I promised Elliott I would stay on. He has this idea that I need to continue for now.”
Ethan shrugged as he took another drag. “What if you only dealt with emergencies for a while?”
Giles paused in thought and then took the joint from Ethan. “That’s an idea.”
“I have them occasionally.” Ethan chuckled, watching as Giles inhaled deeply. “So…take a step back, but still save the world when needed.”
“I still can’t save Elliott or Peter.” Giles said sadly, taking a second puff before passing back. “Peter doesn’t have much time left. And I’m not feeling overly optimistic about Elliott’s long-term prognosis.”
“Rupert…”
As Giles’ tears finally broke free, Ethan dropped the remnants of the joint and pulled Giles into his arms. Giles hesitated for a moment and then wrapped his arms around Ethan, holding tightly as he allowed his emotions to flow.
Ethan wasn’t sure if this was the decompression that Buffy had expected, but it was obviously what Giles had needed. It became very apparent very quickly that there had been a fair amount of bottling up - even though he knew for a fact that Giles had promised both Elliott and Buffy that he’d try to do better about that.
But, now was not the time to lecture him on that.
* * *
Buffy looked up as Giles stumbled through the bedroom door. He grinned at her as he closed the door behind him.
“H’lo…”
“Hey…you okay?” She laughed as he kicked off his shoes.
“Sufficiently decompressed.” He said, climbing onto the bed and sitting next to her.
She looked into his eyes as she lifted her hand to his cheek. “How much did you have?”
He thought for a minute and smiled. “We shared two. He’s in the spare room…didn’t want him to drive home.”
“Good thinking.” She chuckled, leaning in to kiss him.
He deepened the kiss quickly, sliding his hand to her hip as his tongue slipped into her mouth. As she laid back and pulled him down with her, he pulled from the kiss and gazed into her eyes.
“You good with this?”
“I’m sober…we should be good, Rupert.”
“Thank Christ…” He murmured, lowering his mouth to her neck.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Six Weeks Later
Time passed relatively quickly, all things considered. Some things were bad, some were horrible, some were good, and some were fantastic. On the fantastic end of that scale was the news that the adoption had been approved by the court and Elliott was now legally the son of Rupert Giles and Buffy Summers. A huge party had been thrown at the Giles’ home and the yard and house had been full of kids from the Academy. Many of them hadn’t realised that Rupert Giles hadn’t actually been Elliott’s father. But, it didn’t matter. Elliott was well-liked at school - and not just because of his name.
When the news had spread about Elliott’s illness, the kids had rallied and took turns coming by to see him, bring him schoolwork (at Elliott’s request, of course), play video games with him. They kept him included within the class…something that Giles had found quite endearing and amazing.
And now here they were…eight weeks after losing his leg and starting treatment.
In that time, Elliott had finished two rounds of radiation, which had resulted in the decrease in size of the largest lesion in his liver. The decrease was enough that Dr Naylor had suggested they take a slightly longer break and do a second check. No need to do more radiation than absolutely necessary. It was a very good sign that he had responded so well.
He’d gotten through his first round of chemo relatively well. It definitely wasn’t a walk in the park, just like Dr Naylor said - but, he’d kept his hair so far and hadn’t been as sick as he had expected he would. So, he considered that a win.
Of course, round two was scheduled to start the following week. Things could always change.
Elliott looked in the mirror and sighed. His hair looked and felt different. He briefly wondered what he’d look like without hair. What if he had a weirdly shaped head. Would Gemma be okay with that? Jack would probably laugh for hours over it, but would Gemma?
He smiled softly as he thought about his best friend and his girlfriend.
He started to wash his hands, then realised there wasn’t any handwash in the bottle. He opened the door to the cabinet under the sink and grabbed a new one. Just as he started to close the door, he stopped and reopened it. He stared at the box nearly hidden from view.
His smile grew as he saw what it was.
Pregnancy tests.
He chuckled happily as he closed the door and washed his hands.
* * *
The night had been quiet…peaceful, even. Elliott had used the word ‘boring’, but then…he was nearly thirteen - if things weren’t blowing up on television or people screaming in movies, it was boring. He had taken himself off to bed fairly early, leaving Buffy and Giles alone in the living room.
Giles looked down as Buffy stretched out on the sofa, resting her head on his thigh. “Are you alright, love?”
“Mm-hm…tired. It’s been a very long week.”
He gently ran his fingers through her hair. “That it has.”
She rolled onto her back and met his eyes. “What about you? You okay? I mean…a nest of Kleontynes.”
“It’s not as if I went out and physically disposed of them myself.” He chuckled, resting his hand on her shoulder and stroking her collarbone with his thumb.
“Well, no…but, you did all of the organising and apocalypse-diverting work. I’ve missed watching you do that.” She continued when she saw the flash of confusion in his eyes. “Getting all caught up in your books while you’re planning out the best form of attack or defence. Reminded me of high school…except now, I appreciate the sexiness of you in research mode.”
He snorted a laugh and glanced at the clock. “I should probably get to bed. I have a conference call at 7:30.”
“I’ll be in in a little while.” She said with a smile as she sat up next to him.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” He asked, unable to stop the worried tone in the question.
She nodded and leaned over, kissing him deeply. She pulled back when she felt his soft moan rumble in his chest.
“I’m fine, Ru. I’m just a bit restless.”
“Slayer restless, sex restless, or restless restless?”
She laughed softly and shook her head. “Just restless. I have zero urge to go out slaying and I’m fairly certain I saw a glimpse of apprehension when you mentioned the word ‘sex’. Really, I’m just…fidgety. It’s fine…I promise.”
“I’m not apprehensive about making love with you…”
“I know.” She whispered, running her fingers through his hair above his ear. “I also know it’s late, you’re tired, and you have to be up early. I’m not tired enough for bed yet…but, I’ll be in soon.”
He looked at her for a few more moments and then pulled her towards him for another kiss.
“I love you so much.” He whispered emotionally.
“I love you too.” She smiled and gestured towards the hall with a tilt of her head. “Go on, I’ll try not to wake you when I come in.”
He gave a nod and whispered ‘good night’. She watched him leave the room, a smile of adoration on her face. And then she reached over and picked up the book that was resting on the lamp table beside her.
* * *
Giles blindly grabbed the phone on the second ring, forcing his eyes open to look at the clock as he cleared his throat.
“Hello?”
“Mr Giles…Rupert? This is Linda at - ”
Giles sat straight up in the bed. “Is Peter alright?”
The sudden movement roused Buffy and she opened her eyes, sitting up quickly when she saw the expression on Giles’ face.
“No. No, he’s not. I’m sorry, but I think you should come soon.”
Giles swallowed as he nodded numbly. “I…yes, of course. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
He was sure that Linda had said something else, but he had no idea what it was. He merely mumbled a ‘goodbye’ and hung up the phone.
“Giles?”
“Um…Peter…he, he isn’t well. That was Linda requesting that I come.”
“Oh…” Buffy sighed heavily. “Oh, Giles…I’m sorry.”
“Elliott…he should come too, yes? I mean…he should be there. To…to say goodbye?”
Buffy nodded slowly. “I think so. Are you okay to drive?”
Giles looked at her, confusion showing clearly on his face. “I haven’t been drinking…”
“No…I mean emotionally. If you’re able to drive, go now. I’ll wake Elliott up and we’ll leave as soon as we can. If you can’t, I’ll call a cab for you.”
“Oh…no, no…we’ll go together.”
Buffy took his hand in hers and looked into his eyes. “Rupert…they wouldn’t have called at three in the morning if this was something that could wait until a family of three is ready to go. You need to go now. We’ll be there as soon as possible. Can you drive or do you want me to call a cab?”
“I…I don’t…I don’t know.”
Buffy gave a quick nod and climbed out of bed, pulling him with her. “Get dressed. I’ll call a cab - you’re not driving.”
Giles merely nodded and opened the closet door.
* * *
Giles walked into Peter’s room to find Linda and two doctors around his bed. Linda smiled sadly at him and stepped away from the bed.
“I’m glad you were able to get here so quickly, Rupert.”
Giles glanced at the monitors and swallowed the lump in his throat. He slowly made his way over to the bed and sat down in the chair. He reached out and took hold of Peter’s hand.
“So…this is it then? Time to say goodbye, Peter?” He whispered, not worried about the tears filling his eyes. “If you can hold on, just for a little while longer…Buffy’s bringing Elliott. Please, try to hold on until they get here. Okay?”
Linda and the doctors stepped out of the room. There was nothing more they could do anyway.
Giles exhaled a slow, deep breath and gripped Peter’s hand tightly.
“There’s something I want to tell you…before they get here. We haven’t told anyone yet, not even Elliott. But, I want you to know.” He reached out and gently stroked Peter’s hair. “Buffy’s pregnant. Very early, eight weeks. We’ll tell Elliott in a few weeks, but it’s…it’s so very early and anything could happen. Obviously, we have no idea of the gender…but…if it’s a boy, I want to name him Marcus.”
He chuckled softly and shook his head. “I haven’t even told Buffy that yet. You named my nephew after me - I’d like to return that favour, but I can’t name him Peter. I think that would be too hard…on all of us. But, Marcus is…I’ve always liked your middle name. I remember when you were born, Mum told me your name and I said…why does he get a name like Marcus and I got stuck with Edmund?”
A tear rolled down Giles’ cheek. “She didn’t have an answer for that…but, I remember she smiled so brightly at me and told me that one day I’d understand.” He sighed and wiped his cheek on his shoulder. “Family names…”
“Anyway…yeah, that’s happening. Elliott is going to be an amazing brother. He’s doing really well, Peter. You’d be so proud of him.”
* * *
Forty-five minutes later, Buffy and Elliott rushed through the door.
“Am I too late?” Elliott asked, quickly making his way to the bedside.
Giles stood up and shook his head, taking Elliott’s crutches for him as he sat down in the chair that Giles had just vacated. “No…no, you made it, Elliott.”
Giles walked to Buffy and pulled her into his arms. “Thank you.”
“He doesn’t have much time left, does he?”
He shook his head, swallowing as Buffy reached up and wiped the tears from his face. “Minutes, maybe…his heart rate is falling quickly.”
They both turned towards the bed when they heard Elliott speaking in a hurried tone…as if he had so much to say in a very short amount of time. Which…technically…was very accurate.
“Don’t worry about me, Dad. I’ll be okay. I’ve got Mum and Dad and my friends and my girlfriend. I’m going to be okay. This cancer thing? I’m fighting that too…really hard. The doctor says that things are looking better. Not great, but better. And right now, I’ll take better…you know? I’m going to keep fighting. I’m a Giles, it’s what we do.” Elliott sniffled and glanced at the monitor.
He carefully pushed himself up and leaned over, kissing his father’s cheek…then his forehead. Then he lowered his mouth to his father’s ear and spoke quietly.
“I’m Elliott fucking Giles. I will fight this, Daddy. I hope it’s a very long time before I see you again.” He kissed his cheek again and whispered a soft ‘I love you’.
Giles and Buffy walked over as Elliott sat back down in the chair. Giles placed his hand on Elliott’s shoulder, Elliott reached up and covered Giles’ hand with his own.
No words were spoken as Peter took his last breaths. None were needed.
They had each other. They’d get through this.
They were Gileses.
And a Summers.
...To Be Continued... / or ~ End
Notes:
The final chapter will deal with the lead up to Elliott's death. I know that some people may not want to read that -- so the end of this chapter is a faux story ending.
I hope you read the proper ending of the story, but understand if you decide not to. Thank you for reading so far!