Fic: Terennoaptre 9/? [BtVS, FRT, B/G]
Title: Terennoaptre 9/?
Author: GylzGirl
Rating: FRT
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Timeline: AU- Season 10 - Summer. Everything through OMWF happened.
Summary: Sunnydale's Hellmouth is going dormant just as news arrives from overseas that will change the lives of Buffy and Giles forever.
Beta: The Amazing lauratew. Any remaining errors are totally my fault.
Author's Notes: Chapters 1-3 are revised repostings. Story revised and continued for the summer_of_giles 2009. Anyone who already had the original 3 chapters up, feel free to archive the rest. Anyone else who'd like it, just ask.
******
IX. The Grand Ball
Relia concentrated on relaxing her breathing to calm herself for what seemed like minutes after Daciana had left the room. Suddenly, she realized something and smiled. She turned to the man beside her. “Cezar,” she said quietly.
“Yes?”
“You can let go now.”
He looked at her confused and then followed her gaze down to where he still had hold of her arm and waist. He dropped his limbs to his side and backed up a step. “I-I’m sorry.”
Relia laughed. She would never tell him because she knew how it would mortify him but, she’d actually made him blush. “It’s perfectly all right. You did do me a favor in stopping me because I don’t think I’d have been able to stop myself.” She closed the gap between them once more and put a hand on his shoulder. “Next time though, I’ll be too fast for you.” She smiled at him. “You might get to pull me off of her but you won’t stop me getting to her.”
He smiled back. “Or I could just guard the room so that you’re not disturbed and then help you to hide the body.”
"What's this about a body?" Before Relia had time to contemplate the offer, Buffy's voice drifted down to them. "Is somebody dead and are they the kind of dead that stays that way?"
Relia smiled up at her friend. Buffy descended the stairs with Giles right behind her. "Did the two of you have a chance to talk things over, Printesa?"
Buffy reached her, smiling. She held her hand before her and wiggled her fingers. "That we did."
Relia gasped and embraced her. "Oh, I am so happy for you."
Cezar looked to Giles as he passed the two hugging women. "You know, if you had just let me keep thinking the two of you were engaged in the first place, we could have avoided all of this." He smirked.
Giles grinned. "Oh, do shut up."
"And when will you announce the engagement, Sire? At the coronation tomorrow or at the ball tonight?"
"Ball?" Buffy said.
"Of course, Printesa. The Grand Ball."
Panic widened Buffy's eyes as she looked to Giles. "B-but I have nothing to wear."
Giles smiled. "You have several things you might wear. They've all been laid out on your bed."
"You got me a ballgown?"
Giles shrugged. "A few. I hope you'll like one of them. I thought you'd be beautiful in all of them."
Buffy relaxed and grinned. "I think you finally mastered chick-maintenance 101. Willow, Tara, Anya, Dawn and I trained you well." They exchanged smiles as Giles left the room.
"Well, go on!" Relia shooed Buffy up the stairs. "I expect you to be wearing the first choice before I get there." Buffy raced ahead.
Relia smiled at Cezar and took a step to follow Buffy when his hand on her arm stayed her. "Yes?"
"I'm sorry," he said. She looked confused. "For what Daciana said earlier...about you and Lucian. I could tell that it stung you and... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry that happened."
She nodded. "Thank you," she said. He released her and she continued up to Buffy's room.
******
Buffy heard Relia enter the room. "What do you think of this one," she asked and emerged from behind an ornately carved privacy screen in a strapless red dress. She noticed that her friend's eyes were teary. "What happened?"
Relia blinked and smiled, dabbing at her eyes with the heel of her hand. "It's nothing. Just sometimes Cezar can be an uncommonly kind and thoughtful man."
Buffy grinned. "I think he's kind of sweet on you."
Relia shook her head. "No. Lucian asked him to look after me is all."
Buffy tilted her head and decided not to push things. Lucian's loss was clearly still too fresh for Relia to move past. She filed her matchmaking notions away for the future. If Buffy had her way, she'd see everyone she loved be as happy as she was right now.
"Now about this dress," Relia said, happily focusing once more on Buffy. The blond twirled with her arms out and waited for an opinion. "It's very nice but I think we could do better." Relia went to the bed and her eyes widened. "When Rupert says selection, he means it."
"I know," Buffy laughed. "I thought maybe 3 or 4 but there are like 20!"
Relia held up a pink dress. "This one perhaps."
Buffy shook her head. "My prom dress was that color."
"And did you look lovely at your prom?"
Buffy nodded. "I wasn't too bad. But, at prom my heart was full of someone else. And Giles was there for that. Now my heart is his and I'd rather not take him on a trip down memory lane that leads to him remembering me dancing with... someone else."
Relia nodded. "Here, try on this purple one."
******
Giles stood on a worn wooden box in his room as the royal tailor placed pins to make adjustments to his tuxedo. Cezar smiled at him from his vantage of leaning in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.
Giles caught his eye in the mirror and grinned. "I believe I preferred you staid and severe."
"Clearly you've had a bad influence on me."
"Clearly," Giles echoed. "What have I done to amuse you so this time?"
"I was led to believe Watcher families were of a somewhat privileged class?"
"Mostly, yes."
"I have seen that you are capable of putting on that bearing. However, when in private, it is obvious that you are unaccustomed to having such a fuss made over you."
"Ah, that would be my mother. She never fully understood the Watcher indoctrination, hated that I was being... drafted into it as it were. She ensured that I not succumb to any apathy from being overly pampered. She was terrified it would get me killed. Father, of course, didn't really approve. Said it was inappropriate for me to not behave as befitting my status." Giles smiled. "They used to argue for hours about it."
"Your mother won?"
Giles shrugged. "Father loved her. At the end of the day, the only thing he ever denied her was keeping me out of being a Watcher all together. Of course it also helped that my Grandmother invariable sided with my mother, except on the one point of my becoming a Watcher. Father never would disagree with his mum."
"Are they all gone now? Your family I mean?"
Giles nodded. "I have a few cousins left on my mother's side." He smiled. "And then the brood that I adopted... well that adopted me really, from Sunnydale. Willow, Tara, and Dawn. You met Xander. He and Anya have a baby on the way; due any time now as a matter of fact. And Buffy."
"Would you not like them to attend tomorrow?"
Giles shook his head. "They have their lives. I'm proud of all of them. Dawn has exams to take. Willow has exams to give. Anya is in no condition to fly. They'll visit when they can. Buffy will be there." His eyes veered off from Cezar realizing that he had just stopped himself short of saying that she was all he needed. It was the truth, he knew. It had always been the truth. However, he didn't need his chief military aide once again regarding him with that "how cute" expression he had seemed to acquire in the past few days.
******
Giles had been called to the ball early to greet guests. He'd shaken hands and smiled and tried to look very interested as various diplomats and nobles attempted to sway him to causes or grudges held near to their hearts. He'd make eye contact and throw out the occasional "I see" in the conversation. But as soon as his attention began to wane, he was craning his neck to see past the person talking to him and watch the doors. Eventually, Cezar had rescued him, allowing him leave to wait outside in the hall for Buffy to make her appearance.
He had begun pacing, then realized he was doing it and sat on one of the many marble benches along the wall. Soon Giles's legs got restless and he was up and moving again. In moments, he heard petite footsteps that indicated a high heel. He turned and his breath caught. Buffy stood before him, her hands anxiously cradled together over her stomach. Her hair was half-up and clipped with delicate silver and emerald butterflies. The dress she wore was a deep forest green, off the shoulder and elegantly cut, flowing nearly to the floor with just the barest hint of silver shoes peeping out from under the hem. Rupert Giles found his heart slamming against his ribcage at the sight of her.
"You look beautiful," Buffy said first. Giles cast his eyes down and laughed at that. The smile lit his whole face up and Buffy beamed at him. "I like the no glasses look. I mean, I wouldn't necessarily want it all the time because… that just wouldn't seem like Giles to me. But it's… nice. I can see your eyes better without them." This time, Buffy looked down, blushing as she realized she'd been babbling. "I just mean, you- you have nice eyes. Oh boy." She sighed. "The tux… the tux is good too."
Giles moved closer and extended his arm. Buffy reached out for him and he squeezed her hand gently. "Why so nervous, Love?"
Buffy leaned her head against the outside of his sleeve and looked up at him. "Truth?" she said quietly.
"Always."
"Because we're engaged," she said with a hint of wonder creeping into her voice. "I'm engaged to you. I'm going to be married to you. We are going to be married."
He smiled. "Can't fault your logic so far."
"And I love you so much. And you look so amazing. And I'm going to get to be with you for the rest of my life. And you actually want to be with me for the rest of yours. I…" Her eyes welled with tears and her bottom lip crumpled. "I'm so happy." She sobbed and hid her face in her hands.
Loving arms embraced her and she could feel Giles's breath near her ear. "I can see that," he teased. He was rewarded with a soggy laugh as she leaned into him. "That's better," he said then kissed the top of her head. "I love to hear you laugh." Buffy pulled back to look at him. "And you know what?" Her eyes widened. "You look nearly as beautiful as I do."
A huge grin spread across her face and she laughed. "Well I did before all the waterworks."
"Nonsense." Giles reached into his pocket and produced a handkerchief. He gently dabbed her cheeks with it. "See, no damage done. You're still breathtaking."
"Yeah but you're Giles. You'd call me breathtaking if I was covered head to toe in ectoplasm."
"Yes, I would. And it would still be true." He held his arm out to her.
She wrapped hers around it. Giles tucked the handkerchief in her palm. "Here, just in case my staggering beauty reduces you to tears once more."
When she entered the Grand Ball on the arm of the King, Buffy was laughing. She glanced around the room in awe, somewhat amazed that she still had the ability to be impressed with how fancy things looked given the last few weeks she'd had. The ballroom was a huge mostly open space with great crystal and gold chandeliers. Regal purple banners and swags swathed all the window frames and marble pillars. There was a full orchestra to one side of the room. The dance floor was full of guests in all their best finery. She felt like Cinderella except... better. This wasn't a fairy tale. This was real life; her life. She looked to Giles and her heartbeat pounded loudly in her own ears. He had always been her prince; now he would be a King.
Giles walked her to the edge of the dance floor. "So, the moment of truth," Buffy said.
"What do you mean?"
She looked up at him. "Did you bring me to the dance to dance with me, or am I just arm candy while you watch from the sidelines?"
Giles pulled Buffy onto the floor and turned her to face him. His hand captured her own and his other slid around her waist. "I may be a tad rusty, but I used to be rather good."
She was beaming at him. "Either way, I don't mind."
"No?"
"Nah."
"But you love to dance."
"I love you holding me more. What we're doing right now? I'm already getting my money's worth."
"Right, well... let's see how this goes."
Just as they were about to start, Buffy felt a light tap on her shoulder. "Excuse me, may I cut in?"
Giles looked startled as he blinked at something over Buffy's shoulder. She turned and found Baroness Daciana regarding her coolly. Buffy noticed that she'd worn red and silently thanked Relia for talking her out of her first choice of dresses.
"I don't think so actually," Buffy said adjusting her stance so that she was firmly between the Baroness and Giles.
"Have you no manners at all, Little One? It is offensive to refuse."
"Yeah, well call me a brutish Yankee, but I find it offensive that you continue to try and put the moves on my fiancé. And where I come from, rude beats massive slut any day."
Daciana stepped closer to Buffy. Giles quickly slid a restraining arm around her waist. His eyes flicked to the side of the room but he saw that Cezar was already moving towards them.
"Try it," Buffy challenged. "Oh for the love of God and all things holy, please, please try getting physical with me."
Relia stepped out from the crowd, standing just to the side of Giles. Daciana smirked at the lot of them before focusing on Giles. "I cannot believe that you would prefer this... girl to a woman. You would marry this child of low birth and invented nobility?"
"I assure you, Baroness, Buffy is no child. She is a woman; one smarter, braver and far more elegant than anything I see before me."
Relia smiled at that. Daciana's eyes flashed hatred in her direction but she soon settled her wrath fully on the two directly in front of her. She smiled and straightened to her full height. "You two should enjoy each other while you can. Very few Kings of this land live to the age Lucian's father managed. Hold to him tightly, Petite. Cherish every limited moment. I can see the warrior in his bearing. He will be a brave king. And it will get him killed. Mark me, there will be a new regent before a year has passed. I will have my chance again and you..." Daciana's gaze met Buffy's directly. "You and your new friend Relia will have so much more in common then, won't you?"
Giles felt the tensing of Buffy's muscles and pulled her against him, praying he was right in thinking she wouldn't risk hurting him to get to the Baroness no matter how badly she might want to.
Cezar finally arrived and gently took hold of Daciana's upper arm. "I will escort you to the doors, Baroness. Your behavior has revoked your invitation. You are no longer welcome in this castle or any other holdings of the Royal Court of Terennoaptre."
She wrenched her arm from his grip. "Take your hand from me, Peasant." He did so. She spit in his face. Cezar flinched and reached a hand up to wipe the saliva from his cheek. Daciana smiled smugly and turned towards the doors. She never saw it coming.
A delicate-fingered, well-manicured hand curled into a fist and drew back. Once the Baroness had turned her attention from Cezar, Relia let loose with a right hook to the cheek that sent her sprawling to the floor. Buffy, Giles and Cezar all gawked at Relia who smiled down on her former rival as she absently rubbed at her knuckles.
Daciana stood, furious and wiping blood from her lip with the back of her hand. "HOW DARE YOU!!!"
At that point, even the orchestra stopped playing as all eyes turned towards the scuffle around the King. Relia moved closer to her, eyes glinting with the prospect of finally getting the chance to beat the hell out of her properly. "Would you like to see how I dare again, Catea?" Relia could see Cezar change positions so that he was close enough to stop her. She also noted that he didn't touch her preemptively as Giles had with Buffy. The thought that he might let her wail on Daciana for awhile before trying to break it up made her smile all the more.
Daciana's eyes narrowed and she strode forward to leave. Buffy lifted her toes and swiveled her heel. Timing it just right, her foot pressed back down and was rewarded with a satisfying ripping noise. The Baroness stopped dead in her tracks, gasping at the sound and spinning on heel to face Buffy.
"Whoops," Buffy said with a smile as fury blazed across the Baroness's features. In unison, their eyes traveled down to a small silver-shooed foot that stood atop a piece of the Baroness's dress; a piece that had now torn away from the skirt and lay on the ground. The two locked eyes for a moment, each challenging the other. Buffy arched one eyebrow and the Baroness took a shaky breath and continued out the doors leaving part of her dress behind.
Cezar touched Relia's shoulder and they shared a smile before he rushed out behind the Baroness to ensure that she really left. He signaled the conductor on the way out and music filled the room once more.
"Relia?" Buffy said. Her friend turned to face her. "Later tonight, after the ball, I want you to describe to me in vivid detail how it felt to clock that bitch."
Relia laughed. "Anything for you, Printesa." She raised reddened knuckles that had already begun to swell. "But for now, I think I should go put some ice on this."
Buffy's eyes widened and Giles finally released her to examine Relia's hand. "Oh that looks like it hurts."
Relia nodded. "It does. I hit her very hard." Buffy looked up from the injured hand and the two smiled at each other.
"Okay, come on. Let's go get the swelling down."
Relia gently peeled Buffy's hand from her arm. "I will take care of that, Dear. For now, your King demands a dance. It would be rude to refuse."
Buffy smiled. "And I do so hate to be rude." Relia walked away and Buffy turned to a still-stunned looking Giles. She placed his arm around her waist and took his hand in his. "Now where were we?"
"Uh... I-I...I'm not quite sure. What just happened there?"
"Oh the same old stuff, you know; women fighting over you, Ladies of the Court going all UFC on each other. Just your typical Tuesday night."
They began to move together, out across the floor. Giles was proving himself every bit as good a dancer as he had claimed. Buffy smiled up at him.
"Giles?"
"Yes?"
"Why did you hold me back?"
He smiled. "Isn't it obvious? I was afraid you'd kill her."
Buffy grinned. "I wouldn't have killed her. I would have just hit her once."
"You would have only needed to hit her once," Giles said. Buffy laughed. "Mind you, Lady Relia made quite a good showing of that right hook."
"She did. I'm very proud."
"As well you should be."
One song passed into another. Giles didn't seem to notice. He just kept dancing with her, shifting his steps to reflect the new music and looking at Buffy in adoration. It made her stomach flutter.
"Giles?"
"Hmm?"
"What...what the Baroness said. About the kings not living very long..."
"They've never had a Watcher as King before; certainly not one with the most skilled Slayer ever to walk the Earth at his side." He pulled her a little closer to him. "We'll be alright, Buffy."
She closed the distance between them until her cheek rested against his chest, over his heart. She listened to the steady beat and let the unmistakable proof of his life calm her.
"Rupert?"
"Yes, Love?"
She lifted her head and smiled. "Just testing it out. It seems wrong to keep calling you Giles when technically, I'll be Mrs. Giles."
"And then I could call you Giles."
"Okay, now you're just being weird," she said. "It will take some getting used to though. You're Giles. That's how I think of you. Just... just My Giles."
He laughed. "Call me whatever you like, Love. Uh... within reason. I'd rather you not start with all that King the Merciless nonsense again."
She giggled. "Oh but that's my favorite one, Rupie."
"Bloody Hell," he cursed under his breath. "What have I done?"
******
The carriage bearing the Baroness raced along the deserted roads of the Terennoaptrean night. They had reached the outskirts of Pazitore in record time and were on their way to Siguranta to stay the night when a violent bump shook the entire vehicle. It threw the Baroness off the seat and onto the floor of the cab. "Fiu de catea," she cursed as she pulled herself back up onto the bench. She noticed they didn't seem to be moving any longer. "Anatole!" she called to her driver. "Anatole, why have we stopped?"
"The wheel, Lady." He said from outside. "The wheel is damaged."
"When will this accursed night be over," she muttered to herself. "Can you fix it?"
"I think so. I will try, Lady."
Daciana stood and retrieved her cape from the overhead shelf. The last thing she wanted was to be jostled some more while he worked on the wheel. She swung it around her shoulders and opened the door. Carefully, she stepped down outside and shut the door behind her. Her hand went to cover her throbbing cheekbone as she breathed in the crisp night air. She walked around the carriage inspecting the wheels until she saw the damage for herself. A knot settled in her stomach. She was no expert of course, but it looked fairly extensive. The knot grew larger as she realized something else. "Anatole? Anatole, where are you?"
She circled the carriage again, this time looking off into the trees for signs of movement. Daciana convinced herself that he must have gone to get some wood to help prop the carriage so that he could work on the wheel. This conviction lasted right up until she looked up to the driver's seat and saw Anatole's lifeless body sprawled across it, a dark shiny gash gaping at her where a throat had once been.
The Baroness screamed at the top of her lungs and turned to flee back towards Pazitore. She ran right into a hard, unmoving object, bouncing off of it and onto the ground. Trembling, she craned her head up to see a large male vampire blocking her escape. Fresh blood trickled down his chin and his yellow eyes shone at her in the darkness.
Daciana inhaled to scream once more and he lunged forward, silencing her.
******
Chapter 10: Morning Glory
Crossposted to summer_of_giles, allthejellies, buffy_giles
Previous Chapters:
Chapter I: King
Chapter II: Farewell Sunnydale
Chapter III: Country
Chapter IV: Duchess
Chapter V: Fear Factor
Chapter VI: Remembrances
Chapter VII: Pen Pals
Chapter VIII: Reunion
Following Chapters:
Chapter X: Morning Glory
Chapter XI: Rain
Chapter XII: Supernova
Chapter XIII: Coronation
Author: GylzGirl
Rating: FRT
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Timeline: AU- Season 10 - Summer. Everything through OMWF happened.
Summary: Sunnydale's Hellmouth is going dormant just as news arrives from overseas that will change the lives of Buffy and Giles forever.
Beta: The Amazing lauratew. Any remaining errors are totally my fault.
Author's Notes: Chapters 1-3 are revised repostings. Story revised and continued for the summer_of_giles 2009. Anyone who already had the original 3 chapters up, feel free to archive the rest. Anyone else who'd like it, just ask.
******
IX. The Grand Ball
Relia concentrated on relaxing her breathing to calm herself for what seemed like minutes after Daciana had left the room. Suddenly, she realized something and smiled. She turned to the man beside her. “Cezar,” she said quietly.
“Yes?”
“You can let go now.”
He looked at her confused and then followed her gaze down to where he still had hold of her arm and waist. He dropped his limbs to his side and backed up a step. “I-I’m sorry.”
Relia laughed. She would never tell him because she knew how it would mortify him but, she’d actually made him blush. “It’s perfectly all right. You did do me a favor in stopping me because I don’t think I’d have been able to stop myself.” She closed the gap between them once more and put a hand on his shoulder. “Next time though, I’ll be too fast for you.” She smiled at him. “You might get to pull me off of her but you won’t stop me getting to her.”
He smiled back. “Or I could just guard the room so that you’re not disturbed and then help you to hide the body.”
"What's this about a body?" Before Relia had time to contemplate the offer, Buffy's voice drifted down to them. "Is somebody dead and are they the kind of dead that stays that way?"
Relia smiled up at her friend. Buffy descended the stairs with Giles right behind her. "Did the two of you have a chance to talk things over, Printesa?"
Buffy reached her, smiling. She held her hand before her and wiggled her fingers. "That we did."
Relia gasped and embraced her. "Oh, I am so happy for you."
Cezar looked to Giles as he passed the two hugging women. "You know, if you had just let me keep thinking the two of you were engaged in the first place, we could have avoided all of this." He smirked.
Giles grinned. "Oh, do shut up."
"And when will you announce the engagement, Sire? At the coronation tomorrow or at the ball tonight?"
"Ball?" Buffy said.
"Of course, Printesa. The Grand Ball."
Panic widened Buffy's eyes as she looked to Giles. "B-but I have nothing to wear."
Giles smiled. "You have several things you might wear. They've all been laid out on your bed."
"You got me a ballgown?"
Giles shrugged. "A few. I hope you'll like one of them. I thought you'd be beautiful in all of them."
Buffy relaxed and grinned. "I think you finally mastered chick-maintenance 101. Willow, Tara, Anya, Dawn and I trained you well." They exchanged smiles as Giles left the room.
"Well, go on!" Relia shooed Buffy up the stairs. "I expect you to be wearing the first choice before I get there." Buffy raced ahead.
Relia smiled at Cezar and took a step to follow Buffy when his hand on her arm stayed her. "Yes?"
"I'm sorry," he said. She looked confused. "For what Daciana said earlier...about you and Lucian. I could tell that it stung you and... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry that happened."
She nodded. "Thank you," she said. He released her and she continued up to Buffy's room.
******
Buffy heard Relia enter the room. "What do you think of this one," she asked and emerged from behind an ornately carved privacy screen in a strapless red dress. She noticed that her friend's eyes were teary. "What happened?"
Relia blinked and smiled, dabbing at her eyes with the heel of her hand. "It's nothing. Just sometimes Cezar can be an uncommonly kind and thoughtful man."
Buffy grinned. "I think he's kind of sweet on you."
Relia shook her head. "No. Lucian asked him to look after me is all."
Buffy tilted her head and decided not to push things. Lucian's loss was clearly still too fresh for Relia to move past. She filed her matchmaking notions away for the future. If Buffy had her way, she'd see everyone she loved be as happy as she was right now.
"Now about this dress," Relia said, happily focusing once more on Buffy. The blond twirled with her arms out and waited for an opinion. "It's very nice but I think we could do better." Relia went to the bed and her eyes widened. "When Rupert says selection, he means it."
"I know," Buffy laughed. "I thought maybe 3 or 4 but there are like 20!"
Relia held up a pink dress. "This one perhaps."
Buffy shook her head. "My prom dress was that color."
"And did you look lovely at your prom?"
Buffy nodded. "I wasn't too bad. But, at prom my heart was full of someone else. And Giles was there for that. Now my heart is his and I'd rather not take him on a trip down memory lane that leads to him remembering me dancing with... someone else."
Relia nodded. "Here, try on this purple one."
******
Giles stood on a worn wooden box in his room as the royal tailor placed pins to make adjustments to his tuxedo. Cezar smiled at him from his vantage of leaning in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.
Giles caught his eye in the mirror and grinned. "I believe I preferred you staid and severe."
"Clearly you've had a bad influence on me."
"Clearly," Giles echoed. "What have I done to amuse you so this time?"
"I was led to believe Watcher families were of a somewhat privileged class?"
"Mostly, yes."
"I have seen that you are capable of putting on that bearing. However, when in private, it is obvious that you are unaccustomed to having such a fuss made over you."
"Ah, that would be my mother. She never fully understood the Watcher indoctrination, hated that I was being... drafted into it as it were. She ensured that I not succumb to any apathy from being overly pampered. She was terrified it would get me killed. Father, of course, didn't really approve. Said it was inappropriate for me to not behave as befitting my status." Giles smiled. "They used to argue for hours about it."
"Your mother won?"
Giles shrugged. "Father loved her. At the end of the day, the only thing he ever denied her was keeping me out of being a Watcher all together. Of course it also helped that my Grandmother invariable sided with my mother, except on the one point of my becoming a Watcher. Father never would disagree with his mum."
"Are they all gone now? Your family I mean?"
Giles nodded. "I have a few cousins left on my mother's side." He smiled. "And then the brood that I adopted... well that adopted me really, from Sunnydale. Willow, Tara, and Dawn. You met Xander. He and Anya have a baby on the way; due any time now as a matter of fact. And Buffy."
"Would you not like them to attend tomorrow?"
Giles shook his head. "They have their lives. I'm proud of all of them. Dawn has exams to take. Willow has exams to give. Anya is in no condition to fly. They'll visit when they can. Buffy will be there." His eyes veered off from Cezar realizing that he had just stopped himself short of saying that she was all he needed. It was the truth, he knew. It had always been the truth. However, he didn't need his chief military aide once again regarding him with that "how cute" expression he had seemed to acquire in the past few days.
******
Giles had been called to the ball early to greet guests. He'd shaken hands and smiled and tried to look very interested as various diplomats and nobles attempted to sway him to causes or grudges held near to their hearts. He'd make eye contact and throw out the occasional "I see" in the conversation. But as soon as his attention began to wane, he was craning his neck to see past the person talking to him and watch the doors. Eventually, Cezar had rescued him, allowing him leave to wait outside in the hall for Buffy to make her appearance.
He had begun pacing, then realized he was doing it and sat on one of the many marble benches along the wall. Soon Giles's legs got restless and he was up and moving again. In moments, he heard petite footsteps that indicated a high heel. He turned and his breath caught. Buffy stood before him, her hands anxiously cradled together over her stomach. Her hair was half-up and clipped with delicate silver and emerald butterflies. The dress she wore was a deep forest green, off the shoulder and elegantly cut, flowing nearly to the floor with just the barest hint of silver shoes peeping out from under the hem. Rupert Giles found his heart slamming against his ribcage at the sight of her.
"You look beautiful," Buffy said first. Giles cast his eyes down and laughed at that. The smile lit his whole face up and Buffy beamed at him. "I like the no glasses look. I mean, I wouldn't necessarily want it all the time because… that just wouldn't seem like Giles to me. But it's… nice. I can see your eyes better without them." This time, Buffy looked down, blushing as she realized she'd been babbling. "I just mean, you- you have nice eyes. Oh boy." She sighed. "The tux… the tux is good too."
Giles moved closer and extended his arm. Buffy reached out for him and he squeezed her hand gently. "Why so nervous, Love?"
Buffy leaned her head against the outside of his sleeve and looked up at him. "Truth?" she said quietly.
"Always."
"Because we're engaged," she said with a hint of wonder creeping into her voice. "I'm engaged to you. I'm going to be married to you. We are going to be married."
He smiled. "Can't fault your logic so far."
"And I love you so much. And you look so amazing. And I'm going to get to be with you for the rest of my life. And you actually want to be with me for the rest of yours. I…" Her eyes welled with tears and her bottom lip crumpled. "I'm so happy." She sobbed and hid her face in her hands.
Loving arms embraced her and she could feel Giles's breath near her ear. "I can see that," he teased. He was rewarded with a soggy laugh as she leaned into him. "That's better," he said then kissed the top of her head. "I love to hear you laugh." Buffy pulled back to look at him. "And you know what?" Her eyes widened. "You look nearly as beautiful as I do."
A huge grin spread across her face and she laughed. "Well I did before all the waterworks."
"Nonsense." Giles reached into his pocket and produced a handkerchief. He gently dabbed her cheeks with it. "See, no damage done. You're still breathtaking."
"Yeah but you're Giles. You'd call me breathtaking if I was covered head to toe in ectoplasm."
"Yes, I would. And it would still be true." He held his arm out to her.
She wrapped hers around it. Giles tucked the handkerchief in her palm. "Here, just in case my staggering beauty reduces you to tears once more."
When she entered the Grand Ball on the arm of the King, Buffy was laughing. She glanced around the room in awe, somewhat amazed that she still had the ability to be impressed with how fancy things looked given the last few weeks she'd had. The ballroom was a huge mostly open space with great crystal and gold chandeliers. Regal purple banners and swags swathed all the window frames and marble pillars. There was a full orchestra to one side of the room. The dance floor was full of guests in all their best finery. She felt like Cinderella except... better. This wasn't a fairy tale. This was real life; her life. She looked to Giles and her heartbeat pounded loudly in her own ears. He had always been her prince; now he would be a King.
Giles walked her to the edge of the dance floor. "So, the moment of truth," Buffy said.
"What do you mean?"
She looked up at him. "Did you bring me to the dance to dance with me, or am I just arm candy while you watch from the sidelines?"
Giles pulled Buffy onto the floor and turned her to face him. His hand captured her own and his other slid around her waist. "I may be a tad rusty, but I used to be rather good."
She was beaming at him. "Either way, I don't mind."
"No?"
"Nah."
"But you love to dance."
"I love you holding me more. What we're doing right now? I'm already getting my money's worth."
"Right, well... let's see how this goes."
Just as they were about to start, Buffy felt a light tap on her shoulder. "Excuse me, may I cut in?"
Giles looked startled as he blinked at something over Buffy's shoulder. She turned and found Baroness Daciana regarding her coolly. Buffy noticed that she'd worn red and silently thanked Relia for talking her out of her first choice of dresses.
"I don't think so actually," Buffy said adjusting her stance so that she was firmly between the Baroness and Giles.
"Have you no manners at all, Little One? It is offensive to refuse."
"Yeah, well call me a brutish Yankee, but I find it offensive that you continue to try and put the moves on my fiancé. And where I come from, rude beats massive slut any day."
Daciana stepped closer to Buffy. Giles quickly slid a restraining arm around her waist. His eyes flicked to the side of the room but he saw that Cezar was already moving towards them.
"Try it," Buffy challenged. "Oh for the love of God and all things holy, please, please try getting physical with me."
Relia stepped out from the crowd, standing just to the side of Giles. Daciana smirked at the lot of them before focusing on Giles. "I cannot believe that you would prefer this... girl to a woman. You would marry this child of low birth and invented nobility?"
"I assure you, Baroness, Buffy is no child. She is a woman; one smarter, braver and far more elegant than anything I see before me."
Relia smiled at that. Daciana's eyes flashed hatred in her direction but she soon settled her wrath fully on the two directly in front of her. She smiled and straightened to her full height. "You two should enjoy each other while you can. Very few Kings of this land live to the age Lucian's father managed. Hold to him tightly, Petite. Cherish every limited moment. I can see the warrior in his bearing. He will be a brave king. And it will get him killed. Mark me, there will be a new regent before a year has passed. I will have my chance again and you..." Daciana's gaze met Buffy's directly. "You and your new friend Relia will have so much more in common then, won't you?"
Giles felt the tensing of Buffy's muscles and pulled her against him, praying he was right in thinking she wouldn't risk hurting him to get to the Baroness no matter how badly she might want to.
Cezar finally arrived and gently took hold of Daciana's upper arm. "I will escort you to the doors, Baroness. Your behavior has revoked your invitation. You are no longer welcome in this castle or any other holdings of the Royal Court of Terennoaptre."
She wrenched her arm from his grip. "Take your hand from me, Peasant." He did so. She spit in his face. Cezar flinched and reached a hand up to wipe the saliva from his cheek. Daciana smiled smugly and turned towards the doors. She never saw it coming.
A delicate-fingered, well-manicured hand curled into a fist and drew back. Once the Baroness had turned her attention from Cezar, Relia let loose with a right hook to the cheek that sent her sprawling to the floor. Buffy, Giles and Cezar all gawked at Relia who smiled down on her former rival as she absently rubbed at her knuckles.
Daciana stood, furious and wiping blood from her lip with the back of her hand. "HOW DARE YOU!!!"
At that point, even the orchestra stopped playing as all eyes turned towards the scuffle around the King. Relia moved closer to her, eyes glinting with the prospect of finally getting the chance to beat the hell out of her properly. "Would you like to see how I dare again, Catea?" Relia could see Cezar change positions so that he was close enough to stop her. She also noted that he didn't touch her preemptively as Giles had with Buffy. The thought that he might let her wail on Daciana for awhile before trying to break it up made her smile all the more.
Daciana's eyes narrowed and she strode forward to leave. Buffy lifted her toes and swiveled her heel. Timing it just right, her foot pressed back down and was rewarded with a satisfying ripping noise. The Baroness stopped dead in her tracks, gasping at the sound and spinning on heel to face Buffy.
"Whoops," Buffy said with a smile as fury blazed across the Baroness's features. In unison, their eyes traveled down to a small silver-shooed foot that stood atop a piece of the Baroness's dress; a piece that had now torn away from the skirt and lay on the ground. The two locked eyes for a moment, each challenging the other. Buffy arched one eyebrow and the Baroness took a shaky breath and continued out the doors leaving part of her dress behind.
Cezar touched Relia's shoulder and they shared a smile before he rushed out behind the Baroness to ensure that she really left. He signaled the conductor on the way out and music filled the room once more.
"Relia?" Buffy said. Her friend turned to face her. "Later tonight, after the ball, I want you to describe to me in vivid detail how it felt to clock that bitch."
Relia laughed. "Anything for you, Printesa." She raised reddened knuckles that had already begun to swell. "But for now, I think I should go put some ice on this."
Buffy's eyes widened and Giles finally released her to examine Relia's hand. "Oh that looks like it hurts."
Relia nodded. "It does. I hit her very hard." Buffy looked up from the injured hand and the two smiled at each other.
"Okay, come on. Let's go get the swelling down."
Relia gently peeled Buffy's hand from her arm. "I will take care of that, Dear. For now, your King demands a dance. It would be rude to refuse."
Buffy smiled. "And I do so hate to be rude." Relia walked away and Buffy turned to a still-stunned looking Giles. She placed his arm around her waist and took his hand in his. "Now where were we?"
"Uh... I-I...I'm not quite sure. What just happened there?"
"Oh the same old stuff, you know; women fighting over you, Ladies of the Court going all UFC on each other. Just your typical Tuesday night."
They began to move together, out across the floor. Giles was proving himself every bit as good a dancer as he had claimed. Buffy smiled up at him.
"Giles?"
"Yes?"
"Why did you hold me back?"
He smiled. "Isn't it obvious? I was afraid you'd kill her."
Buffy grinned. "I wouldn't have killed her. I would have just hit her once."
"You would have only needed to hit her once," Giles said. Buffy laughed. "Mind you, Lady Relia made quite a good showing of that right hook."
"She did. I'm very proud."
"As well you should be."
One song passed into another. Giles didn't seem to notice. He just kept dancing with her, shifting his steps to reflect the new music and looking at Buffy in adoration. It made her stomach flutter.
"Giles?"
"Hmm?"
"What...what the Baroness said. About the kings not living very long..."
"They've never had a Watcher as King before; certainly not one with the most skilled Slayer ever to walk the Earth at his side." He pulled her a little closer to him. "We'll be alright, Buffy."
She closed the distance between them until her cheek rested against his chest, over his heart. She listened to the steady beat and let the unmistakable proof of his life calm her.
"Rupert?"
"Yes, Love?"
She lifted her head and smiled. "Just testing it out. It seems wrong to keep calling you Giles when technically, I'll be Mrs. Giles."
"And then I could call you Giles."
"Okay, now you're just being weird," she said. "It will take some getting used to though. You're Giles. That's how I think of you. Just... just My Giles."
He laughed. "Call me whatever you like, Love. Uh... within reason. I'd rather you not start with all that King the Merciless nonsense again."
She giggled. "Oh but that's my favorite one, Rupie."
"Bloody Hell," he cursed under his breath. "What have I done?"
******
The carriage bearing the Baroness raced along the deserted roads of the Terennoaptrean night. They had reached the outskirts of Pazitore in record time and were on their way to Siguranta to stay the night when a violent bump shook the entire vehicle. It threw the Baroness off the seat and onto the floor of the cab. "Fiu de catea," she cursed as she pulled herself back up onto the bench. She noticed they didn't seem to be moving any longer. "Anatole!" she called to her driver. "Anatole, why have we stopped?"
"The wheel, Lady." He said from outside. "The wheel is damaged."
"When will this accursed night be over," she muttered to herself. "Can you fix it?"
"I think so. I will try, Lady."
Daciana stood and retrieved her cape from the overhead shelf. The last thing she wanted was to be jostled some more while he worked on the wheel. She swung it around her shoulders and opened the door. Carefully, she stepped down outside and shut the door behind her. Her hand went to cover her throbbing cheekbone as she breathed in the crisp night air. She walked around the carriage inspecting the wheels until she saw the damage for herself. A knot settled in her stomach. She was no expert of course, but it looked fairly extensive. The knot grew larger as she realized something else. "Anatole? Anatole, where are you?"
She circled the carriage again, this time looking off into the trees for signs of movement. Daciana convinced herself that he must have gone to get some wood to help prop the carriage so that he could work on the wheel. This conviction lasted right up until she looked up to the driver's seat and saw Anatole's lifeless body sprawled across it, a dark shiny gash gaping at her where a throat had once been.
The Baroness screamed at the top of her lungs and turned to flee back towards Pazitore. She ran right into a hard, unmoving object, bouncing off of it and onto the ground. Trembling, she craned her head up to see a large male vampire blocking her escape. Fresh blood trickled down his chin and his yellow eyes shone at her in the darkness.
Daciana inhaled to scream once more and he lunged forward, silencing her.
******
Chapter 10: Morning Glory
Crossposted to summer_of_giles, allthejellies, buffy_giles
Previous Chapters:
Chapter I: King
Chapter II: Farewell Sunnydale
Chapter III: Country
Chapter IV: Duchess
Chapter V: Fear Factor
Chapter VI: Remembrances
Chapter VII: Pen Pals
Chapter VIII: Reunion
Following Chapters:
Chapter X: Morning Glory
Chapter XI: Rain
Chapter XII: Supernova
Chapter XIII: Coronation