Justin Timberlake and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Rupert Giles shut the door and turned to face the girl he was babysitting of the evening. Dawn Summers stared right back at him.
“So.”
“So.”
“What do you…ah…normally do on a Friday night then?”
“Well normally I go to the sleepover Sophie’s having, when Buffy’s not being a total jerk about it.” Dawn said, obviously still angry.
“What do you and this…Sophie do at these sleepovers?”
“Listen to music, talk about boys, try on makeup, eat ice cream, and watch movies…why?”
“If it makes you feel better, I’ll do those things with you. Except maybe the makeup…” Giles said, wiping his glasses. He had the feeling he’d regret this decision, but he felt sorry for Dawn. Her mother had so recently been sick, she’d found out she was the Key, her sister was the Slayer (well the last part had always been true, or … not, depending on whether Giles decided to trust his memories or not).
Dawn just stared at him.
“You will?”
“Yes.”
Dawn gave Giles a huge smile, and he thought he spotted a mischievous glint in her eyes, but the next moment it was gone and he wondered if he’d made a horrible mistake somewhere along the line.
XXXX
The infernal noises coming out of Dawn’s pink boom box was giving Giles a headache. Surely it was the Hellmouth that was making this sound so bad, it couldn’t actually be this awful…
“Who is this again?”
“I told you, Justin Timberlake. He is SO cute.”
“Yes, I - I suppose he is.”
Dawn quickly got bored with Justin Timberlake and put on some Avril Lavigne, carrying her boom box with her to the kitchen.
“Let’s make some cookies!”
“Now? But its nine o’clock, it’s not - “
“Come on, it’ll be fun! Look, we even have chocolate chips.”
Giles put his glasses back on. He had no idea how teenage girls could have this much energy. He thought it was just a Slayer thing with Buffy, but apparently it was true for the other Summers sister as well. Perhaps it ran in the family, if he remembered correctly Joyce had certainly had a lot of stamina that one time they - no. Better not to think about that.
“Very well. I’ll put the kettle on for some tea.”
“Tea?”
“Well you’re a little young for scotch, I think.”
Dawn snorted, and Giles raised his eyebrows at her, making her giggle.
“Flour, eggs, milk, sugar…” he said, pulling out ingredients. Dawn got out a bowl from the cupboard, and the two of them mixed ingredients. Dawn kept sneaking tastes of the cookie dough when Giles wasn’t looking.
“Stop it, you’ll make yourself sick.”
“I think your tea’s ready.”
The kettle was shrieking. Dawn put the dough in balls on the cookie sheets and stuck them in the oven, gleefully licking the spoon.
“Do you think Riley and Buffy should have stayed together? I liked him, when they weren’t trying to suck each other’s faces off.”
“He cared for her more than she cared for him.”
“Oh.” Dawn said. Giles got out two mugs and made the tea. Dawn heaped sugar and cream in hers and took a small sip, sitting down. He sat across from her, wondering again about how he’d gone from Watcher to babysitter. Not that he minded that much (which he certainly wasn’t going to admit to Buffy). Dawn was an intelligent, interesting girl, she just craved attention.
“I think Kevin Miller has a crush on me.”
Giles choked on his tea, coughing.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah - ahem - yes, I’m fine.”
“Anyway. I think Kevin likes me, but I’m not sure. You’re a guy. You were my age a long time ago. How do I know for sure?”
“A long time ago?” he repeated, a little insulted.
“When you were in Watcher school.”
Giles thought back to when he was Dawn’s age. How old was she…fourteen? He’d been going through his Ripper phase, Ethan Rayne by his side…
“Stay away from boys. They’re nothing but trouble.”
“But you were one!”
“I was trouble too.”
“Wait - you were bad? Like…like Spike?”
“Well Spike is a soulless vampire. I was merely a rebellious teenager.”
“And you got into trouble.”
“I did.”
“Like what? Did you steal stuff? Willow told me you have a tattoo, can I see it?”
“No, I - ah, I don’t want - “
Giles was mercifully cut off by the oven timer beeping, and he sprang to his feat, nearly knocking over the cream.
“The biscuits - I mean the, the cookies - they’re ready.”
“No one ever tells me anything,” Dawn muttered, and went into the kitchen to get the chocolate chips cookies out of the oven.
FIN
“So.”
“So.”
“What do you…ah…normally do on a Friday night then?”
“Well normally I go to the sleepover Sophie’s having, when Buffy’s not being a total jerk about it.” Dawn said, obviously still angry.
“What do you and this…Sophie do at these sleepovers?”
“Listen to music, talk about boys, try on makeup, eat ice cream, and watch movies…why?”
“If it makes you feel better, I’ll do those things with you. Except maybe the makeup…” Giles said, wiping his glasses. He had the feeling he’d regret this decision, but he felt sorry for Dawn. Her mother had so recently been sick, she’d found out she was the Key, her sister was the Slayer (well the last part had always been true, or … not, depending on whether Giles decided to trust his memories or not).
Dawn just stared at him.
“You will?”
“Yes.”
Dawn gave Giles a huge smile, and he thought he spotted a mischievous glint in her eyes, but the next moment it was gone and he wondered if he’d made a horrible mistake somewhere along the line.
XXXX
The infernal noises coming out of Dawn’s pink boom box was giving Giles a headache. Surely it was the Hellmouth that was making this sound so bad, it couldn’t actually be this awful…
“Who is this again?”
“I told you, Justin Timberlake. He is SO cute.”
“Yes, I - I suppose he is.”
Dawn quickly got bored with Justin Timberlake and put on some Avril Lavigne, carrying her boom box with her to the kitchen.
“Let’s make some cookies!”
“Now? But its nine o’clock, it’s not - “
“Come on, it’ll be fun! Look, we even have chocolate chips.”
Giles put his glasses back on. He had no idea how teenage girls could have this much energy. He thought it was just a Slayer thing with Buffy, but apparently it was true for the other Summers sister as well. Perhaps it ran in the family, if he remembered correctly Joyce had certainly had a lot of stamina that one time they - no. Better not to think about that.
“Very well. I’ll put the kettle on for some tea.”
“Tea?”
“Well you’re a little young for scotch, I think.”
Dawn snorted, and Giles raised his eyebrows at her, making her giggle.
“Flour, eggs, milk, sugar…” he said, pulling out ingredients. Dawn got out a bowl from the cupboard, and the two of them mixed ingredients. Dawn kept sneaking tastes of the cookie dough when Giles wasn’t looking.
“Stop it, you’ll make yourself sick.”
“I think your tea’s ready.”
The kettle was shrieking. Dawn put the dough in balls on the cookie sheets and stuck them in the oven, gleefully licking the spoon.
“Do you think Riley and Buffy should have stayed together? I liked him, when they weren’t trying to suck each other’s faces off.”
“He cared for her more than she cared for him.”
“Oh.” Dawn said. Giles got out two mugs and made the tea. Dawn heaped sugar and cream in hers and took a small sip, sitting down. He sat across from her, wondering again about how he’d gone from Watcher to babysitter. Not that he minded that much (which he certainly wasn’t going to admit to Buffy). Dawn was an intelligent, interesting girl, she just craved attention.
“I think Kevin Miller has a crush on me.”
Giles choked on his tea, coughing.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah - ahem - yes, I’m fine.”
“Anyway. I think Kevin likes me, but I’m not sure. You’re a guy. You were my age a long time ago. How do I know for sure?”
“A long time ago?” he repeated, a little insulted.
“When you were in Watcher school.”
Giles thought back to when he was Dawn’s age. How old was she…fourteen? He’d been going through his Ripper phase, Ethan Rayne by his side…
“Stay away from boys. They’re nothing but trouble.”
“But you were one!”
“I was trouble too.”
“Wait - you were bad? Like…like Spike?”
“Well Spike is a soulless vampire. I was merely a rebellious teenager.”
“And you got into trouble.”
“I did.”
“Like what? Did you steal stuff? Willow told me you have a tattoo, can I see it?”
“No, I - ah, I don’t want - “
Giles was mercifully cut off by the oven timer beeping, and he sprang to his feat, nearly knocking over the cream.
“The biscuits - I mean the, the cookies - they’re ready.”
“No one ever tells me anything,” Dawn muttered, and went into the kitchen to get the chocolate chips cookies out of the oven.
FIN