Fic-Day28: Coming in from the Cold (Buffy/RED)
Title: Coming in from the Cold
Author: hellbells101
Fandoms: RED (2010)
Rating: Fr-13
Author Notes: This is the 4th story in the different road series.
Word Count: 673 words
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Buffy or RED - All rights belong to their respective owners
Summary: Giles was nervous about making the call, but if Buffy had given him the phone number, then surely things would work out. What he did know was that he didn’t want there to be another 10 years before they spoke again.
Giles looked at his phone, and reached for it once again - only to put it down. He knew that people had been looking at him weirdly all day, and honestly he didn’t disagree. He was acting ridiculous, he was a grown man and he couldn't pick up a phone to talk to his estranged daughter. He would always think of Buffy as the daughter he never had.
He could hear Faith in his head telling him, "To man up and say sorry."
He input the number and heard the dial tone. He heard a sleep raspy voice, "Hello, Cooper here."
"Hello Buffy."
He heard the rustling of someone moving around what he assumed was the bedroom. Buffy sounded happy to hear from him, "Hey Watcher mine; Long-time no speak."
Giles reflexively winced at the mangled grammar, but then he shook himself out of his head. Buffy was talking to him, and doing it affectionately - it was more than he could have hoped for.
"Are you well?"
Buffy snickered, "I'm whole, happy and only have to worry about crazy agents."
Giles grinned, it was good to hear the bubbly personality back, after her resurrection he doubted he wold hear it again. He realised that she had gotten very good at faking the motions, and the others hadn't seen it. Willow was sorry now and had said as much to him, but Xander was being stubborn and Christ, Kennedy annoyed him. He was starting to agree with Faith that it wouldn't be an abuse of power to send her to the Brazil House.
He decided to use their dislike of Kennedy as an Ice-breaker, "Buffy would you say it is wrong to send an annoying Agent as far as way as possible?"
Buffy must have been reading his mind, "Not if it's Kennedy - I get the chance to send them to McMurdo. It is too bad that you can’t."
Giles would admit that the mere thought made him smile, "Don't tempt me; I'm meant to be responsible."
Buffy laughed, "Well yeah, but that doesn't mean we can't entertain the thoughts ... If you think I'm bad you should listen to Will. He has a unique Marine viewpoint that puts me to shame." She left unmentioned the suggestions from the RED crew. It was probably for the best.
Giles was warmed to hear the affection in her voice, more than anything he had hoped that his Slayer would live a long life, and find happiness. It sounded like she had managed to do just that; it just saddened him that it had taken her leaving the Scoobies to do that.
"Are you happy?" He had to ask.
Buffy stopped short, there was no judgement there; just a genuine desire to see her happy. "Yeah Giles I am. I'd like to meet the next time you're in America."
Giles let out an audible sigh of relief, "I'd like that very much."
Buffy was feeling optimistic; if she was lucky she could work on her Nana so that she wouldn't threaten to eviscerate him on sight. "Me too Giles, me to Giles ... I've missed you."
"And I you Buffy ... I'll let you get back to your morning."
Buffy snickered, "You're okay Giles, William and I, are just leaving but we'll schedule something it won't be as long before we speak again."
And that was the best thing that Giles had heard in a long while. The last hurdle would be Victoria Winslow, and she was so dangerous that even the supernatural creatures avoided her. In many twisted ways it made sense that Buffy was her granddaughter.
If only he knew. There may have been Victoria Winslow, but he had forgotten the KGB grandpa, Ivan Siminov, and the crazy adopted uncles: Joe, Frank and Marvin. Life would never be boring that was for damn sure. If he could get through him all … Well that would be an exercise in forgiveness all in itself.