All The Difference, Chapter 1 of ?
All the Difference
Chapter 1 of ?
Written for Summer_of_Giles
For the first of my 3 posting days
All the Difference, Chapter 1 of ?
This chapter: FRT, 588 words
Pairings in the fic: Giles/Jenny, Giles/Xander, references to Giles/Ethan, Anya/Xander, Willow/Tara, Willow/Kennedy
Disclaimer: Giles and the other inhabitants of the Buffyverse belong to Joss and ME, not to me. I make no money, I have no rights.
I'll be posting only two chapters today. More on my next two posting days: June 27 and July 2.
I should note that this was inspired, in part, by reading Antennapedia's wonderful Watcher's Child stories.
Thursday, April 1, 2004
Giles had learned to expect something outrageous for April Fool’s Day, but he’d never imagined anything like this. It was proof that Xander was, as Giles well knew, a complete and utter madman. Only a lunatic would ply a man with liquor, make love to him most of the night and then arrange for an army of small children to wake him up at the crack of dawn. The children kept repeating “Wake up, Daddy, Daddy, wake up,” in high piercing voices and Giles’ head began to throb.
“I’m awake,” Giles said, rolling over to face his tormentors, who immediately kicked the torment up a notch with their cheers of joy.
A woman’s voice sounded from the doorway, “Alexa, Summer, Danny, why don’t you go keep an eye out for Aunt Willow?”
There were more happy noises, and the children stampeded from the room. Dear God, had there only been three of them? It had seemed like much, much more. Giles closed his eyes again, but the woman was still talking.
“Are you trying to traumatize the children, Rupert? What happened to your pajamas?”
Giles gave up trying to sleep and opened his eyes again, “I never wear p-”
Oh dear Lord, it was the First Evil. The First was back. Even though Giles was with Xander now, it didn’t hurt any less to see the First Evil wearing Jenny’s face. Giles sat up and began to edge across the bed away from it. The First crossed to Giles’ bureau, pulled something from the top drawer and threw it at him. Giles caught it instinctively, then looked incredulously from the striped pajamas in his hands to the First Evil.
“You’re corporeal,” he said, aghast.
The First Evil cocked its head in a gesture Giles knew so well. “Is that a problem?”
Wrapping a sheet around his waist, Giles edged to the window and looked out. The view seemed the same as always. “You can’t become corporeal until your armies have overrun the earth,” he told the first.
“My armies, Rupert?” the First asked in disbelief.
Rupert looked from the normal view outside to the First. Maybe…. “Tell me about the children.”
“What?”
“The children, tell me about them, just as you would if I were a stranger.”
“Fine, I’ll humor you, England.” Jenny turned and pointed to a large framed picture hanging on the wall. “This was taken a few months ago. Summer, Danny, and Alexa.” She pointed in turn to three dark-haired children. “Alexa is four. She’ll make a wonderful a con artist; she can charm anyone out of anything. Danny and Summer are two years old. Summer’s very serious. She likes to understand the rules and make sure everyone follows them. Danny is more adventurous and is the only one who can lure Summer into trouble. He wants to be a mage when he grows up like our friend-”
“You love them,” Giles said with certainty.
“Of course I love them, I’m their mother,” she answered.
“Jenny, you’re alive,” Giles said, reaching out with one arm to gather her towards him. “I thought you were the First Evil, but the First can’t love anyone. You’re Jenny and you’re alive.”
Jenny hugged back for a moment, but then pushed away. “You thought I looked like Xander Harris?”
“What?”
“The First Evil. Didn’t it usually appear to you and Willow as Xander Harris?” Jenny asked.
“The First Evil can only appear as someone who’s died,” Giles said.
“Yes, exactly,” Jenny told him.
Oh. “Jenny, I’m not your husband.” Giles told her gently.
“Of course you are, Rupert. I have the marriage license to prove it.”
“No, I’m sure you are married to a Rupert Giles, but I’m not him. I’m from, well, an alternate reality.”
“So help me, England, if this is an April Fool’s joke-”
“I swear it’s not. Look, you’re alive. Does that mean Angel never became Angelus, never tortured your Rupert? Does your husband have these scars?”
“Scars?” Jenny gently ran her fingers along the scars on Giles’ chest and stomach. After a moment, she went into the lavatory and returned with a wet washcloth. She scrubbed the scarred skin briskly, and then examined it again. “Huh. Okay. You’re not my husband. How do I get him back?”
Chapter 1 of ?
Written for Summer_of_Giles
For the first of my 3 posting days
All the Difference, Chapter 1 of ?
This chapter: FRT, 588 words
Pairings in the fic: Giles/Jenny, Giles/Xander, references to Giles/Ethan, Anya/Xander, Willow/Tara, Willow/Kennedy
Disclaimer: Giles and the other inhabitants of the Buffyverse belong to Joss and ME, not to me. I make no money, I have no rights.
I'll be posting only two chapters today. More on my next two posting days: June 27 and July 2.
I should note that this was inspired, in part, by reading Antennapedia's wonderful Watcher's Child stories.
Thursday, April 1, 2004
Giles had learned to expect something outrageous for April Fool’s Day, but he’d never imagined anything like this. It was proof that Xander was, as Giles well knew, a complete and utter madman. Only a lunatic would ply a man with liquor, make love to him most of the night and then arrange for an army of small children to wake him up at the crack of dawn. The children kept repeating “Wake up, Daddy, Daddy, wake up,” in high piercing voices and Giles’ head began to throb.
“I’m awake,” Giles said, rolling over to face his tormentors, who immediately kicked the torment up a notch with their cheers of joy.
A woman’s voice sounded from the doorway, “Alexa, Summer, Danny, why don’t you go keep an eye out for Aunt Willow?”
There were more happy noises, and the children stampeded from the room. Dear God, had there only been three of them? It had seemed like much, much more. Giles closed his eyes again, but the woman was still talking.
“Are you trying to traumatize the children, Rupert? What happened to your pajamas?”
Giles gave up trying to sleep and opened his eyes again, “I never wear p-”
Oh dear Lord, it was the First Evil. The First was back. Even though Giles was with Xander now, it didn’t hurt any less to see the First Evil wearing Jenny’s face. Giles sat up and began to edge across the bed away from it. The First crossed to Giles’ bureau, pulled something from the top drawer and threw it at him. Giles caught it instinctively, then looked incredulously from the striped pajamas in his hands to the First Evil.
“You’re corporeal,” he said, aghast.
The First Evil cocked its head in a gesture Giles knew so well. “Is that a problem?”
Wrapping a sheet around his waist, Giles edged to the window and looked out. The view seemed the same as always. “You can’t become corporeal until your armies have overrun the earth,” he told the first.
“My armies, Rupert?” the First asked in disbelief.
Rupert looked from the normal view outside to the First. Maybe…. “Tell me about the children.”
“What?”
“The children, tell me about them, just as you would if I were a stranger.”
“Fine, I’ll humor you, England.” Jenny turned and pointed to a large framed picture hanging on the wall. “This was taken a few months ago. Summer, Danny, and Alexa.” She pointed in turn to three dark-haired children. “Alexa is four. She’ll make a wonderful a con artist; she can charm anyone out of anything. Danny and Summer are two years old. Summer’s very serious. She likes to understand the rules and make sure everyone follows them. Danny is more adventurous and is the only one who can lure Summer into trouble. He wants to be a mage when he grows up like our friend-”
“You love them,” Giles said with certainty.
“Of course I love them, I’m their mother,” she answered.
“Jenny, you’re alive,” Giles said, reaching out with one arm to gather her towards him. “I thought you were the First Evil, but the First can’t love anyone. You’re Jenny and you’re alive.”
Jenny hugged back for a moment, but then pushed away. “You thought I looked like Xander Harris?”
“What?”
“The First Evil. Didn’t it usually appear to you and Willow as Xander Harris?” Jenny asked.
“The First Evil can only appear as someone who’s died,” Giles said.
“Yes, exactly,” Jenny told him.
Oh. “Jenny, I’m not your husband.” Giles told her gently.
“Of course you are, Rupert. I have the marriage license to prove it.”
“No, I’m sure you are married to a Rupert Giles, but I’m not him. I’m from, well, an alternate reality.”
“So help me, England, if this is an April Fool’s joke-”
“I swear it’s not. Look, you’re alive. Does that mean Angel never became Angelus, never tortured your Rupert? Does your husband have these scars?”
“Scars?” Jenny gently ran her fingers along the scars on Giles’ chest and stomach. After a moment, she went into the lavatory and returned with a wet washcloth. She scrubbed the scarred skin briskly, and then examined it again. “Huh. Okay. You’re not my husband. How do I get him back?”