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I hope you read this. It's from my heart and I need it for closure. There might be one more chapter then that's it. Thanks.
MAKE THEIR OWN WAY


Part 2: ‘Thanksgiving, Or, Giving Thanks’

Disclaimer: All of the characters including Spike and Buffy belong to yes, Joss Whedon and ME. Personally, I think we Spuffy fans should own them but things being the way they are…..


A/N: This is a little set of vignettes that starts about 20 years after ‘Make Her Own Way’ ended. It is a sequel, of course, and one I’ve been meaning to write for some time.

It will not be long and it is kind of a way for me to add closure to one of my first Spuffy fictions I ever penned. While I work on this, I’m trying to finish up the long running WIPs I have in the works.


Summary: Timeline takes place about 20 years after the epilogue of Make Her Own Way. Spike and Buffy have been married for nearly 30 years and are still together (of course) and still living in Victoria, Canada. Buffy is about 54 years old; a successful art dealer by this time. Spike is nearly 60 and still passionately in love with his ‘golden goddess’ Buffy.

The problem is their children and their screwed up lives. Well, at least the children’s lives seemed screwed up to Spike and Buffy!


Part 2:


“I think Jesse is being incredibly narrow-minded,” Jennifer Joyce Giles-Harris muttered as she basted the Thanksgiving turkey. The woman commonly known as ‘JJ’ was helping her mother, Buffy Giles, prepare the Thanksgiving feast this year. Although why she even bothered, JJ had no clue.

“Some Thanksgiving this is going to be,” Jennifer Joyce hissed with a childish pout, slamming the oven door, violently.

“You only think your husband is being narrow-minded, JJ, because he’s not going along with you. Jesse, for once, is not blindly giving you your way or making things easy for you,” Buffy Summers stated evenly. She was adding the finishing touches on her pumpkin pie filling before sliding it into the hot oven to bake.

“How can you take Jesse’s side, Mama,” JJ muttered, spinning about to face off with her mother. “After all, you had Daddy wrapped around your little finger and he gave up the whole Giles’ empire for you. He followed you up here to Canada like a puppy. Grandpa Giles told me everything, before he passed away,” Jennifer Joyce’s chin quivered slightly, at the thought of her beloved late grandfather.

“I’m not taking Jesse’s side, dear,” Buffy sighed, tired and frustrated by all of the holiday preparations. No matter how long William and she had called Canada their home, the couple had insisted on following the United States’ holiday of Thanksgiving. It had always been Buffy’s favorite holiday while growing up and her husband had followed suit to please her.

‘Old Will has always done things to please me,’ Buffy realized for about the millionth time in their marriage. It made the middle aged woman feel all warm and tingly inside.

“I am merely saying, JJ,” Buffy mumbled, a scowl on her still pretty face as she poked the boiling potatoes in the pot with a large fork.

“I’m merely saying,” She began again, “that if I were you, my dear, brilliant daughter? I’d consider all of your options before you pack up my grandchildren and abandon Jesse here in Canada, permanently. You ‘are’ excellent at considering options, aren’t you darling?” Buffy grinned, smugly at her oldest and untied the ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron from her waist.

“Well, yes,” JJ muttered under her breath as she watched her mother saunter out of the huge kitchen.

‘Just like Daddy,’ Jennifer Joyce thought to herself. ‘Mum is stubborn as bloody hell,’ she smiled warmly despite her temporary resentment for her mother.

“Manchester United is ahead, Mum!” Bill Giles exclaimed happily from his place on his parents’ living room sofa.

“They’re the best, Gran!” Little three-year-old William Giles III mimicked his father. The third Giles’ grandchild sat perched on his grandfather, William’s lap. Grandpa Giles’ blue eyes were focused on the telly and the football game that was being televised on it.

“Yes, darling,” Buffy patted William III on his golden head, lovingly. “Manchester is the best. When is Winnefred getting here dear?” Buffy asked her youngest child, Bill, about his wife.

“As soon as she can shake off from work, Mum,” Bill replied, never taking his eyes from the television and the game. “They don’t recognize our US holidays at Winnie’s work place,” he added as an afterthought.

“Lizzy isn’t here yet, Princess,” Spike Giles chimed in gruffly. “She’d better get her arse over here soon or…..”

“Our daughter, Lizzy, will be here soon, William,” Buffy cut him off, defensively. “When has Lizzy ever missed a Thanksgiving with us?” She asked her husband through narrowed eyes.

“Well who knows what the girl’s up to,” Spike groused. “With that insipid telly program she’s got herself all tied up with? God only knows what tripe that’ll turn out to be. American television is such bloody crap these days and…..”

“William!” Buffy gasped, “your language! Please, not in front of our grandchild!” She hissed and reached over to pull William III out of her husband's arms.

“Let’s go find Lexie and Lucas, eh, Billy? Let’s find out what your cousins are up to upstairs?” Buffy asked her grandson, lovingly.

“But Gran,” Billy cried unhappily, “I want to watch the bloody game with Gramps and Daddy!”

“Let’s go, Billy,” Buffy mumbled as she pulled her grandson up the staircase of her two-story home. She shot her husband a dubious glance and rolled her eyes. Jennifer Joyce Harris followed her mother and nephew up the stairs.

“I don’t understand what the big deal is!” Jennifer groused as she followed her tiny mother into the guest bedroom where her own twins, Alexia (or Lexie) and Lucas played together.

“Jesse has no reason to ‘not’ go with me and the twins to London to live. Grandpa and Grandma Giles left you and daddy the mansion outside of London, but since you two will never leave good old Canada? Then the place will be perfect for Jess, me and the kids,” JJ shot her only daughter a pleased little pout.

“Look Mummy,” little Lexie giggled proudly as she stacked some blocks up together. “I’m making an empire building; a congomrate!”

“That’s a conglomerate, sweetie,” JJ chuckled in reply. She gave her mother a pleased smile to which Buffy replied with a roll of her green eyes.

“Oh great,” Buffy Giles muttered, not at all pleased. “My granddaughter is already plotting out high-rises!”

“Mum,” JJ began carefully, “is it such a terrible thing? That the Giles-Harris women are motivated to corporate power? I mean…..”

“No,” Buffy spat, cutting off her daughter quickly. “Not terrible, especially since you do handle your CEO position with such grace and diplomacy. It’s just that I do not want my grandchildren to suffer a broken home, that’s all.” Buffy whispered and eyed Lexie, Lucas and little Billy carefully.

“So what am I supposed to do, Mum,” JJ sighed sadly. “I love Jesse and he loves me, but he’s so damned stubborn!”

“Gee, you think?” Buffy chuckled lightly. “That might be just one of the things that attracted you to him, eh? Jesse is exactly like his father, Xander. Not to mention your own father and myself,” she added with a smirk.

“Look, darling,” Buffy sighed gently, taking her daughter by the arm and leading her to the hallway. “Here’s the situation: Your Jesse is a proud, stubborn man and let’s be honest, you wouldn’t want him any other way. Have you ever considered the possibility that Jesse is just a tad intimidated by your corporate power in the Giles’ empire? Maybe, if you look beyond your own desires and ambitions, you’d see that Jesse is feeling a little insecure right now?”

“Mum,” JJ sighed in exasperation. “How can my husband feel insecure? He’s a brilliant scholar with a PHD in Psychology. Jesse had his first successful novel published by the time he was twenty-three years old for God’s sake. His second novel was a best seller and on the top ten seller list for months! How could Jesse feel insecure or intimidated by me?”

“Because he’s a man, dear,” Buffy quipped matter-of-factly. “Besides, just maybe Jesse wouldn’t be so damned insecure or unsure of his role in the family if you’d let the man make some decisions with you?”

“What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?” Jennifer asked with a frown on her pretty face.

Buffy was reminded just how much her daughter resembled herself, in physique and manner.

“It means,” Buffy muttered wearily, “that it’s time for you to actually ‘talk’ to your husband. Ask his opinions, Jenny and for God’s sake girl, let him have a voice in where your family just might live in England! You’ve taken it for granted that you’re going to pack up your children and move into Dad and Mom Giles’ old place. I’ve got news for you, darling child of mine, so take notes. Your dad and I have talked it over and we’ve decided to nest in your grandparents’ estate. At least six months out of the year.”

“Well how about that?” Buffy asked her daughter; her arms crossed in front of her. Mother mimicked her daughter’s earlier smug grin.

“I don’t understand, Mum,” JJ stammered, a little stunned by the news. “What’s this about?” She asked in a shaky voice.

“Just what I said,” Buffy grunted with a shrug, “your dad and I are going to be living in Giles’ Manor, six months out of the year. Now that dad is retired? We thought it would be nice to live in England off and on.” Buffy grinned widely at her stunned daughter.

“Well, that’s great, I guess,” JJ replied slowly. “It’s just that….”

“It’s just that you expected us to hand Giles’ Manor over to you and the little ones, Jesse included or not, didn’t you dear?”
Buffy tilted her head to one side and studied her daughter carefully.

“Have you ever considered making a compromise with Jesse, JJ? I mean, if you would think about something besides yourself, for just a moment? Don’t you think that Jesse might reconsider moving to England with you if you stopped and asked him to help out in some way?” Buffy shot JJ a scolding frown.

“You mean like Jesse and me? We go to England, scout out a home of our own; not the Manor, but…..” JJ scrunched up her brows in thought.

“Something like that,” Buffy nodded. “Look, dear, if you give Jesse a voice in the matter. Remember just how brilliant he really is and let him make decisions with you? I think he’ll be more then happy to pull up stakes and sail off to merry old England with you and the kiddies.

“After all,” Buffy smirked, “hasn’t Jesse said time and again that he’d like to write a novel about the Giles’ family? What better place to gather the fodder for it then their own turf?”

“Mum, maybe you’re right,” JJ began in a surprisingly timid tone, at least for her. “I’ll try and talk to Jesse, today and…..”

Jennifer Joyce’s sentence was interrupted by the squeals of the three children in the next room.

“Daddy!” Cried Lexie and Lucas Giles-Harris, excitedly. “Uncle Jesse,” squealed little Billy Giles, happily.

“I think now would be a good time,” Buffy murmured as she swept past her daughter. The Giles’ matriarch strode into the guest room and hugged her son-in-law affectionately.

“Go talk to your wife,” Buffy ordered Jesse firmly. She grinned at the young talk man, warmly. Jesse Harris was a clone of his father, Xander, right down to his black hair and chocolate brown eyes.

“Yes maam,” Jesse whispered as he placed a kiss on the top of his tiny mother-in-law’s golden head. “And, Mom, thanks,” he finished warmly just before he walked out of the guest room to find his wife.

Buffy started down the long staircase only to fun into her husband about half way down.

Spike Giles reached out and gathered his petite wife into his strong arms, lovingly.

“So, do you think those two will kill each other before they can work things out?” Spike asked Buffy with a raised brow.

“Oh, they’ll be fine, I think,” Buffy chuckled in reply, allowing her husband to snuggle her into his still impressive body.

“I think our JJ is going to ‘compromise’ Will,” Buffy continued happily. “She’ll see that alls she has to do is just listen to Jesse and let him help her make decisions. Just like I did you, about thirty years ago,” she giggled a mischievous gleam in her emerald eyes.

“Oh, right,” Spike grunted, “like you compromised Princess. Why you plotted out that whole scenario thirty years ago and you’ve steered this ship since then. Thank God,” he added with a wink of his blue eye.

“Well somebody had to fix this mess of a clan, William Giles,” Buffy pouted defensively. “If I hadn’t of stepped up to the plate and thwarted you and Dad Giles? You two would have devised a way to obtain world domination by now and…..”

“Hello! Anybody home?” Lizzy Giles’ melodic voice boomed from the front door.

“We’re here, darling,” Buffy called out in greeting to her other daughter. “On the stairs, dear,” she added patiently noting that Lizzy seemed a bit lost when no one met her at the door.

“Mummy! Daddy!” Lizzy exclaimed with glee as she burst through the entryway and scurried up the stairs to meet her parents.

“I’ve missed you ever so much,” the five foot/seven inch blond actress squealed. She allowed her parents to bear-hug her in a most sentimental way of course.

“Well if you ever thought to get your arse up here and see us more often…..” Spike muttered sourly, trying to hide his smile of delight at the sight of his golden haired daughter.

“Now you know I’ve been terribly busy, Daddy,” Lizzy sighed with a pretty little pout.

‘Just like her Mum,’ Spike thought, pleased that his golden child resembled her mother so much. Except for Lizzy’s lovely blue eyes that is. The oldest Giles’ daughter’s eyes had turned from hazel to bright, cobalt blue by the time she was thirteen-years-old. Her younger sister, Jennifer’s eyes had stayed gone to emerald green, just like their mum’s.

“Before we go on and start getting all sappy here? I’ve got someone, out in the rental, that I want you to meet!” Lizzy gushed giddily.

‘Oh, bloody hell,’ Spike hissed to himself. ‘I bet she’s gone and hooked herself up to another actor or some such bullshit,’ he reasoned.

“Let me go get him,” Lizzy giggled just like a young girl. “He wanted me to pave the way for him, Mum and Dad,” she murmured. “Now please, be nice, Daddy, kay?”

“I guess,” Spike grumbled as he glanced over at Buffy, warily.

“Mum, make sure Daddy behaves, right?” Lizzy pleaded with her mother.

“He’ll behave,” Buffy assured her oldest child. She glared at her husband before following Lizzy down the stairs to the front door.

“You’d better be on your best behavior, Daddy,” Lizzy called back over her shoulder, cheerfully. “Since the man in the car is going to be the father of your next grandchild!”


A/N: Well, hasn’t the Giles’ clan just expanded by leaps and bounds though? Do you wonder just who the expectant father in the car might be? An actor? A producer? A poet?

Thanks for reading and please review, spufette.





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