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Author's Chapter Notes:
I'm posting this to get myself back in the game. I hope you all will read and enjoy.

Thanks.
A/N: Well I have to admit that I’m still not sure about submitting this chapter and all. It’s been a while since I’ve felt like writing and more then that…..posting anything. However, I’m going to go ahead and post this one and hope for the best.


Summary: Giles sends our two gals off to England where they meet Wesley and Winnefred. When Dawn reveals her obsession with ‘ponies’ she sets a meeting in motion between Buffy and Spike….well eventually that is.

Chapter 6: ‘As It Were’


“Are you going to England with us Mr. Giles?” Dawn asked the seemingly somber tall man beside her.

Rupert Giles gave Buffy a furtive glance then leaned down to speak to the child; more on her level as it were.

“I cannot,” he stated honestly as he took the little girl’s tiny hand in his. “I have much to do ‘here’ I’m afraid, Dawn,” Giles mumbled apologetically.

“Oh,” Dawn sighed heavily and scowled slightly.

Dawn had taken an instant liking to the tall, older good looking man who was helping Buffy and her.

Oh yes, he talked a bit funny, of course, but he seemed kind and honest; something the young girl was not too used to in older men. Her own father had been pretty scary; in a secretive unholy sort of way. Mr. Giles seemed open and honest; something Dawn wasn’t used to in role models. Except for Buffy, now of course.


“There is a young woman in England ,” Giles began with hesitation, “a cousin of mine named Winnefred,” he added, careful to pronounce her name properly.

“She’s married to a nice young bloke by the name of Wesley and…..”

“What’s a bloke?” Dawn asked suspiciously, her blue eyes filled with confusion.

“It’s a man Dawnie,” Buffy interjected matter-of-factly. “They call men ‘blokes’ in England sometimes,” she finished off-handedly.

“Oh,” Dawn repeated with a slightly less serious scowl this time.

“When you get to England,” Giles began wistfully, his blue eyes filled with longing, “Winnefred will be there to greet you. Her husband and her, as it were,” he added thoughtfully.

“We can’t thank you enough Mr. Giles,” Buffy blurted out, breaking Rupert’s train of thought.

“It’s I that should be thanking you Miss Summers,” Giles whispered sincerely. He blushed bright red when she stood on her tippy- toes and kissed him lightly on his cheek.

“You’re quite a ‘bloke’ yourself Rupert,” Buffy giggled almost shyly into the embarrassed Brit’s right ear.

“I, uhm, well thank you Miss Summers,” he stammered politely.

Buffy Summers was a piece of work alright and didn’t Rupert Giles just know it. She was a girl that a man’s head could easily be turned by, that’s for sure. Angel had been entranced with her and…..well, at least once as it were and….

“It’s Buffy, remember?” Buffy murmured breathily.

“Buffy,” Rupert repeated dreamily.

“Is that the plane?” Dawn asked logically as she pointed to the medium sized charter craft on the otherwise empty runway.

“Yes, of course,” Giles replied quickly. “It will take you to a small, out of the way airstrip just outside of Bath, England. Wesley and Winnie will be there, waiting for you,” his voice trailed off.


They boarded the little plane; Buffy and Dawn, silently. Just before take off, Dawn waved energetically at Mr. Giles and even blew him a little kiss goodbye.

If they had been down, on the ground, face to face with the rather formidable FBI man, Dawn and Buffy would have seen a little tear roll down Rupert’s handsome face.

Rupert Giles was a logical man, most of the time, and he loved his wife, Jennifer with every inch of his soul. However, their marriage had not been blessed with children of their own and something about Buffy and Dawn made Rupert a bit sad and wistful.

Giles had taken and instant liking to both Buffy and young Dawn. Buffy was a bit hard shelled, true, but she had the potential to become an incredibly gifted young woman; as far as her future went and all.

As for Dawn? Rupert saw something in the young girl that touched his own hardened heart; something sweet and innocent, even with the horrors the poor child already witnessed in her short life.

Yet…..Dawn appeared to possess a certain toughness that reminded Giles of Buffy in some way. Odd, really, since the two females were not truly related by blood.

Rupert Giles could only hope and pray that Buffy and Dawn could make a new, safe and happy start in England. Perhaps they would find it to their liking and settle there. After all, what would be wrong with that?

“If Jenny and I had children…..” Rupert muttered under his breath as he watched the private jet take off from the tiny airstrip.

“They’d be daughters; just like Buffy and Dawn,” he continued wistfully before he waved goodbye to the plane’s occupants.


Buffy and Dawn landed, safely, in the little out of the way airstrip outside of Bath, England.

Winnefred and Wesley met them; Wesley a bit more pensive then his American born wife.

As they drove the distance between the private airstrip and the city of Bath, Dawn snuggled close to Buffy. The child’s big blue eyes watched the strangers in the front seat of the car; her heart was racing as if she had just woke up from a bad dream.

“Why does Mr. Wesley sit on the wrong side of the car?” Dawn asked Buffy abruptly as she clenched her idol’s hand tightly.

“Shush now,” Buffy cooed and clutched the little girl closer to her.

“It’s the way they drive here,” Buffy added reassuringly, even though she wasn’t the least bit reassured at all.

“Oh,” Dawn mumbled under her breath. She was just the tiniest bit frightened by all this, but she did not want her ‘idol’ Buffy to know that.

Winnefred Pryce rode along in silence, her dark eyes squinted just a bit and her mouth in a slight frown.

‘How can we get the child to relax?’ Fred asked herself, somewhat distressed by all of this.

When her cousin, Rupert Giles, had asked Fred and her husband Wesley to help out; well, the expatriated American woman could not help but say yes. Now, however…..

“Buffy!” Dawn suddenly squealed in delight. “Look at that!”

Wesley veered the car to the right, onto the side of the road, and slammed to an abrupt halt.

“What is it Miss Dawn?” The dark haired Englishman asked anxiously.

“Ponies!” Dawn squealed excitedly just before she threw the car door open and leapt out of the Pryce’s car.

“Dawn!” Buffy screeched loudly just before ‘she’ jumped out after her charge.

True enough, Buffy spotted the source of Dawn’s quick ‘escape’ from the parked car.

Close to a hundred ponies; of all colors, sizes and ages, were merrily scampering towards the wooden fence that separated the country road and their pasture.

The lovely little darlings frolicked happily over the rolling green hills towards Buffy and Dawn.

Buffy swore the ponies and colts were actually grinning mischievously as they neared the fence. She noticed that the little wonders of nature were well aware that the wooden barrier would not allow them access to the road or their freedom. However, the young equines did not seem to care.

After they roared over to the fence, just long enough for Dawn to fruitlessly try and ‘pet’ one or two of them; the ponies turned and sped off back over the closest knoll.

“Did you see that!” Dawn squealed in sheer delight, jumping up and down and clamping her tiny hands together.

“I saw it honey,” Buffy whispered reverently, her green eyes followed the disappearing ponies up over the little hill.

“Dawn, please,” Buffy began in a soft whine, “don’t ever run off from me like that again, please.”

Buffy clasped Dawn’s small body to hers and stroked her long dark hair.

“It frightened me,” Buffy murmured softly into Dawn’s ear as she nuzzled the child‘s dark head. “Please, you should not run off like that…..unannounced that is and all.”

Wesley glanced at his wife and smiled slightly at Buffy’s motherly concern. Apparently, the ruse concocted by Rupert Giles was working in more ways then one.

Both Wes and Fred knew of course that Buffy was in no way blood related to the darling child, Dawn. However, it appeared that the young woman was definitely stepping up to the plate and already growing close to the small girl.

“I won’t do it again, honest Buffy,” Dawn whispered in a shaky voice.

“I want you to be happy here Dawnie,” Buffy muttered as she snuggled the child closer to her.

“I have a cousin, nearby actually,” Wesley began cautiously. He halted in mid-sentence when both Dawn and Buffy eyed him with curious eyes.

“My cousin,” Wes continued quietly, “he’s got a nice little farm, close by hear and well, there’s just lots of horses and ponies. I think Dawn would like it there, if she visited sometime, I mean.”

Wesley’s sentence trailed off into a whisper as he looked pleadingly at his wife.

The covert glance between the husband and wife was not lost on Buffy. Dawn however……

“Oh could we? Could we Buffy!?” Dawn squealed in delight.

Buffy glanced down at her charge and shrugged, non-committed of course. “I suppose so,” she stammered quietly.

“But not now, Dawnie, we need to settle in and all. Besides, Wesley‘s cousin and his family may not appreciate a surprise visit at this time and…..” Buffy’s sentence trailed off when she saw the crestfallen look in Dawn’s blue eyes.

“Oh, there’s no family, of Spike’s, oh, I mean William that is. . On the farm; as it were,” Wesley offered quickly.

“William is my cousin’s given name; he goes by the ridiculous nick name of Spike for some reason that’s beyond me but there it is.”


“Uhm, well I see, but,” Buffy stammered in reply, her green eyes pensive.

“It’s true, Spike, well, William actually is not married and never has been,” Fred added with a quick smile. “He was close once but his ex was real bitch and…..”

Wesley actually gasped at his refined wife’s harsh words, but Buffy and Dawn giggled behind their hands.

“I’m sorry,” Fred offered sincerely, “but William is a down-to-earth guy and he needs an earthy woman in his life. Certainly not that uppity woman he almost married. Thank God that didn‘t happen. Now Wes, you know I‘m right and that William needs a woman, perhaps like Buffy here, eh?”

Fred grinned at Buffy then winked at her husband most conspiratorially.

“Oh,” Buffy whispered uncomfortably.

Buffy had the most odd feeling in the pit of her stomach and she had no idea why.

“The farm is just down the road,” Wesley began cautiously. “The honest fact Buffy is that we promised William that we would stop by on our way back to Bath. If that is convenient for you my dear?”

Wesley looked at his wife with that pleading look again and Fred nodded back then glanced at Buffy.

“I know William was looking forward to meeting you and Dawn there,” Fred admitted evenly. “I’m thinking it would be almost an insult not to stop in…..for your first true English tea time that is?”

“Well, if it would be an insult……I mean not to stop by and all,” Buffy mumbled half-heartedly.

“It’s settled then,” Wesley crowed, a little too happily for Buffy.
“We’re off to my cousin’s for some tea,” the Brit finished with a something close to a giggle.

“Yeah, right then,” Buffy whispered, still a bit unsure of all of this.

“We’re off to Wesley’s cousin’s farm!” Dawn chimed in quite unnecessarily. “We’re off to see the ponies,” the child squealed in delight.

Unknown to Dawn, Fred, Wesley and most of all to Buffy Summers; this simple tea party would turn into something quite life altering for all of them…..indeed!





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