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Chapter 2



“Buffy, sweetheart, will you help me set the table,” It was phrased as a question, but Buffy knew better. Her mother wasn’t giving her a choice in the matter.

“Mom, he’s Giles’ brother…half-brother at that. It’s not like we need to impress him or anything. He doesn’t even know Giles…I mean their dad wasn’t exactly an upstanding guy…it’s more of a coincidence that they’re related…” Buffy didn’t care if she wasn’t making sense—she was in a bad mood and it was her right to be argumentative even if she didn’t have a good argument.

“I understand that Rupert is only your stepfather so you don’t feel that his half-brother is your family at all, but he is. Buffy, this night is important to Rupert,” Joyce explained softly. “He feels bad about not being there for his younger brother more and with William having such a hard time lately…just please don’t make this hard on him, please sweetheart. It’s just a few hours, you can do that.”

“Yeah, mom, I can,” Buffy acquiesced. She hated making her mother feel like she didn’t love Giles; he was much more of a father to her than Hank had ever hoped to be and if she couldn’t do this for him—well then, she was just plain ungrateful. “Do you want to use Grandma Mary’s china?”

“That would be lovely, dear. Let me go get it.”

As her mother went to get their, Buffy decided to check on her step-father. “Giles,” she said, finding him sitting in the dim quiet of his study, “May I come in?”

“Yes, of course,” he said, sounding distracted.

“Giles, I’m…I’m sorry if I’ve been a bitch tonight,” Her language caused him to look up.

“Well I couldn’t think of another word, sorry,” she apologized quickly. “But I really didn’t mean anything by it; I’m just not in a very good mood tonight,” ‘And not just because you having your long lost half brother over is making me think about family and how I’ll never have one of my own because the only man I want thinks of me as some cheap call girl.’ “And I think I’ve just been taking out my bad mood on you and Mom and for that I really am sorry. I think it’s great you have William coming over and I promise to behave better from here on out.”

“Don’t worry dear, I’m sure it will all be well.”

She knew he was trying to reassure himself possibly even more than her. “Giles, don’t worry so much, he’s your brother. There’s really nothing to worry about.”

He wished he was able to relax and believe her, but this was his younger brother they were talking about. His younger half brother who had also been abandoned by their father—him by his death and he himself by his just leaving; his half brother who was so depressed lately that he feared for his welfare.

He hoped that he’d be able to get William out of whatever rut it was he was in, if not by being brotherly then just by being kind. He was also nervous because this was the first time his family—Buffy and Joyce and William—were all meeting each other.

Hopefully it was nothing some quiet relaxation and a little scotch couldn’t cure.





“Mom, why is William coming now? Not that it’s a bad thing or anything, but…I’m just curious I guess,” she explained her question.

“Apparently William’s been down a little, or a lot actually, lately and Rupert thought it would be nice to have him over. Show him he wasn’t alone.”

“I think it’ll be nice to meet some more of Giles’ family,” Buffy decided. “And hey, he’s half the same as Giles, so he almost has to be a nice guy,” she half joked.

“I’m sure he’ll be a wonderful man. Now, why don’t you go change for dinner? William’s sure to be here any minute.”

“You sure you’re okay for finishing up things in here?”

“I’m sure. We’re nearly done, anyway.”

“Alright, I’m going, I’m going. Didn’t realize I looked that horrible.” Buffy was joking of course; she knew that her mother was just nervous for Giles.

“Don’t be like that. Now, hurry up, I don’t want you to be late.”

“I’m already gone,” Buffy said as she made it out to the pool house where she’d lived since her graduation a year ago.


Buffy looked around her sitting room and bedroom, realizing that if anyone saw her living space and knew her chosen—or less chosen, more required—profession, they’d think she as more than a paradox. She was a complete contradiction.

Deciding on a simple, knee length knit jersey dress that was at the same time casual and elegant, Buffy changed quickly before making her way into the bathroom to style her hair and apply some makeup.

She was anxious about the evening as well. She was so used to meeting new people and feeling like she was deceiving them by pretending to be this…by pretending to be a good, sweet girl. She hated being deceitful, but it wasn’t like she could just tell them the truth.

But this was going to be even harder; this was family she was going to be lying to. Distant as he might be, he was still family.



“You must be William,” Joyce said as she answered the front door not ten minutes after Buffy had left to change. “Please do come in. I’m Joyce, Rupert’s wife. Rupert will be here in just a moment. I think he’s a bit nervous,” she whispered. “And my daughter Buffy will be here soon as well.”

Joyce didn’t notice the look that passed over his face as he heard her daughter’s name. ‘It’s like I can’t get away from her,’ he thought, ‘I mean really, what’s the chance I find another girl named Buffy?. It’s like I can’t get away from her.’

He’d been hoping that this trip would help him get over…whatever it was he was feeling for Buffy, the girl he was calling every night. But now Joyce’s daughter with the same name would be there, reminding him of his girl every time someone called her by name.

Well, maybe he’d at least be able to get to know this half brother of his a little better.

Sure there was a twenty plus year age gap, but they were still related—if only by their father, who hadn’t been there for either of them. But it was family, someone who could—and hopefully would—be there for him, something that he’d been sorely lacking lately.


Joyce took him into the living room. “Can I get you something to drink before I go get Rupert? He must not have heard the door.”

“Anything would be nice.” He had been about to ask for a beer when he realized that maybe he had better not ask for alcohol right off the bat; didn’t want to give the wrong impression and all.

“I have some wine that we’re going to have with dinner, Rupert has some beers, and I believe he also has some scotch somewhere. Or, of course, we have soda and juices, whichever you’d like.”

“A coke would be nice, thank you.” If there was going to be wine for dinner, he figured he could do with something non-alcoholic at the moment. Besides, his anxiousness might lead to him having a bit too much to drink, which would only lead to him embarrassing himself.

“Let me just fetch that for you and then I’ll get Rupert.” After she’d gotten him a Pepsi, Joyce went to find her husband.

She was surprised to find him sitting behind his desk, seemingly looking at nothing. “Rupert, sweetheart, you are going to have to come out of here sooner or later. William’s here and it would be rude of you to stay in here all night.”

“I’m not going to stay all night. It’s just…I should have contacted him sooner. There’s no way he’s going to forgive me for that.”

“He knows you have things of your own going on…and it’s not exactly as if you two grew up together. This is more than most people would do—inviting him to stay at our house like this.”

“I should have done it sooner. I know what a bastard our father is and…and I just tried to distance myself from him as much as I could, even if that meant distancing myself from his son; my half-brother.”

“Well, he’s here now and he doesn’t think ill of you so far, but if you stay in here any longer, he’ll more than likely start to. Now, come on; I’m interested in getting to know this brother of yours.”

“Very well, dear.” Giles gave in, knowing she was right.

Taking one last swallow of his scotch and trying his best to steel his nerves, Rupert Giles stood up and followed his wife Joyce out of the office.

It was time to go formally meet his younger brother and own up to all that he had not done in the previous years. It wasn’t something that was going to be easily forgivable, but he was making any forgiveness less and less likely with each second that he stayed squirreled away in his study.

Little did he know that forgiving him was going to be the absolute least of William’s worries that night.



TBC..........Please Review :)





A/N: I really have been trying to thank of a way to express, in words, what getting so many reviews has meant to me. I know many think I shouldn't put so much stock in reviews but I really do love them...so, thank you so much more than I'll ever be able to say--that was more than I've ever gotten for a single chapter before and I can only hope to get near that many from here on out (and if not, then I'll just be proving Elena wrong).

Chapter Three will be posted Tuesday afternoon and after that it might be a little over a week til I post again as I'll be on a litte vacation ;) (I'll send out an update email though when I do--maybe the 28th if I'm back in time)

And don't think there won't be more smut...I can certainly promise you there will be, just ask my lovely beta Panta_rei.....this chapter had the NC-17 rating b/c to do only the smutty ones that way would ruin the surprises ;)

One more time: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you :-)





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