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“What do you think?” Eros asked him.

“Can’t you just be straight with me? Just tell me Uncle, please.”

“Well, you’ve figured out so much so far, I’m sure you can figure out the rest.”

Buffy rolled her eyes, “Honestly, what is it with you Gods? You never just give answers do you? You give ‘signs’ that are not always clear. You’re kind of sneaky you know that? It’s annoying. You can never just be straight with us; you’ve got us mortals rushing around like chickens with our heads cut off, running into that thing or the other. Why can’t you ever just tell us what we need to know?”

Eros smiled warmly at her. “How will you ever learn anything if we give you the answers all the time?”

Buffy crossed her arms across her chest. “Yeah, that’s always the reasoning behind making us miserable isn’t it? To learn something.”

Eros smiled at Spike, “I really like her.”

Spike eyed him warily, “I do too. You’re not going to tell me are you?”

“What do you think?”

Spike threw up his hands. “Stop saying that!”

“You know, I remember the myths—“ Buffy started and Eros shot her a look of disapproval. “Sorry,” she quickly covered, “But I know the story of you and your wife. How much did you like Mommy Dearest playing you? Not much, right? So how do you think we feel?”

Eros shrugged, “Ah, well, I don’t think you need an answer from me. I think you know the answer.” He looked at Spike, “Don’t you Spike? Don’t you feel it?”

Spike stared at his uncle and then looked to Buffy, “Yeah, I do feel it.”

“Oh for the love of Olympus,” Spike’s mother muttered, “You are telling me that you set my boy up with her?”

“Addie,” Eros started sternly.

“Mother,” Spike jumped in just as stern. “Don’t start. You’re not even supposed to be here!”

“Honestly, Eros, if you’re going to set my boy up you could let a mother know,” Addie said to Eros, hands on her hips. “But no, instead you snatch him away from me—“

“I wasn’t snatched mother. He gave me the option to go and I took it.”

“Of course you took it. You do everything your uncle tells you! You never listen to me, your mother, the one who gave birth to you!”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Mom, go home.”

“Yes, please, do come home,” a deep, British voice – that did not belong to anyone in the room said.

Buffy looked over to see a tall, ruggedly handsome man with brown hair and scattered gray with warm brown eyes frowning at Spike’s mother, Addie. He was dressed like a typical ‘mortal’, complete with blue jeans, a t shirt and sandals. Buffy let out a sigh and sat down on the couch. She looked up at Spike. “Let me guess. Your Dad.”

Spike nodded, looking at her apologetically. “Sorry.”

“Oh don’t apologize. I figure it’s par for the course don’t you? Your Dad was the only one missing.”

Spike’s eyes widened. “Oh don’t say that. There’s my aunt and Aphrodite—“

Buffy held up her hand, “Say no more.”

“You’re taking this well now,” Spike said brightly, hopefully.

“What choice do I have? If there’s a chance I might really be going round the bend, I might as well just accept my fate.”

Spike smiled, “You’re not going round the bend, Buffy.”

“This,” Addie gestured to Buffy in disgust, looking at her husband, “Is who your son has chosen.”

“Well, Uncle Eros kind of set us up, mum,” Spike told her.

Addie ignored him and kept her focus on her husband, “Can you believe it?”

“You told me you were going out with Artemis,” Spike’s father said to her.

“I lied,” Addie said with a shrug.

“No kidding.”

“Dad, this is Buffy Summers,” Spike cut in politely.

The man came over and extended a hand to Buffy to shake. Buffy stood and took her hand, “Nice to meet you Miss Summers,” he said graciously, “You can call me Giles.”
Buffy smiled, liking Spike’s father instantly. There was something genuine and warm about him. And real. Down – to –Earth, which was funny considering.

“Nice to meet you Giles. I’m Buffy, the mortal.”

“Oh fine, take his side over mine,” Addie grumbled when Giles chuckled at Buffy’s introduction of herself.

Giles looked warily at his wife, “I’m not ‘taking’ a side, dear. I’m being a gentleman.”

“And the next thing you’re going to tell me is that I should be a gentleman too, right?” Addie exclaimed crossly.

Giles blinked behind his wire rim glasses, “Well no dear, I won’t tell you to be a gentleman.”

Buffy giggled, muffling the sound behind her hand, looking away when Addie shot her a glare. Eros, she heard, was chuckling. Though he made no qualms about it.

Spike just looked at his father helplessly, “Can you just please take her out of here Dad?”

Giles patted his son on the back, “Happy to, son. Though I do wish to hear more about what is happening. Think I might come back later and we can have a chat?”

Spike nodded gratefully.

Giles smiled at him and then turned to his wife, his expression no nonsense. “I think it’s time we left. It appears Eros, our son, and Buffy have some talking to do. I really doubt you’re helping matters.”

“Rupert--!” Addie exclaimed.

“And I highly doubt Artemis would be pleased to hear you used her to come down to Earth,” Giles told her, peering at her over his glasses.

Addie pouted, “Fine. I’m coming. But I will be back,” she said by way of warning.

“We know, dear,” Giles told her calmly and took her hand.

Buffy was amazed at the exchange between the two. They seemed polar opposites of each other. It was on the tip of her tongue to say ‘And your father chose to be immortal to be with her forever?’ She knew however that would get her in a whole heap of trouble with Spike’s mother and she was already in a whole heap of trouble with the woman already. Not that she should care. Not at all. But she did, and that was disturbing her.

This was crazy!

Addie studied her son with narrowed eyes, “I’ll be back,” she said, apparently feeling the need to warn him.

“But not without Dad next time,” Spike told her.

Addie huffed at him and in a blink, they were gone.

“She’s um, she’s a . . . “ Buffy trailed off. “A firecracker.”

Spike laughed, “That’s a nice way of putting it. She can be a right bitch.”

“Spike!” Eros scolded him, but there was laughter in his eyes, and he was smiling.

Spike shrugged and reached for Buffy, taking her hand and pulling her to him. “So, uncle, you want to explain yourself now?”

“Not really,” Eros said smoothly. “You’ve figured it all out haven’t you?”

“How did you know?” Spike asked him softly. “How did you know Buffy, a mortal, would be the one?”

Eros grinned, “I am the God of Love, my boy. It’s my job to make matches and to see what others can’t.”

“But—“

“The logistics aren’t important. Never are really when it comes to love. Isn’t that right, Buffy?” Eros said, looking at Buffy and smiling. And she noted when he smiled, he positively shone.
Buffy nodded slowly, “Something like that.”

“I believe the two of you must have some talking to do. I will be back later. With your father and without your mother.”

“Yeah, right. Good luck with that,” Spike muttered.

Eros grinned, “Have some faith, my boy. I have ways of making your mother obey.”

“Tying her to a rock with Prometheus? She’s awfully fond of threatening me with that.”

Eros let out a loud belly laugh and it seemed the room shook, Buffy noted with amazement. “I didn’t think of that, but I will now,” and in an instant he was gone.

Spike looked down at Buffy. “So . . .”

Buffy nodded, “Indeed.”

“You have my father’s approval,” Spike said lightly.

“Seems there’s more to think about than whether or not the family accepts me, don’t you think?”

Spike nodded solemnly, “I know.”

Buffy sighed and freed herself from his grasp. Settling back onto the couch, she patted the seat next to her. “So, why don’t we start talking about those options we need to talk about?”





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