Happy Ever After
The taxi pulled to a stop and she felt her stomach drop out. She'd been looking for him for six months. Now that she was finally here, she was nervous.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the taxi and smoothed her electric blue skirt and ivory top. She had chosen the outfit carefully to set off her ebony skin. It had been over a year since she'd seen him and she wanted to look her best.
Taking another deep breath, she extracted eight month old Noah from his car carrier and settled him on her hip. She hadn't told him about the boy and now that she was standing here, she wasn't sure she could go through with it.
Unaware that the driver had gotten out of the cab, she jumped at the sound of his soft voice. “It'll be alright, luv,” he said quietly, “any man'd be proud to have you and that handsome young man in his life. I'll wait here, but I don't think you'll need me. Go on now,” he gently prodded.
She smiled appreciatively at the man and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you,” she said, gathering her courage.
One final deep breath and she approached the massive front door and rang the bell.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Giles watched quietly as the young people laughed and joked while they made dinner that night. Angel was human, Tara and Willow were together, Dawn and Xander were obviously happy in love. He sighed to himself, feeling a little left out. Not that they were excluding him, but he was not young nor part of a couple. Odd man out.
He again thought of Jenny, of Joyce, of Olivia – women he had cared about that had slipped through his fingers because of his work as a Watcher. Jenny, dying at the hands of Angelus. He glanced at Angel and felt no ill will toward the young man. Indeed, he was happy that Angel had achieved shanshu and he and Buffy were free to be together. Joyce, who'd died a natural death – as natural as a brain aneurysm can be – but from whom he'd distanced himself after their ill advised candy induced tryst. She had been, after all, his Slayer's mother. Olivia, sweet Olivia who'd left him after the Gentlemen but who he'd reconnected with after Buffy's death. They'd shared some wonderful times together until he'd been called on to help rescue the world from Willow. Olivia hadn't left, exactly, but they'd lost touch during the months preceding the final battle.
Buffy's voice cut through his reverie as she sidled up to him. “You okay, Giles?” she asked, concern written on her face.
“Hrm? Oh, yes, yes, Buffy, fine,” he said, “just thinking about how fortunate you all are.”
“Hey, you know you're family, right? You're pretty much stuck with us,” she said, smiling softly at him. “You know Giles I don't say it often, or ever, but I do love you, you know,” she kissed his cheek.
“Erm, yes,” he stammered, removing his glasses and polishing the spotless lenses on a handkerchief. “I, well, erm . . .” he continued stammering.
“Relax Giles, I know you love me,” she hugged him briefly then went back to helping the others with the meal preparations.
Giles just shook his head at the bright young woman he had, indeed, come to love. All of them, in fact.
The sound of the doorbell chimed through the house. Giles stood up. “I'll get it,” he said, heading toward the front door.
He swung the door open and stood there, stunned, for a moment. Then he felt a soft smile spread across his face as he looked into the eyes of the woman he'd never quite forgotten. His gaze shifted and he found himself staring at an infant who was staring back at him with the same green eyes he saw in the mirror every day.
“Olivia,” he said gently.
She smiled at him. “Rupert Giles, you are a hard man to find.”