FIC: Family (FR13, Giles)

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

Title: Family
Author: aaronlisa
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pairing/Characters: Rupert Giles
Rating: FR13
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and company.
Notes: Written for the 2010 Summer of Giles. Set post-Season Seven, but not S8-compliant.
Word Count: 337



He never once regrets the decisions that had brought to him where he is. It doesn’t matter to him that he’s the last in his line and unless destiny has other plans for him, he’ll remain that way.

Despite the lack of regrets, it doesn’t stop those restless nights where he tosses and turns, unable to find sleep. Sometimes during those nights he finds himself overwhelmed with the what ifs, might have beens and possibilities that became closed to him once he became an active Watcher.

Giles thinks that if he and Jenny had had a few more years together in their courtship that they might have ended up married with a child or two. There are times when it’s late at night and he’s sought comfort in a bottle of aged whiskey that he can just imagine a dark-haired girl with Jenny’s carefree smile.

And then there’s Olivia. If only he could have let go of his honour and become the man she had desired him to be. There are times when the bottles nearly empty, that maybe, just maybe, he could have let go of his life in Sunnydale, abandoned Buffy, and deceived himself long enough until even he believed that Olivia was all that he wanted and needed in life. Deep down, Giles knows that if he had done that Olivia still wouldn’t have been happy. After all, the man she had fallen in love with and bade a teary-eye goodbye to had been a man of honour.

As he watches, Buffy, Xander and Willow as they share a private moment with each other before they all climb back aboard the bus, Giles realizes that he doesn’t regret the life he’s chosen. The late-night fantasies are simply that. They’re not regrets. It doesn’t matter that it’s highly unlikely that another Giles will follow in his footsteps because when he looks at Buffy with her bright smile, laughing at something that Xander said while Willow wraps her arms around his waist, he sees his family.

((END))

Comments

[buffyangellvr23.livejournal.com]

NIce work :)

I'm trying to get ideas compiled for a fic where Olivia was pregnant when she left Sunnydale in s4, and then never told Giles because she was scared with what was in his life...and anyway, he ends up with a son when the boy is six and Olivia gets killed.

However, I also adore the idea of the Scoobies being his family too. I'm trying to incorporate that as well.

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

Thank you.


Kind of weird, but I was thinking of doing something similar. But decided to go with the whole Scoobies being his family.

[ladyforash.livejournal.com]

Nice! I think we all, at times, have reflections of 'what if's'. Thanks for helping us feel not alone, and for showing us through Giles what is really important.

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

I think it's a very human thing to spend time thinking about the "what ifs" In our lives.

I am glad that you thought I did a good job at protraying GIles and his possible what ifs.

[urania-calliope.livejournal.com]

This is just wonderful. Very fitting to Giles. :)

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[harmony033.livejournal.com]

Aw, so sweet! At first as I was reading, I foresaw an unhappy conclusion to this ficlet, but you rounded it out quite nicely. Thank you so much for sharing! :D

Re:

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

I really didn't want to go the whole angsty route.


Thanks for reading.

[terendel.livejournal.com]

Definitely bittersweet. It's easy to remember the sacrifices Buffy has mad as a Slayer and easy to forget the sacrifices he made to be her Watcher.

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

It is very easy to do so.

Thanks for reading.

[il_mio_capitano]

I like the positive ending. Giles is strong enough to appreciate the positives in his life and a sense of family is important to him. Cool!

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I wanted to write something that wasn't all about the angst.

[horrorfangirl.livejournal.com]

Very nice. Glad to know that Giles doesn't really have any regrets involving the slayer and the scoobies.

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

I kind of didn't want to do something where it ended with Giles regretting the life he created in Sunnydale.

[antennapedia.livejournal.com]

So much of BtVS is about our chosen families, the ones we build for ourselves. This goes right there and shows us Giles being happy with that. I feel sniffly & happy about that.

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[polly1esther.livejournal.com]

Choices, that's what it's all about. Wonderful read, thank you for writing this!

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

Thank you for reading.

[seldomifever.livejournal.com]

This was sweet. Thanks for posting it! :)

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

Thanks!