Title:  Aftermath
Author:  Jadedragon
Rating:  PG
Pairing:  Buffy/Giles
Summary:  My version of Season 6 with Giles added.
Disclaimer:  The characters from BVTS don't belong to me (sigh), they are the property of Joss, the WB and Mutant Enemy. I'm just playing with them for a while.
Spoilers:  Season 6 up to Tabula Rasa, then I start changing things.
Distribution:  If you would like it for your site, e-mail me.
Feedback:  I'd love to know what you think. If you disagree with something I would like to hear it, small flames okay, but bonfires are not appreciated.
Thanks:  I want to thank Akela for betaing my story.

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Aftermath

Buffy slowly woke up and reached over to pull him to her. Last night had been amazing; she could still feel his embrace and his tender lovemaking. When her hand touched the empty pillow she realized that it had been a dream. Giles had left to go back to England, he was not in her bed, and it had only been a dream. As she awoke more fully she thought she caught lingering traces of his scent, the smell of old books and Earl Grey. Tears came to her eyes as she realized that it had all been only a dream, not reality. She then remembered all of the events of the last 24 hours; them losing their memories, Tara leaving Willow, and Giles leaving her. She slowly got dressed and went down to fix some breakfast for herself, Willow and Dawn.

**********

Giles waited to get on his flight early on the morning after the magick fiasco Willow had caused. He had somehow missed his flight the night before and had found himself in the Holiday Inn near the Sunnydale Airport. The only thing he remembered was a dream of Buffy and making love to her. He hated to leave her, especially now, but she had come to depend on him to make all of her decisions. She would never grow if he stayed and continued to make all the decisions for her.

Giles was a little apprehensive about leaving Anya in charge of the store, but knew that the rest of the Scoobies would help her in any way they could. He also was worried about Willow and her involvement in the darker magicks. He would have been glad to offer his help, but she was still angry with him for confronting her. Giles planned to call her in a couple of weeks to see if he could help her in trying to abstain from using magick. He remembered how hard it had been for him after Eyghon, when he had gone 'cold turkey'. Giles knew just what pain Willow would be going through and hoped that Buffy, Xander, Anya, Dawn and Tara would be able to help her through it.

As the plane was taxiing down the runway he thought again of the dream. It had felt so real. His arms ached to hold Buffy, to let her know of his love. She had not understood his reasons for leaving and had been mad at him when he had left the shop after they had recovered their memories. As he had left, he felt a lingering of the magicks that Anya had called, but knew that they would soon dissipate and thought nothing more about them.

**********

Two weeks later, Willow sat on her bed, waiting for Buffy to return from the Emergency Room with Dawn. She had taken a hard truthful look at herself and how easy it had been to fool herself into not paying attention to what she had been doing over the last several months. She had driven Tara away by not being honest about how the magick was taking control of her life. Willow realized that she was an addict, addicted to magick.

What had happened tonight with Dawn had brought reality crashing down on her. If anything had happened to Dawn, Willow would never have forgiven herself. Facing Buffy and Dawn was going to be one of the hardest things she had ever done, but she needed help and she had to admit just exactly what was happening to her. When Giles had called earlier in the day to offer his help, she had blown him off. She realized now, that she had to call him and apologize. If anyone could understand the lure of the darker magicks, Giles could, perhaps he would have some suggestions for her. Before she could think any more about Giles, Buffy entered her room.

Buffy told her that Dawn had a broken arm and would be all right in time. In tears, Willow told Buffy that she would not be doing magick anymore and she needed her help.

"Buffy, if anything had happened to Dawn I could never have forgiven myself. I'm addicted to magick and I have to stop but I need help. The lure to use it is so strong. I know that it's wrong, but I can't help wanting to use it," Willow admitted to her friend, tears streaming down her face.

Buffy looked at Willow and realized that the attraction she was feeling for Spike was similar. She didn't love him and never would. In that moment she understood what Willow was going through and realized that she also needed help.

"Willow, I have a confession of my own. When I got back, I felt that I couldn't talk to you or any of the others about where I really had been. Spike was the only one I could talk to. I kept being drawn to him. The morning that you and Amy came in late and found Tara here with Dawn, I had spent the night with Spike."

"Slaying, right?" Willow asked fearful of what Buffy was really telling her.

"No, Willow. I slept with him. We started fighting in this house and it started falling down around us. We had sex in the basement where we had fallen through the floor."

"Buffy, do you love him?" she asked with look of fearful concern on her face.

"No! Willow, this is Spike we're talking about. I can't stand him, but I'm drawn to him. Willow, he's bad news, I know that. I can never love him, but I can't stay away from him." Buffy told her friend as the tears fell from her eyes.

"Buffy, we'll help each other through this," Willow told her as she took her friend into her arms.

The two cried together, each realizing just how hard it was going to be for them. Each knowing that they could depend on the other for help, as they always had.

**********

Over the next several days, Buffy and Dawn cleared the house of any and all magickal items and supplies, taking them to the Magic Shop. Willow was having a rough time, especially when Amy gave her a 'birthday present', but she had gotten through it.

Willow had now gone 51 days without doing any magic.

Giles talked to Willow every couple of days, counseling her and offering suggestions. When she had called him to apologize and tell him just what had happened he had been understanding, even though he had been furious at what had happened to Dawn. With the Scooby Gang now adults, Dawn was the daughter Giles knew he would never have, and he was very protective of her. When he asked about Buffy, Willow told him she was going through a rough time, but was doing okay. She didn't tell him what had happened with Spike, feeling that Buffy should tell him that. Willow told him about Buffy's job, and how she had saved her without magick, and how she had tracked down Jonathan, Warren and Andrew, without the aid of magick. Giles had been extremely proud of her.

Whenever Buffy was tempted to go to Spike, she remembered the dream she had of Giles making love to her and drew strength from that memory. As the weeks passed that dream came to mean more and more to her. Buffy finally realized why the dream meant so much to her, she loved Giles and had for a long time, never admitting it to herself, much less to Giles.

The morning of her 21st birthday started as the last week and a half had, with her throwing up in the bathroom, but this time Willow found her.

"Buffy, what's wrong?" Willow asked her, seeing the look of horror on her face.

"Will, I think I'm pregnant," Buffy told her in a scared voice. "I haven't been with anyone but Spike."

"Vampires can't have children."

"What about Conner?" she asked, the tears in her eyes starting to fall.

"Buffy, that was different..."

"Why? Because it was written down in some old scroll?"

"Buffy, get a hold of yourself. Have you been to a doctor yet?"

"No," she told her friend in a small scared voice.

"Get dressed. I'm taking you to the doctor and we will find out what is wrong. If you are pregnant, we'll find out what happened. We'll drop Dawn off at the Magic Box. Anya will be glad to have her start working off some the money she owes her."

As she got dressed, Buffy thought about the party they had held last week to celebrate Willow going without magic for 45 days. Dawn's problems with theft had become evident when they had been trying to discover why they couldn't leave the house. They had found jewelry, makeup, clothes and a leather jacket Dawn had planned to give to Buffy for her birthday. The next morning, Buffy had taken Dawn back to each store and made her return everything. They had been lucky that Dawn only had to make restitution and do some community service. Dawn's social worker had been very impressed by the way Buffy had handled the situation and had helped her to arrange a schedule for Dawn's community service that would give her plenty of time to do her schoolwork and still work at the Magic Box. One night each week, Buffy was planning on spending with Dawn, either going to a movie, out to eat or just hanging out together. Buffy felt bad that she had been neglecting Dawn.

Several hours later they had the results of the tests the doctor had performed. Buffy was 9 to 10 weeks pregnant. The doctor prescribed vitamins and scheduled her for another appointment in a month's time. Buffy hardly said a word during the entire examination, Willow answered most of the Doctor's questions. Dr. Ross was concerned about Buffy's state of mind and asked to speak with Willow privately.

"Ms. Rosenburg, I'm concerned about Ms. Summers. Does she live alone?" Dr. Ross asked her.

"No, her sister and I share the house with her. Their mother died last year and I moved in with them," she told the doctor.

"Keep a close eye on her. She doesn't seem too happy about this pregnancy. Do you think she'll want an abortion?"

"I don't know. Buffy's in shock. The only man she has been with is sterile. She never thought she would get pregnant," Willow told the doctor, not going into any further detail.

"Well she needs to make a decision within a couple of weeks as to whether or not she wants an abortion. I can give you the name of several counselors if she wants to discuss this with a professional."

"Thank you, Dr. Ross. Right now, I just want to get her home, to her friends. She needs us now."

"I think she is very lucky to have such a good friend. Here is my number if you or she have any questions."

As Willow drove them to the Magic Box she started thinking. Buffy had been with Spike about 7 weeks ago, but Buffy was 9 to 10 weeks pregnant. She knew that the child wasn't Spike's, but whose was it? She then realized that it had been 9 weeks since Giles had left; she also remembered the circumstances of the day he had left. Magick! Giles had told them about Anya casting spells indiscriminately to try and get their memories to return. Could she have cast some sort of spell on Buffy without realizing it? She needed to get with Anya and Tara to go through the books that Anya had used that night and see what sort of spells were contained in those volumes.

Willow thought to herself, if a spell Anya performed that night caused Buffy's pregnancy, it was her fault. If she had never done that spell to cause them to lose their memories, this would never have happened. Willow looked over at Buffy, sitting so still and quiet. It was like Buffy had given up.

As soon as they got to the Magic Box, Willow had Anya call Tara and gather all the books she remembered using the night of Giles' departure. While they waited for Tara to arrive, Willow took Buffy to the Training Room and made her comfortable on the couch. Buffy had not said anything since Dr. Ross had confirmed her pregnancy.

"Willow, what's wrong with Buffy?" Dawn asked, fear in her eyes.

"Dawn, she's had a shock and we need to watch her very closely for the next few days."

"What did the doctor say? What's wrong? Is she going to die?" Dawn asked, tears streaming down her face.

"Dawnie, she is not going to die. I'll tell you what's happened when Tara gets here. We have to do some research."

"What about her birthday party?"

"That's not until tonight, after Xander picks up Giles at the airport. I'm so glad he'll be here. He can help us research and find out how this happened."

"How what happened?" Tara asked as she entered the store seeing Willow trying to comfort a crying Dawn. Tara walked to the tarot table where Dawn and Willow were sitting and seated herself. Anya joined them a moment later, her arms loaded with books.

"I just came from taking Buffy to see Dr. Ross. Buffy is 9 to 10 weeks pregnant and the only man she remembers being with, since she returned, was 7 weeks ago," Willow told the surprised group.

"I'm going to be an aunt?" Dawn asked.

"Nine weeks ago, Giles left," Anya said.

"Yes I know. Anya do you remember which spells you cast that night when you and Giles were alone here in the store?"

"Willow, I remember some of them, but I was in a panic with all the bunnies popping up everywhere," the former demon admitted.

"I know, that's why I had you pull the books that you remember using. I want you and Tara to go through them to see if you can find a spell that could have caused Buffy's pregnancy."

"Willow, a spell can't cause pregnancy; some can cause two people to be drawn together, and I guess pregnancy could be the result," Tara told her former lover.

"I know, that's why I need you to look and see what you can find. Buffy's taking this very hard. She thinks Spike is the father."

"Spike, but that would mean..." Dawn started.

"Yes, Dawn. I know. She was with him only once, seven weeks ago. But she is terrified that the child is his."

While Tara and Anya researched, Willow and Dawn restocked and waited on the few customers that came into the store. The research had been going on for about 3 hours when Tara found it, a spell that drew soul mates together physically, but both remembering only a dream until they were together again. At the end of the spell was a footnote mentioning that in most cases the spell resulted in the woman conceiving.

After discussing the spell with Tara and Anya, Willow went to talk with Buffy to see if she remembered a dream from that night. As she entered the Training Room she saw Buffy sitting up.

"Willow, how did I get here?"

"I brought you here after the doctor's appointment Tara and Anya have been researching."

"Researching?" Buffy asked.

"Yes. Buffy I realized on the way over here that it had been 7 weeks since you were with Spike and 9 weeks since Giles left after I cast the spell that took all of your memories."

"What does that have to do with my being pregnant?"

"Just listen to me. That night, Anya cast a multitude of spells trying to get our memories back. She was in a panic because she kept making more and more bunnies. She was petrified. Giles told me about how he tried to nullify all the spells, but there was one that he couldn't nullify."

"What spell was that?" Buffy asked, fear and hope in her face.

"Tara found it. It's a spell that draws soul mates to each other, but they only remember a dream, until they are physically together again."

"Soul mates?"

"Yes. Buffy do you remember a dream from that night?"

"Yes," she said in a quiet small voice, filled with hope. Was it possible that Giles was the father of her child?

"Who was in the dream?" Willow asked her friend.

"Is he the father of my child?"

"Yes." Willow assured her, hoping that it hadn't been Spike in the dream.

"It was Giles, I dreamed of Giles making love to me," she told her friend in a soft, surprised voice. "I'm carrying Giles' baby?"

"So it would seem," Willow told her, surprise and joy on her face. She had seen how Buffy and Giles looked at one another. She had wondered if either of them would ever tell the other how they felt.

"But what will he say? He sees me only as his Slayer..." Buffy started, but Willow put up her hand to stop her.

"Buffy, didn't you hear what I said? This spell brings together soul mates, people who belong together. I can't think of two people more suited to each other than you and Giles. How do you feel knowing that the baby is his and not Spike's?"

"Will, I don't know quite what to say. I've dreamed of being with Giles for a long time, but never thought it would ever happen. To realize that it is his child that I'm carrying, I'm in shock all over again. What time is it?"

"It's about 4:30. Why?"

"His plane gets in at 5:30, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Willow confirmed.

"Will, I need to get home and get cleaned up. I'm so nervous. Will he know that I'm pregnant?"

"Buffy, I don't know. I just know the spell said that when the two of you are physically reunited, you'll remember what happened. From there, its anybody's guess as to what will happen next."

"What will I say to him? How will he react?"

"Slow down! Buffy, just take it one step at a time. First, let's get home and get everything ready for your party. Xander will be picking Giles up and bringing him to your house. If need be, Dawn and I can stay with Xander and Anya so you and Giles can be alone."

Buffy looked at her best friend. She didn't know how she would have made it over the last couple of months without her help. When the two of them had told Tara, Anya, and Dawn who Buffy had dreamed about, they weren't surprised. Each had seen the love between the Slayer and her Watcher. The only one really surprised was Buffy herself.

Buffy and Willow left the shop with Tara and Dawn. Anya would join them after she closed the shop early at 5:00. She was closing a little early for Buffy's party and because Giles was coming home.

**********

Giles looked about the terminal trying to spot Xander. Airport security was such a hassle now; he understood why all too well, it just made traveling abroad that much more tedious. He finally spotted Xander and started walking toward him.

"G-man, it's great to have you back!" Xander told Giles, as he hugged the man who meant so much to him.

"Xander, don't call me that. It's good to see you, too. I hope you haven't been waiting too long. I thought I'd never get through security."

"Well here you are. Is that all the luggage you brought?" Xander asked seeing only a small carry-on.

"No. I have two suitcases I haven't retrieved yet."

"Lets get them and get to Buffy's. She can't wait to see you."

"Nor I her," he told his friend as they got the rest of his luggage and headed to Buffy's.

Twenty-one. His Slayer was twenty-one years old today. It was a miracle. He had never dreamed that she would ever be celebrating her 21st birthday. He had started not to come, but she had been through so much over the last couple of months while he had been back in England. He also knew that he would never forgive himself if he missed this milestone of her life. She meant too much to him. She would never know just how much she meant to him. He was brought out of his musings as he realized that they had just pulled up at her home. Home. He felt that he had come home. When had Sunnydale become home to him? He knew it was when Buffy had come into his life.

Willow, Dawn, Tara and Anya met him at the door with hugs and kisses, all so glad that he was back in Sunnydale. Giles hugged them back and was wondering where Buffy was when he saw her at the top of the stairway.

The instant he saw her, the dream came back to him and he knew that it had indeed happened. It had been no dream. But how? He looked at her, seeing the love in her eyes, for him. Then he knew she was his soul mate. They started toward each other, meeting about the middle of the staircase, where they embraced and their lips met in passionate kiss.

Willow had expected this, and took the overnight bags for herself and Dawn and left with Tara, Anya and a stunned Xander. Once they explained to Xander what was happening he said, "Well, it's about time." They left and went to Xander and Anya's to spend the night, leaving Giles and Buffy alone.

Once the embrace broke, Giles looked at Buffy surprise and love in his eyes. "Buffy, how did this happen? How did that spell get cast?" Giles asked her, recognizing the spell once he had seen her.

"Willow figured it out this morning on the way back from taking me to the doctor," Buffy told him as he led her to the couch to sit beside her.

"D...doctor?" Giles looked concerned, then he remembered the footnote to the spell. "Buffy, are you pregnant?"

"Yes. Dr. Ross said 9 to 10 weeks. So I think that we know the exact day, or night that our child was conceived."

"But how?"

"Do you remember when Anya was casting all those spells to try and get our memories back?"

"Yes."

"Well one of the spells was to draw soul mates together..."

"Yes, I am acquainted with it. But I thought I had nullified all the spells that she had cast," he told her, not believing that she was carrying his child.

"Well, Watcher guy, you didn't nullify all of them and I'm so glad. I love you, but I didn't know that you felt the same," Buffy told him, the love in her eyes unmistakable.

"Buffy, I do love you. It has been..."

Buffy stopped him by putting her hand on his mouth. "We can talk later. Willow and everyone has gone over to Xander and Anya's for the night. I want to take you up stairs and recreate that amazing dream, but this time when I wake up, I want you to be there beside me."

"Luv, I think that I can arrange that," Giles told her as he took her into his arms and carried her upstairs to begin their life together.

The End