Author: Mecca Sturino
Title: Birthday
Rating: PG to be safe. It's pretty much G
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Buffy. They belong to Joss and Mutant Enemy, right? And UPN? I just borrowed them.
Author's Notes: This is my first Buffy story that wasn't a spoof, and my first B/G story. It isn't beta'd. Needless to say, this does NOT follow season six at all.
It's answer to Belinda's Birthday Challenge.
Challenge requirements:
1. Must be Dawn's birthday.
2. Someone must give her a puppy. A cute, slobbery, tail-waggy puppy.
3. The puppy must have a squeaky chew toy.
4. Although the puppy adores Dawn, he (or she) must also be inordinatley
attached to Giles.
5. Someone must catch Giles playing with the squeaky chew toy, and baby
talking the puppy.
6. There must be a Buffy/Giles pairing (duh, this is me). Any rating,
though in keeping with the kid's birthday theme, you might want to keep it
somewhat clean. Or not. Whatever <eg>.
7. No, and I cannot stress this enough, NO angst may bedarken this fic. I'm
looking for happy fun time, folks. It's my birthday, y'know. No talk of
death, burial, and/or resurrection. Joyce may (and likely should) be
mentioned, but in a nostalgic, at least semi-happy way, not in a way that
makes everyone sad.
8. Finally, it must contain 3 or more of the following:
-Anya getting some tradition right for a change.
-A spell gone wonky in a good way.
-Spike jonesing for a cigarette.
-Rock 'em, Sock 'em Robots, or a reference to them (don't ask).
-That finger puppet Tara gave Giles (Grr, argh!)
-Someone singing show tunes (from musicals, not soundtrack from movies).
-Two or more characters spontaneously quoting a scene from The Princess
Bride.
-One of those guns that, when you pull the trigger, a flag with the word
"bang" pops out (again, don't ask).
Bonus points if all the elements in #8 are used <g>.
Happy Birthday Belinda!!
Buffy blew out a breath, running her hands through her hair. This was it. This was the moment of truth. She had never attempted something so frightening and nerve-wracking before. It would have serious ramifications for the rest of her life and was a pivotal point in Dawn's. This was the moment. Buffy opened the door to a crowd of sixteen year olds.
"Hi!" She said brightly. "Dawn's out back."
The teenagers surged through the door, like hungry beasts on the prowl. They could smell the pizza, chips, chicken, cookies, and pretzels. They were on the hunt. Once they were all through, Buffy breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the wall. The first part was done. She hadn't done anything to embarrass Dawn or ruin this most important of all occasions. Her Sweet Sixteen.
The doorbell rang again, and Buffy ran sweaty palms over her long skirt, demure enough not to embarrass Dawn, but not matronly enough to distress her either. This day had to be perfect. Taking another breath, she pasted on a smile, and opened the door, immediately sighing in relief and pulling the grinning Willow and Tara through the door.
"Thank God you're here. I was getting uh…nervous."
"Scared out of your wits, huh?" Willow teased.
"Score one for the witch." Buffy chalked a point on an imaginary scorecard. "Are Xander and Anya with you?"
"Nope, Xander said something about needing to get something to go with his gift."
"Why does that make me nervous?"
"You know Xander?"
"That's probably it. I think I would be more nervous if it was Anya who said that though."
"What do you think Anya got her?" Tara asked, joining the conversation.
"Oh Goddess." Willow turned wide eyes to her lover.
"Do you think she'll be able to open it in front of her guests?" Buffy said in a small voice.
"Well," Willow, turning a grin to her best friend, " I know she won't be able to open her big gift from Tara and me in front of her guests, but she will able to open the little one. We made her this kind of globe, that lights and plays music according to her mood that floats around her room. But these, however, are able to be opened" She pulled a small package out of her jacket pocket at the same time Tara withdrew a similar one from her shirt pocket. They both handed the presents wrapped in blue stars and moons paper and topped with little finger monsters in the place of bows.
Buffy looked at them in askance. "Tara got one for Giles when he went away." Buffy looked down at her hands, remembering this time, twisting her hands, "And Dawn thought it was really funny. So we got her two, so she could play with them like those 'Rock 'em, Sock 'em' Robots Xander got her for her twelfth birthday."
Buffy grinned. "She'll like that. She was so sad when she broke them. Mom offered to get her new ones, but she said she was 'too old for that kid stuff'. Xander didn't volunteer the information that he still has his."
The three girls chuckled. "Did he ever get Giles to play with them?" Willow laughed remembering a research night in the Library when Xander brought his toys to Giles amusement, though he pretended to be exasperated.
Instead of laughing, Buffy brought her hand up to her mouth. "Oh, I forgot! Poor Giles!" She snickered. "He's in the back keeping an eye on the party."
Willow and Tara grinned imagining the scene in the Summer's backyard, the former librarian surrounded by sixteen year olds. And he thought he'd be safe once Buffy graduated.
"Come on, no one has come in a bit, I want to see how Giles is handling it." Buffy said leading the way.
Instead of the Summer's backyard as they'd expected it, it was instead a wonderland of balloons, fairy lights, laughing teenagers, and a band Willow was sure she'd seen at the Bronze before.
"It's beautiful, Buffy." Tara said, looking around her in wonder.
"Wow, Buffy, it's great. Did you do all this yourself?"
"Giles did a lot of it, actually. He even hired the band." Buffy shook her head in amazement.
Willow and Tara exchanged looks, and a smile. She still didn't know.
Buffy continued. "Mom had started a bank account she named 'Dawn's Sweet Sixteen'. I had a great Sweet Sixteen, and she wanted Dawnie to have a great one, too." She looked wistful. "I just hope Dawn's birthdays continue being good."
Willow hugged her friend. "How can she not? She's got you to plan them." She teased.
Buffy smiled fondly. "And I'll try to make them as good as mom would have."
"Yes, you will. And I'll help." Buffy turned around to face the man with the British accent. "We all will." Giles amended with a smile.
"Yep!" Willow grinned in happiness noticing Dawn talking with a blond boy her age. Dawn nodded and they headed over to in front of the band, onto one of those moveable wooden floors, taking care to walk around the Karoake machine in the corner.
She nodded at the scene to Tara, who smiled. "Dawnie's seems to be having a great time."
Noticing their regard, Dawn waved. They waved back. Buffy hearing a car, returned to the house, calling over her shoulder "Hold down the fort!"
She reached the door just the bell rang. Grinning she opened the door. Standing on the other side were Anya, in a long skirt, holding a small package, and Xander, holding a…
"Oh, Xander, you didn't!"
Readjusting his hold on the squirming puppy, while trying not to drop the chew toy in his other hand, Xander replied. "Isn't he cute?" While giving his own best puppy-dog eyes.
"I told him that although it is said that every child should have a dog, with this birthday Dawn is no longer considered a child, and the gift is inappropriate."
Buffy, however, was not immune to the charms of the puppy, and held out her arms, for the squirming pile of black and white puppy.
"Oh, aren't you just the cutest little thing. Yes, you are. Yes." Buffy looked from the dog now in her arms, to the smug Xander. "Oh, Xander, he's adorable! I wish you'd told me first, but he's great."
"She. And isn't she?" Xander responded, ignoring the rebuke.
"Wait 'til Dawn gets a load of you." She said to the puppy who licked her nose with what she was sure was a grin. She handed the puppy back to Xander, wanting to be sure Dawn knew who was responsible for the gift.
Looking into the living room, Xander craned his neck. "Spike here yet?"
Still looking at the puppy, Buffy replied. "No, he's coming after dark." Taking a glance at her watch, she marked the time, looking out of the window before looking at Xander. "Should be about half an hour."
"So the party is free of the dead for now?"
"Not technically. There is meat products." Anya…joked?
Buffy chuckled. " Be nice. Dawn wanted him here. And he's kept her safe. He has my respect for that."
Xander sighed. "Hell, mine too, but that doesn't mean I can't rag on him."
"Come on, Dawn has to see the puppy and Oh, Xander! You put a bow on her!"
Carrying the dog into the yard there was a squeal with they soon ascertained came from Dawn as she ran across the yard and took the dog from a laughing Xander's arms.
"Oh, he's precious! Is he for me?"
"Yes, she is" Xander shook his head. "Geez, if I'd known you guys liked dogs this much…."
"Does she have a name?" Dawn was still hugging the puppy, heedless of the fur and drool she was getting on her sweater and skirt.
"You'll have to give her one. Hard job." Xander teased.
"What's a good name for a dog, Giles?" She questioned the tall British man, who had walked over to see Xander's present.
With a slight smile on his lips and a faraway look in his eyes. "Well, I never had a dog, so I don't have any first hand experience with a naming dogs, but when I was a little lad, I planned to name a dog, if I ever got one, Pandora. I was quite sure she would open up all the mysteries of the universe to me." Noticing the looks the Scooby-Gang was directing at him, he took off his glasses and began cleaning them with a cloth he pulled the back pocket of his jeans. "I was six." He muttered.
Dawn smiled. "Pandora. That's a nice name. And I can call her Pan, and that was the name of the Greek god of…um...shepherds, right? But he liked music a lot."
Giles raised his eyebrows. "What? I do research too." Dawn replied.
"Quite true." Giles, to the other's astonishment, sat down on the grass and began petting the dog, with Dawn. The dog leapt up and began licking Giles' face, prompting him to take off his glasses to avoid them being totally slobbered on.
"I think he likes you, Giles." Dawn said delightedly, the dog pouncing back to her at the sound of her voice.
Buffy watched her Watcher's face light up, the green eyes glowing at hearing this. She smiled, softly. He was so handsome like this. So gentle and loving with Dawn, and all of them. She didn't brush the thought away. She'd been treasuring those thoughts for over six months now, instead of ignoring them like she had previously. He was handsome, and charming, and good. Despite twinges of guilt she felt over keeping him from going back to England and maybe starting a family, a life, she was overjoyed that he had stayed with her. Her brow scrunched, before she quickly smoothed it out. She knew he loved her. But, she still felt the lingering doubts that Traver's "Like a daughter" pronouncement had left. What if that was what it was?
Before long, however, one of Dawn's friends called over to ask her to dance. The others gradually drifted away, Buffy discussing the band with Willow, leaving Giles alone with Pandora. Deciding that it wasn't a good idea to sit in the middle of the yard, he lifted the dog up, along with the chew toy Xander had dropped and carried the dog into the house. Deciding to risk the safety of the living room carpet as long as he was with the dog, he set the dog down. For a moment, both just sat there, staring at each other. After a moment, though, Giles began to laugh.
"Oh, you're just the cutest thing. Yes, you are. Yes, you are. Oh, you're just the cutest widdle thing. " He squeezed the chew toy, surprised as it squeaked, jerking it away. The puppy chased after it. "Oh, you're a little hunter are you? Just a little baby hound-dog. Do you scare, I wonder? Ogga-booga."
Giles whirled his torso around, still sitting, at the burst of laughter that sounded at his last comment. "Oh, Watcher, I never thought I'd see…" Spike doubled over laughing. "That was very scary. Ogga-booga."
Giles stood, replacing his glasses, as the puppy walked over to Spike, sniffed him, then walked calmly back to Giles, placing her paws on knee and looking up beseechingly at the toy Giles still held in his hand. Chuckling, Giles dropped the toy to the dog.
Spike snickered again. "Ogga-booga. Strikes fear it into my heart, that does."
Giles shrugged off the Vampire's comment, bemused at his own lack of caring at being caught making, quite honestly, a fool of himself.
Still snickering Spike continued. "Just make sure the Slayer never catches you Ogga-boogaing to one of your children. She rightly laugh at the Slayer's kid being scared of that. Ogga-Booga." Spike shook his head.
Giles brow scrunched. "What are you talking about?"
Spike abruptly sobered. "Now, I myself have gotten over it. I still love Buffy." Giles' hand clenched. "But I'm not IN love with her anymore. And it's obvious she's in love with someone else anyway."
"Who?" Giles' hand clenched again. "She's over that Riley fellow."
Spike shook his head. "You stupid git. She's in love with you."
Still shaking his head over Spike's pronouncement, Giles entered the backyard, aglitter in Fairy
lights, with the vampire. Spike took one look at the yard full of teenagers and suddenly paled. "I
need a cigarette."
"I beg your pardon?"
Spike's teeth clenched, turned to the watcher. "I …need…a…cigarette. Too many hormones. I can't bite any of them." Giles' countenance darkened. " I don't want to bite any of them either, but I can smell their blood."
Taking pity on the vampire, Giles said "There's pig blood a cooler in the laundry room. We didn't want any of the kids to stumble onto it. And don't smoke in front of the children!" Spike, nodding his thanks, took off for the house.
"What happened with Spike." Dawn piped up, leaning down to pet the dog that sat at Giles' feet, grinning and slobbering on his shoes.
"He, ah…had a craving."
"Which kind?" Dawn pressed.
"Both."
"He's smoking away from my friends, right." Dawn said, looking momentarily upset.
"Yes, I told him to smoke away from your guests."
"Thanks, Giles. Hey, we're going to have a Karaoke contest. Try please?" Dawn looked up and batted her eyes at him, hoping he wouldn't notice Willow carrying out her portion of Dawn's scheme. Laughing, he slung an arm around her shoulders, before realizing this could go under the category embarrassing Dawn, that Buffy had so impressed upon him not to violate.
He dropped his arm, and pulled off his glasses to clean them again as he walked.
Dawn smiled at him, before pushing him in front of the microphone. He half glared at her before noticing the laughing person beside him. Buffy, pointed in front of them at the words beginning on the Karaoke machine.
"Dawn picked it out." She whispered as he sang his first lines.
"Somehow, I guessed that you didn't pick out 'Summer Loving'." He whispered as she sang her first lines.
They finished the song looking into each other's eyes. "Summer love, ripped at the seams, but oh, those summer niiights."
Tommy Rickland leaned over to Dawn. "Your sister and her boyfriend really love each other don't they. Even though he is a lot older."
"Yeah. They do." Dawn said simply.
Xander, as Buffy had feared he might, had found the toys that Buffy left out for the teenagers. Funny noses, toy guns, sheriff badges, toy swords, and batons, they were practically a treasure throve to Xander. What she hadn't counted on was Spike.
Walking up behind, the mortal Spike grabbed a noise makers, and blew it next to Xander's head, causing him to whirl around and point the sword he'd been playing with at the vampire.
"My name is Indigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
"You must be that Spanish brat I taught a lesson to all those years ago." Spike grabbed up one of the guns, and turned it one Xander, expecting caps. Instead out blew a sign that said 'Bang'. Spike stared at it in open mouth astonishment before grabbing one of the other swords and challenging Xander with it. Before long, they were enacting the entire ending battle between Indigo and the six-fingered man, with Xander as Indigo and Spike as Count Rugan.
Some of the boys present began cheering for one or the other, Xander getting the most cheers as Indigo. As soon as Spike had died, Buffy who'd watch the proceeding with amusement, clapped her hands, and called everyone over to the table where Dawn's present were stacked.
Anya hurried over to the table, grabbing the small box she had brought and thrusting in into Dawn's hands. "Open mine first. I wish to see your expression of joy quickly."
Smiling faintly, well used to this, Dawn opened the box, and gasped. Inside was a jewelry box from an expensive local store containing cross made out of crystal, enclosed around a small golden angel in the middle of the cross.
"Oh, Anya, it's beautiful." Dawn whispered, fingering the cross.
"It is appropriate, correct? I read that it is traditional that one one's sixteenth birthday one is no longer a child, but an adult, and should have something beautiful to symbolize that." Anya had barely gotten the last word out, before Dawn flew into her arms.
"Anya, it's perfect, the best gift. Thank you so much."
Confused, Anya hugged the younger girl back, as Buffy tried to unobtrusively wipe her eyes. Giles handed her a handkerchief he pulled from his jeans' pocket to wipe her eyes, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"She's going to be a grown-up soon, Giles."
"She's going to be a wonderful grown-up, Buffy."
Dawn opened the rest of her presents, giggling at Willow and Tara's presents of the little finger monsters, and the earrings with tiny stars and the matching necklace. She squealed at the promise of a skiing trip from Giles, and the clothes from Buffy. She chuckled at the underwear one boy gave her, though Buffy and Giles glared at the boy for a long time. She smiled at the CDs and posters. Laughed at the framed pictures from her friends, and smiled sadly at the one of her, Buffy, and Joyce, taken two months before Joyce had died, and enlarged. It was given with another enlarged photo of her and the entire Scooby-Gang, including Spike. She smiled, and promised to hand both above her bed. They together were her family, past and present. The people she knew loved her most in the world.
After cake the guests drifted back to dancing, Spike dancing a couple dances with Dawn and a few others with friends of hers. The band changed from a fast paced song, to a slower one. The boy Dawn had been dancing with earlier didn't miss a beat, just took her hand, and …escorted, was the only word, her to the middle of dance floor. Anya dragged Xander onto the dance floor. Willow raised an eyebrow, and held her hand out to Tara who accepted it and, giggling, the two witches skipped over to the dance area. Buffy watched wistfully. Giles, noticing, held out his hand, and with a self-mocking half bow, held out his hand to Buffy. "May, I have this dance, fair Lady."
Grinning, Buffy replied, taking his hand. "Of course, kind sir."
They entered the dance floor, and Giles took her into his arms. They spun slowly around and around, not noticing Willow and Tara chanting something. Suddenly the lights filled up with bright fireworks, filling the sky. Buffy looked up in wonder, her lips parted in a little O. Without thinking, Giles leaned down and pressed a small kiss to her lips. Her eyes widened for a moment, then closed as she deepened the kiss. The fireworks brightened lighting up the whole yard, including where Spike stood against a tree. " 'Bout time, Watcher."
Dawn, glided over to Willow and Tara, leaving her partner as the music had stopped as everyone watched the fireworks. Her eyes, were on her sister though. "What kind of spell was that?" She softly asked the witches.
It was Tara who answered. "It's senses the love of the people it's cast around. We set it around Buffy and Giles."
Dawn smiled. "So they are in love."
Willow spoke. "I'll say. Usually it only glows like a sparkler."