Giles Girls

Author: Nickle

Disclaimer: Me don't own the characters, me only borrow.

Notes: Set in the G/C 'Something More' Universe. Not beta-ed, written

COMPLETELY spur of the moment so cut me some slack if there are a few goofs <g>. I got hit with a bought of sappiness and wanted to do something with Giles and his girls for V-day-Hope ya'll enjoy.

Feedback: Suuuure, why not? ;-)

"You won't tell on me will you Zoe? Normally I wouldn't start you off with this kind, but Halloween is so far away it would be a shame for you to miss out on such a treat as this. Especially when it's Valentine's Day."

Rupert smiled softly as his daughter looked up at him from her propped position on the couch. She softly mumbled happy gibberish in answer, watching first him then the small bag of candy he held up in front of her with intense eyes.

"Our little secret then?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow. Getting a smiling coo in answer he carefully opened the small bag, wincing slightly as the plastic wrapping seemed to crinkle louder than normal in the silent room. Looking over his shoulder at the staircase, he waited a moment, listening for any signs of stirring from upstairs. Satisfied he turned back to look at his Zoey, who was playing accomplice to her rascal father in his little escapade by remaining silent.

"Good girl," he whispered, tapping her lightly on her nose and she snorted in amusement as she made a grab at his hand.

"Too slow my dear," he chuckled as he pulled open the bag and plucked out a piece of the pink, white, and red candy corn. Despite her not having anything to chew on or with herself, Zoey worked her mouth as she watched her father pop the piece of candy into his mouth.

"Not as good as the Halloween candy corn," he said after a moment. "But it is rather tasty."

Zoey leaned towards him, both hands reaching for the bag in his hands. The poor dear unfortunately lost her balance as she reached for the bag and she plopped over on her stomach. Unable to control his amusement, Rupert laughed and aided his shocked precious one back into an upright position.

"A little impatient aren't we?" he gently scolded as he got her settled again. He playfully held the bag in front of her, engaging her in a game of  keep away, the infant alternating between perturbed and happy grunts as she just missed grasping her prize. Finally after repeatedly losing she glared up at her father, lifting her hands and opening her mouth wide in preparation for a tantrum.

"Now, now," he said softly as he quickly took out another piece of candy and held it to her lips. Instantly Zoey's lips closed around the candy for a taste, her body leaning over as the sweet sugar pleased her and she grabbed at his hands to make sure that the candy stayed put.

"If your mother saw us now, I'd most surely be in a world of trouble for being a sugar pusher and violating my diet."

He looked to Zoey for response. She however paid him no mind as her hands remained firmly on his, she intent on continuing her tasting of the candy corn treat. Working her toothless gums around the now sticky piece of candy in his hand, a rather long strand of drool began to dribble from her mouth and he quickly scooped the babe into his lap.

"Dearest we do not want to leave any evidence of our little late night crime," he murmured down to her. Zoey, however, continued to remain fixed on her task at hand, silent as long as the candy corn never left the vicinity of her mouth.

"You seem to have taken to your treat," he said as he sat back on the couch, arranging her so that she was hugged back against him, leaving her room to kick her feet. "It's something your mum likes as well-but she would most definitely frown upon you being exposed so early so mum's the word, okay?"

He pinched his fingers, feeling that the candy was nearly dissolved away and rubbed the remaining paste of sugar on her lips, her sticky fingers also being pressed to her mouth as she continued to enjoy the remains of her treat. He groaned in the knowledge that she was smearing the candy across her face, her goal obviously being to get as much of the candy into her mouth as possible rather than remaining clean.

"You are not making this easy, Precious," he muttered as he sat up and turned her around to face him. He was met with a very happy if not slightly excited look as she smacked her lips and continued to lick her palms. He couldn't help but laugh again at the sight of his daughter, somewhat pleased that his little treat excited her so.

"Glad you enjoyed your Valentine's Day treat," he sighed as he watched her. "But we should probably now focus on getting you cleaned up so *I* won't get in trouble."

Pocketing the candy in his robe, he slowly pushed himself up from the couch, both he and Zoey giving slight grunts in the transition, and made his way to the kitchen. Carefully he plopped the sticky little one on the kitchen counter and turned on the faucet. Upon hearing the running water, Zoey twisted herself for a better view and attempted to reach for her favorite toy, the water sprayer. Quickly Rupert cut her off, distancing her from the hose's reach which earned him a perturbed look complete with an arched eyebrow. Having been subjected to that expression one too many times, he pouted at her in answer, quickly picking up a towel from the counter and running it under the water.

" I know you want to play with your father precious, but it is a trifle late for water fun." He gently wiped her mouth and cheeks, the protruding lip not retracting one inch.

"Still mad at me? Even after the treat?" He sighed as he continued with the cleanup and moved to her hands. He was mindful of Zoey's eyes still on him, her glare melting away to become a tired, stubborn pout. Blinking rapidly now, she began to restlessly kick her legs, eager to be picked up again.

"Okay, Precious, here we go," he whispered as he threw the towel down and lifted her into his arms again. The child immediately rested her head against his chest, her arms holding fast to him in the usual niches. Finding all was forgiven, he cradled his fussy bundle closely and quickly turned off the faucet and pocketed the towel in his bathrobe.

"One more thing you must worry about when attempting to commit the perfect crime," he whispered down to her. "Leave no evidence of cleaning up your evidence." He sensed that his accomplice was no longer into their game and assessed the kitchen quickly before he exited, taking the scenic route back to the family room by passing through the dining room. topping at one of the front windows he peeked out and quickly surveyed the porch and then the street. Seeing and hearing no one in sight, he frowned slightly, but continued on without comment, padding his way from the living room to the foyer. He stopped again to look at the face of the grandfather clock, and his frown returned with a small grunt as he became aware of the time.

Zoey looked up at the sound, she eyeing him with a bit of suspicion and wonder.

"I am not doing what you think I am," he defended as he saw her expression. She blinked at him fuzzily, her brow furrowing thoughtfully and he sighed and moved away from the ticking clock, returning to his original position on the couch in the family room.

"I simply checked the clock. It is late and I was wondering -"

He paused as Zoey continued to look at him with an almost skeptical expression.

It still puzzled him how quickly all his children had him pegged. All three as infants seemed to convey that he couldn't put anything over on them no matter how hard he tried.

Meeting Zoey's gaze, Rupert exhaled. "Alright, I admit it. I was wondering about your sister," he muttered. "Sue me for bloody caring."

Zoey snorted sleepily and let her head fall back to her father's chest, wiggling into her niche again.

"Well, I am enjoying spending my time with you. I'm not using you as an excuse to stay up and wait for Mere. She's a smart girl. She can take care of herself. She-"

Rupert stopped himself and shook his head.

Being the father of a teenaged daughter while battling senility was quite a job. He seemed to muttering to himself more and more and his conversations were becoming quite rambly.

"Lord," he said softly as he sat back again and began patting Zoey's back. She continued to doze in his arms, not quite having succumbed to her dreamland as of yet.

"Your brother and sister and I also did this," Rupert thought aloud. "We used to have our own little special times in the wee hours of the morning...sharing treats and ....having little talks."

He gazed down at the top of Zoey's head, remembering when it had been Jacob's and before him Mere's.

"It's doubtful they even remember," he said into the top of her head.

His eyes went over to look at the clock again, the face reading a close to a half hour past one.

"She's fine. She's at a dance. With her friends. Simple harmless fun," he muttered.

With drooling, armorous boys present.

He closed his eyes as his head rested back on the couch, allowing himself to succumb to his sudden bout of drowsiness...

Then started as the grandfather clock softly sounded its half hour chime. Looking down he saw Zoey lift her head as well, breathing a heavy sigh as she oriented herself.

"Yes, yes, I know. It's best to get you upstairs to bed," Rupert grumbled. He looked to the clock once more and then back to her.

"You do believe your sister is behaving don't you?"

Zoey looked up at his words, giving him what could only be described as a tired incredulous glare that said 'Take me to bed.'

Pressing his lips together, Rupert dug into his robe pocket and pulled out another piece of candy which immediately aroused Zoey again. She reached out a hand again but he pulled it just out of her reach.

"You can have this and a lifetime supply if you promise to remain a chaste, happy spinster for the rest of my life." He held up the candy to her again and she looked at it hesitatingly.

Just his luck. These Chase women would be the ultimate end of him.

"Zoey have mercy on your old, frazzled father and just humor me, will you?"

He watched as Zoey blinked and then dipped her head (either from drowsiness or she actually agreeing to humor him), her chin touching her chest in what could be interpreted as a yes.

"Thanks for that at least, Precious," Giles said as he hugged his daughter gently. "Now let us be off to bed."

He pushed them up from the couch again and surveyed the room, his eyes pausing at the front door briefly before he turned and forced himself to start for the stairs. He stopped when he heard the gate to the backyard open and a moment later clang as it swung shut. He waited a moment, expecting to hear the back door open as well, but frowned as he ealized that she wasn't coming in. Looking down at Zoey who now refused to look up, he moved to the patio window and looked out into the backyard.

It took his old, nearsighted eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, but he quickly could make out his daughter stomping angrily in the grass. Judging by the way she paced back and forth menacingly, it was quite obvious she was perturbed about something. After a moment she ceased her pacing and absently grabbed a croquet mallet from the nearby stand, swinging it to adjust her grip. Seconds later she connected the mallet head with an innocent ball resting on the ground, sending it flying off into the darkness. Not bothering to survey her work she stepped up to the next ball and swung down on it with a resounding crack sending it down into the dirt.

Rupert looked down at Zoey who was wide awake now and looking out the window with great interest.

"Dare we venture outside to ask?"

Both he and Zoey blinked and looked back out the window at the sound of an even louder crack. Mere started and looked over at the dark house sheepishly, her anger giving way to her concern in not disturbing anyone inside the house. Seeing she was in the clear she apparently decided not to press her luck any further, threw down the mallet in the grass, and grumpily made her way over to the swing set where she plopped down into a seat.

"I suppose it's safe now," Rupert said after watching her a moment. "She looks like she needs an ear."

He looked down as Zoey twisted around in his arms to look up at him with what he could swear was a classic 'Look'.

"I'm just going to listen," he defended. "You just go back to sleep." Zoey's head wobbled slightly, and she finally gave up and plopped her head against his chest again as she settled herself for the ride.

Rupert moved away from the window, quietly opened the patio door and stepped out into the unusually mild winter night. Keeping to the stone path he strolled towards where Meredith sat, her face having taken on a slight frown as she thought to herself, twirling her wavy brown hair absently. She didn't look up as he stopped in front of the swing set, but merely shook her head and gave a heavy huff.

"I think you'll be happy to discover that I have decided that attempting to fraternize with boys results in nothing but a headache and a waste of time and from now on if I ever ask to go to another dance or date I give you permission to drag me up to my room and lock the door and throw away the key until I regain my senses."

"May I get that in writing?" Giles asked in all sincerity. Mere gave him a cross look and he fought off the urge to smile. Moving to the empty swing beside his daughter, he settled himself and Zoey as Meredith continued to idly swing, her mind back on a troubling thought. Rupert simply waited her out, not surprised when she suddenly turned to him with a sudden urgency.

"Do I repel men?"

Giles paused before commenting. "Repel?" he asked with a quirked brow.

"Yes.Repel. Not in the "I am an unattractive, dog-faced, no personality, daft idiot" kind of way but more in the "Stay away from me you icky low class bum or I'll rip your sack off' kinda way."

"'Rip your sack off'? " Rupert repeated looking at her in surprise. "Where did you-"

"Father," Meredith warned, looking at him squarely. "No off-topicing. Now-do you think I frighten men?"

Rupert again paused as he studied her, she turning in her seat and waiting for his answer with great interest. Taking a moment to think, he began to realize just what may have put her in such a foul mood, and again fought off the urge to smile.

"I wouldn't say frighten-"

"Then what?" she interrupted excitedly. "Deter? Bully? *How* do I frighten men? How could little me frighten a boy?"

"Perhaps because you're smarter than the lot of them and could decently pummel their sorry a-uh bums-"

"My being smart and physically fit repels boys?"

Rupert pressed his lips together and rocked his head a moment. "Actually, yes. You being a smart, capable, independent young woman could and I'm sure does put off many of the boys at your school."

Meredith looked at him, then away, then back at him and shook her head. "That makes no sense. Why would you want to date a stupid, helpless fluffhead? And why would a smart woman want to date a boy who wants a woman like that?"

'Indeed," Giles agreed with a nod at her. Meredith looked to him, closing her mouth as he mind went to work again.

"I repel men," she muttered with a frustrated scowl.

"What happened at the social?" Rupert asked softly.

"Nothing. That's the problem," Meredith sulked as she sat back in her swing and began to pump her legs to propel her swing.

"My friends and I go to the dance. We hang out at the punch bowl, a few get asked to dance. We move to talk with another group, a few more girls get asked to dance. Pretty soon all my friends are dancing and I'm standing against the wall like a scared little wallflower and you know me -I like to dance. I like to socialize, but not one guy came up to me and asked me for anything other than did I want punch."

"A young man approached you about punch? "Rupert asked.

"Yup. And another one asked me for help with Calculus homework, another came over to ask about when your next book was coming out-I mean I just don't get what is with these guys. They come up to me about these insipid little things-"

Mere stopped talking as she continued to pump in her swing, propelling herself higher and higher.

"And then there are the boys who swagger up to me like they're something just completely *fabulous*-"

"Who you properly and quickly put in their place-"

"Right-"

"Sometimes a bit more brusquely than needed-"

"Some of them deserve a kick in the bum with the lines they come to me with."

Rupert opened his mouth to comment, thought better of it and,then hunched his shoulders finally in agreement.

He noticed Mere slowing in her activity, finally coming to rest and looking over at him.

"So you're saying on one hand my brains and brawn intimidate the weenies and my telling the other losers to 'kiss off' is altogether crippling my social life?"

Rupert sighed and looked down at Zoey who miraculously continued to sleep undisturbed in his arms.

Lord what was he doing? What was he DOING?

He was about to 'aid' the enemy is what he was doing.

And he was doing what good fathers were supposed to do and help their children grow up.

"In a way, yes it is."

He saw surprise flash in Mere's eyes before she crossed her arms in front of herself and silently waited for him to continue.

The only word he could think of describing this situation was 'sucky.'

"Meredith you are a beautiful, smart, independent young woman. That intimidates practically all the male population. Of those intimidated, perhaps a fourth of them will not dare to approach you, the other fourth sniff around you using 'insipid' excuses, another fourth use bravado to approach you only to get rejected, and the final fourth having seen how the others failed lose what little courage they had and scurry off."

"I really repel men?"

"I think you intimidate *boys* to the point that they don't know what to do with themselves and act in ways that you register as ....strange."

"Strange indeed," Meredith mumbled as she began to swing in her seat again and Rupert grimaced at the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Wasn't he violating some kind of oath all fathers of daughters took? An oath that bound them to NOT facilitate their daughters fraternizing with males?

He looked down at Zoey again and sighed.

Awwww bloody Damnit all to hell.

"Meredith," he said as he looked up at her. "There will come a time when the boys won't be so afraid, they won't seem strange, and you won't feel the need to be so on 'guard'. When you're ready to accept their advances, the young men who are circling the waters will know and they will approach and...dating will ensue."

Shaking her head and blowing out a breath, Meredith gently stirred in her seat. "I don't know why you men have to make these things so hard?"

Giles smiled. "Because you women make us make things complicated. Especially women like you and your mother."

"So all that's keeping you from having to oil your gun and order me a chastity belt is my being smart, beautiful, kick ass, and in some cases a real bitca to the undeserving men who dare approach me?"

Rupert laughed and nodded his head as he looked up at her. "I believe you've covered it. Flash them that smile of yours, drop the attitude, and show a little encouragement and there will be a barrage of suitors lined up outside the front door."

Meredith rolled her eyes away from him and sat back in her seat to start swinging again.

"Well I guess that I'm gonna be single a long time. Because I change for no man."

Rupert stared at her as she continued to swing, part of him hoping her words to be true, another part knowing it not to be entirely true given the way life worked.

"You think I'm joking?" Mere asked, throwing him an indignant, challenging look.

"No I don't," Rupert answered as he shifted Zoey up on his shoulder in preparation to rise from his seat. "I know that when the Chase women say something they mean it."

"Darn skippy," Mere affirmed as she stopped kicking her legs and allowed herself to slowly swing closer and closer to the ground.

Smiling again at her, Giles swallowed down the painful but proud ache that swelled in his chest and stood from the swing, careful not to jostle the sleeping child in his arms.

One daughter so old and still so young, another so new and yet growing old too quickly.

His daughters. His girls.

"Hey I'm coming too," Meredith said as she hopped off the seat. She adjusted her skirt and picked up her discarded purse from the ground before trotting up next to him. They walked back down the path towards the house, Mere suddenly speaking again after a moment.

"It's nice doing this again."

"Doing what?" Giles asked.

"This. Us being Night Owls and having these little talks."

"It has been a while," Giles said after a moment. "I doubt that you remember us doing this when you were this young," he said with a nod down at Zoey.

"Sure, I do," Mere insisted. "You used to stay up with me and sing to me and talk to me and give me treats."

Rupert looked at her with a dubious, but amused expression. "Treats?" he repeated innocently

'"Yes *treats*-and I won't squeal to mum about what you and Zoey chomped on tonight- That is if you promise to work off your treat with an extra mile with me tomorrow morning."

"Half mile," Giles quickly offered and Meredith narrowed her eyes at him before giving an accepting nod.

Reaching the patio door, Meredith opened it for her father and sister and followed them inside. Locking the door and setting the alarm, she turned around, and looked down at her formal purple dress and shoes and gave a disgusted sigh.

"You know one bad thing about being an ice princess bitca with scared weenie suitors is that despite having men like you, they're too scared to give you gifts. I didn't even get one Valentine's day present."

Without missing a beat, Giles slipped a hand into his robe pocket and pulled out the opened package of candy corn.

"Will this count for anything?"

Meredith looked from the candy to his face and gave him her most heartfelt smile before taking a piece of the offered gift and walking into his opened arm for a hug.

"Coming from you, anything counts as everything," Mere said as she popped the piece of candy into her mouth and hugged. As she released him, he saw her nose wrinkle her nose slightly as she chewed her candy.

"Not as good as the Halloween ones," she mumbled.

"Of course not," Rupert smiled as he handed Zoey off to her, the older girl rotating her sister to her shoulder.

"You both go to bed," Giles said softly. " I'll close up down here." He leaned over to kiss the top of Zoey's head before waving them on.

"Okay," Mere said as she adjusted her hold on her sister. " Good Night-and thanks for my treat. And the talk. Even though I know it was hard for you."

He smiled and nodded, silent a moment before answering. "Your welcome. Now bed."

"Okay," Mere said in mock exasperation, making a face at him before quickly going up the stairs and leaving her father staring after her and Zoey with a mixture of emotions.

"Lord help me," was all he could say with a shake of his head before he quickly looked around the room once more, and finding it all sound, ascended the stairs himself to finally retire to bed.

END

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