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Banner created by KateKat. Introducing "Stop fretting, love," Giles said, looking away from the road for a moment and reaching for Xander's hand. "Fred and Charles are great people, and they will love you. I'm sure they already do, if only because Wesley loves you." Xander squeezed Giles' hand back. "How was it? When you first met them?" Giles laughed. "I was nervous as well, I must admit. Wesley is very close to them, and it can be quite nerve wracking. But it all went well." "What were you nervous about?" "Well, I am older than Wesley and figured they might have a problem with that fact, but except for a few amusing comments, they made no notice of it." "Why did-I mean, if Wesley is really that close to them, then why is he so scared that this might bother them?" Giles took a moment to think, and it was obvious to Xander from the way Giles was scrunching up his nose that he didn't know exactly what the answer was. "I'm not sure, truly. I've never had any doubt that they wouldn't make a fuss, but Wesley always has been quite-fearful of others' opinions. You know his parents didn't take too well to his homosexuality, yes?" Xander nodded. That was one of the things he and Wesley had bonded over in the first days of their friendship. His own parents hadn't been thrilled either. "You think that's why? He's afraid Fred and Charles will react to-me, well, us being together, the same way his parents did to him being gay?" It did make some kind of weird sense. "As I said, I'm not sure, but it could possibly be a reason. And since Charles and Fred mean so very much to him, he didn't want to drive them away before he was completely sure they would accept this new development in his life." Xander nodded. "Makes sense." But it didn't change the fact that he was nervous. Wesley had gone ahead of them, leaving almost as soon as he'd been awake, while Giles and Xander had lazed about in bed. But he'd called just an hour after he'd left, and told them that everyone was up and waiting for them. Xander could see the hospital now, just five more minutes and they'd be parked and- "I need my hand, love," Giles said softly, pulling on his hand, which Xander hadn't realized he'd still been holding. "Sorry," he replied, twisting his hands on his lap. Giles smiled encouragingly at him, and Xander couldn't help but smile back. "It'll be fine, right?" "I've no doubt of it." He pulled the car into the parking lot and cut off the engines. "Okay." Xander took a deep breath and got out of the car, shutting the door behind him and waiting for Giles to join him. Giles cupped his jaw and lifted it until their eyes were locked. "I love you. I know for sure that Wesley does as well. And his friends will too. If only because I know they love Wesley and want only the best for him. You make him happy, as do I." Xander smiled, blushing slightly. He wasn't used to Giles' displays of affection. It happened, often even, but Xander firmly believed he would never get used to it, because every time Giles told him something like this his heart fluttered in his chest and his ears buzzed, and he didn't know what to say. Giles dipped his head slightly, brushing his lips against Xander's. "Let's go inside, Wesley is waiting for us." With a nod, Xander followed Giles inside, his thoughts quiet until they reached the maternity ward. His steps faltered as they came close to the room Wesley had indicated, and he stopped, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his hands at his side, before looking up at Giles, who was patiently waiting for him. "Insane, I tell you, it's all completely insane." Giles laughed. "Of course, love, isn't it always? You ready?" Xander nodded and watched as Giles knocked and entered the room. Oh God, he couldn't do this. It was too much, and he felt like he should be running away, but Wesley, and now Giles, were inside the room and waiting for him, and he couldn't let them down. He had to do this. He'd been waiting to meet Wesley's friends for too long to bolt just a minute before it actually happened. He followed Giles in. A man Xander recognized as Charles was engulfing Giles in a bear hug and laughing. "I believe congratulations are in order," Giles said, tapping the man on the back. "Thanks man, you have to see her," he gestured Giles farther into the room towards a bed where a young woman was holding a sleeping baby. "It's a miracle Fred's got Emily now. Your man keeps stealing her." He turned back to the door, noticing Xander for the first time. His smile faltered for a moment, but then a flicker of recognition passed into his eyes and his smile brightened. "Hey! We met before, right? I know your face from somewhere." Xander nodded. "Yeah, two years ago, I got the contract for Wesley's bookshop. You-" "I brought you some wood you needed, yeah, I remember now." He walked to Xander, extending his hand. "Charles Gunn." Xander took the offered hand and shook it firmly. "Xander Harris." "Rupert, man," Charles said, pushing Xander into the room and closer to the bed, where Wesley was standing. "You need to tell English here not to keep secrets like this one from us again." Wesley blushed furiously and looked at Xander through half-lidded eyes. "They've been berating me all morning." Giles laughed from where he was, standing besides the proud new mom and cooing at the baby in her arms. "I wouldn't have expected any less of them. You fully deserve it." Xander took Wesley's hand in his, squeezing, though his eyes were transfixed by the sight of Giles *cooing* over a baby. "Okay, now I'm twice as jealous," he said, smiling at Wesley. Charles laughed. "Wait till you get a good look at her, too. No one can resist her, man." Fred let Giles pick Emily from her arms and turned to Xander, smiling shyly. "Hi! I'm Fred, well, Winnifred." And Xander knew immediately that he was going to love her. "Xander-or, well, Alexander, but never call me that," he replied, smiling at her. "We haven't heard anything about you, so now you have to tell us everything. Wesley's too shy to give us details. I just want to know how y'all got together, cause-well, I'm just very curious." "Yes, Xander," Giles said before Xander could say a word. "Fred babbles just about as much as you do." Everyone laughed at that, and Xander looked down, slightly embarrassed. Wesley pulled him closer until they were back to chest and nuzzled his neck. "If you don't tell her what she wants to know, she will get it out of you by any means necessary." "Yeah, it's a miracle English got to keep you secret as long as he did, there's not much Fred can't figure out." Fred shrugged. "I noticed Wesley was lots more cheerful, but I just thought Rupert had suddenly gotten even better in bed, or something." Xander burst into laughter then, hugging Wesley close. "I don't think he *can* get better." Giles huffed. "Are you complaining?" "Nuh huh, just pointing out you're already a god, and I don't think there's a level above that one." "I quite agree," Wesley chimed in, joining in Xander's and Fred's laughter. "That's just a bit too much info for this man," Charles intervened, walking to the bed and sitting besides his wife. They really did make a beautiful couple, and Xander could see the obvious affection between the two of them. It was like watching Giles and Wesley together all over again. "Oh, aren't you even just a little curious?" Fred asked her husband, a wide smile etched on her face. "No." "Well, then, we'll leave the story of how we came to be together for a moment when Charles will be away, so as to not hurt his poor eardrums," Giles said, grinning as he put Emily back into her mother's arms. "Nah, Rupert, it's my brain that's gonna get hurt if you get into the details. Scarred actually. For life. You don't want that on your conscience, right?" Charles wasn't even looking at Giles then; his eyes were fixed on his daughter and he touched her cheek lightly. "Oh I don't know, perhaps-" But Giles didn't finish his thought, he just let it hang in the air and moved to sit on the chair that was on Xander and Wesley's side. Wesley sat in the other, and Xander looked around, but there were no more chairs. He stood awkwardly for a moment, before Giles pulled him onto his lap. "Here." Xander smiled at him, turning back to watch Fred. Charles picked Emily up from her arms and approached Xander with her. "Oh no, I-I don't-I-I just have no clue-" What if she fell from his arms? What if he hurt her? She was so tiny, he was bound to do something that would hurt her. He was clumsy and- "Relax, Xander," Giles whispered, and Xander had to open his arms, because Charles was right there and then he was putting Emily in Xander's arms and- "Oh God." Wesley stood before Xander, and showed him how to hold her, so that Emily was held more firmly to Xander's chest. "There you are, dearest." She was tightly wrapped into a baby blanket, her tiny eyes closed, and she was sleeping. At least, Xander thought she was sleeping, but then, how would he know, right? She could just be really quiet, and maybe he was holding her too tightly, but Charles and Wesley were just smiling at him, so he must have been doing things right and she wasn't fussing or crying, which probably meant he wasn't crushing her. And then-she moved, her left arm moving against his chest, and she scrunched up her nose just like Giles did sometimes, and that was completely adorable, and Xander couldn't help the smile that spread on his face. Xander looked up at Wesley, then back down at Emily, his mouth opening and closing, because he wanted to say something, but he had no idea what, and he couldn't stop looking at her. "So tiny." Wesley laughed, touching Xander's hand lightly. There was a flash, and the sound of a camera, but Xander didn't look up. "Isn't she gorgeous?" Fred asked from the bed, beaming. "She really is," Xander replied. He was afraid to move now, scared that he would startle her awake. "So what do you do, Xander?" Charles asked. "I uh-" Xander couldn't think, let alone talk. His whole mind, brain, *body* was focused on the little being in his arms, and he couldn't move his thoughts elsewhere. "I think if you want him to talk, you'll have to take Emily from him," Giles said, his head pillowed on Xander's shoulder. "Let me," Wesley said, picking up the baby before Charles could reach for her. "There you go, again," Charles rolled his eyes and sat back on the bed. "So, Xander-" "I'm a carpenter. Wesley's bookshop was my first contract." "Ooh! You made the shelves?" Fred sat up, clearly excited. "She loves the shelves," Charles said with a smile, squeezing his wife's hand. "Keeps saying she wants a set for home, but I don't know where she thinks she's going to put them." "Well, there's all those books on the floor in the office. It'd be good to have a place to put them, because they're kind of a hazard, right? What with Emily and when she starts walking and we don't want her to get hurt 'cause there's a pile of books that fell on her." Xander smiled. "Oh, we don't want that," he said, watching Wesley and the baby. "I'll see if I can make you a set that would fit all your books in, you just have to give me the measurements." "Oh! You don't have to! We were just-" Fred blushed, biting her lips. It was clear she was thrilled that Xander had offered, but didn't want him to feel like he had to. "Nah, it's okay, I'd love to build you a set. And shelves are easy, so it's not like I'd spend hours on them." Giles squeezed Xander's hand, squirming under him. "You okay?" Xander asked, looking back at him. "I can't feel my legs. As much as I enjoy it, I might be a little old to have you sit on my lap." Xander leapt to his feet. "Sorry." He was shaking slightly, a result of his dying nervousness. "Perhaps we should leave. Fred needs her rest," Wesley said as he stood and put a fussing Emily back into her mother's arms. "And I think the little one is hungry." Fred smiled. "Y'all are invited to dinner, soon as we're out of here, right, Charles?" "Sure thing." "We'd love to," Giles answered. Xander knew it would make Wesley happy, so he nodded. And he really did like Fred. Charles was a bit of a mystery still, but there was no weirdness vibe going on, and Xander took that as a good sign. "Congratulations again, for the baby, she's really beautiful." Both parents beamed at him. "Thank you." Giles took Wesley's hand in his. "We'll meet you at home, then," he said, pulling Wesley closer and kissing him quickly. "Don't be too long." "Oh, we're kicking him out as soon as you guys are gone, don't worry," Charles said, shaking Giles' hand, then Xander's. "Pleasure meeting you again, man, and as long as you don't give out too many details about English's sex life, I think we'll get along fine." Xander laughed. "I'll make sure to keep the details for myself. And Rupert, of course, cause he likes the details." He looked at Giles, smiling brightly; it was insane, completely and utterly insane, but everything would be all right. Feedback Back to Dreamland Back to Fly With Me |