Title: Looking Forward
Author: Eaglewolf
Summary: Giles is shown what would happen should he choose death.
Rating: PG14
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Distribution: Everyone likes free things.. Please take it just let me know where you are housing it
Feedback: It's something I will always crave, so give me a fix?
Disclaimer: Joss and his playmates own it all.. No matter which sandbox he is sitting in.
Dedication: For Milk, because I threatened to withhold this and then the plot bunny bit me. And for Dword because she's just the best..
Note: Everytime I reread this I cry... in a good way.

As Buffy was making her peace with Jenny her mother's spirit was watching over the man under discussion. Joyce folded her arms as she stood in front of the man lying in the hospital bed. He was still hooked up to all the monitors, still deep in his coma. She had stood there waiting for an eternity, but it didn't matter on her side time was different. There was no time. She'd been given a mission to complete before she went completely to the light.

Giles opened his eyes and looked at her, his physical eyes were still closed and the monitors still kept up their beeping.

"Joyce.." he said wondering why she was there.

"Hello Rupert. I'm here to make sure you make the right decision."

"Oh." He replied with a frown on his face. "Buffy." The word was a prayer on his lips.

"I want to show you what will happen if you choose death, Giles."

"I.. I.. " he tried to interrupt.

Joyce raised her hand for silence, "No Rupert. This is something you must see." She reached towards him and took his hand, his spirit self leaving the body easily. "I know it's rather Christmas Carolly but... It's the easiest way."

Giles found himself standing in the door way of a large living room. There was a tall grey haired man dressed in a blue sweater, and black slacks leaning against the mantelpiece, holding hands with the shorter white haired slim woman standing next to him. It was obvious to see they knew each other well just by the way they were standing.

"Sorry I'm late guys." Giles turned as he heard her voice call out.

"Buffy." he whispered. Joyce smiled as she watched him. His eyes lit up, and a smile crept over his face. Oh yes this man was good enough for her eldest daughter.

Buffy although older had lost none of the beauty of her youth. Her hair had become a lighter blonde. She still had the same slim body, and beautiful smile. Giles' gaze took in every aspect of her and he thought if anything she had only become more beautiful with age. He noticed that she was not alone, she was holding the hand of a handsome young man. Giles' brow furrowed this man looked vaguely familiar but he couldn't place where from.

Giles' attention was turned back to the fire place when he heard a gasp from the other lady and for the first time he looked closely at her. "Willow." he whispered. His gaze turned to the man. "Xander." He felt the tears well in his eyes. Joyce's words echoed in his mind "If you choose death." If he chose death he would never get to see his best friends grow and become the adults they now were.

"Aunty Willow!" The young man holding Buffy's hand dropped it and moved forward to embrace the witch.

Willow laughed, and pulled back to look in the boy's face. "Alexander Giles! Let me look at you it's been far too long."

Alex grinned at the woman he'd known his whole life, the one who had helped to guide him with his gift for magicks. He'd gotten that from his father, and his fast reflexes from his mother. He just wished that his father had lived to see him grow from baby to man. But his father had been lying in bed in a coma when he had been conceived. His mother had hidden nothing from him. Watchers were bred, Giles had donated sperm which the council had been only too glad to hand over to the slayer. For them it was an experiment, for Buffy it had been a way to make sure Giles lived on. She'd never quite forgiven herself for him dying, and truth be told she was still a little hurt that he'd chosen death over her. Giles walked over to her and looked into her eyes. There was a sadness there, as if something so precious had been taken from her so many years ago, and she'd never quite healed. There was something else strange about them that he couldn't quite place..

"Alex.." Xander put out the hand for the boy he considered his nephew to shake. Alex took Xanders hand, grinned and pulled him into a bear hug. Xander grinned at Buffy over Alex's shoulder.

"It's been too long Buff." Willow said as she wrapped her arms around her second oldest friend.

"I know." Buffy said as the tears welled in her eyes. "It's been too damn long. I missed you guys."

Xander pulled back from Alex grinning. "It's good to see you kid."

"It's good to be seen Uncle Xander." Alex smiled at the man who had always been there for him, and willing to answer any questions he had about his father. His mother was too but sometimes when he asked her questions her eyes would cloud over and he could see she was overcome with pain.

"Buff!" Xander said as she engulfed him in a bear hug. She held him tight, today was a hard day for all of them, and he squeezed her back just as hard. "We all miss him too Buff, it's hard to believe it's been 40 years. But we are still here. We'll always be here for you."

They all sat down, Alex sitting by his mothers side on the floor. He was never far from her these days, especially not since the accident where she'd lost her sight. She knew this room well, it was where they had spent so much time researching in their youth. Giles had left everything he owned to Buffy. As he looked around the room he realised this was his old home, and smiled; they hadn't changed much just new chairs and new curtains. He'd only bought it about 6 months before the vampire had incapacitated him. His gaze was once again drawn to Buffy's eyes, his brow furrowed.

"She's blind, Rupert. There was an accident about 4 years ago. Alex takes good care of her. You son is a lot like you in that regard."

"My.. My s-s-son?" he queried.

"Watchers are bred Rupert, as you know so when Buffy asked for your sperm they were only too glad to give it to her. An experiment on their part and act of love on hers. She misses you so much, even now. She never married, never met anyone who could live up to the memory of you."

"My decision Joyce, and it has been from the moment she told me she loved me was to live. So why did you show me this?"

Joyce smiled enigmatically, "I wanted to be sure. Take good care of my baby, and tell her I'll always be her mother, and I'll always be watching over you." She looked this man straight in the eyes as tears welled in her own and said "All of you. You look after her for me, look after my grandson, look after the kids. Help Buffy to grow from the strong girl she is to the strong woman you see before you." Joyce placed her hand on Giles' cheek and whispered "I'll be waiting for you both, time has no meaning here. So I guess I'll see you soon."

"Thankyou Joyce," Giles whispered to the fading woman. He turned to glance once more at the group he had always thought of as his family. His heart ached as he saw Buffy reach out towards Alex and have to feel with her hand to find his shoulder to squeeze as they reminisced about his father. It was the 40th year since his death, and 43 years since he'd fallen into the coma he had never come out of.

Giles found everything around him fading, and he groaned as he felt pain flood through his body. He made a great effort to open his eyes, and was rewarded by the sight of his worried slayer staring down at him. He tried to open his mouth, to tell her it was going to be okay but his mouth just would not open, all that came out was a groan.

Buffy stroked his forehead and whispered, "It's going to be okay Giles, you're awake. You chose life. You chose life. I love you so much." and then she lent down to kiss him gently on the forehead "Go to sleep watchermine." He closed his eyes once again as he felt her stroking his forehead and fell into a deep peaceful sleep.

Joyce looked on from the corner of the room and smiled. They were going to be okay, and she could move forward with her own journey now. She turned to the man next to her and smiled, "You look after them Alex, it won't be long now."

The young man merely smiled as he watched his father choose his mother over the peace of death.