Giles stared in disbelief at the telephone in front of him not daring
to accept what he had just heard. He removed his glasses and sat for
a moment with his head in his hands before reaching for the phone to
make the call he had dreaded since arriving on these shores.
*
Giles lifted the receiver and dialled Buffy's home.
"Hi?"
"Oh, hello Buffy, is your mother there?"
"Mom? Er, yeah. What's going on, Giles?"
"Oh... Nothing much. I just... need to speak with her for a moment."
"Oh." Dubious pause. "Okay. MOM! She's coming."
"Hello?" Joyce's voice came on the line.
"Ah, hello. This is Rupert."
"Oh Mr. Giles. What can I do for you?"
"The tests came through positive."
Shocked silence. "You mean..."
"Yes, the DNA results were conclusive. I really am Buffy's father."
"Bloody hell!"
*
Buffy studied her mother's face, looking for some clue to the
tears. "Okay. Spill."
Joyce sighed. "Remember when you got kicked out of school?"
Buffy nodded, arms crossed. "Uhuh. Thanks for the happy memory."
"And we moved here because it was the only place I could get a job?"
Again, Buffy nodded.
"Well," Joyce continued, "there was more to it than that..."
*
:/