Title: Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
Author: Gileswench

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

Half an hour later, Buffy sat with a blanket clad Giles on her lap. Xander had called Willow and Tara and then gone in search of appropriate clothing for a small boy. Now the four young women sat around the tarot table discussing possible solutions to the problem.

"So he was like this when you found him?" Willow asked.

"Yes. He was hiding in the loft all tiny and naked," Anya agreed.

Little Giles flushed and hid his face in Buffy's bosom.

"Stop it, guys; you're embarrassing him. And when you embarrass him, he does embarrassing things to me."

She looked down at the small face pressed against her cleavage. A pair of big green eyes peeked up shyly at her.

"I like you. You're pretty," he told her.

Buffy couldn't repress a laugh.

"I like you, too," she assured him and dropped a small kiss on his tousled brown curls.

Giles blinked owlishly at her, then smiled and threw his tiny arms around her neck, dropping his blanket in the process. Willow, Tara, and Anya all laughed at the sight.

"Come on, guys. It's not that funny."

"Sure it is, Buff," Willow said. "Who knew Giles was such a flirt when he was a little kid? Besides, he has a cute tushie."

"I never thought he would be such an exhibitionist," Anya added.

"Anyway, he's only flirting with Buffy," Tara observed. "That's nice."

"Great," Buffy grumbled. "The only guy on the planet who wants me around and he won't even hit puberty for another six or seven years. Or, we'll get him back to his right age and he'll be too stuffy to even give me a hug. Not that...I would want...I mean..."

"It's okay, Buff," Willow said. "We get you."

"I wish I did," Buffy mumbled under her breath as she did her best to turn pages and hold onto Giles. He'd begun to squirm in a fairly impressive manner. At last he whispered something in Buffy's ear.

"Can't you hold it until Xander gets back?" she asked.

Giles shook his head with a slightly panicked look on his face.

"Okay, Giles. It's right over here."

Buffy led him to the bathroom.

"Can you do it yourself? Do you need help?"

The withering glare he shot her was so familiar, yet so funny, she barely managed to keep her composure.

"Okay, okay, you can do it yourself. I was just asking."

She held the door open for him and switched on the light.

"Okay, lock the door and I'll wait for you."

Giles' eyes went wide with panic.

"No!" he shouted. "No! I won't lock it!"

Buffy dropped to her knees and took the trembling child in her arms.

"Shh, it's okay. You don't have to lock it. Hell, leave the door open if you want," she told him. She pulled back and took his thin shoulders. "I'll be right here. There's nothing to be scared of."

The tears that had been brimming in his eyes finally overflowed and Buffy pulled him back into her arms. She could feel Giles trying to compose himself against her shoulder.

She rubbed the small back to offer comfort as she spoke to him.

"Go ahead and cry if you need to. It's okay."

Giles stiffened and pulled back, swiping at his eye with the backs of his hands.

"It's not brave to cry. I have to use the loo."

He pushed the door until it was open the merest crack before going about his business. Buffy remained on her knees next to the door. She felt rather than heard Willow approach.

"Is he okay?"

Buffy shook her head.

"No he's not. I never knew how not okay he was until just now. Will, he's scared to death of locked doors. He can fight demons and let me beat the crap out of him day after day and even stand up to the Council, but he's scared of locking the door." She turned large eyes to her friend. "What happened to him, Will? Whatever it was must have been terrible."

"Maybe you're reading a little too much in here, Buff. I mean, this is six-year-old Giles. Grown up Giles does all that brave stuff, but this is just a little kid. When I was six, I was scared of some pretty weird stuff. Like, I thought that when I went to sleep, my teddy bear grew fangs and was going to eat me up if I didn't tie him up in the rocking chair before I went to bed. Now tying things up at bedtime is more of a recreational thing, which, I sort of hope you don't think about too much..."

"Way too much information, Will. But this isn't just a kid thing. Giles never locks his door, ever. I've waltzed into his place at three in the morning and never needed a key."

"He's English, Buffy. Maybe they aren't as into locking stuff up as we are."

"He's lived here almost five years. That's not being English. That's being either really dumb, which we know he's not, or really, really scared. The only thing I've ever seen scare him this much before was Eyghon. He didn't do magic for, like, twenty years after that. What could be so bad that he still won't lock the door after more like forty years?"

The bell above the front door rang to announce Xander's return.

"Okay, I really hope this works. My cousin Lisa has a kid about mini G's size. You have no idea what I went through to get these. Lisa's going to sing a solo at the wedding."

He dropped a pile of clothing on the table.

"I thought you said she had a voice like a water buffalo with adenoids," Anya objected.

"She does. Sorry, honey, but she's letting loose with Sunrise, Sunset on our big day. There was no escape."

"Well that's just great," Anya grumbled tearily. "The wedding will be ruined."

"Don't worry, Anya," Tara soothed her. "Maybe Willow and I could find a spell to give her laryngitis. Right, honey?"

"Hey, I'm on board with this plan," Willow said.

"You'd do that for us?" Anya asked.

"I'm Jewish. Do you have any idea how many bad renditions of that song I've had to sit through at weddings? If I hear it one more time, I may just barf."

"And we can't have the Best Person barfing at the altar, can we?" Xander said.

"Speaking as Maid of Honor, I'm all for a barf-free altar," Buffy agreed. She turned to see little Giles coming out of the bathroom. "Did you wash your hands?"

He shook his head.

"Can't reach."

"Xander will help you, and then he'll get you dressed, okay?"

"Couldn't you do it, please?"

Buffy felt her heart melt at his trust in her. Then it dropped when she thought of all the times she'd betrayed that trust. Never again, she decided. She picked up the bundle of clothing and led Giles back to the bathroom.

"Sure I can. Anything you want."

*********

Ethan made himself comfortable on the sofa with a glass of single malt and some pate and fruit he'd found in the fridge. Ripper could be counted on to have a few good things on hand no matter how Spartan an existence he liked to live. That and good music, Ethan mused as he listened to the well-known, well-loved strains of Tales Of Brave Ulysses.

What's more, Ripper's robe was warm, toasty, and long enough for Ethan. And that fire was positively blissful in the unexpected fall cold snap.

The one thing missing was a woman, Ethan decided. still, an operator like Ripper could be counted upon to have a little black book somewhere and it would take those kids ages to figure out how to undo the spell. He had the time.