Disclaimer: Giles and Cordy both belong to Joss the Crackhead, but he would never pair them together, so there.
Dedication: For Nickle and Tracie, who listen to my insane ramblings on  a daily basis.
Notes: This is a part of the Unusual Series, a Giles and Cordy romance series that takes place in an AU. Takes place after The Council Awaits, but before Nickle’s upcoming Bachelor Hijinks. All you really need to know for this little ditty is that it’s about seven years in the future, and Giles and Cordy are engaged (long story).
To read the rest of the stories, check out:
http:www-scf.usc.edu/~melissaf/unusseries.html
 

"I'm warning you, Cordelia."

"Oh, please. What are you going to do?"

Rupert Giles stared at his fiancée, on his face an expression of very clear agitation. Cordelia Chase saw this, but the face only made the smirk on her face widen. "Ooh, wait, Am I seeing the parent face?"

He sighed, and held tighter to his bag. “I’m going to the car now, and you are going to let me in.”

Her jaw dropped at the tone and she laughed. “Sorry, Obi-wan. Those Jedi mind tricks do not work on me.” He rolled his eyes and she continued. “Not until you tell me where we’re going.”

“If I tell you it won’t be a surprise, will it?”  At her unconvinced face, he sighed and walked forward. Immediately, the car inched just out of his grip.

His face reddening, he nodded hello to a woman who passed by, who was laughing and pointing. “Cordelia-“

“Okay. This time, I promise. I’ll let you in.”

He stood still.

“I mean it!” She said, raising two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

“You were never in the boy scouts.”

“Yeah, so. You weren’t either.”

He looked at her long and hard, and reached for the handle. The car inched forward, out of his reach again.

“Cordelia!”

She giggled, and then quickly straightened her face.  "Okay, Geez. I offended the old fogie. I'm sorry. Get in."

He gave her a long look, then sighed, shaking his head and walking around the car, opened the drivers side.

“Out. I’m driving.”

“I always drive.”

“Not today.”

She gave him a narrowed look. He stood firm. Realizing she wasn’t going to win the staring contest with him, she finally sighed, throwing her hands in the air. “Fine, whatever. But if you take off, you are seriously out of a wife, buster.”

Putting the grocery bag down, he waited until she unlocked the seat belt before he grabbed her hand and pulling her up to him with surprising force.  She barely had time to register the look of hunger in his eyes before he pressed her to him and gave her a long, thoroughly satisfying kiss.

When he finally released her, her face was just a little dazed, and her knees were just a little weak.

“Umm…. Wow.” She remarked, sliding her hands through her hair to fix the disarray.  “If that’s what I get for playing pranks on you, I should do that more often.”

His eyes were sparkling with barely suppressed mirth when he grabbed a lock of hair and pulled playfully.

"Infuriating little chit." He said quickly.

"A chit am I?" She gave him a mock glare. "You better watch the language there, Mister, that sounds a lot like another word, and if you EVER use that on me, you are SOO dumped."

He took of his glasses, trying with all his might not to let a smile float to his lips and barely succeeding.  “Will you get in the car, Cordelia?”

She rolled her eyes and nodded, pulling away and sliding in on the other side.

When he had locked himself in, she turned to him, her face curious. "So where is this great outing going to take place?"

“It’s a surprise, Cordelia.” He said, yet again.

Cordelia huffed in frustration. The old guy really was getting off on this surprise tift. When he had mentioned the outing in the morning, she hadn’t known what to expect. It wasn’t their anniversary,  nothing out of the ordinary had really happened after that whole Wesley/slayer watcher fiasco, and for once, she was blessedly hoping that they would actually GET to the wedding day without another mishap that would make them super couple number two. Cordelia had been rather looking forward to just spending the few minutes she had in between the times she had to study for finals, graduate from law school, pass the bar, move everything that ever belonged to her to Sunnydale and stop Buffy from going completely crazy as she tried to take over planning the wedding, with Giles in his funky old apartment.

But nooooo. The old guy wanted to go out. Count on him to be unpredictable, and he was so damn secretive about it.

“Whatever.” She sighed, leaning her head back against the head rest. “But if I have to wait and see, I’m going to be waiting a year, the rate you drive, oh slow poke one.”

He gave her a glare, and when she smiled sweetly, his eyes flashed, and Cordelia was forced to swallow her words when her car suddenly screeched and she was pressed against the seat.

She couldn’t speak as he sped along the streets, wheels spinning as he drove at what had to be 90 miles an hour, and she could have sworn she had just aged about five years when he almost played chicken with a fourteen wheeler on the highway. Suddenly he lurched into a parking lot, and when try to muster the strength to chew him out, he wasn’t even fazed. He merely smiled, turned off the ignition, put the brake on and turned to view her expression.

She would have given him a fairly decent piece of her mind, if she hadn’t been so busy trying to breathe.

"Woah." Cordelia managed, and when she looked down at her knuckles, she found  that they were actually white from gripping the sides of the seat. Her eyes turned in surprise to her fiancée, who was watching her placidly.  "Did I just get the Ripper?"

He smiled, the corner of his eyes crinkling wonderfully as he shrugged. "Shush. Come on."

"Oh, God, there's more? You're not going to make me bungee jump of a bridge or anything, are you?"

"I figured we'd save that for the honeymoon."

"Funny, old guy. Very funny."  Her eyes were glittering as he rolled his eyes, taking her hand and pulling her out of the car, grabbing the bag in the other.

"Come on."

In the minute she caught his eyes, she became very aware that something had changed. Giles had a different look in his eyes, a haunted shade of jade that she had scarcely seen before, and she had seen many of his different faces.

Her smile drifted off her face and she watched him carefully, as he led her to their destination.

Cordelia’s heart stopped when she realized where they were going. A graveyard.  On any normal day, Cordelia would have made a grand crack about their ability never to escape such a place but something about Giles’ expression warned her not to say a word.

He clamped her hand harder, and she didn’t complain as he weaved her in and out of the different plots.  He seemed to know exactly where he was going, and as they neared the center of the cemetery, he stopped.

Cordelia felt herself still.  She was staring at Jenny Calendar’s grave.  There were fresh flowers on the grassy mound.

At her questioning glance he swallowed, his face placid, almost unreadable as he looked at the mound.  His grip tightened on her hand, squeezing once before turning to the bag. He pulled out a fresh bouquet and quietly put it down.

Cordelia suddenly felt as if she was intruding. Stepping back, away from the grave, from Giles’ first love, from her teacher, she felt quiet, unsure.  Rupert turned to glance at her, but she only shook her head, gave him a small, supporting smile before stepping back another foot, and sitting down on the grass, her eyes never moving from his form.

He swallowed, and nodded, understanding her confusion, her unease, and turned back to the gravestone, kneeling down in front of it.

"Jenny." He whispered, kneeling in front of it, his eyes on the stone. “I’m here now, like always.” He put a hand on the stone, and then arranged the flowers, as his voice was husky.  “But I brought someone with me, someone you know.” He turned to look at Cordelia, and his eyes didn’t waver from hers and he continued to speak.   “Do you remember Cordelia? Jenny? Remember how she used to drive me crazy in high school. Do you remember the way we were? Me and you?” He voice trailed off. “I thought… when I lost you…. I thought I would never…. I’ll always love you, Jenny. And that’s why….” He took a breath. “That’s why I brought Cordelia. She’s the most important thing in my life, Jenny. The most important thing. I love her with every part of my soul, every part of my being, even the part that loves you. Do you understand at all, Jenny?”

Her heart heaved as she watched and listened, a flutter of realization filling her, then suddenly consuming her as she finally understood what he was doing. Giles was asking for Jenny’s blessing, and he was asking something of her, as well.  He was asking for her understanding, and he was letting her in to every part of his life, to the darkest, and the most painful moments.

He was allowing her to see his love for Jenny, the tragic loss that had almost destroyed, him and he was asking that she join him, that she understand just what it meant to him.

Oh, God.  Cordelia’s form began to tremble as he continued to speak, his gaze on the stone.

“I miss you.” He whispered to the stone. “And I love you. And I love her.  She’s a lot like you, do you know that? Her eyes, and her smile. Her hair, the way she can drive me crazy with one single word. Did you know she calls me a fuddy duddy, too?”

Cordelia felt the chuckle that emanated from his throat wring through her, and she felt herself standing, marveling at the feat when her knees felt so watery. She felt herself walking forward, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Cordelia's throat grew full, and she felt tears stinging the back of her eyes as she kneeled down next to him, her eyes on the cold stone, the cold gravel that represented her beautiful dead computer teacher.

Giles was silent, as Cordelia stared at the stone, but she never looked at him, her eyes were riveted on the carved words of Jenny Calendar.

“Uh…. Hi, Ms. Calendar.” She began softly, fearful that her voice would crack, feeling it waver despite her attempt to keep it steady.  “Weird huh? Giles and I, getting hitched. I mean, me and the old guy. Back in high school…. I never would have thought.” She cut herself off, biting her lip in an attempt to contain herself. “This is weird.” She whispered. “I’m not used to doing this, so I’m  sorry if I screw it all up. But… Giles brought me here to meet you… I mean, REALLY meet you, and I think I should.  Thank you.” She finally said. “Thank you for showing him that it was okay to love. And thankyou for making him into the man that he is… and thankyou for never judging me, for making me learn.  I’ll never forget that. And we’ll never forget you, Ms. Calendar.” She finished meaningfully, her eyes turning to meet Giles.

His form was absolutely still as he looked at her, and when his eyes locked with hers, he tried to speak, but as his mouth opened to form the words, nothing came out. He closed his eyes, swallowed, and tried again. Again, nothing.

Cordelia raised a gentle hand to his face, caressing it lovingly.  "Giles." She whispered, her voice husky.  "It's okay.  I know you loved her.  It's okay, Rupert."  She felt wet saltiness sliding down her cheeks and at that moment, she didn't care enough to wipe them off.   She let them fall, her eyes locked on her fiancée’s as she kneeled next to him, her hands cupping his cheeks, rubbing at them in an attempt to try and erase the pain in his face.

His eyes grew moist, and soon the tears were freefalling, sliding down and through her fingers. She swallowed.  "I miss her so bloody much sometimes, Cordelia. And sometimes I get so scared, because I love you even more, and I think about losing you, and I don’t know if I could do it, if I ever lost you.”

He cut himself off and  hauled  her up against him, so tightly she had to gasp for breath. But she didn’t complain, Cordelia Chase merely held him, let him hold her, until he finally lessened the grip, stared into her eyes.

She only smiled tightly, wiping away at his tears.

"Not a day goes by that I don't think of her." He whispered, looking at the grave. "Wondering why, why it had to happen to her." He turned, gave her a long, searching look.

Cordelia Chase's throat grew full, and she soft drew her lover's head to her chest. His arms slid her, gripping her tightly, and she closed her eyes, kissing the top of his head, knowing that she didn't have to say a word, knowing that he understood.

“You won’t forget her, Giles.” She whispered. “Not ever. And that’s okay.  It’s okay to miss her, even if you love me. It’s okay.”

He merely held her closer, never moving as she moved  hand up and down his back, silent as she felt his chest rise and fall against her own.

As the couple sat there, on the dank ground, a wind began to stir, a soft, peaceful wind, unusual for that time of the year, around them.

Strangely, the wind never touched them. It seemed almost as if they were in an eye of a small storm, as the gentle wind swirled around the grave, in every place but that one small spot.

The couple looked up, their eyes both rested on the grave as the wind seemed to play a song through the wind, almost as if they could hear the laughing, almost as if they could see the beautiful teacher with the laughing eyes and the smiling face.

There was peace, soft, and quiet, still.  The wind died down and the birds began to chirp, a wonderful melody.  And in that instant they knew, that it was okay. Tears trickled down both cheeks as they both felt the truth.

They had Jenny Calendar’s blessing.