The Winning Hand

Chapter 9 - Dinner and Blackjack

Buffy's face was slightly flushed from the glass of wine she'd been
drinking. She was having a marvelous time. The whole Giles clan
was with her, including Xander whose warm eyes and corny jokes
had instantly appealed to her. In fact, every single person at the table
appealed to her. Her eyes swept the group finally landing on Spike,
who was now in a quiet conversation with his grandfather. 'Some
were a little more appealing than was good for her,' Buffy thought and
then sighed.

She had originally declined the dinner. After her outburst this
afternoon, she had been too embarrassed to really want to see any of
them tonight. But Joyce had come knocking on her door, and insisted
she join them. And who could refuse such a dynamic woman?
Certainly not Buffy. But now she was glad she'd accepted.

None of the family had commented on her emotional display, and the
conversation had been lighthearted and easy all night. She found
herself laughing more in the past two hours than she had in the past
two years. She also found herself fantasizing about having this for
herself someday. Right now, she knew that the family, the
camaraderie, was all borrowed. She sighed again, softly.

"Those are an awful lot of sighs for an awful lucky girl." Xander
teased her. "What's up?"

"Nothing." She smiled at him. "Just thinking."

"Thinking's overrated!" Thomas Giles boomed. "You need to feel!
To act!" He gave her a roguish grin.

"That's probably good advice," Buffy laughed. "But I feel like I'm
already living an adventure."

"Yes, but just imagine what adventures await you in the future."
Rupert added.

Buffy turned to him, once again noticing the resemblance between
the three generations of Giles men. "Yes, that's sort of what I was
doing."

"Oh?" Spike asked, leaning forward. "And what do you see in your
future, Buffy?"

Her face flushed a bit more, not escaping Spike's notice, and she
ducked her head shyly. "Nothing really. It's still a bit fuzzy."

"Leave the poor girl alone!" Joyce broke in, noticing Buffy's
discomfort. "She's going to have enough questions to answer at the
press conference tomorrow."

Buffy noticed Spike's frown at the reminder. "Buffy, you know we can
still call it off."

"I told you I don't want to call it off Will. I'm going through with it. It's
time." She insisted.

Joyce smiled at Buffy's use of her son's name. As far as she knew,
Spike hadn't allowed anyone besides family to call him that in years.

Unconscious of his movements, Spike reached out to grasp Buffy's
hand. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles as he spoke, "Are you
sure luv? You know I didn't mean -
Bu
Buffy's whole demeanor softened at Spike's concerned words, and
comforting gesture. "I know Will." She squeezed his hand in return.
"But I can't hide forever. And I don't want to. I want to move on with
my life, and enjoy my good fortune. And I can't do that with this
hanging over me. Can you understand that?"

Spike sighed, still absently rubbing his thumb over her soft skin.
"Okay luv." He shook his head, and then slowly withdrew his hand
from hers.

The rest of the table held their tongues, but each member of par party
had noted the intimate moment. Thomas Giles was hard pressed to
keep the grin off his face.

***

After dinner Joyce and Buffy had decided on cocktails in the lounge,
while the men had gone off to Spike's office. Joyce wa exa exactly
sure what they were going to do, but she had a feeling it had to do
with the cigars that her father-in-law was always trying to sneak by his
wife. She chuckled at the thought, making Buffy turn to her with a
questioning look.

"Just wondering how many cigars Giles is going to try to smoke
before he has to go home to mother." She answered the unspoken
question.

"Oh." Buffy didn't quite get the joke, but she didn't think it mattered.
"Do you think the boys will join us later?"

"Possibly." Joyce took a small sip of her wine before continuing.
"What would you like to do until then? Play a few rounds at the
tables?"

Buffy bit her bottom lip and chewed for a moment. "I don't really think
people like me sitting with them. I'm such a novice. Do you think I
can take you up on those lessons you offered?"

Joyce grinned. "Sure! I'll grab a deck of cards, you grab a couple of
bowls of pretzels and peanuts."

"Pretzels and peanuts?" Buffy asked, her brow furrowed in
puzzlement.

***

Buffy had built her stake up considerably. She'd only started with a
handful of pretzels and small cup of peanuts, but already her
winnings were mountainous. She chewed on her bottom lip, before
asking for another hit. When she busted, she let out the breath she
was holding and then poppede moe more of her winnings into her
mouth.

"Corrupting our lucky winner are you?" Rupert bent down to place a
soft kiss on Joyce's left temple. "Hello darling." He whispered into
her ear. Straightening up to his full height he asked, "So is the Crypt
winning any of it's own back?"

"I'm afraid not." Joyce mock-frowned. "She's a lucky one all right."

Buffy laughed. How she loved to see the Giles family interact with
one another. It was so different than any relationship she had ever
been in. Even now, she watched as Rupert Giles sat down in the
chair beside his wife, absently raising his hand and twisting strands of
Joyce's hair between his fingertips. It was a gesture of long and
intimate familiarity. One that Buffy had never been privileged to
witness outside of a movie theater or television set before now.

Rupert wiggled his eyebrows at Buffy in a leering gesture. "Let a
*real* gambler show you how it's done little lady." He turned to his
wife. "That is if the game is open?"

"You got a stake, you got a chair." Joyce answered, gesturing for him
to place his bet.

When Spike found them an hour later, Buffy was giggling and piling
more pretzels onto the precarious mound in the middle of the table.
He stood and watched her for a moment. She was so innocent; so
sweet. He felt something stir inside him. He shook his head quickly
to dispel whatever feeling was creeping into him.

It was because of that innocence, that wholesomeness, that he
couldn't get involved. She wasn't his type of girl. And he wasn't her
type of guy. She didn't belong in this city; she was too good for it.
When he shook the increasingly morose thts hts out of his head, he
heard Buffy question his father.

"You had seventeen, why did you hit? You're not supposed to his
when you have seventeen."

Spike took the seat next to Buffy, his arm coming up to land lightly on
her shoulders. "He's a card counter." He turned to his father. "We
don't like card counter's at the Crypt." He gave Rupert his most
menacing look.

"I taught you to count cards before you were out of your nappies!"
Rupert replied.

Spike's grin spread, until it became contagious. "Yup. That's why I
can spot 'em."

"You're father hasn't changed. He's still the same gambler that bet
me a walk in the moonlight on one hand of blackjack. He hit on
seventeen then too." Joyce turned to smile at her husband in fond
remembrance.

Spike turned to answer Buffy's unspoken question, "Da met mum
while she was dealing blackjack on a cruise ship."

"Oh how romantic!" Buffy exclaimed, turning her starry eyes to the
older couple.

Rupert smirked, and Buffy caught her breath. She definitely knew
where Spike got his appeal!

"Joyce didn't think so at the time. But I managed to change her
mind." Rupert commented.

"I thought you were presumptuous, brazen, and that a walk in the
moonlight with you would be nothing short of perilous. I still do."
Buffy caught the wink that Joyce threw at her husband. "I just learned
to like it."

They all laughed at that. Buffy leaning into Spike to catch her breath;
neither noticed the close contact, nor made any move to change it.
But knowing looasseassed between Mr. and Mrs. Giles as they
watched their youngest son.

They played a few more rounds, Spike joining into the game with a
small stake of his own. Eventually Buffy couldn't stop from yawning
and stood from the table. "Well, I better get some rest if I'm going to
be any good at the press conference tomorrow."

"I'll walk you up luv." Spike stoutomutomatically wrapping his arm
around Buffy's waist.

"You don't have to." Buffy tried to beg off the escort.

"Buffy, I told you I don't like you wandering around the casino floor by
yourself." His eyes narrowed.

"I'm just walking to the elevator!" Buffy stated with an exasperated
puff of breath.

"Still, I'd feel better if I escorted you."

"You know, if I wanted the attentions of an overbearing man I could
have stayed in Kansas!" Buffy rejoined.

"Overbearing? I'm just trying to keep you safe!"

"I told you I can take care of myself!"

Joyce and Rupert watched the exchange with a mix of amusement
and sympathy. They gave each other fond 'remember w' sm' smiles.

Buffy turned to the couple still sitting at the table. "Thank you for a
lovely evening. I'll see you again tomorrow?"

"Of course dear. Why don't we meet for breakfast before the
conference? How about 9am, that will give your stomach plenty of
time to settle before the butterflies start up!" Joyce gave her an
encouraging smile.

"Sure, that would be great. Goodnight." Buffy turned, not waiting for
S.
.

Spike's lips thinned into a narrow line. "Mum. Da." He nodded at
each in turn before following Buffy out of the room.

Rupert shook his head turning to his wife he stated quietly, "Our poor
boy. Years from now he'll look back at these last few days and
wonder what hit him."