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My name is Liam Giles, adopted son of Rupert Giles and Angel, though some of you might know him as Angelus.
My parents are not your usual couple, as many of you would know. They are both male and�well, one is a Watcher, sworn to protect and train Slayers to fight Vampires and one was a brooding Vampire with a soul but who has since become human.
Not what you�d expect as parents, isn�t it?
I always thought it rather amazing that they could have gotten together, given their history. Mind you, they don�t really like to talk about the few years they knew each other and what I know are just what I have managed to piece together by little clues they let slipped and of course, from my aunties and uncles; slayerettes and members of the Scooby gang.
Aunt Willow and her love, Aunt Tara sometimes tells me things about my parents though Aunt Tara doesn�t know that much about them. Uncle Xander used to hate my dad, Angel, but has since learned to tolerate him, seeing how happy father is with him. He is more perceptive than anyone would have guessed and I think he�s one of the first to guess about dad�s feelings. Then, there�s Aunt Anya, uncle Xander�s wife, who always made me blush with her obsession with sex and made me pale sometimes with her description of what she used to do to unfaithful men. I could not imagine what she would do to uncle Xander should he ever betray her but I don�t think that�s likely. He�s very much in love with her.
Dad used to love father�s Slayer, but theirs was a love doomed to fail from the start. When dad experienced one true moment of happiness, his soul was taken away and he reverted to Angelus. He told me one day, when I managed to get him to open up, that although he didn�t know it at that time, the things he did as Angelus were meant to hurt my father through his Slayer. They won�t talk about what happened during the time when Angelus wanted to free the demon Acathla but from what I know from uncle Xander, it was a bad time for everyone.
Anyway, dad was sent to Hell and when he came back, he slowly realized that he didn�t love my father�s Slayer as much as he thought. He left after the Ascension to Los Angeles to open his own business as private investigator. Aunt Cordelia and Uncle Wesley later joined him in the business.
It was about ten years after they first met, seven years after dad left for LA, that father�s Slayer died in battle. He was inconsolable. She was like a daughter to him and he had treasured such hopes that she would live to a ripe old age. None of the scoobies could talk him out of his grief. When my dad came down for the funeral, he tried to bring father out of his self-imposed isolation.
I guess grief does bring people together in amazing way.
Father gradually accepted his help and they became closer. Dad had left the business in the capable hands of aunt Cordy and uncle Wes while he tried to help father. When father showed signs of improvements, dad suggested that he moved to LA to stay with him, partly to make sure that someone is keeping an eye on him and to leave the painful memories of his Slayer behind. It took some doing but father finally agreed and moved in with my dad in LA.
Before long, he started helping dad, doing research and sometimes performing magic, the same as uncle Wes. At least uncle Wes knows how to have fun. According to him, the first few months father was helping them, he really threw himself into his work, forgetting to eat or rest even when there were no immediate threats. Often, dad would have to drag him away from his work. They quarreled over dad�s hovering and father�s neglect of his health. I�m not sure how they resolved the situation but they finally came to an understanding and it was a great relief to uncle Wes and aunt Cordy, for now, they didn�t have to put up with those two �brooding and stubborn men� as aunt Cordy called them.
It was in the third year after father joined them that they found me. My parents were walking home from a rare night out for dinner when they heard me crying. They followed my cries and found me lying on the ground in the dark alley.
Oops.
Did I forget to mention that I was a newborn baby when they found me? My parents used to tell me how tiny I was and how adorable I looked. Dad said father couldn�t bear to let me go once he carried me in his arms and tried to calm me down. They took me home and cared for me. They contacted the authorities and put a notice in the papers but when no one claimed me after three months, they decided to adopt me. I was pretty lucky that they did.
Wait, you must be thinking now. I�ve been rambling on for so long and haven�t gotten to the important point. How did they fall in love? Well, I�m getting to that now, so just relaxed and listen, okay? It all happened after they adopted me.
As you must have already guessed, my dad was the first to realize he had fallen in love with father. He discovered it when he was caring for father after his Slayer�s death. Dad didn�t dared act on his feelings. There was just too much history between them and besides, father never showed any signs that he�s a bisexual. So all dad could do was to care for him and hope.
It took a spell, cast by one of their enemies while on a case together, to finally make them aware of their feelings for each other. Their aim was to separate my parents when father learnt of dad�s feelings for him. They never imagined that father could have started to have feelings for dad.
Father tried to deny it at first but once dad knew how he felt, he won�t let him. He kept at him till he finally accepted it. Dad told me that was one of the things that he was glad that he persisted in. Still, it took a long time before father would let dad touch him in any intimate way.
I must admit I have great admiration for dad�s patience. Father can be very stubborn and he�s not an easy person to persuade when it comes to his private life. Believe me, I have experienced it first hand.
They are wonderful parents; giving me all the love and attention any child could ever wished for. When I was of age to go to school, dad suggested that I studied at home. Father refused at first, saying that I need to learn things that I couldn�t possibly learn at home but he finally acquiesced. I think dad wanted me to study at home because he wanted me to spend as much time as I could with father as he�s getting on in the years. I was just as happy to stay at home. Father knows a lot and sometimes, I could persuade him to let me learn a few magic spells. He is a powerful sorcerer though it had been years since he really practiced. It was just the occasional spells when he accepted his destiny.
When I was fifteen, major changes happen in the family. Uncle Wes and Aunt Cordy died together while trying to stop a half-spawn from killing humans, father�s health began failing which I suspect was due to the shock of losing uncle Wes and aunt Cordy. Dad was worried out of his mind. Father would not go to the hospital, instead, staying at home so that dad could be with him. I tried to take care of father but dad was most possessive, attending to father�s wants and needs himself. I was left to inform the rest of my aunts and uncle. I tried looking for a cure in the spells I could find, but to no avail.
Father was on the verge of dying when an answer finally came from the Powers That Be. They gave father his health and youth, and dad, his mortality. It was to be their reward, after what they had been through fighting the forces of Darkness.
To say they were amazed at being given a second chance would be an understatement. I don�t think any words could describe their feelings, or, if there was, at least I haven�t come across it. They loved each other more deeply, although I didn�t think it was possible seeing as how much in love they are. Still, parents do manage to surprise you.
Now, I�m twenty-one and when we go out on family outings, people think we are close friends. I guess they can�t be blamed. Even my aunts and uncle had trouble adjusting at first. My parents only look about twenty-eight.
Well, that�s about all. I think I have covered pretty much everything. I�m going to go now. My parents promised to let me on the hunt tonight. We have a demon to track down and I can�t wait to join them on their nightly patrols. I had requested to join them as my birthday present. Other kids go for normal stuff but hey, when you have a family like mine, I think to be allowed on a hunt is a pretty normal request.
Father is calling me now. I have to rush. If we get back early, he�s going to play and sing for me. Aren�t you envious?
Bye now! It was nice meeting everyone. Wish me luck with my hunting!
~~The End~~