As Good A Reason As Any: The Long Line To Nowhere
by Fairfax
Disclaimer: Characters, concepts etc do not belong to me but to Joss Wheedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox et al. Am just having fun.

Buffy stood in the checkout line bouncing up and down on her heels as excess energy forced its way out of her body. Alice stood perfectly still beside her and looked up with a glare. Buffy smiled,

‘Sorry, kiddo. Mommy doesn’t like to wait.’

But wait they did, as the line inched slowly forward Buffy scanned the aisles wondering if it would be quicker to join another, there was little point, they were all long enough to offer nothing but tedium. Alice got onto her tiptoes and stretched forward as far as she could and then relaxed clutching her prize, a brightly coloured insurance leaflet which she began to fold and tear with great determination.

‘Alice, honey. What are you doing?’

‘Don’t look Mommy - I’m making you a flower, it’s a surprise.’

Smiling, Buffy turned away and made a point of tilting her nose towards the ceiling, as out of the corner of her eye she saw her daughter’s head snap round to check that her instruction was being obeyed. Satisfied, Alice turned her attention towards the now battered leaflet and soon became wholly absorbed in her creation.

Buffy allowed her mind to wander as she looked over the store focussing briefly on small random details - the broken ’X’ in the lit up ‘FIRE EXIT’ sign, an arm stretching up for some canned fruit revealing a thick, black tattoo as the T-shirt sleeve covering it was pulled down, and a long reddish brown stain snaking down the floor of the ready meal aisle where some unknown item had been dropped, squashed, flattened by shopping carts and trodden on by shoppers too unwary or lazy to avoid it.

Then there were the voices. Buffy had had a very fixed idea of how an English accent should sound, and in the six days she’d been in Britain had been surprised to discover that very few English people spoke that way. Rough, quick speech in a mix of accents she couldn’t distinguish had washed over her making her long in a way she had not done for years to hear a certain English voice.

Visit Giles. That was the top of the To Do List every day since they had gotten off the ferry and stood shivering in the pale pre-dawn light. The low grey cloud and incessant rain made Rome seem weeks not hours ago, and Buffy had felt uncharacteristically depressed. On the bus to London Alice had lain in her arms fathoms deep in sleep as Buffy stared out into the gloom, and wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and wake up in the enveloping warmth and bright sunshine of home.

Visit Giles. It had been Buffy’s private agenda as together she and Alice had hatched plans and filled their days with expeditions and adventures. They had gone to the Tower of London to stare longingly at the Crown Jewels, ridden a gigantic Ferris Wheel on the Thames River and stood outside Buckingham Palace as red-coated soldiers marched up and down and then Buffy and Alice waved up at the windows in case Her Majesty was watching.

Now it was their last day in England, and so far Buffy hadn’t found a gap in the schedule or the courage to knock on Giles’ door. What would she say? What could she say after all this time? And really was there any point to stirring things up only to leave again more or less immediately? Eight years ago as the smoke was still rising from the crater-formally-known-as-Sunnydale Buffy had mourned Giles’ abrupt departure with an intensity that had threatened to overwhelm her, and she would not allow herself to feel that way again.

Deep down, although Buffy was reluctant to admit it even to herself, she was a little afraid of what she would find if she went looking for Giles. Her first year in college had shown how bad he was at being alone, and Buffy assumed that he was. In his emails Giles remained as closed off about his personal life as always. Instead they were filled with stories that he knew would amuse her, and recommendations of books she’d enjoy and art she’d fall in love with on her travels, all written with the confidence of someone who knew instinctively what would please her. Of course Giles wasn’t necessarily alone - he was a kind and handsome man with a great deal to offer and could well be fully and happily involved with someone. Buffy didn’t like herself much when she realised that possibility bothered her even more.

Buffy and Alice shuffled forward, just as it was beginning to feel like they were doomed to spend their last day in a food store they had almost reached the checkout. Another few minutes and they’d have the makings of a great picnic and be out of there. Today was Dinosaur Day: like many kids her age Alice had become fascinated by the ‘terrible lizards’ thrilling to their awesome size and variety. She loved to reel off names and vital statistics - Diplodocus 12 tons, Stegosaurus 9 metres long, Brachiosaurus 16 metres tall and so on basking in the praise this feat of memory and verbal dexterity always drew from adults. The Natural History Museum with its suitably vast dinosaur collection was today’s destination and then, weather permitting a picnic in the park. It would be good to get some fresh air ahead of the hours on a plane that awaited them that night.

Two more customers to go and then it would be their turn to pay. Alice proudly thrust her ‘flower’ towards Buffy.

‘It’s beautiful.’

‘Smell it.’ Alice ordered. Buffy gave the paper a deep, theatrical sniff.

‘Smells like…’

‘Roses!’ Alice cut in triumphantly. ‘Roses are the most nice smell in the world. All people like roses best.’

Smiling down at her daughter who was twirling the insurance rose excitedly, Buffy felt a sudden rush of love and reached out and stroked her hair.

‘Not all people, kiddo. Not all people.’

Idly Buffy began to look around again. A pre-schooler who’d just fallen over was taking the deep breath that would proceed a loud and prolonged crying fit, a teenager in a baggy orange shirt stamped with the store’s logo was constantly clicking her tongue stud against her teeth as she restocked the bread, and through a gap at the far end from Buffy and Alice near the door someone was signing a credit card slip. Buffy could just see the hand and like a lot of right-handed people found it strangely compelling how left-handers managed to make every action look totally natural and perfectly weird at the same time. The hand tilted and stretched to give the pen and credit slip back to the checkout guy and in that moment Buffy saw the ring.

Very briefly she thought it must be a coincidence but then Buffy saw Giles move forward, pick up a small bag and head for the exit. For a few seconds Buffy was rooted to the spot but then instinct and adrenalin kicked in and she snapped into action. Dumping the basket of picnic goodies on the floor she firmly grabbed Alice’s hand pushed past the rest of the line, and made for the exit not even hearing their cries of protest. She looked up and down but couldn’t see Giles in either direction along the crowded sidewalk. Damm it he was so close! Buffy started off left but then suddenly turned around and with more speed and confidence went to the right.

Thanking the Powers That Be that her Watcher was a fairly tall man she caught sight of the back of Giles’ head and shoulders. At that point Alice who was disturbed by the sudden change in plans and tempo began to drag her heels and whine.

‘Slower Mommy. I don’t want to run.’

Not taking her eyes off her target Buffy bent and scooped her daughter up and dodged though the crowds with easy grace.

‘Stop Mommy! Stooaaaaoop - I’ve dropped my flower.’


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