Disclaimer: Twentieth Century Fox and Mutant Enemy own Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all related characters. This story sends Buffy into an alternate universe… starting on, let’s say, on Saturday, January 2, 1998, so it’s between “Amends” amd "Gingerbread." So, I think that puts it about five weeks after “Band Candy.”
Father
Part I
by MegaSilver
Joyce’s hand trembled as she regarded the little pink wand. Oh, no. Dear Lord, no!
A knock on the door broke into her momentary catatonia. “Mom?” Buffy said. “Are you okay?”
Joyce quickly hid the wand in the cabinet, patted her hair, cleared her throat, and opened the door. “J-just fine, sweetie,” she lied.
“Okay,” said Buffy. “I was… just kind of worried, that’s all. I mean… you were in there for what, half an hour?”
Joyce faked a smile and kissed her daughter on her forehead. “Well, hon, now you—know how I feel every evening.”
Buffy nodded. “I guess,” she sighed. “I’m gonna go make a few sweeps. Don’t wait up for me, ’K?”
“I won’t,” Joyce promised as Buffy exited the house. For once, she really wouldn’t. She had other things on her mind.
***
Buffy curled up next to Angel near his fireplace. “You sure you’re okay?” she asked him.
Angel stroked her hair gently. “I’m just fine,” he assured her. “What about you? You seem a little down.”
Buffy shrugged again. “I’m just kind of worried about my mother.”
“Why? Is she ill?”
“Well—I don’t know. She’s just—she’s been like, all uptight this last week, and not about my slaying, either. It’s—something else.”
“How do you know?”
Buffy shrugged. “I just know these sorts of things. I can’t really explain it.” All of a sudden, she sat up straight. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“I’ll be right back.” Buffy sprang up from the sofa and crept out of the mansion quietly. In the graveyard nearby, a pair of vampires was attempting to pull a headstone out of the ground. Buffy marched right over to them, folded her arms, and tapped her foot. “I suppose it’s too much to ask one to exercise a little respect for the deceased these days, huh? Oh, wait—you guys are deceased. My bad.” With that, both vampires lunged forward at her. She quickly shot both of them backwards and withdrew a stake. “You want some? Come and get it!” One of the vampires charged towards her, unable to resist her taunting, and quickly found himself dust.
“And you’re next!—” But when Buffy whirled around to dust the other vampire, he’d disappeared.
***
Giles splashed warm water over his face, dried it off, and put his glasses back on. To read all day—was it a blessing or a curse? Certainly his eyes would have suggested the latter, but what else was there for a high school librarian to do the day after Christmas? Buffy didn’t need her watcher to baby-sit her or to help patrol; besides, if something serious happened, she’d know to drop by and tell him.
Still, Christmas vacation reminded Giles just how big a part of his life Buffy was. He missed seeing her every day—just having her there at the library for an hour or two after school made his day worth it. All his life, Giles had allowed his obligations as watcher to take precedence over his social life, and now, here he was, a middle-aged single man with no children. Except Buffy—well, sort of, anyway.
As Giles was preparing himself a cup of tea, a knock on the door interrupted his train of thought. He set the kettle down, padded over to the door in his bare feet, and opened it. “Mrs. Summers.”
“Hello, Mr. Giles. May I—come in?”
“Absolutely.” Giles opened the door enough so that Joyce could enter. “Make yourself at home. I just made some tea; would you like a cup?” he asked as he headed back to the kitchen.
“I’m fine; thanks.” Joyce sat down on the sofa.
Giles re-entered the living room, sipping his tea. “Is something wrong? Is it about Buffy?”
“Yes—I mean, no—I mean, not Buffy. Buffy’s fine—that I know of, anyway,” Joyce sighed. “I suppose I never know for sure with her out patrolling, though.”
“What’s the matter then?” asked Giles as he took a seat.
Joyce drew in a deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”
As she said this, Giles was about to take another sip of tea, but paused. “I’m sorry. Did you say you’re—pregnant?”
“Yes, I did.”
A look of panic came across Giles’ face as he realized what Joyce was really trying to tell him. “Oh.” He set his tea down. “You mean—”
“Yes,” said Joyce. “I haven’t been with anyone else since I separated with Buffy’s father.”
Giles was silent for a moment. This was too much to take in. “Well… I—really don’t know what to say.”
“Neither do I.”
“But perhaps it would be best to keep this under our hats—to not tell Buffy, I mean, until we decide what we’re going to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… I don’t really know,” confessed Giles. “I’m truly at a loss for thought here.”
The two were saved from speechlessness by another knock on the door. Giles rose to answer it, and Buffy stood in the doorway.
“Hey, Giles,” said Buffy. Suddenly, she noticed her mother sitting on Giles’ couch. “Mom?”
Joyce rose and walked over to the door. “Hello, Buffy. Is everything all right?”
“My gosh,” whispered Buffy. “You guys haven’t been eating more chocolate, have you?”
“No!” insisted Giles and Joyce at the same time, and Buffy nearly flinched at their sharp reaction. “I mean, of course not,” covered Giles. “I think we know better by now.”
“Then what? Are you—talking about me? Planning out my life?”
Joyce donned a cross expression. “Buffy!”
“Sorry,” apologized Buffy. “Weird day at the office, y’know.”
Joyce nodded. “I’ll leave you two to discuss your—slaying business. I’ll be waiting in the car, Buffy.”
“Nah, you just head off,” Buffy told her. “I’d rather walk home.”
“Are you sure?”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Mom, you know I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.”
“All right. But you be careful.”
“Bye, Mom.”
“Bye, Buffy. Goodbye, Mr. Giles.”
“Goodbye, Mrs. Summers,” Giles said as he closed the door behind Joyce.
“Why was my mother over here?” asked Buffy.
“Oh—she just needed to discuss something.”
“What?”
“It’s really a private matter, Buffy.”
“Oh... don’t tell me: you're having an affair!” Buffy smiled jokingly.
Giles winced a little bit before it set in that Buffy was kidding. “No, no,” he assured her. “Nothing like that. But, ah, what brings you over here?”
“I saw these two vamps trying to steal a headstone tonight,” explained Buffy. “Staked one; lost the other. I just thought maybe there was something up.”
“I see,” nodded Giles. “I’ll look into it. You’d better be heading home.”
As Buffy turned to open the door, she stopped and turned back to Giles with a confused expression on her face. “Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no, why?”
“I don’t know; you just seem a little bit weird. You and my mom both, actually,” noted Buffy.
“Well, I can’t speak for you mother, but I’m a tad worn-out,” lied Giles. “Perhaps some sleep would do me a favor.”
“Perhaps,” agreed Buffy, not sure whether he was telling the truth. “Well, I’ll leave you to the bed, then. ’Night.”
“Good night, Buffy.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
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