Serendipity

Chapter One

Buffy had to admit, things were very much looking like they were on the up. Which was great, considering two days ago she was basically read to bolt again. But her friends didn't hate her, her Mom didn't want her gone, Giles still loved her and to top it all she was going to be able to go back to school. The cherry on the top of the ice cream was that Snyder was powerless to do anything to stop it.

So, there was very a much a skip in her step as she followed her Mom towards the car, things were good. There had been plenty of crying and screaming and shouting which had eventually turned into hugging, repeted declarations of loving one another and digging cartons of ice cream out of the fridge to eat themselves out of their bad feeling and in the end, things had gotten better.

It might be awkward for a little while, but Buffy knew that her Mom loved her and that was all that she needed. Everything was going to be good from here on out. Of course, there were some things that still hurt deep inside of herself. The memory of thrusting a sword into Angel's chest and sending him to hell, in order to save the world, was going to be one that stuck with her for the rest of her life.

Running into the libary to find poor Kendra, her throat slashed open and bleeding out on the floor...had they taken her body back home? Had her watcher come to collect her? Buffy would have to ask Giles about all of that, when they had a moment. That was another good thing, no more secrets. Mom knew she was a slayer and she knew it wasn't her daughter going nuts.

She still felt Mom's hands on her shoulders, her eyes bright with desperation, trying to do anything to deny the truth. Saying that it was insane, that she needed help and her breath had caught in her throat at that moment as the memories of the mental hospital that her parents had shoved her into once she had burned down Hemry High came rushing back to her.

But that didn't matter now, not at all. She was fine, she wasn't crazy. She was the Slayer and her Mom knew that now. She would still have to keep secrets form some people, most of her classmates but now that Mom knew, it was going to be a ton easier. It had to be.

"Buffy!" A voice that was vaugely familar called out to her and as Buffy turned she saw Larry, the guy that had grabbed her ass during gym class around the same time Oz had learned he was a werewolf, came running up to her with two girls, one black with curly hair and deep brown eyes and a diamond stud in her nose and one white with long straight blonde hair that looked like she wanted to use it to hide behind and pretty blue eyes, following after him.

She had to admit, she hadn't really forgiven Larry for grabbing at her. She knew that he had a reason for it, Xander had told them that night and made them promise not to tell anyone else, but him being gay still didn't make up for what he did while trying to hide it. Still, she didn't want to start a fight now and from what she had heard, Larry was out now and he had stopped the macho bullshit. "Hey Larry, what do you need?"

Larry quickly glanced at her Mom and Buffy didn't really know what to make of it, it looked sort of hostile and sort of cold at the same time. "Actually, could we talk on our own?"

"Ah, it's your thing." Mom said with a bright and sunny smile even as the girl with nose stud muttered something that sounded a lot like "unbelievable" thank you very much slayer hearing. "I'll leave you all to talk, Buffy, I'll be in the car. Don't keep me waiting to long." And with that Mom was gone, walking down the steps and getting into the car.

"All right, what's up?"

Larry cleared his throat. "So um...we were at your welcome home party, a couple of days ago. Oh!" He gestured to the girl with the brown hair and brown eyes. "This Nicki." He gestured to the other girl. "And this is Tara, she only moved here a couple of days before you got back." Nicki held up her hand in a casual greeting, Tara stayed quiet.

"Nice to meet you guys, so, you were at my party?" She winced, it had been a terrible party even before the zombies had gotten there. Having her friends and her own Mother tearing into her in front of what seemed to be the entire school. "Were you guys alright, it was a crazy night right? Apprently everyone went off their heads because they were on PCP." It was funny how that seemed to be the most common excuse that everyone seemed to keep using and yet everyone on the Hellmouth swallowed it every, single, time.

"Yeah, we were fine. We actually took cover in your pantry till they all cleared out, oh, by the way I'm sorry I ate all your cookies while I was in there." Well, that explained where all the cookies went at least. For a little while she had thought maybe a zombie had changed their minds about eating brains and instead wanted delicious, cookie goodness.

"Don't worry about it."

"Okay, anyway that's not what we wanted to talk to you about. We saw the argument you had with your Mom, about what she said the night your left. That if you left, to never come back." Buffy had to admit, she was taken aback by the sympathy in Larry's eyes. What was the deal right now? "Buffy, I want you to know that we've all been there, and it's alright if you aren't alright."

"Um...thanks, but honestly we're fine now. I'm back home and we're all good."

"Me and my parents are fine now as well, it didn't stop them from kicking me out for two weeks." Nicki spoke, a supportive smile on her face. "Buffy, it's okay to admit that what she did hurt you, it must have done. You ran away and didn't come back for months, I don't know how you would've survived. If not for Larry and his folks, I wouldn't have had anywhere to go."

"And my parents weren't great at the start, my Dad wanted to throw me out. If it weren't for my Mom...but were a lot better now!" Larry seemed quick to want to say that. "But that doesn't mean it didn't hurt me, that he wanted to do that to me. I'm his kid, our parents are suppoused to love us know matter what, right?" Larry asked and suddenly Buffy found herself thinking.

Mom had a drink, and the whole world was wide open and she saw it, she saw what Buffy was, and she couldn't handle it. She couldn't deal, when Joyce had said what she had Buffy knew in that moment she hadn't meant it. It was why she hadn't come back in the morning, other than to grab some clothes, after she had killed the love of her life to save the world.

"Look, you and your Mom seem better now and that's great. But sometimes, you need to talk to people who get it. We have a group that meets in the Gym ever Tuesday and Thursday evening, if Snyder asks, it's a club to discuss poetry. But you should come. Anyway, we should get going. Hope you come!" And with that, Larry turned and walked back towards the school with Nicki following him.

In that moment, it was just Buffy and Tara. "Um." The quiet blond started, tilting her head up and wow, she was really pretty. If Buffy looked even half as pretty as that, she wouldn't be trying to hide it. "You, you s-s-s-should come." And then she was gone as well, hurrying to catch up with her friends and Buffy was alone for a few moments with just her thoughts before she turned to go and join Joyce in the car.

End of Chapter One

OKAY SO, this was inspired by the subtext that Buffy telling Joyce she's the slayer is meant to mirror a kid coming out to their parents and the parent taking it poorly.

Why Buffy and Tara, cause they had so few interactions but the interactions they did have were amazing and spoke, to me, of a deep relationship and I needed to follow it up.

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Much love,

DiscordantSymphony