I really hate this title, but I've been putting off publishing the first couple of chapters because I couldn't think of a title, so I just picked something. So premise - Angel gets a call from the social worker on Dawn and Buffy's case in season 6. The Buffy and Willow part of this chapter starts right at the very end of "Gone" - and in this version, the social worker gets a few days off, but still comes back to work on the case (since in real life, when you take a few days off like she did, your work load doesn't magically disappear, unfortunately) I'm kind of smushing Gone and Doublemeat Palace together. This takes place around the same general time frame in Angel, but it doesn't really correlate to a specific episode. Cordy and Angel are more brother-sister than interested in each other.
Also - since it's been said in Angel that Angelus is always there, locked away in Angel's head, I thought it would be fun to assume that Angelus can then speak to Angel and has a running commentary going on. Like he's MST3K-ing Angels life. Angel's comments are in bold italics while Angel's responses to him (and anytime anyone else thinks to themselves as well) it's just plain unbold italics.
As always, all my thanks go to Love-el-ly Joy for be such an awesome help. She has a new fic she's working on (Buffy goes to LA to see Angelus in season 7, Spike comes along, shenanigans ensue) that you should check out.
Okay, promise I'm done with announcements now. I don't own any of it. Please, read, enjoy, review. :D
Wesley tentatively stepped into Angel's makeshift office. "Angel."
"What's up, Wes?" he said, lovingly putting Connor back down into his crib without looking up.
"The phone is for you."
Angel looked up in surprise. "Can you take a message?"
Wes looked at Angel for a moment before answering. "I think you want to take this."
Angel's brow furrowed in confusion. "Um… okay."
Wes considered leaving to give Angel his privacy, but stayed put instead, settling himself into a chair on the other side of the desk. Angel obligingly put the phone on speakerphone, leaving his hands free to fidget with his pen.
"Angel Investigations."
The woman's voice came across clear and stern sounding through the speakers. "Yes, I need to speak with Angel." She said his name suspicion and a touch of contempt.
Angel frowned in irritation. "Speaking."
"You're Angel? And do you own this little business Mr. …?"
Angel ignored the leading question. "Yes I do, ma'am. Just who am I speaking with and what is this regarding?"
The woman on the other line gave a huff of indignation. She usually liked to get further in the interview before revealing who she was.
"I'm Miss Doris Croager of Child Services," she said pompously.
Angel frowned in confusion. "Okay. What's this regarding?"
"Are you acquainted with Dawn and Buffy Summers?"
Angel's eyes widened as he threw a look at Wes. He felt as if the bottom of his stomach had dropped out. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he replied. "Yes, I am. Is… is something wrong?"
Well that's a stupid question. They live on the Hellmouth; of course something's wrong.
"Are you aware of the death of their mother? One Mrs.…" she trailed off, clearly shuffling through papers, trying to find the name.
"Joyce."
"Yes, Joyce Summers. Since Miss Buffy Summers," she said the name with a touch of disapproval, "has assumed guardianship of her sister, I have been assigned to determine if she is fit for the role."
"Fit for the role? Of course-!"
"Needless to say," the woman continued, "I have some concerns over whether an irresponsible young college dropout is fit for the role of mother."
Needless to say, this woman is a moron. We should eat her.
Anger clouded Angel's features. "Irresponsible? Buffy's not irresponsible!"
The woman clucked her tongue. "I look at her file and I see a woman with a history of erratic behavior, who has always blown off school and blew it off again in college-"
"To take care of her mother!" Angel interrupted, breaking the pen in his hands, splattering ink everywhere. He threw a worried look at Connor as he shifted in his crib, but stayed asleep.
The social worker continued. "And instead of going back to school, she disappears for a few months, then gets a job at a fast food restaurant and calls it an attempt to provide for her sister, who is following her footsteps in her disregard for education."
Angel looked at Wes in shock. "Buffy's working at…?"
"There are almost no positive role models in the girl's life and I frankly have very real concerns about some of the people Miss Summers allows in and out of the house. One particular gentleman with a British accent and peroxide blonde hair comes to mind."
Once again, Angel looked at Wesley in surprise. "Spike?"
"Furthermore," the woman continued, "the only references she could provide were a gentleman in England who we've been unable to reach, and you."
"Buffy would die for Dawn!" exclaimed Angel, uncomfortable with how intimately aware he was of that fact.
"How sentimental," the woman said condescendingly. "However, in my experience it rarely comes to that."
"Lucky you," Angel muttered.
How long has she been working on the Hellmouth?
"My concern is whether or not Buffy can create a stable home environment for Dawn."
"I can't imagine a better guardian for Dawn," said Angel firmly.
He could practically hear the pursed lips. "Noted. I'm curious; how do you know Buffy?"
Angel's eyes widened in brief panic as Angelus laughed wildly in his head. Wes opened his mouth for a moment before shutting it with a snap.
"Buffy and I…" loved each other? He could just imagine how that would go over. Dated? Oh, even better.
Oh I know! How about "fucked each other's brains out but couldn't do it again so I left?"
"We worked together… for a while."
"Worked together? When was this?"
"A few years ago. When she was in high school." He cleared his throat to clear the emotions clogging it. "But we've kept in touch since then," he hastened to assure her.
I must have missed all of these phone calls and touching reunions you two have had.
"I show no employment history for her in high school."
Angel swallowed. Damnit he was a seasoned veteran at lying! He could do this. "It was a... an early adaptation of my business. Not for profit."
"She volunteered," said the woman, disbelief dripping from her voice. "And was this before or after she was expelled?"
How rude. We should eat her.
"It sounds like you've already-" Angel began furiously.
Wesley cleared his throat loudly to cut him off as Fred poked her head in.
"Um… hi. There's a client-" she said
"Tell them to wait," said Angel.
That's right. Screw the helpless; you've got things to do and people to eat.
"No, it's quite alright," said the caseworker. "I'll call you with any further questions."
"Are you sure? I…"
"Quite sure. You have a nice day."
"Right," said Angel in a daze as they disconnected.
This is why you good guys are such saps. 15 seconds and the problem could be solved. But no – you pussies have to sit back and be miserable.
She may be horrible and judgmental, but she thinks she's doing the right thing.
Angelus snorted. That's what's so delicious about the whole thing. She's spent how many years being miserable because it's "the right thing to do," his voice dripped with mockery at those words, only to get kicked in the face while she's down by her own side. And you saps keep this up… why, exactly?
Angel had no way to counter that, so he was grateful when Wes cleared his throat loudly to get his attention.
"Right. Fred, tell the client I'll be right out there."
She nodded and left as Angel turned to Wes, who stated the obvious for lack of anything better to say. "Clearly things have gone downhill for Buffy."
"I don't know where to start," said Angel. "She's… she's…"
Use your words.
"Well clearly she's working at a minimum wage fast food job," said Wesley.
"Why? She's a smart…"
Mediocre grades at best, college dropout, erratic, violent history… Who wouldn't want to hire her?
Wesley must have seen where his thoughts were headed. "The life of a slayer leaves little room to… er… develop a marketable skill set."
Oh, it's plenty marketable, if you hit the right people.
"Giles left." said Angel.
Wesley's brow furrowed. "When did she say Giles left?"
Angel gave him a sarcastic look. "Who do you think her other reference was, Travers?"
"Fair enough," conceded Wes.
"Why would Giles leave?"
Maybe he finally realized how much longer his life expectancy was without his prodigal slayer.
"I'm not sure," said Wes.
"And Spike!" said Angel, clearly unable to say any more on the issue.
"That is probably the most bizarre twist of all," Wesley said.
Right, because she's never let a vampire into her life before.
Spike doesn't have a soul!
Perish the thought!
"I'm having a difficult time imagining how Buffy is doing right now. How was she when you saw her last?"
Angel closed his eyes in remembered pain.
Do the words "basket case" mean anything to you?
"She was… she was barely holding it together," he said.
Wesley looked at him for a moment before speaking. "Do you have a plan?"
There's no need for a plan. 15 minutes alone in a room with some toys would fix everything.
Angel winced at the brutal images Angelus was coming up with. "I-I don't," he said, looking at Connor, who was still sleeping peacefully.
Fred poked her head back in. "Um… sorry, but they're getting real impatient."
"Right," said Angel. "The plan. I'll talk to the clients, then think about what to do. Let me know if she calls again," he said, standing up. "Later we'll talk to Cordy to see if she knows anything about the situation in Sunnydale."
Buffy and Willow walked through the dark streets of Sunnydale arm-in-arm.
"So… how are things with the social worker?" asked Willow.
Buffy sighed. "I think I bought a temporary reprieve, but she'll only be gone for a couple of days. I don't think we've seen the last of her."
"We'll figure out what to do," said Willow encouragingly.
"I don't know," said Buffy. "On paper, I really don't look like a good guardian."
"She's your sister! That should count for something."
Buffy sighed. "Should it?"
"Well sure. I mean, of course! Why wouldn't it?"
"I don't know. Maybe… maybe I'm not such a good parent for Dawn," said Buffy, defeated.
Willow looked at her wide-eyed. "What do you mean?"
"Well," said Buffy, picking a stray piece of hair out of her mouth with more care than was strictly necessary, "maybe it's not just on paper. Dawn already hates me half the time. I-I never really know what to do. I never seem to get it right with her."
Willow tried, unsuccessfully, to make eye contact with Buffy as she spoke. "Buffy, she's a teenager. No one knows how to be a parent to a teenager. It's like a law."
"My mom did," said Buffy quietly.
Willow had nothing to say to that. "You died for Dawn!" she cried.
Buffy looked down. "It's not necessarily a compliment when the best thing I ever did for my sister was to die."
Willow gaped at her in shock for a full minute, before finally regaining her speech. "Y-you're not just going to let them take her away…?"
"No," said Buffy firmly. "Of course not. Miss Croager asked for character references. All I could come up with was Angel, who I've barely spoken to twice in the last 2 years-"
"Of course Angel will vouch for you!"
"-and Giles, who, in case you missed it, left town because I'm too irresponsible." She laughed bitterly. "Maybe I shouldn't have used him, but I felt pathetic that the only one I could think of was my ex."
"Buffy…" said Willow, with no idea how she was going to finish that sentence.
"God, I'm sorry, Wills. You have enough to deal with without me dumping on you."
"No! Dump away! 'Sides, I'm going to be dumping on you a lot, so it's only fair."
Buffy threw her arm around Willow, giving her a squeeze. "I'm proud of you."
"Well don't be too proud yet," said Willow, a hint of her 17 year old self peeking through.
Buffy gave her another little squeeze.
"Have you told either of them you're using them as references?" asked Willow.
Buffy groaned. "It didn't even occur to me. Do I have to?"
Willow chuckled a bit. "I think it might be best to warn them, yeah."