A/N: A friend and fellow fanfic writer, RKORadio, wanted help with a "Family Affair" fic. We discussed how to fit Buffy's acting and looking so young as she grew into canon. Though I've heard of 11YOs who play with dolls at times, RKORadio says Buffy was consistently depicted as a young schoolgirl. Buffy says she's "almost 9" in late season 5. But, it's most likely Cissy (15 at the start) was in college a while and 20 by then, and Jody was 11, which would make Buffy 11, too. And, it's much easier to figure show events took place over 5 years
You'll see from this resulting fic that Buffy could have lied about her age very plausibly. It's a couple years after the series because with such storylines as canon it'd still really become a concern then. As for "Barney Miller," it's pre-series, but Wojo was at least a policeman by spring of '73, and "a uniform" could refer to his patrolman's attire or his military service. Levitt was there enough later Wojo could have been earlier.
This is plausible psychologically. It fits "Family Affair" canon nicely, though tweaks could be needed. RKORadio says that it also sadly highlights how people blew it so tragically with the actress. Anissa Jones could have been allowed to grow physically yet limited times could have appeared younger in poignant scenes knowing she's not "always playing a kid" but instead plays "a preteen/teen with grieving issues but normal otherwise." Had they done this in the last seasons of "Family Affair," instead of sinking into despair, she may have blossomed as a gifted actress.
It's nice to know the character Buffy turned out okay in the "Family Affair" universe, at least. That's because as an 11YO in late season 5 one can easily imagine her struggling and yet overcoming issues thanks to the love and support of family.
I changed the title becasue I've never found a good fit & this at least shows more of the mystery than the sentiment right at the end. There's also a sequel to the events of the 12th precint now, "A Common Thread," a crossover with "Welcome Back, Kotter."
The Person Inside
Former police detective Ron Harris loved the "former" part of that title.
Oh, he'd loved being on the force in the early years. The writer in him knew there was more to life, though. As older children in the choir room sang "Rainbow Connection," from "The Muppet Movie," he smiled with satisfaction. "That's you, Ron," he told himself. "You heard it too many times to ignore it. That voice calling you to fulfill your dreams. Now, here you are."
And yet, as a former policeman, he sometimes saw reminders of his past life. This was one of them. "Buffy?" he said as he stepped into the first grade classroom, where a young schoolteacher was just finishing her lunch.
"Mr. Harris," she said as she stood. She wiped her hands and then shook his. "I'm glad you could come talk to my class about writing stories."
He looked at the tiny desks. "You want me to fit in one of these?"
"Oh; no." Buffy laughed. She walked over to the corner and moved an adult-sized chair cloe to her des. "Although after our first encounter you might have wondered if I would try."
"I was thinking about that when I saw you." Harris sat. "Your students are at lunch?"
She nodded. "After their recess, we can talk about old times," she teased him.
"Wouldn't that be a little embarrassing?" Harris inquired.
"Well, psychological reasons would be advanced for them," she admitted. "But, they're not too young to understand how to care. That's why, when I heard you were a writer, and you were tinkering with ideas on a book for a younger audience, I wanted to talk to you." He raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't just to have you come speak to my class. I hope you tell my story."
"You won't mind being in my book?"
"Not at all." After a pause, she said, "On their level, of course. We can work together on how. You know; like the folks at Sesame Street did recently with Mr. Hooper's death."
Harris nodded slowly. He'd loved police work for a variety of reasons. Some had been helping people, even if it wasn't the main focus. He supposed this idea appealed to him because, while he'd grown to dislike police work, that part that wanted to help others was still there.
"It won't delve as much into police work," he considered slowly. "But, that might be just as well. My audience would get more out of a book about orphans. Although that climax…" He paused, ruminating on his previous difficulties. He supposed he'd only have to include a few colleagues, and even then, if they were fictional…well, he could have them look at it anyway. Those he might use been very agreeable in the first place. "It shouldn't be a problem."
"No. It was probably one of your tamer days," Buffy said.
Harris chuckled as they reminisced. "There was always something…"
OOOOOOOOOOOOO
It was the early 1970s. A stoic English butler named Mr. French was squirming inside as he entered a lady's store with Buffy. "Are you, uh, sure I can't just wait outside?"
"You have the money," Buffy pointed out. The girl was in her early teens, and was normal physically, but inside, she, too, was uncomfortable, though she couldn't really explain it. She hated her long hair, for one thing.
"Oh; quite right. I suppose that is a concern." He looked around. "Cissy said you have outgrown your..." He pursed his lips. "You need a garment used by human females to cover their frontal section while at the same time allowing it to remain loose enough to be comfortable."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Mr. French, it's called a bra."
He spoke as he followed her. "I am aware of that, it's just that for a proper gentleman like myself, I still find it a mite uncomfortable to discuss lady's undergarments and other items which they may require, such as for hygiene."
"Mr. French, did anyone ever tell you you sound like a Vulcan sometimes?" She was referring to the hyperlogical characters with no emotions on Star Trek.
"Quite," he said simply, understanding that Buffy was at the age when her hormones might make her a bit testy. He knew when to back off.
However, he couldn't help but embarrass her when he asked, "Are you sure I cannot be of more assistance when it comes to something to assist in punctuation?"
"Punctuation? This isn't English homework," Buffy snapped.
"I thought I was being quite clever," Mr. French muttered, a little discouraged but willing to ignore the spat.
Later, Buffy had made several purchases, but said she wanted to try on clothes. Mr. French went to a pay phone outside the store and phoned her Uncle Bill. Bill Davis had become caretaker of Buffy, her twin brother Jody, and their older sister Cissy, who was in college in her early 20s now. That had been around seven years ago, a year after the childrens' parents died.
"Yes, Sir, I have left her to allow her to try on clothes, but I must add to my protest of earlier today. Why must I face the barbs of a young teen who insists that I use proper terminology for issues of feminine hygiene?"
"I told you, Cissy's just finishing up a big project and Buffy couldn't wait," Bill said.
"But she said she'll be done with it after lunch," Mr. French added.
"Don't worry; Buffy's not making you try anything on, is she?"
"Well, no…" Mr. French said slowly. "But, the look she gave me when I asked her to explain what a certain item was for could have taken out a regiment of soldiers. I cannot understand the young teenage mind; she wants me to use proper terminology instead of the euphemisms I was, and yet she dislikes the fact that I need to ask questions."
Bill smiled as he looked out over his plush office. "It'll get better, Mr. French; just like everything else you've been through. She'll appreciate it someday."
"I do hope you're right," the butler said. "At any rate, I did pay for the bra, a few clothing items, and…" He cleared his throat. "I paid for other items, as well. She has those bags, and this time, I simply told her to let me know when she is ready or if she wishes to purchase more. I have been looking at the window."
Except, of course, that he'd had to dial the telephone. Combined with the fact that it was a crowded, since there was a spring sale, it gave her plenty of chance to split. If Mr. French asked, she would just tell the clerk to tell him she went back home.
First, however, after putting on t a few of her purchases, she went into the restroom, took out the ties she'd brought with her, and fixed her hair up in pigtails.
She didn't think much about which train to get on. However, Buffy quickly realized she'd boarded the wrong train, and ended up in Greenwich Village. She decided to get out of the subway and have some fun. She had time to kill, and a few bucks in her pocket, after all. Even if Mr. French figured she'd gone home, he wouldn't have gotten there yet. She told herself that she was still in Manhattan, so it couldn't be that far. While Buffy knew Manhattan was a large place, she didn't want to think about having the responsibility of knowing such things.
Detectives Ron Harris and Philip Fish had just finished their lunch break when they spotted Buffy outside a different restaurant coloring with sidewalk chalk. "Excuse me," Fish said. "Does the owner of this establishment know you're coloring on his sidewalk?"
"He probably saw me. I bought the chalk before I got a sandwich in there." She held up a bag. "I was going to jump rope, too."
Harris looked in the bag; there was a receipt, all right, as well as for her other purchases. "Okayyy. What's your name?" She simply said "Buffy.". "How old are you?" he asked with some confusion.
"Eight… no, nine. Yeah, around nine," Buffy said.
Harris took Fish by the arm and motioned him away from the girl. "That girl looks too much like a teenager to be eight or nine."
"You don't call it suspicious when people my age lie about their age," Fish countered.
"Yeah, but you're old." Harris ignored Fish's look and whispered, "Most teens want to be older, not younger."
"So you think she is nine?" Fish asked, bewildered.
Harris rubbed his chin. "No; she could be handicapped, though." In his normal voice, he asked, "Where's your mom or dad?" Buffy said she didn't have any. "Where do you live?" She didn't answer. "Isn't there someone looking for you?"
Not looking up, she spoke in a huff. "Yes, his name is French. I wanted to shop and he kept talking about punctuation."
"His name is French, or he has a French name?" Fish inquired.
When Buffy didn't answer, Harris opined, "She might not want to tell strangers." He pulled out his badge, which signaled Fish to do the same. "Uh, Miss, we're with the police. We'd like to help you find your home."
Buffy looked at the badges and nodded her acceptance that they were policemen. She knew not all policemen wore uniforms, so she believed it when she saw the badges. While she wouldn't have been interested in going with them normally, what she said next spurred events that led the young teen to do so. "My sister likes a policeman."
"Really, who is it?" Harris asked in a friendly tone.
Buffy had to think for a second. "I don't remember. She saw him a few times and talked to him, and he seemed nice. She was hoping he'd ask her out. She said he fought in Vietnam."
"Wojo?' When that sounded familiar, Harris asked, "What's your sister's name?"
"Cissy."
"We don't mean what she's called," Fish explained. "What's her name?" When Buffy insisted it was Cissy, Fish whispered to Harris, "You may be right; she's very literal. She's insisting that her sister's name is what she calls her." Harris nodded.
"Tell you what," Harris told her in an inviting tone. "Pick up your bags and we'll help find your home and maybe set your sister up with Wojo. I'll bet your sister would love that, wouldn't she?" Harris asked excitedly. Buffy quickly agreed.
In the 12th Precinct, Captain Barney Miller was just stepping out of his office when Harris and Fish returned with Buffy. "What've you got?"
Buffy sat down in front of Fish's desk and pulled out a new doll while Harris talked to Miller. "Her name's Buffy. She claims to be about nine, though at first she said eight. You can tell despite the pigtails she's definitely a young teen." Barney agreed. "Anyway, she was coloring with sidewalk chalk in front of a restaurant. Her purchases all check out; some around our precinct, most not, but she has the sales slips. Thing is, she claims not to have a mom or dad, and just says some guy with a French name is looking for her. She didn't seem scared of him when we talked in the car, though, more like they'd just had a tiff." He pulled out a slip of paper. "Oh, she did tell us where she goes to school."
"You're sure his last name isn't French? If not her dad, it could be a relative?"
"We thought about that, but then she insisted her sister's name was Cissy, even after we told her we wanted a name. In the car Fish even thought of asking what she was called when she was in trouble."
"And?"
"She said 'Miss Cissy.'" Barney gave an "it figures" nod. "Sounds like she might take things pretty literally," Harris noted. Miller concurred; it did go along with the younger age thing. "Anyway, so we could check to see if she's missing, we got her to come down to the station because her older sister's apparently got a crush on Wojo; she said her sister likes this policeman who was in Vietnam, and the name was familiar to her."
The captain snickered. "Something about a uniform sometimes, huh?"
"Yeah. Anyway, she's certainly lost, so we're trying to get more information. It's coming slow, though. The more I think, I'm not sure if she's handicapped or what." He scratched his head. He couldn't really verbalize what, but something was nagging at him.
A short time later, after Harris called the precinct nearest where she'd bought her first items to see if they'd had a missing girl reported, Wojo and Nick Yemama entered. They brought in a man with Vulcan pointed ears and a Star Trek uniform, and a man with a large question mark on his shirt. "I don't care if you're from Vulcan," Wojo said in a very forceful manner, "you're in our jurisdiction now, and people don't appreciate getting Vulcan neck pinches."
"He started it; he was going to take me to the Daleks for interrogation," the pointed eared man said, pointing at the other man.
"What's this?" Barney asked.
"The reason Star Trek and Dr. Who never had a crossover," Yemana said.
Wojo explained. "These men were at rival sci-fi conventions; Mr. Angus here was at a Star Trek one, Mr. Philips at a Dr. Who one. They met around lunch in this store, and they got to arguing; next thing you know they're disturbing the peace."
"So they were fighting over which series is better?" Miller guessed. It made sense to him; they were from, and in those days it was likely neither fandom knew each other well.
"Well… they're not fighting the way you're thinking," Wojo said.
"I'll sic a whole legion of cybermen on you," Philips exclaimed.
"Not after I mind meld with you and turn you to our side; your friends will have Klingons out their ears," Angus shouted as he reached for Philips' head. "My thoughts to your thoughts…"
When Philips swatted Angus' arms away, the two began scuffling till the police broke it up. "There's not gonna be any intergalactic wars here," Wojo commanded. "And you, any attempt to mind meld without the person's consent would be assault and battery."
As Wojo explained about the fight between the gentlemen, Buffy was telling Fish about her dolls and also described other "little girl" things she loved to do.
"I'd like to know more about your school since we couldn't reach them since they're not in session. How well do you do in school?" She was a good student. "Do you take regular classes?" She did.
"You got a minute, Woj?" Harris asked. Since he did, Harris introduced him to Buffy. "She says her sister's got a thing for you."
"Oh, yeah? How old is she?"
"Early twenties." She reiterated that she herself was "around nine."
"How can you be around nine? You either are nine or you're not," Wojo said.
Harris took him aside. "She hasn't given us an address or phone number, and claims her sister's name is just Cissy; no other real name."
"Well, maybe the parents just weren't very original," Wojo suggested, still a little naïve about things and thinking it was possible.
When told Buffy said she didn't have parents, Wojo was interrupted in his question about who took care of her.
Angus uttered a very loud accusation at Philips. His words were at the same time very calm, as a Vulcan – or person acting like one – would normally be, but it still concerned Wojo. "I better get back to these guys before the intergalactic war starts again," Wojo said.
"I did not break anything in that store," Angus was shouting. "In fact, I saw you attempting to take an article of clothing used by human females to cover their frontal section, yet which provides ample room for flexibility."
"I told him he sounded like a Vulcan," Buffy told Fish and Harris.
"Who?" Harris wondered.
"Perhaps she's talking about that Frenchman," Fish said.
"No, he's English," Buffy insisted.
"Wait, so his name isn't French?" Harris inquired.
"Who knows, it could be someone else," Fish pondered aloud. "Or maybe he's one of those who still thinks the English have title to the throne of France." This was an allusion to his own advanced age, since the British hadn't claimed that since the 1700s.
Wojo sighed. This was sounding too much like Abbott and Costello, and he into getting results, not fooling around with such craziness. "I'll try to help you guys if you need once we take their statements." He took one of the two combatants, with Yemana taking the other.
Harris made cursory calls to see if other precincts had reported a missing girl. None did. He and Fish deliberated about what to do – and whether the person Buffy had just mentioned was different than the French one – be that name or nationality - who would be looking for her.
As they did so, a group of well over a dozen baseball players from a pickup game, aged about eleven to fifteen, tried to get into the squad room. A detective, a Hispanic one named Chano, tried to keep them from breaking down the door while backing into the precinct. "No, you cannot all come in, there are too many of you," he declared angrily. "Only you and you…"
"Wait," Jody shouted as Chano pointed to a different boy who had a large bruise on his arm. "I think I see my sister," Jody cried out as other boys pushed him back.
"Please, you have got to let him in, too," Harris begged Chano. If this was Buffy's brother, perhaps he could shed some light on the confusion. Harris would call him in himself if he had to, though it would be unnecessary.
Testily, Chano relented. "Oh, all right. You wanted to make a citizen's arrest anyway," he barked. "Does anyone else have a sister in here?" When nobody piped up, Chano pulled Jody inside and shut the door while grumpily saying, "The rest of you, wait downstairs!"
Captain Miller walked toward the door and asked, "Citizens' arrest? What's going on?"
Buffy's eyes lit up when she saw Jody; she stood and called his name. He ran over and they hugged as Chano explained, pointing at Jody. "I was coming back from my appointment, and I saw all these boys coming upstairs. This boy wanted to make a citizens' arrest."
As several people looked at Jody to ask what had happened, his mind was on Buffy. "Are you okay? What are you doing here?" Jody asked anxiously.
"I got on the wrong train, and I decided to have some fun," Buffy revealed, a little disgusted at having to come. "I was coloring with sidewalk chalk I bought when these men brought me down to see the policeman Cissy likes."
"You're her older brother, I take it?" Harris asked. Jody had hit a growth spurt in the last year, so he was a bit taller.
"Actually, we're twins; thirteen," Jody explained.
Barney put his hands in his pockets and tried to put this as delicately as he could, especially given the revelation of the age of the girl with the pigtails and new doll. He knew what it looked like, at least. And, if she was handicapped her brother might be extremely protective of her. "My men were concerned because she appeared lost. She also told them she was around nine, and was just… acting… younger than she looks," he finished much lower, so only the boy could hear well. If Jody wanted to explain, he'd shown a willingness to do so in private and not embarrass his sister.
"That's funny," Jody said with a confused look. This startled the men. "Buffy didn't have pigtails when Mr. French took her shopping this morning."
"That old teacher?" Fish inquired.
"He's our butler. Can I use your phone to call and let him know where we are?"
Barney, Harris, and Fish exchanged puzzled looks as Jody called. So, Buffy wasn't handicapped, but now, they were totally mystified.
Meanwhile, Chano was aghast. Jody had turned his attention completely away from the situation at his desk. "You were the one who wanted to make…" The detective sighed and turned to Barney. "Captain, this boy, Jose, was batting while this one, Carlos, was catching. There had been words before, so when Carlos threw the ball back to the pitcher too close to Jose's head, Jose swung his bat at Carlos's arm. He didn't get to his head before some other boys intervened."
"Okay," Barney said, "and what's this about a citizen's arrest?"
"Well, that boy, Jody, claimed that Jose had been bullying people in the neighborhood before; he'd heard a lot about it from some of his friends who he came down to play ball with since it's such a nice day. So, when Jose attacked with the bat, he took matters into his own hands and brought him in with the help of his teammates."
"Juan Marichal wasn't arrested when he did it," Jose declared. "Why don't you stick up for your own side?"
Chano glared. "Listen; I am on the side of law enforcement. And, if Juan Marichal had been in my jurisdiction and someone brought him in, I would have at least questioned him." Marichal had hit a Dodger catcher in the head with a bat during a brawl after the catcher through the ball back close to Marichal's ear. The future Hall of Famer was suspended and fined for it. However, he later became good friends with the catcher, Johnny Roseboro,
Meanwhile, Jody was on the phone. "Yeah, Mr. French, Buffy must have just gotten on the wrong train, if she told the clerk she was heading home." He shrugged as French asked a question. "I don't understand that part. All the stuff she bought's here, so she wasn't mugged…. Okay, by the time you make it down I should be done with this baseball thing I mentioned."
Chano obtained basic information from the other two boys, and then waited impatiently while Jody talked to Mr. French. He hoped that, after hanging up, Jody would turn his attention to him. However, Buffy began telling him about the doll Buffy had bought in Greenwich Village.
"Excuse me," Chano said impatiently, "you wanted to make a citizens' arrest, did you or did you not."
Jody held up a hand and walked over to Chano. "How do I do that?"
Barney explained. "It's normally only done on a felony, and then you have to have seen it or know the person's wanted. Whenever it's done, there are very strict protocols on how to operate. We don't want people coming in willy nilly saying they arrested someone."
"Yes," Chano emphasize. "But, you can file a complaint, or your mother or father or guardian can file for you. But, if you were not attacked, then you cannot file one. That is why I need to know if you were attacked by Jose."
"Well, you know how baseball brawls get sometimes," Jody explained.
Chano nodded abruptly and moved his hands to imitate people pushing. "I know very well how those things are. Everyone pushes and shoves like they are children trying to get the last piece of candy. Normally no one gets hurt, because everyone knows you never swing a bat at someone," he snapped at Jose.
Angus sounded off, though he continued to use his Vulcan monotone. "Perhaps you would be better off using a phaser on stun than a bat."
"Oh, yeah; when I show him what my weapons can do to you…" Philips had to be restrained; he was the angrier of the men.
"You two better pipe down," Yemana said, "or I'll unleash a weapon that can disable both your entire fleets of ships."
"Wow," Carlos said in awe, "what kind of weapon is that?"
"That's all I need," Yemana replied, pointing to a pot of his coffee. Yemana's coffee was notoriously very bad and undrinkable. "You want some?" he asked Angus and Philips.
Buffy thought he was offering it to everyone. "Oh, no thanks, that's just for older kids and adults," she said. "I'd never drink coffee."
"That stuff'll take a few years off your life," Fish joked with a nod.
Yemana quipped, "She's thirteen, and claimed she was nine. Something already did."
"Yeah, what's with this? Dolls, pigtails, saying you're younger?" Jody asked.
Buffy sighed and plopped into her chair. "Oh, nothing."
"Nothing? Did you hear the way she sighed, Barn?" Harris asked.
"It sounded like any other sigh to me," Fish said. "If Sam could rely on a sigh being a sigh in Casablanca, I can, too."
"Come on, man, it was more than a sigh. It needs a good adjective. I'd say…" Harris thought for a second. "Melancholy. A sadness that has some deep thought to it."
The captain was impressed. "Well, that a very good choice of words. I don't know if it helps us here, but it's a good use of words," he said with a smile.
As Buffy replied to Jody that she wasn't sad, Cissy entered the station. "They told me I could find a good looking officer up here," she said. She'd finished with her project, which she was doing with a student who lived in the area, and decided to stop by the station just to see if Wojo was there; she'd been told he was there.
Jody and Buffy each recognized her. When they called her name, she ran over and they hugged. "What are you two doing here?" she asked.
As they explained, Chano interrupted. "You still have not told me if he actually attacked you with the bat, or what you want to do with him."
"Why don't you let me talk to Buffy till Mr. French gets here, Jody," Cissy said once they were done explaining. To the officers, she said, "I don't know what's going on; she said she was almost nine a couple years ago, too, and a time or two since. Maybe she'll talk to me."
"Thank you. Now, give me all the details so I can write down your statement. And, if you want, we can call it a warrant," Chano said. Harris talked to Carlos, and Fish spoke with Jose.
Soon, the mothers of Carlos and Jose arrived. "One of the boys involved in the game called each of us," one explained. "I am Mrs. Graziano, Jose's mother. I hope he isn't in much trouble; they said he attacked someone with a bat during a game?" She'd married again after divorcing Jose's father. "I know it's been hard, even after I remarried, but…"
As Barney explained, Jody could tell something was bothering Buffy. "Now that the moms are here, I'm going back over there," he told Chano before walking away.
Chano threw up his hands. "If you are going to call it a citizen's arrest, you should at least do arresting," he complained.
"Buffy, what is it? I know you've been sneaking around in pigtails and other things more lately," Cissy said.
In one of those odd moments when twins seem to be able to at least read each other a little, Jody guessed, "Do you miss Mom and Dad?"
They spoke for a moment, with Buffy getting more and more emotional, allowing Cissy to cuddle her while Jody kept an arm around her. They could tell the loss was still bothering her. Finally, Buffy blubbered, "When I'm little, I'm just like I was then. I feel like they're part of me still. I don't want to grow up without them," she wailed.
"Oh, Buffy, I know it hurts," Cissy said as she and Jody embraced her.
They talked for a few moments while paperwork was finished on Angus and Philips, and more was gained from Carlos and Jose on what happened at the game. Finally, Uncle Bill – who Mr. French had called before leaving – and Mr. French showed up at the same time.
Bill immediately noticed the youngsters and ran over and hugged them. "What happened? What's wrong?" he asked nobody in particular.
"I think now we know why Buffy's been playing with dolls and insisting on wearing pigtails and stuff more and more," Cissy remarked.
"I don't wanna grow up," Buffy muttered.
Harris calmly stood next to Bill after giving him a little time with them. "From what we can make of it, it's a grieving problem," Harris said so lowly that the uncle rose to ensure he could hear the last part of the sentence. Once he nodded his understanding, the officer continued. "I don't know if you've had her in any counseling. It doesn't appear too serious; she just said she was nine, and of course you see her in pigtails and with the doll she bought. From what Jody told us, she didn't leave the house that way."
"No, no she didn't."
Barney was also over there, and was next to speak. "From what Cissy said, it's been going on a while?"
Bill walked away a little, motioning them to follow. They did. "Buffy played with dolls and stuff longer than some kids, but we figured it was just her personality. I guess I thought it could be grieving, but she did get more interests; not boys yet, but not all girls do that early. She found hobbies, things she enjoyed doing or learning about; she talked about what she wanted to be when she grew up. She seemed like a typical growing girl."
"But, there were signs? One of them said they remembered Buffy saying she was almost nine when she was eleven," Harris mentioned.
"I remember that, too. I thought it was just a phase; wanting to stay a kid at heart but not knowing how. I told you she did start to get other interests. Since she carried dolls around a lot less then, we figured she was growing out of that. Then, it increased; a lot more than we thought now that I see she snuck into pigtails like this…" He sniffled and closed his eyes, beginning to doubt himself as a caregiver. From the way Buffy was crying, she was missing his brother and sister-in-law more than he could have imagined. "I can't believe we missed…"
"Grief comes in a lot of forms; especially with children. At a stage as tricky as adolescence, it's easy to see how in some children it could come back," Barney added.
"And, the children were split up for a while at first, too; that probably didn't help," Bill said. Except now that she was a teenager, Buffy might realize she's loved, yet at the same time it was harder and harder for her to see hersle changing and realize she was losing was felt, to her, like a connection to her parents. He blinked back a tear. They'd gotten through other situations with them, they would here, too.
"We have a lot of connections with Bellevue," Harris said of the hospital famous for its psychiatric ward. "I can call and have them recommend someone good near you; it won't be more than outpatient counseling, I'm sure," he said, hoping to emphasize to the man that this didn't seem to require really extensive treatment. "Just to help her cope."
"Yeah, thanks," Bill said absently. He knelt by Buffy and took her into his arms. "Buffy, I love you. I just want you to know I understand now why you've acted the way you have. You still miss your mom and dad a lot, huh?" She nodded. "I know it's gonna be hard. But, Jody, and Cissy, and Mr. French and I are going to be here for you whatever you need to help you grow up into a wonderful young lady. And you'll be able to make it even without your mom and dad here. Because you've got us. We're alwas going to be a family." He breathed deeply. "I guess I always figured grief was linear. I guess it's harder than I thought for you, especially it being your parents. But, we'll make it."
"Yeah, we'll always be there to help," Jody concurred.
"Don't be afraid to ask us for anything," Cissy said. "If it'll help, I'll go part time at college or even take some time off if you need; because you're what's most important."
"That's right. We are a family, after all," Mr. French promised.
Buffy uttered a weak "thanks" to all of them then.
"That reminds me, we were trying to figure this out," Fish said. "I think we've established there's only one of you, but is your name French or English."
"Actually, my name, which is the word French, is an Anglicized version of the name 'Defreine,' and is of Norman and Irish origin," Mr. French said.
Fish recalled the earlier debate between himself and Harris about it being French or English. "Irish? What do you know; we were both wrong."
Carlos' mother, Mrs. Martinez, walked over to the family. "I couldn't help but overhear. I just want you to know, I lost my husband a few years ago. I know it's hard. But, I have faith that I'll see him again; so does Carlos. Sometimes, that's all we have to hold on to."
"I know they might be watching, I just wish they were here," Buffy lamented.
"We all do," Jody promised. The others agreed.
"It's hard. Sometimes I ask why Dad had to die when he did," Carlos said. "There's no good reason why some people get a lot longer than others. It just is."
Mrs. Martinez agreed. "Carlos does very well as the man of the house. We take the subway to the Brooklyn Tabernacle every Sunday, and it always encourages us so much. God loves each one of us, and paid the way for us to get into His perfect Heaven. It's a good thing, because all that death and devastation happens because of the sin that came into this once-perfect world by man's disobedience."
"And if you ever want proof there's sin in the world, just riding the subway'll do it," Jody managed to joke as he looked up from where he was hugging Buffy.
"True. Carlos can do it because of that personal elationship with Jesus Christ, which he got because he trusted in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection for his sins, personally. He's always been a faithful guide, hasn't he?" Carlos' mom asked.
"Yeah," Carlos said. "His forgiveness is so real, so wonderful. All I had to do was call on Jesus to save me and come into my heart and change me," the boy said. "I couldn't do it without him," he said ina near whisper, not necessarily wanting to boast that he needed help but knowing he did at times.
"Thanks. Maybe we'll join you there Sunday," Cissy said.
As Harris handed Uncle Bill a slip of paper with the name of the referral he'd gotten, Chano walked up to them. "Excuse me; are you done here? Because I still need to figure out what to do with Jose? Do I arrest him, or what?"
"What usually happens in these cases?" Carlos inquired.
"It all depends," Wojo said as he walked up to Barney, who was also near them. "People like Angus and Philips, they make up and as long as they don't do anything dumb, it's a scare, they don't have any reason to come back."
"That's wonderful. You really must have a great job," Cissy said, small stars in her eyes. "I always thought a police station would be more dangerous than this."
Wojo cautioned her strongly, his protective streak showing and overriding his interest in having a young lady notice him. "Now wait a minute. Police work's dangerous. We're lucky you guys didn't come when we had someone really violent. These guys only threatened each other with science fiction stuff. It's not all glamour. I was just comin' to tell Captain Miller here that these two are both clean. That means they don't have a record," he explained.
Angus scoffed. "Tell that to the Time Lords. Our so-called doctor friend has a rap sheet with them a mile long," he said, almost spitting at Philips.
"You're a sorry excuse for a Vulcan yourself, you pointy eared imposter. Why, I scratched you and your blood wasn't even green," Philips shouted back
"Hey; are you two gonna make up like you said?" Yemana asked. "Or, do I have to threaten to set my phaser on 'coffee'?"
Angus grumbled but relented. "All right. Just keep to your own universe and I'll keep to mine." He sighed as Philips agreed. "Humans are illogical."
"We like it that way. Keeps us on our toes," Yemana responded.
Barney couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange. Turning back to Cissy, he said, "What Wojo's trying to say is, that's one of the more pleasant, or at least easy to get along with cases we have. We catch a lot of really bad ones, though. My wife worries about me all the time."
Cissy looked back at Buffy, who still looked really sad. "I would hate to lose someone else important in my life. Especially with what we've already been through, huh?"
"What happens to the in between ones, like Jose?" Jody wanted to know. "The ones who don't just threaten to go all Buck Rogers on each other, but they're not really violent, either?"
Chano spoke up. "Well, in a case like this, Carlos has said he'll forgive him, if nobody wants to press charges that's fine. If you make your citizens' arrest, he'd have to appear in juvenile court, and could have the case on his record for life. So, we might look there first because he has a record if something else happens. Even if it's not him." Jody inhaled deeply. "We have tough choices every day. Yours is easy. You can just stand there and think."
"See, that's why we don't want people making citizens' arrests all the time," Harris insisted. "We're specially trained, and even we have trouble because we have to think so fast on our feet sometimes."
Jody looked at Mrs. Graziano. "If I let him go…?"
"He won't be playing ball for a long time. And, we will make sure that he learns to control himself," she pledged.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, man. That was really dumb for me to use a bat," Jose said, repeating something he'd said earlier to both of them. "I'll never do that again."
Jody could tell Jose meant it, and that he was truly sorry for what he'd done. he looked at Carlos. "You don't think the guys'll be upset?"
"I don't think they want him to have a record and be in court and stuff," Carlos said.
"That's what I thought. Okay, let him go," Jody said.
"Thanks," Jose said, clasping Jody's hand tightly. "I owe you one."
Jody corrected him. "You owe their whole neighborhood one."
"We'll make sure he's not bullying anyone anymore," Mrs. Graziano said decisively.
Chano offered a paper with numbers of some agencies which would help him with positive role models and with ways to interact positively with others. All agreed that was a good idea as Jose's mother took it.
Bill put an arm around Jody. "I'm really proud of you, you know that?" Turning to Harris and the others, he said, "Thanks for your help, too. We'll be in touch." They left talking about the wonderful things they would do as a family.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Back in the present, Harris said, "We never heard any more; he cleaned up his act. I'm sure the places Chano suggested helped, too."
"That's good. I'm glad you had some good ones in your career," Buffy said. "It was a struggle for a while as I got used to being a teenager without Mom and Dad. After they died, maybe with beign split up from Jody and Cissy at first too, I just shoved a lot of things aside. I never wanted to think about the fact people I loved might not be there." After a pensive moment, she finished by saying, "I guess those fears were what I was really hiding from."
"And, you were able to handle it for a while; but something must have given way when Cissy couldn't help you that one time," Harris opined.
"Right. And she did well; they say older siblings often take on some roles just without thinking, because of the death of a parent. Thankfully, I've found ways to cope and even to use my love for such things. That's why I became a teacher. And, I'll still skip sometimes and other fun things. But, I do it with an adult's mindset, instead of hiding."
"Is that what inspired Cissy to go into Child Psychology? I think I saw her name on a referral list my last few years. Although, she was already in college then, wasn't she?"
Buffy said she had been. "She took something general until she figured out what she wanted to do. It was easy to go back then and eventually get a Masters in it. Jody kept his love of baseball till he went to work for ESPN."
"I'm glad everyone's doing well." Harris heard the bell ring heralding the return of Buffy's first graders. "First the easy part here, talking about storytelling. I don't know how we're going to do that the rest on a kids' level."
"That's why I'm glad you're the writer," Buffy said as she got up, ready to welcome her students in and introduce her speaker.
At Christmas the following year, the family was opening gifts. Cissy and her husband, with their two adopted children, had come over, and Jody and his fiancé had come down. Buffy pulled out one last book. "this one's just marked 'From the author.'"
"One or your noteworthy author friends?" French asked.
Bill shook his head. "No, but one who hopefully will be someday."
"Look; there we are on the cover," Jody said.
"Yep," Buffy said. "I even gave him an old family photo. It's some fiction, some fact in how to deal with grieving, and a lot of love."
"Mr. Harris was great to work with," Cissy said. "I'm glad we were able to help in his project."
"Me, too. I think it could be like that Sesame Street special a couple years ago; it'll appeal to a lot of ages," Bill said.
"I know what matters most to me, though. That people see how wonderful it is that we're all together as a family. I never could have made it without you guys," Buffy declared. They all hugged.