Chapter 2
Downstairs in the Summers's kitchen the argument between her parents continued.
" Hank, we've known Buffy was special ever since we got the letter when she was eleven. We didn't send her because I wanted her to have a normal childhood, and you were happy with that because you despise everything that letter represented, and you're my husband and I wanted to respect your wishes. But I'm not the foolish, scared little girl you married anymore, and we both know that your not really Buffy father. she's special, and I cant just not let it be a part of her life, she needs to know the truth, and if you cant except that well then its not really your problem." Joyce said, in a slightly regretful, yet firm voice.
"What? You want her to know about…it? Its not normal Joyce!! Its freakish! It needs to be contained! With her here it can be controlled!!" Hank seemed hell bent on making sure whatever 'it' was, that he be the one in charge of it.
"She deserves to know where she comes from, where I come from!! It's a part of her, and she will always feel incomplete without it!" Joyce, ever the stubborn woman, was just as adamant as her husband. "I'm not going to stand for that kind of nonsense in my house Joyce! You know perfectly well my feelings on the subject!!" Hank all but shouted, making even Buffy flinch who was a room away. She'd never herd her parents so violent towards each other, she'd always known that Hank wasn't her real dad, but he'd always cared for her and that was all she could really ask from him. But apparently her parents held some resentment towards each other. It was her mothers next words though, that shocked into stunned silence.
" Well then, I guess my daughter and I wont be in your house anymore. We'll leave." Joyce stated coolly. In a tone of voice that held no room for augments.
"Well id rather you leave than have any of that…freakish-ness anywhere near me." Hank said to his soon to be ex-wife. He didn't sound all that regretful. " I'll be in contact with my lawyers, ill send you the papers you have to sign, and…tell Buffy I said goodbye. I'm leaving ill come back when you've left, ill be at Melody's." and with that final statement, he left. Leaving behind a confused non-daughter and a still fuming wife.
Buffy sat on the stairs in a state of shock…her parents just decided to get divorced…just like that! Oh my GOD!! What on earth happened? Nothing they were saying made a whole lot of sense to her, she didn't have long to ponder any of this because her mother had just rounded the corner and stopped at the bottom of the stairs looking at her. Mother and daughter stared at each other for about thirty seconds with Buffy breaking the silence with a sob. Her mother rushed to her and hugged her as tight as she could.
"Its ok sweety, we'll be alright, shh I know your confused but ill explain everything when you've calmed down ok? That's a girl, deep breaths, that's it." Joyce kept saying soothing things until her daughter had calmed down and her sobs had turned to hiccups. Joyce felt horrible that Buffy had to hear the argument between the parental figures in her life. It wasn't something that a child was supposed to hear. She had always been honest to Buffy about the fact that Hank wasn't her real father, she'd always said that he still cared for her and raised her. But there were always things she kept hidden. Buffy didn't know the identity of her real father, Joyce hadn't seen him since before Buffy was born. She'd left that part of her life behind. She realised now that they would have to go back to where it all began. Back home. But to do that she had some explaining to do, and she couldn't do that here on the stairs, so they went and sat in Buffy's room getting comfortable.