Rating: Gen, vaguely implied Faith/Robin and Chris/Bianca.
Challenge: The 2016 August Fic-a-Day. Day 29.

It took nearly nine weeks for Buffy to accept another meeting with Melinda. Not because she didn't want anything to do with her anymore, but because the call from Faith was to relay some tragic news and she had to head back to Cleveland to deal with it. However Buffy was finally back in the same little town she'd been in over two months before, and as she walked into one of the local cemeteries she spotted her Witchlighter. Beside her stood a slightly younger teenage boy with medium brown hair in a slightly shaggy cut. Like Melinda he gave off a vibe Buffy had mentally dubbed the 'Angelic Vibe', which meant it had to be Chris - Melinda's younger brother.

"Hi!" Her guardian angel greeted brightly.

"Hey." Buffy's own greeting was a little more subdued. Things on her end wasn't going very well, and even Faith was seriously thinking about hitting the road despite her domestic bliss with Robin. Which, come to think of it, probably meant they weren't as blissful anymore.

"Before we're getting into the not-so-happy conversation that has caused your dark mood... This is my little brother, Chris. Chris this is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And yes, I've wanted to introduce you like that since before you agreed to meet everyone." The Witchlighter's grin was infectious and Buffy gave her an amused smile back.

"Hi, Chris. Did curiosity kill the Witchlighter?" Melinda hadn't mentioned bringing anyone along today.

"Hi." He had a nice smile, but one; he was jailbait at 17, and two; according to his sister he already had an older girlfriend. "Killed? No, but I did want to meet The Slayer. According to my sources in the demon world you're legendary."

"Technically I'm *a* Slayer, not the *the* Slayer. The torch was passed on when I was killed the first time."

"No one cares. As far as the demon community is concerned you'll be the *THE* Slayer as long as you live, and the general consensus is that that will be a long time."

"Moving on in a less than smooth way, and I take it that by the glum tone that things back home are not going well? What kind of emergency took over two months anyways?"

"Remember me telling you about my group of friends from back in Sunnydale?" A nod from Melinda and a slight frown from brother, and she continued. "One of them, Xander, was caught by a group of demons. They kept him hostage for several weeks, and by the time we found him they had done irreparable damage. Including gauging out his remaining eye, which meant that at best he'd be blind for the rest of his life. We got him to a hospital where he spent nearly a week fighting for his life before succumbing to his injuries."

The two siblings looked at her, then at each other and back again, "We're sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." Buffy sighed. "While we were searching for him and while he was in the hospital things were... Not good exactly, but there was a familiar sense of comfort and sharing in an almost tragedy. Then he died and they turned on me, as if it was all my fault somehow. I know it's unlikely I could've done anything, I am *not* their personal bodyguard, but it's just so like them to do this."

At this point Melinda hugged her and began murmuring comforting words in her ear, while Chris stood a little awkwardly to the side just watching. Privately Buffy was pretty certain he was wondering if he could orb out to avoid the minor female emotional upheaval without getting into trouble with his big sister later. The thought made her lips twitch upwards in a small smile.

Having someone hug her just because she wanted to make things better had become an unfamiliar feeling over the last few years. The last person to genuinely hug her had been her mother, and her inner child wanted to cry in her mothers arms again so she could make everything better. Barring that, she wanted her friends or even her bratty little sister to give her some physical comfort, or even better she wanted Angel to hold her. Kiss her. Even cross that line they had only been able to cross once. But that wasn't happening, and instead she was standing in a random cemetery with her own personal guardian angel giving her the best hug she'd gotten in way too long.

It wasn't that Dawn or Willow hadn't hugged her, they had. Even Xander and Giles had embraced her on occasion, but there had been no real consolation. It had been empty; done more out of duty, because it was expected, or, in Xander's case, because he wanted into her pants. It had been one of the reasons why she had gone to Spike after her resurrection. That and he wouldn't break if she forgot herself and used too much of her strength.

Buffy straightened herself, "Thanks."

"Anytime. You need to get a better support group around you. I would've suggested my family, but we're not supposed to cross over into each others corners of the magical world that much. Come to think about it, there's some leeway. There's nothing in the rules that says I can't invite you over for dinner every now and then. Everyone knows the basics; you're a mystical warrior who has been chosen to fight vampires and demons. We fight demons. So the need to keep secrets isn't that big."

Even Chris grinned at that, "Don't you mean that mom would love to feed her?" Both Halliwell's gave her a once over. She was short but thin, and thanks to her Slayer metabolism she needed more food than growing teenage boys.

"Hey! I can't help that." But she was smiling.

"Did everyone in your old group turn on you, or was it just some of them?"

"Faith didn't turn on me. She took my side and read them the Riot Act several times, for which I'm eternally grateful. Dawn cried on me, but whined at everyone and not just me specifically. For once she didn't join the people who ganged up on me, but instead tried to keep out of it. When I was finally able to leave Cleveland she asked if she could call me once a week like Faith, but without the reports. It's progress, I suppose. Or maybe she's suddenly realizing that no one is safe from the demons, but that I've gone to great lengths to ensure her well-being in the past."

Chris nodded, "Self-realization and self-preservation are usually good things, but it sounds like you're likely to get at least one tag-along soon."

"Dawn might beg to come along during the Christmas break and probably at least part of the Summer, but I doubt Faith will stay for long. We already know how that will end and it's nowhere good."

This time it was Melinda's turn to nod. "So everyone but Faith and Dawn. Meaning your opponents is your former best friend Willow and your former Watcher, and in addition there's a bunch of Slayers from the Battle in Sunnydale. Correct?"

Buffy gave an affirmative response.

"What do they gain from having you around their headquarters?"

"The main presence of Slayer power, and my reputation." Thanks to her long tenure as a Slayer, then swallowing part of the demonic essence the Shadow Men forced into her, and then finally Willow using her as the main focus to activate the Potentials and there was no one more powerful than her. Once the Hellmouth had been closed and she'd gotten away from it, and all the negative people in her life things had looked up. Buffy had gotten the time to really get a feel for the force of her new power, and the potency it brought her. Meditation and serenity along the road had given her an inner balance she had never known before, as a direct consequence she was now more in tune with *all* of herself. It was probably related to something Kendra had tried to tell her way back when.

"Any demons and vampires think twice if they know I'm somewhere nearby, and while Faith has a reputation of her own it's nothing like mine. On the flipside, there's always those who attack *because* they know I'll be there and they want to make a name for themselves."

"It sounds a lot like the demons who keep shimmering into the Manor in the hope of killing mom and the aunts, only to get vanquished." Melinda sounded thoughtful, then she looked at her wristwatch and added. "Speaking of the Manor, Chris and I are expected there in a minute. Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine, and I'll think about what you've said. Both of you. Take care."

"Of course. And you be careful." Orbs started to appeared before they went away. "I forgot. Next time I'll bring Rose so you can meet her, and if we manage that I'll get mom and dad to invite you for dinner." A happy smile and she orbed away in the blue and white lights. Chris had already left.

Standing alone in the cemetery Buffy started walking, hoping there would be something she could kill to take the edge off of her frustration with Willow and the others.