*********
Saturday Morning, 6 am
Buffy had met Danny early to see him off. She returned to her house,
and was surprised to see her mom already awake and making
breakfast. "What on earth are you doing up already? And on a
Saturday?" Buffy questioned.
"I'd ask you the same question, but I already know the answer," Joyce
replied. "So Danny's gone?"
"Yeah, he wanted to get an early start. He'll get maybe half the way
to New York today, if he's lucky."
"I don't want to be nosy," Joyce started, and at Buffy's 'you've got
to be kidding me' look, smiled.
"Okay, so I do," Joyce admitted. "I'll just ask, and you can tell me
it's none of my business if you want. Is that fair?"
"Fine," Buffy shrugged. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat at
the table.
"I suppose it's not a secret to you as to why I invited Danny here,"
Joyce said.
"I knew there was more than a 'cheer up Buffy' intent, if that's what
you're saying," Buffy replied, nodding.
"Am I really that transparent?" Joyce asked, curiously.
"Only to the people who know you well," Buffy said.
"Well, I always felt bad about how things in L.A. ended," Joyce said,
sitting at the table across
from her daughter with two plates of bacon and omelets. "I felt like I
pulled you and Danny apart."
"You didn't," Buffy said. "We wouldn't have stayed together, mom, even
if I'd never left. Don't misunderstand, he was a great boyfriend, but
we were really young. It was a highschool romance, and most of those
end."
"You've gotten very wise in the last two years," Joyce said in
amazement. "I admire that in you. But somewhere along the line you
lost the happy, carefree attitude you used to have. And I'm not
talking about just in the past month."
"Slayers are forced to grow up fast," Buffy replied. "It's not
something you can avoid, when you see so much death and suffering.
So, no, I don't see the world as a happy, wonderful place anymore.
But I'm trying to figure out how to be happy again, mom. You don't
need to worry about that. I know you will anyway, but I'm on record
telling you to stop, okay?"
"I get it," Joyce said with a smile. "And you're right, I won't stop
worrying, but I'll try to keep it to a minimum."
"Good," Buffy said, and yawned suddenly. "I think I'll go back to bed
for a few hours," she said, getting up from the table and returning to
her room.
***********
1 pm
Xander heard a knock at the door at the top of the stairs. "Come in,"
he yelled.
"You know, I'd have to smack you upside the head if it was after
sundown," Buffy said, walking down the stairs. "Please tell me that
you don't make a habit of inviting unknown visitors in at night?"
"I don't," Xander said. "I am surprised to see you here."
"You shouldn't be," Buffy said with a frown. She came to stand in
front of her, hands on her hips in a gesture of disapproval.
"What?" Xander asked defensively. "What did I do?"
"It's what you didn't do," Buffy explained. "And I guess I've been
busy with Danny, cuz I didn't realize it until today. I haven't seen
you all week, except for yesterday. And then, I look over after I'd
been dancing with Danny for thirty minutes, and you were gone. Willow
said you had something you had to do, which was vague enough to cause
suspicion. Xan, did I do something to tick you off that I'm unaware
of?" she asked.
"Oh," Xander said, relieved that it wasn't anything more
serious. "It's nothing like that, really. I just felt like I was in
the way. What with you and Danny," Xander shrugged.
"You wouldn't have been in the way at any time this past week,
Xander," Buffy said, sitting next to him. "And you most certainly
were not in the way last night. I like having you around," she said,
unknowingly echoing Willow's sentiment of earlier that week. "You're
my friend, very quickly becoming my best friend. You've always been
there when I needed you. As for me and Danny..." she sighed. "He's
_just_ a friend. A fact I had to establish again, unfortunately. So I
doubt I'll be seeing him for a while. We're still going to keep in
touch by letters like we always have."
Xander hoped it wasn't obvious that he was mentally doing the
happy-dance. He was so relieved that Buffy and Danny weren't getting
back together. *How awful is that? I shouldn't be happy about this.
She deserves some happiness.*
"Hello," Buffy broke into his thoughts, waving her hand in front of
his face. "Where'd you go?"
"Just thinking," Xander shrugged. "So what are you doing tonight?"
"Well, I feel the need to do some patrolling, but then I don't know.
Not the Bronze, I think I'm getting sick of it."
"We could come back here and just hang out. Movies or whatever,"
Xander suggested. "Willow and Oz too, of course. That sound good?"
"Sure," Buffy agreed. "I don't suppose you want to join me for patrol?
Or have I convinced you and the others that I can handle it?"
"Um, how do I say no without getting beat up?" Xander asked.
"I won't beat you up," Buffy rolled her eyes at him. "I'll leave that
to the demons," she added with a grin.
"One of these days I'll surprise you," Xander protested.
"Mm-hm, sure you will, Xander," Buffy replied. "Well, meet me at
Giles' tonight before sundown?"
"Sure," Xander agreed.
"See ya then," Buffy smiled at him, and went back upstairs.
*******
End of 11
Saturday Morning, 6 am
Buffy had met Danny early to see him off. She returned to her house,
and was surprised to see her mom already awake and making
breakfast. "What on earth are you doing up already? And on a
Saturday?" Buffy questioned.
"I'd ask you the same question, but I already know the answer," Joyce
replied. "So Danny's gone?"
"Yeah, he wanted to get an early start. He'll get maybe half the way
to New York today, if he's lucky."
"I don't want to be nosy," Joyce started, and at Buffy's 'you've got
to be kidding me' look, smiled.
"Okay, so I do," Joyce admitted. "I'll just ask, and you can tell me
it's none of my business if you want. Is that fair?"
"Fine," Buffy shrugged. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat at
the table.
"I suppose it's not a secret to you as to why I invited Danny here,"
Joyce said.
"I knew there was more than a 'cheer up Buffy' intent, if that's what
you're saying," Buffy replied, nodding.
"Am I really that transparent?" Joyce asked, curiously.
"Only to the people who know you well," Buffy said.
"Well, I always felt bad about how things in L.A. ended," Joyce said,
sitting at the table across
from her daughter with two plates of bacon and omelets. "I felt like I
pulled you and Danny apart."
"You didn't," Buffy said. "We wouldn't have stayed together, mom, even
if I'd never left. Don't misunderstand, he was a great boyfriend, but
we were really young. It was a highschool romance, and most of those
end."
"You've gotten very wise in the last two years," Joyce said in
amazement. "I admire that in you. But somewhere along the line you
lost the happy, carefree attitude you used to have. And I'm not
talking about just in the past month."
"Slayers are forced to grow up fast," Buffy replied. "It's not
something you can avoid, when you see so much death and suffering.
So, no, I don't see the world as a happy, wonderful place anymore.
But I'm trying to figure out how to be happy again, mom. You don't
need to worry about that. I know you will anyway, but I'm on record
telling you to stop, okay?"
"I get it," Joyce said with a smile. "And you're right, I won't stop
worrying, but I'll try to keep it to a minimum."
"Good," Buffy said, and yawned suddenly. "I think I'll go back to bed
for a few hours," she said, getting up from the table and returning to
her room.
***********
1 pm
Xander heard a knock at the door at the top of the stairs. "Come in,"
he yelled.
"You know, I'd have to smack you upside the head if it was after
sundown," Buffy said, walking down the stairs. "Please tell me that
you don't make a habit of inviting unknown visitors in at night?"
"I don't," Xander said. "I am surprised to see you here."
"You shouldn't be," Buffy said with a frown. She came to stand in
front of her, hands on her hips in a gesture of disapproval.
"What?" Xander asked defensively. "What did I do?"
"It's what you didn't do," Buffy explained. "And I guess I've been
busy with Danny, cuz I didn't realize it until today. I haven't seen
you all week, except for yesterday. And then, I look over after I'd
been dancing with Danny for thirty minutes, and you were gone. Willow
said you had something you had to do, which was vague enough to cause
suspicion. Xan, did I do something to tick you off that I'm unaware
of?" she asked.
"Oh," Xander said, relieved that it wasn't anything more
serious. "It's nothing like that, really. I just felt like I was in
the way. What with you and Danny," Xander shrugged.
"You wouldn't have been in the way at any time this past week,
Xander," Buffy said, sitting next to him. "And you most certainly
were not in the way last night. I like having you around," she said,
unknowingly echoing Willow's sentiment of earlier that week. "You're
my friend, very quickly becoming my best friend. You've always been
there when I needed you. As for me and Danny..." she sighed. "He's
_just_ a friend. A fact I had to establish again, unfortunately. So I
doubt I'll be seeing him for a while. We're still going to keep in
touch by letters like we always have."
Xander hoped it wasn't obvious that he was mentally doing the
happy-dance. He was so relieved that Buffy and Danny weren't getting
back together. *How awful is that? I shouldn't be happy about this.
She deserves some happiness.*
"Hello," Buffy broke into his thoughts, waving her hand in front of
his face. "Where'd you go?"
"Just thinking," Xander shrugged. "So what are you doing tonight?"
"Well, I feel the need to do some patrolling, but then I don't know.
Not the Bronze, I think I'm getting sick of it."
"We could come back here and just hang out. Movies or whatever,"
Xander suggested. "Willow and Oz too, of course. That sound good?"
"Sure," Buffy agreed. "I don't suppose you want to join me for patrol?
Or have I convinced you and the others that I can handle it?"
"Um, how do I say no without getting beat up?" Xander asked.
"I won't beat you up," Buffy rolled her eyes at him. "I'll leave that
to the demons," she added with a grin.
"One of these days I'll surprise you," Xander protested.
"Mm-hm, sure you will, Xander," Buffy replied. "Well, meet me at
Giles' tonight before sundown?"
"Sure," Xander agreed.
"See ya then," Buffy smiled at him, and went back upstairs.
*******
End of 11