Giles' Apartment
Wednesday, July 1
Willow and Oz entered to find Buffy and Giles training. At the moment
they were sword-fighting. Xander was sitting on the couch. "Well, at
least it was your left arm that got hurt," Willow said to
Buffy. "How's it feeling?"
Buffy looked at her injured arm briefly. "Doesn't hurt as much as it
did. You wanna know what's a real pain lately? My mother. She's
wigged, seriously. So wigged that I had to ask Giles for a non-Slay
evening tonight to try to help her un-wig." Buffy succeeded in
knocking the sword out Giles' hand, and put her sword on the table,
after grinning at the gang triumphantly. She went into Giles' kitchen
to get herself a bottled water, and sat down on the couch next to
Xander. "I know I asked this earlier, Giles, and I guess we never
really got around to it. But could you possibly talk to her about the
Slaying?"
"If you think it would help, of course I will," Giles replied.
"Good, which brings me to the other reason I'm here. Mom wants to do
the July 4th thing Saturday. Burgers, hotdogs, the whole sickening
fun event. Of course, we want you all to join us. So?"
"Definitely," Willow said, and Oz nodded his approval.
"Food? I'll come," Xander shrugged.
"Giles?"
"Me? Well, er, uh, I suppose I could do that," he said.
"Good," Buffy smiled at him. "I know it's not a British fun-day, but
I'd love it if you were there with us. Tomorrow around five-ish,
okay?" She stood, checking her watch, "Well, like I said earlier,
tonight's girls' night with me and mom. I'll see you guys later."
***********
Saturday, July 4
Buffy jumped up to get the door. "Hi, Giles," she greeted her Watcher.
"You're the last of the guests. Come on out back," she led him to the
back yard, where Xander had apparently been drafted to grill the
hamburgers and hotdogs, and Joyce was rushing around playing the
hostess.
"Don't hurt yourself," Buffy teased Xander with a grin.
"Hey, I'll have you know that this is one of the few things I can do
without screwing up," Xander replied.
"So who got the firecrackers and stuff?" Buffy asked.
"Right here," Oz said, holding up a bag of goodies.
"Buffy, those are not legal in the city," Giles said with an
expression of disapproval.
"Oh, please. Like the cops don't have anything better to do?" Buffy
replied. When Giles had no response, she said, "Fine then. I want
fireworks, I get fireworks." She foldied her arms in front of her
chest, daring them to argue. She smiled when they didn't, and settled
on a lawn chair near Willow. Oz sat on the grass next to Willow, and
Buffy smiled when she saw them exchange an adoring look. *I remember
that look* she thought. *Stop that,* she reprimanded herself then,
*No moping tonight. That's an order.*
"This is exactly what I needed," she said. "To hang out with my
friends, and relax for once. No demons to kill, just fun to have."
She looked over to see that Giles and her mom were talking a few feet
away, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, maybe he'll help her
deal," she added.
"I think she's doing surprisingly well with the situation," Willow
said. "I mean, I don't think that's something any parent is prepared
to hear from their kid: 'Hi, mom and dad, I'm a demon Slayer.'"
"Dad's not going to find out," Buffy replied. "He doesn't need any
more to worry about. But I guess you're right, the way I told her
wasn't that tactful. I just didn't have time, what with Spike and..."
she trailed off, and Willow didn't push. Xander had already explained
to them the deal Buffy had made with Spike that evening.
"So, Oz, will you be in charge of the pyrotechnics when it gets dark?"
Buffy broke the silence eventually.
"Sure," Oz replied.
"What if one of them lands on the house?" Giles asked, him and Joyce
rejoining the group.
"It's not gonna burn it down, Giles," Buffy said, rolling her eyes.
"They're just the little ones, the little rockets that go up and then
come back down eventually. And some sparklers and stuff. Relax, okay?"
Giles responded with an exasperated look, and found another lawn chair
to join the group.
"Dinner's ready," Xander volunteered and then stepped back as the
hungry stampede approached. "Okay, then. You all just serve
yourselves," he chuckled.
*****
8 pm
Buffy had gone 6-year-old on all of them. She was walking around
waving a sparkler and giggling happily. She looked up as Oz started
setting off the firecrackers. She noticed the attention of the group
was on her then, and she said, "What? I'm not allowed to have a
little silly fun? It's what the Fourth is all about."
"I agree," Willow said, smiling at her. "We're just glad to see you
happy for once. I guess we all needed some laid-back time, but we know
you needed it the most."
"It is nice to just relax for a while," Buffy said, as she returned to
her chair. "But we all know it won't last for long, the demons won't
allow that."
"Do we _have_ to talk about those awful things?" Joyce asked,
shivering at the thought.
"No, we don't _have_ to, but 'those awful things' are a major part of
my life, Mom," Buffy said. "You can ignore that all you want, but that
won't make it go away."
"We can ignore them for tonight though," Willow said, trying to keep
the peace.
"Fine with me," Buffy said. "Let's enjoy the evening."
*****************
Wednesday, July 1
Willow and Oz entered to find Buffy and Giles training. At the moment
they were sword-fighting. Xander was sitting on the couch. "Well, at
least it was your left arm that got hurt," Willow said to
Buffy. "How's it feeling?"
Buffy looked at her injured arm briefly. "Doesn't hurt as much as it
did. You wanna know what's a real pain lately? My mother. She's
wigged, seriously. So wigged that I had to ask Giles for a non-Slay
evening tonight to try to help her un-wig." Buffy succeeded in
knocking the sword out Giles' hand, and put her sword on the table,
after grinning at the gang triumphantly. She went into Giles' kitchen
to get herself a bottled water, and sat down on the couch next to
Xander. "I know I asked this earlier, Giles, and I guess we never
really got around to it. But could you possibly talk to her about the
Slaying?"
"If you think it would help, of course I will," Giles replied.
"Good, which brings me to the other reason I'm here. Mom wants to do
the July 4th thing Saturday. Burgers, hotdogs, the whole sickening
fun event. Of course, we want you all to join us. So?"
"Definitely," Willow said, and Oz nodded his approval.
"Food? I'll come," Xander shrugged.
"Giles?"
"Me? Well, er, uh, I suppose I could do that," he said.
"Good," Buffy smiled at him. "I know it's not a British fun-day, but
I'd love it if you were there with us. Tomorrow around five-ish,
okay?" She stood, checking her watch, "Well, like I said earlier,
tonight's girls' night with me and mom. I'll see you guys later."
***********
Saturday, July 4
Buffy jumped up to get the door. "Hi, Giles," she greeted her Watcher.
"You're the last of the guests. Come on out back," she led him to the
back yard, where Xander had apparently been drafted to grill the
hamburgers and hotdogs, and Joyce was rushing around playing the
hostess.
"Don't hurt yourself," Buffy teased Xander with a grin.
"Hey, I'll have you know that this is one of the few things I can do
without screwing up," Xander replied.
"So who got the firecrackers and stuff?" Buffy asked.
"Right here," Oz said, holding up a bag of goodies.
"Buffy, those are not legal in the city," Giles said with an
expression of disapproval.
"Oh, please. Like the cops don't have anything better to do?" Buffy
replied. When Giles had no response, she said, "Fine then. I want
fireworks, I get fireworks." She foldied her arms in front of her
chest, daring them to argue. She smiled when they didn't, and settled
on a lawn chair near Willow. Oz sat on the grass next to Willow, and
Buffy smiled when she saw them exchange an adoring look. *I remember
that look* she thought. *Stop that,* she reprimanded herself then,
*No moping tonight. That's an order.*
"This is exactly what I needed," she said. "To hang out with my
friends, and relax for once. No demons to kill, just fun to have."
She looked over to see that Giles and her mom were talking a few feet
away, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, maybe he'll help her
deal," she added.
"I think she's doing surprisingly well with the situation," Willow
said. "I mean, I don't think that's something any parent is prepared
to hear from their kid: 'Hi, mom and dad, I'm a demon Slayer.'"
"Dad's not going to find out," Buffy replied. "He doesn't need any
more to worry about. But I guess you're right, the way I told her
wasn't that tactful. I just didn't have time, what with Spike and..."
she trailed off, and Willow didn't push. Xander had already explained
to them the deal Buffy had made with Spike that evening.
"So, Oz, will you be in charge of the pyrotechnics when it gets dark?"
Buffy broke the silence eventually.
"Sure," Oz replied.
"What if one of them lands on the house?" Giles asked, him and Joyce
rejoining the group.
"It's not gonna burn it down, Giles," Buffy said, rolling her eyes.
"They're just the little ones, the little rockets that go up and then
come back down eventually. And some sparklers and stuff. Relax, okay?"
Giles responded with an exasperated look, and found another lawn chair
to join the group.
"Dinner's ready," Xander volunteered and then stepped back as the
hungry stampede approached. "Okay, then. You all just serve
yourselves," he chuckled.
*****
8 pm
Buffy had gone 6-year-old on all of them. She was walking around
waving a sparkler and giggling happily. She looked up as Oz started
setting off the firecrackers. She noticed the attention of the group
was on her then, and she said, "What? I'm not allowed to have a
little silly fun? It's what the Fourth is all about."
"I agree," Willow said, smiling at her. "We're just glad to see you
happy for once. I guess we all needed some laid-back time, but we know
you needed it the most."
"It is nice to just relax for a while," Buffy said, as she returned to
her chair. "But we all know it won't last for long, the demons won't
allow that."
"Do we _have_ to talk about those awful things?" Joyce asked,
shivering at the thought.
"No, we don't _have_ to, but 'those awful things' are a major part of
my life, Mom," Buffy said. "You can ignore that all you want, but that
won't make it go away."
"We can ignore them for tonight though," Willow said, trying to keep
the peace.
"Fine with me," Buffy said. "Let's enjoy the evening."
*****************