Chapter One: Old Friends and Telephone Calls
Sunnydale, California, 2011 (Buffy is 31)
Buffy stared at the letter in her hands and sighed loudly. It was final, done,
finished. Just a letter and almost 10 years of marriage were as if they'd never
existed. She turned around and looked at her two year old son who was sleeping on the sofa in her new apartment in Sunnydale. Brent had kept the house, it was the way she'd wanted it. As he had wanted her to have full custody of the children. He loved his children but he knew with his busy working schedule he'd never have enough time to care for them.
Now he had even sold the house and moved to Chicago where a big law firm had
offered him a well paid position. It was his chance and Buffy couldn't really
blame him for taking it.
So she was a single mother now with two children, a retired slayer with a degree
in psychology but no experience as she had cared for her children and with David, her little son, only two, was still not available full time.
It was not that Brent wasn't giving her enough money, in fact he gave her and the children enough to live comfortably. No, money wasn't the problem. The problem was that she was restless. What had she really done with her life? She had married after graduating from college, told herself she had been in love with a smart young man only two years older.
After two years she'd realised it wasn't going to work, deep inside she'd known
it. But they'd a little girl by then and things were much more complicated. So
they had tried again and again, even decided to have another baby... She sighed
again, every half-way sane human being could have told that this was no solution
for lack of love, that it wouldn't save a relationship. Of course not.
Leaning her forehead against the window she stared outside. The sun was shining
brightly and she'd never felt more alone in her life.
Where was he, she wondered? Where did he live? Was he happy? Would he have any
children? Shaking her head she walked into the kitchen. David would wake up in
some minutes and be hungry. She had to laugh at that. Some years ago she would go out all night, hunting vampires and demons and now she was preparing food for her son. A way to end up like this, Summers!
Again her thoughts wandered to a dark, good-looking man who had once been the
center of her life. The incarnation of her dreams at times when she had any left. But life had taught her not to dream. The result was mostly to wake up in a too harsh reality.
Her head snapped up when she heard the phone ring. She took the receiver Xander
had installed for her in the kitchen. "Yeah?"
"Hi Buffy!"
Cordelia! Alarms went through Buffy's whole being. The last time she'd heard from the brunette ...
"Buffy, are you there?"
"Huh? Oh, yes, sorry. I'm just about to prepare some lunch for David. He's my
son."
Laughter came from the other end of the line, "I know who David is, Buffy. Only
because we didn't talk for a long time it doesn't mean I don't know things. I
sometimes talk to Xander," she explained.
"Uh ..., I see," a frown appeared on Buffy's forehead. The former mayqueen was
chatting as if they'd just seen each other yesterday. "What do you want
Cordelia?"
"Right into business as ever, aren't you," Cordelia shook her head. She didn't
want to sound hostile. This was meant to be a friendly call. Taking a deep breath, she said, "It's about ... well ... I'm going to marry in two weeks. And I'd like you there. So ...," she made a short pause, then asked, "would you come?"
"W - what?," the ex-slayer was more than only surprised, "You're going to get
married?"
"That's what I said." Cordelia began play with the napkin on the table. She and
Buffy'd never been that close, but usually the blonde wasn't dense. "It'll be on the Sunday in two weeks."
"You're sure you want me there?," Buffy asked cautiously.
The former mayqueen sighed exasperantly, "God, that's what I said. Is there
something wrong with your ears?"
"Well, if you want me there ... sure."
"Good," Cordelia beamed at her fiancée who was sitting across the table,
grinning. "I'll send you a formal invitation with directions and all. See you
then."
"Cord...," Buffy wanted to ask the name of her fiancée but the former cheerleader had already disconnected the line. Frowning the ex-slayer stared at the receiver in her hand. What the hell was going on?
*****
"So you got her to come?," Gunn was still grinning when Cordelia shut down the
cellular phone.
She nodded, "Yes. Did you doubt I could?"
"No, not really," he replied with a wink. "I think you can do almost anything."
Cordelia instantly narrowed her eyes, "I hope that wasn't an insult. Don't forget you're going to marry me, buddie, you better behave."
"So you left the big surprise for the celebration. Do you think that's wise?"
She shrugged in response. "That's got nothing to do with wise. But Buffy is a
coward, she's always been. She always preferred to run away from things instead of facing them. She would never admit it of course, but that's the way it is." She leaned back in her chair and sipped at the Cappuccino, "I mean think about it. There's a guy she says she loves eternally and then she just lets him go. Like this," she snipped her fingers. "She doesn't even try to fight. Does that sound brave to you?"
"I cannot really say anything about Buffy, because I don't know her that well,
but our boss might be brave when it comes to combat, when it comes to her
though...," he trailed off.
She sighed, "So very true. That's why it's up to me to get those mule-headed
kids together." She put her cup down and threw her hands in the air, "They are
both human now, what the hell is keeping them from each other?"
"Maybe they aren't in love anymore," Gunn suggested.
She laughed briefly, "Try again. Not in love anymore? That's the greatest joke.
She just divorced her husband and his main problem was that she never really
loved him and Angel," she shook her head, "he's still carrying her picture in his wallet and divorced his wife - if you can even call her that - after only two years. Don't make me laugh."
"He didn't divorce her, she divorced him," Gunn reminded his fiancée. "Because of that little problem of his."
Cordelia rolled her eyes, "Yeah, but did he fight it? No! He just let her go.
Believe me, if he'd loved her, he never would've acted that way. If there
would've been love, they would've made it work. Remind my words."
"And now you're trying to play matchmaker," he shook his head and gulped the rest of his orange-juice. "I just hope you don't burn your fingertips."
A huge grin was her response and he couldn't help but fall in love with her
allover again when she said, "You know me. I love to play with fire. What other
reason would have made me accept your proposal?"
End Chapter One
Sunnydale, California, 2011 (Buffy is 31)
Buffy stared at the letter in her hands and sighed loudly. It was final, done,
finished. Just a letter and almost 10 years of marriage were as if they'd never
existed. She turned around and looked at her two year old son who was sleeping on the sofa in her new apartment in Sunnydale. Brent had kept the house, it was the way she'd wanted it. As he had wanted her to have full custody of the children. He loved his children but he knew with his busy working schedule he'd never have enough time to care for them.
Now he had even sold the house and moved to Chicago where a big law firm had
offered him a well paid position. It was his chance and Buffy couldn't really
blame him for taking it.
So she was a single mother now with two children, a retired slayer with a degree
in psychology but no experience as she had cared for her children and with David, her little son, only two, was still not available full time.
It was not that Brent wasn't giving her enough money, in fact he gave her and the children enough to live comfortably. No, money wasn't the problem. The problem was that she was restless. What had she really done with her life? She had married after graduating from college, told herself she had been in love with a smart young man only two years older.
After two years she'd realised it wasn't going to work, deep inside she'd known
it. But they'd a little girl by then and things were much more complicated. So
they had tried again and again, even decided to have another baby... She sighed
again, every half-way sane human being could have told that this was no solution
for lack of love, that it wouldn't save a relationship. Of course not.
Leaning her forehead against the window she stared outside. The sun was shining
brightly and she'd never felt more alone in her life.
Where was he, she wondered? Where did he live? Was he happy? Would he have any
children? Shaking her head she walked into the kitchen. David would wake up in
some minutes and be hungry. She had to laugh at that. Some years ago she would go out all night, hunting vampires and demons and now she was preparing food for her son. A way to end up like this, Summers!
Again her thoughts wandered to a dark, good-looking man who had once been the
center of her life. The incarnation of her dreams at times when she had any left. But life had taught her not to dream. The result was mostly to wake up in a too harsh reality.
Her head snapped up when she heard the phone ring. She took the receiver Xander
had installed for her in the kitchen. "Yeah?"
"Hi Buffy!"
Cordelia! Alarms went through Buffy's whole being. The last time she'd heard from the brunette ...
"Buffy, are you there?"
"Huh? Oh, yes, sorry. I'm just about to prepare some lunch for David. He's my
son."
Laughter came from the other end of the line, "I know who David is, Buffy. Only
because we didn't talk for a long time it doesn't mean I don't know things. I
sometimes talk to Xander," she explained.
"Uh ..., I see," a frown appeared on Buffy's forehead. The former mayqueen was
chatting as if they'd just seen each other yesterday. "What do you want
Cordelia?"
"Right into business as ever, aren't you," Cordelia shook her head. She didn't
want to sound hostile. This was meant to be a friendly call. Taking a deep breath, she said, "It's about ... well ... I'm going to marry in two weeks. And I'd like you there. So ...," she made a short pause, then asked, "would you come?"
"W - what?," the ex-slayer was more than only surprised, "You're going to get
married?"
"That's what I said." Cordelia began play with the napkin on the table. She and
Buffy'd never been that close, but usually the blonde wasn't dense. "It'll be on the Sunday in two weeks."
"You're sure you want me there?," Buffy asked cautiously.
The former mayqueen sighed exasperantly, "God, that's what I said. Is there
something wrong with your ears?"
"Well, if you want me there ... sure."
"Good," Cordelia beamed at her fiancée who was sitting across the table,
grinning. "I'll send you a formal invitation with directions and all. See you
then."
"Cord...," Buffy wanted to ask the name of her fiancée but the former cheerleader had already disconnected the line. Frowning the ex-slayer stared at the receiver in her hand. What the hell was going on?
*****
"So you got her to come?," Gunn was still grinning when Cordelia shut down the
cellular phone.
She nodded, "Yes. Did you doubt I could?"
"No, not really," he replied with a wink. "I think you can do almost anything."
Cordelia instantly narrowed her eyes, "I hope that wasn't an insult. Don't forget you're going to marry me, buddie, you better behave."
"So you left the big surprise for the celebration. Do you think that's wise?"
She shrugged in response. "That's got nothing to do with wise. But Buffy is a
coward, she's always been. She always preferred to run away from things instead of facing them. She would never admit it of course, but that's the way it is." She leaned back in her chair and sipped at the Cappuccino, "I mean think about it. There's a guy she says she loves eternally and then she just lets him go. Like this," she snipped her fingers. "She doesn't even try to fight. Does that sound brave to you?"
"I cannot really say anything about Buffy, because I don't know her that well,
but our boss might be brave when it comes to combat, when it comes to her
though...," he trailed off.
She sighed, "So very true. That's why it's up to me to get those mule-headed
kids together." She put her cup down and threw her hands in the air, "They are
both human now, what the hell is keeping them from each other?"
"Maybe they aren't in love anymore," Gunn suggested.
She laughed briefly, "Try again. Not in love anymore? That's the greatest joke.
She just divorced her husband and his main problem was that she never really
loved him and Angel," she shook her head, "he's still carrying her picture in his wallet and divorced his wife - if you can even call her that - after only two years. Don't make me laugh."
"He didn't divorce her, she divorced him," Gunn reminded his fiancée. "Because of that little problem of his."
Cordelia rolled her eyes, "Yeah, but did he fight it? No! He just let her go.
Believe me, if he'd loved her, he never would've acted that way. If there
would've been love, they would've made it work. Remind my words."
"And now you're trying to play matchmaker," he shook his head and gulped the rest of his orange-juice. "I just hope you don't burn your fingertips."
A huge grin was her response and he couldn't help but fall in love with her
allover again when she said, "You know me. I love to play with fire. What other
reason would have made me accept your proposal?"
End Chapter One