Chapter Five: Mothers and Plans
"Hi honey," Mrs. Summers greeted her daughter when she entered the house at
Robello Drive the same afternoon.
"Mom," came Ashlynn's voice from upstairs.
"Momma, momma," David came running from the living-room and hurled himself into
his mother's arms.
"Hi my darling," Buffy scooped him up and hooked him to her hip. "I swear you
have grown in that one day."
David giggled, then yawned. Joyce smiled at her daughter and her grand-child.
"He's tired, because he's late for his nap. Do you want to take him with you now
or maybe we get him to bed and have a cup of tea first?"
"Yeah, I'd like that," her daughter replied. "I'm going to put him into his bed
and say hello to my daughter who didn't even try to be glad I'm back." Her voice
was rising, but there was a smile in it.
"I *am* glad you're back," came Ashlynn's voice from the stairs. "But Grandma
gave me a new Barbie-doll yesterday."
"Mom," Buffy shot her mother a look, but she just shrugged.
"So sue me! I love to spoil them."
The ex-slayer sighed, "So I see, well, I just get rid of that little bundle here
and be back to talk."
*
Ten minutes later over a cup of tea and biscuits Buffy eyed her mother
critically, "You look tired."
Joyce grinned and nodded, "Yeah, I am. Six little children are quite a hand-full. But I'm not complaining. It was great fun too. And Sheila Rosenberg was here the whole day, so it wasn't too bad. She seems pretty cool now with her daughter's living-arrangement."
"You mean compared to the fact that she almost had a heart-attack when she first
heard about it?," Buffy grinned.
"Well, it was quite a shock. I mean, two women living with one man and all of
them sharing a sexual relationship isn't the ordinary."
"No, I guess not, but it's not that it hasn't happened before," the ex-slayer
smiled. "And they are happy together. All of them, especially the kids. So who
are we to judge it?"
"Yeah," Joyce agreed. Taking another sip from her cup she suddenly said, "Anya
got the two boys this morning. She told me you met Angel in L.A."
Her daughter nodded slowly, "Yeah, I did. It was quite a surprise. He was leading Cordy down the aisle."
"Anya already told me that. She also said you had a fight."
Buffy groaned, "Maybe I should just send a global e-mail, but then Anya is almost as effective."
"Honey, she cares for you."
"And loves to spread news," the younger blonde shot back. "So yeah, I met Angel
and we talked and then I freaked. He told me he was divorced and was living in
L.A. for almost a year and then he said he didn't want me to know, because he
thought I had enough on my mind a year ago."
"And that wasn't so?," Joyce asked almost casually.
"What is this today? You're in his fan-club too?," she looked at her mother the
same way she had at Xander only hours ago. What the hell was going on?
"No, I'm not in his fan-club and you should know it. But I also saw that my
daughter who I thought was finally happily married and free of all this demon
stuff, was never completely happy."
"How would you know?," Buffy snapped. "I was living your dream, wasn't I?"
"Oh honey," Joyce leaned over to her and took her daughter's hand. "I never
wanted you to marry a man just to make me happy."
"You almost jumped through the ceiling when I told you I was going to marry
Brent," the ex-slayer argued. "Your smile was so broad, I thought your face would split."
Sighing, her mother let go of her hand and leaned back. "I know. But I was so
afraid. Now that you have children of your own you can surely understand what it
meant to know that my daughter was risking her life night after night. I had
problems to deal with it and somehow Angel represented all the things I hated.
Only later, after he had left you I realised how much he really cared for you and that we both wanted the same for you."
"A normal life, kids, a loving husband, a picket fence?," Buffy's voice was still angry. "Well, I've got normal now, I have two kids, I even had a picket fence for a while, just the husband was all wrong. I couldn't love him enough and Brent felt it and ...," her voice broke and tears began to fall. She jumped up, pressed a fist in front of her mouth, and stared out of the window.
"Honey...," Joyce began, but her daughter held a hand up to stop her. So she just watched the back of her daughter sadly, watched as Buffy desperately tried to regain control over her emotions.
Then she suddenly turned around and wiped the tears away, "He left me. Angel left me, he said it wasn't going to work. He even turned back time and let me go
again. But do you know what hurt most? He became human four years ago and didn't
even tell me. He never called, he never came, I was just not important enough to
know. Cordelia told me in a letter.
"He didn't care anymore. If he'd called ...," she sniffed and searched her purse
for a tissue, "Brent and I were at a breaking point right then. But when ... when he didn't tell me and I realised, I wasn't important enough for him anymore, I desperately clung to my marriage, so we had David and tried again, but of course it was all in vain.
"And on top this he just turned to another woman and married her. God dammit,"
she pushed the tissue back into her purse, closed it and threw it on the sofa.
"He became human and only a year later he marries the next best chick. And he
never told me." She began to sob, "H-he n-never t-t-told me. Oh Mom!"
Joyce was up in an instant and gathered her daughter in her arms. Her tiny frame
shaking with the heavy sobs and Mrs. Summers tried to hold her as tightly as
possible to show her she felt with her. "Buffy, darling. Shhh," she tried to
comfort her. "It's okay, please don't cry, it'll all be better soon."
"I d-don't know, Mom," she cried against Joyce's neck. Then she pulled back and
got her tissue from the purse again to wipe her face. "It hurt. God, it hurt so
much when I realised he didn't care anymore. I was still in love with him and he
didn't care."
"And you're sure of it?," her mother asked doubtfully.
"It pretty much looked like it. And even yesterday. He was so cool, all relaxed
and smiling, I wanted to get a reaction from him, any ...," she broke off and
stared at the ground.
"You mean you wanted to know if he still cared?"
She nodded miserably without looking at her mother. "Yeah, I guess," she
whispered. "I behaved horribly, mom. I shouted at him. And then I just ran away." She sighed and sat down again, taking her cup. "Xander said, I should talk to him again." She looked up and met her mother's gaze. "What do you think?"
Joyce smiled, "Is it really important what I think? The question should be, how
important is it for you?"
*****
"I'm telling you, Cordy, I'm not sure about Buffy. I really tried my best, but
...," Xander trailed off.
"They're both the most stubborn people I know," Cordelia said on the other end of the line and ignored when she saw Gunn grinning at her. "Angel insists he's only going to hurt her if he goes to her." She sighed, "Oh hell, Xand. They are so right for each other."
"Oh really?," he replied.
"Okay. So I wasn't supportive all of the time - not that you've been a fan of the Buffy and Angel live happily ever after - I, well ... I was angry with her, but only because every time he saw her I had to pick up the pieces in which she left him."
"It wasn't easy for her either," Xander didn't like that Cordelia was laying all
the blame on Buffy.
"But there was always a reason," she said after a moment of silence. "He was a
vampire, his soul was more than only a little in danger every time she was around, so there were solid arguments against it. But they are gone. Long gone. All that's keeping them from each other now is their stubbornness."
"Don't forget all the pain and heartache and issues and ...,"
"Yeah, yeah," Cordelia interrupted him. "I know all of this. But I have sworn to
get them back together and I'm not backing out now. And you have promised to
help," her voice held a warning note.
"And I'm keeping my promise. We just have to find another opportunity to get them together. Now that she has shouted at him it can oonly become better. Or that's what I hope at least."
"What about your son's birthday next weekend. Buffy will be there anyway I
suppose and I could bring Angel," the former may-queen suggested.
"I thought you said, he wouldn't go near her again."
He heard a chuckle on the other end of the line and then she said, "That's what I said, but I left out that there's someone even more stubborn than Buffy and Angel and that of course is me."
End of Chapter Five.
"Hi honey," Mrs. Summers greeted her daughter when she entered the house at
Robello Drive the same afternoon.
"Mom," came Ashlynn's voice from upstairs.
"Momma, momma," David came running from the living-room and hurled himself into
his mother's arms.
"Hi my darling," Buffy scooped him up and hooked him to her hip. "I swear you
have grown in that one day."
David giggled, then yawned. Joyce smiled at her daughter and her grand-child.
"He's tired, because he's late for his nap. Do you want to take him with you now
or maybe we get him to bed and have a cup of tea first?"
"Yeah, I'd like that," her daughter replied. "I'm going to put him into his bed
and say hello to my daughter who didn't even try to be glad I'm back." Her voice
was rising, but there was a smile in it.
"I *am* glad you're back," came Ashlynn's voice from the stairs. "But Grandma
gave me a new Barbie-doll yesterday."
"Mom," Buffy shot her mother a look, but she just shrugged.
"So sue me! I love to spoil them."
The ex-slayer sighed, "So I see, well, I just get rid of that little bundle here
and be back to talk."
*
Ten minutes later over a cup of tea and biscuits Buffy eyed her mother
critically, "You look tired."
Joyce grinned and nodded, "Yeah, I am. Six little children are quite a hand-full. But I'm not complaining. It was great fun too. And Sheila Rosenberg was here the whole day, so it wasn't too bad. She seems pretty cool now with her daughter's living-arrangement."
"You mean compared to the fact that she almost had a heart-attack when she first
heard about it?," Buffy grinned.
"Well, it was quite a shock. I mean, two women living with one man and all of
them sharing a sexual relationship isn't the ordinary."
"No, I guess not, but it's not that it hasn't happened before," the ex-slayer
smiled. "And they are happy together. All of them, especially the kids. So who
are we to judge it?"
"Yeah," Joyce agreed. Taking another sip from her cup she suddenly said, "Anya
got the two boys this morning. She told me you met Angel in L.A."
Her daughter nodded slowly, "Yeah, I did. It was quite a surprise. He was leading Cordy down the aisle."
"Anya already told me that. She also said you had a fight."
Buffy groaned, "Maybe I should just send a global e-mail, but then Anya is almost as effective."
"Honey, she cares for you."
"And loves to spread news," the younger blonde shot back. "So yeah, I met Angel
and we talked and then I freaked. He told me he was divorced and was living in
L.A. for almost a year and then he said he didn't want me to know, because he
thought I had enough on my mind a year ago."
"And that wasn't so?," Joyce asked almost casually.
"What is this today? You're in his fan-club too?," she looked at her mother the
same way she had at Xander only hours ago. What the hell was going on?
"No, I'm not in his fan-club and you should know it. But I also saw that my
daughter who I thought was finally happily married and free of all this demon
stuff, was never completely happy."
"How would you know?," Buffy snapped. "I was living your dream, wasn't I?"
"Oh honey," Joyce leaned over to her and took her daughter's hand. "I never
wanted you to marry a man just to make me happy."
"You almost jumped through the ceiling when I told you I was going to marry
Brent," the ex-slayer argued. "Your smile was so broad, I thought your face would split."
Sighing, her mother let go of her hand and leaned back. "I know. But I was so
afraid. Now that you have children of your own you can surely understand what it
meant to know that my daughter was risking her life night after night. I had
problems to deal with it and somehow Angel represented all the things I hated.
Only later, after he had left you I realised how much he really cared for you and that we both wanted the same for you."
"A normal life, kids, a loving husband, a picket fence?," Buffy's voice was still angry. "Well, I've got normal now, I have two kids, I even had a picket fence for a while, just the husband was all wrong. I couldn't love him enough and Brent felt it and ...," her voice broke and tears began to fall. She jumped up, pressed a fist in front of her mouth, and stared out of the window.
"Honey...," Joyce began, but her daughter held a hand up to stop her. So she just watched the back of her daughter sadly, watched as Buffy desperately tried to regain control over her emotions.
Then she suddenly turned around and wiped the tears away, "He left me. Angel left me, he said it wasn't going to work. He even turned back time and let me go
again. But do you know what hurt most? He became human four years ago and didn't
even tell me. He never called, he never came, I was just not important enough to
know. Cordelia told me in a letter.
"He didn't care anymore. If he'd called ...," she sniffed and searched her purse
for a tissue, "Brent and I were at a breaking point right then. But when ... when he didn't tell me and I realised, I wasn't important enough for him anymore, I desperately clung to my marriage, so we had David and tried again, but of course it was all in vain.
"And on top this he just turned to another woman and married her. God dammit,"
she pushed the tissue back into her purse, closed it and threw it on the sofa.
"He became human and only a year later he marries the next best chick. And he
never told me." She began to sob, "H-he n-never t-t-told me. Oh Mom!"
Joyce was up in an instant and gathered her daughter in her arms. Her tiny frame
shaking with the heavy sobs and Mrs. Summers tried to hold her as tightly as
possible to show her she felt with her. "Buffy, darling. Shhh," she tried to
comfort her. "It's okay, please don't cry, it'll all be better soon."
"I d-don't know, Mom," she cried against Joyce's neck. Then she pulled back and
got her tissue from the purse again to wipe her face. "It hurt. God, it hurt so
much when I realised he didn't care anymore. I was still in love with him and he
didn't care."
"And you're sure of it?," her mother asked doubtfully.
"It pretty much looked like it. And even yesterday. He was so cool, all relaxed
and smiling, I wanted to get a reaction from him, any ...," she broke off and
stared at the ground.
"You mean you wanted to know if he still cared?"
She nodded miserably without looking at her mother. "Yeah, I guess," she
whispered. "I behaved horribly, mom. I shouted at him. And then I just ran away." She sighed and sat down again, taking her cup. "Xander said, I should talk to him again." She looked up and met her mother's gaze. "What do you think?"
Joyce smiled, "Is it really important what I think? The question should be, how
important is it for you?"
*****
"I'm telling you, Cordy, I'm not sure about Buffy. I really tried my best, but
...," Xander trailed off.
"They're both the most stubborn people I know," Cordelia said on the other end of the line and ignored when she saw Gunn grinning at her. "Angel insists he's only going to hurt her if he goes to her." She sighed, "Oh hell, Xand. They are so right for each other."
"Oh really?," he replied.
"Okay. So I wasn't supportive all of the time - not that you've been a fan of the Buffy and Angel live happily ever after - I, well ... I was angry with her, but only because every time he saw her I had to pick up the pieces in which she left him."
"It wasn't easy for her either," Xander didn't like that Cordelia was laying all
the blame on Buffy.
"But there was always a reason," she said after a moment of silence. "He was a
vampire, his soul was more than only a little in danger every time she was around, so there were solid arguments against it. But they are gone. Long gone. All that's keeping them from each other now is their stubbornness."
"Don't forget all the pain and heartache and issues and ...,"
"Yeah, yeah," Cordelia interrupted him. "I know all of this. But I have sworn to
get them back together and I'm not backing out now. And you have promised to
help," her voice held a warning note.
"And I'm keeping my promise. We just have to find another opportunity to get them together. Now that she has shouted at him it can oonly become better. Or that's what I hope at least."
"What about your son's birthday next weekend. Buffy will be there anyway I
suppose and I could bring Angel," the former may-queen suggested.
"I thought you said, he wouldn't go near her again."
He heard a chuckle on the other end of the line and then she said, "That's what I said, but I left out that there's someone even more stubborn than Buffy and Angel and that of course is me."
End of Chapter Five.