Real Life 2/?
By Cindy
Disclaimers, part 1. Thanks to Kelly for the beta!
I am wiping cereal off my chin when the back door opens. The tot has good aim, just like her mum. I'm relieved to see it's a familiar face.
"Ready to go?" asks Willow. Apparently, she is addressing me. I look at Buffy, as if she can give me the answer. She shakes her head at me again and smiles at Willow.
"Sorry. He's in absent minded professor mode this morning, I'm afraid. I pity his poor students."
Willow smiles. "The females in his class won't mind. And probably a few of the guys. They'll just sit and look at him for an hour." I'm wondering if I should be flattered or insulted. Not to mention, what sodding class are they talking about? Red shrugs in my direction. "I hear things," she says.
"As long as they just look and don't touch," Buffy says. To me, she says, "did you forget that the car's in the shop and I need the jeep? Willow's giving you a ride."
"Oh, right." Thank God, since I have no idea where we're going.
She walks over to me and takes my face in her hands. "Have a good day," she says as she kisses me. I look at bite size. I guess I'm supposed to kiss her good bye, too. I lean over and kiss her forehead, and she grabs my nose. I can't help smiling. Cute kid.
"Bye, Megan," I say. Buffy hands me a briefcase and a set of keys, which I put in my pocket. I follow Willow outside... and into the sun. I just stand there for a moment, soaking it in, but Will is already opening the door of her car.
"William, stop daydreaming. My fellow computer geeks await me."
As I get into the passenger's side, I notice various computer components in the back seat. So, Willow has embraced her techy side in this world. Ah, but is that a spell book I see as well? She hands me a take-out cup of tea, and sips on some coffee herself. I have time to really look at her as she drives, and I see that she looks a little different than I remember. Her hair is long and pulled back into a low ponytail. The shade is darker than it was. She wears almost no make-up. Her manner, too, is more subdued. She seems a little...faded. Not as vibrant.
"So, what's new, Red?" Do I call her Red here? She doesn't seem to mind.
"Oh, you know me. Same old, same old."
Hmm. "How's classes?" Information, woman. I need information.
"Good. Just taking the one summer course."
Let's try this again. "Soooo...how long have I been teaching, now, anyway?"
"Well, let's see. You started dating Buffy when you were the TA for her class freshman year. You were just finishing your masters, right? And then they hired you the following year after the Prof was, um, well, eviscerated by the monster of the week. So that's, what? Two years? Gee, you are all absent minded-y today, aren't you?"
I try to laugh it off. "I guess. So, how am I doin', would you say? As a teacher, I mean."
"Are you kidding? English Lit has never been more popular." Alright! Now we're getting somewhere. I'm teaching English Lit at university. Why am I relieved? I have to teach English Lit at university! Bugger.
Willow takes another sip of her coffee and gives me a sideways glance. "You and Buffy seem to be doing well."
"Is there a reason why we shouldn't be?" I try not to sound defensive.
"Well, it's just, Buffy was depressed for so long. You're like, the light in her life. You and the baby." We've stopped at a light, and she looks over at me. "She's been through so much. I don't know what would have happened if it wasn't for you." The light turns green and her eyes turn back to the road. "I really envy you two." I can hear the genuine wistfulness in her voice. I want to ask more about Buffy, but I'm afraid it'll seem too odd. I'm her husband, after all. Husband. I decide to go in a different direction.
"So, who's your great love, Red?"
She smiles sadly. "Me? That would be Tara, I guess. Since she left, I haven't really been dating much."
Tara left? Why? When? "I'm sorry, about what happened." Whatever it was.
"I know. I mean, I still can't believe that she went back with her family. She hated them, and I thought she loved me. You know, *really* loved me. They had her so convinced that she was bad, and she was about the best person I ever knew." I sit, dumbfounded, while Willow parks and gets out of the car. I wasn't there with my stupid chip to pop the little witch in the nose. And that bastard father of hers got his hooks back into her. Red knocks on my window and I jump. I look up guiltily, but Willow has no idea.
"Come on, we're going to be late."
We continue chatting until we get to the front of one of the buildings. "Uh, Will?" she asks me.
"Yeah, Red?"
She points to the next building over. "Your class is over there, Mr. Head- In-The-Clouds."
"Oh, right." We plan to meet for lunch, and I make my way over to the building. Bloody hell, what have I gotten myself into? As I walk down the hallway, various students and other teachers smile and nod at me as if they know me. A nameplate on one of the office doors says W. Bradshaw. Well, that would be me, once upon a time. I take out the keys Buffy gave me and try one of them in the lock. The second one does the trick. I flip on the lights and walk over to the desk, which dominates the rather small room. A framed photo of Buffy and Megan sits on top. I flip through the planner that lies open on the desk, and see various appointments written in my handwriting.
I can feel myself breathing faster and faster, and I will myself to relax. I have been in a lot of terrifying situations before, but I can't remember actually being afraid until now. Bleedin' ponce, that's what I am. Afraid of a few pimply faced college freshman. I briefly consider bagging the whole thing, but if I want to make a go of this, whatever it is, then I best give it the old college try. Ha, bloody, ha.
I find the lesson plan for the summer session of Intro to English Lit, and thankfully the room number of the class is written on the front. I say a silent prayer to whomever listens to former vampires-now-human-whisked-off- to-an-alternate-dimension that I have actually read whatever book I am teaching today, and as I scan the lesson plan I find I have, more than once. Great Expectations. Well, you can't go wrong with Dickens, I reckon. And Pip, a man after my own heart.
I gather up the book and the paperwork that I think I'll need and head off to the lecture hall. Students are already filing in when I arrive, and I am greeted by many of them as they walk by.
"Good morning, Professor Bradshaw." It's been a long, long time since I've heard my last name. I kind of like this Professor business, though.
I see by the notes that I can't remember making that we are on chapter nine. I hop up on the desk and look at the eager faces staring back at me. Can they tell I have no idea what I'm doing? Ah, it's a challenge. Can't be worse than those bloody trials I...was that a dream? Anyway, ought to be right interesting, if nothing else. I open the book and start to read.
"That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been. Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day."
I look up from the book. "Who can tell me what he means by this?" Several hands go up in the air. As I scan the class, a dark haired girl looks up shyly, her hair partially obscuring her face. She looks back down at her notebook when I try to catch her eye. I grab the seating chart.
"Maria? What do you think?" She looks a little startled, and as she starts to speak, the other students begin to grumble that they can't hear her. I hold up my hand and they fall silent. Neat. "Go ahead, Maria."
She tucks her hair behind her ear, and her voice is a little louder this time. "I th.think it means that, one little thing you d.do, one decision you make, even if it seems insignificant, can affect the r.rest of your life in really important ways."
"Exactly." She smiles and looks back down at her notebook. "And," I say, thinking of another girl with a shy smile and a stutter, "the things you do, or don't do, can affect other people's lives as well. In ways you can't begin to imagine."
TBC
By Cindy
Disclaimers, part 1. Thanks to Kelly for the beta!
I am wiping cereal off my chin when the back door opens. The tot has good aim, just like her mum. I'm relieved to see it's a familiar face.
"Ready to go?" asks Willow. Apparently, she is addressing me. I look at Buffy, as if she can give me the answer. She shakes her head at me again and smiles at Willow.
"Sorry. He's in absent minded professor mode this morning, I'm afraid. I pity his poor students."
Willow smiles. "The females in his class won't mind. And probably a few of the guys. They'll just sit and look at him for an hour." I'm wondering if I should be flattered or insulted. Not to mention, what sodding class are they talking about? Red shrugs in my direction. "I hear things," she says.
"As long as they just look and don't touch," Buffy says. To me, she says, "did you forget that the car's in the shop and I need the jeep? Willow's giving you a ride."
"Oh, right." Thank God, since I have no idea where we're going.
She walks over to me and takes my face in her hands. "Have a good day," she says as she kisses me. I look at bite size. I guess I'm supposed to kiss her good bye, too. I lean over and kiss her forehead, and she grabs my nose. I can't help smiling. Cute kid.
"Bye, Megan," I say. Buffy hands me a briefcase and a set of keys, which I put in my pocket. I follow Willow outside... and into the sun. I just stand there for a moment, soaking it in, but Will is already opening the door of her car.
"William, stop daydreaming. My fellow computer geeks await me."
As I get into the passenger's side, I notice various computer components in the back seat. So, Willow has embraced her techy side in this world. Ah, but is that a spell book I see as well? She hands me a take-out cup of tea, and sips on some coffee herself. I have time to really look at her as she drives, and I see that she looks a little different than I remember. Her hair is long and pulled back into a low ponytail. The shade is darker than it was. She wears almost no make-up. Her manner, too, is more subdued. She seems a little...faded. Not as vibrant.
"So, what's new, Red?" Do I call her Red here? She doesn't seem to mind.
"Oh, you know me. Same old, same old."
Hmm. "How's classes?" Information, woman. I need information.
"Good. Just taking the one summer course."
Let's try this again. "Soooo...how long have I been teaching, now, anyway?"
"Well, let's see. You started dating Buffy when you were the TA for her class freshman year. You were just finishing your masters, right? And then they hired you the following year after the Prof was, um, well, eviscerated by the monster of the week. So that's, what? Two years? Gee, you are all absent minded-y today, aren't you?"
I try to laugh it off. "I guess. So, how am I doin', would you say? As a teacher, I mean."
"Are you kidding? English Lit has never been more popular." Alright! Now we're getting somewhere. I'm teaching English Lit at university. Why am I relieved? I have to teach English Lit at university! Bugger.
Willow takes another sip of her coffee and gives me a sideways glance. "You and Buffy seem to be doing well."
"Is there a reason why we shouldn't be?" I try not to sound defensive.
"Well, it's just, Buffy was depressed for so long. You're like, the light in her life. You and the baby." We've stopped at a light, and she looks over at me. "She's been through so much. I don't know what would have happened if it wasn't for you." The light turns green and her eyes turn back to the road. "I really envy you two." I can hear the genuine wistfulness in her voice. I want to ask more about Buffy, but I'm afraid it'll seem too odd. I'm her husband, after all. Husband. I decide to go in a different direction.
"So, who's your great love, Red?"
She smiles sadly. "Me? That would be Tara, I guess. Since she left, I haven't really been dating much."
Tara left? Why? When? "I'm sorry, about what happened." Whatever it was.
"I know. I mean, I still can't believe that she went back with her family. She hated them, and I thought she loved me. You know, *really* loved me. They had her so convinced that she was bad, and she was about the best person I ever knew." I sit, dumbfounded, while Willow parks and gets out of the car. I wasn't there with my stupid chip to pop the little witch in the nose. And that bastard father of hers got his hooks back into her. Red knocks on my window and I jump. I look up guiltily, but Willow has no idea.
"Come on, we're going to be late."
We continue chatting until we get to the front of one of the buildings. "Uh, Will?" she asks me.
"Yeah, Red?"
She points to the next building over. "Your class is over there, Mr. Head- In-The-Clouds."
"Oh, right." We plan to meet for lunch, and I make my way over to the building. Bloody hell, what have I gotten myself into? As I walk down the hallway, various students and other teachers smile and nod at me as if they know me. A nameplate on one of the office doors says W. Bradshaw. Well, that would be me, once upon a time. I take out the keys Buffy gave me and try one of them in the lock. The second one does the trick. I flip on the lights and walk over to the desk, which dominates the rather small room. A framed photo of Buffy and Megan sits on top. I flip through the planner that lies open on the desk, and see various appointments written in my handwriting.
I can feel myself breathing faster and faster, and I will myself to relax. I have been in a lot of terrifying situations before, but I can't remember actually being afraid until now. Bleedin' ponce, that's what I am. Afraid of a few pimply faced college freshman. I briefly consider bagging the whole thing, but if I want to make a go of this, whatever it is, then I best give it the old college try. Ha, bloody, ha.
I find the lesson plan for the summer session of Intro to English Lit, and thankfully the room number of the class is written on the front. I say a silent prayer to whomever listens to former vampires-now-human-whisked-off- to-an-alternate-dimension that I have actually read whatever book I am teaching today, and as I scan the lesson plan I find I have, more than once. Great Expectations. Well, you can't go wrong with Dickens, I reckon. And Pip, a man after my own heart.
I gather up the book and the paperwork that I think I'll need and head off to the lecture hall. Students are already filing in when I arrive, and I am greeted by many of them as they walk by.
"Good morning, Professor Bradshaw." It's been a long, long time since I've heard my last name. I kind of like this Professor business, though.
I see by the notes that I can't remember making that we are on chapter nine. I hop up on the desk and look at the eager faces staring back at me. Can they tell I have no idea what I'm doing? Ah, it's a challenge. Can't be worse than those bloody trials I...was that a dream? Anyway, ought to be right interesting, if nothing else. I open the book and start to read.
"That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been. Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day."
I look up from the book. "Who can tell me what he means by this?" Several hands go up in the air. As I scan the class, a dark haired girl looks up shyly, her hair partially obscuring her face. She looks back down at her notebook when I try to catch her eye. I grab the seating chart.
"Maria? What do you think?" She looks a little startled, and as she starts to speak, the other students begin to grumble that they can't hear her. I hold up my hand and they fall silent. Neat. "Go ahead, Maria."
She tucks her hair behind her ear, and her voice is a little louder this time. "I th.think it means that, one little thing you d.do, one decision you make, even if it seems insignificant, can affect the r.rest of your life in really important ways."
"Exactly." She smiles and looks back down at her notebook. "And," I say, thinking of another girl with a shy smile and a stutter, "the things you do, or don't do, can affect other people's lives as well. In ways you can't begin to imagine."
TBC