Ch 1
Buffy walked out of the magic shop and locked it up for the night. Anya had gone home hours ago and now it was Buffy's turn.
She looked up when she heard a horn honk and smiled. Tara had pulled up to the curb in the car that belonged to the residents of five-fifty nine South Gold St.
Buffy climbed in next to Tara.
"Hey." She greeted.
"Hi." Tara said. "Long night?"
"Pretty busy. I think it's the holiday season. Everyone's buying things for their favorite witch or wannabe witch. Speaking of...." Buffy dug into her bag. "Dawn's gift finally came in." She held up the crystal necklace. "Think she'll like it?"
Tara looked at it quickly. "She'll love it."
"Hope so." Buffy put it away again. "So I thought I'd be walking home tonight."
"I was at the science library doing some homework and I finished earlier then I thought I would so I decided to save you a walk."
"Cool." Buffy smiled. "I might make it home in time to put Abby to sleep."
"I bet Dawnie and Xander have got it covered."
"Yeah I know. I just like being there when she'd ready to close her eyes. I like being the last thing she sees before going to sleep." She looked over when Tara giggled. "What?"
"You're such a mom."
"Yeah I guess I am." Buffy smiled. "It's a nice feeling."
"Can't wait to try it." Tara said as she parked the car.
"It's like nothing else." Buffy promised as the two vacated the car and headed inside the house.
The house was a large structure designed by both Buffy and Xander after Joyce Summers had died. That event had pushed Buffy and Dawn to sell the home where they'd lived with their mom and make a new one with Buffy's daughter and Willow and Tara.
The living room was huge and had several staircases each leading to a bedroom. When they'd moved in together after Xander and Buffy got married privacy had been a major concern, so Xander had proposed a solution of separate staircases and it seemed to work well. Of course Abby's room had a door that connected it to Buffy's so Buffy wasn't running up and down the stairs all night.
"Well I'm going to sleep." Tara said heading for the back stairs. "Night."
"Night." Buffy called as she headed up a flight of stairs on the right. She smiled when she got to the top and saw Dawn rocking Abby. "Hi." She whispered.
Dawn looked up. "Hi. You're early."
"Tara picked me up." Buffy explained as she came closer. "Is she asleep?"
"Almost." Dawn got up slowly. "Here." She carefully handed Abby off to Buffy. "Before I go, Willow wanted to talk to you."
"What about?"
"Not sure." Dawn said. "G''night."
"Night." Buffy said quietly as Dawn left. She listened to Abby's breathing and smiled before gently laying her down in her crib. "G'night Miss Abby." She whispered before leaving quietly.
She left the separating door open a crack before she started to get ready for bed. Just as she was brushing out her hair her phone rang.
She snatched it up before it could wake Xander. "Hello?"
"Buffy?"
"Will?"
"Yeah. Can you come downstairs?"
"Uh sure. Be down in a sec." Buffy hung the phone up and grabbed the baby monitor before she headed downstairs. She found Willow in the kitchen with a cup of tea. "Hey. Sorry. Dawn said you wanted to talk but I figured it could wait till tomorrow. Guess not."
Willow shook her head. "Sorry. It's kind of important."
Buffy nodded as she made herself a cup of tea. "What's up?"
"I got a phone call today."
"Willow, you get calls every day." Buffy said sitting down.
"This one was from Riley."
Buffy stared. "What?"
"I didn't actually talk to him. There was a message on the machine when I got home."
"What did it say?"
"That he was looking for a way to get in touch with you."
Buffy got up and went to the window. "Anything else?"
"He'll be in Sunnydale on Saturday."
"Just in time for Christmas." Buffy muttered. "Is he going to call again?"
"When he gets in." Willow told her.
"Maybe Xander and I will take Abby and Dawn to L.A. for the day. We can visit Grams."
"You really wanna do that?"
"Yeah." Buffy turned. "Thanks for the warning Will. I'm going to sleep."
"Night." Willow said as Buffy made her exit.
Buffy made it to her room and crawled into bed next to Xander. She closed her eyes. It'd been almost a year since Riley had left Sunnydale to rejoin the mission. Since then she'd been able to block the pain but now it tore at her heart.
Buffy walked out of the magic shop and locked it up for the night. Anya had gone home hours ago and now it was Buffy's turn.
She looked up when she heard a horn honk and smiled. Tara had pulled up to the curb in the car that belonged to the residents of five-fifty nine South Gold St.
Buffy climbed in next to Tara.
"Hey." She greeted.
"Hi." Tara said. "Long night?"
"Pretty busy. I think it's the holiday season. Everyone's buying things for their favorite witch or wannabe witch. Speaking of...." Buffy dug into her bag. "Dawn's gift finally came in." She held up the crystal necklace. "Think she'll like it?"
Tara looked at it quickly. "She'll love it."
"Hope so." Buffy put it away again. "So I thought I'd be walking home tonight."
"I was at the science library doing some homework and I finished earlier then I thought I would so I decided to save you a walk."
"Cool." Buffy smiled. "I might make it home in time to put Abby to sleep."
"I bet Dawnie and Xander have got it covered."
"Yeah I know. I just like being there when she'd ready to close her eyes. I like being the last thing she sees before going to sleep." She looked over when Tara giggled. "What?"
"You're such a mom."
"Yeah I guess I am." Buffy smiled. "It's a nice feeling."
"Can't wait to try it." Tara said as she parked the car.
"It's like nothing else." Buffy promised as the two vacated the car and headed inside the house.
The house was a large structure designed by both Buffy and Xander after Joyce Summers had died. That event had pushed Buffy and Dawn to sell the home where they'd lived with their mom and make a new one with Buffy's daughter and Willow and Tara.
The living room was huge and had several staircases each leading to a bedroom. When they'd moved in together after Xander and Buffy got married privacy had been a major concern, so Xander had proposed a solution of separate staircases and it seemed to work well. Of course Abby's room had a door that connected it to Buffy's so Buffy wasn't running up and down the stairs all night.
"Well I'm going to sleep." Tara said heading for the back stairs. "Night."
"Night." Buffy called as she headed up a flight of stairs on the right. She smiled when she got to the top and saw Dawn rocking Abby. "Hi." She whispered.
Dawn looked up. "Hi. You're early."
"Tara picked me up." Buffy explained as she came closer. "Is she asleep?"
"Almost." Dawn got up slowly. "Here." She carefully handed Abby off to Buffy. "Before I go, Willow wanted to talk to you."
"What about?"
"Not sure." Dawn said. "G''night."
"Night." Buffy said quietly as Dawn left. She listened to Abby's breathing and smiled before gently laying her down in her crib. "G'night Miss Abby." She whispered before leaving quietly.
She left the separating door open a crack before she started to get ready for bed. Just as she was brushing out her hair her phone rang.
She snatched it up before it could wake Xander. "Hello?"
"Buffy?"
"Will?"
"Yeah. Can you come downstairs?"
"Uh sure. Be down in a sec." Buffy hung the phone up and grabbed the baby monitor before she headed downstairs. She found Willow in the kitchen with a cup of tea. "Hey. Sorry. Dawn said you wanted to talk but I figured it could wait till tomorrow. Guess not."
Willow shook her head. "Sorry. It's kind of important."
Buffy nodded as she made herself a cup of tea. "What's up?"
"I got a phone call today."
"Willow, you get calls every day." Buffy said sitting down.
"This one was from Riley."
Buffy stared. "What?"
"I didn't actually talk to him. There was a message on the machine when I got home."
"What did it say?"
"That he was looking for a way to get in touch with you."
Buffy got up and went to the window. "Anything else?"
"He'll be in Sunnydale on Saturday."
"Just in time for Christmas." Buffy muttered. "Is he going to call again?"
"When he gets in." Willow told her.
"Maybe Xander and I will take Abby and Dawn to L.A. for the day. We can visit Grams."
"You really wanna do that?"
"Yeah." Buffy turned. "Thanks for the warning Will. I'm going to sleep."
"Night." Willow said as Buffy made her exit.
Buffy made it to her room and crawled into bed next to Xander. She closed her eyes. It'd been almost a year since Riley had left Sunnydale to rejoin the mission. Since then she'd been able to block the pain but now it tore at her heart.