Q & A #21
by Colleen Hillerup
The ridge overlooking Sunnydale was dotted with blankets and lawn chairs. Buffy, Spike and Meredith were surrounded by a lake of people. Families sat together, young couples reclined, holding hands. The air was thick with anticipation.
Meredith was bouncing up and down on her blanket. "Is it going to start now? How about now?"
"Any second now, sweetheart." Spike reached out and took Buffy's fingers, smiling up at her. Their daughter sitting between them on the blanket, it was a perfect evening. They had managed to find a decent spot to set up, even though they came later than most families, the sun's rays already dipping low in the sky. On the verge of pitch darkness, the show was about to begin.
"Look, there's Dawn." Buffy waved towards her sister and Dawn's date, but the couple didn't turn around. She knew there were people here she would recognize, but the darkness precluded it.
"I'm glad you don't have to work, Mommy." Meredith put her arms around her mother's neck.
"I wouldn't miss this. I'll go out later for a bit, but right now, my time is yours. Yours and Daddy's." Spike gave her hand a squeeze.
Spike's ears perked up. "I think it's starting."
With a whistle, the rocket streaked into the sky. It burst forth with a tremendous boom. Meredith shrieked and covered her ears. "It's too loud. I don't like it. I want to go home."
"Look, pet." Spike pointed to the sky as the colours lit the darkness in a cascade.
"Pretty," Meredith uttered, her ears firmly covered. "But it smells bad."
With the next blast, louder than the first, Meredith buried her head against her father's chest. "Make it stop!" she cried.
"Shhh, love. It's okay. Look." Again the little girl peeked up at the sky.
"Oh, that's so nice, Daddy. Why can't it be pretty and quiet?"
"It has to explode to make the pretty lights. That's how it works. You need the bad part to get to the good part."
Buffy smiled at him. "Yep, honey. Sometimes you do." She put her arms around her daughter. "Cover your ears, but keep looking up. You've only been seeing the ends of the lights."
Meredith stoically covered her ears and looked up. This time she saw the firework burst in its entirety. "Oh, that's so beautiful." She crawled into her father's lap. "Is Auntie Willow here?"
"Probably somewhere. Why, sweetheart?"
"Cause I think she'd like this." She snuggled next to her father, until, even with the noise, she'd fallen asleep.
by Colleen Hillerup
The ridge overlooking Sunnydale was dotted with blankets and lawn chairs. Buffy, Spike and Meredith were surrounded by a lake of people. Families sat together, young couples reclined, holding hands. The air was thick with anticipation.
Meredith was bouncing up and down on her blanket. "Is it going to start now? How about now?"
"Any second now, sweetheart." Spike reached out and took Buffy's fingers, smiling up at her. Their daughter sitting between them on the blanket, it was a perfect evening. They had managed to find a decent spot to set up, even though they came later than most families, the sun's rays already dipping low in the sky. On the verge of pitch darkness, the show was about to begin.
"Look, there's Dawn." Buffy waved towards her sister and Dawn's date, but the couple didn't turn around. She knew there were people here she would recognize, but the darkness precluded it.
"I'm glad you don't have to work, Mommy." Meredith put her arms around her mother's neck.
"I wouldn't miss this. I'll go out later for a bit, but right now, my time is yours. Yours and Daddy's." Spike gave her hand a squeeze.
Spike's ears perked up. "I think it's starting."
With a whistle, the rocket streaked into the sky. It burst forth with a tremendous boom. Meredith shrieked and covered her ears. "It's too loud. I don't like it. I want to go home."
"Look, pet." Spike pointed to the sky as the colours lit the darkness in a cascade.
"Pretty," Meredith uttered, her ears firmly covered. "But it smells bad."
With the next blast, louder than the first, Meredith buried her head against her father's chest. "Make it stop!" she cried.
"Shhh, love. It's okay. Look." Again the little girl peeked up at the sky.
"Oh, that's so nice, Daddy. Why can't it be pretty and quiet?"
"It has to explode to make the pretty lights. That's how it works. You need the bad part to get to the good part."
Buffy smiled at him. "Yep, honey. Sometimes you do." She put her arms around her daughter. "Cover your ears, but keep looking up. You've only been seeing the ends of the lights."
Meredith stoically covered her ears and looked up. This time she saw the firework burst in its entirety. "Oh, that's so beautiful." She crawled into her father's lap. "Is Auntie Willow here?"
"Probably somewhere. Why, sweetheart?"
"Cause I think she'd like this." She snuggled next to her father, until, even with the noise, she'd fallen asleep.