"That seemed really..." Riley said later when they hopped in the car after
the neccesary business had been done.
"Weird, fun, cool, whatever. But kind of odd, because they knew almost everything about me, and I know nothing about them." Buffy said.
"Kind of like Drac, huh?" Riley chuckled.
"Not funny, that is not a laughing matter." Buffy said seriously.
"Okay, I don't want you angry at me." Riley said.
"Neither do I want you to be at me." Buffy said innocently.
"Buffy, there is something we need to talk about, now." Riley quietly said.
"I know where we left it at, I am not looking forward to this."
"Me neither, Buffy, I just felt no reason to stay, we were fighting and I knew..."
"You knew what?" Buffy trembled.
"That you didn't, well, love me." Riley replied.
"Love you? You think I didn't, Riley, you didn't notice those public acts of affection? Couldn't you see it in my eyes? I was very apprehensive after..."
"Angel. I hate hearing that name, I think he ruined our relationship, his refferings, every thing with that name in it." Riley filled in the blank.
"I just felt shy, you know like you were my very first boyfriend, I just couldn't express my feelings in words. I still can barely."
"You said them to Spike." Riley looked down to the floor of the car.
"Riley, I cared, I did, but it wasn't love, I just said it because I wouldn't see him again, he knew I didn't mean them."
"Still it hurt that you said them to him and not to me." Riley replied still staring.
"You think it didn't hurt when you brought Sam, that about killed me." Buffy said still trembling.
"Do you think it didn't to see you in bed with the likes of Spike?"
"Riley, that look in your eyes when you saw us, I could see it was pain. That look gave me a humongous wake up call! I broke up with him, okay? But he got a soul, he changed, I could have a friendly relationship, then I grew to care." Buffy said simply.
"It was pain, it was hurt, I didn't want to believe what I was seeing." Riley said sadly.
"Riley, I saw in Sam what I could've been if I wasn't the slayer, which really broke me, you know? I just couldn't face my identity." Buffy cried.
"In the past few months I saw that, like maybe that was the only reason I married Sam, because she reminded me of you, she was strong, independant, and all those qualities taht make you, you. I couldn't deal with a substitute, I needed the real thing, I needed you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you, when I saw you at that shabby burger place, I felt bad. Like you were better when I had you in my arms."
"Well, you'd like to here I had a job as a school counselor the past year, I feel like taht was a big step up."
"Good. Now let's go on, your group's gonna wonder where we have been for so long."
"You wanna patrol tonight?"
"You can count on it."
"We load up with crossbows and stakes and kill those damn vamps." Buffy joked.
That ride home was the longest Buffy had experienced, no one talked, Riley just drove. The silence beat upon the walls and wanted noise, pure noise, only that, Riley let beads of sweat drip off his face, Buffy sat quietly, unlike her nature. They finally arrived at her dad's house, everyone was in the living room, quiet on the couch, her da dlooked mystified, he knew.
"Buffy, why didn't you tell me?" Her dad asked, his forehead wrinkled.
"What?" Buffy said, Riley went into the basement.
"The slayer destiny, the whole bit?"
"I just felt awkward and weird, okay, dad? Not like you wanted to see me or Dawn any way! To busy with your new ex-wife! It's not like you would have believed me. You'd think I was in a cult."
"Buffy, I still don't understand. Vampires? Fake, with all the Dracula glory."
"I actually met Dracula, I actually died, twice. If you don't believe me, ask Xander, he was there both times, he lost his eye saving my ass! Ask all of them, except the slayerettes, Faith, or Wood."
Xander waved his hand at Buffy's dad. "Yes, sir, all of what she said is true, I did save her ass."
Buffy rolled her eyes and said. "I fight demons, I kill them, we incant spells, it's what I am! You know how the gym burned down, courtesy of me saving everybody's lives! Better the gym than one-hundred people."
"I still don't understand."
"Understand? You think I know all about my legacy? My like people? Faith knows that I like her am a slayer. Every generation a slayer is born, I died the first time, Kendra was sent, she was killed, and Faith came in."
"Yea, Mista' Summers, Buffy and I are like royalty, right B?" Faith said.
"No, we aren't royalty, we are just those blessed or cursed with ability to kill the fanged, evil, or ugly creatures of the world." Buffy said.
"We'll pick up with this later." Buffy's dad walked into the kitchen.
"Weird, fun, cool, whatever. But kind of odd, because they knew almost everything about me, and I know nothing about them." Buffy said.
"Kind of like Drac, huh?" Riley chuckled.
"Not funny, that is not a laughing matter." Buffy said seriously.
"Okay, I don't want you angry at me." Riley said.
"Neither do I want you to be at me." Buffy said innocently.
"Buffy, there is something we need to talk about, now." Riley quietly said.
"I know where we left it at, I am not looking forward to this."
"Me neither, Buffy, I just felt no reason to stay, we were fighting and I knew..."
"You knew what?" Buffy trembled.
"That you didn't, well, love me." Riley replied.
"Love you? You think I didn't, Riley, you didn't notice those public acts of affection? Couldn't you see it in my eyes? I was very apprehensive after..."
"Angel. I hate hearing that name, I think he ruined our relationship, his refferings, every thing with that name in it." Riley filled in the blank.
"I just felt shy, you know like you were my very first boyfriend, I just couldn't express my feelings in words. I still can barely."
"You said them to Spike." Riley looked down to the floor of the car.
"Riley, I cared, I did, but it wasn't love, I just said it because I wouldn't see him again, he knew I didn't mean them."
"Still it hurt that you said them to him and not to me." Riley replied still staring.
"You think it didn't hurt when you brought Sam, that about killed me." Buffy said still trembling.
"Do you think it didn't to see you in bed with the likes of Spike?"
"Riley, that look in your eyes when you saw us, I could see it was pain. That look gave me a humongous wake up call! I broke up with him, okay? But he got a soul, he changed, I could have a friendly relationship, then I grew to care." Buffy said simply.
"It was pain, it was hurt, I didn't want to believe what I was seeing." Riley said sadly.
"Riley, I saw in Sam what I could've been if I wasn't the slayer, which really broke me, you know? I just couldn't face my identity." Buffy cried.
"In the past few months I saw that, like maybe that was the only reason I married Sam, because she reminded me of you, she was strong, independant, and all those qualities taht make you, you. I couldn't deal with a substitute, I needed the real thing, I needed you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you, when I saw you at that shabby burger place, I felt bad. Like you were better when I had you in my arms."
"Well, you'd like to here I had a job as a school counselor the past year, I feel like taht was a big step up."
"Good. Now let's go on, your group's gonna wonder where we have been for so long."
"You wanna patrol tonight?"
"You can count on it."
"We load up with crossbows and stakes and kill those damn vamps." Buffy joked.
That ride home was the longest Buffy had experienced, no one talked, Riley just drove. The silence beat upon the walls and wanted noise, pure noise, only that, Riley let beads of sweat drip off his face, Buffy sat quietly, unlike her nature. They finally arrived at her dad's house, everyone was in the living room, quiet on the couch, her da dlooked mystified, he knew.
"Buffy, why didn't you tell me?" Her dad asked, his forehead wrinkled.
"What?" Buffy said, Riley went into the basement.
"The slayer destiny, the whole bit?"
"I just felt awkward and weird, okay, dad? Not like you wanted to see me or Dawn any way! To busy with your new ex-wife! It's not like you would have believed me. You'd think I was in a cult."
"Buffy, I still don't understand. Vampires? Fake, with all the Dracula glory."
"I actually met Dracula, I actually died, twice. If you don't believe me, ask Xander, he was there both times, he lost his eye saving my ass! Ask all of them, except the slayerettes, Faith, or Wood."
Xander waved his hand at Buffy's dad. "Yes, sir, all of what she said is true, I did save her ass."
Buffy rolled her eyes and said. "I fight demons, I kill them, we incant spells, it's what I am! You know how the gym burned down, courtesy of me saving everybody's lives! Better the gym than one-hundred people."
"I still don't understand."
"Understand? You think I know all about my legacy? My like people? Faith knows that I like her am a slayer. Every generation a slayer is born, I died the first time, Kendra was sent, she was killed, and Faith came in."
"Yea, Mista' Summers, Buffy and I are like royalty, right B?" Faith said.
"No, we aren't royalty, we are just those blessed or cursed with ability to kill the fanged, evil, or ugly creatures of the world." Buffy said.
"We'll pick up with this later." Buffy's dad walked into the kitchen.
