A/N: Ahh, I love reviews. Reviews give me gooshy feeling. Hehehe, yeah, gooshy is good. You guys are great! Thanks so much.
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Chapter 11: Family Ties
Joyce looked up from the couch as Buffy walked into the apartment.
"Hi, honey," she said and Buffy dropped a kiss onto Joyce's cheek.
"Hey mom, how're you feeling?" she asked.
"I'm ok, but Buffy, I really need to talk to you."
"What's up mom?" Buffy asked as she wandered into the little kitchen that branched from the living room. She returned minutes later, munching on an apple.
"Sweetie, you know that I love you and I really appreciate everything that you've done this past couple of years. I just think that you've taken too much time away from school and stuff. Sweetie, I think you should really consider quitting you job and going back to school," Joyce said, then sighed as she saw Buffy's eyes fire up. Great, now I'm in for it.
Buffy took a breath before answering her mom. "We've talked about this before mom. I'm not going to quit until I'm sure that you and A.J are taken care of. There is no way that you can pay for all the bills on your salary alone. I know that stripping is not the best job in the world, but come on mom! You can't ignore the fact that it pays quite well, well enough to afford this apartment and the bills that come with it. Until you or A.J finds a job that does that, I'm staying here. Besides, the overall club isn't that bad. I mean, sure, I'm stripping, but at least it's at a nice club, and the men that go there aren't all that bad."
Joyce stood up and looked down at her daughter. "Elizabeth Anne Summers, do you forget that I am your mother? You may be in college, you may feel like you are an adult, but never forget that I am the parent in this household. I raised you and I will continue to do so, same goes for A.J. Now, I want you to listen to me when I say that stripping is an appalling job, beneath you and the values that I've taught you. You should be in school contemplating a career, not taking off your clothes for middle-aged men who have nothing better to do than ogle women young enough to be their daughters. I swear, what kind of girl would work in a place like that?"
Buffy stopped chewing and carefully set her apple down. "Plenty of nice, honest and hardworking girls work there. You've met Willow, she works there. Besides, aren't you the one who taught me not to judge a book by its cover?"
Joyce stopped and closed her mouth and then opened it again. "Well I suppose that I did but Buffy, think about it realistically. What kind of man is going to want to be with a woman who strips? Most of the people around here think you're nothing short of a prostitute. Have you ever stopped to consider alternative jobs?"
Buffy huffed out a breath. "Yes mom, I have and I can tell you that it just won't work. Stripping gives me a flexible schedule and a lot of money for little effort. As for your other question, I'm going out tonight with a very nice man who doesn't consider me a prostitute. And whoever does can kiss my rosy red ass." She turned on her heel and stomped out of the living room to her small bedroom. Once inside, Buffy flopped on her bed and fought back the anger. Dammit! I am a fucking adult and my mother still tries to push me around! Shit, all this is for her and she can't even appreciate it. Buffy stewed in her thoughts for a minute until a soft knock sounded on her door.
He mom poked her head in. "Buffy, honey, I'm sorry. I know that my being sick was hard on you and you came through admirably. You stepped up even though you had to leave school and come live at home. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it or how proud of you I am. It just seems to me that, at times, you forget that you are still a young woman. You are not A.J's mother but his sister, a college student. You should be out having fun with your friends and meeting people, not caring for your mother and brother. I worry that you're missing out on your life. I love you and I don't want you to end up resenting me or A.J for pulling you out of your life. As for stripping, would any mother be comfortable with her daughter doing that?"
Buffy got up and walked over to her mom and hugged her. "Mom, I love you too and I'm not going to resent you, ever. You and A.J are my life and I want you to be secure before I go back to school. Don't worry about me. I'm going to go back to school and finish, I don't plan on stripping for the rest of my life. Please, mom, you just gotta trust me and let me take the lead until you can."
Joyce sighed. "That's another thing, Buffy. I was fired today."
Buffy exploded. "WHAT!"
Joyce nodded her head. "Dan called me in and told me that one of our contributors just pulled out. He can't afford to keep any of his managers; we all got a pink slip today."
Buffy was ready to kill. "That little rat bastard. I'm going to kick him in the nuts so hard he'll be singing soprano for the rest of his short life."
Joyce pulled Buffy away from the door and sat her down. "Honey, although I appreciate and want to imitate the gesture, it really wasn't his fault. In fact, as I was leaving today, I saw the gallery owner, Mr. Giles, walk in and tell Dan himself that he has to be let go."
Buffy's smile was lethal. "Good, little prick deserved it. What's going to happen to the gallery now?"
"Well, it seems that Mr. Giles has a brother that wants to convert it into an antique store of sorts. Maybe I'll see if he needs a good buyer. Anyway, that's what I heard, and it's only workroom gossip." Joyce went into the kitchen. Buffy followed her.
"What are we going to do now?" she asked her mom.
Joyce looked at her and gave a sad smile. "Whatever it is, we'll get through it, together."
A.J walked in from school with a few of his buddies. He saw his mother and sister sitting in the kitchen and immediately went in. "What happened?"
"Nothing big, A.J, how was school today?" Buffy asked.
"Fine," he replied and dragged his friends upstairs. They always wanted to come over and ogle his sister. A.J didn't know whether to be proud or angry, he was usually a little bit of both. Most of them had always had a crush on her and now that she worked as a stripper, their adolescent fantasies went to newer heights. A.J had reached new heights of popularity thanks to his sister. All of the guys wanted to be his friend, but most of the time he shrugged it and them off. Even though they thought it was cool, to A.J, Buffy was just Buffy, his older sister and oftentimes his confidant. She was probably one of his best friends, though he would never admit that. Buffy'd already gone through high school and she knew its trials and tribulations. She gave him advice when he asked for it and held his secrets. She had also, on more that one occasion, held his head over the toilet and covered for him from mom. Yeah, Buffy was a pretty cool sister.
A.J gave himself a shake and grinned evilly at his friends. "So, who wants their ass kicked in Halo?"
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Xander was seriously considering bodily harm toward Spike. Earlier, Spike had called and asked Xander if he could set up dinner for him and some friends tonight at the restaurant. That wasn't the problem. Spike also asked that Xander pretend that Spike was a waiter at the restaurant and not a lawyer. That also wasn't the problem. No, the problem occurred when Spike expected him to be there as part of a "double-date". It'd gotten to the point where Xander had to go to Spike house and barge in on his friend to get his point across.
"Spike, man, like I told you about a million times over the phone, I have plans tonight, I can't make it for your pseudo-date thing you got going on," he told him while Spike got dressed.
"Who is bloody lame enough to make plans with your poofy ass?" Spike asked him, holding up two different shirts.
Xander pointed to the blue one and Spike continued to dress. "I told you yesterday that the new waitress, Anya Jenkins, and I are going to the movies."
Spike raised his scarred eyebrow. "Hitting on the help, huh? Really Xan, isn't that a no-no?"
Xander rolled his eyes. "Actually, she asked me out. Said that she appreciated a man who made copious amounts of money and that she believed we should go out so she could decide if I was 'orgasm worthy'."
Spike laughed. "Well, at least she's straightforward about it. But come on Xan. I told you that they're girls from the club, right? The redhead and the blonde, Chaos and Calypso, Willow and Buffy? Ring a bell?"
"And while I appreciate the extreme skillfulness it probably took to getting two such extraordinary ladies to even look at you, my answer is still no. I'm going out with Anya," Xander said firmly.
Spike ran a hand through his hair. "Bollocks, now what am I gonna do?"
Xander thought about it while Spike applied his cologne and put on his shoes. "Why don't you see what Oz or one of the guys are doing."
Spike brightened considerably. "That's a bloody good idea, hopefully one of them will be free."
He grabbed his phone and called Oz. Daniel 'Oz' Osborne was a man of few words and fewer facial expressions. Spike had met him at the Bronze where he played with his band, Dingoes Ate My Baby. They weren't very good, but Oz, Xander and Spike became fast friends. Oz was somewhat of a drifter, never settled in one place too long. Spike, using his name and influence, got the Dingoes a permanent gig at the Bronze, so Oz and his band settled down. The eclectic haired man shared not only a broken past but a love of punk bands and vintage cars. Often, the three of them would cruise the car shows and separately wish for the time and opportunity to restore a car themselves.
"Hey, Oz, whatcha doing tonight, mate?" Spike paced as he spoke into the phone. "I got a favor ta ask you. I know, I know, I already owe you, but believe me, mate, this is worth it. 'M going out with some girls tonight and I could really use another guy." Spike shot Xander a dirty look while he said this. "What's that? Oh yeah, they're both bleedin' fantastic. No, it's not a pity date. Please Oz, do this for me? You will! That's great man; I'll swing by and pick you up in a few. We're just going out for dinner at Xander's place." Spike laughed into the phone at looked at Xander. "Yeah, I'll be sure to watch out for cockroaches, see ya soon." Xander punched Spike in the shoulder for his comment, and then looked at his watch.
A door slammed downstairs and Edward Giles called out "William, where are you?"
Spike sighed and rolled his eyes. Why do I have to deal him right now? God must hate me.
He turned to Xander. "I'll go talk to him; you can sneak out the back door."
Xander smiled. "Thanks, man, I'll call you later to see if there's been any bloodshed."
Spike gave a half laugh and walked downstairs. Edward Giles did not like to be kept waiting, especially when it came to his son. He was a striking man, tall with silver hair and piercing blue eyes, much like his sons. However, unlike his sons, Edward's eyes held no warmth or life in them. They were cold like the ice they mirrored.
"Hello, father, how are you today?" Spike asked when he got downstairs.
"Honestly, William, I would be doing a lot better if you would stop being so damn stubborn and call Drusilla to work out this little setback. She's from a good family, son, just imagine if our two firms merged! We'd have more power and influence than the governor, not to mention it would quadruple our holdings. I know she has been behaving quite dreadfully, but she told her father today that she was sorry and wanted to talk to you." Edward paced the spacious living room as he spoke, picking things up and putting them down in different place.
Spike couldn't believe his ears. The bloody bitch had broken his heart and now she was sorry? "Well, father, you can tell Drusilla and her father that she is nothing but a bleedin' whore and I want nothing to do with her. She can rot in hell for all I care."
Edward whirled around, his face red with anger. "You watch your mouth boy. Talking like a low class thug. I know that I've taught you better than that. You will accept Drusilla's apology and you will be a father to this child. This is your responsibility and duty, would you shirk your duty?" he asked incredulously.
Spike just smirked. His father had long ago stopped intimidating him. "Drusilla is a rotten slut and I'm not even sure the child is mine. I will not even consider taking another man's responsibility, no matter the cost. Now, father, please let yourself out. I have plans tonight."
Edward looked ready to hit someone. He stormed to the door and just before leaving called out, "If you want to remain in this family's good graces, you will take this matter into serious consideration. I would hate to see you cut off and penniless." Then the door slammed and Edward was gone.
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A/N: Until next time, my pretties.
