Hi everyone!  Ok, so it's a bit later than ten days, but no one noticed right?  Well, I have good news and bad news.  I've written the rest of the story…that's the good news.  The bad news…I lost the papers I've written it on.  This is not a good thing, so I'll either have to write again or find it, and I really want to find it but my room is in a mess, so no hope of that I'm afraid.

And this also means, that because I had written the story, I have decided on the pairing.  And you guys can protest and scream as much as you like, but tough.  My story, my rules…sorry!

I promise…kind of I will get the next chapter up in two weeks, and…sam-453, I have permission to bug me about it, ok?  So it all rests on sam-453's shoulders if I update or not.  Oh, and before I forget…happy birthday sam-453!!! 

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Chapter 6.

The next day, Buffy was let out of the hospital.  She felt perfectly fine, almost good as new.  Because the hospital was in Los Angeles, and they needed to get to Sunnydale, Snape had brought along a Portkey which would transport them back to her house.  When Snape had explained everything about the Portkey, Buffy had thought it would be something really special and cool looking, but Snape brandished a kettle and told them it was the Portkey. 

"So we touch the kettle, and we are transported to Sunnydale?"  Buffy asked, eyeing the kettle warily.

"Yes."  Snape replied, and Buffy shook her head.

"No way.  I am so not going to do that."

Joyce smiled at her daughter.  Joyce was now much happier that she had found Buffy and a great deal happier that Buffy knew about Severus.

"It will not hurt you.  Just touch it and you'll be off."  Joyce explained, and Buffy shrugged.

"'K, but it's you're call.  If I don't port-key outta here, then you're gonna look like an idiot."  Buffy said, and Snape smirked.

"I think you'll find that if you are holding on to a kettle in a middle of a room, with no explanation of you doing so, you are going to look like the idiot."  Buffy grinned at Snape, and he stood next to her, placing a finger onto the kettle and looking at a black pocket watch.  "Five seconds.  Gather your bags.  Three…two…one…"

The colourful hotel room they had previously been in swirled in colour and Buffy felt her feet leave the ground.  Wind rushed through her hair and the bag she was carrying that held her possessions hit her leg.  But then it was all over, and she crumpled to the ground next to her mother on the soft grass that belonged to Sunnydale. 

She stood up carefully, watching her mother and 'father' as he helped her up, her hand clasped in his.  They stood staring at each other for a moment, lost in each other, until Joyce coughed quietly and looked away.  Note to Buffy, get mum and Snape to make with the smoochies.

"Keys?"  Buffy asked, and Joyce threw them to her, which Buffy caught.  She opened the door and walked inside, flicking the light switch.

"SURPRISE!"

Quick as a flash, Buffy reached for her stake that was hidden in her back pocket and grabbed the nearest person, holding said person close to her body, her stake poised on top of the person's heart.

"Woah, Buffster, stop with the Willow slaying."  Xander said, an amused look on his face.  Buffy grinned and looked down at the person she was holding.  Willow smiled weakly at her friend.

"Welcome home."  She said quietly, and Buffy grinned.  She enveloped Willow in a slayer strength hug and Willow hugged her fiercely back.  "Missed you."

"Missed you too."  Buffy said, and parted with Willow.  She smiled at Xander and he grinned back.  He strode forward and picked her up, holding her tightly as she squealed with delight.  When he finally set her down, Buffy ruffled his hair (with great difficulty because she was a good head an a half shorter than him) and said: "I missed my Xander shaped friend."

"And I missed my Buffyster."  He replied, and Buffy grinned.

"OK, Ok, enough hugging for now."  A chirpy voice interrupted the two friends.  Cordelia stood next to Buffy, her hands separating Xander and Buffy. "Hey Buffy."  She said, and Buffy smiled.

"Hey Cor.  I thought you were going away." 

"Been there, done that already."  She said, taking Xander's hand and leading him to the sofa. 

"Hey Buffy."  Said Oz who sat on a chair, a coke can in his hand. 

"Hey Oz."  Buffy greeted.  "How's you're sum-"

She was interrupted by Willow pushing a stake into her hand and turning her around to face the door. 

"Buffy, slay."  She commanded, pointing at Snape who was standing outside the house.

"What?"  Buffy asked, confused.  Willow made an incoherent sound and pushed Buffy towards Snape.

"Vampire…slay!"

Buffy grinned, and put her hands on Willow's shoulders.  "Willow, he is not a vampire.  Though I can see the resemblance."

Xander nodded.  "Looks like Deadboy…in a not Deadboy way."  The moment he said it, he knew it was a mistake, for Buffy's smile dropped and she looked down at her feet, tears in her eyes for Angel threatening to fall.

Willow glared at Xander and then passed Buffy a bowl of crisps.  "Chips?  Lots of salty goodness in these potato things."  She said, trying to brighten the mood and divert the subject from Angel, whom she presumed was dead, in a dusty way.

Buffy looked up to her, smiling weakly.  "Yeah.  Salty goodness." 

"Buffy?"  She turned around to face the person who was calling around and smiled genuinely. 

"Giles."  He stood at the door, not noticing Snape who stood in the arch of the dining room watching the scene unfold.  He watched as Buffy ran into Giles' arms and Giles held her tight, as if he would never let go.  Unconsciously, Snape let out a quiet growl.  He was jealous.  He saw what Giles and Buffy had together, love, father daughter love, and Snape wanted it.

Buffy and Giles parted, and it was then that Giles saw Snape.  He grinned and gave his hand to him. 

"Alright mate?"  He asked, and Snape took his hand and shook it firmly.

"Good to see you Ripper."  Snape said, an evil look on his face.  Giles visibly bristled, and Xander looked back and forth between the two men.

"Ripper?  Is this another Ethan, 'cos I really don't want to be army guy again." 

"Severus Snape."  Snape introduced, ignoring Xander's comment about 'army guy'.  But the Ethan mention intrigued him and he made a note to speak to Giles about that.

"Xander Harris.  Why are you wearing a dress?"  Buffy snorted as Snape looked down at his robe.

"It's not a dress Xand, it's a robe."  Buffy explained, but Xander seemed even more confused.

"Robe?  Why would he wear a robe, why are you wearing a robe?  And who the hell are you?"

Buffy grinned again.  "Xand, everyone, this is my dad."

"Huh?"  The teenager's chorused.  Buffy rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch next to Oz.

"Sit down, and I'll make with the explainy."

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