Chapter 12 To cook to burn to grin to wish Summers Home

Sunnydale, California

The kitchen was silent, the two people currently residing in it sitting there trying not to make it obvious that they were studying each other.  They didn't really trust each other and the only reason they were even in the same room was because of a mutual acquaintance. 

Spike didn't want to talk to the Air Force officer and Sam was still reeling from The Firsts visit.  She had wanted to follow Janet outside but something in Mac's eyes had told her to leave it.

Whoever it was that Janet saw had not been a friendly face.

They picked up their mugs at the same time and took a sip of their individual drinks.

Downtown Sunnydale

He was grinning.

It was damn irritating

Faith was nearly ready to punch something

Preferably it would be the grin on his face that she punched.

"What the freakin hell are you so happy about?" She cried out clenching her fists, to anyone but Jonas noticeably restraining herself.

"Oh" he looked at her slightly confused by her tone of voice "nothing much, just my first time in California that's all"

"Well just stop smiling, it's annoying" She was really getting pissed at this guy.

"You know Colonel O'Neill says that all the time"

Her eyes widened in incredulity "I am so not surprised" Faith muttered under her breath.

"Wait" She grabbed his arm and they stopped dead in the middle of the street "Over there" Faith dragged him towards a convenience store that looked like it hadn't been locked up to tight.

Trying the doors, only to find them locked Faith ushered Jonas back a few metres.  Taking a deep breath, she launched into a roundhouse and kicked the door, shattering the glass.

"Now we can go in" Bowing slightly Faith allowed the young Alien proceed her into the store where they looted and plundered the unspoiled goods to their hearts content.

Cheyenne Mountain

Colorado Springs, Colorado

"Unauthorized off world activation… Unauthorised off world activation…" The warning alarms clanged throughout the SGC disturbing General Hammond, as he attempted to explain on paper why his flagship team and CMO had all taken un expected leave at the same time.

Pushing his chair away from the desk General Hammond sighed and made his way down to the control room.

"Report" he commanded from his position.

"It's the Tok'ra Sir"

"Open the iris" George held his breath as he waited for their visitor to materialise out of the event horizon.

His patience was rewarded when Jacob Carter stepped out of the gate alone.

Buffy's Bedroom

"T" Jack turned to look at the Jaffa "Can you go check on the Carter and the Doc"

Teal'c bowed his head slightly in agreement and made to leave the room "Oh" Jack stopped him "If Faith and Jonas are back whip up something to eat would you, but for the love of God, don't let Carter cook."

Jack turned his gaze to Buffy; she already looked physically better than when he walked though the door mere minutes before, but mentally… well that was a bit iffy.

"You can't protect everyone kid"

She looked at him, hard glint in her eyes "I can try"

"Try as much as you want but sometimes we humans are dumb and don't want to be protected."

Buffy sighed, knowing that he was right, but wasn't willing to admit it just yet.  She looked out the window, the sky lighting slightly at the east signalling that the sun was about to rise.

"Did you ever love someone so much that you would give your life for them without even thinking about it?  You would do anything to make sure that they never knew the things you did? But one day you realised that you'd failed?"

Jack sat down on the bed next to her and pulled his knees up to his chest "Yes"

"Who?"

Jack felt his heart clench at the thought of telling her about Charlie, but he had the feeling she knew what it was like.

"My Son, Charlie.  He loved to play cowboys, always had his toy guns out and would set up these courses in the back yard that he had to run.  I used to love helping him set them up, but it'd irritate my ex to no end.  One day he asked to see my real gun… I told him no…" Jack trailed off and swallowed hard

"He found it somehow… Sarah and I were out the front of the house… she was showing me his school photos we heard a gun shot… he was dead by the time we got inside the house."

Buffy looked at Jack in time to see him wipe a tear from his eye.

"Two years ago a hell god was trying to get back to her dimension.  Dawn's blood was the only way for her to do that.  We stopped Glory but… it was to late, the portal was open and I had to make a choice…  her or me.  Who got to live and who died."  Buffy looked down at her hands, they we're trembling slightly; she rubbed her thumb and forefingers together. " I remember standing on top of the tower and… I knew, I just knew that it was the right thing to do.  Dawn had a chance to do everything I didn't, to have a life without the badness.  They brought me back to life 5 months later to find out that she was right there with them, researching, living the exact way I didn't want her to… That was a bad year…" Buffy sighed and rubbed her hands against her face.

"And everything you do is for her.  For her own good?" Jack asked one of the many questions that had been plaguing Buffy.

"That's what I tell myself" Honest, she had to be honest with this man.

"Then, you're lying to yourself kid"

Hello Jack O'Neill, subtle is thy name.

"Are you trying to protect her?" Jack asked quietly "Or are you protecting yourself?"

 Buffy didn't answer, she sat there contemplating his words.  Deciding that he had had enough of that particular line of conversation Jack took a chance to look around the room.  Sitting up on the mantle were about 10 photo's, the same two kids appeared quite a bit but there was the occasional extra person or two, there was one picture on the far end that caught his eye.  A woman in her early 30's sitting on a couch.  A toddler in her lap and arm wrapped round another little girl.  A book was open in front of her but both of the children were asleep and the woman was smiling not at the camera but at the person behind the camera.

It was the kind of photo that you treasured.

"So, was that the worst this thing had to throw at us?  And why the hell are Vampires so afraid of Holy Water?"

Hyperion Hotel

Los Angeles, California.

"So everyone is ok then?" Xander was still a little miffed, Caleb was dead, and apparently Buffy and Faith had done it by themselves.

"That's what Faith said, some bumps and bruises but that's pretty much it" Fred was getting tired of this, they had been asking the same question over and over again "I don't know how they did it, but its done, they're back at the house planning what to do next"

Over in the far corner of the lobby sat Dawn, just sitting there watching as the others kept asking senseless questions.  They were alive, Caleb was dead that was all that mattered. 

Out of the corner of his eye Giles saw Dawn sitting alone, watching the proceedings with deep thought etched into her features.  Quietly he turned away from the group and sat down next to her

"Are you ok?"

Dawn turned her face upwards towards him.  "I will be…" sighing she let her shoulders slump "Buffy never stopped them from getting involved did she?"

Giles chuckled lightly "Actually she was quite vocal in her protests against Willow and Xander getting involved.  I seem to recall her constantly telling them not to join her on patrol, and the worse things got the more she told them to stay away, the more they refused to.  On some occasions it was quite amusing to see the battle of the wills…" Giles trailed off "Whenever they, or even I got hurt, Buffy blamed herself."

"I remember when she ran away.  You guys were all hurt; Angel was dead… I'll never forget the fight between her and Mom…"

"You have no idea how dangerous, how lonely it is.  I would love to be up in my room watching TV, talking about boys or God even studying, but I have to save the world… again"

"… Mom just sat in the kitchen and cried.  It got worse the next morning when she found the letter…" Dawn sighed and leaned her head against Giles' shoulder "I wish Mom were here"

Giles wrapped his arm around her "You know something Dawn, I wish your mother was here as well"

Summer's House

Sunnydale, California

"We're baaaack" Faith hollered as she threw the front door open.

Not seeing anyone in the living area or dining room, she went straight through to the kitchen to see Spike and Sam still sitting there in silence, along with Teal'c standing by the back door discreetly watching Janet and Mac.

"Fang… Sam… Tank, what's up?"

Spike looked up at her and smirked "Not much…"

He was about to continue when Buffy and Jack joined them.

"I thought you said that there was food down here?" Buffy turned to face Jack, placed her hands on her hips, stuck her bottom lip out and pouted.

"There is" Jack pointed to the shopping bags in Faith and Jonas' hands "See food, it just isn't cooked yet" He turned and looked at the others "Who's cooking?"

Sam held her hands up "I don't cook, I heat, reheat and on a rare occasion bake, but I don't cook"

"Ask me to flip burgers, burn Mac and Cheese or stake a Vampire I'm your gal but cooking…" Buffy cringed slightly and shrugged.

Faith simply shook her head, raised her eyebrows and looked at the stove disdainfully.

"Fine" Jack huffed "Looks like its you and me Big Guy" he gestured to Teal'c to join him, as he took the bags from Faith and Jonas. 

"Where are Mac and the Doc?" He started pulling things out of the bags giving each a cursory glance but stopped at the packet of double stuff Oreo Cookies.  Ripping them open he grabbed two for himself and threw the rest at Buffy who easily caught them and started to munch.

"They are out in the rear garden, I believe they are conversing over the events of the evening" Teal'c replied to Jack's question.  "Doctor Fraiser looked most upset when she exited the house before"

Buffy absently handed to cookies to Faith and wandered over to the door, pulling the blinds slightly to one side she saw the two women sitting side by side on the back steps, neither of them talking any more just sitting there staring at the sky deep in their own individual thoughts.

"B, they ok out there?" Faith broke the silence that had descended over the kitchen.

"Yeah" Buffy didn't turn away from the door "They're just sitting"

"Do you think they can sit inside?" Jack asked, "We have a plan to share and food to eat"

"You came up with a plan without me?" Faith pretended to be hurt "I'm insulted"

Buffy laughed, opened the door and stepped outside.

The back porch

Buffy closed the door quietly behind her and sat down on the steps next to Janet.  She didn't speak straight away but joined them in their sky watching.

The silence was comfortable, each contemplating what had happened both that evening and the months and years previous.

Eventually Buffy spoke up "Come on you two, we have a plan to discuss and food to eat, we can brood and look at the stars when all of this is over"