NEW CHAPTER! ENJOY, AND AS ALWAYS, R/R!
Buffy sat on the back porch studying as Gracie played in the grass.
"Mommy, will you push me?" the little girl asked her mother.
"Sure baby" Buffy said and put down her book and went over the where Gracie was swinging on her swing set. "How high?"
"Really high" Gracie said and Buffy began to push her. Just then Willow and Tara came out into the backyard carrying cups.
"Hey, Buffy" Willow said.
"Hey Will, Tara, what's up?" Buffy asked and stopped pushing her daughter. Gracie got off the swing and ran over to Willow and Tara.
"Auntie Willow! Auntie Tara!" she said happily and hugged them.
"Hey little one" Tara smiled.
"How are ya, Gracie?" Willow asked.
"Good" Gracie said.
"So, what brings you guys here?" Buffy asked as they made their way back to the house.
"We wanted to know if you wanted to go to the college bookstore with us" Willow said.
"Yeah, to get the books we need for second semester. Also, there's this new book out that Will and I think will be interesting" Tara said.
"Sure, why not" Buffy said. "Gracie, you wanna come with mommy and Willow and Tara?"
"Yeah!" the little girl said happily.
"Okay, let's go" Buffy said and picked up her books to take hem into the house. As she grabbed her purse, Riley came down the stairs.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"To the college bookstore" Buffy informed him. "We need to get some books for the next semester."
"You spend too much time with that college crap" Riley snarled and went into the kitchen.
"Let's go" Buffy said, ignoring her husband's remark.
Buffy and Gracie drove with Willow and Tara to the college bookstore.
"Okay, let's see..." Willow said, walking along the aisles.
"Mommy, is there any books I can have here?" Gracie asked.
"No sweetie, all these books are for grownups" Buffy said and took a list out of her purse. She needed three books for the new semester. "Okay...oh, Will, I found the first book."
"Great, how many are there?" the redhead asked as she and Tara came over to them.
"Three, just enough" Buffy smiled, handing the books to her two friends.
"All right, now all I need is sociology and physics and I'm done" Willow said.
"Don't forget about Marietta Lincoln" Tara reminded her girlfriend.
"Who's Marietta Lincoln?" Buffy asked, shifting her daughter form her left hip to the right one.
"She's this ethics professor and she has all these really great theories and stuff. Tara and I thought it would help us with our ethics class" Willow said.
"Oh" Buffy said, searching for her other two books.
"Here we go. 'Find your inner morality: The insight to Ethics' by Marietta Lincoln" Tara said, putting one of the books in her basket and handing another to Willow.
"Thanks" Willow said.
After everyone had everything they needed they stopped off for some coffee.
"I can't believe I spend 75 bucks on these books. Riley's gonna have a cow" Buffy said.
"You couldn't help it. You need them for school" Willow said, sipping her latté.
"Mommy, can I have another cookie?" Gracie asked as she put down her hot chocolate. Buffy smiled and handed another cookie to her daughter.
"Can you believe Xander has a steady girlfriend?" Buffy asked her friends.
"I know, it's weird, but Anya seems like a nice person. Xander seems to like her," Willow said.
"And it'll be good for him" Tara said.
"Yeah, it will" Buffy said. "So, is she a part of the gang now?"
"I guess so, unless things don't work out. I hope they do. Xander's had bad luck with woman lately" Willow said.
"Lately?" Buffy question her friend.
"Okay, ever since we were kids" Willow corrected herself and Tara smiled.
"I think it's gonna work out" Tara said.
"Me too" Buffy said.
"I concur" Willow said.
"Me too" Gracie said and they all laughed.
Buffy arrived home with her books and Gracie a while later. She set her books on the counter in the kitchen and got a bottle of water out of the fridge.
"Mommy, can I go play?" Gracie asked.
"Sure honey, go play with your toys" Buffy said and Gracie ran upstairs. Buffy went into the living room and sat on the couch. A couple minutes later, Riley came into the house and stumbled a little bit. "Riley."
"Hey" he mumbled and slumped on the couch.
"Where were you?" she asked him and he turned to her, obviously drunk.
"I don't have to tell you where I was. You're the woman and I'm the man," he said crossly.
"You're drunk," Buffy said, getting up and walking away from him. Outranged, he go up and grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him.
"Don't you ever walk away from me again" he said, squeezing her wrist.
"Let go of me, you're hurting me," Buffy said, yanking her arm away from him. "What is your problem?"
"My problem? You wanna know what my problem is. My problem is your stupid decorations!" Riley said, picking up a vase of flowers and throwing it to the ground, shattering it.
"Stop it" Buffy said.
"My problem is these stupid books!" Riley said, picking up the books she had set on the recliner and throwing them across the room.
"Riley please" Buffy said.
"But my biggest problem of all is you. You're my problem" he said gravely, coming closer.
"Get away from me" she said.
"Get away? Okay" he said and began to walk away. Two seconds later he turned around, backhanding her in the face, knocking her to the ground.
"Ah!" she said, covering her cheekbone.
"Get up!" he demanded, pulling her up by her hair and pushing her roughly against the wall.
"Riley please, please" Buffy begged. "Please, Gracie's gonna hear."
"I don't care!" he shouted in her face and grabbed her by the throat. "If you ever back mouth me again..." he said, squeezing her throat. "I'll kill you." With that he let her go and stormed upstairs. Buffy dropped to the ground holding her throat and began to cry.
Buffy sat on the back porch studying as Gracie played in the grass.
"Mommy, will you push me?" the little girl asked her mother.
"Sure baby" Buffy said and put down her book and went over the where Gracie was swinging on her swing set. "How high?"
"Really high" Gracie said and Buffy began to push her. Just then Willow and Tara came out into the backyard carrying cups.
"Hey, Buffy" Willow said.
"Hey Will, Tara, what's up?" Buffy asked and stopped pushing her daughter. Gracie got off the swing and ran over to Willow and Tara.
"Auntie Willow! Auntie Tara!" she said happily and hugged them.
"Hey little one" Tara smiled.
"How are ya, Gracie?" Willow asked.
"Good" Gracie said.
"So, what brings you guys here?" Buffy asked as they made their way back to the house.
"We wanted to know if you wanted to go to the college bookstore with us" Willow said.
"Yeah, to get the books we need for second semester. Also, there's this new book out that Will and I think will be interesting" Tara said.
"Sure, why not" Buffy said. "Gracie, you wanna come with mommy and Willow and Tara?"
"Yeah!" the little girl said happily.
"Okay, let's go" Buffy said and picked up her books to take hem into the house. As she grabbed her purse, Riley came down the stairs.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"To the college bookstore" Buffy informed him. "We need to get some books for the next semester."
"You spend too much time with that college crap" Riley snarled and went into the kitchen.
"Let's go" Buffy said, ignoring her husband's remark.
Buffy and Gracie drove with Willow and Tara to the college bookstore.
"Okay, let's see..." Willow said, walking along the aisles.
"Mommy, is there any books I can have here?" Gracie asked.
"No sweetie, all these books are for grownups" Buffy said and took a list out of her purse. She needed three books for the new semester. "Okay...oh, Will, I found the first book."
"Great, how many are there?" the redhead asked as she and Tara came over to them.
"Three, just enough" Buffy smiled, handing the books to her two friends.
"All right, now all I need is sociology and physics and I'm done" Willow said.
"Don't forget about Marietta Lincoln" Tara reminded her girlfriend.
"Who's Marietta Lincoln?" Buffy asked, shifting her daughter form her left hip to the right one.
"She's this ethics professor and she has all these really great theories and stuff. Tara and I thought it would help us with our ethics class" Willow said.
"Oh" Buffy said, searching for her other two books.
"Here we go. 'Find your inner morality: The insight to Ethics' by Marietta Lincoln" Tara said, putting one of the books in her basket and handing another to Willow.
"Thanks" Willow said.
After everyone had everything they needed they stopped off for some coffee.
"I can't believe I spend 75 bucks on these books. Riley's gonna have a cow" Buffy said.
"You couldn't help it. You need them for school" Willow said, sipping her latté.
"Mommy, can I have another cookie?" Gracie asked as she put down her hot chocolate. Buffy smiled and handed another cookie to her daughter.
"Can you believe Xander has a steady girlfriend?" Buffy asked her friends.
"I know, it's weird, but Anya seems like a nice person. Xander seems to like her," Willow said.
"And it'll be good for him" Tara said.
"Yeah, it will" Buffy said. "So, is she a part of the gang now?"
"I guess so, unless things don't work out. I hope they do. Xander's had bad luck with woman lately" Willow said.
"Lately?" Buffy question her friend.
"Okay, ever since we were kids" Willow corrected herself and Tara smiled.
"I think it's gonna work out" Tara said.
"Me too" Buffy said.
"I concur" Willow said.
"Me too" Gracie said and they all laughed.
Buffy arrived home with her books and Gracie a while later. She set her books on the counter in the kitchen and got a bottle of water out of the fridge.
"Mommy, can I go play?" Gracie asked.
"Sure honey, go play with your toys" Buffy said and Gracie ran upstairs. Buffy went into the living room and sat on the couch. A couple minutes later, Riley came into the house and stumbled a little bit. "Riley."
"Hey" he mumbled and slumped on the couch.
"Where were you?" she asked him and he turned to her, obviously drunk.
"I don't have to tell you where I was. You're the woman and I'm the man," he said crossly.
"You're drunk," Buffy said, getting up and walking away from him. Outranged, he go up and grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him.
"Don't you ever walk away from me again" he said, squeezing her wrist.
"Let go of me, you're hurting me," Buffy said, yanking her arm away from him. "What is your problem?"
"My problem? You wanna know what my problem is. My problem is your stupid decorations!" Riley said, picking up a vase of flowers and throwing it to the ground, shattering it.
"Stop it" Buffy said.
"My problem is these stupid books!" Riley said, picking up the books she had set on the recliner and throwing them across the room.
"Riley please" Buffy said.
"But my biggest problem of all is you. You're my problem" he said gravely, coming closer.
"Get away from me" she said.
"Get away? Okay" he said and began to walk away. Two seconds later he turned around, backhanding her in the face, knocking her to the ground.
"Ah!" she said, covering her cheekbone.
"Get up!" he demanded, pulling her up by her hair and pushing her roughly against the wall.
"Riley please, please" Buffy begged. "Please, Gracie's gonna hear."
"I don't care!" he shouted in her face and grabbed her by the throat. "If you ever back mouth me again..." he said, squeezing her throat. "I'll kill you." With that he let her go and stormed upstairs. Buffy dropped to the ground holding her throat and began to cry.