Buffy woke up in one of the reclining chairs in the living room. She had slept there the night before. She didn't want to sleep in the same bed as Riley. She needed to give him time to cool off. She got up and went into the downstairs bathroom to look herself over. She had a bruise on her cheek and a small one on her throat. Terrified that people would know what happened, she got out her makeup to try to cover the bruises. Riley had hit her before, but not like this. He had never threatened her life before, which scared her. Did he mean it? Would he really kill her? Just as she was finishing with her makeup, Riley came down the stairs.
"What are you doing?" he asked, coming into the bathroom.
"Just applying some makeup," Buffy told him and he put his arms around he waist.
"You know I love you, right?" he asked, kissing her cheek.
"I know," she said. "I love you too."
"You just can't make me angry, you know that" he told her. "Especially when I'm drunk."
"I know, I'm sorry baby," she said quietly and he turned her around to face him.
"It's okay, I'm sorry too," he told her, kissing her forehead. "I have to get to work. Why don't you make something special for dinner tonight."
"How about your favorite?" she offered with a sweet smile.
"That's great, see ya," he said, kissing her and leaving. She took one last look at herself in the mirror before going upstairs and dressing. After she did that she went into Gracie's room where she was playing with her toys.
"Hi baby" Buffy said, sitting on the floor next to her daughter.
"Hi mommy" Gracie said.
"Are you hungry? Mommy can make you some breakfast" Buffy said.
"Okay" Gracie said and Buffy stood up and picked up the little girl and carried her downstairs and into the kitchen. She set her at the kitchen table and was about to go into the fridge, but the phone rang. She went over to the wall and answered it.
"Hello?" she said into the phone.
"Mrs. Finn?" a voice came on the phone.
"Yeah, that's me. How can I help you?" Buffy asked.
"Hello, this is Maxwell Rossman, from the college" Mr. Rossman told her.
"Okay" Buffy said.
"I'm calling on behalf of your scalar ship," he said.
"But, I'm not on scalar ship" Buffy said.
"Yes, I know, but you were chosen for one. See, we had this thing going where we picked the best five students in the college and put them in a raffle, your name was picked so if you wanted, you could go and study in England" Mr. Rossman said.
"Are you for real?" Buffy exclaimed. "Oh my...that would be awesome!"
"Good then, we'll have a meeting tomorrow at three o'clock. The trip is scheduled for next month, February 23rd" Mr. Rossman said.
"Oh my god, thank you, Mr. Rossman" Buffy said.
"You're very welcome" Mr. Rossman said. "Have a good day."
"You too" Buffy said and then hung up. Buffy smiled brightly. She couldn't believe this was happening. Her, one of the best students at the college. There were so many students there. Willow was there. She couldn't believe that she was going to England.
Buffy made breakfast for Gracie and then called all of her friends, here sister and mother and told them to come over to her and Riley's house. She wanted to tell them all the good news. Since Riley wouldn't be home until six-thirty, she told everyone to meet at seven.
"Buffy, why are we having a bunch of people over? Are you throwing a party?" Riley asked, getting agitated.
"No, honey. I have some good news I want to tell everyone," Buffy said, setting pretzels and chips and drinks out.
"What is it?" Riley asked.
"You're just going to have to wait until everyone gets here" Buffy said playfully and kissed him on the cheek. Just then the doorbell rang and Buffy answered it to find Willow and Tara.
"Hey guys" Buffy said, letting them in.
"Hi, is anyone here yet?" Willow asked.
"Nope, not yet" Buffy said. As she was about to shut the door her mother and Dawn came up.
"Hey" Dawn said.
"Oh, hey" Buffy said, letting them in also.
Fifteen minutes later everyone was there and Buffy could tell them her good news.
"Okay, all right, this is big, I mean humongo" Buffy said. "I got a call today when I was making breakfast from this guy, Mr. Rossman."
"Oh, he's from the college" Willow said.
"Mmm-hmm, well he said that they were having this thing where they took the top five students from the college and put them in a raffle and picked one, and my name was picked!" Buffy said ecstatically, but no one reacted. "Do you know what that means?"
"That you get a prize?" Xander asked.
"Kinda, I get to go to England!" Buffy almost screamed happily.
"England? Really?" Willow asked, seemingly a little jealous.
"Yeah, isn't that great?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah, honey, it's terrific" Joyce said, hugging her.
"Wait, how are you going to pay for this?" Riley asked, stopping the excitement.
"I got a scalar ship," Buffy told him. "It's so awesome. I mean, I never really thought about going to England, but...I would love to go."
"Well, that's great. Congratulations" Tara said.
"Thank you" Buffy smiled brightly.
"Yeah, congrats" Willow said, hugging her. "You've earned it."
"Good job, Buff" Xander said.
"Riley, honey, what do you think?" Buffy asked.
"It's, uh...it's great" Riley said unemotionally.
"I can't wait" Buffy said.
"When are you going? For how long?" Dawn asked.
"Next month, and I don't know for how long, probably a semester" Buffy said.
"What about Gracie?" Riley asked. "You're just going to leave your three year old daughter for four months?"
"Well...no, I mean, I could take her with me" Buffy said, thinking about it.
"Then I'd be away from her for four or more months" Riley said. "Buffy, I don't think it's such a good idea."
"I want to go. It'll be a good experience," Buffy said.
"Buffy—" Riley began.
"Can we talk about it later, please?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah" he said, a little angry.
A couple hours later everyone had left and Buffy was cleaning up. Riley was ticked that Buffy had made fool out of him.
"What the hell is the matter with you?" he asked her.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You know what the hell I mean, damn it!" he shouted and came toward her, which started Gracie.
"Mommy" the little girl cried.
"Uh...Gracie, baby, go upstairs in your room and play your Winnie the Pooh tape, really loud okay. It'll be fun, go ahead, it's okay" Buffy said, knowing all too well what was coming.
"Okay" Gracie said, going upstairs. Once she was out of sight, Riley pushed Buffy up against a wall.
"Riley please" Buffy begged and he slapped her across the face.
"Shut up!" he shouted. "You wanna make a fool out of me, huh?" he asked, pushing her to the ground. "I'll show you."
"Riley please, don't!" Buffy begged and he kicked her.
"Don't you ever, ever— get up bitch!" he shouted, pulling her up by her hair and slamming her against the wall again. "You look at me when I'm talking to you!" He slapped her across the face again, hitting her nose, making it bleed. "You are not" slap. "Going to" slap. "Leave me here all alone!" slap. "Do you hear me?! Do you!" slap. He grabbed her by the throat. "Answer me!"
"Yes, yes" Buffy sobbed. "I'm sorry, please, please." You could barely hear her words over her sobs now.
"Oh, god, baby" Riley said. "I'm sorry." He tried to kiss her, but she looked away. "Oh, no, no baby, look at me, please. I'm sorry" he said, tilting her head towards him and kissing her. "I'm sorry." He fell to his knees and hugged her. "Baby I'm sorry."
"It's okay" Buffy said, still crying. "It's okay."
"What are you doing?" he asked, coming into the bathroom.
"Just applying some makeup," Buffy told him and he put his arms around he waist.
"You know I love you, right?" he asked, kissing her cheek.
"I know," she said. "I love you too."
"You just can't make me angry, you know that" he told her. "Especially when I'm drunk."
"I know, I'm sorry baby," she said quietly and he turned her around to face him.
"It's okay, I'm sorry too," he told her, kissing her forehead. "I have to get to work. Why don't you make something special for dinner tonight."
"How about your favorite?" she offered with a sweet smile.
"That's great, see ya," he said, kissing her and leaving. She took one last look at herself in the mirror before going upstairs and dressing. After she did that she went into Gracie's room where she was playing with her toys.
"Hi baby" Buffy said, sitting on the floor next to her daughter.
"Hi mommy" Gracie said.
"Are you hungry? Mommy can make you some breakfast" Buffy said.
"Okay" Gracie said and Buffy stood up and picked up the little girl and carried her downstairs and into the kitchen. She set her at the kitchen table and was about to go into the fridge, but the phone rang. She went over to the wall and answered it.
"Hello?" she said into the phone.
"Mrs. Finn?" a voice came on the phone.
"Yeah, that's me. How can I help you?" Buffy asked.
"Hello, this is Maxwell Rossman, from the college" Mr. Rossman told her.
"Okay" Buffy said.
"I'm calling on behalf of your scalar ship," he said.
"But, I'm not on scalar ship" Buffy said.
"Yes, I know, but you were chosen for one. See, we had this thing going where we picked the best five students in the college and put them in a raffle, your name was picked so if you wanted, you could go and study in England" Mr. Rossman said.
"Are you for real?" Buffy exclaimed. "Oh my...that would be awesome!"
"Good then, we'll have a meeting tomorrow at three o'clock. The trip is scheduled for next month, February 23rd" Mr. Rossman said.
"Oh my god, thank you, Mr. Rossman" Buffy said.
"You're very welcome" Mr. Rossman said. "Have a good day."
"You too" Buffy said and then hung up. Buffy smiled brightly. She couldn't believe this was happening. Her, one of the best students at the college. There were so many students there. Willow was there. She couldn't believe that she was going to England.
Buffy made breakfast for Gracie and then called all of her friends, here sister and mother and told them to come over to her and Riley's house. She wanted to tell them all the good news. Since Riley wouldn't be home until six-thirty, she told everyone to meet at seven.
"Buffy, why are we having a bunch of people over? Are you throwing a party?" Riley asked, getting agitated.
"No, honey. I have some good news I want to tell everyone," Buffy said, setting pretzels and chips and drinks out.
"What is it?" Riley asked.
"You're just going to have to wait until everyone gets here" Buffy said playfully and kissed him on the cheek. Just then the doorbell rang and Buffy answered it to find Willow and Tara.
"Hey guys" Buffy said, letting them in.
"Hi, is anyone here yet?" Willow asked.
"Nope, not yet" Buffy said. As she was about to shut the door her mother and Dawn came up.
"Hey" Dawn said.
"Oh, hey" Buffy said, letting them in also.
Fifteen minutes later everyone was there and Buffy could tell them her good news.
"Okay, all right, this is big, I mean humongo" Buffy said. "I got a call today when I was making breakfast from this guy, Mr. Rossman."
"Oh, he's from the college" Willow said.
"Mmm-hmm, well he said that they were having this thing where they took the top five students from the college and put them in a raffle and picked one, and my name was picked!" Buffy said ecstatically, but no one reacted. "Do you know what that means?"
"That you get a prize?" Xander asked.
"Kinda, I get to go to England!" Buffy almost screamed happily.
"England? Really?" Willow asked, seemingly a little jealous.
"Yeah, isn't that great?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah, honey, it's terrific" Joyce said, hugging her.
"Wait, how are you going to pay for this?" Riley asked, stopping the excitement.
"I got a scalar ship," Buffy told him. "It's so awesome. I mean, I never really thought about going to England, but...I would love to go."
"Well, that's great. Congratulations" Tara said.
"Thank you" Buffy smiled brightly.
"Yeah, congrats" Willow said, hugging her. "You've earned it."
"Good job, Buff" Xander said.
"Riley, honey, what do you think?" Buffy asked.
"It's, uh...it's great" Riley said unemotionally.
"I can't wait" Buffy said.
"When are you going? For how long?" Dawn asked.
"Next month, and I don't know for how long, probably a semester" Buffy said.
"What about Gracie?" Riley asked. "You're just going to leave your three year old daughter for four months?"
"Well...no, I mean, I could take her with me" Buffy said, thinking about it.
"Then I'd be away from her for four or more months" Riley said. "Buffy, I don't think it's such a good idea."
"I want to go. It'll be a good experience," Buffy said.
"Buffy—" Riley began.
"Can we talk about it later, please?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah" he said, a little angry.
A couple hours later everyone had left and Buffy was cleaning up. Riley was ticked that Buffy had made fool out of him.
"What the hell is the matter with you?" he asked her.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You know what the hell I mean, damn it!" he shouted and came toward her, which started Gracie.
"Mommy" the little girl cried.
"Uh...Gracie, baby, go upstairs in your room and play your Winnie the Pooh tape, really loud okay. It'll be fun, go ahead, it's okay" Buffy said, knowing all too well what was coming.
"Okay" Gracie said, going upstairs. Once she was out of sight, Riley pushed Buffy up against a wall.
"Riley please" Buffy begged and he slapped her across the face.
"Shut up!" he shouted. "You wanna make a fool out of me, huh?" he asked, pushing her to the ground. "I'll show you."
"Riley please, don't!" Buffy begged and he kicked her.
"Don't you ever, ever— get up bitch!" he shouted, pulling her up by her hair and slamming her against the wall again. "You look at me when I'm talking to you!" He slapped her across the face again, hitting her nose, making it bleed. "You are not" slap. "Going to" slap. "Leave me here all alone!" slap. "Do you hear me?! Do you!" slap. He grabbed her by the throat. "Answer me!"
"Yes, yes" Buffy sobbed. "I'm sorry, please, please." You could barely hear her words over her sobs now.
"Oh, god, baby" Riley said. "I'm sorry." He tried to kiss her, but she looked away. "Oh, no, no baby, look at me, please. I'm sorry" he said, tilting her head towards him and kissing her. "I'm sorry." He fell to his knees and hugged her. "Baby I'm sorry."
"It's okay" Buffy said, still crying. "It's okay."