Joyce had just finished putting Dawn's hair in a pony tale when she heard the doorbell. She shrugged thinking it was just Willow doing her weekly checking up. She let Dawn go and answer the door while she put things away. She stopped when she heard a gasp and another voice obviously female sounded confused.
Buffy stared at the girl who looked at her shocked and said "Um right, who are you?" The girl gasped and yelled "MUM". Buffy looked even more shocked when she saw her mum come running. Her mum took one look at her and stood there rigid, Buffy looked behind her at Rod and bit her lip pleading for his support. He came over to her and rested his hand on her shoulder and she took a deep breathe and said "Hey mum".
Joyce shook herself out of her shock and practically threw herself into Buffy's arms crying. While the yet unnamed girl stood back watching and for the life her Buffy didn't know who she was. Joyce pulled her in and said "Um right well sit down and we can talk." Joyce turned to the girl and said "Dawn why don't you go get some glasses of water for your sister." Buffy stopped suddenly and said "Sister. I don't have a sister." Joyce looked at her in shock and said "What are you talking about of course you have a sister." Buffy looked from Dawn to Joyce and said "I think I would remember that." Joyce sighed and said "Um look Buffy, stop kidding and tell me why you left." Buffy decided to let the new sister go and said " Right the hard question. She looked at Rod and then back to her mum and said "Can we not answer that question because I am really not ready for that." Her mothersighed and nodded and then looked at Rod and said "So who might you be?" Buffy smiled a genuine smile and said "This is Rod Grant, he's been like a dad to me the last 7 months." Her mum looked confused and said "7 months, you have been gone 10. unless you count the other three and then you have been gone 13." Rod squeezed her hand and she squeezed it back and said "That is the part I don't want to talk about. I just came to tell you I am alright and that I am going to be in town for a little bit so we can catch up."
Her mum sort of had this look that she knew too well but it was interrupted with Dawn coming in the room. Buffy had this sudden flash of a memory of her and Dawn on a beach and then suddenly she was hit was all the memories at once and she fell to the floor as they bombarded her with image after image. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as everyone in the room rushed to her aide. She got up slowly and smiled at them and said "It's ok, I'm good. Just got hit with a whole bunch of memories, anyhow I think we need to go because I have to go and see the gang. Oh and Dawn we have to catch up when I come back."
She rushed out of the door without looking at the hurt looks on her mother and strange new sister's face. She felt Rod follow and heard him apologise for her before coming to the other side of the car with an expression that she knew meant she was in trouble.
She turned to him and said "I don't want to talk about it." He looked at her carefully before nodding once and starting the car and she directed him in the direction of a hotel. She knew he didn't understand why she didn't want him going with her but she needed to do this by herself and not with an audience that would make the gang edgy.
As soon as she left him at the hotel Buffy went in the general direction of the university dorms where her mum had written on a piece of paper tellingher where Willow would be. In her hand she held the number and house name of Willow's room. She walked slowly and hesitantly towards the room knowing that it would be hard when she got there.
It didn't take long to find the room and now that she stood outside the door she didn't know what to do. It felt strange to know that the only thing separating her and Willow was a piece of wood albeit a hard solid piece of wood.