Red Carpet Romance
Part 2
Soundtrack: California, Phantom Planet (No, I do not watch The OC. I just like the song)
Buffy rolled over and wrinkled her nose. She was having a little trouble getting to sleep. The three friends had watched movies late into the night. Probably later than they should have, but no one was there to tell them otherwise. Ira and Sheila Rosenberg were, as usual, off in some exotic locale, most likely analyzing other cultures for a new psychology book. The only adult who was regularly at the Rosenberg house was Mr. Gregory, the butler. And he was much too proper to criticize the daughter of his bosses.
Buffy was just drifting off to sleep when she thought she heard footsteps. Had she just imagined it? No, there were definitely footsteps. Probably just Gregory…she thought. But it couldn't be. The steps were much too heavy to belong to the older and light-footed butler. And they seemed to be coming directly for her room.
Buffy pulled the covers close to her chin as the footsteps grew closer and closer. Who could it be? A serial killer she thought feverishly, he's already chopped poor Gregory into tiny pieces, and now he's coming for us. She trembled beneath the vastly expensive sheets, frozen in terror. She tried to think of what she could do to defend herself, but there was nothing. The stepping stopped. Her door swung open.
Blocking the doorway was a large, muscular man in army fatigues. Her eyes widened as she recognized him even in the dark.
"Riley," she whispered.
"Hey there, Buff," he said with a wicked looking smile. "Long time no see."
"What are you
doing here?"
"Looking for you."
"I told
you I never wanted to see you again," she hissed.
"Yeah, well," his smile turned even darker, "I don't make a point of obeying little girls." Their eyes locked in fiery tension. Buffy felt her will dissolving, her mouth twitching. Finally she could hold it in no longer.
"I missed you so much!" She squealed, jumping out of bed and hurling herself into his arms.
"Missed you too, lil' sis." He lifted her off the ground in a bone-crushing embrace. She squeaked her lack of oxygen and he set her down, ruffling her hair affectionately. She smiled up at him with a sigh, then suddenly scowled fiercely. She smacked his arm.
"I hate you! Leaving me all alone to join the stupid army just so you could run around all day saving people's lives. You're so selfish."
"That doesn't mean you have to hit me," he complained, rubbing his arm. "That hurt."
"Oh, come on. You're big tough über-soldier-guy. You can handle the pain."
"Probably," he shrugged with another smile.
"Seriously Riley,
why are you here? I thought you were-"
"I've got a
vacation. And before you ask," he held up a hand to keep her
from asking the next question he knew was coming, "I went over
to Mom's place first. She told me you were over here and instead of
waiting till morning or doing something weird like calling you, I
thought I'd come surprise you. Gregory let me in."
"It's so great you're here. How long do you have off?"
"Only a week or so, then I'm back on duty." He embraced her again, "So I have to spend every spare moment catching up with you, princess."
"Do I get to sleep first? I've had a long day," she said apologetically, eyes drooping.
"Whatever you want, Buffy. Whatever you want."
Buffy walked back into her house, arm-in-arm with her older brother. She had been so lonely when he decided to join the army two years ago. Now he was back, if only for a short time. As Riley closed the door, Buffy listened closely. She thought she head some voices coming from their main living room. Listening carefully, her eyes brightened as she recognized the voices. She took off sprinting down the hallway, sliding along expensive floors and nearly crashing into priceless antiques several times.
She reached the room and pulled open the door before skidding into the room.
"Uncle Ethan!" She hurdled the back of the sofa to land almost in the lap of the older man reclining there.
"Easy now, darling. The women of the world would go into mourning if anything should happen to me," Ethan Rayne smiled languidly, and Buffy pushed herself up to kiss his cheek. He wasn't really her uncle, but the 'Watcher's Council', as the media had dubbed them, were as close as family. She hopped to her feet and walked over to the man and woman sitting in the loveseat across the way.
"Hello Uncle Wesley. Aunt Fred." She embraced and kissed both Wesley Wyndam-Pryce and his long-time girlfriend and current fiancée, Winifred Burkle. Both were more reserved than her wild Uncle Ethan, but still just as fun. Aunt Fred was the only person Buffy knew who was not in any way connected to the media industry, except through Uncle Wes. A world-class physicist, she and Wesley had met while they were at college. However, it wasn't until two years after both graduated, when he was reintroduced to her by a musician friend of Ethan's, that he worked up the courage to ask her out. Buffy sighed internally as she took a seat back on the sofa, between Uncle Ethan and her parents. Yet another perfect and romantic love story.
"So, why is everyone gathered?" She asked, still grinning. Riley finally drifted into the room and greeted the others in it somewhat less enthusiastically than Buffy. He was older and calmer than his sister, and also less close to other members of America's most powerful media trio. Buffy had really bonded more with Fred, Wes and Ethan after Riley had left for the military.
"Well, we were just discussing a bit of business," Giles told her.
"Ooh, are we doing something exciting and new?" She asked, resting her chin on her hands, leaning forward in anticipation.
"I should say so," Wesley said smiling broadly, "you see, Buffy, there's a group of stars in the UK that are, how do you teens put it? 'Super hot'. They're, well, they're rather like you and your circle of friends. There are two movie stars, a model and a musician/filmmaker. We've been in talks to bring them over to America and make a sort of crossover."
"Sounds great," Buffy said with an honest smile. She loved it how her step-father and his friends always shared their planning and ideas with her whenever she was around in their meetings, instead of being shooed out like a kid.
"The thing is, we want to be able to have constant contact with them, and we're not sure where to put them."
"Oh," Buffy wrinkled her nose in thought. That was a dilemma. Giles cleared his throat.
"And that's why we actually wanted to talk with you, Buffy."
"Talk with me?"
"Well, we've been considering having them stay with us, to promote good relations. Now, there's no pressure and we certainly won't do it if you don't feel comfortable-"
"Are you kidding?" Buffy laughed. "I'd love it! I can introduce them all to my friends, and it will be great! How old are they?"
"A few years older than you," Giles said, looking relieved at her openness to the plan. He really hadn't been sure what he would do if she had said no. "Now, we just have to find a sort of 'coming out' event." A smile slowly spread across Buffy's face.
"I know the perfect thing."
Author's Note: And that's part two! What do you think? I've gotten rather tired of 'Riley as the big dumb brute' in Spuffyfic, but I didn't want him to be with her so…I compromised. Any thoughts? Criticisms? Suggestions?
