Disclaimer: I will not claim to own anything of this story. Joss Whedon created the characters, Billie Letts wrote "Where the Heart Is", which this is based on.

Rating: This will be rated R! Sorry kiddies, but I like using inappropriate language.

Author's Notes: I've been nominated in the Barefoot Awards (in the category of Mommy Award)! This is my first nomination ever, and I love this! Thank you to whoever did that, you very awesome, special people! Go see the other nominees at the Barefoot Awards! This story has also been recommended for the month of November in the category of WIP at Recommend BTVS and ATS Fan Fiction by Iskandariya and Darkezza, who said some pretty flattering things about this story. Damnit, I am currently doing my happy dance as we speak. It's so cool. Go, visit both sites and read the other nominees stories! Anyway, new chapter! Have fun!

PS: This dumb website won't let me post the website url's, so to link to them, check out my journal at OpenDiary.com under Lily-bug. This isn't some ploy to get you to read my crap. This is to cover my ass. ____________________________________________________________________________

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Chapter Eleven- A Hurt and Hope

"Need anything else?" asked the nurse as she set Buffy's lunch tray on the table.

Shaking her head, Buffy turned her attention to Aurora, who had just finished eating her own lunch and was now fast asleep in her mother's arms.

The nurse, her name unknown to the young girl, began heading to the door. "Well, if you need anything, just buzz. You check out tomorrow, don't you?"

"Yeah," Buffy replied, although her tone was less joyful than the nurse, who bounced out the door to check on her next patient.

Buffy and Aurora had been at the hospital for five days, which was the mandatory observation time for babies born outside Sunnydale University Hospital. One more day had been added by order of her doctor, in order to let the media attention dissipate.

And he was right. As Willow predicted, the press found something new to cover (the tragic death of a local high school student) then the Wal-Mart mommy. During the evening news that night, there would only be one short snippet involving the Summers girls, and that would be the end of it.

Aurora was now asleep, snuggling into her mother's warm body, her breathing slow and steady. Buffy herself was prepared to eat lunch, but a knock at the door stopped it.

It was Graham, who was still keeping watch over her room.

"There's a woman-"

He was cut off when said woman brushed past him into the room.

"I'll tell her myself," she demanded.

Biting her lower lip, Buffy studied the older, blonde woman standing before her. The woman Buffy once called Mom.

Darla Summers had always been a gorgeous woman. When she was Buffy's age, she could've run off with any guy that she chose, whether he was married or not. But time had not been kind to her. Her naturally tanned skin was wrinkled and leathered, common among people who have spent the last few years in the Florida sun. The nose, which was shared through the Summers genealogy, had been altered, as had her ass, boobs, and now white hair, which was teased to comical proportions on top of her head. Dressed in a pair of black spandex pants and a bright orange halter, she did not even remotely resemble the Darla Buffy remembered.

"She's fine, Graham," Buffy felt her shoulders sag when she dismissed the orderly. There were other, more painful things she would rather go through than talk to her mother.

Ignoring the two NO SMOKING signs posted in the room, Darla pulled out a cigarette from her leopard-print handbag while she studied the flower arrangements instead of talking to her daughter.

When the silence became too much, Buffy finally broke it with a very important question.

"Why are you here?"

Darla, in Buffy's opinion, could have been a great actress, the way she pretended to be shocked at the statement.

"Can't a mother be concerned about her own flesh and blood?" The cigarette ash was falling, unknown to the blonde woman, on the clean linoleum. "I saw your report on the news a few days ago, so I got some money and a plane ticket so I could visit you. See how you were."

"Where'd you come from?"

"Key West," she replied, taking a moment to decide if that was a correct statement. "Been working in a bar, living down there for a few months."

"With Joe?"

"Joe? Who the fuck's Joe?"

Rolling her eyes, Buffy began to stroke Aurora's back. "Joe Nest, the guy you left with when you left . . ."

Darla filled in the blank. "That bastard! I dumped his ass in Tennessee a long time ago."

Her joyful mood halted when she saw the look on Buffy's face.

"But, that is all just in the past! I'm here to help you out."

"Really?" Despite her own reservations, Buffy felt herself smile.

"Oh, yeah," Darla replied, pacing the length of the room. "I've got a little bit of money, and we can find a place to live. Just you, me, and . . ." Not knowing the name of her granddaughter, she gestured towards the infant.

"Will this help?" Buffy asked, going to her bedside table and pulling out the $50,000 check from Wal-Mart.

Walking to her as fast as her platform heels would allow, Darla studied the check.

"Where did you get that from?" she asked, her eyes wide and alert at the concept of $50,000.

Buffy set it back on her nightstand. "The Wal-Mart people. I guess they just wanted to be nice."

When she looked back up at her mom, Buffy saw the expression Darla was trying to mask. But, that little light shinning in her eyes was bright and unmistakable.

She slowly reached her hand out to the check. "Well, I'll just keep a hold of it and cash it in, so I can go find us a place to stay."

But, before the check was in her grasp, Buffy stole it back, holding it possessively to her chest along with her daughter.

"NO! I mean, I'll keep it safe, and when you find a place, we can cash it in."

A slight frown graced her mouth, and her eyes squinted just enough, even though Darla was still trying to play it cool.

"Fine," she peeped out, getting a hold of her emotions.

Adjusting the strap of her purse, Darla nodded to her daughter, then headed towards the door.

"We're getting released around ten tomorrow, so you can pick us up then," Buffy explained, watching her mother's retreating form.

Catching the doorknob, Darla, a smile still on her face, coolly nodded, then left the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Willow Rosenburg hadn't always wanted to be a doctor. At one point in her life, she had contemplated running the nursery with Tara. But Giles, her mentor through her teenage years, had seen her potential, and pointed her in the direction of medicine.

She had been hesitant about a career that would mean her close interaction with other people. As a child, she was shy, opening up only to her best friend, Xander.

But, as she got older, she lost her timid behavior. When Spike and Xander became pals, Willow almost immediately became mixed into their quirky friendship. Soon, Tara moved to town and Xander (surprisingly) began dating Cordelia, and Willow became the mother hen to the group, which grew again when Willow started dating Oz, a musician she met during her freshman year at Sunnydale University.

College gave her a new look on life, and she realized just what her intelligence could give her. With Giles' help, she found how exciting being a doctor could be, and what she could do for others. Her kind nature directed her towards pediatrics, a field she, given the chance, would talk animatedly about for hours on end.

Now studying at the exclusive medical hospital, she alternated between school and her new residency at the hospital. The residency unfortunately meant that she spent less time with the people she loved. Her relationship with Oz, whom she now lived with in a nearby apartment, was becoming strained even though she was trying hard to fix it. But, it's the price you pay to do something you love.

Walking purposely to the front admittance area, Willow greeted almost everyone she passed. She had just informed Mr. Rice, a 54-year-old plumber who had suffered a mild heart attack, that he could go home that day, and she was about to do rounds in the children's hospital, which she looked forward to everyday. But, she had a few charts to drop off, hence her reason for going to the front desk.

Amy, one of the best nurses the hospital had ever hired, was busy filing when Willow walked in. The two chatted as they always did: friendly, but still not off task.

When Willow glanced up from her work briefly, she gasped loudly at the sight in the back of the waiting area.

"What is she still doing here?" Willow whispered to Amy.

Buffy had been released around ten that morning, and all of her belongings had been packed up onto hospital doilies and wheeled into the waiting area. It was almost 12:30 in the afternoon, and she was still there, Aurora in her arms, trying not to look at anyone.

Shrugging, Amy leaned in closer to talk privately.

"She's been there the entire time. I asked her if she wanted to call whoever was picking her up, but she didn't know where they were staying."

Willow's eyes darkened with anger when she heard this. Last night, Buffy had told her new friend about her encounter with Darla. But, as she listened, she had a gut feeling that Darla would not be coming back.

"Can I use your phone?" Willow asked as Amy resumed her work.

When Amy nodded, she picked up the receiver and dialed one of the numbers she knew by heart. Buffy may have just been a patient, but she was quickly becoming a good friend, and Willow would be damned if she let anything happen to her.

"Hello," Willow replied when the person on the other line picked up. "It's Willow. I need your help."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"At least she didn't take the check," Buffy sighed as she cradled Aurora closer, hiding from the July heat under the hospital overhang near the entrance area.

Buffy had gotten tired of the other patients staring at her, of the nurses whispering to each other. So, around one in the afternoon, she had her belongings wheeled outside and sat on a bench, making some half-hearted comment about her ride being late.

She knew it was a lie. Darla was not coming to pick her up. She had seen it in her mother's eyes when she pulled the check out of her reach. It was that look of cool acceptance, and of dismissal. The last time she looked at Angel, it was in his eyes as well.

Aurora was beginning to fuss. For most of the day, she had napped. But now, she wanted to eat, and Buffy was to embarrass to nurse in such a public place, even if there was no one around.

Finally, the infant had enough, and began to wail. Buffy began to rock her, hoping the slow movements would quiet her.

"I'm sorry, honey," Buffy moaned, holding her closer to her chest, desperately trying to brush away the tears that were sprouting in her own eyes.

Hearing a car pull up the long driveway for emergency admittance, Buffy looked up.

A black Jeep parked in a clearly marked NO PARKING zone a few feet away from Buffy and Aurora. The driver killed the engine, and opened the car door.

It was Joyce, her curly hair pulled back by a rolled up handkerchief, wearing a white button-up shirt and khaki shorts. Pulling off her sunglasses, she studied the mother and daughter for a moment.

"Buffy," she began, walking slowly towards the two, "I have a problem with your rose tree."

"You do?" The girl replied, her voice small and tear-stained.

Nodding, Joyce sat down next to Buffy. "You haven't been by in the past few days, and some of the leaves are starting to wilt. So, I've decided that it's going to need 24-hour care, and I certainly can't be responsible for it."

There was a discreet smile on the older woman's face, and when her eyes met Buffy's, an agreement passed between them.

Buffy didn't respond when she stood up with Aurora, and Joyce began to wheel the doilies to her trunk. No word was spoken when Buffy opened the backseat and found a brand new car seat, strapped in and ready for the baby. When Buffy went to the trunk to help load things in, the two didn't talk. And the car ride was in complete silence.

But, as Buffy walked up the front steps of Joyce's large house, Aurora once again asleep in her arms, a little sigh rose was breathed from her mouth. She knew she was finally home.

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leann2- Sorry I couldn't post before Thanksgiving. I hope you get an A on your paper.

lolly6- Well, you got your wish!

masaarah- No, I really liked the Wal-Mart story! God, that's awesome! See, the only thing we have to be proud of in the ol' US is Wal-Mart and those really crappy tourist traps in the Midwest. And, yes, I do love Wesley from ATS. In BTVS, he's such a pussy I can't stand it!

Imzadi- Lindsey, my darling dear, will be appearing next chapter! Hurrah! You've been so patient! And thank you for all your comments! You make me giggly.

EmilyTheStrange1- Yah! You kick ass too, my dear!

Comedia- You are a slut, and I love you! Tell Cathy to stop fucking singing her god damned opera, or shit like that.

fashiongrrl- Of course Buffy wouldn't be in trouble for "shoplifting". This is my story, and the only people who get hurt are the ones who deserve it (btw, who wants Angel to get raped in prison? Just a question).

Carmine007- Fine, fine, fine. Everyone! This is the person who helped me name Aurora! My muse, my darling, my best friend/worst enemy, Anyanka Faith! There, are you happy? And, you know what would help? If you fucking signed to give these reviews, you lazy bitch. I love you, and I'll see you on Thursday.