TITLE: Destiny's Child
AUTHOR: sugarwater
E-MAIL: DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, all bow down to the mighty Joss
TIMELINE: Begins mid Season 2
SPOILERS: Probably just about everything
SYNOPSIS: B/A! The Powers That Be have a surprise in store for Buffy and Angel. Btvs re-write – Angel doesn't leave. Whole lot of Fluff and little bit of Angst.
DISTRIBUTION: Anywhere, if you want it, take it, just let me know!
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Very very long epic type story, Chapter 10 takes place the day after Chapter 9.
FEEDBACK: Craved, oh please, please, please, REVIEW! Constructive crit very welcome
RATING: T
Giles had spent the last 24 hours working on the prophecy that Willow had found. They were certain this was what they had been looking for and he wasn't going to sleep until he figured out what it meant. He owed it to Buffy. He had almost finished translating the prophecy when he realized the time, Buffy's party had started. There was no way he could attend, not when he was this close to finishing the translation.
Much to Willow and Giles' dismay, the Scooby gang had decided that Buffy's welcome home dinner should be a big party. Buffy was surprised when the Dingo's had shown up and realized that her friends really didn't want to talk to her in the one on one sense. Half the school invaded her house and Willow tried to comfort Buffy as Xander and Cordelia ignored her.
"I was just sort of hoping it would be…us, you know, and we could hang together, the gang" Buffy said to Willow over the loud music.
"I'm sorry Buffy, they just thought this would be a better idea" Willow tentatively said. "And you know, maybe a party is what you need anyway, to loosen up and…"
Before Willow could finish, a stoner bumped into Buffy, tipping his drink all over her dress in the process. "Ohhh! Hold that thought" Buffy said frowning.
As Buffy made her way into the kitchen to grab a towel she overheard her mother talking to her new annoying friend Pat. "Having Buffy home, I thought it was gonna make it all better, but in some ways, it's almost worse." Joyce admitted while playing with the shot glass in her hand.
Buffy slowly gulped as she backed away from the kitchen. This was the last straw. She turned on her heels and ran up the stairs to her bedroom. As she entered the room she grabbed the bag from under her bed and began throwing clothes in haphazardly. Willow had noticed her friend racing up to her room and decided to follow her.
"Buffy! What are you doing?" Willow said as she rushed over to her friend who was manically packing while crying hysterically.
"I don't know, I just, I can't be here" Buffy sobbed. Willow took her arm and sat with her on the bed.
"Buffy I don't think leaving is going to solve this. I know it's hard but…"
"No, you don't understand, these last few months have sucked beyond the telling of it. First I had to kill Angel, I loved him more than I'd ever loved anything, he was everything to me, and then I had to give up my baby! I only got to hold her for five minutes, Will. You have no idea how hard that was." Buffy said as she broke down.
"And then I had to come back here, where everything reminds me of Angel, and-and I've been expelled, and my friends don't wanna talk to me, and my mom wishes I'd never came back."
Willow hugged Buffy tightly as she wept into her shoulder. "I'm so sorry Buffy, I know it sucks but it will get better, I promise it will" she reassured her friend.
As the pair sat on the bed, Joyce walked by the room and noticed the half packed bag as she glanced in from the hallway. "What is this? Is this some sort of a joke?" she angrily demanded.
Buffy instantly pulled back from Willow and stood up to face her mother. "Mom, please, could you, could you just..."
"No, I can't just! Buffy, what is this? Were you going to run away again?" she demanded once more, refusing to leave.
"No, I wasn't…..I-I'm not sure." Buffy said as she placed her hand on her forehead.
Joyce was raging. "Well, you better get sure and explain yourself right away! If you think you can just take off any time you feel like..."
"Stop it! Please! I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing." Buffy said before running out of the room and heading downstairs. Willow and Joyce followed her hastily down the stairs and through the mob of people in the party.
"Don't you leave this house, young lady!" Joyce shouted threateningly.
Buffy couldn't deal with her mother at this point and kept on walking, determined to leave the house. Joyce eventually caught up with her as she walked through the front room.
"You know what? That's it. You and I are going to have a talk." She said, catching Buffy by the arm and spinning her around.
On seeing the commotion the Dingo's stopped playing and silence fell upon the previously deafening room. All eyes fell on Buffy and Joyce.
"Mom, please..." Buffy begged.
"You know what? I don't care. I don't care what your friends think of me, or you for that matter, because you put me through the wringer, Buffy. I mean it. And I've had schnapps. Do you have any idea what it's been like?" Joyce yelled as people began to leave the party.
"Mom, this isn't the time..." Buffy pleaded once more.
Willow looked around for Oz, worried. He came over and stood beside her as the red head frantically tried to think of anything that could help her friend at that moment.
"You can't imagine months of not knowing. Not knowing whether you're lying dead in a ditch somewhere or, I don't know, living it up..." Joyce continued.
Buffy had had enough of this and finally spoke up, interrupting her mom. "But you told me! You're the one who said I should go. You said if I leave this house, don't come back. You found out who I really was, and you couldn't deal. Don't you remember?" the slayer said, raising her voice.
"Buffy, you didn't give me time. You just dumped this thing on me and you expected me to get it. Well, guess what? Mom's not perfect, okay? I handled it badly. But that doesn't give you the right to punish me by running away." Joyce shot back.
"Punish you? I didn't do this to punish you!" Buffy retorted in disbelief.
Xander had finally had enough of this and needed to vent his own anger "Well, you did. You should've seen what you put her through." He shouted at his friend.
"Great. Thanks. Anybody else want to weigh in here? How about you by the dip?" she said sarcastically, motioning to nerdy Jonathon.
"No thanks. I'm good." He replied nervously.
Xander turned on Buffy once again. "You know, maybe you don't want to hear it, Buffy, but taking off like you did was incredibly selfish and stupid." He viciously stated.
"Xander! Back off!" Willow shouted angrily at her friend.
Xander turned round to Willow who was glaring at him. "What is your problem, Will? I'm only saying what we're all thinking. And don't pretend you weren't hurt by Buffy's disappearing act too" he yelled.
Before Willow had a chance to respond Buffy spoke up again. "Okay! Okay. I screwed up. I know this. But you have no idea! You have, you have no idea what happened to me or what I was feeling!" she said, trying to make them understand.
"Did you even try talking to anybody?" Xander shot back
"There was nothing that anybody could do. Okay? I just had to deal with this on my own." Buffy retorted.
"Yeah, and you see how well that one worked out. You can't just bury stuff, Buffy. It'll come right back up to get you." Xander said.
"As if I even could've gone to you, Xander. You made your feelings about Angel and I perfectly clear." Buffy replied bitterly.
"Look. I'm sorry that your honey was a demon, but most girls don't hop a Greyhound over boy troubles." Xander tactlessly threw back.
Willow had had enough of this argument and felt it time to step in. "Ok, just hang on a minute Xander, how do we know what happened to Buffy? We don't know what she's been through. I mean for all we know there could be circumstances that we know nothing about, maybe we shouldn't be so hasty to jump down her throat about it" she said forcefully.
"OK, That's just about enough, why are you sticking up for her?" Xander demanded of his friend.
"I'm not! Ok, I am, but she's my friend, and yours too!" Willow replied.
"Friend? Do friends disappear and not call or write to tell you where they are? Not in my book" he retorted.
"Ok, I'm gonna step in now, being referee guy" Oz coolly said as he walked between the two arguing friends.
The gang were distracted from their fight when Giles ran through the front door, slamming it behind them. "Buffy! I need to speak to you, it's urgent." He gushed as he walked over to the teary eyed slayer and took her arm, motioning for her to follow him.
"What's up? Do we have demon trouble?" Xander queried.
"No no, it's private" Giles responded as he led Buffy through to the dining room.
Willow knew exactly what was going on and watched as the two disappeared round the corner. She sat on the sofa with Oz, silently praying it would be good news and not bad. Xander and Cordy moved into the kitchen as the tension and awkward silence in the front room was too much to bear.
"What's going on Giles? Did you translate the prophecy?" Buffy asked when they were out of earshot.
"Yes, Buffy its good news, I was wrong, you should have kept your baby, I'm so sorry, but it's alright, you can still get her back" Giles quickly said smiling.
Buffy stared at him in shock as a smile came over her face. "Are you sure?" she responded in disbelief.
"Yes, here, read this" he said handing her a piece of paper. On it was the translated prophecy.
Buffy stared at the disheveled piece of paper in her hand and began to read it.
'A lasting bond will be forged between slayer and demon and they will stand as one, a force against all forces of evil From them a new life will come into the world to help in the battle to rid the earth of unholy creatures She will be called the Guardian of Light and together the three will be a force against evil. And at the end of days the guardian and her parents will be victorious over the darkness that plagues the world and bring light into the earthly dimension.'
As Buffy finished reading she stared at the sheet of paper in her hands for a moment. "This says Angel was supposed to be here. If this is all true then how come they let me kill him?" she queried.
"I don't know, the powers work in strange ways, it's possible that wherever Angel is, he will somehow find his way back" the watcher guessed.
Buffy was suddenly filled with a sense of determination as the realization that things may actually work began to sink in. She threw her arms around Giles and hugged him tightly "Thank you! Thank you so much"
Giles was relieved to finally be back on good terms with Buffy, and thrilled that she was so happy.
"We have to go find Breanna. If you drive me to LA I can call the adoption agency first thing in the morning, tell them I want her back."
"Of course, but d-don't you think you should tell your mother first, before you bring her back?" Giles reasoned.
Buffy's smile faded at the thought. "Oh…right. That. Ok, I should probably go have the 'you're a grandma' chat just now then." She said woefully. "Wish me luck".
As Buffy turned around to face the tension in the living room once more, and her mother, there was a knock on the door. Both Joyce and Buffy reached the door at the same time and exchanged an apprehensive look. Joyce then opened the door with Buffy by her side and stared in confusion at the badly dressed man before her.
Whistler locked eyes with Buffy as he took out the bundle of blankets from under his jacket. "Delivery for Buffy Summers" he said sarcastically.
Buffy stared wide eyed at the demon as he unraveled the bundle to reveal Breanna. Giles appeared behind Joyce and took his glasses off as he noticed who the demon was carrying.
"Whistler?" Buffy said in shock. Giles looked from Buffy to the demon as he realized this was the person Buffy had told him about.
"Good god." Giles said as he watched Whistler enter the house and hand Breanna to Buffy.
"What's going on? You know this man!" Joyce asked Buffy in bewilderment.
Buffy ignored her mother and didn't take her eyes off of the sleeping baby in her arms as she held her tightly, silently promising never to let her go again.
Willow looked up to see Buffy holding her baby and leapt to her feet, rushing to her friend's side. "Buffy! You got her back!" the red head said, amazed at what had happened.
"Who's baby is this?" Joyce asked more impatiently.
Buffy and Whistler continued to ignore Joyce as they moved through to the dining room with Giles and Willow. "The powers that be sent me to bring her back to you, they said not to worry, everything will work out and she has to stay with you" Whistler told Buffy.
"Did you hear that Buffy? She can stay!" Willow beamed as Buffy smiled brightly and began to cry, taking a seat at the table.
"And this is all to tie in with the prophecy? Breanna is the guardian?" Giles asked, needing confirmation.
"The one and only" Whistler responded.
On hearing the commotion, Xander and Cordy made their way through to the dining room and stood beside a very confused Oz. "Who's the kid?" Xander asked, puzzled.
"Ok, wait a minute here. Buffy I demand that you tell me what is going on!" Joyce shouted menacingly. Finally, Buffy and Giles took notice of her and were silent for a moment.
"Joyce, perhaps you should sit down" Giles suggested.
"No, I will not sit down, Buffy, who's baby is this?" Joyce exasperatedly demanded.
Buffy looked at her mother and then back at Breanna. "She's mine" Buffy said, staring at the tiny baby and smiling.
"Huh?" Xander said in bewilderment.
"Yours? Buffy, how can she be yours? When did you have a baby?" Joyce shrieked hysterically.
Buffy gulped and slowly met her mothers gaze. "Three days ago" she quietly responded.
"Oh no, no, I don't believe this, Buffy you're 17!" Joyce responded as she took a seat and put her head in her hands.
"Perhaps you and Buffy need time to talk alone" Giles tentatively said.
"Wait, you knew about this. You knew that my daughter was pregnant all along and you didn't tell me?" she yelled at the watcher.
"Mom, it wasn't like that, there were circumstances, No one was supposed to know, I had to put her up for adoption" Buffy said, defending Giles.
"Adoption? Then what happened to her adoptive parents?" Joyce asked incredulously.
Buffy and Giles both stared at Whistler for an answer.
"Oh, the powers that be sorta killed them." He replied casually.
"They're dead?" Giles asked astonished.
"Afraid so, the powers figured it was the easiest way. They don't have much compassion when it comes to matters as important as these" Whistler explained. "Well anyway, I better leave you guys to it" the demon said as he made is way to the door.
"Wait! What about Angel?" Buffy asked.
Whistler smiled. "They're still figuring it out. I'm not sure what's gonna happen, but you will see him again. Take care kid." With that, Whistler disappeared out of the door, leaving the gang to it.
"Angel, your insane ex-boyfriend Angel, is he the father!" Joyce asked in annoyance.
"Yes, but it's complicated" Buffy replied.
"Ok, time out here!" Xander shouted as he walked closer to Buffy. "You had a kid with Angel and Giles knew about it, and you didn't tell us?" he asked, trying to process all the information he had just heard.
"Xander, give Buffy a break, demons were after her and the baby, she didn't know what to do, Giles thought it would be best if you didn't know" Willow tried to explain.
Breanna was awoken by the shouting and began to cry.
"You knew about this? And you didn't tell me? Will, I thought you were my best friend." Xander said feeling hurt that he hadn't been told any of this.
"I'm sorry Xander, I couldn't tell you." Willow said feeling very guilty.
"Xander, it's not that I didn't want you to know, it's just that I couldn't tell anybody, and Willow sort of found out and I really needed her for support. I was going to tell you eventually." Buffy said, trying to make sure Xander didn't feel left out.
"Save it" Xander replied as he grabbed his jacket and headed out of the room. Cordelia watcher her boyfriend march briskly towards the door and began to slowly follow. "Congratulations" she whispered to Buffy almost insincerely before leaving.
"I can't believe this, my only daughter is a teenage mother, this is all your fault!" Joyce shouted at Giles.
"Me? Joyce the only thing I am guilty of is helping Buffy cope with the situation she found herself in. This child is the result of a mystical occurrence, it's been foretold for centuries, there was nothing anybody could do. It was meant to happen" Giles tried to explain to the distraught mother.
"Oh you can't really be serious. Are you honestly trying to shut me up with all this supernatural nonsense again?" she screamed.
Breanna's cries became more incessant as the arguing voices became louder. Buffy stood up and made her way to the stairs as her mother and watcher continued their argument. Willow followed Buffy and stopped when she reached Oz. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you either" she nervously said. Oz kissed her sweetly and smiled. "It's ok. I get it. Well, actually, I'm not sure I do. But I understand. You go be with Buffy." He said as he walked to the door. Willow hugged him and closed the door before following her friend up to her room and leaving Joyce and Giles alone to their fight. It was going to be a long night.