2013: 3 Years Later
It's been five years since Graham came back from a horrific tour in the Brazillian jungles, left the military, and met a floppy-eared demon at a local demon dive bar that changed his life.
With new hope for a beginning, Graham took a chance and travelled to Cleveland, Ohio to grovel at the feet of the Vampire Slayer for a position at the new Council, which she spearheaded.
Repairing an fragile and undeveloped relationship of trust, Buffy and Graham came to the silent agreement to start again on a fresh note. All of the drama that had happened years before in Sunnydale between the Initiative and Riley erased. Beginning this new foundation built on mutual respect, honesty, and acceptance, their friendship quickly changed into love.
After months and months of telling himself that this love he had for Buffy was wrong and would only wreck him in the end, what he had not counted upon was that she would return his love.
Soon after declaring their love for one another, Buffy became pregnant. All this time Graham had always thought the most terrified he'd ever felt was in the jungles infested with vicious demons but, no. That didn't compare to the terror he felt for becoming a father.
More than anything, Graham wanted to be a good father and a partner Buffy could rely on. He didn't want her to have a single doubt of his commitment to this family they were creating, so he asked her to marry him six months after Ryder's birth.
For the next five years since then, Buffy and Graham with their little son lived happily. Finding a simple routine of going to work and coming home. On the weekends, they tried to do things as a family, whether it be out on the town, in a park, or tucked away in their home. The time they spent together and with their son was precious because they knew how easily everything could change in a single instant.
Evening
West Side of Cleveland: DeLuca Luxury Apartments: 14th Floor: Apartment #510: Kitchen
Turning down the knob of the stove, Graham carefully eyed the flames under the large pot filled with onions, ground beef, chili powder, sugar, tomato, and garlic powder. Standing tall over the large pot, Graham sprinkled salt and pepper into the dinner he was making.
On a typical day, Graham would be the one to pick Ryder up from his school at the Council, but Buffy insisted that she would do it today. Graham believed that she felt guilt for not being around as much as she wanted. With perfect understanding, Graham knew that in her position at the Council it took a lot of her attention and time. Sometimes she wouldn't come home until hours after Ryder had gone to bed.
He told her over and over again that no one was mad at her for working her job. Neither or Ryder loved her any less because she sometimes had to work late or she had to go on business trips, which at times sent her across the oceans.
Graham supported her and played her 'devil's advocate' when she was in the throes of making big decisions. He was her biggest supporter and championed her. With everything inside of him, he loves her.
Stirring the wooden spoon in the large pot, Graham frowned and checked his phone placed on the counter after hearing it vibrate.
He turned it over and read the text message sent: We're on our way home!
A small smile tugged at his mouth at the simple text message. There was nothing particularly grand or romantic about it but it was a small reminder that Graham was not alone. He has a very happy and satisfying life with the woman he desperately loved and their son, who gave him so much pride and joy.
Putting the cellphone back onto the counter, Graham continued to stir the chili cooking in the large pot when a knock at the door tore his attention from the dinner.
Frowning, Graham turned the stove knob to a low simmer as he stepped away to answer the front door.
Twisting the doorknob, Graham opened the door and felt his heart nearly stop in his chest as he stared at the visitor standing on the other end of the threshold with surprise.
A large grin sat across Riley's face as he greeted his oldest friend. Dressed in a nice button-up shirt and a pair of slacks, Riley looked as if he had gone on a job interview.
"Major Miller," said Riley, feeling an emotion of joy of seeing his old Army buddy. It had been years since they had last seen each other in Washington, D.C, just as he and Sam were taking off on another tour in Brazil. Graham told him the night before that he was out and Riley did not believe him until boarding the plane and seeing Graham still standing on the tarmac.
"Retired Major Miller," joked Graham as he accepted Riley's hand into a firm shake. "What 'd you doin' here?" Opening the door wider, he stepped to the side, letting Riley enter into the large home.
"What?" Smiled Riley, as he entered. "I can't visit my best friend?" He paused for a moment and looked around the beautiful home. "Wow, this place is amazing."
Closing the front door, Graham crossed back into the kitchen and stirred the chili in the pot. "Uh, how'd you find me?"
"I ran into a strange demon with floppy ears carrying a basket of kittens at the Council. He said that he met you in D.C. He also gave me your address," explained Riley as he walked around the open living room and to the large windows looking out to the sun setting behind the city.
"He said a lot." Graham frowned, knowing exactly which demon Riley had run into in D.C.
"Looks like the job is paying you well," Riley smiled. "How is the job? How's Cleveland?"
"Good," answered Graham.
Riley frowned at his friend's lack of enthusiasm. "Just good? You live in a friggin penthouse! It's gotta be a little awesome, right?"
Graham stirred the chili with the wooden spoon as he considered Riley's words for a minute before shrugging in agreement. "Yeah, it's a little awesome." He tossed Riley a smile from over his shoulder.
"What'd you do at the Council?" asked Riley, unsure how to segway the conversation into talking about his ex-girlfriend. "Are you still going on hunts? Does Buffy even let you hunt?" He laughed. "Don't tell me, you left the Army to come here and be a DI?"
"Actually, yeah. I'm happy here." Graham shifted the hot pot onto a cool stover burner to settle down and faced Riley. "I like the city and I like my job."
Riley accepted his friend's answer, genuinely happy for him for seemingly finding his place again. "Good. Good, I wasn't trying to be insulting."
"I know," Graham smirked, knowing his friend well. Riley had certain expectations and ideas of what his friend should do and be, Graham didn't meet his expectations.
Watching Riley move around the large open living room, Graham frowned at Riley as he moved to the array of framed photographs scattered around the room and eyed the photos carefully. He picked up a random photograph of a golden haired woman nestled into Graham's arms. Her face was hidden; buried into Graham's chest.
"Who's this?" asked Riley, holding the framed photograph up to Graham.
Holding his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Graham wasn't sure how to say the truth. He had been unable to tell Riley the truth for five years.
Releasing a deep breath, Graham rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, actually, Riley, that's my wife."
Riley's eyes shot up at Graham with surprise. "You got married? Why didn't you say anything when we talked?"
"I don't know," said Graham, rubbing the back of his neck.
"How long?"
Graham leaned back against the counter and anxiously twisted the silver ring on his third finger of his left hand around. "A few years."
"Wow. You think you know someone." He chuckled and put the photo down. "Any children?"
Graham nodded his head. "Yeah, a son. His name's Ryder."
"That's a good name." Riley picked up a photograph of a small boy with light brown hair, big green eyes, and a wide toothy smile. "Good lookin' boy. How old is he?"
"Five."
Riley's eyes widened, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his oldest friend was married with a child. "Wow, so you really found a life here."
"I did." Graham crossed his arms over his chest.
"I'm happy for you." Riley said with sincerity. "I can't wait to meet the 'little Mrs'." He rubbed his hands together with excited anticipation.
On cue, the front door opened. Ryder flew into the home throwing his backpack aside, shimmed off his coat, and sprinted the short distance from the door to his father, standing in the kitchen.
"Daddy!"
Riley's brows lifted up his forehead shocked to see the child from the photographs running across the wooden floor.
Graham unraveled his arms and caught Ryder in the air as he jumped.
Hugging his little arms around Graham's neck tightly for a moment, Ryder pulled his head back and looked at the stranger standing in the living room. It wasn't Granddad or uncle Xander, Ryder did not recognise this man at all. "Who's that?" The five year old asked, frowning in Riley's direction.
Rubbing Ryder's small back, Graham began to answer, "This my old buddy Ri—"
"—Riley?"
Recognising the familiar breathless voice saying his name, Riley's head turns to see Buffy standing at the front door. She wore a pair of wide-legged olive green dress pants, a blush wool-blend bouclé coat over a white blouse top, and a pair of nude coloured heels. Her long golden hair fell over her shoulders and down her back in loose ringlets. Her expressive green eyes were wide and her heart-shaped mouth, partially agape.
"Buffy." Riley swallowed his surprise to see her and quickly crossed the short distance giving her a hug. "It's great to see you. I tried meeting with you at the Council but your secretary Harmony said that you were completely booked until two thousand and seventeen."
Without having much choice in the matter, Buffy accepted Riley's hug and shot Graham a weary look over Riley's shoulder.
"Uh, yeah, she keeps me on a very strict agenda. I-it's nice to see you." Buffy plastered a smile across her face as Riley pulled back to look at her. Inhaling deep breath, Buffy closed the door behind her.
"I got some leave to use up while Sam is in D.C. working at the Pentagon. Thought I'd come here to talk with you and to see what Graham has been up to these last…" Riley turned his gaze back to Graham in the kitchen with disbelief, realising once again just how much time had passed since they'd last seen one another. "… five years? What are you doing here? Dropping Ryder off?" Riley asked, noticing that Buffy had taken off her coat and hung it up. He turned his gaze to Graham. "Does your wife work? What does she do?"
"Um…" Graham's eyes met Buffy's across the way and silently communicated with her as he then said, "... she runs the Council."
It took Riley a moment to realise that Graham's eyes were on Buffy as answered his question. Swallowing the confusion in his mind, Riley's eyes lowered to the photograph nearest to him. It was a wedding photo. Graham dressed in a tailored blue-grey suit with a tie around his neck, Buffy beside him, dressed in an elegant lacy white dress. Her hair styled into a fashionable bun. In her arms was a bright-eyed little baby boy with fuzzy sandy coloured hair. The toddler grinned a toothy smile at the camera with wedding cake icing all over his face and covering his tiny hand.
Riley swallowed and began to shake his head with disbelief. "No… You two are…?" He tossed his eyes between his best friend and his ex-girlfriend in utter disbelief. "You and Buffy?"
"Yeah," Graham placed Ryder onto his feet and took a step towards Riley, "me and Buffy."
"How? When?" A hundred different scenarios entered Riley's mind that would explain this strange matchup. Each scenario ended with Graham somehow forcing or tricking Buffy into being with him. "Did you talk her into this? Or-or did this happen one night after a little too much to drink? Or…"
Graham knew where all of Riley's speculation was headed; him somehow taking advantage of Buffy. "C'mon, Ry," Graham released a heavy sigh, "you know Buffy has always been perfectly capable of knowin' her own mind."
"What are you trying to prove?" asked Riley with his hands on his hips, seeing straight through Graham's well-mannered facade.
"What?" Graham's brows furrowed over his eyes. "What'd you mean what am I tryin' to prove?"
"Marrying Buffy," Riley's voice rose as anger swirled in his chest, "are you trying to prove something, Graham?"
Now angered at Riley's audacity to ask him such a question really pissed him off. "I'm not even gonna dignify that bullshit question with an answer." He stepped closer to Riley and dropped his arms at his sides. "I'm not tryin' to prove anythin'. This has nothin' to do with sex."
"Oh, what, are you in love with her?" Riley shook his head with disgust.
Graham seemed dumbfounded by the question. "That's what generally happens when two people decide to get married, Riley. Because they're in love with each other. Do you just wanna take a swing at me? Get it over with. Save us both a lot of time and trouble." asked Graham.
"What do you think a punch would do? Make me understand how you and my ex somehow found each other?" Riley instantly regretted turning his gaze to Buffy, recognising that withering look of anger on her face. It was the same look she wore the night Riley had gotten into a fist fight with Angel in the alleyway.
Graham exhaled a deep breath. "I thought you of all people would understand someone fallin' for Buffy Summers."
"Are you delusional enough to believe that you actually have something real with Buffy?" Riley refused to even consider the idea that Buffy and Graham shared a mutual love for one another.
"Okay," Buffy's voice interrupted the two men on the verge of a fist fight. She crossed the room and grabbed Ryder by his hand as she shot Graham a steely glare. "Can we please not have this conversation in front of Ryder?" She pulled the boy along to take him out of the room before all hell broke loose. "Come on, sweetie, let's let Daddy talk in private."
"That's not talking, Mommy," said Ryder, looking up at Buffy as they walked out of the room. "That's arguing."
"Oh, it is?" Buffy looked down at her son.
Ryder nodded. "You and Daddy argue like that. Mrs Thompson at school says it's okay that Mommy's and Daddy's argue."
"Oh, well, that's good to know." She ushered the talkative little boy into the playroom and closed the door behind them, leaving Graham along with Riley.
Graham was mad. Mad that everything he had predicted that would happen the day Riley found out was all coming true. He was mad at himself for letting his frustration and anger get the best of him.
Never minding his anger to defend himself, Graham did not stand for anyone insulting his family. "The decisions Buffy makes are of her own free will." Riley scoffed, unconvinced. "Be serious, Riley. What did you think would happen? A woman as beautiful as Buffy would just be what?—A spinster? Alone for the rest of her life, pinin' over you?"
"Do you really think you can compete with our history?"
Graham wanted to laugh. "Some history. Two years of pretendin' to be grown up, only to drop her 'cause she didn't you enough attention? That's your history? Come on, man. And you called this woman the love of your life?"
"Yes, and you went after her anyway!" Riley argued.
"Riley, you've been broken up for a decade!" Graham shouted in Riley's face. "You moved on. You got married. Buffy's had an entire life since you."
Riley refused to accept that this was the way Buffy had 'moved on with her life'. "Oh, so she got pregnant and she was vulnerable. Perfect for you, right? 'Cause you're only interested in girls you can save or screw, right, Graham?"
Graham's fists tightened until his knuckles were white, but he did not throw the punch. If they were going to fight, he wasn't going to be the one that started it. Instead, Graham stared at Riley in total bewilderment and began to turn away. "I can't talk to you right now. "
"No," Riley reached out, grabbing Graham by his shoulder, forcing him to turn, "we're going to talk about this now. Five years, you've been lying to me."
"Get out of my house, Riley." Graham's entire face darkened with anger. His bright blue eyes pierced straight through Riley's skull.
It was a look Riley had never seen before.
Calmly, Graham took small steps towards Riley as he calmly spoke, "You've insulted me, my wife, and my son. You've made your concerns loud and clear, now get out."
Turning on the heel of his boot, Riley stomped the short distance to the front door. He threw it open and slammed it behind him, rattling the walls.
Graham exhaled the breath that he had been holding in and felt exhaustion as he slouched back on the counter. Rubbing a hand over his face.
Later
Master Bedroom: Bathroom
The rest of the night, Graham found himself brooding in the corner. Buffy was still annoyed for how everything went down only a few hours before. She fed and bathed their son then put him to bed, reading him a story.
She gave her husband space to collect his thoughts and knew that in time he'll come to her.
Lounged back in the warm water of the hot bath she had made for herself, Buffy released a deep relaxing breath and closed her eyes. It seemed that the entire long and eventful day had finally caught up with her.
The sounds of the bathroom door opening and closing made her ears flinch.
"I told you this would happen." Graham's deep voice broke her relaxing silence.
She opened her eyes and watched him pace back and forth. His fingers laced together on the top of his head.
"When it comes to you, Riley can't see straight."
"You guys just need some time to cool off," she said.
"And then what? Talk to him?" Graham looked down at her for a moment before shaking his head at her posterous idea.
"Yes, but you can do that later. Now get into this bathtub." The slight arch of her manicured brow raised and a hinting smile tugged at her lips.
Graham took a deep breath and did as told. He removed his t-shirt, followed by unbuttoning his chest. Toeing off his boots, Graham pushed the jeans and boxer-brief shorts down his muscular legs. Buffy smiled at him as he comically hopped on one foot to take off his socks.
Now fully naked, Graham stepped into the warm water and took a seat at the other end of the large jacuzzi bathtub.
Buffy closed her eyes finding that peaceful relaxation that a warm bath always gave her but the tension coming from the direction of Graham was impossible to ignore.
She opened her eyes and found him sitting stiffly in the sudsy water with his arms on his bent knees, brows pinched together, and a deep frown set on his face.
Buffy sighed, "Honey, don't break your friendship with Riley because of this. He'll get over it."
"I don't think he will." He ran a hand over his face, exhausted. "He was so in love with you, Buffy. It took him nearly a year to say your name."
Sitting forward in the jacuzzi bathtub, Buffy mimicked his posture by resting her arms on her knees. "He's moved on."
Graham turned his gaze away, appearing unconvinced.
Buffy looked at him for a long while, until she said, "It never would've worked in long run."
Graham's eyes turned to her face.
"I wasn't..." she inhaled a deep breath, "... I didn't love him in the way that he loved me. It surprised everyone because to them, Riley had it all. He was the complete package. But I didn't..." she twisted the ring around her finger, "... I didn't love him. It's taken me a very long time to find you." she said, lifting her eyes to her husband. "I love you. I married you. There's a whole future I see in my head and you're in it."
A smile tugged at his mouth. He held out his hand for her to take.
Buffy returned his smile and accepted his hand, letting him pull her across the jacuzzi bathtub and sat across Graham's lap, draping her wrists around his neck.
"Despite all of that, you still need to salvage whatever is left between you two because his name was on the roster for the new recruits." Graham looked at her. He knew a new batch of soldiers were coming in, just like they always did, but he hadn't known that Riley's name was on the list. Maybe that was one of the reasons he was in Cleveland and at the Council.
Buffy continued, "He wants to work with us and I will hire him and Sam." Graham nodded. "They are very good at what they do and we need that. 'The mission is bigger than the man', isn't what you say?"
Graham eyed her skeptically, "You were listenin' to me?"
"I do that a lot, and yet, you always seem so surprised." Buffy rolled her eyes with a smile.
Inhaling a deep breath, Graham let go of his anger and circled his arms around his wife's waist. He pressed his forehead against hers and softly whispered, "I love you, you know that, right?"
Buffy nodded and toyed with the short hairs at the nape of his neck. "I know."
"I would do anythin' for you," he told her. "I'd walk through fire for you. I'd get you crunchy peanut butter at 2am…"
"But?"
"… But I can't force Riley to see eye to eye with me about this." Graham hated disappointing her but he knew that he was right about this. He knew Riley in a different way than Buffy. He knew first hand how much Buffy had meant to his (former) best friend. He was there when Riley mourned over the breakup and found himself again, then found Sam. "I will work with him and I will remain professional and civil but don't expect to see him at our next barbeque."
Nuzzling her nose, Graham tenderly kissed her pouting mouth. "Please,a Buf, don't get involved. This is between me and him."
It was not the response that Buffy wanted but she wasn't going to get anywhere by force. Instead, Buffy covered his mouth with her own, giving him a kiss of reassurance. She was his and only his. Despite the men she had loved before him, Graham was the one she married. He was the one she vowed to spend the rest of her life with.
The kiss ended much too soon in Graham's opinion.
He opened his eyes and watched as Buffy stood in the bathtub and climbed out of it. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her naked soaked body.
Turning her gaze back to him, she tossed him a small gentle smile. "Please, just think about it."
Graham huffed and sunk lower into the water as Buffy walked out of the bathroom, leaving Graham to sulk in the bathtub.
