Next Morning
Master Bedroom
Waking up flat on her back, Buffy turned her head to Graham sound asleep beside him. She exhaled a deep breath unable to stop the thoughts of Graham and Riley's argument yesterday.
She somehow felt more affected by this breakup of a friendship, perhaps it was because she felt guilt for being the cause of it.
Sitting up in the bed, Buffy propped her back against the backboard and thoughtfully twisted the rings around her finger.
Chewing on her bottom lip, Buffy felt that she needed to do something. But she also knew that this wasn't her fight. This was Graham's fight. Then again, she knew both of these men very well, so she knew they were both stubborn as an ox.
Pushing the covers off of her, Buffy carefully got out of the bed. She tip-toed across the wooden floor to the closet for a pair of jeans and a top.
After hours of telling herself not to get involved, Buffy couldn't take it anymore. She needed to do something and not wait around for these two stubborn men to knock some sense into themselves.
Forest City Inn: Room #314
He couldn't sleep last night. Images swam in his mind of Buffy and Graham... together. He envisioned different scenarios of their life now that they were a couple. and his heart ached with sadness and jealousy.
Digging a hand into his duffle bag, Riley took out a small stack of photographs, he had been carrying with him for the last decade. These photos travelled with him across the world. They were in his pocket for every mission he's ever been on.
Riley held the few prized photographs between his fingers and sighed sadly.
The first photo was of his wife. The photograph underneath that was himself, Graham, and Forrest during basic training days. Their arms were around one another as they grinned into the camera. Riley remembered his day perfectly, they had all been accepted into the new special operations team called the Initiative.
Riley's eyes narrowed on Graham, letting his mind slowly work out where these smiling and unsuspecting men in this photo would end up within only a few years. Forrest would be killed. Riley would fall in love for the first time only to be left heartbroken, and Graham would leave the Army to marry Riley's first love.
His chest tightened then looked at the next photograph underneath the first two. The polaroid photograph had gentle worn creases in the corner. The colour of the photo seemed washed out or faded. Buffy sat on the floor in a white sweater, black pants, with a pair of black boots. Her curly blonde hair was partially pinned back, out of her beautiful smiling face. In one hand she held a stake and in the other a knife. She must have been wielding stakes that day.
Riley clenched his jaw, reminding himself of the hours he would spend, staring at this photo when he wanted his mind to be somewhere else. He felt guilt for imagining a life in which he was with her instead of Sam.
What would their life be like? What would his life be like if Buffy returned his love? Would he have stayed in Sunnydale? Would they be married now with children?
There were so many 'what if's' that Riley wished he had answers for but that's all they were 'what if' questions. It was not reality.
In reality, he and Buffy did break up. He did leave Sunnydale. He did fall in love again and got married to a wonderful woman. Buffy did move on and found love with his best friend. She was a mother and a wife, and also the most powerful woman on the planet.
Knock! Knock!
Frowning, Riley turned his head to the door. He had a feeling he knew who was standing on the other side of that door and he was none too happy about it. Riley wasn't quite ready to remedy his friendship with Graham and accept that he was now married to Buffy.
Putting the photographs on the bed, Riley stood up tall and crossed the short distance to the door.
Turning the door handle lever, Riley's brows rose high up his forehead, very much surprised to see Buffy standing on the other side of the doorway.
Masking his look of surprise, Riley frowned, unsure how he felt about seeing her again. He was angry still at Graham for his deception but Buffy…? It certainly takes two to tango, as the saying goes, but… No, Riley decided. Graham was entirely to blame. He took advantage of this beautiful, wonderful woman and somehow manipulated her into marrying him.
"Did Graham send you?"
"No," said Buffy, shaking her head, "he didn't. In fact, he has no idea that I'm here."
Riley's frown deepened.
"Can I come in?" asked Buffy.
Tightening his jaw, Riley opened the door wider for Buffy to enter.
She stepped inside and nervously twisted the set of rings on her left hand ring finger as her eyes bounced to the clean looking room. There was not much to the room, a large bed, bathroom, desk with a telephone on it, dresser, a television, and a sliding door closet.
Buffy faced her ex-boyfriend and lifted her eyes to his face. "I got yours and Sam's application and you will be accepted."
"That's good to know, but what does that have to do with anything?" He sternly crossed his arms over his chest.
"It has to do with a lot. You and Graham will be working frequently together. He will be your superior. Can you handle that?" She asked, raising the slight arch of her brow.
Riley nodded, "Of course, but I don't think—"
"—You have no say in how I run my Council, Riley." Buffy quickly set him straight, making it well known that she held the power in the world he was entering into. The stern hardened look on her face softened as she said, "I look forward to working with you again. Once upon a time, we all made a pretty good team—well, at least until the Initiative went evil with an apocalyptic Frankenstein." Buffy felt a bit of satisfaction of getting at least a small tugging smile out of him.
The room was blanketed with a heavy silence. Buffy's eyes bore into him, watching as Riley stared down at his shoes.
"Graham's missed you." She said, causing Riley to lift his chin. "I've wanted him to tell you about us for a long time but I promised him to let him tell you in his own way and well… that's failed… so…" she twisted the rings around her finger.
"How did it happen?" asked Riley, suddenly unsure if he even wanted to know the answer.
Buffy looked at him. "He didn't take advantage of me. We weren't wasted when we first got together, nor did we get married because I was pregnant, in fact, Graham and I were a slow build. We were roommates living our separate lives until we couldn't keep pretending that there wasn't something between us. He makes me happy, Riley. You and I weren't right together and that's no one's fault. You found happiness with Sam and I'm very happy for you. I would've hoped you could have shown that same courtesy." She stepped past him, heading for the door when Buffy paused, and faced him again.
Riley frowned, as he looked at her.
"Graham is my husband." She told him. "He's the father of my son and whatever future kids we may have. And he is still your best friend. Please, don't throw away years of friendship over a macho pissing contest. Remember, you two have been friends much longer than either of you have ever known me. You've been through literal hell together. It would be a pity if you broke your friendship because of some girl." She turned the door handle lever.
"You've never been 'some girl'." said Riley, with a slanted smile on his face.
Buffy returned his small smile with her own, silently appreciating his kind sentiment. "Please, just think about it." Buffy opened the door wider and exited the room, leaving Riley still standing in the center with his hands in his pockets.
As the door softly clicked closed, Riley released a deep sigh, now having much to think about.
West Side of Cleveland: DeLuca Luxury Apartments: 14th Floor: Apartment #510
Entering back into the home, Buffy exhaled a breath wondering if she had only made things much worse for Graham and Riley by stepping in-between them.
Unbuttoning the buttons of her coat, Buffy slipped it off and hung it on the hook near the door.
Pushing herself away from the coat hooks, Buffy walked down the hallway and turned into the playroom, where she found Graham and Ryder sitting on the floor. Ryder was resetting all of his green plastic army men, while Graham realigned the plastic tanks, creating an epic battle scene on the rugged floor.
A small smile tugged at Buffy's lips, loving whenever she caught these moments between father and son. Neither of them suspected her presence hiding in the corner.
Graham lifted his chin to look up at her standing in the doorway, "Hey, where'd you go?"
Buffy looked at him.
Instantly recognizing the troubled and uncertain look that had settled across his wife's face, Graham frowned.
Remaining calm, Graham stood from the floor and slowly stepped over to her. "Buffy…"
"I couldn't stand idly by while you were throwing your friendship away." said Buffy, unable to withstand Graham's patient eyes and small smile. He knew immediately what she had done.
"I told you to stay out of it," he said, following her out of the playroom and down the hallway.
"I couldn't do that." Buffy whirled around, facing him.
Graham folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah, clearly."
"I'm sorry, I went behind your back but I'm not sorry that I talked to him. Someone had to."
Rubbing a hand over his face, Graham tried to remain very calm although angered by his wife's actions. He knew that her heart was in the right place and she lacked the patience to let things work itself out. "It shouldn't have been you, Summers."
Buffy huffed, crossing hers and turning away from him.
Graham stepped around to face her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and slid them up to cup her face. "Buffy, I love that you care so much. I appreciate you tryin' to remedy whatever is left between me and Riley, and I even love that you will go behind my back and do everythin' I asked you not to do." He shot her a charming half-smile. "Should I have listened to you at the start when you were tellin' me to tell him about us—Yeah, probably, but this reaction whether I told him five years ago, now, or even five years later, Riley's reaction—this reaction would be the same." He pushed her hair off of her shoulder.
Releasing a heavy breath, Buffy wrapped her hands around his wrists. "I just can't stand it when you're hurting."
"I'll be fine." He pulled her close, tenderly kissing her mouth. "I got you."
Late Afternoon
Rooftop
Seated in a wooden chair with his feet propped up on the ledge of the rooftop, Graham sipped the beer in his hand. His mind lost in the replay of the argument he had with Riley the day before.
There were so many ways he wished he could have gone about it differently. He wished that he had been straight forward from the beginning. He wished that Buffy hadn't arrived home at the time that she did in order for him to have time to properly tell Riley. He wished that he didn't care so much about his best friend's reaction. He wished that he had the bravery of Buffy to seek Riley out to try to heal this wound in their relationship.
Taking a sip of the beer in his hand, his ears flinched to the sound of the rooftop access door opening and closing.
By the heaviness in his visitor's footsteps he knew it was neither Buffy or Ryder.
"Buffy talked to you too, huh?" asked Graham, ripping his eyes from the abyss he had been staring at to see Riley standing at his side, staring out into the glorious view of the city.
A smirk covered Riley's serious face. "Yeah. She's very determined that we'd be friends." Riley said, taking a seat in the vacant chair beside him.
"I should've figured that she'd do that." He took another sip of the beer with a small smile. "She's a good woman."
"I couldn't agree more." Riley sat back in the chair, staring out to the picturesque cityscape.
A long silence casted over the old friends, neither knowing how to begin to say what desperately needed to be said.
"There were elements of truths to what you said." Riley began.
With surprise, Graham turned his head and looked at him.
"I am jealous." Riley admitted. "There was a time when more than anything, I wanted the life you're livin' with Buffy." He shifted his gaze back out to the city they looked over. "But she never loved me the way she loves you. And that's okay… now. I've got a great woman of my own." Riley smiled at the thought of his headstrong wife. "She's just as strong willed and high-minded as Buffy. I'm happy with her. And I am happy for you, Graham." Riley looked at Graham once more. "You're a lucky bastard."
Graham let out a wolfish chuckle and sipped the beer in hand. "I'm well aware."
"Don't screw it up." Riley said with a serious voice but Graham recognised the playfulness in his friends eyes.
The two old friends shared a laugh.
"From this day to the ending of the world… we in it shall be remembered." Riley held out his fist.
Graham smirked, "We lucky few, we band of brothers." He gently pounded his fist against Riley's as they recited the old William Shakespeare quote they had memorised since basic training.
"For he who today sheds his blood with me shall be my brother," Riley's smile widened.
"Hooah." Graham said, then sipped the beer in hand. He leaned over the side of his chair opening a cooler filled with ice cold beer and passed one over to Riley.
The two men sat together staring out over the city in an amicable silence.
"So…" Riley began, "... tell me about your son."
Graham smiled widely at the thought of his little boy. "He's a great kid. Brave and funny. But shit," Graham shook his head with realisation, "he's so much like Buffy, it's scary."
Riley laughed.
"Wait until you have a little girl. If she looks anything like Buffy, you're in trouble."
Graham groaned, knowing just how right Riley was. Rubbing a hand over his face as he imagined a little blonde haired girl that was identical to her mother began to freak Graham out. "Fuckin'-A…" he took a long swig of the beer in his hand.
In the background, standing at the cracked open door, Buffy had quietly listened to the conversation between her husband and his best friend. Ryder walked up the steps behind her and tugged at the hem of her shirt to get her attention.
Buffy carefully closed the door and faced the five year old, taking his little hand into her own. "Do you wanna make some sundays?"
Ryder's green eyes brightened with excitement. "Chocolate mint chip!"
"Mmm, that's a good choice!" She said with a smile and walked back down the steps, heading back into the home to create the world's messiest and sugariest ice cream sunday's with her son.
