Note: I took a lot of leeway with Richard Grayson's character. He just ties into the Buffy-verse so well since he is, in the comics at least, of Gypsy heritage.

Chapter Twenty: Homecoming.

The boy, whose name was Richard, fell asleep still holding onto Bruce as Buffy drove them home. They drove in silence, she glancing over every once and a while, Bruce staring straight ahead, his eyes and features unreadable, but she did not have to see to know what he was thinking, because she was thinking the same thing.

When she parked the car in front of the mansion, and turned the motor off, all the lights were on inside. As Bruce got out of the car, managing to not drop or wake up the boy, Buffy took a deep breath, and prepared to face the music.

The door opened and Alfred was the first one out, followed by Willow, Xander, and – to Buffy's surprise and dread – Giles. Anger was definitely a feeling that they all shared, but whatever scolding words they had planned and, no doubt, rehearsed, for the week long missing couple, died before they even opened their mouths when they saw Bruce carrying the boy.

Bruce did not stop or slow his stride. It was not an all out stomp, or march, but there was purpose in his step, as he made his way up to the door, the four people there parting to let him through without any obstacle, and into the house. Without looking at anyone, or offering a single word of explanation, he simply went through the mansion, and up the stairs.

"Oh my God, Buffy, is that the boy from the circus?" Willow asked, tears in her eyes.

Buffy nodded. "Bruce talked Commissioner Gordon into letting us bring Richard home with us. He couldn't stand the thought of him being sent to Child Services, not after what had happened…" She sighed, it sounding and feeling like it came from her feet. "Bruce was the first one to him after it happened. Everyone was running and screaming, but he fought his way through them to the boy. The medic had to pry him away from Bruce, and he screamed and screamed, only calming down when Bruce picked him up again. He managed to get him to sit in Gordon's car while they talked."

She looked up at all of them, one by one, in turn. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice breaking. "I know we shouldn't have…"

"You are bloody right you shouldn't have," Giles exclaimed in a loud whisper. "What were you thinking?"

"They weren't." Xander, kind of sheepishly. "At least not with their heads." He tapped his head with the knuckles of his right hand.

"We can discuss this later," Alfred said, and put his arm around Buffy, squeezing her shoulder gently. "Let's go inside."

"We cannot just let this go," Giles snapped, refusing to leave his place inside the door, barring entry.

"We aren't, but now is not the time," Alfred returned, elbowing the ex-Watcher out of he and Buffy's way.

"Alfred, she is my charge –"

"Your bloody charge!" Alfred released Buffy and turned on the (slightly) younger man. "You, who sends her into battle with darkness and evil, knowing bloody well that she might not survive. You who has thrown her to the demons of hell for fourteen damn years." Willow, Xander, and Buffy were standing there with their mouths agape: they had never heard or seen Alfred angry. "Just like every other Watcher before you, you don't care about your charge, only what she can do."

"I have – had – a job to do and at least I did it!"

It was almost certain that Alfred at the very least wanted to punch Giles in the face, but he did not go through with it. "How dare you come into this house…"

"Does he know? Have you told him what he is?" Giles blurted, pulling his glasses violently off of his face and stuffing them into his shirt pocket. "Does he know why you were sent here? What it was you were supposed to do?"

Alfred began to retort, but a voice stopped him.

"What is he talking about, Alfred?"

They all turned to find Bruce standing there, hands in his pants pockets, his eyes fixed on Alfred.

"Master Wayne –"

"What have you not told me? When you told me about Buffy and what she was, and what she did, what did you leave out?"

"Listen!" Willow said, standing between Giles and Alfred, her hands outstretched. "It has been a long night. We should all just go try and get some sleep, and we will deal with all of this in the morning."

"Willow is right," Xander agreed. "Give everyone time to calm down, and we can discuss this with level heads tomorrow."

Buffy and Bruce did not go to sleep. After everyone had gone to their respective rooms, they stayed awake. Richard was sound asleep between them in the bed. He would whimper and mumble in his sleep and sometimes he would toss and turn. Bruce would touch his forehead, or whisper to him, and the boy would become quiet and still for a little while.

"What is going to happen to him?" Buffy asked. She brushed the boy's hair out of his face.

"According to the people at the circus, he has no more family," Bruce answered. His head was propped up on his hand. "I will talk to Lucius tomorrow. See what I have to do to so he can stay with us here."

"And what about the ones responsible?"

Bruce lay down on his back, reaching over and turning off the light. Buffy waited a few moments, but he said nothing, so she lay her head down, preparing to go to sleep.

"They will pay," Bruce whispered harshly in the dark. Correction: The Batman. Not Bruce.

"I will hunt them down and make sure that they do. One way or another."

Buffy was dreading getting out of bed, because the moment she did and went down stairs, things would have to be explained, accusations would be made, decisions would have to be made, and things were going to change. She could feel it in her bones.

A sudden lurch in her stomach, but it settled quickly. Sighing, she climbed out of the bed. Bruce was already awake and up. Richard, the boy, was still asleep in the middle of the bed. Buffy made sure he was covered up, and started to leave the room.

Oh! Her stomach again, only this time it would not settle. She padded to the bathroom, closed the door quietly behind her, and proceeded to throw up for a good five minutes. She hadn't eaten anything since just before they left the yacht last night. She couldn't imagine what was making her sick. Maybe it was just nerves or stress, from everything that had happened last night to what she knew she must face today.

Once she was sure she was done throwing up, she left the bathroom, checked on the boy once more, and then left the room to go downstairs.

Willow, Xander, Giles, and Kennedy were at the dining room table, and Kennedy looked like she had been put through the ringer – repeatedly.

"Well, look who decided to make an appearance, finally," Kennedy snapped, ignoring the look from Willow. "Did you have fun? I sure hope so. While you were off playing Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, I was getting my ass kicked doing your job."

Buffy opened her mouth, but nothing would come out. "Kennedy, stop it. Please!" Willow stated in a gentle voice.

"No! I will not. She has got her head in the clouds. She thinks that all her years of being the Slayer is finally paying off. Well, you know what?" Kennedy stood, knocking the chair she had been sitting in down onto the floor with a loud crash, causing everyone to jump. "The little bubble that you have around you is about to be popped." She strode over to Buffy, who braced herself for a fight. "He doesn't love you. He never has. You were just available and willing, just to get him some more attention. You are delusional if you think you are good enough for the likes of him. He will never marry you. Never!"

"Kennedy!" Willow cried, jumping to her feet. "How dare you talk to her like that? You are a Potential. She is the Slayer."

"A Slayer. You keep forgetting about Faith." Kennedy brushed past Buffy who just stood there, saying nothing, her eyes cast down to the floor.

"Buffy, I am sorry," Willow apologized as she followed Kennedy out of the room.

"Listen Buf-" Xander began.

"Where is Bruce?" She asked, hugging herself as if chilled.

"He and Alfred are in the library," Giles answered, sipping coffee. "What I said last night, well, it was uncalled for. You have been the Slayer longer than anyone else, fought a great many things –"

"Closed a hell mouth, stopped a hell bitch from creating hell on earth, and died twice!" Buffy snapped, looking up at him. "When is it enough? When will being the Slayer stop taking from me everything and everyone I care about? When do I get to be happy?"

Giles looked down at the saucer that was there, placing the cup into it with a clink! Xander pretended he was not in the room.

"I know what you are feeling-"

"No. You don't!" And Buffy stormed out of the room.

When Alfred left the library, he smiled at her, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and then disappeared around the corner. Buffy entered the room slowly, finding Bruce standing in front of the windows, staring out into the yard.

"Would you close the door?" He asked her and she did. "Buffy, we have to…" He sighed, and then turned to face her.

"Do you love me?" She asked. Kennedy's words had stung her, and she didn't believe all that the Potential had said.

Bruce looked at her strangely, his brow furrowing. "Of course I do," he told her, coming around the items in the room until he was standing in front of her. "I love you. I love you with every fiber of my being. I would lay down my life for you."

"Could you live for me?" She kept her arms folded over her chest even though she wanted so badly to hold him. "Could you do that? Because dying is easy, but the living part is not so much."

He caressed her face, and then brushed her hair back. He looked deep into her eyes, and underneath everything else, there it was, that look of love. So deep. So pure. All for her.

"I could do that," he told her, meaning it. "But not right now."

She nodded. "I know." That was when she allowed herself to fall into his arms. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she fought them hard, let them burn to nothing in the fire that was the Slayer. She held him tightly, breathed in his scent, tried to memorize everything about him even though she knew there was nothing left that she hadn't already done so. She didn't want to let him go, because if she did, it might be for the last time. "I love you so much." She whispered. Almost giving in. Almost.

"Buffy, when this is over, and we…we survive it," he said as his hands stroked her hair and her back. He held onto her just as tight as she did him and that made her feel better. "When this is over, and we are together again, I want it to be forever."

She gasped. One tear managed to escape. "You mean it?"

"Yes, with all my heart."

"Ok." She said, and then she pulled away from him and ran out of the library.