The Following Day

Buffy and Oz walked up to their friends on the beach the following day. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and the gang had planned to spend it at the beach.

"Hey guys. What took you two so long?" Xander asked as Oz and Buffy joined the group.

"Mom needed some help with the groceries." Buffy answered as she took a seat next to Angel on his blanket.

"We were waiting for you. I've got great news." Cordelia said excitedly. A huge smile on her lips.

"Okay so what is it?" Gunn asked.

"Dad said we could borrow the beach house for the weekend right after school ends." She told her friends.

"Awesome." Xander said slapping hands with Gunn.

"This will be so much fun." Willow said smiling at Oz.

"So is everyone in?" Angel asked the gang.

Everyone except for Buffy and Oz said 'yes'.

"Buffy, Oz? You guys in?" He asked.

Buffy looked over at her brother than her friends. Finally her eyes landed on her boyfriend. "If we go we'd have to be back by Sunday afternoon."

"Why?" Willow asked her boyfriend.

"Dad's picking us up Sunday night." Oz told them.

"Huh?" Xander said not fully understanding where they were going.

"Well now since mom and Giles moved to Sunnydale, the deal is mom puts up with us for the school year and dad gets us for the summer." Buffy answered, looking sadly at her friends.

"But why so soon?" Fred asked.

"Dad's got a business trop to Spain that Tuesday." Oz replied.

"So he's not even going to be with you guys?" Xander asked a little mad.

"Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of you guys going down there?" Angel asked his girlfriend. They'd only just started dating, he didn't want to spend a whole three months apart.

"Yeah. It's not for him to get to know us, it's so that mom doesn't go crazy and starts drinking again." Oz said looking into his sisters eyes sadly. Both remembering what happened the year after their dad walked out.

"Oh." IS all Willow could say, she saw the look in her boyfriends eyes and saw the same in his sisters.

"We don't actually get to see our dad." Buffy said softly.

"Only his money." Oz added.

At that, the once quiet Cordelia was now actively in the conversation. "Money?"

Everyone just rolled their eyes at her, including Xander.

"Yeah dad leaves and then wires two grand a week to us. A grand each." Buffy told her friend truthfully.

"Well isn't that…grand." Gunn said sarcastically.

"That's totally cool. Wish my dad would do that." Cordelia said with a smile.

"Cor your dad doesn't even know you exist." Angel said rather harshly to his step sister.

Cordelia looked at him a bi hurt. "That was harsh." She said trying to hide the hurt in her eyes.

"Sorry Cor. I was out of line with that. I'm just mad Buffy has to leave." Angel apologized.

She only nodded and cuddled closer into Xander's arms.

"So are you two going to join us anyways?" Angel asked.

"I guess…Oz?" Buffy said looking at her brother who looked at his girlfriend and shrugged. "Sure."

"We'll all come back Sunday afternoon." Fred said to the group.

"No guys…don't. Oz can drive us back. Don't cut your weekend short because of us." Buffy said feeling guilty.

"Please. I have to be back Monday for computer camp anyways." Willow told her friend.

"Yeah and I start my job at the Cancer Institute." Fred told her with a smile.

"Plus Xander and I start our jobs at the Gap." Gunn told them.

"Yeah my dad's making me work with him this summer too. I don't start till July 8th though." Angel told them. Then he looked at his girlfriend with a smile. "In LA." He told her.

Buffy smiled.

"Oh wait I start cheer camp too." Cordy told them with an excited tone in her voice.

"Guess we wouldn't be seeing much of each other even if we were staying." Buffy said with a sad laugh.