Cordelia breathes a sigh of relief when her taxi pulls up outside the Sharp house. As soon as the reaches for the doorhandle, Phantom pops off of her lap, and the back seat, onto the sidewalk. With the door open, she leans forward and hands the driver a couple of bills, before getting out.
Looking down at Phantom, she says, "Well, I hope they remembered I'm coming."
With that, Cordelia walks up the path to the front door, a faint orange mist seeming to pour from the gap where it's ajar. As she gets closer to the dark house, the door itself seems to have a greenish cast to it rather than the deep blue it seemed to have from the street.
At the edge of the porch, she pauses until Phantom rubs her head against Cordelia's hand, and a sense of protection comes from her. Pulling in her courage, Cordelia walks up the step and to the front door, where she knocks politely.
Pushing the door open, she calls, "Hello?" slowly edging her way in, she adds, "Mrs Sharp? Anybody home? Cordelia Chase here."
Walking into the hallway, she spots the banister and calls up the stairs, "If you haven't gone to bed already. Took me a little longer to get here than I expected."
With no answer from upstairs, she looks around and murmurs, "I hope you haven't changed your mind about paying your bill." As if that nudged her memory, she adds loudly while pulling the bill from her purse, "Which, uh, I just happened to bring along with me."
As silence is her only answer, she calls softly, "Hello?"
That's when she notices a single light on a room just past the stairs, and carefully walks towards it. Only to stop in shock as she sees the entire Sharp family lying on the floor surrounding a kitchen counter.
As she's standing there in shock, she cries out as she gets a vision, and collapses to the floor. In her vision, she sees herself turning round and being attacked by a demon with red stripes running around the head from the side of one eye to the other. Two additional pairs of stripes run from the top of its eyes, over its bald head, to the back of the head.
As the vision ends, she finds herself lying on a carpeted floor, with Buffy just turning around with Joyce in her arms, "Cordeli…"
Glory's voice comes over the hive, "I've got it, someone check on the other two."
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At the same time, Wesley is tidying up his books after a late night of reading and chatting with Virginia. As he puts them down, he spots a stray mug. Walking over, he picks it up and starts to walk over to the kitchen, when there's a knock at his front door.
Turning to face the door, he staggers as Cordelia broadcasts a vision to the local hive, in the vision she's attacked by demon with red stripes on its face.
Spinning around, he stares at the window, where a head with a single eye stares at him. Racing for the bedroom, he shouts "Virginia!"
As he sprints for the bedroom, he hears the front door splinter open at the same time the window bursts open.
As Virginia wakes up with a foggy head, she looks up to see Wesley running towards her, and has time to ask, "Wesley?"
Not even thinking, Wesley jumps onto Virginia, and flames them both to his Queen.
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Wesley and Virginia both land on a carpeted floor, and Wesley suddenly remembers that Vivian likes to sleep naked.
With a screech, Vivian hits Wesley's shoulder, "Wesley, how could you. I'm naked."
Buffy turns around with a sigh, "Wesley, who's your friend?"
Wesley looks around to see Cordelia picking herself up off the carpet, "Um, Buffy, this is my girlfriend Vivian. Vivian, this is the Slayer. She's the one that, um, saved my life."
Buffy looks down at her consideringly, before saying, "you'll do" and handing over the baby she's carrying, "Look after my mother while I'm gone. Cordelia knows where my room is if you need clothes. Wesley, I've sent a couple of workers to your apartment."
As she disappears in a pillar of fire, along with a teenager she hadn't noticed, Vivian blinks rapidly.
"Um, what just happened?"
Cordelia collapses on a chair, "Wesley just prioritised saving your life over fighting demons. And Phantom saved my life too… and of course she's gone back to remove the threat. Great."
Virginia holds the two-month-old baby awkwardly, "That was phoenix travel?"
Wesley picks himself up off the floor, and then helps Virginia up, "It was. I think those were Skilosh demons. Probably after us because we removed their spawn from that girl's head."
Cordelia leans forward, "Oh, no. What about Gunn?"
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Gunn's walking the streets of his old hood, cooling his head after everything that's happened today. Suddenly, his knees buckle slightly as Cordelia broadcasts a vision to the local hive.
Steadying himself against a wall, he straightens up and looks around.
Suddenly, Gunn's alone in his head for the first time in hours. Sagging against the wall, he mutters, "Thank god it wasn't permanent…"
Suddenly, he straightens up, as the fact that Cordelia was attacked in a vision, and then he was alone in his head, fit together and arrives at an awful conclusion. "Oh god, please don't be dead."
Turning around, he starts to jog back to the office, and the phone. A moment later, his jog slows to a walk when he feels six presences appear nearby.
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Wesley shrugs, "He's probably fine, he went for a walk remember?"
There's a pop, and then Willow appears in the lounge, holding a bundle of clothing, "Hi Virginia, I'm Willow. Here, we, that is Tara and me, thought you could use some clothes."
Virginia frowns as she trades the baby for clothes, "Wait, can everyone round here do that stuff?"
Bitterly Cordelia says, "No, only people who have made vague allusions to wanting to have these abilities in front of Buffy."
"Why, is there some dark pact where you sell your soul or something?"
Willow shakes her head vigorously, "No, no, not at all. Buffy is still a little new to the whole being queen of a hive thing. So, she still doesn't have control of the urge to expand the hives membership. On the plus side, you get access to three brand new types of magic, over 400 years of experience of using that magic from Professors and a Police officer, a get out of death free card that renews every few days after you use it. Oh, and the knowledge of literally out of this world technology. And that's just to start with, you also gain the ability to see into the infrared, that's heat in laymen's terms. Your fingernails turn hard enough to carve stone, and you get some level of super strength. And you never need to worry about losing your slim feminine figure due to overeating either."
Cordelia looks at Willow in surprise, "Wait, really?"
Virginia interrupts as she glances at Wesley, who is politely looking away, "I'm more interested in this whole get out of death free thing."
Willow lifts Joyce slightly, "This is Joyce, Buffy's mother. She died earlier, and she was the size of a new-born when Buffy found her."
Virginia's mouth gapes, "Where's all your security? Why are you being so open about this? Aren't you worried about wizards trying to steal your secrets?"
Willow laughs, "We live on a hellmouth, and Buffy is the Slayer. We also have a hell goddess in our hive. I really don't think we need to worry too much about mortal magic users."
Virginia leans back thoughtfully, "No, I suppose you don't, do you. What about expectations? I mean, are you expected to fight evil, pay tithes, or help with rituals in whatever position you're needed?"
"What? No! Think of it more like a big happy family."
"I am, that's why I'm asking."
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Buffy appears on the lawn outside the Sharp's house with Phantom, and immediately assumes her Queen form. Inside the house, she can hear Glory having fun as she plays with the demons inside.
Outside, it's only a few seconds before five or six others come around the house from the back. Her inner mouth pops in and out in excitement and she jumps into the fight, forming a hunting bond with Phantom and Glory.
When her tail slices the head off of a demon that's trying to sneak up behind her, Glory shouts over the hunting bond, "Buffy, we need them alive. I hope you haven't damaged any of the components of that one."
Buffy switches back to her humanoid form, and immediately ducks beneath a blow, "Why?"
"So you can make more children. Maybe some scouts and warriors this time."
Buffy ducks to the left, and brings her claws up to slash the kidney's of the one that just thrust its tongue out at her. As it dives forward, she notices the third eye in the back of its head, "Oh, that's looks useful. I bet it helps when you're looking for your keys."
The demon turns around, "One was destroyed by three, so three will pay."
Buffy punches it in the jaw, before jumping over a grab from the side, and using her tail to slice the arm off the grabby one, "Look, I don't know why you're so fixated on the one you lost, when you killed an entire family of humans, but if there's one thing I hate, it's hypocrites." Landing smoothly, she pops to the other side of the chatty one, and kicks the side of it's knee out with her heel, "Well, actually, that's down at like number 50, but you've hit the top 10 with murder and child killing, as well as child molestation."
Talky grabs her arm as its knee starts to collapse, and pulls Buffy off balance, until she uses her tail to push herself back up, "You will submit, and we will increase our numbers with your head."
Buffy smiles as she sees Phantom appear behind the armless one in a flash of fire, only to disappear just as quickly with that one, "Now, you see, I think you have the wrong end of the stick with that statement. As we have need of your body for our young. We don't need your submission, as we can force that ourselves."
As it lashes out another punch at her, Buffy catches it in one hand, before transforming into her Queen form, and forcing her mind into its mind as she flames away, "Don't worry, nobody will ever hear your screams."
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Outside the doorway to Wesley's apartment, Angel futilely bashes his fist on the invisible barrier of ownership that is preventing him from entering the apartment while Wesley runs into the bedroom.
As he watches, the bay window opposite the front door bursts open, and a demon rolls through it. From the direction that Wesley ran comes the sound of another pane of glass breaking.
"Wesley, Wesley, you have to let me in!"
As the two demons met up and talk in their own language, Angel starts to shoulder check the barrier, willing it to give way. He feels helpless as the two demons split up, and start methodically opening doors and cupboards that seem like they could hide a human.
His attempts to breach the barrier peter out when two flashes of fire herald the appearance of another two demons. These ones sleek black hunters, on all fours. They have no discernible eyes, yet they seem to have no difficulties with locating the demons, and agilely engaging them in combat. Their own agility and perception more than a match for the all-round vision the third eye gives the first demons.
When the black demons finally disappear in a burst of fire, with the struggling three-eyed demons, less than a minute has passed.
Angel slides down the wall on the other side of the corridor as tears fall from his eyes at, what he is sure, was the death of one of his friends. After a moment, he staggers to his feet and heads towards Gunn's home, in the hope that he'll be in time this time.
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Gunn is still walking quickly back to the office, when Glory pops in beside him.
"Hi Gunn."
Gunn turns to her and says, "What do you want?"
"Well, I was going to offer to take you to Buffy's house, where Wesley and Cordelia are. But if you're going to be like…"
Gunn quickly backpedals, "No, I'm sorry. I'm just worried about my friends."
Glory turns to face Gunn, and lifts him up by the throat, "You would also do well to remember that I am a goddess in future."
The two of them disappear in a pillar of fire, and reappear in Buffy's living room. Only for Glory to disappear with a pop, leaving Gunn to fall to the floor in a heap.
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While Gunn is gasping for air on the floor, Giles pops in and rounds on Wesley, "Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, how could you be so irresponsible as to Phoenix travel so soon after joining the hive. Do you have any idea of the danger you put yourself in? You've practically exhausted your magic, and it will be days before you can Phoenix travel again. Absolutely no elf magic for at least 24 hours, and no Phoenix magic for 48 hours. Do you understand?"
Taken aback Wesley can say nothing in his defence, however Cordelia has no such compunctions, "Giles, how dare you. He saved not only his, but also Virginia's lives by bringing them here."
Giles turns around, "He could have safely elf popped the two of them almost anywhere in the city. He could have done it twice, and only need a nights rest afterwards."
With the reprieve from Giles' attention, Wesley objects, "Rupert, I had no idea how they found me, or if they could track me. If I was wrong about where I went, they'd have killed both of us. This was the safest place I could think of in the moment."
Giles turns back and forces himself to sigh, "I'm sorry, my changing hormones are playing havoc with my emotions. Still Wesley, I do not have so many friends that I can afford to lose one to carelessness. Please be more careful in future, and you are still not allowed to use magic."
As Giles pops out again, Gunn takes a seat while rubbing his neck, "Hey, what did he mean about hormones playing havoc."
Cordelia peeks at Giles' memories and smiles broadly, "I'm going to go and see how Willow and Virginia are getting on upstairs. Have fun explaining that one Wesley."
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Cordelia and Gunn appear on the street outside the office in a flash of fire, courtesy of Phantom, who fades into house elf invisibility.
The two of them are about to part ways, when they notice the lights are on. Cautiously, the two of them creep under the window, and make their way to the door. Carefully, Gunn pushes the door open so that Phantom can attack if there's a demon inside, waiting for them. Instead, the stink of vampire wafts out from inside, and Gunn can see Angel sitting forlornly at one of the desks.
Standing up, Gunn sends to Cordelia, "Cordy, stay here, you're my backup."
As he walks in, Angel looks up to show the tear tracks on his face, "Gunn, you're alive."
Gunn looks at Angel, "Why wouldn't I be alive? Besides, why do you care?"
Angel flinches, "I deserve that. Cordelia's apartment was empty, and when I got to Wesley's apartment, I tried to get in to help, to warn him. But two demons broke through his windows. Then two more demons teleported in, and trashed the place fighting the first two. You weren't at any of your normal hangouts."
Gunn nods, "Well we're safe, so you can take your skanky ass out of here while I lock up again."
"Where's Wesley and Cordelia?"
Cordelia and Phantom disappear with a pop, to her apartment, as Gunn says, "Wesley's staying at a safe house until we can get his door and windows repaired. And Cordelia had a late running meeting with a client. So did I for that matter."
Angel slumps, "So they're both alright?"
"Yeah, no thanks to you."
Angel pushes himself heavily to his feet, and shuffles his way out of the office. As he's passing Gunn says, "Also, you stink."
Angel sniffs himself, as he continues to trudge out of the office.
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The next day, Buffy and Dawn are escorted to a funeral home by Giles to pick out an urn for Joyce's ashes, while Angel Investigations baby sit Joyce, who is just starting to crawl.
While they're looking, Dawn picks up an urn that looks like someone went mad with bright colored paints, and then put the urn in a spin dryer for good measure. Laughing, she turns to Buffy, "Buffy, do you think mom would have liked this?"
Buffy turns to face her with a stern expression, while laughing over the hive, "Dawn," she hisses, "be serious. This is mom's ashes we're talking about."
The funeral director steps forward, "Please, let her laugh. We don't get enough laughter in this place, and it's probably your sister's way of coping with your mother's death."
Buffy grumps, and turns back to the urns, which leads to a litany of inappropriate urns that leave her trying her best not to laugh out loud as Dawn comes up with ever more ridiculous stories about them, and why mom would love them.
Finally, she grabs the first one Dawn picked up, "We'll take this one please."
The director nods, "Certainly Miss Summers, can we assist you with any other aspects of the funeral? We offer very reasonable packages."
Buffy shakes her head, "We're going to have her quietly cremated here, and have the ceremony in LA at her favorite beach. Our old priest has agreed to do the service."
The director nods with a slight smile cracking his stony façade, "Forgive me for saying this, but it's unusual to see someone so young that's also so composed."
Buffy nods sadly, "I cry when there's nobody else around. Keeping busy's helping too."
The director leads Buffy to the office, "Don't forget to let yourself grieve, otherwise it will catch up to you in a few years time. And you'll have a breakdown. I've seen it all to often."
"Do you say that to all your customers?"
The director quirks his head as he sits at his desk, "Usually only the men."
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Cordelia pops into the tiny corridor at the back of the office, between the toilet and the kitchen, with a massive smile on her face. Walking through door, she pauses as she watches Wesley running around after a giggling Joyce, while growling, and holding his hands out like claws.
When she spots Cordelia, Joyce pops from the floor into Cordelia's arms, "Hello Cordy, that was fun. Did you have fun at the aukey house? Stupie tod body."
Cordelia smiles at Joyce, "I did thank you. I got the pearl valued, and they put a conservative estimate of $8,000 on it."
Gunn spits out his coffee, "How much?"
"$8,000, though we won't know it's real value until Wednesday, when they have their next gemstone auction. We get to pick another stone on Friday too."
Joyce cheers, "Yay! Can I have some chicken nuggets?"
As she says that, Phantom appears with a live lobster, and places it on the table, before looking at Cordelia expectantly.
Predictably, Cordelia screams and backs into the door behind her.
Joyce slaps her face and looks cross, "It's food for you, as Pantom feels you hungy."
Cordelia blinks in shock from the slap, and then looks at Joyce in shock, "You what?"
Joyce pops onto the table, and reaches out her hands to the lobster, before ripping off a leg, and sucking on it, and trying to bite it with her two teeth.
Cordelia, Gunn, and Wesley all step forward to save Joyce from the claws, that are now clamped uselessly around Joyce's wrist, only to stop in surprise as she doesn't seem to be in any distress.
Joyce lifts the arm with the lobster attached, "Twy it, it good."
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That evening, Virginia drags Wesley downstairs to the kitchen, where Buffy is making dinner while reading while Joyce is playing in the small sitting area between the kitchen and lounge.
Taking a seat at the table, she smiles at Buffy, "Buffy, thank you for letting us use your mom's room this weekend."
Buffy glances up from her Chemistry textbook, "Thank my mom, not me. It's her room after all."
Virginia follows Buffy's glance, "Thank you Mrs Summers. Anyway, our landlord phoned, and the door and windows will be replaced tomorrow."
Joyce waves at Virginia and gargles something that might be a response.
Looking back at Buffy, Virginia clamps Wesley's hand to the desk, "So, I've also been talking to your friends all weekend, and I have some questions about your hive."
Buffy snaps her fingers, and places the bookmark she just summoned in her book, "Go ahead. I'll answer as honestly as I can."
"Are there any unexpected bargains, costs, or catches that would catch someone out if they joined in good faith?"
Buffy hums, "Honestly, I don't know, as I don't know how much you've been told already. But you've seen my claws and tail? They're the extent of the visible changes you can expect." She scratches her head, "There's the whole being part of the hive, which means always being in contact with every other member that's within my sphere of influence, or about 10 miles if you're outside that area. Um, dietary preferences leaning towards raw or live food. Crabs and Lobsters are delicious."
Wesley shivers, and says, "Don't ask." When Virginia looks at him.
Buffy shrugs, "Phantom took a lobster to Cordelia, and mum ripped a leg off, before holding up the arm that was trapped in it's claw and offering it to the others. Thinking about it, she wasn't that tough before she died. So, that might be a 'you have to die' thing, or a 'it either takes a lot of time, or you have to die' thing. Oh, and your blood will become so acidic that bullets melt before they can get deep enough to do any real damage, unless you get hit in the head. That also means no blood tests or injections, as it melts through steel just as quickly. Hang on, I've just remembered something that may help."
Virginia arches an eyebrow, "Oh?"
Buffy nods, "Arry was able to give non-members some memories, so I think I could do that for you if you want."
Virginia looks at Buffy, "Do you promise not to include any commands or directives, or to change my personality, while you are doing this?"
Buffy thinks for a moment, "With the understanding that just knowing things can change your personality slightly, I promise that I will not include anything that would compel you to follow my instructions, command, lead, or change you in such a way that you would want to do so."
Virginia nods, "Then please do it."
Buffy smiles, "Wesley, would you keep an eye on the food, Vanessa and I need to head into the yard."
Virginia growls, "My name's Virginia."
Buffy shrugs, "Sorry about that, anyway, yard."
As the two of them get into the yard, Buffy shifts into her Queen form, and swiftly pins Virginia to the floor with one massive claw. Driving the air out of her lungs, and preventing her from screaming.
Then she brings her head forward to touch Virginia's head, and pushes forward with her mind, the same way Arry, and all the previous Queens have done over the millennia. There, she implants the memories of a day old scout, a day of Minerva's memories while she's considering the changes that have happened to her. And for good measure, Hermione taking a face hugger, then later talking a Yautja through taking one themselves.
As she pulls her mind back, and shifts back to just been Buffy, she notices that Virginia's eyes have rolled back in her head, and she has a nosebleed.
Picking her up gently, she walks back into the kitchen, "Sorry about that Wesley, but this has never happened before in my memories."
As Buffy places Virginia down on a kitchen chair, Wesley sighs, and pulls a perfume bottle out of his pocket, and uses the eye dropper to get a few tears, and place them under Virginia's tongue.
A few minutes later, the tears have worked, and Virginia comes around, clutching her head, "What was that!"
Buffy shrugs, "About three days of memories. One of which is from a Raka. Thinking about it, that's probably what caused the nosebleed, as they think, and perceive the world, very different to the way you do."
Virginia sits in that chair for a few hours, thinking. At the end of that time, she gets up to find Buffy.
It doesn't take long for Buffy to appear, and walk into the house. There Virginia finds her, and wipes her hands on her clothes, "Buffy, I, uh, I would like to join your hive."
As Tara appears behind Virginia, and gives Buffy a stern look, Buffy refrains from just flaming off to get an egg, and instead asks, "Are you sure? As once I get an egg, that's it, there's no backing out."
Virginia takes a deep breath, and lets it out, "Even doing what I do, and with who my father is. I've only had any control in my life since Wesley came to save me at my father's 50th birthday party, where I was the main participant in a ritual. Honestly, I'm not that interested in being able to do magic. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore it. Even if I never learn to use spells, just the utility of being able to teleport, and not die, is something I just can't pass up. The other things, they can be worked around, much like you have been doing."
Buffy cocks an eye at Tara, who nods, and disappears in a flash of fire. Only to reappear hacking and coughing, while holding a leathery egg.
Buffy laughs, causing Virginia to turn around, "You forgot to breath out, and hold your breath, didn't you."
Tara continues to cough as she nods and holds the egg out to Buffy. Taking the egg, Buffy dips her hand in, and pulls out the face hugger, before handing it out to Virginia.
Virginia stares at the face hugger for a few minutes, before taking it with shaking hands, and placing it on her face.
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Wednesday evening, a 4-year-old Joyce is sat at the reading table with one of Wesley's tomes reading quietly. A few toys are dotted around the office for when Joyce has too much energy to sit still, and needs to run around. The table itself, has lots of little divots in it, from where Joyce has tapped her fingers while reading.
When the phone goes, Cordelia snatches it up, "Angel Investigations, we help the helpless… Really? $11,000, and after fees?... $9,543?... And it will be in our account tomorrow?... Yes, that's great news, thank you."
As she puts the handset down, everyone stares at her, until Joyce waves her hand in front of her face, "Eww, stinky."
That's when everyone turns around, and then looks up to see Angel standing just inside the door. The whole room goes silent, as they stare at him.
Angel ducks his head down, before he looks up again, "I'm sorry."
As everyone continues to stare at Angel, Joyce says, "He's a stinky man."
Cordelia walks forward, and crouches down, "That's because he's a vampire. You should stay away from people like that."
Joyce shakes her head, "He's not as stinky as spiky teeth people. Just stinky."
Wesley stands up, and walks towards Angel, "Before you say any more, I think I should tell you. We've all discussed it, and none of us are ready just yet."
Angel nods seriously, "It's ok Wesley. I don't want you to come back and work for me."
Wesley looks a little shocked, "Oh. I see."
"I want to work for you."
There's a long pause, and Gunn asks skeptically, "You want to work for us?"
Angel nods, "Yeah. I do."
Wesley stares at him, "Why?"
Angel looks Wesley in the eyes, "Because I think I can help."
Cordelia stands up, "How do we know we can trust you?"
Angel swallows and shakes his head, "I guess I'll just have to earn that."
Cordelia shakes her head, "No."
Wesley and Gunn both turn around to look at each other as Cordelia collapses, "Housing project in Topanga."
At the same time, Angel moves to catch Cordelia as she collapses. As Cordelia comes out of the vision, she looks around, "Why is it that I'm not on the floor this time?"
From behind her, Angel says, "I've got you."
As Cordelia looks back, she spots Phantom over Angel's shoulder, she calls, "Phantom, no! He was just trying to help."
Angel swiftly looks behind him, only to see nothing, not even the bookcase he could swear used to be there.
Cordelia turns back to Wesley as Phantom backs off, "Maybe he should drive? And I'll stay here with the kid."
Angel laughs, "What is this, a daycare?"
Cordelia looks around at Angel again, "At 9k for a week, you bet your ass it is."
Wesley hisses, "Language Cordy."
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The next evening, just after dark, Buffy is sitting on a grassy overhang next to Joyce and Dawn, looking out over the ocean where Joyce's ashes have been scattered. Joyce herself is holding the brightly colored urn.
All three of them wrinkle their noses as Angel walks up behind them, "I'm sorry. I couldn't come sooner."
Buffy tips her head back, so she's looking at Angel upside-down, "That's ok, the ceremony was during the day. But you're here now, that counts doesn't it?"
Angel nods, "I suppose it does. How are you doing?"
Buffy shrugs, "Ok, it's like she never left. We're living off of investments at the moment. But if we're careful, they should last long enough for me to get a decent career."
"I know Dawn, but who's the other girl?"
Buffy smiles, "One of mom's cousins, nieces, or something like that. I can never remember their relationship." She turns to Joyce, "Can you?"
Joyce tips her head back too, "I don't know, she was just Aunty to me. You're the stinky man from earlier."
Buffy taps her mom on the leg, "You're not supposed to say that to people. He can't help being a vampire."
"But he doesn't smell as bad as the spiky teeth people."
Buffy hugs her mother, "That's because he's got a soul."
Angel looks between the two of them, "Wait, you're related to each other?"
The two of them hug each other and press their cheeks together with the cheekiest smile that can manage.
Meanwhile, Dawn is staring fixedly out over the ocean, trying not to laugh out loud at her mother and Buffy's antics.