The Gift of a Family Chapter 25. A Daddy-Daughter Day.
I am SO sorry it has been so long since this was updated. I seriously needed some time though and I think I might be back in the saddle again. I hope. On the plus side since it was a very long time since I updated I decided to give you a very long chapter. I hope you all like it.
I want to give a big shout out to clarityfades for betaing this and getting it back to me so quickly.
I also want to thank you all so much especially those who recommend and review.
Faith held Buffy as she cried, thinking of everything she had been told. She didn't know what to say and knew that nothing she said could make things better for Buffy. So she held her until Buffy calmed.
After hearing everything, she couldn't help but be even more astounded at how Buffy had opened up to her.
"B. After hearing everything I get why you are afraid of letting your pappy get close to you. Your family keeps leaving, dying, or betraying you. You said I was like a sister to you, yet, you don't seem to be afraid of opening up to me?"
"Well," Buffy blushed in shame as she thought again about how she had stabbed Faith and put her into a coma. "You have already seen me at my worst and yet you're still here."
Faith nearly blushed herself as she realized that Buffy had a point. She couldn't help thinking about how she too had turned from Buffy and joined the Mayor. Buffy had seen Faith at her worst as well. Something about this really grounded her into the reality that Buffy really did mean it when she said that Faith was her sister. They weren't meaningless words spouted to make her feel good, they were true.
Making a decision, Faith stood up and opened Buffy's closet. "All right, girl, we've stopped the apocalypse and shed some tears, now it's time to celebrate. You are going to Los Angeles for your customary Saved The World celebration. I'm going to go have a few words with your old man. I'm either going to take you myself, or I might let him take you."
Buffy arched her brow in surprise at being ordered about by Faith. The feeling didn't last, she wouldn't have thought that she was up to a celebration after pouring her heart and tears out to Faith. Yet, strangely the thought of getting away from Sunnyhell for some actual fun seemed to be just what the doctor ordered. As she got up to go through her closet she felt like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She knew it wasn't gone, but she intended to enjoy herself for as long as she could. She couldn't help getting caught up in the excitement of getting out and smiled brightly.
Faith watched Buffy for a moment, amused at the way she was excitedly throwing clothing this way and that as she debated what to wear. Then, closing the door, she let the slayer out a little as she started looking for Jack. She was feeling a very protective of her sister at the moment and had a few questions as to his intentions. Buffy didn't need any more people in her life who were just going to hurt her. Jack was either going to step up or get out of town.
Jack stood outside of Buffy's room, he could clearly hear his daughter crying, but it sounded like she was settling down now. He was glad she listened to him and talked with Faith about the things bothering her. He wished that he could be the one she would come to, but knew it was far too soon for that. Maybe he could be that for her someday, but not now.
Moving off, he walked down the hall and down the stairs. Wesley and Daniel sat around the coffee table that was littered with old books. They were still researching what had happened to Buffy and her feelings of family between herself and the evil vampire he had shot with a rocket launcher.
Just out of sight, Jack hesitated and debated going in. Things weren't too great between Daniel and himself at the moment. He had THE TALK with Daniel about Buffy. Needless to say, Daniel was not happy with him at the moment.
He will get over it, Jack thought to himself then amended that, well, he will get over it, eventually. There was a part of Jack that was tempted to feel guilty. Daniel was his friend and a good man. In fact, aside from the age difference, he was just the kind of man he would like for a son-in-law. But he had only just found his daughter, and he was determined to have her to himself for a while. He needed time to get to know her, to develop the kind of relationship with his daughter that would keep her living close when she did get married and have kids. He just needed time.
Taking a deep breath, Jack stepped into the room hoping to start to repair his friendship with the other man.
"Hey kids, how's the studies coming?" Jack asked with an air of nonchalance that he didn't feel.
Daniel and Wesley looked up. For a moment, Jack hoped that he had been forgiven, but Daniel turned back to his books without replying.
"Eh," Wesley hedged, looking from Daniel to Jack and back again. "Not much luck so far, I'm afraid."
"Oh, sorry to hear that." The room was silent for a long moment. "Would either of you like something to drink, or some snacks?"
"I could do with a spot of tea," Wesley answered.
"You betcha, Danny?" He asked, trying again to get some response from his friend. Getting nothing, Jack went dejectedly to the kitchen and poured a tall glass of iced tea for Wesley, and took it upon himself to get Daniel a hot cup of coffee putting some cookies on a plate he took it back to the living room.
"Wesley, here ya go," Jack stated and handed him the glass of iced tea.
"Oh!" Wesley exclaimed eyeing the glass of iced tea. "I rather meant..." He was unable to finish his sentence however as Jack who was oblivious to him turned to Daniel with his peace offering.
"Danny, I brought you a cup of coffee. It's the good kind you like from Columbia," Jack stated and put the coffee down.
"I didn't ask for any coffee," Daniel stated, looking at Jack with no small amount of anger.
"No need to ask, I know you like it," Jack stated with a smile.
"Is that supposed to make everything better, Jack?" Daniel asked with hostility. "I'm not good enough for your daughter, but bring me a cup of coffee and everything is fine?"
Wesley, who had been eyeing his iced tea, blanched and looked from Daniel to Jack. "I think I'll take a short break and give you two some time to talk things through," he stated, and leaving his iced tea he went to the kitchen to make some real tea.
Daniel was too busy glaring at Jack to respond. Jack, meanwhile, was counting to ten, and when he got there, he started counting again. He had to remind himself that he was trying to repair his friendship with Daniel, not start another fight.
"Daniel," Jack said, trying desperately to keep his temper. "It's not anything against you. I just got her back in my life."
"And?" Daniel prompted not following his reasoning at all.
"Damn it, Daniel! I don't want to share her with anybody! All of her life I have had to keep a distance, watch only bits and pieces while another man raised her."
"So you're saying that after you have had some time with Buffy, you wouldn't mind me seeing her?" Daniel asked a hint of hope and excitement entering his voice.
"What? Daniel, you are too old for her," Jack objected.
"I'm not as old as I used to be, Jack. I'm physically only about 10 years older than her since that thing with Oma," Daniel pointed out.
"Daniel, can we just stop having this ridiculous conversation about you dating Buffy and concentrate on fixing our friendship?"
"Ridiculous, Jack!?" Daniel was close to yelling now. "What is so ridiculous about it? I'm interested in her and she is interested in me."
"Ack! Daniel, that's my daughter you are talking about."
"Jack, you are the one who is being ridiculous and unreasonable," Daniel growled.
"Just keep your hands and lips off!" Jack yelled and stormed out of the living room, leaving an equally angry Daniel behind.
Once in the next room, Jack started pacing angrily and, after a moment, slapped his head in frustration. "That didn't go so well," Jack moaned to himself, he realized that he really wasn't being very reasonable about Buffy, but he couldn't help what he felt.
"Yo," Faith's voice startled him from his thoughts. Jack looked up to see the other slayer walk in.
Her eyes were hard and cold as she stalked into the room. For a moment he felt like running, something about her was downright frightening. He would rather have taken on one of Anubis' super-soldiers than face the small woman who was standing before him. "We need to talk."
Buffy flipped in the air twirling three times before landing perfectly balanced on one ice-skate. Jack smiled, watching his daughter skate circles around him.
He was having the time of his life, after being questioned by a rather frightening young girl he was informed that he and Buffy were going to come to LA together. After being assured that Buffy was up to going, he didn't have any objections. Fortunately, it was just the two of them. Things were pretty awkward between him and Daniel right now. The other man didn't like being warned away from Buffy and was still angry with Jack. Fortunately, Wesley was keeping him busy with research into what happened with Buffy and the Dragon.
So Jack was able to spend the day with Buffy. She seemed to be trying to open up to him, but he could sense her holding a part of herself back. She was afraid to let him into her heart as her father, and he couldn't help but wonder what the reasons were behind it. He kept reminding himself that they wouldn't have an instant father-daughter relationship, but he was pleased with the progress they had made so far.
Once in LA, they had driven around her old haunts before he decided to take her ice-skating. It was something he knew she loved. However, his stomach was growling and his knees were killing him. He was ready to sit down on the bleachers and possibly never get up again.
"It has been so long," Buffy smiled brightly as she skated up to him.
"That was incredible," Jack praised her as they skated to the bleachers and Jack sat down with a heavy sigh. He was in good shape for a man his age, but going through the Stargate couldn't prepare him for trying to keep up with Buffy. She was relentless and so full of energy! He couldn't help but hope and pray that she was ready for lunch. "You are great at this."
"It doesn't hurt that I am the Slayer, but it is one of the few things I was pretty good at before I became the Slayer. I was never able to do that move before though, at least without falling on my butt."
"Haven't you gone skating since you were..um."
"Called," Buffy provided the word he was looking for as they took off their skates. "Not really, things were too crazy, at first I was busy training, then everything happened with Lothos, then things at home were crazy and then we moved to Sunnydale and there isn't anywhere to skate there. Angel took me skating once, but that was a date and I didn't want to try anything that might have resulted in my making a fool out of myself."
"Hungry?" Jack asked imagining the large meal he wanted to eat. "My treat, I could really go for a steak."
"Are you kidding?" Buffy asked with a smile. "Slayer metabolism, I'm always ready to eat. I was starting to think that you would never get hungry!"
Jack sighed in relief, he had been waiting for her to say something. "I think we need to work on our communication skills."
Jack cut a large bite of his steak and popped it in his mouth, a moan of delight uttered from his mouth. It was a long moment later before he noticed Buffy eyeing him with some amusement.
"What?"
"You act like that tastes good."
"It does taste good."
"Jack, it's burned. You see that black stuff covering the steak? It's practically charcoal."
"I would think with your nightly activities you would appreciate a well-cooked steak. That thing you are eating is bloody."
"It is medium-well, and I don't deal with blood that much. It is usually dust or green goopies," Buffy defended herself.
"Riight. So kid, you were telling me that things were crazy at home after that thing with Hobos, what was going on? And what happened with this Hobo guy?"
Buffy smiled, Jack was pulling her own tricks on her. "I'll make you a deal. So far things have been pretty one-sided. You know a lot about me but I hardly know anything about you, except that you like burned steak, work for the military on something highly classified with a horrible cover story. I know that we share a love of quips and sarcasm. Oh, and that you can read ancient Latin."
"See, you know a lot about me," Jack stated, trying not to sweat; he didn't want to lie to his daughter about the Stargate project.
Buffy eyed him skeptically. There were a lot of things that she knew Jack was hiding from her. Yet, he seemed to honestly want to get to know her. She couldn't let him make it a one-sided deal. After speaking with Daniel so much last night, she had a pretty good idea what the problem was. "Jack, you know about my greatest secrets about being the Slayer and even the Mary Lou haircut when I was little. Don't worry, I'm not going to try and get information about what you and Daniel really do. I know a few things about need to know top secrets, and I have my own ways of getting information that won't get you and Daniel into trouble."
At first Jack relaxed at her words, then he got more nervous. "Buffy," he started, trying to stop her before she got herself arrested for her curiosity.
"No worries, Jack. I just want to know more about my father," Buffy interrupted what she was sure would have been a long conversation that would lead absolutely nowhere.
Jack closed his mouth and had to swallow the lump that suddenly welled in his throat. He wanted to know everything about his daughter, could he blame her for wanting to know about him?
"I'm a pretty boring old man when you take my work out of the conversation," Jack warned.
"Let me be the judge of that," Buffy responded with a smile. "I'll make you a deal, you tell me about yourself for the rest of the meal and then we will go do something you like to do, and while we do that we can take turns telling each other about ourselves."
"What? Why can't we just start that now?" Jack whined.
"Because you have some catching up to do," Buffy stated, then pointed to herself. "Resolve face."
"Resolve face?" Jack asked with a smile at the look she gave him, already he could feel his will breaking down in the face of the look she was giving him.
"Willow taught it to me. She is the master of resolve face. You might as well give in now and save some pride. Nothing can withstand the resolve face."
"I don't know what to tell you about myself."
"What do you like to do the most when you aren't working?" Buffy asked thinking that whatever it was they could do next.
"Fishing," Jack answered and wondered at the look of pain that crossed Buffy's face. It didn't last long though because suddenly she seemed to think of something and brightened considerably.
"What?" Jack asked worrying about what that pleased look in her eyes could mean.
"I'll tell you later, right now, you should be telling me more about the things you like and don't like and all about who you are."
"Remind me that you would make a great interrogator the next time I need one," Jack stated teasingly before he started telling her of his love for Fruit Loops, the Simpsons, flying and cold beer, and his hatred of politics, right-wing fanatics, left-wing fanatics, and Senator Kinsey. Buffy then asked him about the people he worked with, and he started by describing "Murray" then telling her a little about Sam. Something he said must have registered because she started asking him questions about his relationship, or lack thereof, with her. By the time they had finished eating, he wondered if there was anything about himself he hadn't already revealed that wasn't top secret.
"So kiddo, what should we do next? I finally get to get some information from you now."
"I thought we could go fishing," Buffy stated with a smile.
"Seriously?" Jack looked like a kid at Christmas and Buffy couldn't help smiling even brighter.
"You don't mind deep sea fishing do you?" Buffy asked.
"It's fishing with my daughter. Two of my favorite things. I love it."
"I have an old friend who has been asking me to come up ever since he started his new shop. He keeps saying he wants to take me deep sea fishing. I would love to see him while we are in town, but it would still be a thing for the two of us. Is that alright?" Buffy looked a little concerned. This was a perfect chance to work on sharing time with his daughter. He would share but he wouldn't let her old friend monopolize her. This was his daddy-daughter day.
"I would like to meet this friend of yours," Jack said, hoping that he and the other kiddies could play nicely.
A bell jingled merrily as they entered the tiny marina-side store. Jack paused in the doorway in open appreciation of the sign on the door that read: Vampires will be doused in holy water and the ashes used as fertilizer for the pansies. Looking over at the window planters, Jack noticed that the purple, pink, and white pansies were indeed flourishing in a combination of soil, ash and dust. Jack couldn't help thinking about how offended some big strong vampire would be to end up as nothing more than pansy food. He had a feeling he was going to like Buffy's friend.
Ike and Pike's Rentals and Excursions was a small business but it looked like it was doing well; a group of people had just finished paying and were getting ready to go out boating.
"I'll be right with you folks," a man a little older than Jack called out to them. He was a large man and had the air of authority about him, salt-and-pepper hair, a grey beard and a slight limp marked his age. Something about him nearly screamed pirate born in the wrong century. Jack was guessing it was a result of the black silk pirate shirt he was wearing.
"Don't rush on my account, Ike," Buffy called out to him. The man turned in surprise and broke into a large grin.
"BUFFY!" He roared and in a fast limp hurried over to hug her.
"Hey Ike, it's good to see you. Is Pike around?" She asked.
"What would you want a young pup like him for when you have me lookin' out for ya?" He asked her with a roguish wink. "Let me sail you off into the sunset, girlie."
Jack had a moment when he couldn't decide whether to be alarmed or laugh at the old man who was flirting with his daughter. Buffy only laughed. "That sounds like fun, but Pike would be pretty sad if we left him behind."
The old man grumbled. "Pike always spoils my fun with the girls," the man then turned to appraise Jack and a calculating light entered his eyes. "So, Buffy, who's this lad you brought with you? He trying to steal you from old Ike?"
Buffy's eyes were sparkling with mirth as she introduced him. "Ike, this is my real father Colonel Jack O'Neill." The tone of her voice sounded proud and pleased. Jack couldn't help the cheesy grin he was sporting at hearing that.
"Real father you say?" Ike asked in surprise. "You mean that bilge rat who left your mother wasn't your father? You are well rid of that pond scum I say," Ike looked at Jack with a wary eye. "He looks like a good man, but looks can be deceiving."
"His favorite thing to do when he isn't working is fishing," Buffy told Ike as she winked at Jack.
"Really?" Ike asked, looking at Jack far more favorably.
"That is why we are here. Jack and I came to LA for a getting-to-know-you day and I wanted to do something that he likes instead of just the things I do. So I thought maybe I would take up Pike's offer to take me deep sea fishing, if it isn't too much trouble?"
"Bah!" Ike exclaimed at that. "You brought my boy home, girl. You are no trouble. In fact, I think I'll get Mark to watch the shop and go with you. I'll make sure Pike gives you two some time alone to get to know each other better." Ike told Jack. "My boy would probably like to have her all to himself but he has to learn to share."
Hearing this, Buffy blushed bright red. "Ike!"
"I'm only saying the truth, the boy still carries a flame for ya."
"Riight." Buffy drawled out like she had heard Jack do himself a number of times. "But what about Marcy, Georgia and Kelly?"
"What? What do you know about those flighty chickies?" Ike asked, clearly surprised.
"Pike and I are pen pals. We write each other about nearly everything."
"Foolish boy shouldn't be jabberin' on about other girls when he is writin' to ya." Ike grumbled. "How does he ever hope to win you back?"
"You old matchmaker!" Buffy scolded him. "Maybe Pike just wants to be friends?"
Despite the fact that he didn't want Buffy seeing anybody for a while, Jack couldn't help the slight scowl that marred his brow. What? Was this Pike boy blind? Then he noticed the way Ike was rolling his eyes in exasperation. The man opened his mouth to say something else but stopped when another voice called out her name.
"Buffy?!" Jack was guessing the young handsome man smiling at his daughter was Pike. If so, then the old man was right. The boy definitely still had a flame for Buffy. His eyes were practically glowing from the heat as he looked at his daughter. It was a look that would cause an instinctive knee jerk reaction in any father. Without pausing to consider Buffy's reaction, Jack stepped forward between the two and gave the kid his best evil eye.
Pike saw the look and for a moment could only think that Buffy had brought a vampire with her for old times sake. Could this guy be that Angel jerk she had mentioned in her letters? He was definitely acting like a jealous lover or something.
"Jack!" Buffy hissed in embarrassment. "Cut it out," she whispered to him.
"It's good to see you, Buffy. Is this your new boyfriend? He is a little old for you, don't you think?" Pike asked pointedly. He hated that even after all these years of just being her friend, he still had it bad for Buffy, and he still got jealous. There was just something about her that had gotten in deep and wouldn't let go.
"Eww!" Buffy cried out as Ike started laughing uncontrollably while clutching his stomach. "No, Pike I wanted you to meet my real father, Jack." At this Pike blushed, embarrassed.
"Buffy, my girl, you have got to come around more often," Ike spoke up from his great belly laugh. "Things are never dull when you're around."
Jack and Ike watched from behind as Pike and Buffy lead the way to the boat they were going to use. Pike and Buffy were obviously catching up. Now that the boy wasn't looking at her like a seven-course meal, Jack could see that they were good friends. He could sense a level of tension from Pike that seemed very familiar. "Just friends" was not what the boy really wanted, but he seemed to want to keep up appearances that such was the case. Buffy herself seemed oblivious to his interest, she had obviously swallowed the "just friends" line.
Jack became aware of Ike studying him and turned his attention to man next to him. He was getting that look a lot lately, ever since people had discovered that Buffy was his daughter. It was an assessing look. Jack appreciated that everyone seemed to want to look out for Buffy, but this was getting old. After having to defend his intentions with his daughter to a slayer this morning he was tired of being judged by these people. The only one he really cared to impress was Buffy, and the jury still seemed to be out on that one. He knew he was making progress, but he had to hold back a lot to keep his secrets; and in spite of Buffy keeping her promise to not ask, he could tell that his secrets were bothering her. And there was something else that he couldn't quite define seemed to hold her back from him. He hoped that what she needed was time to get to know him.
"So do I pass inspection?" He finally asked the man next to him.
"You can't blame old Ike for wanting to watch out for the girl who did so much for me and my boy. She has been through a lot, that one. How much do you know about her?"
"Not as much as I want to know, but enough to appreciate that sign on your door and the ashes in the flowerbeds."
Ike let out a great belly laugh that had Buffy and Pike turning in curiosity. "You like that sign, do you? We had a shaman bless our fire sprinklers. Now, whenever a vampire enters the store they go off with a high power holy water bath, most don't make it out of the store. Those that do aren't in much shape to avoid a good staking."
"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Jack stated with a dark look in his eye. He hated that Buffy and Faith had to face those things. They were little girls who shouldn't have to risk their lives or face the things that they had.
"Ah, here we are," Ike motioned to the double-deck party boat before them. Jack had to smile at the name in big bold letters on the back of the hull. The Dust In The Wind was a beauty to behold.
"Sweet," Jack stated feeling his excitement building up. He was seriously looking forward to this.
Buffy had gravitated to the sun deck to take in the sun while they were traveling to a spot Ike claimed had good fishing. Jack of course was only too pleased to join her.
"So, what is the story between you two kids?" Jack asked.
"I met Pike shortly before I became the Slayer. We were both really different then. I was a superficial socialite, and he was...well, he was Pike. We didn't exactly hit it off at first."
"What happened?"
"I became the Slayer and saved him from a vamp. He helped me to take down Lothos, who was the first big bad I had to face," Buffy winced in remembered pain and seemed to debate what to tell him.
"Lothos almost got me; Merrick, my first Watcher, died to save me. After that I wanted to quit. Pike helped me to face him again. He sort of turned into my date for prom and we literally burned the gym down and defeated Lothos. That night I went with him, to help him go back home. He and Ike had a fight and Pike hadn't gone home since. I was his moral support to go back. We made a date and I went home."
"What happened on the date?"
"I was unavoidably detained, and had to stand him up," Buffy hedged.
"What do you mean?" Jack asked sensing that she was trying to avoid something important.
"When I got home that night the cops had come and gone. My fa...Hank was furious," Buffy corrected herself seeing Jack start to wince when she started to refer to Hank as her father. "I had embarrassed him. I tried to explain everything but he wouldn't believe me. I offered to prove it to him to take him on a patrol but he wouldn't listen. He had me committed."
Jack winced. "God, Buffy..."
"It was kind of the nails in the coffin of their marriage. When I got out the fighting had gone from bad to worse. I was grounded but I snuck out to go see Pike and let him know that Mom and I were going to be moving. He was on a date that looked pretty serious so I just went home and wrote him a letter instead. He wrote me back and we became pen pals. Now we are friends," Buffy smiled, "It has been good to have a friend to write to outside of Sunnydale," her eyes turned sharp and expectant. "Now, it's your turn. How did you and my mother meet?"
Ike turned to see his son's face had turned ghostly white. "What is wrong?" He asked concerned.
"I just overheard something. All these years and I never knew why she stood me up. When I called her, Hank told me she was out on a date with someone else, but she..."
"Pull yourself together lad. You aren't making any sense."
"If I ever see Hank Summers, I won't be responsible for what happens," Pike hissed. Ike was silent, waiting for an explanation.
Being stood up by Buffy, being told that she was out dating someone else by her father, had sent Pike on a major rebound where he had played the scene and tried to forget about her by dating girls who didn't mind getting close and physical. He had seen her that night she had come to see him two weeks later, and put on quite a show for her with the girl he was with at the moment. He had delighted in seeing the pain in her eyes as she had quickly ran away.
When he had received her letter apologizing for standing him up and explaining about the divorce and move, he wrote back because even though he still hurt at being stood up by her, he couldn't stand to cut her out of his life completely. He had thought he was being big, forgiving her and being friends with her after she had hurt him. Now that he knew what had really happened, he felt like a dog.
After explaining things to his father, Ike's eyes also glowed in anger. "We are of one mind on one thing, my boy. Hank Summers had better pray that he doesn't meet up with either one of us."
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