Chapter 4: Mom's Avenged

A/N: Sorry for not posting last night, but I couldn't get onto TtH.

Challenge: partially to answer a forum request/challenge by DeepBlueJoy for a story with a 'person of color' as a main character – who doesn't die immediately.

Warning: nothing specific for this chapter.

Thanks to my beta: zigpal.

Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.

Summers kitchen

When Buffy didn't stop crying after five minutes had passed, Robin started to feel increasingly uncomfortable. At the shelter, women would usually handle the more emotional victims – even on the phone. He had to wonder if she was having this much trouble because she was the Slayer and not just a regular woman.

It certainly drove it home to him that despite her Calling, the Slayer was a fragile human, just like anyone else. Over the years, he had built his mother up so much that she was practically Wonder Woman and Superman rolled into one black, female package. When he thought about her death, sometimes he imagined some of the worst vampires teaming up to take her out, like Lothos and Kakistos and a bunch of minions – none of whom were under 100 years old. Other times, he pictured some nasty, evil magick users who were trying to summon a demon or end the world, and since they were human, his mom would hesitate, giving them the chance to kill her first.

But in his angrier moments, he didn't want to imagine unstoppable forces like those…because that would mean he couldn't go after them by himself. That was when he was hoping it was a regular vampire; something he could take out without an army backing him up. Then he could take his time torturing the monster before finally staking it.

Robin wasn't sure whether he should be angry that he didn't get to make the vampire suffer first, or relieved that he didn't go to that dark place in his soul. From the talks he had with Bernie, he knew that his mom would have liked better it this way. Well, without the attempted rape of another Slayer involved. She would have preferred for him to kill the vampire in order to save someone, not to get vengeance for her.

Still, if Buffy was right about it being the vampire who killed his mom…a part of him didn't care that it was helping a Slayer. He might have tried to kill the thing, even if he hadn't witnessed the scene upstairs. Maybe it was better that he had a good reason. Now he could still try to help Buffy without the vampire's 'death' getting between them…or so he hoped.

When he glanced over at the blonde, he was startled to see her eyes closed and curled up on the floor, sleeping. Some counselor he was; didn't even notice that she'd cried herself to sleep. However, the kitchen floor wasn't the best place for resting, so he nudged her awake enough to help her to the couch in the living room. Thankfully, she only woke up enough not to hit him as he carried her there. He had heard stories from Bernie about startling a sleeping Slayer, and that didn't sound like an experience he wanted to have.

Speaking of Bernie, Robin suddenly felt the need to talk to him. Once Buffy was sleeping again, he moved to the dining room, pulled out his cell phone and dialed his adopted father.

A/N: Next…Some phone talk between father and son.