Chapter 7 Fencing

A/N: Here's the Buffy chapter we get to see her at work with Cordelia an awkward friendship. It is a short chapter but enjoy.

At Black Cove Buffy and Cordelia were getting ready for the day by repairing the fences around the farm. They had to go get the wood for the fencing that was going to go around the entire of Black Cove and of course the smaller fences within the farm. It was hard work to do just with two people and it would take days to complete it if they went none stop. While fixing the fence Cordelia was quizzing Buffy about certain things. To run a farm and survive Buffy needed to know things other than just cooking and skinning animals. She needed to know different herbs and which ones best grow during certain times of the year. Buffy needed to know which wood to use to build things with. She needed to know like with the herbs which crops to grow during the year.

"What's this wood?" Cordelia asked as the picked up the long piece together and placed it on a post that was making a fence. This was pure manual labor and Buffy still wasn't use to it. But what Buffy hasn't realized yet is she was getting stronger. Her hands were no longer soft and silky but getting tough. Her body while still slender was now gaining muscles. Buffy hadn't noticed the change well not yet at least. Buffy thought about the question and had no idea plus she was tired and the bark was scratching her up. They've been rebuilding fences all day now.

"I don't know." Buffy admitted as they set that piece down on the post with Cordelia and took in a deep breath. The log of wood was slender but heavy.

"Ine," Cordelia was trying to help out and Buffy sighed.

"I don't know." Buffy said again she was getting annoyed right now with this whole testing thing. She didn't know she didn't grow up a farm person. She was tired all she's been doing is working the fields and keeping the house clean washing clothes. She's never done any of this before. Buffy wiped some sweat off her face she was thirsty and it was hot out. But over the horizon she could see dark clouds indicating a storm was on its way.

"Pine," Cordelia answered her own question as they walked together grabbing more wood to set on the post. "Where's north?" Cordelia asked and Buffy looked around and they set another log in place. As they walked again getting more lumbar Buffy made a full circle thinking which direction but again she didn't know. Why was it so important to know north? Was Cordelia trying to see how stupid Buffy was because it was working Buffy thought to herself?

"North?" Buffy asked looking. "Uh…" But Cordelia didn't give her a chance to answer. Before picking up another piece of lumbar Cordelia pointed and Buffy sighed and grabbed the lumber.

"Name me three herbs that grow wild on this farm." Cordelia demanded and that was it Buffy was frustrated she was hot and tried and annoyed. The heat was really setting in the perfect pre-storm weather.

"I can't, I can't all right?" Buffy spoke up as they grabbed more wood and headed to the fencing post. "I can talk about farming in Latin." She said she wanted to list everything she could do everything that made her a woman. "I can…I can read French. I know how to lace up a corset God knows." Cordelia noticed Buffy was working herself up now but that's good. Buffy's been holding back her pride and her anger and it was time to admit defeat. Once admitting defeat then Buffy can really learn something.

"I can name the principal rivers in Europe. Just don't ask me to name one stream in this county!" Buffy yelled after setting in the wood. "I can…I can embroider but I can't darn! I can arrange cut flowers but I can't grow them! If a thing has a function if I might do something with it then it wasn't considered suitable!" Meaning this was out of her element she couldn't do this. Cordelia stood there and understood this was hard and unless you've been doing it most of your life you would struggle with it. But that's why Cordelia was here to help her survive.

"Why?" Cordelia asked as they walked together again grabbing the last piece of wood needed for this side of the fence. That question hit Buffy and she asked herself why too. What has embroidering done for her? What has reading French and speaking Latin done for her now? Maybe if there was no war it would win her a suitor but now with no men around and hers lost all that was a waste. So why did she waste her time?

"Cordy you can ask why about pretty much everything to do with me." Buffy said as she lifted the piece of wood with Cordelia. "This fence is about the first thing that I've ever done that might produce an actual result." And then they laid it in and it was done for now. Cordelia was inspecting it as Buffy caught her breath and nodded as in good job. Cordelia then stood next to Buffy and looked up smiling at her.

"So," Cordelia started and it was a sly smile. "You never wrapped your legs around this Angel?" Buffy's face turned bright red and she playful smacked Cordelia on the arm not believing she would ask that. Cordelia giggled seeing Buffy's face bright red. "I've seen Angel before and believe I think half the women in this town have thought about." Buffy smiled a little bit and walked away there was more work to be done than talking about boys.

"Come on storm's coming." Buffy said and took off as Cordelia stood there smiling and then went to catch up.

"Oh come on," Cordelia and Buffy walked side by side. "Cough up the details." Buffy let a small smile slip and this was the first true "girl" talk they've had. Was this what it feels like to have a friend? Buffy's never really had friends before.

"We kissed once." Buffy admitted and Cordelia smiled bigger as they were going get the rest of the wood inside before the rain comes in.

"Was it a like peck or full on the lips?" Cordelia asked as the two put the wood away in the barn.

"Why do you want to know?" Buffy asked smiling and Cordelia giggled. This made work a little easier.

The night settled in with it raining for the remainder of the evening. The rain did help cool everything down which would make sleeping more comfortable. Buffy was downstairs playing the piano to the sheet music Angel gave her. She felt at peace playing her piano and even more so with the music Angel gave her. But as she played it she knew this piano had to go. They needed food and it would buy them the food they needed for winter. So she was going to play it one last time. Cordelia heard the music and sat on the stairs and listen to the sweet melody Buffy was playing. Cordelia knew of Buffy's plan to give up something she loved to play. Buffy knew how to play the piano since she was a little girl it was the one thing she's always been good at and the last thing she had to hold onto to the better days. Buffy let her fingers glide along the keys as each key made a sound and with the combination of keys they made a harmony and at the speed and pace she pressed them they made up a melody.

The day came for her to watch the piano to go. The men that came packed it up on a wagon and Buffy watched it go with a heavy heart. But in turn they got tons of feed for the farm and some sheep too. A man made sure the piano was secured and then he got on the wagon. Cordelia from the distance watched all this and it hurt her too. Buffy sighed as the cart started to roll away with her last piece of innocents going with it. Buffy walked over to the bag of feed ready to move it into the barn to keep it dry and ready when they needed it. No more piano she thought and sighed again. Cordelia then came walking over to Buffy not knowing what to say what could Cordelia say to her right now.

"If we're careful now we'll get through winter." Cordelia said trying to start a topic and Buffy nodded slowly but that didn't do anything. Cordelia shrugged and looked at the sheep they had. "I got old man Roy to give me ten of them sheep on account of I said they's so small put together they weren't no bigger than six proper sheep." She said and Buffy nodded again.

"My father always wanted sheep on this farm." Buffy said and then started to walk away she wanted to go sit with Claire for a little bit. As long as they don't get rid of Claire then Buffy could make it.

"I cut off my hair once for money." Cordelia was trying to make Buffy feel better although it was failing.

"My daddy got two dollars for it. Made a wig for some rich feller in Raleigh." Cordelia crossed her arms and sighed. "I'm just sayin' I'm real sorry you had to lose your piano." And Buffy turned and nodded.

"Cordy it was my idea." Buffy said understanding that Cordelia was just trying to help.

"My dad liked to call himself a musician," Cordelia started and Buffy stood there listening. "My daddy he could play six tunes on a fiddle. Got his self shot dead at Petersburg." Cordelia started and Buffy listen. "I was like his goat, or some critter tethered to a post." Cordelia was telling Buffy her childhood and from what Buffy was gathering it wasn't a fond one. "He left me once. Up in them mountains." She pointed across the way and Buffy's eyes widen. "I was eight he was gone over two and a half weeks."

"He left you?" Buffy sounded concerned for her friend now she was no longer the helper.

"Uh-huh, I was all right," Cordelia insisted. "My daddy he'd walk forty miles for liquor and not forty inches for kindness." And the two walked to the barn and Buffy went to Claire and started to pet her. "You really like that horse is she yours?" And Buffy shook her head no.

"She's Angel's horse I wanted to take care of her while he was gone." Buffy answered and Cordelia nodded.

"Why is her name Claire?" Cordelia asked coming up next to Buffy and reached out and touched the horse's snout. Her fur was soft and her coat very beautiful Buffy did her best to keep this horse clean and neat. Buffy shrugged to the question she actually didn't know why Angel never told her but it was beautiful name for a beautiful animal. "Well better get the feed inside and put more of the fence together." Buffy nodded pressing her head to Claire's snout and then left the horse to get more chores done.

So Buffy is toughening up and starting to learn to take care of herself and making choices to stay alive. Angel is still on her mind which is always good. Next chapter we get to see what Angel and Spike aka William are up too. More to come thanks for reading comments and reviews are welcomed.