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A few hours later after a stern talking to both William and Mithril, Buffy is finally ready to take her son home when he appears in the room. Her son immediately stiffens, and pulls tight against her.

"He doesn't like me, I can feel it," He whispers, and she knows it is partly true, but she doesn't admit it. Instead she pulls William close and addresses the new occupant of the room.

"Hello Robin, Willam don't you want to thank Robin for helping you today?" Buffy said.

"Thank you Mr Wood" he says quietly. She feels his hand tighten in her's, and he begins to sweat. His eyes are wild with anxiety. All the while Robin simply stands and stares quietly.

"Well. Your welcome.... William." the name, getting stuck in the older man's throat. "I hope Mommy explained to you, that now is not a good time to be wandering around on your own" He said, a little too gruffly.

Seeing the boy shrink further, Robin cursed himself. 'Just a boy. A little boy' he tried to remember.
He kneels down and looks into the child's blue eyes and softens:, "It isn't safe, and we all want to keep you safe."

"Yes sir" the boy spoke quietly.

"Dawn, Xander, take Wills to the car, I'll be along in a sec" His mommy said.

"Yeah. "Let's go blondie" muttered Xander, he shot Wood a look of warning. He was none too impressed that Wood has found Will first, and the look on his face held all the meaning of 'Stay the hell away from my Godson', on it.

"Yeah, kay, Let's go Xander" her sister coaxed, "Come on ya little trouble maker" She teases William, and leads the boy out of the room, with Xander close behind. Xander his eyes never leaves Robin's as he ushers the nervous boy outside. Buffy couldn't help but notice how William only begins to relax when he crosses the threshold of the door.


She turns an icy glaze, full of contempt onto the man in front of her. She totally pissed off as she clutches in her hand, a drawing, one of William's, freshly done today. Not that she's not thankful to Robin for helping her son, but he let his feelings rise up too close to the surface, and William had suffered for it.

"So, How's he doing? Better I guess" Robin asked cautiously, avoiding her eyes He couldn't help but notice her glare.

"A little, you see this" and she held out the drawing. It was blurry, fuzzy, shakily done, but its subject was unmistakable. A familiar slicked hair vampire leapt off the page and stared at them both.

"Buffy", he began guiltily

"Don't," She warned, "Just don't, You know better than this. I know how you feel about him, but what happen to your mother is not his fault. Yet, you keep blaming him, and he knows. Well, not, KNOWS, knows, but he can sense it. You know he can. You have to try harder to stomp on these feelings." "These imagines", She held up the paper to accent her point,. "When around him."

"I know, I Know, he's just a little boy, innocent in all this. And I try!! It's not like I don't get it. I mean Faith was certainly no saint, and if anyone every tried to hold Nicky for all that she'd done. I'd take that guy out and rip him a new one. It's just....He looks at me with his father's eyes." Robin explained looking away as his was voice failing.

Buffy didn't know how to respond. She looked at him, saw al the old wounds, still fresh on his face and began to soften. Casualties of war, that's what they all were. Still trying to overcome the pains of the past. Still trying to mend the pieces of their shattered lives.

"Thank you, for what you did for him today. Maybe you and Nick should come over before you head back east. The kids could play or something. You could have dinner with us all, catch up."

Robin looked at her and sighed, "That's generous, Buffy, really. But I'm just here to get some new orders and head back. Nick's not even in town. I left him back east with a friend. The kids...They don't have much in common. I'm raising my son away from all of this.," He said with a wave of his hand, "Yeah I stay, and try because I owe it to my mother, but Nick isn't like William. He's just an ordinary kid. He's not meant for this kind of life, and that's okay with me. Just like it's okay for you that Wills gonna grow up to be the next Dumbledore or something."


'Dumbledore?' Buffy laughed "Sirus, is more like it. He's William's favorite. He's always saying that he wants a godfather like that, and was very upset when that guy got killed off. In fact he claimed that only a double rich chocolate turbo sundae could ease his pain."
She smiled letting Robin in on her joke. When she saw him chuckle and return the grin, she came over and gently hugged this man. An old friend and comrade in arms. "We're here if you need us." She said, " You'll always have friends, and home here. You, and Nick."
The man simply nodded, and silently returned the embrace.





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