Buffy walked on shaky legs to her boss’s office, feeling with every step she was on her way to the guillotine. She pictured Judy, sitting behind her desk with her oversized glasses and stringy brown hair screaming “Off with her head!” as soon as she entered.
What the hell did Cecily do – and so damn fast?
Coming into Judy’s office, Buffy was slammed with cool air from the air conditioner in Judy’s window which was right next to her desk. How could she stand to literally having it blow on her like that? That would make her very cold and—
“Have a seat,” the older woman said without looking over from her computer screen. That was Judy all over, she made you feel like less of a person by barely acknowledging your existence and then often times talking over you and barely listening – or at least it seemed she never listened, but then later she’d go out of her way to do something to show you how much she had been. In Buffy’s opinion, the woman was brilliant and had a quick mind. Buffy had already learned a lot from her, and was hoping to learn more.
That is, if she still had a job after this little meeting was over.
Buffy sat, ramrod straight feeling her heart was going to leap out of her chest with every passing minute. Was this what it felt like before the guillotine? It was a lost practice, but she could just imagine those poor people being led to it, knowing what their fate was going to be. How was it that people could watch a public execution? Maybe if they brought it back people would be frightened into straightening out. Or it’d just make them stealthier in their criminal activities.
Yeah, she was that nervous if she was thinking about bringing back the guillotine and what impact it would have on society and criminals.
Buffy jumped a mile when a folder was flung in her direction and plopped right before her, photo’s falling out. She looked up at Judy.
“Look at them,” Judy said blandly.
Heart beating erratically, Buffy picked up the folder and opened it slowly. Christ. They were photos of her and Spike from the day of “You’re the One, Buffy”; particularly of him holding Brandon and kissing her forehead. Flipping through faster, she could see where the photographer had tried to get a close up of Brandon.
And that would be when the rage hit.
“That fucking bitch. That cow, that—that fucking cun—“
“Elizabeth!” Judy exclaimed.
Buffy had even forgotten she was in the room and what she had been called in for. All she could see was red.
“Miss Adams dropped them off,” Judy went on to say.
“Judy—“
“Do you want to burn them?”
Buffy blinked, “Wh-what?”
“Do you want to burn them?” Judy repeated.
And still, Buffy stared.
“Look,” Judy said, peering at Buffy over her glasses. “I know who the Adams’ are. I know they are the so-called center stones of our community. At least, this is what I’m told and what has been shoved down my throat.
Buffy, I come from a small town in Idaho. I grew up on a farm, I had to work my ass off for everything I wanted and I became the first girl in my family to ever go to college and make something out of her life. Being a housewife was not for me. I always wanted more than the hand that was dealt me.” The older woman smiled then, and placed her glasses on the desk. “I see the same in you. I see you here every morning before everyone arrives, and you’re always the last one to leave at the end of the day. I see the things you do for your students to better them, and to better yourself for your classes. You have a dedication to this institution and to your career. I admire that, I respect that, and what that all comes down to is that I don’t give a flying fuck what that bitch Cecily Adams or her entire family wants me to do or expects me to do. As far as I can see, they are a bunch of trust fund babies that have people do their work for them. Do you think Morgan Adams built that company from the ground up? No, his father did, and Morgan likes to forget that fact. He just flexes his arm and people jump to do his bidding because of who he is. And to me? He’s nothing. He’s a peon despite his celebrity status. He’s no better than goddamn Whitey Bulger in this community as far as I’m concerned, and Miss Adams’ little visit proved to me nothing less than just that.
So, no, I’m not going to fire you; no I’m not going to pry into your life and ask what happened or what’s going on. You don’t have to share with me anything. All I care about is you keeping your job, is you being able to work whilst being home with your baby, because believe it or not, I do know priorities change when a child is involved. I want to work with you, Elizabeth, not against you.”
Buffy hadn’t realized she had tears running down her cheeks until Judy pointed to the box of tissues sitting on her desk. Immediately, Buffy grabbed a few and blew her nose. “What about,” she swallowed, trying to calm herself, “What about the President? She could go to him next.”
Judy smiled. “You let me take care of him. Let’s just say I’ve got some pull in this.”
“Y-you do?” Buffy asked, sniffling.
“I do.”
“Judy…I don’t even know how to thank you--”
Judy waved her hand, “Forget it. Look, I’m going to go against what I just said for a minute and ask you—Is everything all right? Are you in something bad? Is there anything I can do?”
Buffy shook her head. “I’m fine. I’m just muddling through best I can.”
“It’s all any of us can do.”
“Right, I just want a little bit of normalcy is all.”
Judy snorted, “Honey, I don’t think normalcy exists. Life is up, down and all around. It can be a train wreck and it can be a smooth ride in beautiful country. It’s all in how you handle yourself. You can’t control others, but you sure as hell can control yourself.”
“What happens when you feel just a little bit out of control?”
“Then you fight like hell to get it back.”
Buffy laughed, breaking the tension that was in her body and crackling all around her. “Judy—“
“I know, I know. And you’re welcome. Now go on. Get out of here; you’ve been here too long already for summer vacation.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“No ‘ma’am’ yet, please! I’m only forty, and don’t feel like a ‘ma’am’ yet.”
“Are you kidding? Forty is the new twenty,” Buffy said, grinning.
Judy grinned. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”
Heading back to her office, Buffy felt as if the life had just been drained out of her. It had been a tense those short few minutes from Cecily to Judy, the pictures and the relief flooding through her when her boss basically told her she was not about to be jobless. Clutching the pictures to her chest, Buffy stepped into her office and was surprised to find Doyle there.
“Hello, lass.”
As soon as Buffy saw him, she burst into tears. The sight of a familiar face that she could trust and didn’t have to answer to, even if she hadn’t had to answer to Judy, she’d thought she was going to have to.
“Lass, what is it?” Doyle asked, concerned, jumping up immediately.
Buffy held up the folder, wordlessly, as she cried.
Opening the folder, Doyle swore. “Bloody fucking hell.”
“I have to see William.”
“What? Why?” Doyle demanded.
“What do you mean why? His ex wife-“
“Still his wife, Buffy.”
Buffy ignored him, “She came to see me and she tried to get me fired. He has to know about this.”
“Cecily gave you these?”
“No, she gave them to my boss and warned me to stay away from William.”
“Why are you calling him William?”
“It’s this new thing I’m trying.”
Doyle looked at her wearily, “Really?”
“Yeah, really. Look, Doyle I don’t have time for jealous bullshit right now. I want to see my baby, and I need to talk to William,” Buffy said all business like and serious as she gathered up her things. “You coming with me or not?”
Doyle nodded, his jaw set firm. He wasn’t pleased, that much Buffy knew, but what did he expect? She couldn’t not tell William. This was not just about her and William, this involved Brandon and Buffy was going to fight like hell to protect her son, and she knew that William wanted the same damn thing.