Chapter 2
“Welcome home Honey!” Joyce asked her daughter as her ex-husband Hank straggled after Buffy. She always missed her daughter dearly when she went away to spend summer vacation with her father. “Did you have a a good time?”
“Please Mom, I don't want to talk about it. I just want to go out and see Willow and Xander right now, can we catch up later?” Buffy replied, a whole world of distress in her voice.
“Sure Honey, you go on and see your friends.” Joyce answered, something was wrong with a usually happy daughter and she had a feeling it had to do with the man who was struggling with the teenagers luggage by the front door. “I can talk to your dad and find out what you got up to anyway, you can fill me in on anything else when you get back in.”
“Mom!” Buffy snapped out, sneering in her mother's direction, “Stop calling him that, he’s not my Dad, and don't we all just know it.” With her blunt tirade over, Buffy left the house without a bye your leave.
Following Hank as he carried Buffy’s bags into her daughters bedroom, Joyce stood watching him for a moment, trying to get the right words to ask him what had gone on in the weeks since he had picked Buffy up. “Did something happen in LA that I should know about?”
“You might say.” Hank replied, sighing as he put the heavy bags down. “I can’t do it anymore, Joyce,” He spoke steadily, as though if he did, the words wouldn't hurt the woman who stood in the doorway, any more than slightly. “It’s hard enough knowing that Vampires are real, let alone that she is the daughter of one.”
“What did you do Hank?” Joyce anger boiled slowly, concern for her daughters state of mind took precedence over how Hank might feel. If he's hurt my baby...
“I told her I would not be able to see her again, that I have put up with what she was for years and I just can’t do it anymore.” Joyce looked at the man she had married and then years later divorced, His face was marked with resolve.
“I think there is more to it than that, Hank. I know she is not your Daughter and I know that I never even asked you to adopt her, but you always treated her like one, now tell me what's happened to make you change.” She was disgusted by his about face, she couldn't even begin to think how this was going to effect her daughter.
“Donna’s pregnant, Joyce. I am finally able to get something that you couldn’t give me, a real family.” Hank spat out, in one sentence degrading everything he had done for her and Buffy in the last sixteen years.
“Don’t insult my intelligence, you walked in to our relationship with your eyes wide open. I explained to you before we married that I couldn't have any more children due to complications of Buffy's birth.” Joyce felt any small amount of respect that she had left over toward her ex-husband vanish.
“I’m sorry Joyce.” Hank sounded weary but adamant, he was finished with the whole debacle. His own life awaited and with thought of his own progeny soon to be of this world, he felt right in sweeping all the strange and wrong history under the mat. He was going to have his own child, he didn't need Buffy as a stand in anymore, he didn't have to be apart of an insane and truly wrong way of life. He could have, as of now, a normal and safe family, with no vampire butting in and no vampire child that he had to deal with.
“Well then, I think it's safe to say that there isn't any point in you ever coming back here is there? All I have left to say is goodbye and that I don't ever want to see your face ever again. Now get out of my house, you make me sick to my stomach just looking at you!” With that Joyce moved to the door, hand clenching at the handle, she was scared that if he didn't go soon, she'd show him that Buffy's temper came partially from her, not just the vampire who was her real father.
Hank nodded. He had said what he had come to say, his conscience was clear, “Good bye Joyce.” He added, just before walking out of her house, and her life for the last time.
Walking down Main Street Sunnydale, Buffy was lost in thought as she looked for her friends. Her alert, though dulled by her wandering mind kicked in as the day gave up it's protection to the oncoming dusk and her ruminations were interrupted by a fledgling vampire. He looked as though he was no older than a week, in the enclosing darkness his fangs glinted as he jumped at her with no grace, his attack sloppy and no strength behind it. His brown eyes taking on the roundness of surprise that his seemingly easy kill had placed a stake happily between his ribs. Buffy dusted herself off, grumbling about how she could never get two moments to herself let alone two hours. Hearing the fall of fast paced footsteps Buffy's body took a fighting stance, ready for any other vamp that decided that today was the day that they were going to die. She had plenty of anger and frustration to go round for every one of the bastards if they wanted it. Her shoulders relaxed as she saw the very two people she was looking for race around the corner.
“Hi Buffy, welcome back, how was you summer and when did you get back?” Willow asked, halfway to hyperventilating.
“Ok, first you really need to breathe Willow, and to answer you questions...My summer was shit and I just got back. I had to get out of the house while he was there, So I took off, left him to 'talking' to mom, I just had to come and see you guys, you know, get some clear air, paste a few vamps and catch up on all the summer gossip!”
“Look on the bright side at least your parents argue on who takes the best care of you and not who drank the last beer.” Xander slightly jealous quipped back.
“He’s not my father.” Buffy sighed and muttered, rubbing Xander on the arm in sympathy, she may have an absent father, but at least she had her mother. Xander on the other had had two parents who were for all intents and purposes absent whilst being in the same house.
“Don’t say that Buffy, you’re just angry at him right now.” Willow reproached her best friend, unknowing of Buffy's real parentage.
“No really, he's not! My mom met Hank when I was about one month old. Oh don't get me wrong, he's been a good replacement father, that is 'til now... Donna's pregnant, and the arsehole wants out of being a father figure to me... he says he can't take the stress of my life anymore. The thing is, I know me being the slayer has got nothing to do with him leaving me, he's getting his perfect little family, and I so don't fit into his happy little picture. I just don't figure into his responsibilities any longer. I haven’t seen my real father since about a month before I was called. He's off taking care of my grandmother, she's sick, I mean really sick, like dying sick. She needs him with her all the time so we stay in touch by letter and all, but sometimes I wish he'd be able to come and see me.”
Buffy hated lying to her friends, but she just didn't know how they would take the fact that not alone was she the slayer, which thank God they had accepted readily, well, it wasn't really hard for them being that they lived on a Hellmouth all there lives, but she didn't think that they would go, 'Gee Buffy you're half vampire? That's so cool!' To being told that she had a vampire for a father, even if he was the best dad in the entire world, the undead one included. So this was the story that she and Joyce had concocted if the truth about Hank ever came to pass and any one asked about her real father. It was the truth. Well, mainly.
Both Willow and Xander looked at their friend, shock written all over their faces.
“Guys its really not that bad, and at least I don’t have to pretend anymore and same with Hank. Really, I think we're all relieved that it's all come to an end.” Buffy responded as both Xander and Willow's blank expressions.
“So Hanks, Hank and your Dad is... Dad now.” Willow asked in total confusion at what she has just heard, trying to clarify it to herself more than anyone else.
“Hanks has always been Hank, unless I was talking about him with friends or if we were in a public place, and My Dad has always been Dad it's what I have always called him, never wanted to call him anything different, It's just gets confusing for people around me who don't know, especially when no-ones met him, and he's rarely around anyway.” Buffy informed them, trying to get them to understand, get her friends to not think she hadn't trust them. She did, but just not with the whole truth.
“ I really don’t want to talk about all of this now, I just want to spend some time with you guys... can we please change the subject?”
Willow and Xander just looked at each other before shrugging, sure that they would get more about the strange twist to Buffy's life and it would all become clear later, and looking at Buffy, they thought it might be much later. They both decided to not push, their friend seemed a little distraught with it all and, good friends that they were, they left it... for now.
“Sure Buffy whatever you want... So you ready for school to start tomorrow?” Willow asked, knowing that school, was a definite safe conversation starter.
“As ready as I'll ever be. Just two more years to go, thank God!”
Xander chuckled then agreed, Buffy's sentiments were his, exactly.“So are we Bronzing tomorrow night.” He asked, happy that there group was now back to full capacity.
“Sure. I know I'll need it.” Buffy knew that a night out dancing at the Bronze was indeed what she needed, a few hours to relax and just be a normal girl, was entirely what she deserved.
The three friends continued to walk for a few minutes, wandering aimlessly and chatting all the while. Buffy savoured being back home, her friends at her side, their familiar voices washing over her and calming all of her fears. She was back home, back where she was loved. She saw both Willow and Xander home before returning to Revello Drive.
Walking into her house, Buffy heard her mother call out. “You received a letter from you Father a few days ago, I put it on your desk in you room.”
“'K, thanks Mom. I’m gonna go take a shower, I'll read it when I get out.” Excitement beat quickly in her chest, she savoured the anticipation of his words as she rushed up the stairs.
“Did you want to talk about what Hank said, at all?” Joyce called to her daughters fast retreating form.
“Mom, please don’t shout. You know my ears a sensitive, I can her you anywhere in this house as it is.” Buffy looked pointedly at he mother before continuing, “Even when you and Giles are whispering about me.”
“Yes, of course, I'm sorry honey. I tend to forget that you are part Vampire, you're just so normal most of the time.” Joyce blushed, she really did forget about her daughters spectacular range in hearing, It looked like she and Giles best go out into the backyard if they wanted to discuss Buffy with each other from this time on.
“Vamps have some normal tendencies, but I don’t call having fangs and the slight lust for blood every now and again normal.” Joyce hears her daughter snort as she wandered away from the top of the stairs, heading at her guess, for her sanctuary.
“Yes I know, that's one of the reason's why I fell in love with your Father in the first place.” Buffy rolled her eyes at her mother as she walked in to her room.“I’m going to get ready for bed now, I'm going to go see Giles before school starts tomorrow, so I've got to get up early.”
“Alright, I'll see you in the morning then, Honey.” Joyce shook her heard as she turned back in the kitchen to finish some work that she had brought home from the gallery.
Once back in her room after taking the shortest shower known to man, Buffy dressed then flopped on to her bed. Opening the envelope, she breathed in the scent that always clung to her father, knowing that, that would never change was comforting. She knew that her dad would never stop smoking or drinking and the unique smell of soft leather would never dissipate. They, along with the underlying tones of aftershave and blood were all that her father was. All that he loved. Buffy turned the envelope over to see the return address, curious to learn where her Father was now. Just when she had started to take the letter out, Buffy heard a knock at her window, she looked mournfully at the at the unread page, before sighing. Her father's words would have to wait a little while longer. Putting the letter in her drawer, Buffy walked to the window to let Angel in.
“Hey, how was your summer.” Angel smiled as he towered over her.
“Don’t ask, I haven’t had a worse one since I found out what I am.” Buffy replied, she never usually minded his night visits to her bedroom, but she really wanted to read her letter.
Thinking she was talking about being a Slayer, he gave her a reply. “You know being a Slayer isn’t a what, it's a who. You are the one that makes the slayer Buffy, not the other way around.”
“Do you say that about being a Vampire as well?” Buffy asked, curious to see what Angel's answer would be.
“It harder for a Vampire, some are better at it than I am. You’re forgetting that I was one of the most feared Vampires known in history.” Angel answered, a slight flicker of smugness gleamed in his soulful brown eyes.
Yeah, and my father is one of the others Buffy thought, for some reason she wanted to slap the smug look that had appeared in Angel. It really shouldn't of been there in the first place, he'd always seemed to be remorseful about his past.
“I know exactly who I am. Don’t forget I faced the Master and lived. Ok I only lived because Xander gave me CPR. Why was it him and not you? Anyways.” It was a question that she had wanted to ask in an age, but had not wanted to put Angel on the spot to answer it.
“Vampires don’t breathe.” To him, his explanation was simple enough.
“Oh? But, I have seen some that do when I'm fighting them.” Buffy argued, thinking of her father.
“Alright, we don’t need to breathe.” He answered, knowing that she was thinking of Spike.
“ It’s late, was there something you wanted or just a social call, because if there isn't anything else I'd really like to go to bed. It's been a long hard day and I would really like to go to sleep.” Buffy felt a niggle of guilt as she faked a yawn.
“Was social. Sorry, I just wanted to see how you were, I’ll get out of you hair now.” Angel replied, making his way back to the window to climb out.
After he left, Buffy shut the window firmly and flicked the lock into place, before taking the letter back out to read.
My Dearest Elizabeth,
Hello, Princess, how are you? I know you don’t want to be called Elizabeth anymore but, to me you will always be Elizabeth. I am writing to tell you that I am still looking to make your Grandmother better. I know, I am sorry I haven’t been able to see you for a while. I miss you Sweetheart. I really do. By now I am sure you have had your first kiss and your first boyfriend. You just better be still a Virgin. You know I am a protective father, even if I am not around. I don’t know when I will be seeing you again, but I have been sent to a spot in America for your Grandmother to see a Doctor.. After I am done there I will stop off and see you for a while, maybe if your Grandmother is well enough, I will think about settling down around where you live. I will just have to watch out for the Slayer, I hear there is a new one in California, she's apparently only been one for about two and a half years. Don’t worry none Pet, a new slayer like that will be still fairly weak. Well I better go now; it’s going to take about a month to get to the USA. I will contact you once I am there.
With all my love,
Dad,
Buffy put the letter away where she kept all her others her Dad had sent her since she learned that Hank isn’t her real father. Stowing the wooden box back under her bed she went to sleep knowing that soon, she would see her true father again, and that he really didn't have to worry about the young slayer because, she was that self same slayer.