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Chapter 16

While the girls waited for their pizza, Joyce pulled into the drive. Buffy bound down the stairs to meet her. "Hi mom," she said to Joyce as Joyce placed her bags on the counter and kicked off her heels.

Joyce rolled her eyes to the ceiling and moaned, "Oh I’ve been waiting to do that all day." After greeting Buffy, she looked over her daughter’s shoulder and said "Hello, Willow. Cordelia.

"Hi Mrs. Summers." Willow said smiling warmly.
Just as Cordelia was about to speak her phone chirped. "Oh I have to get this." She turned her back to the small group and started whispering into the phone.

"So how was work mom?" Buffy asked as she eyed the bags on the table.

"We have a new artist that we are having a show for and can I say he is very demanding. He has very strict instruction for every aspect of his show. Right down to what kind of lights he wants in the gallery. We also received a shipment of African fertility pieces and half of them were missing. I just want to go lay down in a quiet room.” Joyce reached for a wine glass and poured herself a generous amount. “So, what are you girls planning for tonight."

"I don’t know, we’ll probably hang out at the Bronze." Buffy absently picked through the groceries her mother brought in. "Can we have these chips, please." She held up a bag of nachos smiling hopefully at her mom.

Joyce snatched the chips good-naturedly from her only child and said, "No, this stuff is for the party. So hands off, young lady." Buffy pouted and plopped down in a chair. Joyce noticed the ripped envelope on the counter, so she knew Buffy had received her annual letter from Hank. There were times that Joyce wanted to just thump her ex-husband, never more then when it came to her only child. When they first separated, Hank tried to feed Joyce the line ‘that although their relationship didn’t work out that wouldn’t effect his relationship with Buffy’, and for about two minutes she believed him. She leaned in a kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"What was that for?" she asked, eyes twinkling.

"Call it a early birthday gift. And," Joyce reached into her purse and handed Buffy a small box. Cordelia and Willow took a step closer. "I wanted to wait till your birthday, but hell, I couldn’t." Joyce pulled up a chair next to Buffy and watched expectantly as she opened the box. Nestled inside was a ring with a small opal stone.

"Is this Gram’s ring?" Buffy breathed, holding the diminutive piece of jewelry reverently.

"I know you’ve always loved that ring and I just wanted" Joyce stopped suddenly and Buffy looked up from the ring on her finger to see her mother crying. "I just wanted you to know that she would have been very proud of you." Buffy leaned over and hugged her mother tightly. Joyce closed her eyes, enjoying her daughter’s warm embrace.

The two women tender moment was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Willow smiled and said to them, "don’t get up, I’ll get it. It’s probably just the pizza." While she made her way to the front door,
Cordelia came over to examine the ring.
After a moment’s inspection Cordelia nodded. "Impressive. That really is a perfect ring for you. With your small hands anything bigger would just look tacky."

Buffy smiled tightly. "Thank you Cordy, I think." She snatched her hand away from her and turned to her mother. "That weird lady Allie, called about your trip next weekend and Aunt Jenny called. It sounded important, Aunt Jenny not Allie. She creeps me out, Allie not Aunt Jenny. They both said to call them as soon as you got in."

Joyce grabbed the cordless phone and punching in a number, walked upstairs. Willow returned with the pizza box. Soon the kitchen was filled with smell of fresh pizza and the sound of giggling girls. The trio were just finishing their first slice when they heard a shriek from Joyce’s room.

"Buffy!" The three teenagers ran upstairs to find Joyce beaming in her room.

"What the hell… or heck… I mean heck." Buffy smiled sheepishly at her mom. "What the heck happened, Mom?"

"Guess who is bringing a date to your party this weekend?" Joyce asked casually as she leaned over her dresser and pushed a curly wisp of hair out of her eye.

"Not you, I hope." Buffy breathed.

"No." Joyce caught her daughter’s eye in the mirror and frowned. "Your Aunt Jenny’s gone and got herself a beau. His name is Rupert" She spun around and frowning said, "Oh, honey, I hope you don’t mind."

It’s all right, Mom, it’s a party, someone should have a date, even if his name is Rupert."

Joyce put her arm around Buffy’s shoulder and said cryptically, "I don’t know Buffy. Unexpected things have been known to happen at a party."

"What did you mean by that, Mom?" She turned to Willow and Cordelia. "What did she mean by that?"
"W-well, you know Buffy." Willow wrung her hands and cut her eye from one woman to the other. "Parties are known for festivities and the people and some of those people being boys, dates could happen."

Cordelia looked down at her watch and said, "What’s with you and your family’s need to share about your love life. We really should be getting ready for Bronzing." She turned and left Joyce’s room, followed closely by Willow.

The Summers women watched the two leave and Buffy looked at her mother and shrugged. "Did she tell you anything about this guy? This Rupert." As much as she would like for both her aunt and her mother to find that special someone, neither were known for picking winners. Buffy shuddered thinking about that one guy her mother had brought home who looked like that dead guy from that silly Nick at Night show. "I just hope he’s, well you know…" Buffy trailed off.

Joyce once again embraced her daughter and said reassuringly, "I don’t know, honey, this one must be good for him to make it this far. Not only is he meeting the family but he’s coming to a social gathering." After a moment she added, "I wonder if he has a brother?"

Buffy laughed with her mother and then, shaking her head, made her way back to her friends.





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