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Chapter 10: The Long Way Home

Hank Summers sighed loudly, feeling the tension in his body mount as an aggravating sickly sensation trembled his stomach. With a shaky hand, he lifted the steaming Styrofoam cup to his lips and sipped quietly. The warm liquid did nothing to calm his nerves, though, and he suspected nothing would.

He had been waiting at Los Angeles International Airport for more than forty minutes. He realized that being on time didn’t mean being almost an hour early, but his head was too preoccupied with other thoughts at the moment to really absorb something as trivial as plane schedules. Today, for the first time in three years, Hank was finally going to welcome his girls back home.

Hank tried his best to blend-in with the other travelers, he really did, but to no avail. He stuck out like a sore thumb, and he knew he was receiving more than a few stares from some passersby who happened to notice the dark haired man, holding onto his cup of coffee for dear life, and looking strangely like he might bolt from the terminal at any second. He unconsciously bounced his leg up and down, giving him an even more apparent look of pure unease. His right eye began to twitch, and he tapped his fingers to an unheard beat against the pseudo-mug in his hands.

Finally, the gate doors opened, and the plane’s passengers began to spill out into the terminal. He took one final sip of his double tall before discarding the still warm cup into a nearby trashcan. He made his way over to greet his little girls.

~*~*~*~

"So, do you think he’ll show up?" Dawn asked, dryly, already debating whether or not their absentee father would should up to greet them at the airport. She swung her long dark hair behind her shoulders and bent down to pick up her bag. Standing upright, she waited for her sister’s response.

"Who knows?" Buffy asked, heaving her black travel bag over her slim shoulder as she and Dawn made their way down the long terminal, carrying most of their luggage. She was really trying to not think about what her father would do when they arrived. Hank Summers was one unreliable man, and an even worse father. Who’s to say that he might have forgot about them, or went out to lunch with Cecily, or maybe even just decided that they weren’t important enough to drive to LA for.

"Well, maybe this time will be different, maybe he’ll really keep his promise this time." Dawn suggested, hopefully.

"Maybe, Dawn."

Buffy let out a heavy sigh. She always said that. It seemed as though the more their father lied to them to protect them, the more he hurt them. Dawn always gained a little more hope that he might keep the next promise, or be at the next birthday party. Buffy couldn’t bare to tell her the truth. To tell her that their father was an undependable, good-for-nothing, son of a-

"Hi, honey."

~*~*~*~

Silence overwhelmed the three occupants of the dark green sports vehicle, as it rolled smoothly along the old streets of the small little town of Sunnydale, California. Cars whizzed by, changing lanes to pass the slow moving SUV, and be on their way to work, lunch, home, or possibly to pick op their two daughters that they forgot existed until two weeks ago.

No one had said a word since their departure from the airport. Awkward hugs and smiles were shared along with softly spoken greetings before the three had silently decided to finish their reunion back at the house. Hank had helped the two young girls with their luggage and even held open the doors of both the airport and the car for them. To any passerby he seemed to fit perfectly into the part of the world’s greatest dad and everyone’s hero, but not to the two girls who happened to (unfortunately) share his DNA. They thought he was trying way too hard.

Now, as the car made it’s way into the outskirts of Sunnydale, the anxiety seemed to eat away at them. Each tried to think of something to say to ease some of the tension that was suffocating them.

Buffy sat quietly in the back seat staring out the window at the town that she used to know as home. Nothing had changed, not a bit, in three years. The same buildings scratched the same crystal clear blue sky, and still housed the same old friendly neighbors who always made time to have a cup of coffee and chat about the neighborhood. The same paved streets led to the same parts of town that the blonde remembered so well. She had waited three years to come back here at last, and now Buffy Summers was finally home. She couldn’t believe it.

"So, how have you been sweetie?" Her father asked from the driver’s seat in front on her.

"Fine." She whispered nonchalantly. She watched as they turned a corner onto a familiar street. 'They’re all familiar.' She reminded herself.

"You still doing well in college?" He prodded, trying desperately to make conversation.

Buffy responded with a simple, "Yes."

"That’s good to hear." He said, nervously gripping onto the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The middle-aged man remained facing straight ahead despite the thoughtfully confused look that marred his aging face. "What was it that you were majoring in again, sweetie?"

Buffy sighed. She should have known that he would have forgotten the four hour conversation they had shared on the phone last year. She had talked to him about college life and how she was going to be an English major last fall. Apparently, it was not as important as what color dress the new step mommy should wear to those stupid dinner parties that her father often had to attend for work.

"English, dad. I’m studying to be a writer." She informed him, trying her best not to sound too annoyed.

"Oh, well that’s great. Seems you and William have the same career in mind. Isn’t that interesting?" Her father quipped in an overly cheerful voice. God, sometimes she just wanted to reach out and slap him silly.

"Yeah, dad." Buffy whispered back, her heart doing a familiar somersault at the mention of Spike. She had been trying not to think about what it would be like to see her best friend-slash-ex-boyfriend for the first time in three years, but it was getting a lot harder not to when they were back in Sunnydale again. Memories of summers past came rushing back and Buffy found it hard to concentrate on what exactly her father was saying. Speaking of balding middle-aged men who happen to be deadbeat fathers...

"How’s you’re mother doing?" Hank asked to no one in particular. Buffy was about to answer with another two word phase, the easiest ones, when Dawn cut in.

"Like you care." The dark-haired teen snorted.

"I do care, Dawnie. Just because your mom and I aren’t together anymore, doesn’t mean I stopped caring. In point of fact, I care very much for your mom and still want to know how she’s been." Hank say calmly, as though he hadn’t ruined all three Summers’ womens' lives.

"You mean since you ripped her still beating heart out of her chest, threw it on the ground, stomped on it, and told her that she had to move out of the house that she had lived in for more than ten years?" Dawn ventured, casually drumming her fingers on her knees to an unheard tune, like she didn’t have a care in the world. Except for making her biological father feel as guilty as possible. Good ol’ Dawnie, always one for the melodramatic teen dramas. "Gee, dad, she’s just peachy with a side of keen."

"Now, honey-" Hank started, but was again interrupted by his youngest daughter.

"No, you listen dad." Dawn began, emphasizing the 'dad' to make a point, "Buffy and I came back here for one reason, and one reason only: to be here for Spike’s wedding. Not to see you, not to meet the latest bimbo you’re shacked up with, not to listen to you make up excuses for why you cheated on mom, or why you made us move out, or why you haven’t bothered to call and take an interest in our lives for the past three years. We’re here for Spike. So please save the apologies for someone who really gives a damn, 'kay?" Dawn finished softly, clearly out of breath from her outburst.

Buffy sat in the backseat, stunned. She and Dawn hadn’t really talked about their feeling toward their father out in the open before. Buffy had never thought that her little sister could be holding all these feelings of anger inside. She had, frankly, never thought to ask, to afraid to open old wounds and all. But she had to say, drama club had really done a lot for her little sister.

Hank Summers took a deep breath, one that sucked in as much air as humanly possible and filled his lungs to full capacity, "Wasn’t expecting that." He murmured, more to himself than to the two young women also occupying the car.

Back in the rear seat, an amused smile graced Buffy’s pretty face.

'Yeah, it's good to be home.'

~*~*~*~

Yeah, okay, so it’s been awhile...more like an eternity. Anyhow, I’m back now. You guys can quit dialing 911, I’m not dead. Really I’m not. Hope you liked this chappy. And please as always, leave really pretty reviews. Next chappy will be up in a few days, hopefully this weekend. Or maybe I'll just post it now...

Hugs and Kisses to all,

~Saltygoodness~





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