FIC: Human Layers (Chapter 12 - Part 2 & Epilogue)

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Title: Human Layers (Chapter 12 - Part 2 & Epilogue)
Author: Pat Kelly
Rating: PG-13=20
Summary: Buffy and Cordelia get closer during junior year, discovering a fe=
w
things along the way.
Spoilers: Season 2.
Disclaimer: All hail Joss and his army of Mutant Enemies. I don't own BTVS.
I make no money. Long live UPN! Burn the WB!=20
Note: This is it! I have to say thanks to Quin for the great pic, and yes, =
the song in the epilogue is mine. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it=
:-)

Part 2
---------
=20
"You're sure it was one of his?" Buffy whispered to the vampire.
=20
"Yeah, for the last time, I'm bloody well sure." Spike wondered if she was =
going deaf.
=20
This was the deal - he helped her, she didn't kill him for kidnapping and s=
triking her girlfriend. She had sent the other slayer to go get him, to bri=
ng him here, and then she was going to fill them both in on their part of t=
he plan, except she was about to modify it. Kendra had brought him up to sp=
eed on the way over, but when they arrived, they were jumped by one of Ange=
lus' guys; it was only bad timing with Joyce.
=20
The three of them were alone on the porch.
=20
"Then that means he has a bigger force than we saw at the mansion...damn it=
, it doesn't add up." Kendra hit him square in the nose. "You read my mind.=
"
=20
"I didn't say anything!" He covered the punched area.
=20
"Nope, but Kendra's a firm believer in prevention, so on the off chance tha=
t you were even thinking of saying something...do you see where I'm going w=
ith this?" She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Behave yourself, and once th=
is is over, I might just let you leave my town in non-dust form. For good."
=20
"Well, if you like, I can leave right..." He was shown a warning fist. "Wha=
t's the move, Churchill?" She raised her eyebrows. "Roosevelt work better f=
or you?"
=20
"What do you want us to do?" Kendra questioned, ignoring him.
=20
"I don't know what game Angelus is trying to play, but whatever it is, he's=
counting on me to be at the cemetery. Predictable Buffy." She shook her he=
ad. "Not this time. I want you two there instead. If he's got friends, get =
back to the library. If he doesn't, it's a diversion, and we'll be ready fo=
r it. You'll have to keep him busy as long as you can, though, and when the=
spell kicks in -"
=20
"What if it does not?"
=20
She didn't hesitate. "He dies."=20
=20
"That's the first good idea you've had, Slayer." Spike said, almost soundin=
g impressed. "Once he's all soul-havin' again, you really think they'll be =
able to set their eyes on the broody Care Bear without needin' to heave? Ho=
w about you and the watcher?"
=20
"Go." Buffy said after several moments of silence, not wanting to think abo=
ut that just now. "Spike, you do anything evil, and that includes jay-walki=
ng, she will stake you."
=20
"Wait for me." Kendra told him, forcefully.
=20
"Say 'pretty please.'" He responded, cockily. The girl gave him a hard star=
e. "I'm going, I'm going...damn frigid slayers." Standing on the walk, he s=
miled at her before going away. "Good luck with your mum."=20
=20
It gave him indescribable pleasure, seeing her in a bind before what was pr=
obably going to be a big, nasty brawl. When he was on the sidewalk, Kendra =
turned to Buffy, retrieving a long, twisted stake from her pocket.
=20
"Here. In case dere is trouble, dis is my lucky stake. I have killed many v=
ampires wit it. I call it, 'Mr. Pointy.'"
=20
The blonde smirked. "You named your stake?"
=20
"Yes." Came the flustered reply.
=20
"Remind me to get you a stuffed animal." She accepted the weapon with a smi=
le, and looked it over. "Thanks."
=20
"Watch your back."
=20
"You too."
=20
***
=20
Joyce and Cordelia were sitting on the living room couch in silence, waitin=
g for Buffy to come back in. Amy had made an exit; she didn't need to stick=
around, nor did she want to. When one of them caught the other looking, th=
ey would just smile and then avert their eyes. Hearing the ticking of the c=
lock in the background, the older sat with her hands in her lap; the younge=
r brushed her hair behind her ear at random moments, tapping her fingers on=
her thigh.=20
=20
Then the adult began to realize how ridiculous it was becoming. There was n=
othing wrong with talking, so she did.=20
=20
"How..." The brunette jumped, her heart leaping into her throat and then fa=
lling back down into place. "How was school?"
=20
"Oh...well...you know how it is. You've been through the pain. Except for t=
he occasional monster with slime for brains, which I can say now that the c=
at's officially shredded the bag, it's always just the same old, boring -" =
Cordelia stopped as soon as she heard the door shut, and saw the blonde com=
e from the foyer to stand inside the entrance to the room. "Buffy."
=20
"You think I'm boring?" The slayer couldn't resist.
=20
"No, I think you're here." Her girlfriend was next to her in an instant. "S=
o take over."
=20
They both looked to Joyce.
=20
"Buffy, w-who were those people?"
=20
"Uh, Amy...but you know her, and Kendra and Spike." Buffy answered her moth=
er. "Kendra's a slayer -"
=20
"Like what you are?"
=20
"Right. Spike's a...he's a long story."
=20
"But his face was like that man's out there." She couldn't believe what had=
happened. "The man who disappeared."=20
=20
"Yeah, mom...they're vampires."
=20
"So if you, if you kill vam...them, then why was he helping that girl? Shou=
ldn't you...?"
=20
"That's a good question." Buffy turned to Cordelia questioningly, expecting=
her to supply an answer.=20
=20
Cordelia opened her mouth, saw the sets of eyes focused on her, then closed=
it, putting her hands on her hips and glaring. Then she decided to go expl=
ore the kitchen.
=20
"I'm so confused." Joyce said, trying to understand. "First I find out that=
you're..." She paused, considering how to say it. "Dating a girl...and now=
you're some kind of...what? A-a superhero? Next you're probably gonna tell=
me one of your friends is a witch." The sigh was involuntary. "Is this rea=
l?"
=20
Her daughter went and kneeled in front of her. "Uh huh, it's all real. And =
I know it's a lot to take in...it was for me, too, but you gotta trust me. =
I'm not crazy, we weren't all delusional, and I know what I'm doing." Buffy=
paused. "Most of the time."
=20
"I was going to talk to you; I had it all planned out. I thought for once I=
could pretend that I knew how to be a parent and how to relate to my daugh=
ter. I was even ready to pat myself on the back. Compared to this, having a=
conversation with you and Cordelia seems like the easiest thing in the wor=
ld." Joyce shrugged, smiling a sad, defeated smile. "And now I'm lost again=
, because...I really don't know you, do I?"=20
=20
"Teenagers are a complex bunch - but at least I'm not smoking that wacky do=
pe us kids are so into." The slayer joked, but she felt horrible. "It's not=
all your fault, mom. I wanted to tell you before, but there're these rules=
against getting people involved. I didn't advertise my job to my friends; =
they sorta had the dots connected for them the first time they got attacked=
. When -"
=20
"Oh my god...it started before we moved." Her mother suddenly realized.
=20
The arson charges made sense now.
=20
"Yeah, it did. Some days I'm glad, other days..." Buffy trailed off; it was=
too complicated, and she hated to do this, but didn't have the time. "Um, =
I don't wanna go, and I *promise* we'll have that talk when I get back, but=
I have slayer stuff to do."
=20
Joyce's eyes bugged out. "Right now? You can't just dump this on me and the=
n leave, Buffy."
=20
"I don't mean to, really, it's just...if I don't deal with this now, then I=
'll have to figure out how to save the world later, and you know how much I=
hate extra work." She had to think. "Ooh! Cordelia can stay with you. She =
knows the basics."
=20
"Don't you think she'll mind?"
=20
"Probably," She grinned, "but she'll do it, anyway."
=20
It was a big leap of faith on her part, but what choice did she have?
=20
"If you have to...then go."
=20
Buffy hugged her. "Love you, mom."
=20
"I love you, too, honey. I mean it." The hug got tighter. "Are you going to=
be okay? You'll be careful, right?"
=20
"Yes, I'll be fine. This is like, routine for me. It'll be a piece of cake.=
"
=20
'Let's hope so.'
=20
***
=20
Angelus walked out from behind the mausoleum expecting to see Buffy, but in=
stead found Spike and Kendra. His face didn't give away the anger that he f=
elt, though. She had to pick now to gain some intelligence? For the first t=
ime since being let back out, he wasn't quite so sure of things. She had a =
game of her own, or else they wouldn't be here. This wasn't going to turn o=
ut well, and not knowing why left an uneasy feeling in his stomach.
=20
"Oh," Spike smirked, "I think we surprised the git."=20
=20
"I don't remember inviting you." He said, calmly.
=20
"Yeah, well, she wanted to make it, but she got held up. Didn't wanna be ru=
de, so she asked us to come have a little fun for her. How could I pass it =
up?"
=20
"What happened to you, Spike? Working with the take out? I'm disappointed."
=20
"Yeah, so it breaks my code...but we both want the same thing. Take a guess=
."
=20
"I don't think you had a choice." Angelus smiled when he saw the younger va=
mpire grit his teeth, and the veins become visible in his neck. "What could=
she possibly be doing that's more important than this?"
=20
"That does not matter," Kendra spoke, "because you will not survive de nigh=
t."
=20
She moved to attack him, and Spike was right behind her.
=20
***
=20
Buffy ran through the doors of the library, finding Willow already reciting=
the spell, sitting on the table, Indian-style. The redhead was in the midd=
le of a circle made of blue powder, and that same mixture was formed into a=
pentagram on her forehead. A small bowl filled with Angel's blood and othe=
r ingredients was situated between her legs, and Amy was spreading incense =
around her while Jenny (a cross and garlic around her neck) was beside her =
in the wheelchair, parchment in hand, making sure she stayed accurate in he=
r wording.
=20
The men were all armed, the guitarist with a staff that had a sharpened end=
, the librarian with a dagger, and Xander with his trusty Super Soaker. She=
was glad that they had actually paid attention when she called from her ho=
use and told them to be prepared. She walked to them, and handed out stakes=
and bottles of holy water, careful not to disrupt Willow. This was their o=
nly shot, and it had to work, because she really didn't want the fate of th=
e world to be in her hands. She had enough stress in her life, and didn't k=
now if she could handle any more.
=20
"Spread the water around the table. If we have crashers, I don't want them =
getting close to -"=20
=20
Just as she said that, six vampires appeared in the library by way of the c=
ellar behind the stacks, and one of them jumped over the railing to stand i=
n front of her.
=20
"So much for 'if,' huh?" Xander said, backing up.
=20
"Buffy!" Willow stopped the spell, her eyes darting from vampire to vampire=
.
=20
"We'll keep them busy, Will. Don't stop." As she punched her opponent, she =
noticed that they weren't rushing to face her. They pushed Oz and Xander as=
ide, and were crowding... "Amy, help Giles!"
=20
The witch looked at the crowd, her eyes shielded in darkness. "Diana, dispe=
rse the unclean!"
=20
The demons went flying. One hit the counter, two were thrown over the count=
er, and one hit a bookcase, knocking it over; the last one went crashing th=
rew the office window. Buffy swiped the feet of the one she was fighting, t=
hen readied Mr. Pointy, starting to think that this might just go their way=
.
=20
***
=20
"So she's always been able to...be a slayer?" Joyce asked, noting how Corde=
lia would repeatedly look out the window or stare at the clock.
=20
"Um, I think it's like a puberty thing." The cheerleader responded distract=
edly. "You know when you're little that you're gonna get breasts, but you d=
on't get them until you're body starts trying to annoy the hell out of you,=
then you're not sure if they're worth it anymore. Only Buffy didn't know s=
he could beat things up when she was little...and I'm...not making much sen=
se, am I?"=20
=20
The woman smiled. "You wanna be there."
=20
"No, I..." She sighed. "Yeah. It's not like I don't understand that she wan=
ts me to be safe, and that she wants you to be okay with everything. It was=
new to me once, too, and I didn't handle it well. She does, though; she's =
great at it, she'll be fine...I know that. And I get that she has to do thi=
s. But she gets so stubborn when she has to slay - it drives me nuts. If sh=
e does something stupid..."
=20
Her daughter had grown into this amazing person, and she'd missed out on it=
. The school librarian apparently knew her better than she did. Buffy was n=
ever a hoodlum, she never hung out in the wrong crowd...she was just a teen=
ager with a lot more responsibilities than cleaning her room and taking out=
the trash. Joyce got on her case, punished her for saving people's lives, =
and it wasn't as if she had even asked for the job.=20
=20
Everything was going to change, had to change, whether she was prepared for=
what would follow or not. Where did being gay rank on the issue scale now?=
Somewhere near the bottom. The fact that your only child could die at any =
given moment really caused you to reprioritize quickly. Guilt had a hand in=
it, but she had just found a common ground with the girlfriend, and she ha=
d to be sympathetic.
=20
"I've got news for you...Buffy's always been stubborn."
=20
"Tell me about it!" She said, throwing her hands in the air.
=20
Joyce laughed. "When she was five, she wouldn't let me teach her how to tie=
her shoes. She *had* to learn on her own. She got so frustrated sometimes =
that it broke my heart, but one day, she just did it. Didn't make a big dea=
l out of it, didn't wait for me to say anything, she just put them on, and =
then we went food shopping."
=20
"How come I'm not surprised?" Cordelia smirked.
=20
"Sounds like you know her pretty well."
=20
She shrugged. "I try. I still think she's got things that she keeps, hidden=
or whatever, but I'll crack her; you can count on that. No one's been able=
to escape me when I want something, and I don't intend to start slacking o=
ff now."
=20
"I believe you." Every time she looked into the brunette's eyes, she saw th=
e forcefulness in them, but now she saw something else. "Looks like we both=
know how much hard work loving Buffy can be."
=20
With a small snicker, Cordelia nodded. "Sure is. I'm willing to put up with=
her as long as she's willing to put up with me, though. I can't help it. I=
didn't go looking for this, but that doesn't mean I don't want it...I do."=
The words spilled from her mouth, and after they were out, what Joyce had =
just said, fully registered. "Hey..."
=20
Again, what other choice did she have? None as far as she could tell - well=
, unless she wanted to ruin things, which she didn't.
=20
"Cordelia, would you do me a favor?"
=20
The cheerleader cleared her throat nervously, thinking she had stepped into=
a trap. "Of course. What?"
=20
"You've been a big help, but...go watch out for my daughter." The girl smil=
ed, and Joyce went into the dining room for her purse, taking out two thing=
s that she had held onto long enough. "And I think these are yours."
=20
The smile remained on Cordelia's face as received them. She put the bracele=
t in her pocket, and her necklace was back where it was supposed to be. She=
knew something had been missing.
=20
"Thanks, but," There was a slight problem, "do you maybe have something tha=
t's good for whacking?" Joyce raised her eyebrows. "Uh...demons, obviously.=
Geez. What is it with people?"
=20
***
=20
Xander yelled, having just had his arm broken in two places by a vampire. R=
ather than give into the searing pain, however, he remembered that he still=
had one good arm, which continued to hold his weapon of choice. He twisted=
out of the demon's grip, and before either of them knew it, the barrel of =
the Super Soaker was in its mouth. He was running on some kind of fear-powe=
red autopilot.
=20
"You look thirsty." He pressed the trigger, and a seemingly endless stream =
of holy water found its face down the vampire's throat. Within seconds, it =
was smoking, and then combusted from the inside out. Inhaling some of the d=
ust, Xander began to cough. "They can't suck the life outta ya, so they kil=
l you with asthma instead. Good one."
=20
Being out of immediate danger, he took the opportunity to survey the situat=
ion. Thanks to him, they were now down to four vampires. Soon to be three, =
if Oz could find an opening and plant the staff where it needed to go. If t=
hey hadn't expected this, things could be a lot worse than a broken arm. Bo=
th their girlfriends were very involved in what they were doing, Amy expend=
ing most of her energy shielding Willow, and Willow at the point of no retu=
rn in terms of the casting.
=20
The hacker turned witch was in the throws of the spell. Her eyes had an eer=
ie focus, words flew from her lips in a language Xander didn't understand, =
and he didn't think she did, either. The blue powder was swirling around he=
r now, transforming into a bright, blue light. The image on her head was do=
ing the same thing. It was like she wasn't aware the commotion surrounding =
her. He and Miss Calendar both watched as she lifted her hands into the air=
, and then shoved them into the bowl, the light starting to fluctuate.
=20
Oz did it. They were down to three. The force of the magickal energy was pr=
obably throwing the vampires off...and he wished he hadn't thought that and=
jinxed them all, because one of the things was advancing on Miss Calendar.=
He screamed her name and hurried as fast as he could to her, but Giles was=
already well aware of the trouble she was in. The watcher thrust his dagge=
r into the vampire's back violently, and as it turned, he removed the blade=
, staking it with satisfaction.=20
=20
Two left. Xander cradled his injured arm close to his chest, and reminded h=
imself not to make jokes at Giles' expense ever again
.=20
Buffy had the remaining vampires covering her front and back, over by the c=
ounter. Just as she got one down, the other attacked. She couldn't keep duc=
king and dodging forever.
=20
"Buffy, duck!"
=20
But apparently a voice that sounded strangely like Cordelia's thought she c=
ould. Not having any better ideas, she did as she was told, and the one tha=
t was in front of her somehow ended up lying on the ground. She looked, see=
ing that it was indeed her girlfriend. Holding a nine-iron. It must have be=
en from her mother's set; the woman never golfed a day in her life, but kep=
t saying that when she found the time, it would be a good idea to have the =
necessary clubs.
=20
Buffy thought it was better not to ask questions, and smiled. "I think you =
sliced it."
=20
"What?" The brunette asked, in the middle of hitting the demon repeatedly.
=20
"Forget it." Having the odds evened out for her, she and Mr. Pointy made qu=
ick work of the one that was behind her. Cordelia's victim was covering its=
face. "Can I kill him yet?"
=20
"No, but I can." The cheerleader snatched Mr. Pointy, dropped the club, and=
knelt down to finish the job. "Nobody messes with my girlfriend."
=20
"Isn't that my line?"
=20
Cordelia grinned, straightening and brushing the dust off of her outfit. "Y=
ou're not the -"
=20
She couldn't finish her sentence, because when the lights went out, her voc=
al chords went out with them. Everyone looked to Willow, and the only thing=
visible through the dark was her glowing, blue eyes.
=20
***
=20
Unexpectedly, Angelus found himself flung into a tree. He sat on the grass,=
stunned, even as Spike belted him in the face again and again.
=20
"This is for Dru." His grandchilde said, snarling. "Take her from me, will =
you? She was mine!" He laughed, and just kept laughing; he couldn't feel a =
thing. "What's so sodding funny?"
=20
"Spike, my boy, you whine too much. Screw her! Let it go! Because I can do =
this all night...you know why?" He smiled, his features covered in blood. "=
He's gone!"
=20
Kendra stood next to Spike, breathing heavily. "And if they are successful,=
den he will be back, and you will not."
=20
His face fell, and shifted. "No! Not again!" He growled, springing to his f=
eet.=20
=20
They jumped back. Buffy wasn't going get out of this without a casualty. Wi=
th single-minded determination, he grabbed Kendra by her ponytail roughly, =
not giving the girl a chance to fight back. He snapped her neck with ease, =
and the body fell to the ground. She had known it was coming, somehow. She =
wished the only sister she'd had, luck - the unorthodox blonde would go far=
- and allowed the hole she'd felt ever since being taken from the family s=
he never knew, to finally be filled.
=20
Spike looked on, mostly pissed off that that wasn't his kill. This was the =
day, and he hadn't capitalized.=20
=20
"Say goodbye, mate." The bleached blonde got in his elder's way.
=20
"Either way, you're dead. Think carefully."
=20
He didn't think nearly fast enough for Angelus, who knocked him out of the =
way and ran in the direction of the library. Spike decided it was time for =
him to move on; he did what he was supposed to, and didn't give the lifeles=
s slayer a second thought.
=20
***
=20
Willow was sharing her soul with Angel's; she couldn't describe it any othe=
r way. It was so weak, so battered. A century's worth of torment, lonelines=
s and painful memories were open to her now. His fear, his guilt, and overw=
helming sadness - all before he even became a vampire. She could see it and=
feel it, and for someone as young and cheerful as she was, it was too much=
. She understood everything; she knew him, and why he had to come back.
=20
He had to cleanse his soul, had to achieve some sort of peace, no matter ho=
w long it took. So the redhead held on, allowing him to gain strength from =
her. She shook, tears and sobs wracked her body, but still she held on. She=
could almost make out Snyder and the two security guards with flashlights,=
who had come in demanding answers. That didn't stop her. She didn't have t=
o see Angelus to know he was there, that he barreled through the principal =
and the guards, and was heading for her.
=20
But he was too late. She stared him down, and he froze. His eyes turned as =
blue as hers, and in just a few seconds, she was passed out, the lights wer=
e on, and Angel was back.
=20
"Will!" Xander exclaimed, as he, Giles and Cordelia joined Amy and Miss Cal=
endar by the table.
=20
Oz went to get some water, and Buffy walked over to Angel, looking him over=
cautiously.
=20
"Yeah, it's me." He spoke.
=20
"Where's Kendra?" She asked, relieved.
=20
When he cast his eyes downward and didn't answer, her eyes went wide with s=
hock. No...she turned away from him, and joined her friends. Damn Spike for=
being right. Oz returned, and they fussed over an extremely tired Willow. =
Snyder remained speechless, as some badly dressed, unknown man, wearing a h=
at that looked too small for him, appeared out of nowhere and walked over t=
o Angel.
=20
"Whistler?" The now, permanently-souled vampire questioned.
=20
"Been rough on ya, huh?" The good demon said. "Think it's time to go. Next =
assignment's waiting, if you want it."
=20
"If?"
=20
"Got a soul, don't you? Gives you free will, pal. Take it or leave it, but =
personally, I get the feeling you've overstayed your welcome. You did what =
you had to do here," Whistler looked to the ceiling, "and they won't forget=
that."
=20
"But I..." It was all fresh in his mind.
=20
"Wasn't your fault." He patted him on the back. "You tell me what you wanna=
do."
=20
"You're leaving?" A conscious Willow asked, standing, though wobbly. Her bo=
yfriend was holding her steady. "You can't leave."
=20
Angel smiled sadly. "You really want me around after all that -?"
=20
"You have things to do here still. We need help. Okay, your alter ego? Scar=
y, but not you. Bad things happened, people died, and it stinks that you ha=
ve to live with it, but you do, and that won't change if you just up and mo=
ve. After a hundred years, you think you would've figured that out by now."
=20
"It'll make you feel uncomfortable when you're around me."
=20
"Duh! You've always made me uncomfortable! And without the 'grr' face on. O=
h...that sounded mean, didn't it? Sorry." She got up next to him, and began=
to poke his chest. "But look, buster, I didn't just go through all that wo=
rk for you to run away from us. If you go, then that's just like quitting..=
.I don't save quitters. I hope. So start doing good." She paused, looking a=
t Whistler. "I've never seen you before, but you give bad advice. Go away."
=20
Whistler was taken aback. "Feisty, ain't she?"
=20
"Don't make me use my resolve face." Willow warned.
=20
The demon looked perplexed, and then got the full force of it.
=20
He coughed, backing out through the library doors. "Uh...you've got a year.=
Then I'll ask you again."
=20
"Chair?" She requested, which Xander quickly supplied for her sitting pleas=
ure. "Whew."
=20
Every single member of the group had smirks on their faces, including Angel=
. Snyder didn't; he stormed over to them in a rage.
=20
"You're all expelled! And fired! You damaged school property -"=20
=20
They just stared at him; his cell phone was ringing.=20
=20
"Aren't you gonna get that?" Xander wondered.
=20
"Quiet, Harris." He answered it, angrily. "What?" He went white. "No, sir..=
.Of course not...No, they're...Oh, I...Yes, I understand...Absolutely...Tha=
nk you, Mr. Mayor." He hung up, glared at the hooligans, and then left with=
the guards. "Let's go!"
=20
The weary gang just shrugged collectively.
=20
"He's such a troll." Cordelia commented.
=20
***
=20
The Council sent people to take Kendra's body back to England; Quentin Trav=
ers was her legal guardian. Buffy thought about that as she sat on her porc=
h with Cordelia a few weeks later. She had never gotten to say a proper goo=
dbye to her or Spike, who had taken off. That was a wise decision on his pa=
rt. She kept thinking that she could've stopped it, but she had to quit tor=
turing herself. Kendra was a friend she wished she had known better, but sh=
e couldn't control everything.
=20
Angel was living at the mansion now, and despite Willow's (who was all into=
witchcraft now) rant, it would take a while for them to warm up to him. Th=
e good news was that nobody was jobless or not enrolled. She didn't care wh=
at had changed Snyder's mind; she was just glad that the worst was over. Th=
e emotional trauma would be dealt with over time, and all she had to worry =
about now, was preparing for the finals that were coming in a couple months=
. And while Miss Calendar was out of her cast, Xander was still in his.
=20
They'd had the "talk" with her mother, and she was wearing her bracelet aga=
in. Joyce had been understanding, supportive...Buffy's opinion of her was v=
alidated, and that was a huge relief. The only downside was the "No sex in =
the house" rule, but there were many, many loopholes to that. Cordelia and =
Joyce had bonded in a way (thanks to being able to complain about her), but=
however frightening that was, if it helped with the acceptance, she could =
handle it.
=20
But if the discussions about her girlfriend maybe taking her mother to one =
of the country clubs' in town to go golfing became a reality, then there'd =
be problems.
=20
"Do we have to sit out here?" Cordelia asked. "I feel like an old lady. I'm=
seventeen; I'm too young to start thinking about wrinkles."
=20
Buffy smiled. "Where do you wanna go?"
=20
"We could go to the movies and have another clich=E9 make-out session in th=
e back row."=20
=20
She wasn't exactly opposed to clich=E9s anymore.
=20
"What if we see Giles and Miss Calendar there?"
=20
They both frowned.
=20
"My house; we could go to my house." She suggested next. "Have you seen the=
hot tub?"
=20
"No, I can't say that I have."
=20
"Well, then you have to see it. And everything's right there. Mini-fridge..=
."
=20
"But what if I don't just wanna look at it?"
=20
"Then I guess you'll have to get in." The cheerleader said, a grin beginnin=
g to form, to match the one the blonde had. "Which'll mean that I have to, =
because I know from experience that I can't leave you unsupervised."
=20
"For the record, I resent that."
=20
"It's noted."
=20
"Should I get a bathing suit?"
=20
Cordelia shook her head. "You can *borrow* one of mine. If you really need =
to."
=20
She kissed her girlfriend then, smiling seductively.
=20
The slayer coughed. "So...hot tub, huh? Good idea. Why don't we go right no=
w? Yeah, now looks good to me."
=20
It had definitely been a long year. Even though it wasn't without its share=
of dark spots (technically it wasn't even finished), having the lives that=
they did, they had to admit that overall, it had turned out pretty okay.
=20
***
=20
Epilogue
-----------
=20
~~ I didn't know how to act around you=20
Didn't know what to do or what to say=20
You'd show me one face=20
Then another=20
And we'd hit repeat the next day=20
=20
Look harder=20
You never know what you'll find=20
Go deeper=20
Never know what you'll find ~~
=20
Finals were over - the wait for the dreaded report cards had begun. Though =
sitting in the Bronze, they weren't thinking about that. Summer was here, w=
hich meant freedom. For Buffy, it meant that she only had to work nights. T=
hey were just hanging out now, acting their ages and savoring every moment.=
Xander was especially happy, because he had a girlfriend who healed him fa=
ster than medical knowledge could understand. They were coupled off at a ta=
ble, temporarily missing Willow and Oz, who were just coming in.
=20
~~ I wasn't supposed to be this into you=20
Wasn't supposed to go as far as this=20
You showed me every face=20
Then were human=20
And I saw the layers that exist=20
=20
Look harder=20
You never know what you'll find=20
Go farther
Never know what you'll find ~~
=20
The redhead was carrying a yearbook with her, which she had bought the day =
before exams. She didn't understand why she was the only one who bought it =
in the group - nostalgia was important. Plus, her pictures made it in, and =
she knew her friends would be excited to see one in particular. Students in=
the school voted on various categories every year: Nicest Person (which sh=
e happened to win), Most Laid Back (which her boyfriend won), etc. Two othe=
r people in the gang snagged a category, too, and she'd had the perfect pic=
ture.
=20
~~ I can't see the road ahead of us
Can't see down the path we're on=20
You show me the signs=20
Then they're finally clear=20=20
And it's cause of you my future stays strong
=20
We're here and I'm not sure how=20
I just know that I...
That I love you now, oh
Hey... ~~
=20
She set the yearbook on the table when she reached them, and began flipping=
through the pages.
=20
"Hey, Will, Oz." Xander greeted them. "Anything good in there?"
=20
She just smirked. One day about a month ago, she'd had her camera with her =
when she caught Buffy and Cordelia talking in the hallway. The cheerleader =
had just gotten out of the shower because of the exertion caused by gym cla=
ss, and she could see how absorbed the slayer was. It was no secret that Co=
rdelia managed to look irresistible whenever and wherever, and she asked th=
em to pose, thinking she'd catch them being flushed and nervous. She hadn't=
anticipated the opposite result.=20
=20
Finding the page, she pointed it out:=20
=20
=20
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