FF: Stranger in my house Ch. One

["Christeen Demons" <Shyfox30@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here, as promised, is chapter one.:-)

Enjoy

Shyfox

Disclaimers: Joss owns em...this timeline is my own creation, enjoy

Chapter One: Welcome home, Buffy

Don?t wish it away,
Don?t look at it like it?s forever.
Between you and me,
I could almost accept that things can only get better.

And I guess that?s why they call it the blues.
Time on my hands could be time spent with you.
Laughing like children,
Living like lovers,
Rolling like thunder under the covers.
And I guess that?s why they call it the blues.
Elton John.



?Welcome home, honey.? Joyce stood in the doorway, watching her daughter 
make her way slowly to the house. She had healed, for the most part, her 
super fast healing ability taking care of most of the bumps and bruises 
that had peppered the Slayer from her fall. The only noticable remaining 
indication of her ordeal was the limp as she favored her left side, where 
her bruised ribs and still healing gash still caused her some pain, and the 
incredibly empty look in those hazel blue eyes.
?Thanks, Mom.? Buffy tried not to lean too hard against Xander, who was 
trying valiently to help her to the house, but she still felt overwhelmingly 
weak. She thought she?d be feeling so much better by now, somehow, and it 
irked her that she felt like she had to rely
on Xander just to walk from the driveway to the house.

Xander just wished Buffy?s Slayer strength would hurry up and make an 
appearance, for both of their sakes.
?Do you feel up to the grand tour, or would you like to lay on the couch for 
a little bit.? Joyce asked, trying not to worry over how tired Buffy looked.
Buffy shook her head, unsure what she wanted to do as they walked into the 
house together. She thought she should at least recognize something, but as 
she looked around at the unfamiliar furnishings, she felt the reality of the 
situation pressing in on her. Part of
her wanted to go back to the hospital, where at least something was 
familiar, but another part of her, a deeper, stronger part, wanted even more 
to stick it out and get reaquainted with her life.
?Maybe we can just sit down for a little bit.? Buffy said, as she headed 
over to the couch.
*****

The ride to Giles house was very quiet. Rupert wasn?t quite sure what to 
say to the young woman who was staring out the window, lost in thought. 
Willow couldn?t get the image of Buffy arriving home out of her head. She 
had only seen her for a brief split second, and
yet, seeing her standing in the driveway in front of her house had seemed so 
right. Like she truly belonged there, and all was once again right with the 
world. Unfortunately, that wasn?t completely true, at least as far as 
Willow was concerned.
She had to keep reminding herself that her leaving was for the best. There 
wasn?t anything she wouldn?t do if she could just go home again, crawl 
between the sheets of Buffy?s bed, wrap her arms around her wife and just 
stay there, safe and secure in the love that she felt
for her.

Things were never that simple though, and so, here she was on her way to 
Giles house, for who knew how long, wondering if things would ever be the 
way they used to be. Wondering if her wife would ever look at her with the 
love that used to shine, just for her, from the depths of her bright blue 
eyes. It did her absolutely no good to wonder if Buffy
would ever even get to know her own child, it just left her feeling 
miserable and alone. She had to get a handle on these feelings, if not for 
her own sake, then at least for Buffy?s.
She knew she wasn?t being much of a friend to her right now. She?d tried to 
visit her a couple of times in the hospital, but it just hurt too much to be 
around her. Then Buffy had called her on it, and she wasn?t sure what to 
say. She remembered muttering something about plants while walking 
backwards, and then she?d been out of the room, staring at the closed 
hospital room door, wondering if she?d ever be able to get her act together.
She sighed, drawing Giles attention to her once more. ?I know...it won?t be 
home. But....I..I think I have everything set up so you?ll be comfortable.?
Willow tried on a smile for his sake, feeling it stretch across her lips, 
though no emotion lay behind it. ?I?m sure it will be just fine, Giles.?
The older man searched blindly for something else to say, then gave up and 
simply nodded, returning his attention to the tree lined streets.
*****
?And this is your bedroom.? Joyce finished the little tour by pushing open 
Buffy?s bedroom door. Buffy entered the room like she was seeing it for the 
first time, and in a way she was, she had walked through the whole house 
like that, her attention being drawn to every nook and cranny as if she was 
memorizing where everything was.
Joyce had breezed by the closed room at the head of the stairs, but for some 
reason Buffy?s attention had been drawn to it, almost magnetically.
?What?s in there?? Buffy had asked, her eyes almost poring through the 
wood, and Joyce thanked God that her daughter didn?t have x-ray vision as 
one of her many powers.
?Oh that?? Joyce thought her voice sounded a little strangled to her own 
ears, she hoped Buffy hadn?t picked up on that, but she was completely 
unprepared to answer questions about that room. ?That...that?s just my 
n-...uh...office, honey. Nothing really to see in there.?
Buffy had looked at her a little strange, almost as if she was sensing the 
lie, but then just answered her with a simple. ?Oh.?
Now, Buffy looked around her room, hoping for one small feeling of 
recognition to jump out at her from the four silent walls. Not a shred of 
recognition was elicited from the clothes hanging in the closet, or the ice 
skates hanging over the door. Even the stuffed pig in the corner left her 
feeling cold. ?I sleep in here. This is my bedroom, the bedroom that I?ve 
had for the last eighteen or so years? Shouldn?t I feel...something?? 
Buffy asked herself. A growing feeling of isolation and fear began to 
settle around her weary shoulders, but then she noticed the picture frame 
resting on the dresser.
Picking it up, she examined it curiously, wondering why just seeing the 
red-head grin at her from the photo made her want to grin in reflex. She 
hadn?t seen the red-head grin at her like that in the hospital, if she had, 
she knew she would have felt the warm feeling that was swimming around 
inside her now. There was a truly joyous expression on that face,
one that captured her attention and made her feel joyful herself. Even if it 
was just a sliver of what was reflected from her friend, it was enough to 
let her give in to her feelings and grin. But looking at herself was weird. 
She tried to find the answers to all her questions
about herself in those deep hazel eyes. She imagined how it would be if the 
person in the picture could speak. What she would tell her about how her 
life had been and who she was.
She placed a hand on the picture, running her fingers over the smooth glass. 
They were friends, best friends from what Xander and her mother had told 
her, and here in her hands was the proof. She wondered what she had done to 
change that. Was forgetting about her the thing that had stolen the smile 
from that endearing face? She found herself wishing
that she could remember, just so she could put that smile back in it?s 
proper place.
Joyce?s heart skipped a beat as she saw the smile appearing on her 
daughter?s face. It was the first genuine smile she had seen since the 
coma, and knowing that looking at Willow?s picture had put it there caused 
her to feel hope for them again.
*****

?Well, here we are.? Giles put Willow?s suitcase down by the bottom of the 
stairs, as she looked around the apartment.
?Where?s the rest of it?? The wiccan asked in a near state of panic. Not 
only had she lost Buffy...she?d lost her stuff. It was an irrational fear, 
but then she wasn?t exactly thinking rationally at the moment.
?Ah. Yes. Right this way.? Giles said, as he resumed his hold on the 
suitcase and started carrying it up the stairs.
Willow was speechless as she followed Giles into his room. He had fixed it 
up so that everything she would need was right at her fingertips. Her 
clothes were neatly put away in his closet, and her stuffed panda bear, the 
one Xander had given her, was waiting for her on the bed.
?Giles...You didn?t have to. I mean...giving me your room? I..I mean thank 
you...but...I would have been just as comfortable on the couch.? She 
stuttered over herself as she tried to recover from the shock. ?I...I 
mean...I don?t deserve all this.?
?Yes you do. And yes, I did.? He reassured her gently. ?I mean, 
really...I couldn?t have you sleeping on the couch. What would Buffy th-? 
He felt like biting his own tongue as the well-meaning words slipped out of 
his mouth. Especially when he saw the pinched look come over her face. 
They had come out so easily, so naturally that he hadn?t been
able to stop them, and now Willow was looking like she?d just been slapped. 
?Oh, Willow...I?m so sorry...I didn?t think.?
Willow took a deep breath, willing the sharp sensation in her chest to go 
away, then let it out slowly. ?No...It?s okay, Giles. I?m going to have to 
get used to it. I can?t avoid her completely. She?s still my best friend, 
even if she doesn?t remember me.? She shared a small half grin with the 
watcher, knowing he was worrying far too much for his own good. ?Besides, 
it?s not like she?s going to be this way forever. Right?? Her grin turned 
half-hopeful as she looked for some reassurance from the older man. 
?Right??
The truth was, there really was no way to tell with Buffy. The doctor?s on 
the case had been less than hopeful, considering the extent of the damage 
she had suffered, but then again, they didn?t know how truly special she was 
either. ?I wouldn?t count her out just yet. If I know Buffy, she?ll be 
back to her old self before you even have a chance to miss her.?
?That?s good.? Willow nodded slowly, then turned her misty green eyes 
towards him. ?Because I miss her already.?
Putting an arm around her shoulders, Giles comforted her the only way he 
knew how. ?I bet she misses you too.?
...to be continued. (you knew I was going to say that...didn't you?BG)


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