FF: R&R::An Interlude:: Bittersweet Memories (1/3)

[keeper444@xxxxxxxxx]

Hi Guys,
This little interlude is a part of the "Revelations and Realizations"
story but it didn't really fit into the main body of the story.
My muse wouldn't let me go on until I finished this. I hope you like it,
so sit back and enjoy the ride.<g> 
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R&R::An Interlude::
Title: Bittersweet Memories
Author: Alex P.
Feedback: Please any comments or suggestions to: keeper444@xxxxxxxxx
Archive: Whatever or whoever Just tell me
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy, Willow, Giles, and any others from 
BTVS are the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy etc. No
infringement of any kind intended and no money made. 
Rating: Possible PG-13 
Pairing: B/W 

Thanks to my beta Cheryl Hill, she's done the best she could with what I
gave her and she has a fabulous first name. Great work!!!

   <>thoughts<>
   ***flashbacks*** 
============================= 
This is the story of a little red haired, green eyed girl and her
beloved Grandmother Magdalin, called Grams, by the young lonely girl
that loves her. 

It was a story she hadn't told her soulmate or anyone else, until she
met an old Druid woman that reminded her of the much beloved woman, who
had died before learning that her favorite granddaughter had found the
true meaning of soulmates. 

It isn't a nice story really, but it covers several of the basic human
emotions, you know, greed, envy, hate, spite, then again it also has
honesty, respect, honor, nobility, and of course love, it does have a
perfect ending and I thought y'all might like to see it. 

If it has a moral I suppose it's that you should never underestimate an
old woman and her sense of justice, because some can strike back, even
from the grave. 

I hope you like it, I promise I'll get right back to work on the next
chapter of R&R as soon as I post this.<bg> 
Later 
Alex 
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R&R:: An Interlude::
Bittersweet Memories (1/3) 
By: Alex P. 
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The young couple sat on a well shaded, padded stone bench next to the
happily gurgling fountain. The red haired knockout sat quietly, with her
equally beautiful, blonde haired soulmate sitting between her legs and
leaning back against her chest. 

Even if you didn't know they were soulmates, it was obvious to the most
casual passerby that the pair was deeply in love, by the way the
redhead's arms were wrapped lovingly and protectively around her blonde
lover's waist. Holding the most precious being in her life tightly
against her, as if she was afraid she would awaken, and find it was all
a beautiful dream. 

Emerald green eyes gazed adoringly down at her lover as hazel eyes
looked lovingly up at her other half, both sets of eyes bright with the
promise of future passion sparkling in their depths. 

Every once in a while the redhead would lean forward and with an even
more dazzling smile whisper into the blonde's shell like ear. These were
obviously provocative whispers judging by the adorable blush coloring
the blonde's cheeks. 

An old woman approached the couple, carrying a tray that held a tea pot,
cups and saucers, and a large plate, piled high with freshly baked
scones. She smiled knowingly at the lovers as she came near, she sat the
tray on the stone table in front of the couple and stretched her joints
popping audibly, fatigue was evident on her features. 

"It is certainly a fine day you children have picked to enjoy." the old
woman said her nearly black eyes clear and bright, despite her visibly
ancient body there clearly was evidence of a sharp mind and good humor. 
"Been a long, long time since I've seen two young folks as much in love
as you two. Does my old heart good to see it. Brightens my day even here
in as pleasant a place as the home of Danu's last children." 

"Please sit down and join us." The redhead asked knowing that although
tired, the old woman wouldn't think of intruding on their idyllic
setting, unless invited. "My name is Willow and this is my wife Buffy,
and you are...? 

"They called me Branwen, in my youth, back in the shires of Wales." she
said giving the couple a grateful smile as she sat "but why don't you
call me what the children did back in the days when I lived in your
realm and was a mid-wife it, if my old mind isn't playing tricks on me." 

The silver haired woman laughed as she recalled her days wandering the
country side of her homeland. 

"I was called Wenny, by those who knew me, in those days and the little
uns called me, Granny Wenny." she chuckled reminiscing as she poured
them all a cup of the herbal tea. "Think I miss the little uns most of
all. I know the two of you though, we never actually met, but a body
would have to be deaf, mute and blind not to know the Chosen One and her
Great Sorceress." 

Both young women blushed when she referred to their destined titles.
They still weren't very comfortable about being called such formal
titles. 

Willow looked at the old woman as Buffy was teased by the friendly old
woman. As her wife and the woman spoke a strangely sad look crossed her
face. She was so intent on the woman she hadn't noticed that her two
companions had stopped speaking and were staring back at her. 

"Huh? What?" Willow asked embarrassed at being caught by the two women,
not noticing the tears falling from her eyes. 

"Nothing child," the old woman said patting Willow's hand to comfort
her, "just worried is all. Is it something I said that brings you
sadness, or do I bring someone to mind, someone you miss terribly?" 

"Can I call you Grams." Willow asked suddenly, sounding like a lost
child, the tears stopping temporarily. "You remind me so much of my
Grams, she survived the camps, and she always treasured children. 
She always said that she'd seen so many of the little ones die there,
she said that it was such a horrible waste of God's greatest gift. 
I always knew I was loved when I was with my Grams, 
I miss her so much." 

Tears fell from Willow's eyes again as memories of the loving old woman
returned flooding her mind. 

"Mom and Dad were always so cold and distant to me then." the young
woman continued "Grams always made them send me to spend Summers with
her, whether they liked it or not. 
Some of my happiest childhood memories were made there, 
the best ones are of 
when I was little, and Xander's parents would let him go with me 
to Grams' ranch." 

Buffy watched the most important person in her universe speak of the
happiest moments in her young life. She saw the unshed tears shining in
her emerald eyes. 
It always, tore at her heart to see her beloved wife in such pain; it
was obvious to the Slayer some very sad memories hadn't been revealed
yet. She also knew that if her lover didn't find some way to bring those
memories out into the light and purge them from her soul, she would be
in agony every time she remembered her compassionate and loving
grandmother. 

Somehow it didn't seem fair to have her beloved mate forced to suppress
her fondest memories because of something she could help Willow
overcome. 

So using the cunning she possessed as a natural Slayer's talent she
decided to trick her lover into telling the story of her grandmother and
hopefully, whatever was bothering her would come out. 

"What happened to her Wills?" Buffy asked innocently looking deep into
her wife's eyes, "I never heard you talk about her, how come?" 

Without a second thought, Willow automatically began telling the story
of her grandmother, Magdalin Estell Rosenberg, and the reason memories
of someone she remembered so fondly, could cause her so much pain. 

"You would have loved her Buffy, my Grams was something else, a real
free spirit, kind of like you." Willow began her tale, her love for the
long dead, and still terribly missed woman, evident in her voice. "I
know she would have loved you, if only because you make me so happy.
That was always very important to Grams, that I be happy. 
That was why she first started letting Xander come with me to her farm, 
in the end she kind of adopted him too. She loved Xander like he was her
own grandchild. 
That was just like her, 
Grams was always extending a helping hand to people, 
especially young people. 
She always said that children were the greatest, most wonderful blessing
God could bestow on a person. 
I think that had to do with 
what she saw at Dachu too. 
She didn't often talk about the camps. 
It made her so sad whenever she did. 
It was always on certain days, 
she become very depressed 
and I didn't find out why, 
until after she was dead." 

Willow was weeping silently, as she continued telling the woman that was
the most important being in her life, now, about the most important
being of her less than happy childhood. 

"I can still see her on the last day of my last visit to her at the
ranch, 
it was the summer of my freshman year, the summer before I met you my
love. 
I had brought Xander, 
but he had gone back home 
the week before, 
for some family business. 
It was just my Grams and me left, 
well except of course, her housekeeper/cook and the ranch hands. That
night that stands out 
because it was the last night 
I ever saw her alive. 
Come to think of it, 
I believe she knew it would be our last time together, 
because of some of the things 
she said that night." 

Willow's face took on a far away look as her mind went back to that
night years ago. 
***************** 
She had searched for her grandmother 
all over the house, to wish her a good night, and finally finding her in
her favorite old rocking chair in the parlor. 

She was looking at a portrait of her husband and herself from when they
had first married. Magdalin had met Avram Rosenberg almost the moment
she had stepped off the boat in New York. The moment they set eyes on
each other they knew they would marry and spend the rest of their lives
together. 

"I was such a tiny thing back then." Magda said, as her beloved
granddaughter entered the room. "and Avram, he was so handsome, with his
big brown eyes, and thick black hair. His mother's family was Greek you
know. His family had sent him to America, shortly before the Nazis
invaded Greece, I think they sped up his citizenship papers, just so he
could go back home to fight the Nazis. He was a real hero too. 
Did you know that honey? 
Of course I've told you before, 
many times. 
Ah I despise getting old, 
you lose so much of yourself." 

The 85-year-old woman sighed heavily as memories of times long gone by
went through her mind. Her thoughts centered on the late 1950s when a
young Greek named Rosenberg and his beautiful wife were just starting
out. 

"When I finally got to meet his parents, his mother told me all about
his valiant exploits against the invaders. 
He had never gotten to Germany, 
he was wounded in the mountains, 
just above his family's home village, 
while he was saving his entire platoon from a hidden machine gun," 
She said proudly remembering also the recurring nightmares he'd suffered
through for so long after he had returned to the States. "took it out
all by himself, his best friend died covering his back. He was so
embarrassed when he heard his mother bragging." 

The old woman chuckled softly as the memory of her beloved husband as a
young man, so proud and fiercely brave, yet so humble and gentle, he had
always been a wondrous paradox to her. 

"Apparently his mother was trying to show her son's wife how undeserving
she was of him." her grandmother said continuing her story. "The thing
was neither of us thought we could ever be good enough for our mate.
When Avram heard how his mother was talking to his wife he pulled both
his parents aside and told them about where I spent the war, and his
mother backed down, 
and never brought up the war again." 

She went on to re-tell the old story of how his parents came to live
with them. It was a story her granddaughter must have heard a million
times, but never tired of hearing it, over and over again. 

Then her grandmother went on, telling how with Avram's skill, and their
mutual determination, their one small produce stand, grew to be one of
the largest suppliers of fresh produce on the east coast. 

With all the skill of a ship's captain and his trusted first mate, Avram
and Magda carefully guided their business to become progressively
larger, after it became the largest supplier of produce on the east
coast. It wasn't long until they had turned it into a nation wide
corporation. 

Not content with that, Avram, with the help of his loving and supportive
wife and partner, diversified their business, and soon they were very
wealthy. Avram used his first hard won millions to buy an estate on Long
Island with a home on the grounds for his parents, and several smaller
houses. 

The houses were originally servant's quarters, but he had them
remodeled. So he could use them to house anyone in his family that
wanted to come to America. 

Their life was good, and Avram was proud that most of his family had
moved on with their lives, leaving the estate behind, as they no longer
needed him and his wife, to help them. It had been hard for his family
to accept his help even though he had given it gladly, they were proud
people, so all of them worked very hard to become citizens and find
jobs, granted some went to work for him, only on the condition they be
treated like all his other employees, he gladly agreed. 

It was a testament to the work ethic of his family that soon they were
all ready to begin their own lives, and everyone of them did it on there
own. From the outside the Rosenbergs were a successful family that had
everything they could possibly want, but Avram had a dream that had
begun during the war. He kept it so private that he shared it only with
his trusted wife and companion, Magda. 

During the war he had made friends with a young man from Colorado, named
Rocwell "Rocky" McCandels, and had spent many of the long lonely hours,
listening to Rocky's stories of his home state, and of his beloved Rocky
Mountains, and it's unparalleled beauty. Avram loved his stories and was
constantly asking the man to repeat them. They became good friends and
the two of them finally decided that after the war they would pool their
money so they could be partners in a Colorado cattle ranch. 

They say it isn't good to make plans with another soldier during a war,
Avram and Rocky heard it constantly from others in their platoon, but
they were sure they were the exceptions to that saying. Their platoon
was ordered to take a mountain that was overlooking Avram's old village. 

Avram looked forward to showing his new friend the place where he had
grown to young manhood and to introduce Rocky to all of his family that
still lived there. It was a great idea but it never happened. 

In the mountains over looking the small village of Avram's childhood,
while attacking a hidden enemy gun emplacement Avram was badly injured,
and he would never walk without a cane again and young Rocky McCandle
was killed as he pulled Avram to safety. 

The grieving man set aside his dream unsure if he still wished to chase
that dream, until he shared it with his wife. Together they decided that
once their son was grown and on his own they would retire from their
business and buy themselves a cattle ranch in Colorado. 

The two still hopelessly in love people would often sit in front a
crackling fire and talk of their now shared dream of clear blue skies
and wide-open spaces. 

Avram never got to live his dream, he passed away at the age of 45 after
suffering a massive stroke. He lingered for several days in the hospital
the whole time his totally devoted wife was at his bedside. The couple
talked of how this was God's way of telling him to stop waiting and
retire. It was planed that after leaving the hospital they would live
their dream of ranching in Colorado. 

Sadly though, after 2 weeks in intensive care, Magda's beloved soulmate
and husband had a second massive stroke and died quietly in his sleep. 

As was her way, Magda buried her husband, then took up the reigns of the
business the two had built and buried herself in her work so no one
would know how badly she was grieving for her beloved Avram. 

Being a very smart and astute business woman, Magda was very successful,
and made even more money to add to the already enormous amount she and
her husband had already compiled together. It was her way of honoring
his memory and to be sure there was a place for their son if he wished
to follow his father into business. 
********** 
"Like she always did, Grams didn't try to force Dad into the family
business," Willow added wanting her wife to understand why her father
ended up a psychiatrist, and not a successful businessman "So, when he
said he wanted to become a psychiatrist instead, Grams never said a
word. She just stayed with the business and gladly paid for his extended
schooling. That's where he met mom. She and Grams never did hit it off
very well." 

"What a surprise." Buffy snorted and that earned her a playful poke in
the ribs, "Ow, hey I was just saying that your mother isn't an easy
woman to like." 

"She stayed on running the business even after mom and dad graduated
from medical school and then through their training in their chosen
field." Willow began again ignoring the comment, and giving her wife a
"don't you dare say it" look, "Once they were licensed and ready to
begin Grams bought them a house and paid to set them up in their
practice. 
Dad was a great psychiatrist and Mom, well, Mom wasn't as good with
people. She eventually gave up her private practice and went into
clinical research. She had found her niche. 
It wasn't long before they were both 
very wealthy in their own rite. 

Mom was offered a full professorship at UC Sunnydale so they bought the
big house there and Dad moved his practice their. Grams was very happy,
that they were happy, and things went along smoothly, until Mom found
out she was pregnant. 

>From what has been said Mom wanted to abort the baby but she waited too
long and ended up having me." 

The redhead had a tear in her eye, and Buffy wondered quietly what kind
of monster Shelia was that she allowed her daughter to know things like
that, but she didn't comment knowing it would upset her lover even more. 

"Grams was absolutely ecstatic over her first (and as it turned out
only) grandchild, but Shelia Rosenberg was less than pleased at the
prospect of raising a child." Willow said trying to make it sound like
some kind of joke, but her audience knew better. "You already know about
my childhood, so suffice it to say the only real love I got was from
Grams." 

Willow stopped for a moment to blow her nose and dry away some of the
tears this story always gave her. She didn't want to go on but she knew
she had to. For the sake of her sanity if nothng else. 
 
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End 1
TBC 
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