//Why did I have to come back?//
She was packing again, hopefully for the last time. Who was she kidding? *They*
didn't need her. They hated her. She was packing up and never coming back.
//What, you actually thought they'd welcome you back with open arms?// Idiot.
There were no welcome back hugs for Buffy, just cold stares and heartache.
She got back yesterday. Everybody 'seemed' glad to see her. It looked as if everything would just pick up where she left it and things would be fine. Right now, everything was far from it. It was Hell.
She felt her eyes begin to water but she held the tears back. Now was so not the time. Right now she had to concentrate on leaving. She had to get out of here. Out of the house, out of the Sunnydale. Justout. The question was where would she go this time? Not back to LA. That would be too obvious. She was scared and she had absolutely no one to turn to.
Well, she did have someone, but that person was gone.
She didn't tell anyone about Faith. Not even Giles. It would've complicated things even more if they knew about her.
//Why did you have to leave me Faith?// She was missing the other Slayer so much. It seemed like she was the only person in the world that could put a smile on her face, the only person that could make her happy or feel safe. But she was gone now.
When Faith told her to go home, Buffy just wanted to slap the girl silly. She didn't want to go home. She just wanted to stay with Faith in LA, but she was too stubborn to say anything. She'd only known the girl for two days and it felt like they'd been friends forever. Those two days she spent with Faith were amazing, if you ignore all the shit in between.
Faith was different. There was something about the girl that made her feel the need to be around her. It was strange but it felt right. It was like there was this magnetic force that was constantly pulling her towards her and there was nothing that she could do to stop it. Not that she wanted it to! Being around Faith brought out so many good feelings that she had never felt before. It was strange, but comforting.
She never had these 'feelings' if you could call it that with Willow. Willow. She missed her. The last time Buffy saw her she was in a wheel chair recovering from serious head trauma. It ached her so much to know that she did this to her friend. When she came back and saw the redhead walking again, she was ecstatic. She made it! Everything was gonna be fine.
But everything was not fine. Her best friend, the only other person in the world that she could tell *anything* hated her. Everything was all fucked up and there was nothing she could do about it. Nothing.
"You're leaving again?" said a familiar voice from behind.
Buffy turned to look at her best friend. Flashes of betrayal and hate appeared in the other girl's eyes making Buffy wish she could just hug her and make the pain and suffering go away. But she couldn't. Hugging her would just fuck things up even more. Willow hated her and nothing could change it.
Face like stone, she turned and continued to pack.
"What, you just stopped by for your lint brush and now you're ready to go?"
//Why is she doing this?// Buffy just wanted to crack up and cry. Everything hurt. She wanted to tell Will everything, but she couldn't. She wouldn't understand. No one would.
Willow proved it to her earlier when she didn't show up at the Espresso Pump. No one had ever stood her up like that. And it wasn't just Willow either. All of them were avoiding her, like the other night when Xander said he was all tied up to go bronzing. He was lying and everyone knew it. Oz and Cordy didn't say much. Then again, she never really got to know either of them so it didn't really matter. It was obvious that she wasn't wanted. They all hated her. Leaving would just be doing them a favor.
"It's not like anyone would mind." She said bitterly, grabbing more clothes and shoving them into her bag.
"Oh, no. Have a good time. Oh, and don't forget to *not* write!"
That did it. She couldn't hold it back anymore. Throwing the clothes in her hands onto the bed, she turned and looked at her old friend.
"Why are you attacking me? I'm trying." she barely choked out.
"Wow, and it looks so much like giving up!" Willow spat sarcastically.
A wave of pain surged through her. It felt like someone ripped her heart out of her chest, chewed it up, and shoved it back in. It was true. She *was* giving up.
"I'm just trying to make things easier." She pleaded.
"For who?"
"You guys were doing just fine without me."
"We were doing the best we could! It's not like we had a lot of choice in the matter."
Again the redhead was right. *She* did this to them. She forced them to adjust. They had no choice. All they had was the mess she left for them.
"Sorry that I had to leave, but you don't know what I was going through."
"Well I'd like to."
Buffy wanted so much to tell her everything, but she couldn't. Everything that happened was all her fault and there was no way anyone could understand what she went through. The pain, the suffering, and most important, the guilt was eating her alive.
"You wouldn't understand."
"Well, maybe I don't need to understand. Maybe II just need you to talk to me."
"How could I talk to you when you were avoiding me?"
"This isn't easy, Buffy! I know you're going through stuff, butso am I."
"I know that you were worried about me, but-" She started but was interrupted as soon as the words left her mouth.
"No! I don't just mean that. I mean, my life! You know? I, umI'm having all sorts ofI'm dating, I'm having serious dating with a *werewolf*, a-and I'm studying witchcraft and killing vampiresand I didn't have anyone to talk to about all this scary life stuff." Willow paused looking into Buffy's eyes, just a second away from tears. "And you were my best friend!"
* * * * *
Giles huffed. He was doing sixty on a playground zone, but all thoughts of proper driving were trashed. A horde of zombies raised from the dead with a bloodlust like sharks in a tank full of fresh blood, were heading to the Summers' residents to retrieve an ancient Nigerian Mask that Joyce Summers happily nailed to her bedroom wall.
"Unbelievable!" He snapped at no one in particular. "Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It raises the dead!" He mocked in high pitch girly tone. "Americans!"
Sometimes he wished he lived a normal life. If he had *that*, he'd probably still live in England, away from all the insanity. But of course that was a dream. The fates handed him a shitty pair of cards and he couldn't get another hit. He was stuck in America for the rest of his useless life! //Why me?//
But, if he did have a normal life, he would've never met Buffy. Buffy. She was like a daughter to him. He never knew he had such strong fatherly feelings for her until her disappearance. Those last two months without the Slayer was unbearable. He was so worried about her. He loved her like a father would or should love his own daughter. Everyday of not knowing where she was and whether she was alive or not killed him, because a small part of him believed that it was his fault. But none of that mattered anymore. She was back now. Things would finally get better.
Right! Things were not gonna get better. It was so obvious. The tension and strain between the kids was flaunting him in his face. There was so many unanswered questions and the only person who could answer them was Buffy. The problem was, she wasn't saying anything. Her friends were obviously upset and none of them were saying a word.
Why were children always this stubborn? Sometimes he wished he could just grab each one aside and paddle them. Sure it was old fashion but hell, it worked fine in the good old days!
//That's right Giles, just take a paddle and-//
"OH DEAR LORD!"
The rusty gray Citroen swerved and slammed into a body.
//Oh God! Oh God! Oh bloody God!//
He hit someone! He actually hit someone! He looked through the window and saw a limp form in the middle of the road. It was a man lying on his belly. Busting out of his car, he dashed to the fallen body hoping to God that the man was alive. He crouched in front of the man and reached for him.
"Are you alright?"
He was relieved to see the body move but as the man turned to face him he suddenly wished he had crashed into the man a little harder. The face that greeted him was a horror of rotting flesh that barely stuck to the cracked bones that made up the man's ghastly face. His eyes were sunken in and unusually small, yellowing from the decomposition process it had started. The stringy soiled hair that clung to the man's crusty scalp was drenched in blood, bugs crawling in and out. He didn't know what grossed him out more, the moldy decaying face or the rich, putrid smell the creature gave off that intoxicated him inside and out. The man was a zombie!
Before he had any time to react a pair of rough moldy hands reached up and grabbed him by the throat. He gasped feeling the texture of crusty, bony hands wrap around his neck as the creature straddled him. The smell of earth and decay burned his nostrils making him wanna heave, but all thoughts on how disgusting the creature smelt were thrown out the window. It was choking him!
//No!//
He grabbed onto the zombie's wrist trying desperately to free himself from the monster's grasp, but the wrists were so soft and squishy all he accomplished was crushing dead meat between his fingers. His hands slipped and all he could do was lie there as the zombie strangled him to death.
His body began to feel numb all over. He closed his eyes as he felt the darkness come for himwhen suddenly, he could breathe again! The heavy weight on his chest where the creature was once straddling him was gone. Someone saved him!
He sucked in the sweet taste of oxygen as his eyes fluttered open. All he saw was a dark blur that was in the shape of a girl.
//Buffy?//
Blinking his eyes quickly, he sat up and took a better look at his dark hero. The girl had dark brown hair and she wore and excessive amount of make-up. Why he was thinking about make-up at a time like this, he didn't know. He must've lost a lot of brain cells when the zombie strangled him cause all his thoughts now were pretty much blah.
He watched as the girl grabbed the zombie by the head and kneed him in the face.
A sickening crunchy sound echoed into the night as parts of the zombie's face fell and encrusted the girl's leather pants.
"Fuck that's gross!" the girl shrieked, kicking the zombie football style onto the other side of the street.
The choice of words the dark-haired girl used startled him but for some odd reason he wasn't that surprised.
The girl ran to him and kneeled.
"You okay?"
"Who? Wha-" he started but was interrupted when he saw the girl's eyes widen at the sight behind him.
"Oh Shit!"
Giles spun his head around looking behind to see a swarm of zombies headed in their direction.
"Oh Lord!"
There was over a dozen zombies, each of them uglier then the next. It was terrifying him but he also felt like laughing his head off. It was as if he was watching some cheap B-movie at a 'Buck Only' theatre. Their clothes were cheaply torn and their zombie-like movements were pretty lame. The make-up that barely clung to their dilapidated faces looked extremely bogus, almost as if it were flushed colored frosting on a birthday cake. Only, it wasn't make up. It was rotting flesh.
"That your car?" The brunette asked snapping him back to reality.
She extended her hand, trying to help him up.
Suddenly, the terrified British twit inside him melted away and he was back into Watcher mode. He nodded and took a hold of the girl's hand, pulling himself up.
"Come on!"
They ran to his rusty Citroen, diving into the vehicle and slamming the doors shut. Giles reached into his pocket searching for his keys only to be disappointed with nothing.
"What?"
He turned to the girl as his mouth began to move but no words came out.
"I'm guessing you don't have the keys do you?"
He nodded sadly, turning his gaze back on the road, something shiny caught his eye. He squinted trying to see what it was when his face paled.
The keys were in the middle of the road.
"Oh fuck!"
The girl's choice in vocabulary was appalling him more and more, but seeing the current position they were in, Giles didn't think that a lecture of proper manners would be appropriate at the moment. Right now he had to concentrate on getting the car to move without the keys. He knew of a way but could actually do it? It had been way too long since he'd done something like that.
He gulped and reached for some wires under the ignition.
"What are you doing?"
He didn't answer.
"Are youhotwiring the car?"
Again no answer.
"Cool! Didn't think tweedies like you knew about that shit!"
Rolling his eyes he continued his mission. He finally found the right wire, when glass shattered and dead hands bashed through the window and began choking him again.
"Gah!"
Thankfully the mystery girl was there and she pulled the zombie's hand off. Actually, she pulled it a little too hard because his arm came right out of its socket.
"Sick!" Giles heard the girl say from behind him.
The sight would've made him gag but he was too busy celebrating the fact that he finally got the engine started. He stepped on the pedal and took off.
"All right Brit Boy!"
He felt arms circle his head as the girl gave him a hug. He blushed at the open affection when the girl finally let go.
"So I'm guessing those were zombies huh?"
"Yes they were."
There was an awkward silence as Giles continued to drive. Now that there wasn't any distractions he felt like now was a great time to ask the girl who she was.
"I appreciate all you've done for me"
"Faith."
"Faith but" he started but didn't quite know how to finish.
If this girl was a Slayer as he suspected, where was her watcher? Why was she here? Did the Watcher's council send her? But if she wasn't a Slayer, then how come she fought so well?
"Where are we heading?" the mystery girl named Faith asked.
She slouched back into her seat, spreading her legs apart sitting in a guy-like posture.
Giles was about to answer when the vehicle came to a jerking halt, followed by a deafening thud.
*THUD*
The Watcher looked up to see that they had just crashed into a zombie.
"Shit! They're everywhere!" Giles heard Faith say from the right of him.
They were surrounded. The zombies were everywhere, each uglier then the next. He needed to get to Buffy's as soon as possible before it was too late. Questions would have to be asked later. The only thing he could do right now was plow through the mass of dead bodies.
Giles revved up the engine or as best as his rusty Citroen could, and plowed.
* * * * *
"UPSTAIRS!"
Buffy raced up the stairs with her mother and her two friends trailing behind her.
//What the hell is going on?!//
Five minutes ago she was having a talk with her mother and how shitty she was for a daughter in front of everyone in her so called 'Welcome back' party. She felt like she was just gonna have a nervous breakdown cause everyone wanted a piece of the let's-give-Buffy-shit-all-at-once action. They couldn't have just talked her to her separately. Nope. If her mom was gonna mouth her down, EVERYONE was gonna join in too. Strangely, it looked as if Cordelia was the only one that felt somewhat sorry for her. But then there was the part where she called her a freak. As if things couldn't get any worse, when a bunch of zombies literally crashed the party.
Blood was coursing through her entire body as she experienced an adrenaline rush. It was that same funky feeling she got every time she slayed. Hot. She was hot all over and she felt her heart beat faster and faster every second.
"Oh Pat!"
Buffy turned to see her mother rush to her fallen friend. Pat was a 'nice' woman. You know one of those 'hi-diddley-ho neighbors'. She was awfully sweet and polite - Kinda gagworthy to be honest. Pat looked after her mother the entire summer when she pulled her disappearing act. She didn't like the woman too much but *she* was Buffy. She saved the helpless and no matter how annoying Pat was, she was still 'helpless' and innocent and didn't deserve to die.
"Careful!"
She grabbed a hold of the woman and with the help of her mother and Willow, lugged her into her mother's bedroom.
//What the hell is going on?!//
* * * * *
"Ooh! There's another one!"
Giles' car swerved and smashed into another rotting carcass as the dark-haired girl once again took a hold of the wheel and decided to play driver.
"Will you stop that! This is *my* car and I'm-"
"Gonna get us killed if you keep turning your head like that! WATCH THE ROAD!!!" the girl screamed.
He turned his head just in time to avoid *another* tree and stay on the road. It seemed like there was some higher force out there trying really hard to have him not reach Buffy's house in time. The swarm of zombies was endless and although he and Faith had reduced the dead-and-loving-it population by at least half using his trusty Citroen as a bulldozer, they were still outnumbered bywell a lot.
As if things couldn't get any worse, there was still the matter of who the girl was and where she was from. But for some reason every time it seemed like he could finally calm down and ask her who she was, something would happen to distract him.
*THUMP*
Giles watched as another body collided into his faithful Citroen and limply roll up the windshield, flying off the vehicle.
"Alright!" the watcher heard the girl cheer from his side.
//Like *now* for example//
Shaking his head, he continued to drive and decided that his questions would definitely have to wait till later.
"So uhTweedy?"
"Giles." He muttered, correcting the girl.
"Niles?"
"Giles!"
"Oh! Giles'kay then *Giles*" the girl said emphasizing on his name just to annoy him. "where exactly are we headin'?"
"We're-"
*THUMP*
Another body.
"-going to a friend's." he finished.
"Because?"
"Because her mother nailed an ancient Nigerian zombie mask to her bedroom wall, making the zombies rise from the dead to retrieve it." He blurted out, not quite sure whether it was a good idea for the girl to know.
No one said a word for a while. Just silence. It was quiet except for the usual 'thump' of another dead body smashing into the vehicle, till the girl's raspy voice broke the silence once more.
"Is her mother a retard?"
"Faith!"
"What?!" She asked innocently.
He shook his head, surprised at the girl's frankness and continued to concentrate on the road. Then again, the girl did have a point. Who in their right mental health would nail up an preposterous looking mask in their bedroom wall and call it art?
//Only a retard//
"So uhhow old is this friend of yours again?"
"Huh?"
"The chick. How old is she?"
"Oh well, eighteen." He replied with a smile. They had just reached Revello Drive and were just a few blocks away from reaching the Summers' house.
"Wow. I mean, I looked at you and thought, yeah I'd *do* you if I were about to pop but hey, eighteen? You've got my respect dude."
"What?!!"
*THUMP*
"That it?" Faith interupted pointing out the window.
"Why yes. How did you know?" He questioned, parking right across from the Summers' residents.
"Well, I looked at the broken windows and dead body parts lying on the lawn and thought that maybe the place was attacked by zombies that 'perhaps' wanted to steal a zombie mask. Ooh! And that zombie climbing out the window kinda gave it away too." The brunette replied obviously trying to make him sound like a total idiot.
He rolled his eyes and got out of his car with Faith following behind him.
The house, well it looked like shit to put it frankly. The windows were smashed with scraps of glass decorating the suburban grass. Broken furniture lay scattered all over the lawn with some just hanging out the windows, and of course there was the visual of body parts of people both living and dead lying all over the place.
Everything was quiet. Too quiet, except for the occasional shriek of a helpless woman and an 'arrgh' from the usual baddie.
Once again, he was reminded of several early nineties or possibly early eighties flicks that had similar 'sets' like what he saw in front of him. Only thing was, no matter how tacky it was, this was all real.
"Wes Craven, eat your heart out," he heard Faith mumble from behind.
He grinned and agreed with her silently.
He was about to open the front door when he suddenly found himself under another zombie.
"Gaaaaaargh!"
It moaned into his face, and he could feel the zombie's foul breath warm his skin. He couldn't help but cringe under the creature.
"Giles!"
The weight of the zombie on his body lightened as Faith tackled the walking corpse and began to wrestle with it. He got up coughing and wheezing, and watching the girl snap the dead man's neck only to have it moan in her face and wobble in her arms.
"Go! Help your chick!" Faith grunted throwing the zombie over her shoulders into a tree.
"But-"
"It's okay! I'm finejust go!" She said as another zombie tackled her from behind.
Giles hesitated wondering if it really was a good idea for him to leave the girl alone with a pair of undead carcasses.
He heard another shriek from an unlucky bystander that was stupid enough to watch and he turned in time to see Faith shove the dumb girl away and take on a third zombie.
"Come on Romeo! Save your girl!" She grunted, throwing the zombie onto the other two making a big dead sandwich.
He watched with amazement as the girl threw herself onto the undead heap and began to pound the bodies intoa rotten pulp? His eyes followed the dark haired girl as she chased the zombies down the street with the usual bystanders watching from the side doing their usual, "huh?"
Shaking his head he entered the Summers' home.
* * * * *
"Hey Pat!"
The Zombie Incarnate formally known as Pat, turned her head just in time for Buffy to jam her shovel in her eyes.
"Made you look."
The zombie moaned in pain trying desperately to remove the shovel but failing miserably. Buffy watched as the zombie disappeared into a bright light. The plus side on all this was that at least there would be no dead bodies to clean up after.
//Plus side? Yeah right.//
"Never mind." She heard Oz say from her porch with a shrug.
She smiled weakly, remembering that there was still the unfinished business of dealing with the Scoobs and her mother.
Taking in a deep breath, she entered her home praying to God that she would have the strength to deal with whatever her family and friends were gonna throw at her. She walked in through the back door trying her hardest not to make a break for it.
//No more running. You've done enough of that already.//
"Oh honey!"
Buffy was surprised to say the least when she felt her mother throw her arms around her holding her in a tight embrace. She was shocked but, for some reason she felt that things were finally looking up. She squeezed back smiling softly, feeling like she was almost home.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah." She smiled.
"So, is this a typical day at the office?"
"No," she said with a wry grin. "this was nothing."
She turned and saw Oz, Will and Cordy approach her slowly, with Xander joining them from the kitchen. She didn't know if they were still mad at her or not and she wasn't too sure what to say. It felt like the walls were closing in on her and her heart began to pick up it's earlier pace of beating like crazy.
"Nice moves."
For some bizarre reason those two simple words Xander said actually comforted her. No they didn't promise a happily ever after ending, but they did promise something that kinda meant that things were gonna be okay.
She gave a warm smile. "You too."
Buffy turned to share a warm hug from her best friend. This was the first time Willow hugged her since she came back from LA. Did it feel good? Hell yeah!
She was finally home.
As if things couldn't get anymore TGIF, the front door busted open and a voice she never thought she'd ever hear again ripped into the silence.
"So *Giles,* where's this twinky of yours you were totally bragging about in the car?"
Letting go of her best friend Buffy looked up to see Faith leaning on the doorframe of her front door, smirking a 'eat-shit' grin at her watcher. She began to walk slowly towards the brunette who suddenly noticed that she was there.
"Buffy."
"Faith."
She stared at her sister slayer in shock, still trying to take in the fact that Faith was really there in her living room. She blinked a couple times trying to see if she was dreaming, but she wasn't.
"Uhyou two know each other?" Buffy heard one of the Scoobs say from behind.
She ignored the question and instead surprised herself and everyone else in the room by throwing her arms around Faith.
* * * * *
"So lemme get this straightyou're a Slayer?"
"Yup."
"And you two know each other?"
The Slayers nodded with wide grins as a baffled Xander continued to over-analyze the situation more then his brain could handle.
They were lounging around Giles' apartment. It was pretty much a given considering the condition of the Summers' home. Everyone was there gathered around the living room more then eager to get to know the new Slayer named Faith. Even though the idea of *two* Slayers at once wasn't exactly new to them, it still left them with their mouths hanging out of shock. Besides, unlike Kendra, Faith had this pizzazz to her that had you wanting more. Which was why all the Scoobs were sitting there with their utmost attention, like play-schoolers during story time listening to every word that left the brunette's lips.
"So it's about a hundred and eighteen degrees and I'm sleeping without a stitch on"
Buffy rolled her eyes as she suddenly found herself listening to an encore presentation of Faith's 'Bostonian Adventures'. Not that she mind. Hell, she'd sit through hours and hours of listening to the girl's cocky escapades just as long as Faith was there.
Key concept? Faith was *there.*
She smiled, as the brunette continued with her tales, receiving a quick wink that made her smile even wider.
She was back. Buffy didn't know why or how but it didn't matter. Having Faith there was like, was like-
"Is it true?"
"Huh?"
Her best friend had just interrupted her thoughts.
"Weren't paying attention?"
Buffy nodded at her friend, blushing at her rudeness. "Sorry?"
"And she wonders why she's failing Chem." Xander snorted, only to receive a punch in the arm.
"Ow!"
Ignoring Xander's comment, Buffy turned her attention back to the hacker-gone-witch.
"What was the question?"
Willow smiled and answered. "Well-"
"Does slaying make you hungry and horny?" Xander interrupted, once again acquiring a punch in the arm.
Buffy's eyes bugged out and she nearly fell out of her seat. "What?!"
She looked over at her sister Slayer who just waggled her eyebrows and smiled innocently.
"Well does it?" coughed Will.
Before Buffy had a chance to embarrass herself by answering the question meanwhile giving Faith the dirtiest look ever, the sound of her mother's voice resonated all over the house from the kitchen. Mrs. Summers didn't exactly get the whole two Slayers-at-once deal, so Giles took her aside into the kitchen to explain.
"What?!"
The whispering got louder then it should and Giles quickly apologized to the group and took her mother into his bedroom to elaborate more thoroughly.
"Maybe you should" Her best friend started, gesturing down at the bedroom.
"Yeah Buff, I've got things cool here." Faith saluted, with a quick wave, letting the blonde know her sister slayer would be fine by herself.
She gave a lighthearted smile to her friends and got up reluctantly knowing that what would come next wasn't gonna be pretty. Pulling back a strand of blonde hair and patting down the non-existent wrinkles on her totaled, soft pink party dress, Buffy tiptoed up the stairs towards Giles' bedroom. She could hear her mother's voice get louder and more stressed by the minute. Things were definitely not good.
"I don't understand."
"Mrs. Summers-"
"No! She would've told me."
//Uh-oh//
Her mother didn't sound too happy. Yep. Totally pissed. Leaving would be a good thing right now, she thought to herself as she slowly backed off down the hall.
//Giles can take her//
"There you are!" Her mother spotted her and pulled her into the room.
//Shit!//
"Um, mom? H-Howwhat's up?"
"Buffy you have to explain this to me. Mr. Giles just told me that another slayer isn't called until the previous one dies. Tell me that isn't true?"
Buffy paled, her eyes, black marbles outlined in green as they dilated, and her mouth, godher mouth she swore was wide open like a friggin' codfish.
She gulped. What was she gonna say?
"Um.."
"Oh Buffy"
"Now Joyce-"
"No, no, I've heard enough from you already." She cut him off, giving him an icy look.
//Ouchsorry Giles?//
"Can ICan I just have a moment with my daughter please?"
//Oh God! No, no, no, no! Giles don't leave me!//
The slayer turned to her Watcher, pleading into his eyes and silently begging him to stay. He seemed to sense this as he looked at her and smiled softly, but his eyes flicked back to her mother's direction, and all he could do was pat her lightly in the shoulder, put his head down and leave the blonde alone with her mother.
Speaking of which, was staring at her expectantly, arms crossed, head tilted slightly, making her feel like she was back in grade 2 and getting shit for calling Auntie May, 'Chunkzilla' cause of the poor woman's hard to miss obesity. The woman had a waistline beyond 75 inches and at the age of 8 or 9, things were big enough as it was.
//God, I hope that doesn't run in my line of the family//
Not that that really mattered considering the death stare her mother was giving her.
"Well?" Her mother cleared her throat.
"Uh"
"Glad to see you've moved up from 'um' in your vocabulary honey but really, why didn't you tell me?"
What could she say? 'I'm sorry mother, but it was kinda hard to really say *anything* without you threatening to send me packing!' Yep, that was definitely a no.
"I'm sorry? It was for just a few minutes?"
"Oh I hate this. I hate your life!" She watched her mother sigh and run her hands through her hair, shaking her head and pacing around the room.
"Mom?"
"I mean, I know you didn't choose this, it chose you, and I've tried to march in the Slayer Pride parade but" Her mother paused, cupping her daughters face and looking at her with utmost concern. "I don't want you to die?"
The blonde took her mother into her arms and hugged her tightly, feeling her mother finally relax and let loose some of the tension and strain she had already build up.
"Oh Buffy"
"I'm not gonna die. I know how to do my job." Buffy smiled into her mom's shoulder.
Pulling back, her smile grew as she heard light laughter coming from the living room. Faith, obviously giving them a show.
"Besides," she grinned. "I've got help now."